24 Hrs of

Laguna Seca
 

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Hey Team,
 
It's a long one...you might need teo beers to make it through this report!
 
Event: 24HRs of Laguna Seca
Category: 4-man team
Team name: Dangerfield's Respect
Date: May 14-15th
Laps completed: 28 in 24hrs and 20minutes
Placing: 4th\29
 
First the excuses:
 
So Isaias, why aren't your racing Boggs, was a question I heard a lot. Yes, I was bummed not to join one of the biggest TWW events in years. But opportunity knocks only once! A non-TWW biking buddy of mine (yes, I actually have a few of those) made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
 
The opprtunity was to be part of a super fast 4-man team that would be a threat for the podium. I knew the competition at Laguna Seca would be fierce and felt that it would be good training. Different is good. So I said, let's do it!
 
Prologue:
 
Holy Cripes! I think I've found a new love...let me explain! As most of you know, I dig endurance racing and riding! I've done the Cream Puff, 12Hrs of Humboldt Solo and the 24 Hrs of Temecula 2-man team twice, plus a butt-load of other long rides.
 
Any who, I've grown comfortable (as comforable as one can get suffering I suppose) with the idea of racing\riding at the endurance pace required to survive these kinduv endurance events. I'm not saying they are easy by any means, but I know the routine. I know that if I ride at an endurance pace, that I can ride almost forever. I know that if I take liberties and peek above my endurance pace for too long, that I will pay for it later. I know that if I don't get at least 30 minutes of sleep after about 14hrs of racing, that I will hit a wall. However, I also know that in 30 minutes I can recover enough to start pulling faster laps times.
 
So, what I was really nervous and yes, scared about, going into a 24HR race on a 4-person team was, how will my body recover from repeated race-pace efforts! I must also admit, that I was specifically concerned about doing multiple race pace efforts at Laguna Seca. After all, my last experience at Laguna Seca was the Sea Otter, on board my single speed for two laps.....let's just say the horrendous cramps I experienced left a lasting impression on my psyche.
 
Let the race begin:
 
Craig, Brad and myself arrived at Laguna Seca at about 1000am on saturday. Plenty of time to pick up reg. packets and get the camp site setup. Ben our 4th team mate was gonna meet us a bit later. Since our strategy was to start with double laps, Ben had plenty of time to show up. Since I was the one with the most 24HR racing experience, I was unanimously elected to start the race. I get dressed and warm up on the trainer for about 30minutes. I head over to the start line, with about 20 minutes till the start.
 
I have no real illusions of sprinting to lead the pack on foot, but I move toward the front of the mass start anyway. As I'm looking around, I spot a few people in running shoes. I guess they think the Le Mans start is that important. Anyways, the timer counts down and we're off. I quickly make my way away from the head of the group. I think, jeez I must be at the back of the pack as I'm huffing my way up hill. However, as we arrive at the bikes, you can hardly tell that any bikes are missing. I grab my bike and take off.
 
Lap 1&2:
 
Now we're on my turf. I sprint out of the bike pit and head over to the first bridge. I do a quick cyclo-cross dismount, shoulder the bike and sprint up the stairs. I pass a few people at the top, hop back on my bike and ride down the stairs side by side with another guy...that was creepy. We hit short section of pavement and then onto the dirt. I sprint up the first hill and on the first tight right hand turn, I loose my front tire in some sand and I hit the ground so hard that I basically bounced back up. I was up so fast that the guy in back of me didn't even have a chance to pass.
 
Now we enter the singletrack, just above the campground near the shower area. Anyway this is familiar territory and I know I've got to pass as many people as possible, before we hit the first, fast descent. So I've got my heart rate pegged at 185-190 and I'm passing people like mad. I hit the decent and just let it go. I continue to pass people any chance I get.
 
Finally, I hit Couch canyon. The first climb of the course, my heart rate has been pegged the whole time, so I slow down, control my breathing a bit and settle into a more steady pace. We hit Hurl hill, no problem. Down the fireroad and then you hang a left, like we did at the SOC in 2004, to hit the single track that drops you out at the dual slalom like berms. A quick left turn and you hit the next singletrack, at the foot of the 3rd Sister. This singletrack leads you to the fireroad that will take you over to the Grind.
 
As I approach the Grind, I think about the first year I did the SOC, I had just gotten into mountain biking and didn't know a thing about racing or tactics or anything like that. The second year, I had a bit more fitness, but I was still just a rookie when it came to racing strategy. My third year, and my first expert race, I bust my rear hub and had to walk out.
 
So, all of this goes through my head in the blink of an eye, the point being, this will be the first time I get to do some roadie tactics up the Grind. I've seen the pros do it and watched the experts do it last year as I walked my broken arse hub up the grind. Now it was my turn. I worked pretty hard to latch on to a train of about 7 guys. The wind was fierce and well worth it. We stayed together for a few minutes and then the pack was obliterated by bad tactics. We are mountan bikers afer all. The strongest guy took off and myself and one other guy near the back of the pack hooked up to reel the rest of the guys in, which we did and then left them in the dust. Me and this guys traded pulls up the Grind. We even passed one of the Luna Chix! We thanked each other and I took off.
 
As we neared the transition area, he actually sprinted past me and I let him go, because I knew I was heading out for my second lap. I glanced at my watch and I think it said 51 minutes. Not to bad considering that included the running start.
 
I start lap 2 and I just feel like hell! I think to myself, maybe this two lap strategy is not going to work for me. Then about 15 minutes into it, I'm on top of the world and flying around the course easier than the first time around. Nothing to eventful. Making my way up the Grind the second time sucked, because I swear the head wind was stronger, but the group was so strung out now, that I had nobody to work with. Oh well. I sprint to the finish line and hand the baton to Brad. I stop my watch at 1hr40minutes, so that makes my second lap 49 minutes. Looks like the strategy is working out!
 
Let the recovery begin:
 
So now I have roughly = 1 lap x 2 x 50 minutes\lap x 3 team mates ~ or about 5 hrs to rest before my next lap. Now this is weird. I'm not used to that much rest in between laps. Any who, I mix a recovery drink and then sit on the trainer for 20 minutes to cool down. Next I get out of my wet clothes and into shorts and a t-shirt. Hmmm...I'm still hungry and Craig is munching on Salami and a nice Puglisi bread. I look at the array of Hammer Nutrition products that I brought with me and think f*ck it, I've got 5hrs to recover, I'm going to eat some real food. Gosh dang it! Salami never tasted so good!
 
Craig and I hang out at the campsite and wait for Ben to show up. Betty, Forest and one other friend of Craig's show up and kick it with us. They were also kind enough to leave their two-seat camping chair, which was really awesome since we were short on seats! I had a good laugh, as Betty is giving Craig a hard time about wearing spandex ;-) Craig goes off for his lap and Brad comes back and still no sign of Ben...hmmm. Ben calls and it's pretty clear he won't be in time for his start time. No big deal. 24hr racing is all about being adaptable and working with your team mates.
 
Impromptu Lap 3:
 
We decide to do single laps until Ben arrives. I roll in from my single lap and Ben is ready to rock! I stop my watch at 47 minutes. Nice faster than my first to laps. Ben easily made up for being late, with some super fast splits: 46 & 47 minutes or something like that! Now we are back on track.
 
The time is now about 6 and i try to catch some shut eye, but it is just way too early, so I just lay down and rest. At about 730, Brad is putting lights on his bike, as his next double lap will take him into the darkness. I getup and ready my bike for the night as well. Craig is next, so I still have quite a bit of time before I go off for my next laps.
 
Lap 4&5:
 
Time is now about 1130pm. These are my first nite laps and since the course was sandy in some section, I decide to play it safe and ride a bit slower through some sections. I always love doing nite laps. There is just something uber cool, surreal and peaceful about riding at nite. It's especially cool to see other lights snaking around the hills in the distance. I was suprised that the nite was not colder. I went out with a base layer, jersey, vest, arm and leg warmers and I came back in soaking wet!
 
Another crazy part of the nite experience was the fog. You know how you can't see through the fog when you turn the hi-beams on in the car, we'll imagine riding like that. Visibility was really bad in some spots, until I figured out I had to get my headlamp as close to my bars as possible and then I could see...I guess that's why fog lamps are placed down so low on cars! I roll into the the transition area with 1hr45mins on my watch. Not too bad considering fatigue has set in a bit and I haven't slept yet. Plus, I'm comforted by the fact that I get to take a hot shower, change into warm clothes and possibly sleep a bit.
 
Sticking with our race strategy, we will be switching to single laps afer every body has done 2 sets of 2 laps. That means, I was done with my double laps and could focus on hammering out one lap at a time. Tried to sleep again, but with the combination of being wound up from racing and the festive campsites, it was not to be. I think I did manage to doze off for about 10-15 minutes at one point. Regardless, the rest did me good.
 
Lap 6:
 
Time is now about 430am. Suprisingly it's not very cold, so I decide to go out sans-vest, but with arm and knee warmers. I ended up riding with my arm warmers pulled down the entire time. Fatigue has definitely set into my legs at this point. Luckily the Redbull seemed to help with my energy level. I can't get my HR up to race pace, but interestingly enough I'm still able to push a pace that's only off my average lap times by a couple minutes. It feels odd, but I know this feeling and I know I have to sleep before my next lap. I stop my watch at around 52 minutes. I drink some water, get changed and am finally succesful at getting a bit of shut eye. Problem is now it's getting bright, so I didn't get more than 15-20mins of sleep.
 
Lap 7:

Time is about 800ish. My legs were fatigued, but the tid bits of sleep had helped. I make some coffee on the stove and throw a handful of chocolate covered espresso in my mouth. I'm cruising over to the hop  on the trainers near the transition area (Thanks Cyclops!) and I see Craig go by the part of the course that cuts through the campgrounds. I think he was a suprised to see me as I was him. I yell oh cramp and rush over to the transition area. Well that got my adrenaline flowing. I take a few more sips of coffee and then Craig pulls up. He hands me the baton and I hand him my coffee mug and I'm off. I start slow and about 10 minutes into it, I feel good. My legs feel good and my energy levels is way up from the espresso beans and the coffee...I actually feel like I'm alive again! Lost track of my time here, but I think it was about 50 minutes.I'm getting faster!
 
I'm super awake and excited. I decide to go over and check the results. We have a solid 30minutes over the 5th place team and we are 30 minutes back from the 3rd place team. Did I mention that the teams in position 1 and 2 are pro teams: WTB\Fox\SantaCruz (like Mark Weir and company) and The Luna Chix! It was a battle for 3rd place from the start of the race!
 
I lay down on the grass, feeling pure euphoria and stretch bit. Just then, I turn to my right and my wife, Liz, is walking towards me. I'm like whoa, hey babe, how did you find me. She said, she asked somebody where she could find out information about the teams and they pointed her in the direction of the results tent, which is where I just happend to by laying down. Coincidence? I think not! Anywho, in my post race, semi-delusional state we sit and chat in the sun as I continue to stretch out my muscles. Then we head back to the campsite.
 
I chat with my team mates about our next move and it looks like we can fit in one more lap. I'm feeling good from my last lap and I'm like I'll do it! I get changed, get a recovery drink and laydown to strech on my camping mat and then crashed out hard. I must have slept for a good 45-60 minutes.

I wake up in a panic and I'm like a crap what time is it, when do I have to go back out. Brad and Ben are like, oh crap we almost forgot to wake  you up. You have like 30 minutes. I dress out, head to the bathroom, finish getting my supplies and was down another handful of chocolate covered espresso beans with a bit of water. I head to the warm up area and get about 10 minute warm up on the trainer and then headed over to the transition area to wait for my next lap.The temps has kicked up to about 80 degrees and I was thinkin' this might be an interesting last lap!
 
Lap 8:
 
Craig rolls in and I'm off to do my last lap. I start slow and about 10 minutes into it, I'm on fire. I'm hammering and pushing the bring ring as much as I can. My HR is getting back up to race-pace levels, but not quite. I feel good. I power up the climbs, fly down the fireroads and flow through the singletrack. I hit the Grind, put my head down and push the big ring almost all the way to the top. I sprint every moment that I can. I hit the last section of the course that snakes through the campsites and venue and hammer every straight section of the course. I can hear my team mate cheering as I come in. I see the final stretch and a sprint like a madman. I can't believe I have that much left in my legs after racing for 24 frick'n hrs! I finish strong and pull a sub-50 minute lap....I rejoice!
 
I can't wait to get in the shower. I mix a recovery drink back at the campsite, through some salami and bread in my mouth, my clothes into my Timbuktu bag and head over to get clean. A shower never felt so good! Having finished my recovery drink on the ride back to camp, I smile as I head towards to cooler to pull out a beer. Ahhhhha.....now the race experience is complete! We hang around a bit and then head to the awards ceremony.
 
It sucks to know that you were one place off the podium (top 3 only), but we know that we raced a good solid race and we had a blast. That's what really counts! We pulled consistent lap times on an individual basis and actually got faster towards the end. Our laps were more consistant the most of the 5 person teams! Can't wait to see the official lap times!
 
Racing on a 4-person team rocks! I'm totally sold on the experience. I like being able to go out and race balls-to-the-wall....not holding back on any laps! So when's the next 24Hr race?
 
Ok, i'm tired from writing this report....I'll shut up now.
 
Thanks for reading,
Isaias
 
 
Race Report - 5 Hours of Adrenaline, Laguna Seca

Well, the weekend didn't quite go as planned. I suppose that it was actually several months preceding the race that all didn't quite go as planned. One thing after another was going wrong leading up to this race, the race which I had high hopes for. The race which had been the focus of my training for the past 7 months. I didn't lose the race this past weekend... I lost it months ago. Mentally, I just wasn't prepared. Physically, not quite prepared there either, with only a very small handful of rides between the Sea Otter and the 24 Hours of Laguna Seca.

I kept trying to play up the race in an attempt to jazz myself up for it. But I just wasn't into it. I've barely given racing the slightest thought, other than training for it. It's been so far out of my mind with all of lifes other happenings.

We arrived at Laguna Seca Saturday morning around 9AM. I picked up my reg pack, and wandered the pits for a bit, swinging by various camps as I found them, and saying hi to all our friends.

Noon comes around and we're sort of jumbled up at the start in typical 24 hour racing fashion. I see Karl, Brian, Kathleen, Melanie, and many others. I know Isaias is starting out the first lap on his team but I didn't see him anywhere, but it was a bit crowded. The crowd chants the countdown and we're off running the LeMans start. The prologue lap was skipped this year, so when we got to our bikes, it was straight into the course we went.

Lap 1: I felt great! Much better than expected. I was figuring my pace would be sluggish and I'd be struggling. Not so. My heart rate stays in my target zone the entire lap and I'm feeling fresh.

Lap 2: Still feeling fresh and riding strong. But then things start going wrong. It wasn't so much the mechanicals that got to me, but it really started to work on my mind. At the bottom of the Grind my non-driveside crankarm fell off. The lockring somehow sheared in two and the crankarm worked its way off. GRR! So a minute of trailside maintenence saw me off and riding again. Not that big of a deal, but coming into the race I was already sort of emotionally unprepared.

Lap 3: My chain starts regularly dropping off the inside when downshifting from the middle ring to the small ring. Well... it wasn't that bad and a quick upshift would bring the chain back up about half the time. I could work with it without spending a lot of time adjusting it. I fiddle with it while I'm riding and it seems acceptable. Climbing the Grind home I start to get twinges of cramps. Shite! Already!?? It's only been 2.5 hours at a fairly leisurely pace.

Lap 4: Except for the cramps, I still feel great physically. Mentally I'm starting to drain. Things aren't going smoothly and it's hitting my morale hard. Then I start cramping again.. bad. I spin out the cramps and hope that's the end of 'em. 

Lap 5: So far I'd been holding about an hour per lap, which was right on schedule. I hadn't had to really push hard and I had moved into 7th place, and gaining. Okay, I can do this. I head out and about a mile before Hurl Hill, my stomach loses it. I pull over to the trail side and toss my stomach into the grass. I start feeling dizzy, tight chested and it hurts to breathe. I take it nice and slow to the top of Hurl Hill and get some plain water from the aid station, which seems to help. I take the rest of the lap real easy, hoping the naseau will fade. But every time I try and sip from my bottle, my stomach starts to rebel again. It gets harder to breathe as I go.

I finally finished the 5th lap, taking about 10 minutes longer than previous laps. At the pit I sat down for a while, Erin massaged my legs a bit but I'm not feeling any better. I try taking some fluids, some food, some fresh fruit, and some antacid, but nothing really seems to help and food just seems to make it worse. So I lay down to stretch out and breath a little easier.

After an hour, I'm still in pretty sad shape. Another hour goes by and it's obvious I'm not going back out.

So... we turned in the baton and packed up before it was even dark out.

I won't deny that I'm severely disappointed. I'm pretty bummed in general about how things turned out. But when it comes down to it, I just wasn't ready physically or mentally. Too many things leading up to the event had gone wrong.

Well, I gave it my best shot. And the race wasn't a complete failure. I did learn some things about myself and how I handle stress during a race. I'm guessing the tight chested feeling was probably anxiety, and was probably what also triggered the naseau. Nerves. Erin thought maybe I had caught a bug, but the next day I felt fine.

Ah well. Live and learn. No, I didn't enjoy the race. It sucked! Bad! Well, I suppose it was me that sucked, not the race. Whatever. J00 know what I mean!

Weaverville! 2 weeks! Yeah baby!!! Will I have enough time to square away my noggin'? Will my legs turn from rubber to steel? Stay tuned... we shall see. But whatever happens, I plan on having fun, and in the end that's what it's all about! Wo0t!


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David Ambrose
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