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05-22-06, 03:01 PM
It was actually my first race, which was on April 2nd. I know, it's been almost two months, but I really wanted to write about this race to give an idea about XC racing on this part of the world. I just couldn't find the time to write until now.
I found about the race on the internet. It was an 88 km (55 mile) marathon race with 2200 m (7000 feet)total climbing. The race was very well sponsored. There was free accommodation for all racers for the weekend at a 4 star hotel, prizes for the top 15 places ($2000 for first, $1000 for 2nd, ... , $100 for 15th), and another money prize for the top 3 climbers. And pasta parties of course.
I never wanted my first race to be a marathon, but this race sounded so good that I just wanted to be there. Also, I had already missed a race one week earlier, so I didn't want to miss another one. I planned everything, and sent my application one week before the race. One day after, I drove down to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey which is where the race was going to be. I didn't stay at the hotel as my application was late, so I stayed somewhere else which was actually about 90 kilometers away from the town. Only about an hour of driving so I thought it was fine.
The next day, I rode my bike for the first time since I have left Canada. That's about 5 months which I had spent on the trainer only. I really felt very good that day, and the other 3 days that I had a chance to ride before the race. I was quite confident since I was feeling good, and had no pressure at all. I thought about the race as a fast epic ride. There was nothing that could go wrong.
On Saturday, the day before the race, I went to the hotel where the pre-race meeting was going to be. The hotel was just beautiful, I wish I could stay there. The meeting was in a big room, and one of the organizers gave a detailed explanation of the course, which took about one hour. He actually apologized that the course was very hard. Well, that kind of disappointed me, because I was expecting a less technical race. Also, there was only one category for men, so I was going to race with the pros and elites. That made it impossible for me to even think about finishing within the time limit (the UCI 80% rule).
images from the meeting
Anyway, after the meeting, a pasta party on a boat was scheduled, but I couldn't stay as I had to drive back. So I registered for the race, got my number, got a folder with a map, elevation profile, and information about the course, got a free t-shirt, and left.
That night, I analyzed the profile and the map, and decided to race up to the first check point which was at 38th km. That was good enough to make me happy. After finishing the planning, I checked my bike, gear, food, drinks, and went to bed.
Next morning, I was a bit nervous. After having a normal breakfast, I loaded everything in the car, and started driving. According to my plan I was going to get there about 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes before the start. While driving and thinking about the race, I realized that I don't have my shoes :eek:. I'm such an idiot. I had nothing to do but turn around. That cost me exactly an hour. Finally, I got there 15-20 minutes before the start. While I was putting on my backpack, they were already announcing everyone to get to the start line. I didn't have time to warm up, I didn't even have time to stretch. That really made me angry, but then I thought it was still ok, because I was there to have a good time. I decided to take it really easy during the start, warm up in the race, and then go as far as I could. There were about 130 riders, mostly Turks, and some German and French riders.
me clipping in before the start
the start
And finally the race started. First 5 kilometers were on road, with an easy slope. Some people sprint started, and a lot of people followed them, including me. I was pushing and pushing just to stay with the leading group. As an indication of how much I was pushing, I normally would use 32-13 or 32-12 on a road like that, but at that moment I was pushing 44-13. That was insane. What was I thinking? Well, actually I was saying to myself "hey idiot, you were going to take it easy", but I was still pushing to keep up with the pros. At that point I was riding between 95%-max, and I'm pretty sure all the pro guys were probably at 50-60% of their max. That's just amazing.
After 5k on the road we took a right turn crossing a river on a narrow stone bridge, followed by a rocky trail. 5-6 guys crashed while entering the bridge, and I moved up a few places. I was probably around 40th place then. After a few hundred meters on the trail, I totally lost the sight of the leaders, and I started to feel my legs suffering. That was inevitable as I had done everything wrong up to that point. Next 5 kilometers we went through some technical rock gardens, a single track, and a muddy field. Although I was suffering a lot, I was riding in a way that I had never ridden before. I mean, it was good, and I surprised myself. I never like my technical skills, but at that moment I was just flying over the stuff that always scared me. It must have been the adrenaline.
Around 12th kilometer we hit the first steep and long climb. That was an absolute torture. I was walking, riding, and walking again... It seemed endless. It was hot, I was thirsty (yep - dehydration), and my camelbak felt like a tonne. I had so many useless things in it that I wanted to throw it away. After a while, I felt good again and continued riding, but my legs were hurting a lot. Then I came to a point that I couldn't pedal anymore. My legs were totally smoked. I started to walk hoping that I would feel better again, but this time my stomach cramped. I must have drank too much water while walking. That was the time I decided to sit down. Another 10 or more riders passed by and that was it, I was the last person. I thought there was no reason to continue anymore (as I have done everything wrong), so I returned back from 29th km.
It didn't end as I would like, but after all it was my first race, and all I wanted was to get a feeling of racing. Honestly, that first 10 kilometers of the race was my best ever performance and I had the fun of my life. The race, the organization, and everything else was perfect, and exceeded my expectations.
random images from the race:
I found about the race on the internet. It was an 88 km (55 mile) marathon race with 2200 m (7000 feet)total climbing. The race was very well sponsored. There was free accommodation for all racers for the weekend at a 4 star hotel, prizes for the top 15 places ($2000 for first, $1000 for 2nd, ... , $100 for 15th), and another money prize for the top 3 climbers. And pasta parties of course.
I never wanted my first race to be a marathon, but this race sounded so good that I just wanted to be there. Also, I had already missed a race one week earlier, so I didn't want to miss another one. I planned everything, and sent my application one week before the race. One day after, I drove down to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey which is where the race was going to be. I didn't stay at the hotel as my application was late, so I stayed somewhere else which was actually about 90 kilometers away from the town. Only about an hour of driving so I thought it was fine.
The next day, I rode my bike for the first time since I have left Canada. That's about 5 months which I had spent on the trainer only. I really felt very good that day, and the other 3 days that I had a chance to ride before the race. I was quite confident since I was feeling good, and had no pressure at all. I thought about the race as a fast epic ride. There was nothing that could go wrong.
On Saturday, the day before the race, I went to the hotel where the pre-race meeting was going to be. The hotel was just beautiful, I wish I could stay there. The meeting was in a big room, and one of the organizers gave a detailed explanation of the course, which took about one hour. He actually apologized that the course was very hard. Well, that kind of disappointed me, because I was expecting a less technical race. Also, there was only one category for men, so I was going to race with the pros and elites. That made it impossible for me to even think about finishing within the time limit (the UCI 80% rule).
images from the meeting
Anyway, after the meeting, a pasta party on a boat was scheduled, but I couldn't stay as I had to drive back. So I registered for the race, got my number, got a folder with a map, elevation profile, and information about the course, got a free t-shirt, and left.
That night, I analyzed the profile and the map, and decided to race up to the first check point which was at 38th km. That was good enough to make me happy. After finishing the planning, I checked my bike, gear, food, drinks, and went to bed.
Next morning, I was a bit nervous. After having a normal breakfast, I loaded everything in the car, and started driving. According to my plan I was going to get there about 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes before the start. While driving and thinking about the race, I realized that I don't have my shoes :eek:. I'm such an idiot. I had nothing to do but turn around. That cost me exactly an hour. Finally, I got there 15-20 minutes before the start. While I was putting on my backpack, they were already announcing everyone to get to the start line. I didn't have time to warm up, I didn't even have time to stretch. That really made me angry, but then I thought it was still ok, because I was there to have a good time. I decided to take it really easy during the start, warm up in the race, and then go as far as I could. There were about 130 riders, mostly Turks, and some German and French riders.
me clipping in before the start
the start
And finally the race started. First 5 kilometers were on road, with an easy slope. Some people sprint started, and a lot of people followed them, including me. I was pushing and pushing just to stay with the leading group. As an indication of how much I was pushing, I normally would use 32-13 or 32-12 on a road like that, but at that moment I was pushing 44-13. That was insane. What was I thinking? Well, actually I was saying to myself "hey idiot, you were going to take it easy", but I was still pushing to keep up with the pros. At that point I was riding between 95%-max, and I'm pretty sure all the pro guys were probably at 50-60% of their max. That's just amazing.
After 5k on the road we took a right turn crossing a river on a narrow stone bridge, followed by a rocky trail. 5-6 guys crashed while entering the bridge, and I moved up a few places. I was probably around 40th place then. After a few hundred meters on the trail, I totally lost the sight of the leaders, and I started to feel my legs suffering. That was inevitable as I had done everything wrong up to that point. Next 5 kilometers we went through some technical rock gardens, a single track, and a muddy field. Although I was suffering a lot, I was riding in a way that I had never ridden before. I mean, it was good, and I surprised myself. I never like my technical skills, but at that moment I was just flying over the stuff that always scared me. It must have been the adrenaline.
Around 12th kilometer we hit the first steep and long climb. That was an absolute torture. I was walking, riding, and walking again... It seemed endless. It was hot, I was thirsty (yep - dehydration), and my camelbak felt like a tonne. I had so many useless things in it that I wanted to throw it away. After a while, I felt good again and continued riding, but my legs were hurting a lot. Then I came to a point that I couldn't pedal anymore. My legs were totally smoked. I started to walk hoping that I would feel better again, but this time my stomach cramped. I must have drank too much water while walking. That was the time I decided to sit down. Another 10 or more riders passed by and that was it, I was the last person. I thought there was no reason to continue anymore (as I have done everything wrong), so I returned back from 29th km.
It didn't end as I would like, but after all it was my first race, and all I wanted was to get a feeling of racing. Honestly, that first 10 kilometers of the race was my best ever performance and I had the fun of my life. The race, the organization, and everything else was perfect, and exceeded my expectations.
random images from the race: