|   Race Report - A Historic Moment: Sunshine at Kelso! | SRP5
Jun 17, 2003 10:57 AM | | Rain seems to be the common theme for the 24 Hours of Adrenalin at Kelso Conservation Area in Ontario. I think it has rained at every 24 hour race here since the beginning, and I have participated in every race Trilife has put on at Kelso. The first year it was the 12 Phat Hours of Adrenalin. I was on a 2 man team, neither of us had ever raced before, and didn't know the meaning of training. It was an ugly sight.
Fast forward six years later and the race at Kelso is now a 12 hour and 24 hour race. This was my 4th try as a solo at Kelso for 24 hours and each year I learn more and more about this silly, but gratifying sport. This year was going to be a little bit different than other races. Not only did I face the typical solo competition, seeing some of the usual familiar faces, but I also had two new arch enemies....my brother Jim and my close friend Mark. Jim is from Arizona and the veteran of many 24 hour races and Mark is an excellent Ontario rider but this was his first attempt in the solo category. Bragging rights were on the line and I was determined to own them. I figured if I worked hard enough to beat the two of them, then maybe that would end up as a good result overall.
If you've never been to Kelso Conservation Area before, it is a quaint little ski area in the Winter and mountain bike area in the Summer. They have great camping facilities, a man made reservoir with a beach, and a camp store. Everything you could ever ask for. There isn't a tremendous amount of climbing at this venue, but what it lacks in length is made up by the fact they are steep and loose. Most riders are walking the climbs by the 3rd lap. The course is about 13kms long and quite fast with some riders doing sub 35-40 min laps in the early stages of the race. There are some technical sections on the course to add some challenge, other wise it is a mix of some open, fast, sweeping single track with some tight stuff thrown in.
My support crew for this event was my Wife and 4 ½ year old daughter. My Daughter has been pumped about going to "The Big Bike Race" for six months now, talking about the camping, the beach and helping give Daddy his water bottles when he goes by. I didn't have a mechanic with me, but I can fix most things myself, plus the camaraderie among solo racers is uncanny. Everyone helps everyone so more often than not there is always a mechanic around to help with repairs while I refuel and rehydrate.
Friday June 13: Guess what. It has been raining for the past few days. The course was closed Thursday for pre-riding it was so bad. Mark, Jim and I set up camp in wet conditions (although the rain finally stopped) and prepared for the race.
June 14 Noon: The race is about to start with sunny skies forcasted for both Saturday and Sunday. What a relief. I just hope the course can dry out quickly. The gun goes off and the mad dash begins. Luckily the run is not too long and I am feeling pretty good. So far I am ahead of both Mark and Jim. As we came to the first climb people are off their bikes already as it is very steep. Just as I get off and start walking up I look to my left and see Mark riding up the climb. This doesn't surprise me as he is a very good climber. I just hope I don't lose too much time to him. By the time the 1st lap finishes I have caught Mark and we come into the pits at the same time. We both keep an eye on one another and head back out for another lap. Once again Mark rides the climb and I walk it. Once we hit the flats I put on a high pace and by the time we finish the lap he is only 1 min ahead of me. The next 2 laps were very fast for me, almost too fast. I managed to pass Mark on the 3rd lap and maintain my lead on him into the 4th lap by about 1 min. At this point I see Jim briefly in the pits and he is having breathing difficulty due to a cold. This is where things began to fall apart for me. My wife/support crew tells me I am going to fast and I agree. I can't worry about Mark, I need to ride my own race. I slow things down but it is too late. Nausea is setting in and I realize things may not go according to plan for me. I end up taking many long breaks trying to settle down. In the mean time, Mark starts to distance himself from me and I realize the race against him is over. Now I just need to compete with myself. I ride laps every 2 hours or so at an easy pace, just so I can keep moving and score as many laps as possible.
The course turned out to be quite soft with the type of mud that just sucks the energy right out of you. Although the bikes never got caked with mud, it was getting spread around and causing havoc on the roots and rocks. Things only got worse at night as the dew set in. On my 2nd night lap Jim and I decided to ride together. After we made it up the big climb we came to a tricky rock garden section and unfortunately Jim went over the bars and broke his brand new Niterider Storm. Ouch! He was done for the night after that. I kept plugging away for a few more night laps then called it for the night when my lights died out. It was pretty painful getting up in the morning, but I managed to get a few more laps with the last one being with my brother which was nice.
In the end I did 13 laps, Mark did 17 laps, and Jim did 8 laps. All in all we had a great time. Some other memorable moments include:
- my 4 year old daughter wiping my dirty legs after each lap with wet wipes
- flying down the final downhill at about 45 km/h holding on for dear life but with a smile from ear to ear
- watching Mark have the shakes from eating too many double caffeine GU's
- being inspired to ride another lap after watching the 1st place solo Woman throw up at her campsite then get on her bike for another lap
- having another team rider stop in the trail to loan me his pump after my CO2 failed
And the best thing about this race.....Mark, Jim and I all going out to ride a full lap together to really enjoy what Mountain Biking is all about.....having a great time with good friends.
See you at Hardwood Hills in 2 months! |
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