Sure, there are short 1 lap, 2 lap, or 3 lap races. You can finish a race in the time it takes some people to pour a cold drink and eat a hot dog. I prefer pain in much longer intervals. I first heard about these '24 hour endurance' races a few years ago. There apparently hadn't been one in Georgia for several years, due to a small event turn-out for a few years in a row. I'd much rather race my first one on a course local enough that I could get to it to practice a bit, and learn the course a little. So in stepped Chainbuster Racing and Dirty Spokes Productions, the local race promoters. They teamed up to bring the 24 back to Georgia! So, in October 2011, the 24 hours of Georgia will be held at the Georgia International Horse Park, in Conyers.
I'm not excited about the Lemans start. A Lemans start means that the racers all must run for several hundred yards (sometimes longer) before mounting their faithful racing steeds and riding off into the woods.
It's pretty humorous to see, since all the bikers are wearing helmets, camelbaks, and of course the infamous cycling shoes. Cycling shoes dont bend so everyone runs kind of like ducks. Definitely a sight to see, but not one I'd like to be seen in...
My Sponsor "Emergen-C" just agreed to send me more packets for distribution at the next race. The 9 hour Endurance at Tribble Mill Park in Grayson Ga. They are sending me new flavors, and some water bottles and other cool items. I CAN'T WAIT! That's pretty exciting. I've been riding 50 or 60 miles every weekened on the dirt in preparation for the Tribble Mill race, and I'm hoping I can get 10 or 11 laps. If it's 8 miles per lap that should be around 80 or 88 miles. More if there's time. I think after my steady increase in mileage on the single-speed steed lately, this should be a very attainable goal. I'm hoping I can have the distance ride bumped up to 100 before the 24 hours of Georgia.
The local trail system in Gainesville, Chicopee is about 20 miles per lap. It has around 2400 feet of climbing per lap, making it a decent practice course for doing distance training. 5 laps is 100 miles, and that means that I will only be half as bored as if I rode 100 miles around Fort Yargo (11.7 miles per lap) or 21 laps at Big Creek Park in Roswell (4.5 miles per lap).
Still trying to get nutrition down. CarboRocket seems to be working WAYYYY better for me than HEED, or PERPETUEM ever did. I've tried a few other things and they didn't cut it either. My favorite flavors so far are the Half-Evil 333 mix in Raspberry Lemonade. My second favorite is probably the lemon-lime of the regular standard-evil CarboRocket. Good stuff for sure. Organic, it breaks down very easily, and it STAYS down even on hot and humid days. (a major WIN for the Atlanta area climate to be sure)
As well as the drink mix is working, I read in more than one place that eating solid foods from time to time help with the "Psychiatric" aspect of racing a 24 hour event. I can see that. I also can see the value of taking breaks and maybe even a nap. Wondering what types of bars to bring, maybe I should bring a small grill and grill up some turkey burgers or something similar that will break down easily.
Rigid. I had issues with my RockShox Reba Race, so I borrowed a steel rigid fork, and kinda liked it. Not feeling very well about using someone else's fork, I had to find a good deal on a rigid fork of my own. The ultimate choice would be the Niner Carbon fork, but nobody had them, and Niner.com was out of stock. I found a guy on Craigslist that was trying to sell one in almost perfect condition, and got a great deal. The bike is now Rigid. (not to be confused with fully rigid)
Alligator brakes. Here is a simple rule to remember about break rotors. The more brake-surface area your rotor has, the longer your pads will last. If you have a 160mm front rotor for example, and it only weighs 76 grams, as opposed to the 175 grams+ the original rotor weighed, you will go through many more brake pads per year. They sure do look cool though... Oh, and they are stoopid light.
I'm not excited about the Lemans start. A Lemans start means that the racers all must run for several hundred yards (sometimes longer) before mounting their faithful racing steeds and riding off into the woods.
It's pretty humorous to see, since all the bikers are wearing helmets, camelbaks, and of course the infamous cycling shoes. Cycling shoes dont bend so everyone runs kind of like ducks. Definitely a sight to see, but not one I'd like to be seen in...
My Sponsor "Emergen-C" just agreed to send me more packets for distribution at the next race. The 9 hour Endurance at Tribble Mill Park in Grayson Ga. They are sending me new flavors, and some water bottles and other cool items. I CAN'T WAIT! That's pretty exciting. I've been riding 50 or 60 miles every weekened on the dirt in preparation for the Tribble Mill race, and I'm hoping I can get 10 or 11 laps. If it's 8 miles per lap that should be around 80 or 88 miles. More if there's time. I think after my steady increase in mileage on the single-speed steed lately, this should be a very attainable goal. I'm hoping I can have the distance ride bumped up to 100 before the 24 hours of Georgia.
The local trail system in Gainesville, Chicopee is about 20 miles per lap. It has around 2400 feet of climbing per lap, making it a decent practice course for doing distance training. 5 laps is 100 miles, and that means that I will only be half as bored as if I rode 100 miles around Fort Yargo (11.7 miles per lap) or 21 laps at Big Creek Park in Roswell (4.5 miles per lap).
Still trying to get nutrition down. CarboRocket seems to be working WAYYYY better for me than HEED, or PERPETUEM ever did. I've tried a few other things and they didn't cut it either. My favorite flavors so far are the Half-Evil 333 mix in Raspberry Lemonade. My second favorite is probably the lemon-lime of the regular standard-evil CarboRocket. Good stuff for sure. Organic, it breaks down very easily, and it STAYS down even on hot and humid days. (a major WIN for the Atlanta area climate to be sure)
As well as the drink mix is working, I read in more than one place that eating solid foods from time to time help with the "Psychiatric" aspect of racing a 24 hour event. I can see that. I also can see the value of taking breaks and maybe even a nap. Wondering what types of bars to bring, maybe I should bring a small grill and grill up some turkey burgers or something similar that will break down easily.
Rigid. I had issues with my RockShox Reba Race, so I borrowed a steel rigid fork, and kinda liked it. Not feeling very well about using someone else's fork, I had to find a good deal on a rigid fork of my own. The ultimate choice would be the Niner Carbon fork, but nobody had them, and Niner.com was out of stock. I found a guy on Craigslist that was trying to sell one in almost perfect condition, and got a great deal. The bike is now Rigid. (not to be confused with fully rigid)
Alligator brakes. Here is a simple rule to remember about break rotors. The more brake-surface area your rotor has, the longer your pads will last. If you have a 160mm front rotor for example, and it only weighs 76 grams, as opposed to the 175 grams+ the original rotor weighed, you will go through many more brake pads per year. They sure do look cool though... Oh, and they are stoopid light.
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