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A full day of fun: the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice
There are two, maybe three events on my annual calendar that I really get stoked for: the first is Christmas (yes, even big kids get excited); the second is my anniversary (yes my wife is sitting next to this as I write); the third is the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice (yes you’re right…It’s really first on the list).
Yes it’s that time of year again when the camping gear gets dusted off, the HIDs get charged up, and the vat of pasta salad gets stirred up. I’ll probably do around 30 races this year, but none get me giddy like a school girl as much as the 24-hour race.
The allure of the 24 hour race
There’s just something about the camaraderie of hanging out with a team and pushing yourself to the extreme that is unbelievably fun. So here’s the deal. On Friday I’ll be making the two-hour trip from my house in Niagara Falls to the Summer Solstice venue at Albion Hills Conservation Area near Bolton, Ontario. The event is organized by Chico Racing, the fine folks who also run the Ontario Cup MTB race series here, and it has grown to become the largest 24-hour race in North America.
If you’ve never tried a 24-hour race, do yourself a favour and give it a go. Don’t be at all intimidated because there are races and categories for everyone. Personally, I’ve raced on a five-man team for the past few years with the same group of friends. We may not be the fastest team in the race, but we’ve gotten the routine down to a fine science.
It’s about pushing your limits
My greatest single 24-hour race memory came in the Summer Solstice in 2004. I was the second rider in our team of five and because of the way the timing worked out, I ended up going out for my last lap at just after noon on Sunday. The way these races work is you’re not allowed to go back out for another lap after exactly 1 pm. So basically I had exactly 57 minutes to complete my lap in order to get our next rider out for one last lap.
The problem was my best time was previously around 56 minutes, and that was when I was fresh. Well as my lap went on I was carefully watching my timer and realizing it was going to be incredibly tight. But it wasn’t until I came into the start / finish area I realized how close it would be.
With the timing tent in sight, I could hear the organizers yelling out “10-9-8-7…” So I had less than 10 seconds to get into the timing tent, swipe my computer chip and hand it off to my teammate or else the course would close and we wouldn’t get that one extra lap in.
“6-5-4….” By this point I was in an all out sprint. People all around the finish tent were screaming and yelling. I literally threw my bike to the ground and dove for the swipe computer. I tossed the chip to my teammate and with literally one second left before 1 p.m. hit, he left the tent. It was insane. I was completely and totally drained, but we got the extra lap in and moved up a number of places in the standings as a result.
It’s adventures like that which make 24-hour racing so much fun. Everyone’s got a story about a gnarly crash, a great finish or that creature that went bump in the night.
I’ll post up a recap of the event for next week! Stay tuned!
Checklists for 24 hour bike races
Anyway, for those of you who might be considering racing for the first time, here’s my trusty “24-hour To-Bring List” with a few notes.
Bike stuff:
- Bike
- Spare wheels
- Spare tires – Semi-slicks and mud tires, just in case
- Spare parts bin
- Work stand
- Bike tools
- Floor pump
- Light set – Make sure it’s fully charged and tested BEFORE you go
- iPod
- Rear light
- Bike lock
- Lubes / cleaners
- Spare tubes
- Rags
- Bike rack – Handmade stand I built that holds around 6 bikes
Clothing:
- 5 sets of socks – Clean, dry socks for every lap makes life much more pleasant.
- 4 shorts
- 4 jerseys
- Arm warmers, leg warmers
- Shoes (2 sets)
- 2 helmets – This way you can have your ‘night lap’ helmet set up with lights well in advance
- 3-4 sets of gloves
- Contacts
- Camelbak / hydration pack
- Vest
- Sandals
- Hat
- Pants
- Sweater
- Regular shorts
- Swim trunks
- Rain jacket
Camping gear:
- Dining tent
- Sleeping tent
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Folding cot
- Folding chair
- White board / markers – Leaving notes for teammates and writing down laptimes is great
- Utensils
- Flashlight
- Clock
- Duct tape
- 2-way radios
- Rope
- Blanket
- Carabiners – Use these for clipping on the timing chip
- Camping shower
- Extension cord – Serviced site this year!
- Power bar
- Heater
Food:
- Gatorade
- 4 large bottles of water
- Large jugs of water for hydration pack
- Loaf of bread
- Peanut butter / honey – The breakfast of champions
- Fruit
- Gel packs
- Vector bars
- Cereal
- Pasta salad
- Milk
- Coolers
Other:
- Money
- Wallet
- Toothpaste / brush
- Sunscreen
- Off spray / bug repellant
- Muscle relaxants
- Soap
- Towels
- Umbrella
- Tylenol
- Chamois cream
1. Posted by Ashwin | 8:13 am, 22 June 2006
newspaper to stuff into wet shoes between laps.
It helps dry them out faster