Race Reports

Race Report by David Ambrose

Well, the dreaded/anticipated/looked-forward-to weekend was finally here.

Saturday morning we loaded up into Kit's car (father-in-law) with Erin and Brendon, and all the gear for the weekend for myself and support crew.

We arrived at about 9am, prepared camp, took care of registration and got ready to ride. There were a lot of people there that we knew, and a lot of people who knew Team Wrong Way. Kathleen, Jeff Hane, Julie, Valerie, Franck, Celia, Frank & Kyle, Dawn, several people I knew from 'cross racing last season and so many other people. Everyone was very supportive and the enthusiasm was incredible! Especially for the solo riders, everyone was very respectful both in the expo as well as on the course. Some of the comments people would make were pretty funny, "You're on lap *what*?", "You've *really* been riding this whole time?", and going through the check-in tent between laps and everyone yelling "Solo rider coming through! Look out, look out!", as everyone scatters.

I admit I was getting really nervous leading up to the race. I didn't feel I was ready. Although I'd been training for this race, I didn't feel it was enough. So my only goal, was to just finish the race.

Lining up in front of the tape for the Lemans start, the crowd chanted down to the start and we were off. Starts like this always get my blood pumping, there's so much energy and excitement in the air. I took it easy, not wanting to burn myself out - I knew I had a long way to go and being the first one to the bikes was not of any concern. So I just lightly jogged it out to my bike, getting to the trail maybe 3/4 back in the pack, which really wasn't that bad as far as later trail congestion went. Although there were a lot of slow downs out on the trail with that many people all starting together, there weren't really any bottlenecks and I had already planned on taking the first 4 laps especially easy, warming up to the long haul. On the first lap, another solo racers non-drive side crank-arm was coming off, and I stopped for a few minutes to help him out and lend him the needed allen wrench, figuring since I didn't really expect to do well anyway, it couldn't hurt. Plus, we were both in it for the long haul and that just plain sucks to have something go wrong that early in the race. After about 3 laps, things really started to clear up as expected and I was able to start taking the descents at a more fun pace. I just love the singletrack bits on the course. Freakin' rippin' and fast. Even on my last lap they were a blast.

I paced myself with a heart rate monitor, which really helped immensely in knowing when to slow down, and when I could push the pace. The first 8 laps went by fairly fast and easily and I was averaging just over an hour a lap. Once it got dark out, I started to feel a little fatigued but not too bad. I took a half an hour break and ate some very tasty pasta that Erin had prepared for me. Unfortunately after an all liquid diet all day and the constant riding, the solid food didn't sit too well with me. The next couple laps I was feeling bloated and slightly nauseous, started to cramp a little bit, and getting a few hot/cold flashes. But the cramping didn't last long, Erin helped with short massages when needed and I was able to keep going strong.

Jeff Hane caught up to me on I think lap 10 and we rode together up to Hurl Hill. We were discussing how we were both passing other solo riders right and left and something just seemed wrong. Like they must have known something we didn't. We were both concerned that we were pushing ourselves too hard but we were both monitoring our heart rates and everything seemed to be very much under control. What was going on? Well, on up Hurl Hill we walked. I had ridden it the first 6 laps but after that figured it would be more efficient to walk it, to keep my heart rate down for the singletrack soon after.

Brendon kept me updated on the current standings. And again I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong. I started out in 9th place, then moved to 7th, then to 5th, then tied Jeff Hane in 4th.

I really started to get tired around 2am. Things started to look odd, my eyes started bugging out and I just sort of went into a zone and everything was a little surreal. It was sort of serene in a sense, just flowing with the trail, the constant breeze, watching the lights of other riders meandering through the dark the hills. It was almost a Zen moment, having already ridden the trail so many times in a row that I knew exactly what line to take for the smoothest and fastest descent, exactly when to shift into the big ring and push on the Grind, and when to gear back down to take it easy. Taking a swig from my energy/nutrition drink at the exact same places along the course in order to distribute it evenly throughout the lap and be ready for a new one as I rode through the pit area.

During one of the night laps I was cruising up the Grind in a "big-ring moment" and noticed a rider on my wheel, briefly drafting off of me. The light on my tail split off to my right and Tinker zipped on by. I felt privileged. ;)

As the race went on, the course really took a toll. Huge pot holes started digging into the already wash-board course making it more and more rough as the race went on. Some sections of trail got so bad, they turned into big dust pits. Sometime during the night, I forget which lap, I took a small spill, washing out in one of the worst of the dust pits. Nothing big, but I think it did contribute to later back spasms.

Fighting back light cramps in my quads and spasms in my lower back with the help of a couple quick massages and ibuprofen on coffee/refuel breaks I just kept riding. I didn't want to break for long at any point so took one half hour break, another 20 minutes, and a couple 15's for the massages, coffee, and bike tune-ups. I had taken the recently built up Haro as a spare. I love the new bike, but the hard-tail on the stutter-bump/wash-board course just got to me after only a single lap on it, leaving me with a fat blister on the palm of my hand, the jitters and a little less confidence. So after that experience I switched back to the Giant NRS with the Fox F80X and Float R/AVA. The Giant soaked up the trail and really made a huge difference in the amount of abuse my body was taking. For me at least, that full suspension was a must. Even with it, my butt still hurts to sit a day later.

By about lap 17 or so (I think), I'm informed I've made it to the 2nd place position with a 45 minute lead on 3rd, and going between 45-60 minutes behind 1st. At about 11:22am at 20 completed laps, I stopped. Physically I could have probably eeked out another lap. But mentally, I was through. Drained. I had at least a 25 minute lap lead on 3rd, and it was extremely doubtful 3rd would complete their fastest lap of the entire race on that last effort, making it in before 11:30am, the cut-off to go for an another lap. I was done, and ended up with a solid second place, a lap ahead of 3rd, and a lap behind 1st.

My invaluable pit-crew consisted of Erin, who took care of all of my nutrition, planning what supplements, how much fluid, mixing bottles, preparing bags and food - she had it worked out every lap exactly how many calories I should consume during the lap, based on my average lap times. She massaged me when I needed it, and made sure my supplies were always ready to go. Brendon, who was just awesome at keeping my bikes in great working order, kept me posted on current results as they were updated and ran for coffee and espresso to keep me aware enough to keep riding. And Kit, who helped out with the campsite, took photos, and drove us there and back so we wouldn't have to worry about it. Seriously, without their coordination and support, the race would not have gone as well as it did and I could not have done this. I owe them all so much for all of their support and help before, during and after the race! You all rock!

I am so stoked! I went in with my only goal being to finish the race. Not only did I meet that goal, I placed a very, very unexpected 2nd place. This was an experimental race for me and I did so much better than I had even hoped! :)

--

David Ambrose

Race Report by Franck Mangin

Fabulous week-end, team racing sure if fun! We arrived on Friday evening and I went for a pre-ride with one of the other team riders. The course was pretty bad, very dry and lots of stutter bumps and nasty holes. As it turned out this wasn't that much of an issue at racing speed with the adrenalin flowing.

The Le Mans start was pretty fun to watch, and we didn't lose too much time with the congestion at the bridge. I watched as Kathleen, then Jeff, then David lined up to walk up the stairs, and in about 5mn all the riders were on their way for the first lap.

I was scheduled to ride the 3rd lap and as the time went by I could feel the pressure building up - no idea what to expect for my first transition ever and having a team counting on you was making me a bit nervous. Aside from me forgetting to register as the next rider the transition went smoothly however, and after 2 fast laps it was my turn to hop on the bike. Much too tense on the single track on that first lap, got a few close calls where I almost shot straight out of a couple sandy turns - but I made it up in the final climb and managed a pretty fast lap. Paul Nam passed me like a rocket on the singletrack and I never saw him again. The transition went fine - I rode almost half the last lap with the baton betweeen my teeth to make sure I didn't waste any time fumbling with my shorts to get it out at the registration booth - almost choke on that baton, remember to do it a bit later next time...

Next lap went well, definitely slower on the climb but much more relaxed & fast on the singletrack. Third lap was the toughest of the whole race for me, not sure why but I really suffered up the last climb and even had my first cramp in 15 years while getting in my sleeping bag after the lap. Two more laps in the morning, feeling much better if not as fresh as the day before...

A few highlights: We lost 3mn on a transition - next rider was in the area but looking the other way. The speaker calling his name in French did catch his attention though -)

We took a 20mn hit during the night when one of our riders broke a chain, then lost part of his chain tool in the grass.

Everybody was really nice about passing on the trail. I must have passed about 50 times on singletrack and never had a close call - that was very very nice.

Funny moment on my night ride when I hear a rider quickly approaching behind me on a very bumpy section. The noise comes closer and closer then moves to my right slightly, then 10 yards away to my right, then 30 yards away... wtf??? So I am about to look behind me to see if I have taken the wrong trail or something, when the noise stops suddenly and a single loud "F*ck" shoots through the night. The guy most probably got the scare of his life trying to stop after running of the trail at full speed - lucky for him it was just grass in that section.

And finally the best part, our team finish: Killko takes off at 11:02 in the morning - he would have to manage a 58mn lap for us to be able to send out one more rider. After two night laps and a restless night this is pretty much mission impossible and we're not holding our breath. We still get Yves, the next rider on the schedule, dressed up just in case.

And man was that a good idea: Killko digs really deep, flies down the stairs with about 1 minute to go, sprints like a madman around the pits and comes through the finish at 11:59:57s! To put things in perspective, he reached the top of Hurl Hill with 5:20s to spare and rode that last section 10% faster than we ever did!

And the suspense didn't stop there... Yves now had to complete a sub 60mn lap for his lap to be counted at all. At about 54mn he appears at the corner of the last hill that comes down to the raceway! Some agonizing minutes follow with our heads going back and forth between the official clock and Yves making hiw way down the last treacherous switchbacks.. and soon it is apparent he will make it! 24:58mn and some seconds, last finisher of the 24h - what a great way to conclude a team race!

Valérie raced with the Velo Bella team, turrned very good laps and had lots of fun. She crashed in the night (right where that guy ran off the trail behind me) but the only damage was to the light setup and she fixed it in about 15mn.

I am looking forward to the 8h in Sonoma, this should be fun. BTW, does anyone have feedback on the 12h of Humbolt, and/or the 12h of Weaverville? Are those worth going to?

Franck

Race Report by Frank Walden

Quick notes...I'm still in a daze a little bit.

Kathleen took 2nd place in the Women's Solo at 13 laps...kicked ass on the SS bike.

Jeff was 13th in the Men's Solo class completing 14 laps

Dave Ambrose was 2nd in the Men's Solo completing 20 laps....what a STUD!!!!!!!

Alex and myself was 3rd in the 2-Person completing 23 laps

I'm not sure what team Franck was on to pull his results.

http://www.twenty4sports.com/fr_results.cfm

Well it was time! I have been waiting for three years to race the 24 Hours of Adrenaline and I was finally there. Kyle and I got there Friday afternoon and got set up, registered, and visited many of our friends that were there. I spent a couple hours getting all my drinks and liquid nutrition mixed so they would be ready for the next day.

Saturday rolls around I am excited to say the least. The energy from all the racers and crews filled the air. My teammate Alex and I are ready to go in the 2-person category. We have our race plan all laid out with our nutrition schedules so we can concentrate on racing. Kyle is our designated pit captain and he did an awesome job. He had our bottles ready every time, made sure we didn’t nap too long, and generally kept us entertained.

I lined up for the LeMans start and anxiously watched the clock tick down to 0:00:00 and away we went. It was a pretty easy run and before I knew it I was on the bike and riding. The first lap was pretty laid back while the traffic got sorted out and my second lap went much better. We had planned to do 2 lap sets until the night where we would pull a 3 lap session to give each other a longer rest period. Going into my 4th lap I got the chain all tangled up on the rough downhill section and twisted a link. Fortunately I had my multi-tool with me and was able to bend the link back enough that I could ride. The repair stop wasn’t good for me, shortly after I restarted my legs started to cramp. I settled into a moderate pace thinking about the long haul and the cramps subsided. My next set was in the twilight and I was able to ride almost my entire 5th lap without lights but then I got another gremlin. Going into the singletrack near the Gran Prix campground my bar light went out, normally not a big deal but the helmet light just reflected off all the dust making it impossible to see anything on the ground. I rode cautiously and got back to camp to find a burned out bulb. The next set was my three lap session and started a little after 12:00 AM. Knowing I had to ride an extra lap I paced myself accordingly and felt good going into the third lap. Shortly before Hurl Hill my co-worker and fellow two-person team competitor Mike rode by me and commented on my pace or lack thereof. Well that is all I needed! Don’t mess with me at 3AM or you’re gonna get it! I kicked it into gear and finished the lap 7 minutes ahead of him. I don’t know if it was the competitive side of me or just knowing that I could get a few minutes of sleep but I felt pretty good on that last of three laps. During my rest stop I was able to nap for about 45 minutes and woke up feeling pretty good. I was starting to get ready when Alex came into the pit after his second lap and said he was going OK but the fierce headwind made it slow going and would be back in 1:15. I had just gotten dressed and was headed out to get on the trainer to warm up when Alex came rolling into the pit 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Knowing that we were only minutes ahead of the next team there was no time for warm-up so I rode to the transition tent, logged in and away I went. I wasn’t sure how my legs would do after resting and then no warm up but I felt pretty good and cranked out two of my best laps. On laps 15 and 18 we were only one minute ahead of 4th place, by lap 20 we had added 23 minutes to our lead. Alex went out for laps 21 and 22 with the goal of getting back by 11:30 to keep our lead intact. At 11:24 I head out on our last lap wanting to lock us in for the final podium spot and turned a 53:00 lap. Crossing the finish line was so exciting with all the people cheering!!!! I was so ecstatic I didn’t even feel the fatigue. We had set a goal to finish in the top 5 and we had made the podium in 3rd completing 23 laps in 24:29:12

My sincere appreciation to all that showed up to race, support, and cheer on. You don’t realized how much it means to hear you when you think that you can’t dig any deeper. Big props to Kathleen, Jeff, and David for their awesome solo efforts….You guys are tough!

My lap times
1-2 - 58:00, 50:00
5-6 - 51:00, 59:00
9-10 - 58:00, 1:07:00
13-15 - 1:06:00, 1:11:00, 1:05:00
19-20 - 56:00, 56:00
23 - 53:00

Frank Walden

Race Report by Kathleen Meyer

I took my bike to Calmar the Friday before the Sea Otter to have a couple of parts installed. The receipt from Hollister had a list of the tasks completed along with the associated cost. At the bottom he had written, "pink single speed...priceless". That's how I feel about my weekend!

Jeff and I arrived after 10am. Not really good if you are trying to get set-up for a solo attempt at a 24 hour race but Julie was there to support us along with Paule. None of us were super psyched. I had been on my bike three times in the two weeks prior, one of those was Mother's Day with all three of my boys (yea...Jeff too)!

Lap 1 was made memorable by the roadie I followed much of the way down the last single track to the fire road back home. Painfully slow I asked if he was a roadie. When he replied "yes" the guy behind me replied in unison with me "I thought so". One had to feel for the guy. A good roadie, he was being eaten alive by the tough course and was not happy to hear it was considered non-technical to most mountain bikers. He kept a good sense of humor as he caught me on the fireroad (he did let us pass). Once he was sure there were no major technical spots in his way, he felt happy to be out alive (thanked me off the advice-his has were numb from grabbing the brakes so hard) and took off towards his first lap finish for his team.

My laps were uneventful in a good sense...no crashes. One or two close calls. I really enjoyed all the people out there that knew me. They yelled and cheered, so loud and often, that I never felt alone! Along with them were all the other riders cheering as they passed me or I passed them. Encouraging!

I took a break at lap 6 for a massage and to get the lights on the bike. All in the plan, especially once I heard one (a massage guy) had set-up camp in the corporate tent with Johnny, Sya, their gang and the romp team. My back hasn't been the same since I went solo 2 years ago. I have been determined that I should figure it out and not make my summer of riding painful. During the night I was having a nice conversation with a fellow soloist when I hear from the rear "yak, yak, yak...why am I not surprised?". It was Jeff. I took off to continue my chat with him for a bit and then I was left to struggle up the hardest part of the course on my own. I got used to that.

Lap 9...massage 2. Life is good.

I took a nap. May-be a longer break than I intended. Jeff had come in looking a bit unusual. While his body and muscles were fine, his brain was starting to sleep on the bike. I woke to complete 1 more full night lap and started the second to a wonderful sunrise lap. I was not the only one to enjoy it as people all around me seemed thrilled to ditch their lights, suffer the wind but enjoy the light provided by the sun hiding behind the clouds. Wind. Lots of it the full 24 hours!!!

I came in and decided on some coffee and then headed out again. WOW! Why hadn't I done that sooner. The MP3 player in place for the first time, coffee flowing through me and daylight. My body was feeling good and that was a great boost. As time went on it became my personal challenge to see if I could finish on my single-speed. The full suspension, geared bike was back at the camp collecting dust.

I set out on my last lap. Coffee was wearing off but still feeling good, I pulled along side a guy in a yellow jersey on the road out. He calls out "I heard about you, a woman going solo on a single speed!". How does one respond to that? It was all the great comments and support that helped me along. Not sure who gets the award for best comment. Lap 12 a voice from behind me saying "I know that butt!". My team mate was riding in drag (FOX style), feeling as good as anyone out there as he gave me a slight push. I was approached by another fellow rider after the podium, he said we had talked on my last lap-congratulations on my race and how happy he was to have met me. Staggered! It's quite a feeling when you're at the receiving end of that!!

I feel like I accomplished a goal. I rode a bike that I had doubted I would ever ride. I had fun. I managed to come out feeling like I barely abused my body. I admit that my legs were sore...this is a new feeling for the spinner I am on a geared bike but two days later that is almost gone too.

Two years ago I was unable to go solo at the 8 hour race because of the 24 hour race. It had beaten my body up. This year I am ready and looking forward to it! Thanks for all the light loaners...Janet, John, Lauren, Adrienne and Charles.

Thanks to Chris, Claire, Sya, Julie (moral and physical support) and all the guys too. Can't leave out the Vela Bellas. They were out there yelling every time I came through. Congratulations to Valerie who had some awesome lap times. I hope those Wednesday mornings helped.

13 laps.
~130 miles
16,900 feet climbing
2nd place women solo-on my priceless pink single speed :)

Kathleen

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