Cyril places Second at his first 24 hr mtn bike solo race

Written by Cyril Jay-Rayon
Created Date: Thursday, 30 April 2009 00:00

This past weekend, I competed in my first 24 hour mountain bike race at Hurkey Creek near Idyllwild, CA. The race is part of the  series and is set in the foothills of  majestic San Jacinto between 4,000 and 5,000ft.

The goal of these types of races is simple, try to do as many laps in 24 hours. Each lap included 1,340ft of climbing and was about 10 miles long on some incredibly fun but demanding single track. I was going into the race with no big expectations because I felt slightly undertrained (I didn't have enough time to do my long training rides) and for the simple fact, that I had never done one of these races. For me, this race was one of many steps in my preparation for the mighty Primal Quest 10 day expedition adventure race, in mid August, in the Badlands of South Dakota.

Against all recommendations from my experience 24 hour racer friends, I went out too fast. I simply got caught in the moment of the race and matched the pace with many of the front racers. The only problem is that both the 8 hour solo racers and team racers (you can do these races in teams of 2, 4 or 5) were on the course with me and many would not race solo well into the night. That was my listen #1. Lesson #2 came in the very first descent when I crashed hard and tore some soft tissue in my right wrist. I shouldn't have blasted down the descent in my first lap. Instead, I should have settled in a rhythm to warm up until my second lap. Although, my first lap time was good, it was too fast for a 24 hour race and, most importantly, my current fitness level.

Needless to say, I paid the price for the rest of the race as I had to deal with a lot of pain in my wrist. At times, I couldn't shift gears unless I used my other hand. Not exactly an ideal situation to say the least. Without my comfortable GX-2 Ergon Grips that offered a resting and stabilizing platform, I simply wouldn't have been able to complete the race. What added to the excitement, was the unseasonably cold temperatures. At the start finish line, temperatures dipped to 27F and on the backside in the meadow area temperatures dropped into the teens. Yep, it was cold but I braved the elements quite well because I wore my Ibex base layers and Arrivee Bib short. These are incredibly warm and comfortable in all temperatures but they really standout when it gets really cold.

At the midway point of the race (at midnight), I could tell that I was deteriorating fast and would most likely not recover enough to challenge first place (I was in 2nd). I pushed through the night though but didn't feel any better when the first rays of lights came. I was able to maintain my second place but I had lost some more time to first place who showed no sign of slowing down. So, with a good gap on 3rd place, I decided to finish racing early in the morning after more than 18 hours in the saddle. It was time I took care of that wrist to make sure I could race another day.

Although, I'm pleased with my second place, I didn't have a good race. I think I only felt good on 4 of my 18 laps. I suffered plenty, visited dark places of my mind, but I learned important lessons like how important it is to find ways to keep your mind focused.  For example, I used my Suunto T6c heart rate monitor to stay focused and keep within specific heart zones after my overzealous first lap. The T6c aloud me to keep track of my overall time, lap splits, and time splits to specific locations along the course. All this kept me motivated and I ended up with fantastic data that I downloaded to my computer afterwards.

I'm already planning for another adventure in 24 hour solo mtn bike racing on June 6th at Laguna Seca near Montererey, CA. Pain, old friend, here I came!