Race Report for Epic 8 Hour

This past weekend saw the Epic 8 Hour at Mansfield Outdoor Centre go off with 750 riders and double that in spectators. The normally sandy conditions were hardened up with a good rain on Friday, making course conditions absolute pefection. Damp hard pack trails made for railing at high speeds, especially on the 29er.
For this race I would be riding unsupported as my normal crew (family) was tied up with birthday parties that day. Once I got to the venue I moved my cooler to the solo area with enough E-Load and Hammer Gel to get me through the whole race. I took enough with me on the bike so I would only need to stop once to fill the Hydrapak in the 8 hours --- this worked out perfectly. I viewed this race as more for training than anything else in preparation for the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice (largest 24 Hour in North America with 2400 riders). I had done many 5+ hour rides leading up to this but needing some endurance “racing” in my legs as well. Plus most of the local cross country pro riders were riding solo so I knew a very high placing would be difficult. 8 hours is manageable for them at their high speed, but I suspect they would have issues going a full 24 hours.

The race began with a long up hill climb with strung the field out, but that didn’t last too long. About ¼ of the way into the lap the first of two technical downhills came up. The first was rather daunting with a low speed 90 degree turn with a 3 foot drop and then steep sandy downhill to the double track. Most walked however I managed to get down the 3 foot drop and kept my speed under control with my Formula K24’s. Right after this section came a quick up hill followed by a root-strewn, off camber down hill which was the 2nd technical area. After someone went over the bars in front of me I hopped off the bike and ran down. Fortunately I was able to ride this section with no issues the remainder of the race. The rest of the lap was fairly uneventful, finishing it somewhere in the middle of the pack.

After the end of my 4th lap I came in for a quick 10 minute break to reload with enough E-Load and Hammer Gel to get me to the end of the race. Things were going a little slower at this point and although my technical riding remained solid I went through a slow 2 hour spell which affected my lap times. Near the end I started building my speed again and felt incredible for the last 2 hours. In fact my last lap I hammered most of the way and had the most fun of the entire race. I felt incredibly fresh and definitely had plenty left in the gas tank which bodes well for the upcoming 24 hour. The Asylum 29er was more fun than I could have imagined and really excelled in the prime course conditions and rooty sections.

In the end I was middle of the pack but approximately 3rd among registered racers for the 24 hour so hopefully I can hold on or improve that position in 4 weeks.

Many thanks goes out to Recover-Ease, Formula Brakes USA, Rudy Project, Kenda, and Cyclepath Oakville for your support. You make it a lot easier to do these crazy races!

Had a pretty nice ride today. About 4 hours of combined road and singletrack riding at Kelso. On the way up saw a bunch of turkey vultures snacking on some roadkill. Figured it was a possum or bunny as that is what it usually is but sadly it was a tiny, baby deer. That made me sad. Trails were in pretty good shape, damp in most places but very good traction.

Also rode on Saturday on the road bike. The wind is crazy. Got home and found out it was about 50km/h. No wonder I was only going about 22km/h on the way out. But it sure was fun doing 45km/h all the way back. Ended up making for a good ride.

This coming Saturday is the Epic 8 hour at Mansfield. I doing solo with the goal of getting some solid training in to prepare for the 24 hour coming in 5 weeks. I'll be doing the 8 hour unsupported but it should be okay as really I'll just be using my hydrapak and gels for the whole race. Should be fun.

Steve

Riding isn't going so well these days. Family, work, mothers day, baseball practice, baseball games, bad weather all result in very little riding.

I signed up for the 8 hour at the end of the month. Not sure how I will fair as those tend to be more sprinty than a 24 hour. But I figured it would be good training and help get my nutrition dialed in. I'm contemplating using a hydration pack for this race. Usually I hate them and get back aches, but I won a new Hydrapak which is nice and small. I've been using it for awhile including a few 5 hour rides with no discomfort.

Next update will probably be after the race.

Steve