12 Hours of Sundance

The race was amazing. I have never done an endurance race or been to one, so I did not quite know what to expect. What I got was more than my expectations and one of the best race experiences ever.

The race started at 7 am while it was still dark out, but light enough to see the trail and the road. The racers left the start line and a few seconds later Reed Abbott goes up the road, then a few more seconds later Chad Gibson comes up the road saying "nothing like starting a race in last place." I guess when you are riding solo for 12 hours, 30 seconds is not going to make or break you.

With the sun still not over the horizon it was chilly. To bide the time and take our minds off the chill we visited with other racers and got set for when our turn would come to ride. The waiting was not long as the first riders Chris Holley and Josh Wolfe came burning down the hill. It was phenomenal watching them come down the hill and around the perimeter to the finish line. I love watching the pros ride.

The next few riders began to come in and there was cheering for them as they rode past. The rider I remember the most and would continue to love to watch throughout the day was Dan. Dan was wearing argyle socks and when he came down the hill he let out a loud holler--I can't remember what he said but he was obviously happy to be there riding. Each time he came around he was cheerful. He was riding solo, and I don't think there was a time I really saw him off his bike. He ate and drank while he rode, as well as chatted and cheered for other riders.

As riders came in and went out I began to get ready for my first time out. Like other races I had a case of the nerves and had to go to the bathroom several times. It's amazing how nerves can affect the bladder. My first time out I was a little nerve racked waiting because I did not know what to expect. Eric pulled in and I went out, the wrong direction! I couldn't figure out how to get to the road. With a little laughter and a shake of the head I turned around and got out to road. I felt good on my first lap and rode hard. My goal was to get in under an hour and hopefully have a time that would be close to my team mates.

The downhill for my first lap was not so good. I went much slower than I was used to and kept braking around every switchback. It felt jerky and unnatural. I knew I lost some time as I went down the hill. As I hit the road to go down the final hill I looked back and saw Chris. I yelled he needed to hurry up to pass me and took off. I then took off and turned on the first turn I came to me and rode hard up the road. As I was riding I heard a yell from Chris and realized I had made a wrong turn! I quickly turned around and rode back in the right direction. Thank goodness Chris was there to keep me from going all the way up. I got to the bottom and across the line in 56:14. I was happy this was under an hour.

Coming off the course I went and found someone to fix my bike. It had done some skipping in the gears while on the trail, and I was worried it would get worse. Tim helped and while he worked on my bike I forced myself to eat a sandwich. Eating was pretty difficult as I was not hungry, but I knew I would need to eat if I wanted to ride well my next lap. I also drank two water bottles of Carborocket to get me well hydrated and ready for my next lap. The drinking was not so hard, but the eating almost made me sick.

It wasn't long before my turn came again and I was ready to go out hard. My second lap I felt great. There was more downshifting than the first lap, but everything was smooth and flowing. I passed a few people this time, but I have to say there is no accomplishment in passing people that are doing duo or solos. And then about the time I hit the top of the course my gears started to skip and I couldn't get into the right gear. I pedaled gently and did some shifting back and forth until it finally went in. As I head down Speed Trap I crossed my fingers there would be no further problems. It was on Speed trap I got a little beat up and bounced around. I did not realize until I got to the bottom of Speed trap my fork had been locked out. I quickly unlocked my fork and from here everything was smooth. It's amazing what how well you can ride when you have been riding rigid.

For my second lap the downhill went great and I was much faster and smoother the whole way. I had more skipping issues along the way, but was able to hold everything together with a time of 56:23. A few seconds slower than my first lap, but I was happy with the time. I had stayed consistent and all went well.

Eating the second time was not too bad, but still difficult. While waiting my turn I debated whether I should have someone look at my bike or if I should leave it and hope for the best. I left it and hoped for the best--not a good decision. It seemed my third lap came a lot quicker than I expected. I went off feeling a little tired, but still good. I rode up the hill hard and fast, but this time in a smaller gear, as soon as I hit the single track I switched to a larger gear and started going hard and fast. I only went a short distance before my gears in the back started to skip. I flipped around and tried to figure out which gears would stay, and discovered while in my middle I could not go down, but had to stay in my upper gears. This would be fine if it was my first lap, but it was not and my legs need to be in the lower gears. My only choice was to go into my small cog and ride.

Riding in my small cog I stayed smooth, but I could not get the power I wanted to go fast, especially on the flats like Archie's. I rode as hard as I could, but my speed was not what I wanted or was capable of, there was no heavy breathing involved--a sign I can definitely go harder. As I rode around Scott's pound and out towards the next hill climb you could hear my chain creaking and groaning, and I discovered my gears would not stay in when I tried to go into my 3 to the last chain rings. I was fine in granny, granny, but the three next rings I could not use. This left me without a lot of options when it came to climbing hills. I ended up in my granny, granny gear for every hill climb and I was spinning as fast as I could while at the same time trying not to put too much pressure on my pedals so my gears would not skip. I was very frustrated, because I knew I could go faster and I felt like I was letting my team down. I didn't want to be so slow that we couldn't get in at least two more laps. The down was good and I was able to keep my speed smooth and consistent which helped. I ended up coming in at 1:01:??. Off the course I immediately had Joseph look at my bike. He got it in working condition, but I need new cables and probably a new chain. I guess with that knowledge it could have been a lot worse, and as someone reminded me at least I did not end up walking. I just hate to be the one to let the team down.

The good news is we ended up getting in two more laps and winning the Masters Coed Division. I am now hooked on endurance races. Although I am not quite ready for duo and probably never for solo, so 4 man/woman teams will have to do for now.

The winners-Stephen Washburn, Kendra Clark, Eric Johnson, Eric Johnson