Here's a recap I wrote shortly after the race - Enjoy!
24 hours, 261 miles, 47,500ft of elevation gain, 20,000+ calories burned, and a sore body
later . . .
. . . I'm finally writing up a report.
It's funny, I've read a few articles about the race and have essentially been told what
happened, before I've had time to digest it. For me - this is new. Let me start by saying
this was one of the most intense races I've ever done.
Last year in Georgia it was Nick (owner/director of our team) and me. That's it. I had
planned on doing so well there and had big expectations. 6th wasn't bad, but wasn't what
I wanted. It was brutal for Nick and brutal for me. The plane ride home was long . . .
For the last 11 months, there wasn't a week that went by where Nick and I didn't speak
about this year's worlds and how different it was going to be. It's a total risk to put
all your eggs in one basket, one race, but it was one I wanted to take and Scott(BMC
Cycling), Nick and many others had put their faith in me.
Leading up to this race I knew I had worked harder than I ever have on a bike before.
Flashes of riding my bike in the middle of the mountains through our tough winter, riding
in my basement staring at my wall, and lugging my bike to FL when visiting Libby ran
through my head a week before the event. Oh, probably the hardest part was often passing
on the chips and salsa. Brutal.
We, (Gavin, Chelsea and myself) left for Monterey in the team car on Wed before the race.
The trip was good and I knew my spare bike wasn't going to be lost in shipping this year!
We stopped in Tahoe and visited Gavin's mom and some friends and then headed to our hotel
in Monterey. BTW- Gavin rode elite single speed solo and Chelsea rode elite female solo -
We pre-rode the course and only made it about a 3rd of the way before the sun fell behind
the ocean. I said, 'I'm sort of nervous. It doesn't seem like there is THAT much
climbing'.
Pre-ride the next day:
Climbing. It seems that the whole first half of the lap and the fun, flowing single track
just led us to the bottom of the big mountain we were to climb back up to the
start/finish. Now I was like, 'I'm nervous. That's a lot of climbing for a 24 hour race'.
The lap: 13.74 miles and 2,500ft of climbing.
The Race:
By this time we had our crew that flew in - Nick, Patrick, Roxanne, Caleb, Joey, Lizz &
Mike, Bethany, and Ryan. Noticeably missing were the two women I love the most: My mom
Diane and my girfriend Libby - who both were upset they couldn't be there, but their
presence was more than felt. (note the pic with wristbands that have their initials on
each arm. I love you guys).
It was weird with Nick and I. We didn't really speak much the
whole weekend until after the race. The morning of the race we each did our thing and any
time I needed anything; a bottle, sunscreen, food, sunglasses, whatever - he just had it
before I could think it. I guess those 11 months of talking about what we wanted to
accomplish were paying off.
The race starts at 12noon with a run to the bikes. This separates the field going into
the trail. At the time of the start, it was 100+ degrees and would stay that way for more
than 4 hours. I had a decent run and was up front with everyone. There were truly about 7
guys who were capable of winning this race and we were all in a group at the front. About
halfway into the very first lap, some of the Australians, (who were the far favorites
going into the race) started having some trouble and dropped off the pace. A little
further along a few other guys started fading and before I knew it, the only two guys up
front were myself and Tinker Juarez close behind.
I came in after the first lap and our pit stop was solid - no stopping.
1PM - 8PM
Tinker and I still dukin' it out.
Tinker, never more or less than a few bike lengths
behind me, looked real strong. Our pit stops weren't stops. Nick refused to let me stop.
My pit was right at the beginning of pit row and Tinker's was 150ft further down, so I
could see what he was doing and his crew could see what I was doing. I remember putting
pressure on him because of this. He would get off his bike and would have to jump right
back on to make sure he didn't let me go. During the stop for lights, my crew nailed it.
Everyone had a task. Battery, helmet, bottle, reeses peanut butter cup, bottle of ensure
. . . The helmet light stop was 30 seconds. Something happened at Tinker's pit and they
had to change lights from one bike to another. I heard Nick say 'GO! GO!' I had a 1:30
advantage on him. Since it was relatively early in the race,(8PM) I couldn't go too hard,
but I had to put time into him. By the end of the lap, he caught me. Man, he was flyin',
but I knew he went REALLY hard to catch me.
8PM - 6AM
I knew Tinker had to have been a little tired. Nick also told me that the Australian in
3rd was bringing back 3min a lap. I had to pick up the pace. The next two laps I went
really hard. There were a few times where I had Tinker against the ropes on the sustained
climbs. I thought he was done and any minute he was going to crack. He held on. The
Ausie, however, did not. He must have buried himself and burned too many matches. He
simply blew up and later dropped out of the race.
In the middle of the darkness I saw a wiry little guy throwing his bike around as to get
it up to speed. Like it was a single speed. A 29inch single spe . . . 'Gavin!' I saw
Gavin and spoke with him. This also happened with Chelsea. Seeing those two really made
my race. They both have this amazing smile that comforted me. Thank you for that Gavin
and Chels.
There was a point where I decided that I would not think about anything and let Nick, who
was UNBELIEVABLE, handle everything regarding nutrition and any planning in pitstops. I
came in around 2AM and told him I needed to change clothes the next lap. This was a huge
risk because Tinker and I were all business and not talking much about a 'gentlemen's
agreement' on changing clothes. When I came back in just after 3AM, Nick met me at the
start/finish and told me to simply get off the bike and walk in to the tent when I got to
the pit. I rolled in and everything seemed to get completely silent. It was like no one
was breathing, just watching Tinker's and my camp. I stepped into the tent where Rox and
Lizz were holding up a couple towels and the guys all took a piece of clothing and ripped
it off. All I remember is hearing Bethany, who was keeping tabs on Tinker, saying, 'He's
changing too. He's still there. They're dressing him.' and so on . . . It was SO intense.
Everyone in pit row was looking back and forth to see if one of us was going to get away.
Nope. I took off with a fresh set of clothes and Tinker jumped right in behind me.
We kept on going the same way we were the last 16 hours.
6AM - the end
As the sun was coming up, we climbed up to this point where you could see the ocean and
it was truly breathtaking. Without saying anything, I looked back at Tinker and he just
nodded. It was a great moment that I'll remember for a long time.
Back to business. At around 7AM, I spotted a blue jersey that looked like a Gary Fisher
jersey. It was Nat Ross - the 3rd place rider. We were lapping him. Holy crap. Tinker and
I were not going slow - even after 19 hours. Ouch.
I made a decision to take it easy on lap 17. I knew at this point Tinker was faster than
me. I had to roll the dice and go all in if I were to win. In doing an easier lap, I
allowed myself to recover a little, but it also allowed Tinker to recover. After 17, I
was in the pit and looking at Tinker. In mid-sentence, 'Guys, I have to tell you . . . I
gotta go!'. Tinker had pulled out of his pit and wasn't going easy. Not at all. Roxanne
called it. Afterward she said, 'You were going to tell us Tinker was looking strong and
will attack, weren't you?'
'Yes Rox'.
Tinker threw down the most incredible attack I've ever seen in a 24 hour race. I simply
couldn't respond. I tried and came close, but no-go. I smiled. I knew I was taking 2nd in
the world chamionships. I knew I did everything I could. Everyone at the venue and even
everyone in the race were cheering us on by 9PM the night before, and by 9AM they were
cheering even louder. I knew we had made the race exciting and I was happy about that. I
made it a point to always say something positive to people as we passed them through the
entire race and when I heard Tinker do the same, I knew he was someone I wanted to race
with. When Tinker left me, those same people we passed through the night were saying very
positive things to me, which kept me going. One rider asked for my autograph. Another
thanked me for making the race fun to watch. These people were great and I thank them for
their spirit out there.
I rolled in to the finish and before the post-race interviews started, someone handed me
a Jamba Juice. By far the best Jamba I've EVER had! I looked up and saw everyone from my
crew and it was overwhelming. I alomost lost it. They looked tired and I knew. I knew
what they themselves just went through to make my race perfect. They were amazing. They
are amazing.
Gavin and Chelsea both finished 5th place in their categories in what was the most
competetive worlds yet. Great job.
After the race I went over to Tinker's pit and thanked him for a great race. He is a good
man. His mom gave me this huge hug. She and Tinker's mechanic told me I gave them a lot
of stress over the past 24 hours. Tinker said there were 4 or 5 times where he almost
quit.(good to know - I was hammering!) Then he looked down at his 1 year old son and said
the inspiration to not quit was in his arms. Congratulations sir, you earned it and
deserved it.
I was going to thank so many people, but you all know who you are. I appreciate you more
than words could describe.
Thank you all for your support and good luck wishes. They were needed.
km
P.S. here is a link if you're interested:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=mtb/2007/sep07/24hour_worlds07
