Coolest 24

This years 24 hours of Cool didn't go according to plan...

Jen and I both raced as Solo's and soon ran into some issues that have plagued us at nearly every event this season. For me, I am running into severe muscle cramps in my quads and hamstrings after a few hours, and Jennifer has been dealing with nausea and eventually vomiting. Since becoming wheat intolerant, she has been reluctant to take any supplements while racing, and (I believe) ending up severely depleted of certain nutrients after several hours have elapsed. For me, I have tried varying amounts of electrolytes and hydration without success, and am considering a different brand of electrolyte. Lack of training has certainly played a factor, and also the lack of regular stretching and/or massage.

I ended up stopping after only 7 hours, and Jen threw in the towel a short time later. Aerobically, I felt strong, and rode well.

On lap 2, I hit a pedal on the ground where horse traffic has rutted the trail badly, causing me to get a MUCH closer look at the trail than I wanted... I tore my computer off my handlebars with my forearm as I did my superman impression sans cape.

I HATE LOSING DATA!!!

That computer had been on my bike for over 3,000 miles. No more lap times, no avg. speed or cadence to look at. Since I was coming into the pits in between laps to work out the cramps, I had no idea what my pace or lap times really were.

Jen was having major shifting issues and had to stop to get her cables and housings replaced, resulting in marginal improvement. Still, she's a trooper, and was very consistent.

Here's me raking a path to our pits...


Jen admiring the scene...


Here's the race start...


The mob heads out on the first lap...


Me feeling defeated and grubby...


Many Thanks to Jim Northey for another great year and for putting this event on for a great cause. You can check him out on his website, Global BioRhythm Events

Off to Bootleg

No pit crew for this race. Just didn't work out, but we are going to do our best to minimize lost time in the pits mixing bottles and refilling water. Hopefully our tires will hold up on the sharp rock in Southern Nevada.

My hand is still not 100% but is manageable and really only an issue at odd angles...

12 hours of round and round. Bring it on! Parts of the course are pretty technical, so I can usually take some time out of the other guys when it's rough.

Race report and pictures to follow after the race. I wish I was able to bring one of those sweet GoPro cameras to this event, as there will be some great shots to be had, for sure. High speed descents, questionable passing, maybe even some crashes.

That's all for now, gotta hit the road...