On the Fence

Mmm...12 hour racing. Gives me the gooshies. Over the last two years 12 hour races have become my favorite discipline of racing(except short track of course). This week was Ole Bull. It's a pretty cool race, different than most others. Its put on by the locals, who are totally stoked to host the race. Most of the volunteers are senior citizens. They work the water stations, handing little cups of water, taking numbers, and giving lots of needed encouragment. On paper, the course seems pretty lame but somehow its pretty fun and still works you. Its almost exclusively fireroad and gravel with lots of climbing including about 900 feet right off the start. Just like every other endurance race this one started with a run. The start went smoothly, I settled in for the first couple laps with a pretty high pace, keeping all the team riders in sight for the first lap. By lap 4, I had found my steady pace that I could hold for the rest of the day. I did pretty good as all lap times except my last one were between 50-60 minutes. I rode the whole race alone except for when I lapped 3rd place around 8 oclock. When I caught him I slowed down and asked him if he minded if I rode with him for while. I told him that I was getting tired of talking to myself. He laughed hysterically and patted me on the back. He was a really cool guy. We talked for a while til we got back to the transition where he took a break for some dinner while I headed out for my first night lap. That turned out to be his last lap of the day and second place retired around 9 after severl 10-15 min stops.

It turned out to be a great race for me, my best 12 hour to date. I felt amazing through the whole race, turning consistent lap times. So amazing that I'm convinced I could have gone another 12 hours had I started with that mindset. Instead I've almost defintely decided to do the 24 Hour Challenge at Seven Springs two weeks from now. Roberto will be competing as well and Matt has graciously offered his sauvy pitting abilities.

As for now, Brandon and I have just moved into our new crib. A two bedroom suite at Shippensburg University. Hopefully it'll keep both of us motivated all winter and get us out on some epic rides. Next year is only a few months away...