Global Biorhythms hosts a 24-hour race in Cool, CA called "The Coolest 24 Hours". This year it could have been called "The Wettest 24 Hours" or "The Muddiest 24 Hours". It is a great event that benefits an even better cause. For more details, you can visit their website:
click hereI have attended the race for the last 2 years to support my friend Brad. This year, I almost didn't make it because of a friend's wedding on the same weekend. It is a long story, but in the end, the Swine Flu worked to Brad's favor. The wedding was in Mexico and was postponed at the last minute. So I was able to make it to Brad's race. I am really glad that I did, because I had made the commitment and felt horrible about potentially missing the race. I know he would have been in good hands with Pete, but that's not the only issue. I enjoy being there to manage him in the 24-hour races. Not everyone would consider staying up all night outside in a confined space tending to a lunatic willing to race his bike for 24-hours in the rain and mud. Call me crazy..but I enjoy it. I guess I'm a lunatic as well, because I'll be doing my 2nd 24-hour solo race in Spokane in a few weeks. Anyway, I'm really glad I made it and I think Pete and Brad are as well. It turned out to be quite hectic, and I think a bit too much for either one of us to handle alone.
Last year was hot and dry. Let's just say that this year was not. As we sat watching TV Friday night, Brad paused the show we were watching because he heard something outside. It was the sound of pounding rain. I could go on for a while about how hard it was raining, but it's not really necessary. Suffice it to say that it was raining heavily. And it kept up for a while. It was going to be messy out there.
I had come well-prepared - both for me and Brad. I brought a huge suitcase mainly filled with extra biking clothes for Brad, including all of my foul weather gear. Which I have a lot of since I live in Seattle and ride through the winter.
We arrived at the race later than planned...intentionally. We had already gotten a call asking us to stop and get hay for the ground in the pit because it was so muddy, it was hard to walk around. I thought it wasn't such a good idea to show up really early and have Brad sit around in the rain and mud for hours before the start. I think it was a good call.
Pete is The Man, and had our "compound" set up completely by the time we arrived. It consisted of 3 EZ-Ups in an L shape right at the exit from the course into the pit area. Translation - it was the ideal spot...secured because Pete showed up a day and a half earlier to help set up the race area. Thank you, Pete (the first of many).
4 people were racing out of this pit, so although 3 EZ-Ups may sound excessive, we needed the space. Brad was racing solo 24-hour, his girlfriend Marja was racing solo 8-hour, and friends Scott & Linda were racing 24-hour 2-person team.
Although we were missing the chilipepper lights decorating the pit, it was as well-stocked and furnished as a pit at a 24-hour race can possibly be. Pete has a sweet (and quiet) generator that powers lights, battery chargers, music, microwave, etc. We also had a propane heater going.
Lou (boyfriend of Linda) brought plenty of hay to put down on the ground to make the pit much easier to navigate. A large square of carpet in the EZ-Up with the heater made for a nice changing area (Thank you, Pete).
I busied myself getting things organized and laid out for the race. That basically means laying out an assortment of Gu, Fig Newtons, Rice Crispy Treats, bananas, drinks, etc. so that when Brad comes into the pit we can quickly get him what he needs and then back on the bike. All of a sudden, it was race time and they were off. The early laps were uneventful, and everyone seemed to be doing well. It rained most of the day (not forecasted), but the rain tapered off in the late afternoon, and it seemed like conditions might improve.
The mud wreaked havoc on brakes and other bike components. Everyone was looking for brake pads. Pete is the manager of a bike shop and does a lot of race support (aside form being a really nice guy, and being incredibly organized and prepared), so we had a lot of visitors coming in and asking for parts an/or help with repairs. We scavenged every brake pad we could out of Pete's supplies and off back-up bikes in the pit. Luckily, we managed to secure enough to survive the race. Twice, Brad came in and just said "no brakes" as he handed me his bike. "Pete", I would announce, "more brake pads please". Pete would quickly get to work on the bike, while I worked on feeding Brad and getting him changed into dry, clean clothes (Thank you, Pete).
For those of you that saw my post about my brake pad incident, you now see proof that it is possible to go through an entire brake pad in a day. Brad went through more than two sets during the race on one bike, and a set on his back-up bike. And he only rode the back-up for 2 laps! One of the other racers had a very similar incident to mine. He wore completely through the pad and the backing until the brake piston was rubbing on the rotor. Now I don't feel so bad ;-)
To make matters more hectic (or less, depending on how you look at it), the race was using an experimental timing system. It is a system that uses "chips" attached to the number plates whichcan be detected by sensors hanging above the start/finish. So a rider can just walk past the Start/Finish and have their lap time automatically recorded...theoretically. The system has evidentally not been tested in adverse weather conditions. I think that they were so excited about not having to keep manual timing that when the system completely failed, they were not really ready to handle it. I don't think we saw any data on the timing until about 6pm (after a 12:00 start). My comment starting this paragraph refers to the fact that one of the key tasks of the pit crew, other than keeping your rider on his bike for 24-hours, is to keep track of where he stands in the race and try to manage the lap and pit times as necessary to achieve the best results.
So on this day, that task was very easy. Just keep him riding as he was. Because we were completely in the dark as to where we stood in the race. And combined with the fact that we didn't even know if anyone could continue to ride for the full 24-hours in these conditions, just maintaining the status quo sounded brilliant.
For Marja, the timing task was a bit easier. She was going strong and handling the conditions amazingly well. After 3 laps, it was clear that she would either complete 4 or 5, depending on her time on lap 4. I realized that it was going to be very close, so we got prepped to get her in and out of the pit quickly. I ran out to the course to meet her and give her some encouragement for a quick transition. I had to wait longer than expected, and she was really pushing the envelope to get in the last lap. But based on the minimal info we had on the timing, we felt that she could win if she got the 5th lap in. We had to try. I ran along side her and encouraged her. I asked her if she could pull out a lap equal to the fastest one she had done earlier in the day. That is what she would need to complete the lap by 8:00. A lap finished at 8:00 and one second would not count. I can tell you from experience, it is very hard to send your rider out on a lap that might not count. But it was too close to turn away from the chance to win. And Marja was willing to go, so we sent her out right away.
I decided to walk out on the road to where it crosses the course to cheer Marja on in case she was losing hope of finishing in time. I was told it was a 10-minute walk. 25 minutes later, I arrived at the course. I walked to a good vantage point off the side of the trail looking down on the climb out of Knickerbocker Creek. After waiting for about 5-10 minutes, Marja appeared. No offense Marja, but she was not looking great. And based on my calculations, she was almost too late to make it back by 8:00. But I did not give up hope. I encouraged her the best I could and then waited for Brad, who I thought should be close behind. He showed up about 5 minutes later. I was at about the halfway point in the course, so I assumed that he would catch her. I told him that I was afraid that she wasn't going to make it in time, so he should do whatever he could to get her going when he caught up.
As it turned out, Marja must have really pushed hard for the rest of the lap, because Brad never caught her. Unfortunately, she did not make the 8:00 cutoff. But she took 2nd place for the 8-hour Women's class. Pretty impressive for her first 8-hour race. Sorry that I wasn't there for the awards to cheer for you, I had to go to the gas station to fill the gas can for the generator.
Aside from the brake issues and the many changes of clothes due to mud, rain, and cold, the race went on through the night fairly uneventfully. I managed to catch a 20 minute nap, which paid dividends later. Brad plodded on like the machine that he is, turning out consistent lap after consistent lap without complaints. By the "wee hours" it became clear that Brad had quite a gap on the closest competitor. We were not certain exactly what it was, since the data was old and seemingly unreliable. So it was hard to feel really comfortable, but it was starting to look like he was running away with the race. We did not tell Brad this. That's just information he does not need at that point in the race, especially if it is not absolutely reliable. The worst thing you can do to a 24-hour racer is tell him he is done and then take it back. It is absolutely devastating mentally.
Early Sunday morning they posted more recent data and we found out that Brad was 3 laps up on the 2nd place Single Speed racer. And it looked like the only racer in the whole race that was ahead of him was "Tinker" Juarez, racing in the geared-bike class. For those of you that don't know, Tinker is a 2-time olympian in mountain biking, has won just about every endurance race out there, and was inducted into the Mountian Biking Hall of Fame. Pretty impressive considering Brad is a parent of 2 children and has a day job. Tinker makes 6 figures just riding his bike.
In the end, Brad completed 12 laps and Tinker completed 14. No one else was even close.
Scott and Linda finished strong in the 2-person team race and took 2nd. They were just a few minutes off being able to get in one more lap and take first place. Somehow, we found the enregy to pack everything up and then survive the hour long wait for the awards ceremony. Brad collected his prize money and his "Balls of Fire" trophy (you'll have to ask Brad about that one). We headed for home, which was thankfully only 30 minutes away. Brad was out before we left the parking lot. I managed to stay awake long enough to get us home safely.
In retrospect, I am once again awed by Brad's performance. I remember the first time I crewed for him at Laguna Seca for the World Championships. That was a life-changing experience for me. Today I am just about as fit as I ever have been, and weigh over 30 pounds less than I did that weekend at Laguna Seca. I have since completed one 24-hour race myself, and am about to attempt my second...with much loftier goals this time. I do not think any of those achievements would have been made without the inspiration and motivation provided by Brad's accomplishments.
And once again, Brad has taken it to the next level. We all knew that he could win one of these races. I am so glad that I was there for it. I feel bad for my friends Gibu and Nicci, whose wedding had to be postponed, which allowed me to be in Cool last weekend. But at least something good has come of it. Last time I was at Brad's race just weeks before mine, it made me nervous. Maybe just a bit too much of a dose of reality so close to my race. But this time, it has just me that much more excited and determined. May 23rd can't come soon enough.
Now the only thing I'm worried about is my bike. I really splurged and ordered a custom built titanium frame. Last Wednesday, the builder told me he would be done in a few days. Now just yesterday, he told me he would be done in 3 or 4 days. It's cutting it just a bit too close. But I'm trying to stay positive.
Thanks Brad. Thanks Pete. Thanks Sharon (Pete's wife). Thanks Sharon (my wife), for putting up with all this craziness. Congratulations Marja.
I hope I can write something even close to this positive in a few weeks. Stay tuned.
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