On Oct 17 I did my first 12 hour race at the Psycho 48 in eastern, NC. I rode my old Vendetta 1.5 outfitted with an S40 front triangle. The weather was horrendous! Gale force winds gusting in the upper 30"s and constant rain. My initial goal was to break 200 miles but when I saw the forecast, I was going to be happy just to finish...alive. The course was a 36 mile loop with the first 12 mi dead into the wind. The last 12 mi was a tailwind sleigh ride. In between was a killer crosswind. On the upwind leg the rain felt like needles on my face. I managed to stay warm until the very end when it grew dark and the temperature dropped into the 50s. At the 12 hour mark I stopped to call in my distance-206miles! Thats when the wheels came off. When I got off the bike my legs buckled and I fell into the roadside ditch. I floundered around trying to stand up again. Just as I got rolling again my headlight died. It was seven miles back to my truck so I crept along until one of the 48hour riders came by and let me follow him back to the start / finish. By this time I was shivering so much it took me an hour to change into dry clothes. Once I warmed up I didn't feel too bad. My nutrition/ hydration plan obviously worked. I didn't need much fluid since I was constantly wet and didn't sweat. I ate about 60 Gm of carbs/hour. My BMR isn't what it used to be. I placed first in the 12 hour, Non Drafting, Recumbent, (70 yo Men Named Pat With White Hair) category. I actually got a medal! My distance was unofficially 3rd of all the 12 hour riders(15). The best was 214 miles. There is no way I could have done this race on a DF bike. Riding a CruzBike has re-energized my love of endurance cycling. Now my goal is to save up for a newer V20C.
