Getting hit with a 2x4

Event: 24/12/6 Hours of Pat's Peak
Race: 6 hour solo
Location: Henniker, NH
Date: 7/14/07
Race loop: 5 (4.25) miles, 850 (950) feet of vertical/lap (GPS)
Downhill portion: BRUTAL
Results: www.patspeak.com

Last year, you may recall, I raced in the Jay Challenge MTB race. 72 miles. 14000 feet of climbing. An unimaginably epic ride. If you took the Jay challenge, and distilled away all the pavement and dirt road sections, leaving only the nasty single track, well then you'd have the 6 hour solo race at Pat's Peak. If the Jay Challenge was drinking good beers all night until you were really sleepy and content, then Pat's Peak would be like pounding shots Jack until you passed out.

I arrived at Pat's Peak around 9:30 and went to register. I was slightly annoyed that, despite have preregistered, I had to fill out all sorts of paperwork, but it turns out that they switched from EFTA to USA cycling after EFTA (apparently) screwed them royally. I know this because that Pat's Peak guy railed on them for a solid 5 minutes during the pre-race meeting. He also yelled/belittled the downhillers for riding on the grass and reminded us that Pat's Peak could be making $20,000 for hosting a wedding. A real classy guy. This meeting was from 10:45 to 11:15. The race started at noon, so, I worked on my bike for a while, had lunch, and drank some Mt. Dew.

The start was Lemans. Only three guys actually ran fast. I grabbed my bike and rode somewhere in the middle of the pack. People were not taking it out fast. We tooled around a snowmaking pond for a while, and then it was into the woods. The course alternated between tight, pretty technical singletrack and grassy, rough double track for about 2 miles as it climbed slowly up Pats Peak. I screwed up one single track section and had to wait for what seemed like the whole field to pass me. The course peaked at the top of one of the chairlifts, and there was a steep, doubletrack, grassy downhill. I let my bike fly, but the course was too rough and I had to rein it in. Fortunately, I did so before I hit the hidden waterbar of doom. When I hit it, I got thrown into my handlebars, but somehow barely managed to stay on my bike. My fellow racer and compatriot from the Jay Challenge, Dennis, was not so lucky. Hope you heal quickly, man.

The downhill ended in a sharp, loose rocky turn, and then there was more single track, followed by a long grass/loose dirt climb. In the afternoon sun, that was quite nasty. At the top of the climb there was a single track section that was windy, loose, and climby. I rode it maybe twice during the race, the other times I ran it (nominally slower). After this section came the downhill of pain . Twisty, narrow, rough single track littered with day ending endo-rocks. My 2" of Headshok were not up to the task. Those guys that used rigid single speeds must have been really hurting. Of course, anyone on a 4" x 4" dual suspension rocketed by me on the descent. I stayed on the bike for the single track section, but only just, and my arms, shoulders, and legs got really tired from absorbing shock. We then has a downhill on a very washed out dirt road. I was on the rideable line until it came to an abrupt end and dropped me a foot and a half into loose sand an volleyball sized rocks. I endoed, but landed on my camelbak and was pretty much unhurt, just covered in dirt. I got back on the bike and rode the small uphill and downhill to the start/finish.

After going through the tent, I stopped briefly for some food and water, and headed back out to the course. My second lap I was really feeling the descent from the first lap, and the realization came to me that this was going to be a long day. And so it was. Round and Round I went. After the second lap I decided to rest more between laps. After the third I took a 20 minute break. The race director wandered by, looked at my bike, and was like "I bet you're in a lot of pain right now, this isn't a hardtail course". The fourth and fifth laps saw me walking and taking some Mt. Dew breaks out on the course. I also started cramping up, and realized that, without electrolytes, I was pretty boned. I grabbed some energy drink mix and poured it into my camelbak. I guess I grabbed the ass flavor, because my stomach recoiled in horror when I drank it, but, it did stop the spasming in my legs. I completed the 6th lap at 5:45. I had the option of doing a seventh lap (you get credit for a lap started before 6 hours is up), but it had long ago ceased to be fun, and I didn't think my body would have survived another descent. I checked out, hosed myself off, and got the hell out of dodge.

Racing is always fun, but some races are less fun than others. This one was one of the less fun ones. Riding loops until you're too tired to ride anymore wasn't nearly the exciting day I'd been hoping for. It would have been fun with a team to the 24h race, because you'd spend most of your time hanging out with you friends, but solo...its just not the same. Hopefully Jay will be back next summer. Of course, theres always the Vermont 50....