PODIUM BABY!!!!!! 24 HR SOLO

I think a lot of things have to come together to enable one to have a medal placed around your neck in a 24 hour solo. Anything can happen in one of these events. As this was a pretty big deal...I think this may be a bit of a wordy entry....here goes...

My Pops was my support guy for this event and I can't thank him enough. To say he was committed is an understatement! Couldn't have done this without him, literally and figuratively, as he was the one that strategically had me dig deep into my own mind and get one more lap in to achieve 15...why the hesitation to get that last lap? Recall time..

The race started off sweeeeetly with us setting up camp the night before and getting a restful sleep after a belly full of pasta salad and some beef kabobs. Awoke to what looked and felt like a beautiful day. Tanya Flemming was AMAZING with all of her tips i.e peppermint oil on the straps of helmet for night rides (works) and other strategic race info!! My mood was positive and calm all the way up to the event.

Hydration was achieved via water bottles vs camel back and fuel of choice for day was Perpetuum and at night, Perpetuum caffe Latte...this stuff WORKS! Only had a couple gels (too sweet) and ate cold and hot pasta throughout the event. NO SLEEP T'LL BROOKLYN!!!!!! No sleep, rode straight through the night.



My placings were looking suspiciously good, which may have stemmed from the fact I was keeping sub hour laps for the first two laps...course was just tooo fast and flowy NOT to. Then it happened....placings went from 3rd to 2nd to 1ST!!!!! I just finished a night lap around 3:30 in the a.m and looked at results screen....yup 1st place...completed another lap and my 1st place gap was GROWING!!!!

I know how many laps these events typically take to WIN and for me to be in first was a nice place to be but I thought I knew what would happen......but it didn't...I had some time to ride with the Chris McKnight and Andy Shrubb. They were both good riders and I didn't think for a minute that they WOULDN'T get 19 or more laps in....but they didn't. I was sitting there in my camp chair just completing my 14th lap and STILL in FIRST place, when my dad did the math for me....I could secure 1st and DEFINITELY second if I got two more laps in. Little did he know I put a solid 14th lap in riding the high that I was the lead rider for almost 6 hours in a 24 hour solo race. Yeah RACE vs RIDE :) So....dug deep and did it for the pops. Cranked out my last lap to end with 15 which secured my podium finish. If I had creeped out and got one last lap out......yeah....I would be blogging a 2nd place vs 3rd place finish, however, my results were two things....a PB and Podium, so really....unless your first, does it really matter 2nd or 3rd? I knew Chris McKnight was looking strong and there was no way I had 18 or 19 laps in me.....this year ;)

So, it's the day after my first podium event and the last year of me being in the Under 40 category......I'm smiling right now......next year will be a tougher group and will look at all the different options for racing....Chico puts on a great event and I need to go back to bed...

Indoor spin.....really?!?!?!?

It's Wednesday...two more sleeps and then no sleep for 24 hours ;) As such, weather looking nasty and not getting back until late today, there was only one option...set-up the road bike on the trainer and spin the cranks to a little 24 hr Solo. Did it...not exciting...legs feel good and looking forward to pre-riding course on Friday.

Nighty Night

Getting Antsy.......

Weather is playing in my favour to stay off of the bike to let the body recover. GI adjusting to Boost quite easily and stocked up for weekend, thank you Shoppers Optimum card. Was hoping to get a quick ride in with an old buddy last night but, alas, the driving requirements with new gig didn't enable it..Now it's time to monitor the body and mind for readiness..Last year..camped night before HANSOLO and pre-rode course night before...definite plan this year.

Will hope to get an easy spin in this evening...even if it means on the trainer...actually...that is EXACTLY what I'll do. I think the best plan is to reconnect the road bike with the trainer, plug in a little 24 hr solo and get an easy hour spin in....yup....weather...wreak havoc tonight....keep all those mid range solo riders off of their bikes...Still haven't seen the updated camping list/entry log to determine who is showing up to this event. Can pretty much plan that there will be faster/stronger riders (always a given), but in the world of 24 hour endurance racing.....one never knows the outcome :))))))

Now to determine method of caffeine consumption....funny thing last year....thought I bought Perpetuum but rode entirely on Heed product...caffeine was ingested solely through cups of coffee....rode all night....perhaps repeating this will yield similar results, however.....stronger stimulants will be needed for 5-6 am fo shore.

BOOM...this year's race forecast....ride ALL 24 HOUR's even if it means getting off of the bike and walking for periods......no tap outs ALLOWED!!! THis will be my last 24 hour solo...no longer need to battle demons in the head...feeling pretty clear ;)

95 Km...hate it when that happens

Century rides are now feeling a bit more like regular rides. A good sign for 24 hr prep. What drives me nuts is when I return from a ride with 5 k shy of a 100 k!!

My route was essentially a straight shoot from house (point A) to a restaurant at Lake on the Mountain (point B) and return after ingesting some yummy cuisine. A ferry ride also adds a little character to the route.

Road pretty much flat...made every effort to just ENJOY the ride and it must have been a sign because NOW my TIMEX HR monitor is on the fritz...I say enough with tracking this measure....the universe is telling me to just riiiiiide. Ride I did. Came across an interesting site:

Could this have been a cyclist injecting steroids mid ride? My guess is most likely the darker side of things.....will now make it standard for kids to wear shoes in playgrounds...NO DISCUSSION..



Pretty tired. Stats:
3 hr 24 min
95 k
avg speed 27.9; max 51.5
avg Cad 89; max 102

Pretty happy with response to longer rides lately....may just get a couple mellow night rides in to fine tune the "night vision" and chill for the week up to the event..

100 k ?

I don't usually blog BEFORE I ride BUT, the nerves this year are starting to creep in for the following reason....I checked the entries for this years HANSOLO and found there are only two names of a potential 16 that have enterred and done reasonably well in the 24 hour solo category. This also doesn't factor in that these 16 names may also be in the above 40 vs below 40 category. SO.....this means we either have a lot of newbies that have decided they want to try a 24 hr solo for the first time in three years (yeah I checked results/names over past three years). I also looked for these names in all of the 8 hour solo event over the past three years....new names. So, either these guys are coming in with Alias' or the previous winners have decided to challenge themselves in other sports/disciplines. I think this translates into my expected 15 plus laps as a potential contender for.......greatness...let's leave it there.

Quiet work week which translates into massive email blitz and ability to get out for a ride today...plan....mellow out and back to Picton. First step....get the wife and kids out for the day ;)

110k road ride 2 weeks out....

Really glad I decided to meet an old friend for a road ride at the cottage this wknd and EXTREMELY happy he was in for a big ride. Route was pre-planned to be a 92 k ride north of 7, looping through perth and finishing back at 7 and 36. The ride started off pretty freakin SC like. Roller after roller and pavement that should have felt rough felt freakin butter like. About an hour and a half in...I thought it might be a good idea to find some sunblock as the sun was beaming and I forgot to apply prior to...no stores in site except for one...response when asked.."no.....no one around here wears that stuff....they should though"...baffling???!!! Finally scoped out three kids and a mother selling corn on side of road and was able to pillage some SPF 60.

With the likelihood of burning to a crisp now diminished, a chug of my new found weapon of choice (boost) and equipped with three water bottles we churned on. My HR monitor continues to become possessed every once in a while (time to buy a Garmin I think). 65-70 k in, I persuaded my riding buddy to travel a little further South before venturing back to our start point..glad I did...ride confirmed this boy is ready for the endurance needed for the 24. Stats sans HR as it was too wacky to be legit:

4 hr 5 min
2842 Kcal
106 km
25.9 km/hr avg; max 66.6 :)
avg CAD 84; max 115

Spent the remainder of the afternoon tubing and wakeboarding. Woke the next day to get a decent session of wakeboarding and slalom skiing. Enjoyed the Garlic festival with the kiddies en route home and took the long way home stopping for a little "lupper" at the Cove in Westport.....tired.....easy day tomorrow. Plan on doing a bunch of loops at Parrot bay conservation area. Last week of training....got to make the best of it as getting better than 6th at this years HANSOLO....will be tough ;)

Mutha Nature Cooperated

Weather was looking like potential for nasty. Clouds swirling all over the place with some dark puffy stuff making it's way. Easy decision...load the road bike in the van and do some repeats/intervals at Abby Dawn Road. A couple texts later and I had a partnah in crime for the suffer fest.

Agenda....20 minute easy warm-up and then 6 x 5 min intensity at threshold with 5 min recovery and then a 15 minute general cool down. Abby Dawn road was perrrrfect as it was juuuust long enough for a 5 minute all out and then remainder was the cooldown before turn around. It was a gradual climb and then descend for every second interval.

HR monitor acted silly close to end....need to bite the bullet and get a new one...doesn't owe me anything at this stage. Shawn was a great rabbit to chase down for each interval ;) Stats:

1 hr 18 min
avg HR 145; max 182
In zone 44 min; above 19 min; below 14 min
864 Kcal
34.3 kmavg spd 26 km/hr; max 53.6
avg CAD 79; max 100 rpm

Bought some Boost. Had one for lunch and one pre ride. Legs felt freakin GREAT. Should be ready for the HANSOLO....now whether or not I better 6th.....that's another story....

Like eating your vegetables

My oldest decided to wake up at 4 am this morning...an hour before my alarm to get an early morning ride in. Still got out and managed 75 k. Stats aren't impressive as it was purely an aerobic spin. Here are the stats regardless:

2 hr: 49 min
137 bpm avg; 179 max HR
Limits 120-165bpm: In zone-2 hr 22 min; above 5 min; below 21 min......aerobic fo shore
1769 Kcal
76.1 km
avg spd 26.9...mello; max 49.8
avg CAD 87; max 115 rpm

Thinking about trialing some "Boost" to get the gut acclimatized...heard positive testimonials...

Guess I'm not hardcore enough...

Had great intentions to ride frequently while on vacation the past couple of weeks, but, for many reasons this didn't come to frutition.

back on track...tomorrow at crack of 5:30 am..road ride..back to work..

three weeks away...I think i NEED someone to slap me around a bit to dig deeper..let's see what a good night's sleep and monster ride does to my psyche ;)

Old Forge...Gooooood..Trying to Grow a beard...BAD

Just returned from a trip with the kiddies and another couple with kiddies to Old Forge Water Safari. Essentially a trip planned by the wife and all I was concerned about was getting a proper ride in..hence..Mt. Bike wedged nicely in the van.

Arrived Sunday and set-up.."camp"..a cabin with two electrical outlets and facilities that would make any conservation area I've been in pale in comparison. Tuesday a.m. was my window of opportunity. Had read that there was some mountain bike potential around a place called Mt. McCauley, which was less than 5 k from our site. Ventured out, found an entrace, signed a log book to indicate I was "going in" and it began..

Climb was definitely steep and technical...granny geared it while balancing on the Rocket Ron's all the way up..heart rate and legs warmed up, started to traverse along the countours of the mountain. Now...these trails would have been an absolute BLAST to rip but all that kept creeping in my head was.....bear.....resulting in a short exlore of about 10 k of really nice trail before heading out onto road towards a place called Inlet. Quickly realized...the road bike would have been a better weapon of choice for one....to get saddle time in....and two.....to ensure thoughts of bear didn't creep into my head.

Just shy of 40 k inclusive of some pretty decent single track and pretty worthy road vertical enabled me to maintain a sense of calm for another day at the water park.

Btw...Bear and 2 cubs seen....avoided...no one eaten or mauled...has now fueled my decision to keep riding in pairs....especially at night ;)