Cyril Wins 24 Hours of Adrenalin solo Mtn Bike Race

Written by Cyril Jay-Rayon
Created Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2009 00:00

This past weekend, I competed in my second 24 hours solo mountain bike race in Laguna Seca. My teammate, Seegs, also raced and won the women's 24 solo division in style. The race was part of the world renowned 24 hours of Adrenalin series. After my first race at Hurkey Creek 6 weeks prior, I was determined to have a crash free race, pace myself better, and ride strong throughout. I managed to succeed in doing 2 out of 3 but I just couldn't keep the tires down for the entire 24 hours and crashed on lap 14 (some 12+ hours into the race) and cracked some ribs as I overshot a corner, barrelled straight down the side of the hill and flipped and landed on my handlebars. I learned the hard way that it's difficult to keep fatigue from affecting your handling skills. Another lesson learnt. I just need to slow down in the later part of the race on the more technical sections when fatigued. For all I know, maybe i was going slow and was so fatigued that I thought I was going fast around the corner. This is one of the interesting aspects of 24 hour racing as your mind plays tricks on you and sometimes blurs your perception of reality. Push hard enough and you might just get drug free hallucinations!

Despite the crash midway through the race, I did manage to pace myself well and settle into a zen like rhythm that was only broken 12 hours in. After my first lap, I could sense that I was going to have a good race. My goal was to attempt to beat the 08 winning average lap time of around 1:08hr/lap. For the first 12 hours I averaged well under 1hr/lap, my legs felt good and I knew i could hold on, despite slowing down, for the last 12 hours. When I crossed the start-finish line for the last time, I had completed 23 laps in 23:20 hours with a total of some 240 miles and 38,000 feet of climbing ... I was ready for a shower, masage, 3 truck stop size breakfasts, and 24 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, I only managed 2 out of these, the shower and breakfasts, because we (my girlfriend raced the 8 hour race which she also won) had to drive back 5 hours to Los Angeles, and then hop on a red eye to Costa Rica for a week of RnR. Sleep was merely postponed another day only be be fully enjoyed in a hammock on a the beach butted against a tropical rainforest.

All this ultra endurance racing into the night begs the question. Why do some ride 24 hours solo when 12 hours is more than enough to completely trash you and leave you feeling that going any longer is senseless? I'm not quite sure what the complete answer to this is if one can ever find one. As in adventure racing, I suspect that each one of us are driven to these extremes for reasons that we share with others like us but often for quite personal ones as well that we can't fully explain. For me, it's in part the desire to go beyond the normal and into the realm of extremes (some would call stupidity). How else can i find out what I'm made of. Some people explore limits and themselves through music, writing etc.. I do it through ultra endurance racing. Extremes heighten my sense of being alive, builds character, and keeps me humble. Still, it's often a weak excuse at midnight with 12 hours in my legs and a sore rear end while watching the 4 and 5 person team riders fly by. I always find myself asking this question midway through these races when fatigue is deep and enthusiam is low. Before the race, it sounds like a great challenge but halfway through it, it too often feels utterly stupid. Perception definitely changes with fatigue. To keep me going, I keep telling myself that pain is temporary but success is forever or that pain is simply weakness leaving my body. These thoughts often fall on stubbordly deaf ears late in the race though. My quest for understanding continues...

I decided to compete in solo 24 hour mountain bike races this year because I wanted to find a new challenge to prepare for Primal Quest and also get back to solo racing after 8 years of exclusively racing on an adventure racing team. My experience has been amazing and I've quenched my desire to race solo again. I'm sure I'll be back for more. But, for now, I need to start focusing more on the other disciplines I will encounter at Primal Quest including trail and off trail running, and paddling.

For a brief description of some of the products I used during these races that truly made a difference and helped me win check out my gear review.

Time to switch gears, I've off for a sunset paddle.