WORLD 24 HR SOLO MTB CHAMPIONSHIPS
FEB. 2016, ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND
…. And this is my lesson for next time: never fiddle with
your bike setup few days before a long ride like this one! I will get to it
later.
This was a race I was really
looking forward to. I have planned my whole summer around it – the races
leading up to it, our family holiday, and said “no” to offers I would normally
take. This was a chance for me to have a ride with the best athletes in the
world. It was a chance for me to do something I knew I will push myself to
limits. So six month earlier, I’ve signed up.
Three days before the
race I got off the small plane in Rotorua – and it rained, as it was for the
whole week. My pit crew were due to arrive next day so I have used that day to
put my two bikes together, made sure everything worked, sort out my race food
and cloths. That was the time when I fiddled with my brake levers setup and
with my front suspension setup. I should not have done it. In the evening I
went to Q&A evening with Jason English - current 24hr world champ. I was so
glad I went there – Jason was talking about how he adjusts his diet before the
race so that he does not have to make any big toilet brakes. Good point – as I
have not realized this. As a vegan I eat mainly fruit and vegetable – lots of fibre.
So what can I eat in time leading up to a race? Immediately I was on the phone
to my partner Lucy who is a guru in plant based diet. I was searching the web
for ideas. Few hours later and trip to a supermarket I was sorted. Fibreless
vegan diet – miso soup, shakes, smooth nut butters,… I definitely could not
live on that for long! But it worked, and I was so glad to attend that evening.
Next day, still
raining, when my pit crew arrived (my two traveling Czech mates living in a Bongo
van) I went to have my first ride on the race course in Whakawara Mountain Bike
Park. I got back an hour later. This is definitely not sort of riding terrain
we have in South Canterbury – I was expecting a T-Rex walking out of the giant
ferns. While hosing off mud of my glasses and my bike I was feeling very unsure.
The tracks received 190mm of rain in the last week. I was sliding on the track
at every corner and had to go very slow on those steep descends. Slippery tree
roots were the worst – I did not have any control of my bike on those. So a quick
trip to a bike shop to change my tire was next. I was so glad that I have
swapped my front narrow slippery tire for grippy wide 2.2 beast.
I don’t know why, but I was not nervous
before the race start at midday. I knew that I have done everything I could to earn
my spot here. Getting up at 4 or 5am seven times a week. Juggling family a
work. Getting help with training from Matty Graham - a friend and someone I
trust. Making many compromises. All the pieces of this puzzle just came nicely
together on the day. The gun went off. With my coach Matty we had a plan – to ride
strongly during the first 4 hrs, then settle into a good aerobic pace and make
it through the night and pick up the pace again next morning. But because this
was my first 24hr I knew that there are going to be changes. I was surprised
how fast everyone started. I felt like screaming – C’mon guys, its 24hr race,
not a 30km XC blast! First lap is always hard – but after that you find a place
where you belong. During the daylight I was riding definitely harder then I
wanted for a 24hr race but I felt good and was in the mix with the guys in my
age group. My plan was not to stop in the transition until I needed lights.
That is why I have chosen liquid food (Perpetuem by Hammer Nutrition) so I can
just grab another bottle from my support crew without stopping and keep on
riding. That worked really well as I
made up some time on guys I was riding with who usually caught me again on
technical single-tracks. Another reason why I like liquid food is the simplicity
–it was very easy to school-up my pit crew on that. My fuelling plan was simple- I have divided
the race into into 5hr blocks : every 5th hour I changed from
Perpetuem to Hammer Bar or couple of gels as reward.
After continues 13 hours in saddle every
part of my body hurt. It was a strange feeling – as I did not mind the pain and
was enjoying the moment. I even did not want to know my placing – I rode to my
limits so what else matters! It was probably thanks to caffeine in the
Caffe-Latee Perpetuem that helped me to make it through the night. I usually
train in the early hours of morning – so come 5am, my body probably recognised
this time, I caught a second breath and took it up a notch. What a great
feeling. I was even awoke enough to avoid riding over 3 possums, wallaby and a hedgehog.
With 3 hours to go I found myself in a deep hole. Maybe I got too excited with
the first rays of sunshine and rode too hard. My feet were burning in the
shoes. Every molehill felt like climbing Everest. I had to dig deep during my last lap –focusing
on the track through my fogged up contact lenses and trying not to crash. My
right hand wrist was sore from never ending shifting and braking (I should not
have fiddled with my brakes levers!) What motivated me on my last lap was that I
did not want to be passed.
I crossed the finish line after 24:09:59,
370km, 6000m + of climbing with a grin on the face.
Many thanks to my sponsors:
