The 8 hour solo event at Hardwood is an event I've done a couple times and have enjoyed each event. This year, I was looking to do bigger and better. My goal was to get 10 laps, or one more than last year, and I did it. The other was to better my lap times by 5 minutes on average....stats will soon tell but from the numbers my pops kept it's looking pretty favourable.
This was also a pivotable race in that the speed demon a.k.a Tommy Hanrahan didn't lap me....for a change. Overall, I felt gooooood and of course regretting the fact that I didn't squeeze in that last lap. Reason for stopping at 10 came down to the simple fact that I was hurting after the 9th...so much so that I reached for a "Monster" energy drink and an advil vs the traditional perpetuum and heed staple that normally keeps me fired up. Now let me just say something about........chemicals. Chemicals are gooood. About 15 minutes into the last lap, which happened to be my fastest lap of the 95 plus km of riding that was done (I think), the chemicals blending with the Monster energy drink and the advil became synergistic for mind and body. Climbs that I would dismount, yeah this does happen as a soloist, were grinned at and killed with fierocity. Simple "on your lefts" were challenged on climbs with an off the saddle response and quickly reiterated with a "good climb solo" which further fueled the desire to hammer.
I really and truly enjoyed this 8 hour solo venture at Hardwood hills or what I like to call a mountain bikers spa. Mike Ring, who is a fellow cycling buddy of Tommy H podiumed 3rd place in his first ever solo venture...impressive. Also impressive is TH coming in 4th EVEN after crashing, and what sounded like pretty significantly, 4 or 5 times. Tom, I know you'll read this...if it weren't for the crashes, you know quite confidently that you would be 2nd place at this showing eh? Whatever......it was a good day none the less.
What was pretty cool as well, was my 62 year old father was supporting not only me, but Tommy and Mike Ring. BTW pops, Mike wanted to give out a big thank-you and stated, "he wouldn't have podium'd it it weren't for your support"...so I guess you were doing something out there eh :)
Now the plan is to do what I do.....live and enjoy life, get some riding in with the amazing support of my wife and get ready for the ultimate test which does have a tendency to burn out my desire to throw a leg over a bike, HAN SOLO. My dad is already setting a 15 lap goal based on what he saw today and my performance from last year.........I'm going to shoot for the mid point and go for 13.
Stats are normally more impressive but I was missing my heart rate monitor strap and forgot my alternate strap for my back up TIMEX watch....oh well...it would have been pretty anaerobic I'm sure...here's what I got:
7 hr 19 min in saddle riding out of a potential 8.5.....hmm still that last hour of "non-committment" rearing it's ugly head...new goal
93.6 km....auto stop function on monitor must have missed a few meters with pushing my ride up a few steeps between laps 5 and 9
Avg spd 12.7
Max 45.6
This week....recovery spins...enjoy the weather and catch up on a hell of a lot of report writing that I have been putting on the back burner for last wknd's focus.
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