spexy

Anybody else race these? I'm going to be going solo, so team tips wouldn't be as relevant. I've already started lifting and riding the trainer indoors (too cold).

Thanks!

SamDaBikinMan

You will need long saddle time much more than speed work. Comfort will be paramount. You might consider things that might slow you up a bit but provide for more comfortable riding. Suspension seatposts, softer seats, pedal systems with more float, shoes that are very comfortable to wear almost like your sneakers, gear ratio changes to give you more bailout gears for that last 12 hours.

The last and absolutely most important to me would be extremely comfy, I could wear them all day and night bike shorts. Nothing will make you more miserable than mediocre shorts that only make you semi comfy.

Good luck!

MikeOK

I'm thinking about doing one myself in September. It's not really my kind if thing but I would like to be able to say I had finished one.

Click here for a good link to some training methods.

Hunter

Yes ride alot. Then ride some more.

Ride a Bike

Hi, I've done a couple of solo races and I find the biggest thing is what you eat and drink. You still have to spend alot of time pedalling but if you are not eating or drinking right it makes for a terrible ride.

trekkie820

https://dreamride.com/24hrrace2.html

Refer to this website, it will help you out with 24 hour racing.

threadend

Ride your first event in Canada to take advantage of the conversion from US hours to metric hours

MikeOK

hehe I had to think about that one for a minute.

I would be interested in anyone's experience doing a 24 hour race. I have been asked to race on a 4 man team but I really think I would rather do it alone.

spexy

I have already seen this site and read the furor that goes with it. It's generally place around various forums by a guy who posts and runs. Is that you? Congratulations on your somewhat successfull Guerrilla Marketing approach. It certainly causes a buzz wherever it goes.

I'm racing in the 24 Hour of Afton, Minnesota on land that is owned by a ski park. I'm not sure how much 'damage' it's doing to wildlife and the land but it's probably much less than the huge event in Moab. Still, I get your point and even the Afton race concerns me sometimes as I see deer and wild turkey out there alot.

I see by your profile you are a mountain biker--how do you resolve this issue in your mind when you ride?

spexy

I'm going solo because I wanna be on my own watch. Everyone seems to think it's harder but I like the fact that I don't have three other people's expectations to live up to.

MikeOK

The only problem I see going solo is the support. Our club has applied for sponsorship and I saw the total they were asking for, it was in the thousands for a 4 man team. At least if you're on a team you will have support, and though I've never done one I bet you need lots of support. But, but going solo, you would have the satisfaction of having finished it all yourself.

stapfam

My longest experience in a bike saddle is only 14 hours in one ride, so the extra 10 would cause me a problem. I take it that you will sort the bike to be comfortable. Points I noted
Clothing. Change shorts every 6 hours maximum. The moisture build up is the biggest pain around the crutch , so if there is a chance of a wash at the same time, this will help

Training, Cycling obviously, but extra gym work or rides will definitely help, Even if you are already fit. Try going out for 3 to 4 hour rides non- stop to get the brain and butt attuned.

Carbo Loading Start carbo loading 2 weeks before the event. Every meal to be pasta, rice, bread, potatoes etc. and plenty of it. On the ride, stop every 4 hours for a meal, and have it ready and waiting by your back up crew. I generrally find that after 8 hours I do not want to eat, . For later in the race, use something that will slide down easily so change to Weetabix or some other type of cereal, tinned creamed rice, or even pot noodles. When you lose appetite, double the carbo drink strength.

On the event DRINK WATER. Then drink some more, and then some more. Get bottled water for this, To ensure purity, and at least 1 litre of water per hour. In my 14 hour ride, I went through 20 litres on the hottest day of the year The only other thing I can advise you on is to start steady, then build up. The only place you will use energy is uphills, so don't race them, Severe Downhills could hurt, so put on speed on the flat.

Don't have a plan, you won't stick to it, but at some point you may want to sleep, if you can keep this till 14 hours in and only for 2 hours, then when you restart, you have already done 2/3rds of the race.(Mentally it works)

Other tips, If it is sunny, don't forget sunblock, and a bandana to cover the back of the neck does help. Use a camelback and carry a spare lamp in it at night, just in case the main lamp fails.

The only other thing to do is definitely go into work the following day, and then you can prove to all those that thought you were stark raving mad to attempt a ride like this, that you are

Hunter

Dude no offense but if you are second guessing mtb racing for the environmental aspects, then perhaps you should switch to pavement.

spexy

1. Clearly it is a black and white world you live in.
2. I am not a dude.
3. Your posts in this thread have been relatively worthless.
4. You are on ignore.

spexy

Thanks stapfam for the tips and the PM, very interesting and funny.

And thanks to everyone else. I've got some really good advice from this and other forums. Now it's down to my fitness and ability.

L8R

SamDaBikinMan

One very cheap item I have found to help me to maintain my nourishment are the 12 ounce cans of V8 vegetable juice. I drank one after every lap of our last 24 hour painfest and it did make a difference on my recovery.

The lap times at the event were around 45 minutes so I'd just say drink one per hour along with your other liquids and some food.

Good luck and have pain...err..fun.

SamDaBikinMan

********** still trying to read into hunters posts what made you get so ruffled. Neither of the posts seemed ill tempered or rude, just simple statements. If you are this sensitive a 24 hour race might be what you need to blow off some steam.

Scooby Snax

Spexy, one bit of ad-"vice".
Make sure you have one decadent treat for you when you get the "Am I an idiot" 3:30 am lap...
Just a real treat that you reward yourself with, some real comfort food, or what makes you happy.
For me last year it was blueberry pie filling, all that suggar...

This year Ive decided its Chocolate Cheesecake

trekkie820

Sorry it took so long, but here goes. First, i am not that random guy using guerrilla marketing. Desert environments are much less stable and much more fragile than a forest in the midwest. However, it still creates an impact, and it will scare off wildlife, and will damage the trail. I don't feel as extremely as those guys in Moab, but i do think that people need to be concerened. When i ride, i follow the IMBA's guide to respecting the trail. I never ride in mud, stay on the trail etc. MTBing is already a target for environmental issues, so why make it worse? People have a habit of going in and concuring everywhere they go, if merely for their own convenience, and 24 hour racing could fall into this catagory. A corner gets cut to save time, but at the expense of nature. All im saying is just to be careful

telenick

Me too. I think this is the best single piece of advice you could receive. I rode Montezuma's Revenge twice, years ago. I lived off bagels for the entire race both times. I don't think I can eat a bagel to this day.

The second best advice I can give is having a support crew. Last year at the 24 hours of Moab I met an Irish gentleman who entered the 24 as a solo rider at the last minute since he was touring through the Canyonlands and the event sparked his interest. He finished with 17 laps and no support crew. He was his own cook, mechanic, massuse and cheering squad. Are you that kind of tough cookie?

telenick

Fair enough... You should treat yourself to an excursion in the Canyonlands so you can see for yourself the vast pristine wildernest ...and get a few rides in to boot. The pictures in that web site are real ...no doubt. But they are so narrowly focused on the damage that they can't help but lose sight of the un-touched vastness of that beautiful landscape. Of course, that's the intention of that group ...to narrowly focus on the pimple at the end of their nose.

telenick

BTW, just for the sake of discussion... riding around mud; walking around mud is worse than going through it. Going around causes braiding. Braiding is when trails form around the existing trails because people don't want to get muddy or they think it's better to do so.

Becoming involved with trail maintenance and local MTB advocacy groups increases awareness more than anything else I've done to increase trail use knowledge.