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Looking back at the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice
So, the fun is now over. The camping gear is back on its shelf in the garage, the coolers have been emptied, the extra bike parts have been put away. Yes, another 24 Hours of Summer Solstice race is now behind me.
The first thing I’ll say is that these races definitely seem to get easier the more you do them. This was my fifth or sixth 24-hour team race and the more you do them, the more you know what to expect. You also know how to properly pack and prepare you equipment for what’s ahead.
The course itself was a 17km loop at Albion Hills Conservation Area in Bolton, Ontario. It was definitely a toned-down version of some of the previous Summer Solstice race loops, which from what we can guess, was an effort to make things a bit easier on both the solo racers and the newcomers to 24-hour racing. Personally I really enjoyed the course. There was still lots of technical singletrack to keep the more experienced riders happy, but intermixed throughout the route were doubletrack climbs, fast flowy descents and other areas that made passing safe and easy.
Our team raced in the five-man category for those with an age total of between 150 and 199 years old. With 66 teams it was one of the more competitive divisions, and we finished the weekend in a respectable 15th. The great thing was made it through without any major mechanicals (save for one flat tire in the final 2kms of the course for our fastest rider), and no major injuries.
Ironically, just like in last year’s June race where I had to race against the clock to send out a rider before the noon deadline, it happened again for me.
I went out for my last lap at 10:56, which meant I had 1:03:59 to get through the course and hand off the timing baton to my teammate Paul. My previous laps were 57 and 59 minutes Saturday afternoon, but they slowed down to 1:04 and 1:05 through the night. By that fifth lap my legs were feeling pretty mushy so I wasn’t very confident I could get back in time.
I made a point of not looking at my watch during that final lap because I just wanted to go as hard as I could either way. It wasn’t until I asked a spectator what time it was that I realized I might just make it. With less than two kilometers to go I was told it was 11:55, which mean I had a legitimate shot of getting back in time. Myself and another rider from a different team went into overdrive and we both came in with just over two minutes remaining. Chances are this didn’t actually affect our overall placings, but it sure was fun.
By the end of the weekend I was totally and completely drained – physically and mentally. I packed up and hit the road for the 2.5-hour drive home. I don’t remember much from Sunday night, but I’m told I fell asleep by 7:30 p.m. I woke up Monday morning around 7am a little sore, but already anticipating the next one.
A big thanks goes out to the boys at MTBKanata.com, who I race with; Bill down at Cannondale - The Rush really is the perfect 24-hour bike; and Darin at Amino Vital. He provided our team with a weekend’s worth of this up-and-coming recovery drink and it saved our bacon. I’ll have a full report on that end of things in a few days.