Where do I start!
A big race so an especially big report.
The journey has been a long one. It all started in 2006 when a friend and I decided that we would like a challenge, so over a bottle of wine we thought it’d be a good idea to enter Sleepless in the Saddle as a female pair. I was a total rookie, only having been riding mountain bikes leisurely for a year. I didn’t have a clue….I couldn’t fix a puncture (still can’t!), used flat pedals, and had no idea that there were different types of tyres for different conditions. We were eager but extremely unprepared for what lay ahead. I did the first lap and I handed over to my friend. Unfortunately disaster struck early when only minutes into her first lap Claire fell off and hurt her back. It was only when she went to A and E the next day that she discovered she had broken her sacrum. At the time, we both decided that I should carry on riding solo…..things got a little sticky in the night due to heavy rain (this seems to be an essential ingredient at 24 hour races) so I decided to take a nap for 6 hours. I finished the race in fourth position, which fuelled my enthusiasm to have another go but solo from the start the next time.
It rained. I had the wrong tyres and problems with my lights. I spent what seemed like the majority of the race scooping mud from my wheels that had tripled in weight and size. I leisurely pottered round the course thinking that a 24 hour solo race could be won on a hare and the tortoise basis. I was wrong and incredibly inspired by the way that the other girls rode, especially Jenn O’Connor, Kate Potter, and Jenn Hopkins (on a single speed!). It was totally amazing to see them riding at that speed for 24 hours. The experience of Mayhem was thrilling, the atmosphere and the people made it feel like a 24 hour party but with the addition of mud, sweat and gears (when they worked). Watching the way that the top girls rode filled me with admiration and I was determined to have another go and try to get it right.
A little more prepared but still using flat pedals. The race started really well. The sun was shining and the course was fast and fun. I was having a great battle with Mel Alexander (who went on to win the race) and I was relaxed and enjoying the brilliant atmosphere. I totally underestimated how hot it was and exactly how much I needed to drink. Fifteen hours into the race I was still riding strong and my lap times were consistent. Dawn had arrived and I was happy to shed the lights and crack on with the rest of the race. Then disaster struck. I was just about to leave the pit area for another lap when I suddenly collapsed. When I gained consciousness I was in an ambulance. I tried to climb out of the bed to get back on my bike but I realised my race was over when the medic told me that I wouldn’t be doing another lap I spent a few hours on a drip in the local hospital…I was totally dehydrated. Gutted.
Mayhem 2008 - Solo.
After the disappointment of Sleepless last year I was even more determined to crack a 24 hour solo race and not let it beat me. I had an incredible run up to the race…I couldn’t have asked for more in my wildest dreams. I decided that in preparation I should ride a few 100km marathons. It never crossed my mind that I would go on to win the British Marathon Championships, and then to be selected to ride at the World Marathon Championships in Italy two weeks after Mayhem! This left me in a huge dilemma. My original ambition for more than a year was to finally get a 24 hour solo right. The marathons were originally just part of my training for Mayhem. However I enjoyed them so much that when Mayhem came around I questioned my sanity and wondered why on earth I wanted to ride the equivalent of potentially 4 marathons back to back.
Preparation.
In the few weeks leading up to Mayhem I was really daunted. A marathon is one thing but a 24 hour solo is a huge challenge, psychologically as well as physically. As the countdown to Mayhem loomed I didn’t want to race but I felt that I couldn’t let my boyfriend, David Padfield, down. He has supported and encouraged me so much in the last year with the ultimate goal of Mayhem being initially our sole motivation. So with him and my parents lined up as my pit crew I reluctantly found myself on the start line (praying that I wouldn’t fall over and get trampled on by the stampede of people behind me). I knew that the race was wide open. Anything can happen in a 24 hour race as I know too well. All of the other girls had a great chance of winning, they are all strong, fit riders but it was Mel and Fiona Spotswood that I considered my biggest challengers. Both of them have been riding brilliantly this year and they were the ones to keep an eye on.
Despite getting a great start, the first 6 hours were the hardest because I was constantly questioning why I was embarking upon this and I started to convince myself to stop. This wasn’t helped when a rider on a mission knocked me off while he was tackling one of the slippery off camber sections on my second lap. He apologised as he tried to drag me out of the tangle of bikes but my leg was stuck and he only made matters worse. I’m not quite sure what I said to him!!! Then the sun set and I suddenly had darkness, mud, slippery roots, dangerous off camber sections, a low branch (that repeatedly bashed me in the head) etc. etc. to take my mind off it. At first I thought that my lights were not working properly. I couldn’t understand why I could not see where I was going. This just wasn’t right. I had great Exposure MaXx lights (kindly supplied by Rory Hitchins from USE), including a joystick on my head (when it wasn’t being knocked off by the branch) and an enduro on my bars. After a couple of laps I finally figured out the problem….my glasses had steamed up!! For some reason when I am racing I totally lose all rational thought and all I can concentrate on is my riding and what lines to take. In hindsight the tough conditions were probably a good thing because I simply didn’t have time to think negatively. I had a job to do and I had to get on with it.
More preparations!
This time I was much, much better prepared…..this is definitely the most important factor of a 24 hour race. I knew….
1.Before the race I needed to rest and get lots of sleep (harder for me than it sounds!). Having so much spare time on my hands I resorted to cleaning the flat, much to Dave’s amazement.
2.How much to drink and the importance of electrolytes. I didn’t want to fall prey to that little mistake again so, following my Sleepless incident, I now use Elete electrolyte (kindly provided by James Towlson from Ergon).
3.What I could stomach eating when all I wanted to do was be sick. I had a huge variety of food that my pit crew offered to me throughout the race…which they happily ate when I declined. Dad, where did all of the whiskey and chocolate go??? The whiskey was not for me but was one of the treats that solo pit crew members need to get them through their tough job….apparently it numbs the pain.
4.The importance of a dirt worker jet wash for when it inevitably rained and perhaps one of the most important things….someone to use it while I was out riding my spare, clean and perfectly lubed bike.
5.That I needed well informed pit helpers who knew that when I was fed-up and got irrational that it was all part of the emotions that a solo 24 hour rider experiences.
6.That mud tyres were a vital piece of Mayhem equipment.
7.That Stans sealant would (hopefully) take care of any punctures for me (because I couldn’t!)
8.That ibuprofen would prevent me from realising how much pain I was in.
9.That bright, reliable lights with long burn times were critical if I was going to see my way through the night. The importance of this was highlighted as I passed a man swearing and hitting his lights as they repeatedly failed on him. (I hope that the smacking continued to bring them back to life and you found your way home.)
10. Not to look at my watch!
11. A pair of full-fingered very comfy Ergon gloves to protect my hands while scooping out the clay-like mud congealed with stones, twigs and grass from my frame and wheels.
The list goes on and on……
Sunrise.
When the sun rose and the birds starting singing I was finally able to spend more time riding than running. My spirits were lifted….until I looked at my watch (fatal mistake) and realised that it was only 6am and I still had another 8 hours to go. This was pretty hard to deal with and despite my continuous efforts to get Dave to tell me that my watch had broken and that it was actually much later my attempts failed. My watch was right. I didn’t think I could get much lower but a couple of hours later I did. It was at this point that Dave plugged me in to my Ipod. This saw me through another two laps. Strangely the low points were not because I was physically tired but rather due to the psychological demands of simply pedalling (and running) for so long through all of the mud.
The brilliant commentators, marshals, spectators, other riders, and Joolze (tirelessly snapping away) gave me some much needed motivation to churn out some more laps. At 8am Dave tried to encourage me by telling me that I only had 3 more laps to go. The lap times were so slow at this point due to the mud, so if I could get 3 more laps in then I could take the win. This helped me to focus. I counted the laps down and on my final lap I was relieved and happy...I said my goodbyes to the course as I pedalled around. Though I think I forgot to say bye to the section of the course with the steps and the hairpin because I overbalanced and landed upside down with just my bike and feet appearing out of the ferns. Luckily I managed to unclip and climb out before the rider behind had to lend a helping hand. As I made my final climb up Kenda hill Joolzes was making another display of her creative photography as she lay on the grass still snapping away…I don’t know if she had been there asleep all night and had just woken up or if this was all part of the job. Knowing this was my 17th and last lap I gave a big smile of relief for the camera.
It got a bit windy...
The end is nigh...
Entering the arena the final time was great. I heard the beep of the timing tent one last time and I looked immediately for my exit. As I was about to dash out to the left by the team change over area the commentators told me that I had to get on my bike (again!) and ride down to the start/finish line where Joolze was, once again, armed with her camera. I finally crossed the line after 24 hours and 20 minutes of riding and 18 laps. The only thing I missed was shaking Pat’s hand - I would like to wish him well and a speedy recovery and thank him and his crew of marshals and helpers for putting this amazing party/race together.
Thanks to...
I would also like to thank a few other people, Dave and my Mum and Dad for all of the bike cleaning (16 times), feeding, and stress management. Mel and Mark for being so sporting, encouraging and great to ride with and also for making me do my final, final lap (Mel). Richie and Jon from www.Ridebike.co.uk in Poole for their help, advice and the great deal on the Trek EX9.5 that kept me comfortable into the latter half of the race. I’d also like to thank them for their relentless servicing of my bikes. I don’t have a road bike or turbo trainer so when they offered to sponsor me I don’t thing they realised what they were letting themselves in for.
Finally!
Finally, I’d like to thank all of the other riders, including Kate Potter for her friendly words of wisdom and advice, Jenn O’Connor for her encouragement during the race as she whizzed past me, and Nick, Stu, and Arnie from the Scott team for their help and support (a big well done for such a truly amazing ride and for winning the Expert Category!!).
Mayhem 2009. Solo??? We’ll see.
Sal.
