Wausau 24 - The 12 hour version!

Another lap finished!

My team mate, Wanda

Finally! Time to sit down, relax and spew out my thoughts on my last event. They've been few and far between this year. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. On August 2nd, I participated in the 12 hour mountain bike race at Wausau24.http://www.wausau24.com/ I competed in the mixed duo class with a great friend and awesome rider-Wanda. It turned out better than I planned, but harder than anticipated. That seems like a contradiction, but it's true. I haven't spent much, if any time on my mountain bike this year. It just seems like I've gravitated to the road bike this summer. No real specific reason. Just how things have been going. So, of course, due to this, I went in feeling pretty cocky and confident. I think I may have even entertained some smack talk about 24 hours solo next year!! Dumb ass!!  I didn't get a chance to pre-ride, which is probably a good thing in some ways and not so smart in others. I hadn't ridden at Nine Mile Forest in a few years. I had forgotten how tough and technical the single track can be. An 11 mile lap doesn't sound too tough. Again, dumb ass! Perfect weather greeted all the racers on Saturday morning. Sunshine, clear skies, a little breeze. A bit of rain on Friday helped knock the dust down. A classic Le Mans start got us off and running a short loop to our bikes. I lined up with another friend, Amanda, who was doing the 24 mixed duo with her husband, Darrin. We jogged/walked to our bikes and off we went. My first not so smart move of the day! After a nice roll out on some two track we hit the first single track-eventually. Due to being way at the back to the aforementioned stroll, I came to a complete halt waiting to enter the single track. And then it was stop and start for a few more minutes. It really wasn't a big deal, since my main goal was to have fun, but it would have been nice to be up a bit further in the pack. Lesson #1.  Pre-ride at least the start of the race! I finally got in to a good groove and started to flow through the single track. It felt good to be on the bike and weaving in and out of the trees. I felt comfortable and confident. Dumb ass! A few rock gardens further in the single track had us bunching up again. Still, no big deal. I relaxed and took my time. 12 hours is a long time, even as a duo. Plenty of time to make up time. Right?

About half way through my lap, I wasn't feeling as confident and cocky as I had been earlier. I was getting the bejeezus beat out of me. My hands were getting tired just trying to hang on to the bike! Oh, did I forget to mention I was riding a rigid 29er single speed? What was I thinking? I should have spent a lot more time on that bike. Getting used to the lack of any suspension or cushion. Lesson #2!

Finally out on to some more two track.Oh sure, toss in a nice gradual climb to let the legs relax! And then on to Ho Chi Minh!! I hadn't ridden this since ???? Man, I forgot how much fun it was! ( insert sarcasm here ). Actually, it was fun, in a challenging and sick way. I saw the sign about half way through that read "Daddy, make it stop, make it stop". Somebody has a twisted sense of humor!

Finally through that section and back on to some two track. And finally a chance to relax and get some feeling in to numb and aching body parts. And barely half way through the lap!

More single track followed, interspersed with enough two track to give me a chance to catch my breath and relax. I sped (crawled) across the line and out for another lap. Wanda and I had planned on riding two laps each to start. We did the first two exchanges this way before we went to singles.  Maybe not real smart. A look at the teams that finished ahead of us shows that they all rode singles. Lesson #3. Next year, one in-one out!

The laps and the day flew by. It was nice to have the extra rest time. On the other hand, it took me a little longer to get going with the long rest intervals. I enjoyed the down time watching the other racers come through. I caught up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. Planned for next year. Tried to relax and refuel. Oh yeah, refuel. I didn't do very well at the whole rest, rehydrate and refuel thing. Lesson #4. I had a great plan. Next year, put it in to practice!!

I rode consistent laps, once you toss the buffet line waiting from lap #1. 1:14:29 - 1:04:13 - 1:04:05 - 1:08:06 - 1:06:24 - 1:13:25. The last lap was my night lap. I went out for lap number 5 at a little after 7:00 pm and finished around 8:15 pm. I didn't really need my light for that lap. And I really wanted a night lap. Lap 6 started at around 9:40pm and ended just before 11:00 pm. Full on dark! I had a new NiteRider Pro 1200 light and I wanted to see how it worked. In a word-outstanding. Combined with an older NiteRider MiNewt on my helmet I had no problem navigating the trail. I'm pretty happy with how I rode in the dark. I new I wouldn't be as fast as during the day, but I didn't slow as much as I thought I would. A little practice and I could probably (hopefully) knock off a few minutes.

All in all, I had a great time. Wanda and I had a great race. We had fun, rode hard, had a few bump and bruises-nothing serious, and finished tired but happy and pleased. 6th out of 12 teams and about 40 minutes out of a podium spot.

I learned quite a bit. More than some one of my advanced experience and age should be able learn. Hmmm....maybe I don't have it all figured out quite yet?

What went right? I picked a pretty good gear for the trails. I ran a 32x17 and was able to ride all of the course. Even as I got tired I still could get up the hills and through the rocks. Most important, Wanda and I had fun. No pressure, no expectations. Just smiles and miles of off road fun.

What did I learn? I'm still a bit over confident before race day. 12 hours solo would have been painful. 24 hours? Insanity!! I still need to work on my fueling strategy. I always have a plan in place. I just never carry it out. I need to spend more time on the trails. Road miles gave me the endurance. More trail miles would give me more strength.

Now I can't wait for next year. Not sure what I'll be racing, but I'll be back either as part of a team or solo! i forgot how much I missed the trails and the racing. Maybe a few WEM Series races? http://wemseries.com/

Thanks again for letting me ramble. I know it's infrequent and long winded, but it helps me think and process things. I appreciate the time you spend here and all the comments!