LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
It's Monday evening after putting in a long day at work (my company has a "branch" just outside Detroit), so at least I only had to drive 3 hours Sunday after the event.
Thanks again for all the well wishes for my recovery.
I certainly did not ride a smart race.
Kudos to Kevin for going so hard for so long - but fell to the same issue as myself I think. Severe dehydration, due to overexertion in the heat and not enough replenishment.
Super Kudos to Joe - You rode a super smart, super strong ride my good friend.
You did the tribe proud, and even beat Hoppo on total mileage!
...
I'm will be working on my ride report as usual and of course going over all my video footage - both from and rear facing cameras - at least for the first 122 mile loop, and then front for the rest of daylight.
This year I must have carried 5 extra pounds just in batteries to keep everything going.
Quick summary:
Keven and I did "play" around the front most of the entire first 5 hours.
Many times we where way ahead of everyone, partly because it was easier than being with them.
Then the 2 young guns (Jessop & Billy) who eventually took 1,2 for the whole thing with 511 and 506 miles (Remember "Billy the Rocket" from Calvin's- He did 506 I think), took off with one other DF, Kevin and myself.
We left the other 50 or so in the lead pack in the dust. I really was trying to keep my power as low as possible, but is just wasn't working, and I yoyo'd back and forth between those 4 for a couple of hours. It is really just about impossible to ride with a DF in the hills.
You know you have the conversation in your head: Go ahead and push a little harder to catch them, because it will be so much easier once you catch the draft.
But "the draft" just never is what you would hope it is from a DF, but the worst part was all the hills. If you tried to stay with the DF's then you were braking down the hills, and really suffering to keep up with them going up. If you let yourself go on the downhills, then you push it that much harder to get the extra speed and momentum to get up the other side.
At around mile 110 I finally just let Kevin, Jessop, and Billy go (The 3rd DF never caught us after Rest stop #3), as I felt I could not yoyo any longer.
In the end I ended up with the first 122 at and average speed of 22.8mph, not too bad considering the heat and that I rode much of it alone. Too bad it wasn't a Century race instead! haha
There where so many hills too - They just never ended... not like the track that I go around and around on...
I also starting to get the dreaded hot-foot at about hour #4. That pretty much lasted on and off the rest of my riding, which forced me to get off the bike and go stand in my cooler at the end of each 24 mile loop for a couple minutes to try and help it out - but it was persistent).
In the end, it was the heat and dehydration that killed me, and not having a dedicated support person or team also didn't help much. Like when I came by the end of the 122 mile loop and needed water and they gave me my bottle of "jet fuel" that was super concentrated (this was for the very end). I didn't find out until about 5 miles into the loop and then it was too late - so I had to ride another 70+ minutes without water.
That was really the beginning of the end, I just did not know it.
Somewhere on one of the 24 mile loops (#4 for me), Joe came up to me and we rode together for 2 loops. I think I was one 24 mile loop ahead of him. It was nice to have the company and someone I could ride with and trade drafting duties with. We still bombed the hills though and that was taking it's toll on my already dehydrated body.
We started the night loop at about 8pm or so, and I could only manage 8 of those 7.6 mile loops. I stayed with Joe for the first couple, but then lost him slowing for some traffic and he was gone!
I wasn't able to really take much nourishment at that point, and on my last loop that ended right about 11pm the left side of my back started spasming, and I was also unable to focus clearly on anything, which is not good in the dark!. I stopped at the check-point to see if I could figure out why. I got off my bike ok, but then it started to tip over - I grabbed it, but then fell over with it, and the effort to save it, both of my hamstrings seized up. I just fell over with the bike and yelled out "I can't get up". A few people rushed over and untangled me from the Vendetta.
How embarrassing! I'm sure someone will eventually post a nice photo of that! haha
They drug me over to my spot and I was able to lay down, but the pain was severe. Pascal had some kind of little "shocking"thing that she was probing my back with, but when she hit that inflamed nerve, I nearly blasted to the full moon.
That was it. I was done - only a little over 300 miles - 15 hours - what a bummer. How depressing!
I went in and took a shower and laid down on the gym floor on a mat and tried to rest. Every time I tried to move my hamstrings would seize up and remind me that they did not want to do any work, "so don't even think of getting back on that bike" - they were saying to me.
I still felt pretty horrible most of the next day, and my vision continued to be blurry and double. I had to drive about 3 hours and the only way I could make it was to hold one eye shut and then alternate to the other. After plenty of fluids and salt and electrolyte supplements I did start to feel alive again by Sunday evening. My vision also returned back to normal- thank the Lord!
I really abused my body - and it was a hard lesson - but the hard ones stick with you.
I think Jason mentioned something about double centuries and 12-hours being one thing, and 24+ hours something totally different. I agree whole-heartedly. The 24's are just there own animal. I thought I could just do this 24 on a whim while basically training for my Century record. Maybe if the weather had be nice and cool, I would not have bombed out - don't know. It's good it happened this way though - it took me down a notch and I have much more respect for what it takes to do the 24 hour, and I won't likely make the same mistakes again.
To quote the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche: “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” It turns out that he was right! I'm stronger now! yeah, I'm just not feeling like it quite yet!
..
So much for a "quick" summary. I'll probably take this and make it a little nicer for my "official" ride report with pics and videos.
The videos are going to be so cool, especially bombing those hills with all the DF's behind us! At least I got that to look forward to!
Next time - I'll have work on how to do a live stream feed while riding!
Take care and thanks again for all encouragement and well wishes for my recovery.
Thanks again for all the well wishes for my recovery.
I certainly did not ride a smart race.
Kudos to Kevin for going so hard for so long - but fell to the same issue as myself I think. Severe dehydration, due to overexertion in the heat and not enough replenishment.
Super Kudos to Joe - You rode a super smart, super strong ride my good friend.
You did the tribe proud, and even beat Hoppo on total mileage!
...
I'm will be working on my ride report as usual and of course going over all my video footage - both from and rear facing cameras - at least for the first 122 mile loop, and then front for the rest of daylight.
This year I must have carried 5 extra pounds just in batteries to keep everything going.
Quick summary:
Keven and I did "play" around the front most of the entire first 5 hours.
Many times we where way ahead of everyone, partly because it was easier than being with them.
Then the 2 young guns (Jessop & Billy) who eventually took 1,2 for the whole thing with 511 and 506 miles (Remember "Billy the Rocket" from Calvin's- He did 506 I think), took off with one other DF, Kevin and myself.
We left the other 50 or so in the lead pack in the dust. I really was trying to keep my power as low as possible, but is just wasn't working, and I yoyo'd back and forth between those 4 for a couple of hours. It is really just about impossible to ride with a DF in the hills.
You know you have the conversation in your head: Go ahead and push a little harder to catch them, because it will be so much easier once you catch the draft.
But "the draft" just never is what you would hope it is from a DF, but the worst part was all the hills. If you tried to stay with the DF's then you were braking down the hills, and really suffering to keep up with them going up. If you let yourself go on the downhills, then you push it that much harder to get the extra speed and momentum to get up the other side.
At around mile 110 I finally just let Kevin, Jessop, and Billy go (The 3rd DF never caught us after Rest stop #3), as I felt I could not yoyo any longer.
In the end I ended up with the first 122 at and average speed of 22.8mph, not too bad considering the heat and that I rode much of it alone. Too bad it wasn't a Century race instead! haha
There where so many hills too - They just never ended... not like the track that I go around and around on...
I also starting to get the dreaded hot-foot at about hour #4. That pretty much lasted on and off the rest of my riding, which forced me to get off the bike and go stand in my cooler at the end of each 24 mile loop for a couple minutes to try and help it out - but it was persistent).
In the end, it was the heat and dehydration that killed me, and not having a dedicated support person or team also didn't help much. Like when I came by the end of the 122 mile loop and needed water and they gave me my bottle of "jet fuel" that was super concentrated (this was for the very end). I didn't find out until about 5 miles into the loop and then it was too late - so I had to ride another 70+ minutes without water.
That was really the beginning of the end, I just did not know it.
Somewhere on one of the 24 mile loops (#4 for me), Joe came up to me and we rode together for 2 loops. I think I was one 24 mile loop ahead of him. It was nice to have the company and someone I could ride with and trade drafting duties with. We still bombed the hills though and that was taking it's toll on my already dehydrated body.
We started the night loop at about 8pm or so, and I could only manage 8 of those 7.6 mile loops. I stayed with Joe for the first couple, but then lost him slowing for some traffic and he was gone!
I wasn't able to really take much nourishment at that point, and on my last loop that ended right about 11pm the left side of my back started spasming, and I was also unable to focus clearly on anything, which is not good in the dark!. I stopped at the check-point to see if I could figure out why. I got off my bike ok, but then it started to tip over - I grabbed it, but then fell over with it, and the effort to save it, both of my hamstrings seized up. I just fell over with the bike and yelled out "I can't get up". A few people rushed over and untangled me from the Vendetta.
How embarrassing! I'm sure someone will eventually post a nice photo of that! haha
They drug me over to my spot and I was able to lay down, but the pain was severe. Pascal had some kind of little "shocking"thing that she was probing my back with, but when she hit that inflamed nerve, I nearly blasted to the full moon.
That was it. I was done - only a little over 300 miles - 15 hours - what a bummer. How depressing!
I went in and took a shower and laid down on the gym floor on a mat and tried to rest. Every time I tried to move my hamstrings would seize up and remind me that they did not want to do any work, "so don't even think of getting back on that bike" - they were saying to me.
I still felt pretty horrible most of the next day, and my vision continued to be blurry and double. I had to drive about 3 hours and the only way I could make it was to hold one eye shut and then alternate to the other. After plenty of fluids and salt and electrolyte supplements I did start to feel alive again by Sunday evening. My vision also returned back to normal- thank the Lord!
I really abused my body - and it was a hard lesson - but the hard ones stick with you.
I think Jason mentioned something about double centuries and 12-hours being one thing, and 24+ hours something totally different. I agree whole-heartedly. The 24's are just there own animal. I thought I could just do this 24 on a whim while basically training for my Century record. Maybe if the weather had be nice and cool, I would not have bombed out - don't know. It's good it happened this way though - it took me down a notch and I have much more respect for what it takes to do the 24 hour, and I won't likely make the same mistakes again.
To quote the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche: “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” It turns out that he was right! I'm stronger now! yeah, I'm just not feeling like it quite yet!
..
So much for a "quick" summary. I'll probably take this and make it a little nicer for my "official" ride report with pics and videos.
The videos are going to be so cool, especially bombing those hills with all the DF's behind us!
At least I got that to look forward to! Next time - I'll have work on how to do a live stream feed while riding!
Take care and thanks again for all encouragement and well wishes for my recovery.
