I logged 17.5 hours of ride time, 162 miles, and somewhere around 21,000 ft. of elevation gain. The elevation gain is the best part, as it is a bit hard to train for high mountain races in the flat lands of Texas.
These totals further put into perspective the magnitude of the 24 hour race that happened only 2 weeks ago. Compare the above totals spread over 10 days to to what was done in a day. Probably around 23 hours of ride time, 247 miles covered, and an overall elevation gain around 16,000 ft.
After Aaron, Andrew, and I knocked the dust off our SPD's in the Canyon, we headed toward California where family and adventure were waiting. To pass the time in the car, I interviewed Andrew. Here are his thoughts, less than 24 hours after crossing the finish line on his epic ride:
Q: What were your
expectations going into the race? Did
you have certain goals you were hoping to hit?
Andrew: My goal was
to stay on the bike for 21 hours, and to average 9 mph. I wanted to get 200 miles. Another goal was to break the course record
(21 laps) and to ride through the night.
Q: What was running
through your mind in the hour leading up to the race?
A: I was frantic
because I felt too unorganized. I would
probably say I was unreasonable. I wanted
time to get ready that just wasn't there.
Q: Was there a time
during the 24 hours you didn't think you could make it riding the full 24 hours?
A: No. A time at about 5:30 in the morning that I
was ready for it to be done, but honestly I never doubted that I wouldn't ride
the 24 hours. (This might have to do with the fact that at 10:30 p.m. the night before, we were still in our driveway in Fort Worth, trying to get out of town after high school graduation.)
Q: What was your
mental strategy to keep riding lap after lap of the same course?
A: Keep moving
forward. Even if it was walking, just
keep moving forward. I just broke the
course down into bite size chunks. There
was some really fun pats of the course, so when I was suffering I knew I was
coming up on a fun section, some
fun parts to look forward to.
Q: What was the
hardest hour during the 24 hours?
A: There was a hard
time on the first day when I was struggling from the sun. The sun wore me out, between 4:30 and 5:30 in
the afternoon. Then from 9-10 in the
morning, my legs were done. Or it just
turns out I needed to poop. That
honestly made a huge difference.
Q: What was the best
moment of the 24 hours?
A: There were
two. The lap just before dark, and the
lap when the sun came up. They were both
awesome. When the sun was setting and
when it was rising, I felt could have been my 2 fastest laps.
Q: What role did the
competition between you and Rocky (he won the race just ahead of Andrew) have on your race?
A: There's no way I would have kept the pace I kept had Rocky not been in
sight. My breaks would have been longer, I would have sat down. I probably would have sat down for food.
Q: How did your body
hold up? What was hurting the most?
A: My knees, my
right knee specifically. My left foot,
and my hands.
Q: How are you feeling
now, exactly 24 hours after completing the 24 hours?
A: Surprisingly
good. The only thing that would keep me
from riding today would be saddle sores and my palms are bruised. It would be a recovery ride, but my legs feel
great.
Q: Do you think you
will compete in some other endurance races?
If so, which ones?
A: Yes, looking
forward to the Fossil 50, and next year the Whisky 50 is on my radar. As far as 24 hours and extreme races, I would
be excited to do one again.
Q: Anything else?
A: Additionally, it was awesome having my family out there
supporting me, telling me to get back on the bike and also friends
out there motivating me and helping me stay on the bike. It was awesome.
