Race week-end - Summer Solstice, June 21-22, 2008

Well, time to start writing entries for the blog again. I am such a narcissistic person. People who know me will agree that I just talk about myself. Quite frankly, they are right – it’s because the world revolves around me and people have to hear about what I have to say.

Short version - look at the pictures.

Long version (longest post yet?), read on...

Pre-post race days:

It was quite a busy time for me – doing a bunch of errands, trying to see as many people as possible (and only got to see 50% of the folks I wanted to see), figure out the mountain bike stuff (rental for the race), prep for the race, then prep for the re-start of the trip. It probably sounds weird, but I am quite anxious to start the biking again so I can finally get some rest.

Race week-end:

Well, you probably figured out by the picture how the race went. But, there’s more of the story than the finish, so here is my version.

Firstly, it was great to see some friends that were at the race. I was surrounded by swell folks the entire time.

Secondly, as things didn’t feel real for the longest time (just the past 6 weeks or so), being back in a very familiar environment, with a specific job to do (the race), it seemed familiar again. Still a nice feeling, even though I had a bit of stress (expectations of good results, a challenge ahead of me, and the concern of injuring myself at the race that could jeopardize the rest of the trip). But, in the grand scheme of things, those are fairly insignificant. I am a lucky bonhomme.

I decided to take a different approach with this race. I usually just race my own race, and not worry about others. This time, I kept my eye on Klymson, the guy who beat me at the last 24 hr solo race. I thought that if I rode “conservatively hard” and keep him in sight (within 30 minutes by the 12 hours mark), I would hope to be in a good position to podium. Knowing he was at the race, I seriously thought the highest I could place would be second. He is an amazing rider, quite a machine.

The plan worked very well. Dave, my ever-so amazing support crew (and always effective in getting us onto the podium), would inform me that he was 13, 12, 11 minutes ahead. He was slowing down, and I was speeding up. Oddly enough, I was averaging close to hour laps – faster than I thought, but things felt good. By midnight, I did 11 laps (includes the stops I had for supper, snacks, etc.) Things were good. Oddly enough, Klymson’s number didn’t show up amongst the people ahead of me. I thought that was odd.

Midnight or so rolls along, and the rain starts. Just moments before, I overtake a guy who has the same amount of laps as I. He figures he’s in 3rd place, maybe 2nd. So, I thought I was getting into a very nice position. The rain picked up more and more, and the trails became quite slick, dangerous in my opinion (well, everyone had to be careful). It's one of those times when you had to pray ("Save me, Jebus"). Things just slowed right down. Some parts were quite difficult to walk, especially with the bike. Near the 2/3 mark of the lap, I run into a super nice person from Ottawa that I get to ride with here and there. She seemed a bit concerned, not too frazzled, but happy to see someone she knew. We decided to ride together out of this. Sure, it might seem like I was helping her out, but honestly, I would enjoy the company too. I hardly think it was a one-sided affair. She’s a strong rider (even though rather young in her “career”, I knew she could get out of this alive. A little while later, the guy I overtook a bit earlier in that lap, was able to go in front of me again and retake his original position. I didn’t want to tell her what just happened, in case she would feel bad about the situation. But, honestly, I was fairly confident that I was going to overtake him later as he did look like he was starting to crack a bit. I just had to be patient, to put in my time.

We made it out of the woods alive, and I stopped for my midnight supper. Returning onto the course was fun (semi-sarcastic). It was quite a slow and messy experience. But, I had a job to do, and it was the same conditions for all. I did take a nice spill on a downhill. Luckily, only a few scrapes on the knees (and a rip in my knee warmers), with some minor fixing of lights had to be done (they got knocked off the bars). After a while, the rain stopped, and the course became rideable again. At four or so in the morning, I experienced my first major mechanical on the course – one of my pedals fell off. No one, not even marshals, have a pedal wrench on the course. I knew I was a bit toast for that. Only one thing to do (in my books) – ride out, one legged. I was just hoping that I wouldn’t cramp up, especially in my hamstring. Because of that little mishap, I lost a good half an hour.

Dawn was finally here, so I decided to stop early for breakfast and let it get a bit lighter out there. Luckily, I had my other bike all ready, so she came out to play for a lap. Dave, with the gracious assistance of Gilles, cleaned up the bike a bit, and put the pedal back on. I would return to the rental (or H17N, as she is also known), upon my return.

Breakfast time also brought on the news that I was in 3rd place, a full lap ahead of 4th (maybe 1h 15 mins buffer). Dave and I discussed the situation, and he highly recommended I keep on truckin’ until noon, which would mean another 3 laps or so. We didn’t want to risk me stopping earlier, and letting the 4th and 5th place boys catch up, and sneak in another lap at the tail end and push me off. So, I obliged (with a bit of resistance). Because of the buffer, I was told I could do those laps fairly conservative, which I did.

The last few laps were nice (except for the skin irritation that was growing, the fatigue setting in, and the loss of “pep” when biking). But, I had a chance to relax a bit, take my time, and even stop for a good 15 minutes chat with Mark – a good guy I haven’t spoken to in around 10-12 years. He was at the Misfits campsite, a spot where they blared music all night, had a disco ball, and a dancing stage. If you stopped and danced under the ball, you’d get a t-shirt. I decided I’d get a t-shirt for Dave. While I was there, Turn The Page (Metallica version) was playing. When a Bon Jovi song came on, we both looked at each other, and he darted to change the tune. “It’s my friend’s mp3 player”. I took my sweet-ass time for that one.

The last lap was also a very conservative lap. I hardly pedaled in the single tracks – just pumping bike over the woopty-doos, cruising through the single tracks, and dropping into the granny gear for probably all the climbs. Taking my time. What was weird is that nothing from the course registered – I didn’t have a clue where I was, or how much was left. The only way I could judge how much was left was by looking at my watch and thinking that I should be done by noon. It was a very bizarre lap, with the mind and mood playing weird tricks on me.

I crossed the line, and quickly went to the electronic results board to see what position I was (unofficially) in – 3rd, with 18 laps. (recap – 11 laps in the first 12 hrs, and 7 in the last 12 – fun times, fun times). I was happy that it was done, and that I made it on the podium. But, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get in 2nd place. Out of the previous three times I did the 24 hr solo, I placed 2nd twice. So, weird disappointment, but very minor. I would eventually not be as disappointed when I found out that the first place guy is a pro (I believe), and the other one apparently just turned pro. I was in good company.

On that note, I would like to thank my sponsors:

Official result - 3rd out of 32 in my category (under 40 year old), and 3rd overall, out of 52 or so. I rode around 300 km (17 km lap, I think). Tied my record for solo.

While being on the podium, I thought it would be funny to wear a t-shirt like in the movie “Porky’s revenge”, specifically the “Who farted” shirt with a bunch of holes burnt into it. I thought it would be funny wearing rags beside people who were wearing their sponsor’s gear.

Dave said a nice thing to me at the end of the race. “Pierre Perron, three-time medallist as a solo at the 24 hour event”. Sort-of has a nice ring to it. Nice to retire (again, and for good this time) on top.

I have to say congrats to Gilles and Stef’s team for finishing 2nd in their mixed-team category. Tobin, despite his passing out in the lodge and waking up in the first-aid tent, did a fairly good job too. He’s a machine. What has to be the most amazing surprise is Rick, the ox, who decided to lose 40 lbs and grind his way into 5th place. Huge jump, amazing accomplishment. Unbelievable. Considering that the field is getting stronger every year, a fifth in this race is probably equivalent to 2nd 4-5 years ago.

Damage post-race: minimal hand numbness (median nerve distribution) in both hands, left worse than right, and weakness with median nerve innervation in the right hand (basically decrease in fine motor dexterity). All this peaked on Monday night, and slowly getting better. Numbness is gone in the right hand, and just present at the left thumb as I write this. As for weakness, I can still do most things (even trueing the wheel, but with difficulty), and it'll probably take 4-5 days to get back to normal. As for skin irritation, I was able to sit on a bike today and still feel comfortable. I don't walk awkwardly due to the latter anymore. The joys of solo 24 hr riding...

I want to say thanks to Gilles for jumping in quickly to help when asked to help Dave with fixing the bike during the pedal mechanical. Another big thanks goes to Doris and Ruth for helping Dave with the support in the wee hours in the morning so he could get some rest. Thanks also go out to all those who were all around me (mainly near the campsite) that gave me the encouragement to continue.

Lastly, and definitely not least, great big thanks to Dave, who again, went beyond the call of duty, and got us on the podium again. Another person I am forever in debt with.

So, fun and interesting week-end. I was quite happy with the results, and very happy to see folks that I haven’t seen in 2 days and up to 10 years (Lepper, Denny, the latter being a huge surprise). Before the race, I was concerned that I could be injured or too tired for it. Now, tables have turned – has the race made me more susceptible to injuries, or more fatigue? Time will tell.

Well, I am looking for a fun team for next year. I still think I want to put together a team with the name “24 in 24”, and the first 24 I am not referring to the number of laps to do, but amount of beers to be consumed by each rider on the team. Any takers? I might just settle for a good, fun crew (mixed team?). I’m available.

Now, the trip starts (Wednesday). I will be staying at the Voyager Provincial Park, just at the tail end of Ontario before I enter into another “country”. Bonne St. Jean Baptiste (c’est le 24 juin aujourd’hui, quand j’ai écrit cette entrée). I will be getting a visit from my family, where we’ll get to share a little supper near the fire, and maybe go for a dip in the water. The more the merrier, if some are available for the hour drive out of town (I know, it’s far, but I can still dream).

pics are available by clicking on the title of the entry.

Ciao,

P2