Joined: May 20, 2004 Posts: 13,175 Location: moving on. . . . and up
Posted: Fri 11/May/07 12:00am Post subject: Racing Confessions Of A Recreational Rider
Ok, I put my hand up to entertain you all by detailing my entry into the N-Duro series this winter. And by entertain I mean like the current crop of ‘reality’ TV where everyone watches for train wreck you just know is going to happen. I thought I’d start with the background, sort of set the scene, before the first race gets underway.
Well, I’m not a racer, though I have entered ‘races’ in the past. I’m a social cyclist and avid track builder – but top end competitor I am not. I am far too lazy and lack the commitment to ever really succeed at cycling, and I am comfortable with that. So how did I end up entered in a race series? Well I had the misfortune to win a major spot prize at the N-Duro 24 hour, and the prize was entry into the series. I though I had better not waste such a generous gift, so I entered. Why did I think it was a good idea to enter the long distance, and on a Single Speed – I’m still not sure myself
So here I am, on the eve of the Cateye 24, with the start of the N-Duro series soon after (only 3 weeks away now – eeeeeeeeek!), wondering what I have gotten myself into. I started to prepare for this by riding more. Not ‘training’ as such as I had no plan and no real goal other than to get fit. So I ride before and after work now, about 2 hours a day on a fixie (but that’s a whole other story). I have found my spin has improved, and I no longer die at the top of each hill, but freely acknowledge that I am in no way prepared for the final 100km race yet That final race is the real goal, to finish a 100km ride on a Single Speed. Some people will more than double (triple?) that distance this weekend at the Cateye, which puts my effort into perspective...
So here begins my story. The story of an average at best cyclist taking Peter Brocks advice “bite off more than you can chew, then chew like hell”. I shall be reviewing my performance and the races in general here on vorb. If you want to know how to compete to win, or what it takes to be successful in XC, then read someone else’s report. There are people on vorb who are successful at the international level, people who are successful at the national level, people successful at the regional level, and people successful at the local level – all these people will finish in front of me I aim to finish without killing myself – and with enough energy to write about the experience. If I finish somewhere close to middle of field, I shall be stoked.
So here it will be written – my success/failure laid bare. Now beginning to wonder just what I have let myself in for; not only the racing, but telling the world about it
Joined: May 31, 2004 Posts: 10,816 Location: Hangin' out, gearin' up
Posted: Fri 11/May/07 12:32am Post subject:
This'll be a page turner (you mad man Thorg!). Best of luck with it all - most importantly, you're going to have a hell of a lot of fun. Well, just keep telling yourself that now, and not long after the series you'll forget about all the pain and think it really was fun!
Joined: May 20, 2004 Posts: 13,175 Location: moving on. . . . and up
Posted: Mon 21/May/07 11:02am Post subject:
The day dawned crisp and fine as I waited at the start line. Before long a whole throng (What is a group of mountainbikers called?) of bikes and riders hurtled up the first hill. To my great surprise I can see the leaders in the distance, and am slowly making ground on them. After about 5 mins I am in the top 20 or so riders – and feeling great. One by one - as they drop through the gears – I am passing them. The enjoyment of single speeding is it forces you to commit to a hill, no backing out with gears, you either make it or you walk. I just wish that buzzing would go away, someone must have an ipod or similar, or is it a phone ringing? Damn, I’m almost in the lead and that ringing is getting worse! No wonder no-one wants to get close to that guy in first place – that noise is so damn annoying . . . .
*snap!*
parc – I hate it when dreams are that real. *fumbles for the alarm clock*
Reality really hits home when I realise that I still have 5 days before the race even starts, and I haven’t ridden a bike since the Cateye 24. Having been laid low with a horrendous head cold for the last week, this morning was my first time on a bike in over a week. The legs felt all the better for a good rest, but the rest of me hasn’t survived the week so well. I’m 3kg down on my pre Cateye weight, and even that was a little on the light side. Those that know me will also know that 3kg is a fair proportion of my body weight, and I only have a few days to build back up what last week took out of me. I also have very little ride time on the bike I will be using for the race. So my goal for this week is to get back 2kg of weight – and get some serious ride time on the SS in an off-road setting. Only 4 days to do it in as well – something tells me achieving both goals may not be practical – but since when have I ever been a practical sort of guy
Right about now I’m thinking through putting the entire negative forward as it sounds like I’m making excuses before the race even starts. In reality I should have too many excuses come race day. I may be a little underweight, and have fewer hours on the bike than I would have liked, but the Cateye went well for me – so I can’t complain too loudly. My goal of finishing mid field should still be achievable – depending of course on how good the rest of the field have prepared.
[Digression]
Ok, so through this whole thing the race distances get longer. It would therefore seem obvious that I need to be training more to achieve these goals, but I have psychological issues with that (I have many issues – but here I’m only talking about those that refer to training). For me, I have always ridden bikes because I liked it. Training seemed to be a dirty word – like ‘work’. I have always ‘trained’ by ‘riding more’ rather than actually doing riding that might benefit my performance in a measurable way. For the type of racing I have been doing (and the goals I have set myself) this has always been enough. But will it be enough to carry me through this series – with the final race a 100km epic?! Now a dreaded fear enters my thoughts – I might have to train. I don’t fear the ‘training’ as such, my fear is that in training I might loose the fun. You see – I have always seen training and fun as mutually exclusive sets of activities.
How I overcome this fear will possibly be a bigger battle than the series itself.
[/Digression]
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That final race is the real goal, to finish a 100km ride on a Single Speed. Some people will more than double (triple?) that distance this weekend at the Cateye, which puts my effort into perspective...
I aim to finish without killing myself – and with enough energy to write about the experience. If I finish somewhere close to middle of field, I shall be stoked.
Go Thorg!
