English
This weekend we made the journey to Plymouth to compete in Twentyfour12 in the 12hr race. This would be the final opportunity to finalise and practice a few things before the 24hr World Champs. It will be the final time that Nia, Ben and myself are altogether and able to practice pit-stops (or rather not-stops!) and also to test race pacing and test out new kit, and finalise a nutrition strategy. With all this in mind it was going to be a very important race, but one where the race result would be secondary to the lessons learnt. I had decided well before that I wanted to try a different pacing strategy and rather than go out at a steady pace and hold it I wanted to push hard from the gun and see how long I could hold it for and what would happen to my body.
I was originally entered into the Torchbearer night race, but earlier in the week I had the opportunity to change to the main race because I was able to get the Saturday off work and a space became available. Being able to do the day race would mean less effect from the lack of sleep and recovery would be far easier. We travelled down to the site on Friday and arrived quite late in the evening to find a very full camp-site with almost no space left track-side. Thanks to Sally Daw and her crew who kindly let us pitch up in their area we had a great spot just before the course enters the arena. The course looked like it was mostly dry, but after previous race there were sections that were a bit muddy, especially off the racing line.
With a Midday start there wasn’t time for a practice lap, but having raced here in the two previous events I was confident that I would know most of the sections, all be it in a different order. After a short warm up I rolled up to a very full start line 15 minutes before the start only to be told that I would have to start at the back. This is not something that I have ever seen happen before and you could guarantee that any invited riders would be able to roll up 2 minutes before the start and start from the front, just as they did last year. It was something that I personally think was quite dangerous and unfair to do as I now had over a hundred riders to pass to get to my main competitors and obviously I wanted to do it as quickly as possible. When the whistle went the red mist came down I went into full attack mode passing people wherever there was even half a chance. By the end of the 1km start loop I had made up quite a few places but I was still way behind the top riders. Going into the first proper lap I was still pushing hard and very close to the pace I would hold in a XC race and still passing plenty of riders and holding the wheels of some of the quicker pairs and teams. My first lap was in the region of 35 minutes (without the starting loop) and I had made it into first place in the solo category, closely followed by 2nd and 3rd.
I managed to hold a quick pace during the 2nd lap, although it was a much more sustainable pace. Gerald Tudor was still with me, although we had dropped Adrian Scott who was in 3rd position. I tried to keep the pace consistent, but from the 3rd lap we were catching slower riders and had to be patient as there wasn’t room to pass on all sections. By the end of lap 3 I was on my own and feeling strong. I realised pretty early into the race that if I was able to hold an average of 40 minutes then I would be able to complete 18 laps, so this became my aim and during the first 7 laps I was holding a sub 40 minute pace and I felt able to keep the average below 40 minutes if the conditions stayed the same. The gap to riders behind was growing considerably lap on lap and I was feeling great, despite riding at a higher pace than I have previously tried. I was still unsure of what would happen as I was in unknown territory. One area that was really going well was the not-stops through the pit area, as every lap I managed to take whatever I needed on the go.
After 6 hours it started to drizzle and the wetness slowed the course down slightly as the descents became a little trickier, especially where there were rooted sections. Regardless of the weather I always run a Neoguard on the bike, it is so light there is no reason not to but I was certainly glad of it when it got muddy and it kept me riding when in previous years when not using a Neoguard I have had to stop with mud in my eyes. Lap times dropped by a minute or so for an hour or so before heavier rain started after 8hrs. It was about the same time I lapped 2nd place, which gave me a big cushion in case of a disaster. The course was becoming slower and more tricky as each lap went by and as darkness started to fall I reeled in my pace, as although I still felt strong the risk of crashing became high if I maintained a similar speed on the descents.
The darkness itself was no problem at all as I was lucky enough to test the prototype 2011 Exposure Lights Maxx-D and Diablo lights. The 2010 versions that I have used this year are fantastic, but the 2011 models are a step up in terms of brightness and especially in light colour. The muddy conditions were taking their toll and I was swapping bikes every lap which kept Ben and Nia busy cleaning with the Mobi while I was riding.
After 16 laps, which was a little over 11 hours of riding I came into the pit area and stopped for the first time. I had calculated that it would be impossible for 2nd to catch me and although there was time for another 2 laps if I wanted to, why risk a crash and potential injury? I waited in the pit as Ben and Nia went to check and make 100% sure of the rules regarding finishing, if I had to cross the line after 12pm or not. After 15 minutes waiting I had the answer I needed and headed into the arena to roll across the line after 11 hours and 30 minutes. Adrian Scott went on to unlap himself within the time and finished 2nd 1hr 10 minutes behind and Gerald Tudor finished 3rd.
Overall the event was a big success for me, not only did I win the 12hr solo race but everything that I had put into practice had gone smoothly. I went out much harder than I normally would and still felt strong after 8hrs before easing up because of the conditions. The pit strategy was spot on and a few new techniques we tried out to avoid stopping, even for the briefest of times all worked as planned. Nutrition and hydration was also great and I have finalised a feeding plan ready for Australia. Obviously the weather will be totally different out there, probably hotter and dry but I am confident that we can alter the plans to suit.
I have a few weeks without events now so I am hoping to get a few solid training weeks in after a couple of days recovery from this latest race. Next event for me will be the Grand Raid Cristalp marathon on August 21st, a 145km race in the Swiss Alps with 5800m of climbing!