Wow! What a weekend to wreck the body and mind. Yes I did my first Enduro MTB event - well technically I have done the Test of Metal and Chekamus Challenge years ago but they were point to point races... Anyway I feel I just barely survived this festival of pain and suffering. I knew it was going to hurt physically but I wasn't prepared for the mental anguish of being "dead" after 3 laps and looking ahead to another 6 hours of riding. This was a tough day on a tough course at Canada Olympic Park which would be a challenging ABA, Canada Cup or even World Cup course as it threw everything at you and we were thankfully spared the rain that was forecast for that day. I have always enjoyed riding the Paskapoo Slopes when C.O.P. grants access to it for racing but have always struggled there for some reason - recent memory is exploding due to heat and falling off my bike and slightly convulsing in front of friends and family at a Provincial race there a few years back. Yeah.
Anyway it as inspiring and humbling to watch my teammates and friends Jeff Neilson and his wife Alana Heise actually "race" the event. Jeff went on to finish second place and I feel honored that I played a significant role in the race for him leading to his podium charge. No I didn't provide him a draft or block his competitors along the trail or feed him or give him my bike when his broke, or hand him a tube or tools. No rather I was his mental "rabbit" in that he set out a goal to repeatedly lap me out there. The first time was "I see you! I 'm coming to get you". The second if I recall correctly was in the feedzone where I pretended not to see him despite him standing briefly next to me as we got another feed - probably explains why I was ignored by those in the pit area as they all swooned to help Jeff. The third time was again in the trees but this time he wasn't singing to me rather he said "Dude, I'm fading" as he again dropped me. Well done Jeff I am proud of you as you are starting to embrace pain and suffering.
Alana was equally impressive in winning her race. I was at least ahead of here for the first and possibly second lap but when she passed me she was chirping like a bird (kind words of encouragment) course and I honestly could not ride in her tiny slipstream. Well done Alana!
So how did things unfold for me? Well the first couple of laps were going smoothly for me but by the third my lower back was becoming the issue. Since moving to the new house, I have been having low back problems - sleeping has been a "bitch" so I have found it hard to get up in the mornings and I ache. I felt the back come under fire during the pre-ride but figured it would loosen up on race day. I smeared on a medium balm on my back and man did it feel soothing. The first couple laps I could feel it relieving my muscles but could feel the creep of pain coming on and then the soothing feeling of the balm was gone. When my back is tied up and aching I lose all power in the legs. Every time I came in to the pit area and was able to run my back felt relief and was good for the first half of the course. However during the second half is where I struggled. I was more fearful of the technical riding in losing time there but always felt confident that I could hold or gain a bit on the "fitness" sections which I describe as the second half of the course. In years past these "fitness" areas have been where I can re-gain contact with riders ahead of me before the technical sections. On this day though I was going backwards on the section I thought would redeem me. It goes to show that one really needs to ride a lot to be ready for these events. 6 to 8 hours a week of road riding and MAP intervals are not helpful for these events. Personally I feel one must train at least 1 long EPIC day of 4+ hours per week on the MTB and on rugged trails for these events. This is time I simply don't have available to me regularly. Wah! Wah! Wah!
Oh for the record here is proof from my Garmin that I in fact completed 10 laps and not the 9 listed by the race results:
Thank you technology for redeeming me this time! Now if I can get it to help me on the time trial bike today that would be great.
How did I feel after the event? Well on Sunday I treated myself to a double quarter pounder with cheese and fries and boy did it taste awesome! Funny as this was also my meal choice after Ironman last year. Later that day after cleaning the bike and unpacking gear I was tired and sore. Monday was a rest day to get caught up on things and mend the body some more. Tuesday was a strong day of riding. Although it was only 2 hours of E2, my watts felt almost effortless which I attribute to the overgeared and high resistance work done on the MTB on the weekend leaving an overshoot in muscle recruitment along with the increase in glycogen storage as a result of the long day and eating plenty afterwards. The sunny weather from yesterday and today has also increased my energy levels and I look forward to a good hard session today on the TT bike in preparation for the season's main objectives - Banff ITT, Provincial ITT and the two Provincial road races.
Get out and ride!
Oh and check out the circa 1999 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC! Was that my issue? Are today's bikes that much faster? I also used my circa 2003 Cannondale F1000SL hardtail for this event. I am taking offers for the Specialized...JVD
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