6 hours of Dauset: A race (?) report
This past Saturday (9/22) was the 12 hours of Dauset mountain bike race. I entered the 6 hour solo category. Regardless of what you may read after this I had an absolute blast and can’t wait to do the next one, lessons learned.
I got up at 6AM and had a breakfast of oatmeal (real oatmeal, no instant) and whole wheat toast. I took the hour drive to the race venue, once there I met up with the group that was letting me use their pit space for my extra water, Gatorade, cliff bars, tools and backup bike – my single speed. I had actually contemplated riding the single speed as the primary, glad I didn’t as you will see. The forecast for the day was going to be upper 80’s with 129 percent humidity.
The race actually started on time, a Lemans start with an uphill run, ugh, then the parade lap headed uphill for another ½ mile. I maxed my heart rate before we even started and I was all the way near the back. We came to the first downhill and I learned my first lesson. If you are going to be near the end be so far back that you actually ride. I am very fast on the downhills, it makes up for the slow ascents, unfortunately there was such a backup it was hard for me to carry any momentum or get up any real speed. I started passing wherever I could squeeze through and picked up quite a few places. My HR was still in uncharted territory but with tight twisty single track and more downhills I knew I could push it, passed several more people before we hit another long climb. I hit the hill hard and fast and passed a few more, an expert solo was on the side of the trail with a flat and a broken pump so I stopped to help him out. He pumped his tire up in record time and off we went, passed several more people and I got on his tail to make some time. About this time I realized my HR was still in uncharted territory and it wasn’t coming down. For the second half of the lap I slowed my pace, settled into a rhythm and got my HR under control. Finished the first lap strong in 1:25 and only 10 minutes slower then I planned, started thinking I might just get in the six laps I was hopefully optimistic about. Stopped after the first lap to refill the water bladder (wow, 70 ounces of water the first lap) down a Gatorade and cliff bar, five minutes later I was heading out for lap two. Started passing some more people and was feeling strong, Checked my computer and saw it had taken me about 20 minutes for the first four miles, very cool, at that rate I would finish my second lap in under an hour.
Then it happened. I hit a short somewhat steep hill at mile 5 and both legs completely seized up. I mean they locked up so badly I couldn’t even get off the bike. This had never happened to me before, I was only 16 miles in to the race and I was in complete agony. I downed a couple of GU’s and some more water, finally was able to move the legs and get off the bike, stretched a bit and hoped back on to continue riding. For the rest of the lap every uphill my legs would lock up. I started walking the uphills in an attempt to keep them from cramping. I ended up finishing the lap in 1:42. Talk about disappointing.
I stopped for a banana, more Gatorade and another cliff bar before heading out for lap 3. It started right away, the legs were cramping on every uphill, I walked the steeper ones in an attempt to recover. It didn’t help. They locked up so badly again about 4 miles into the third lap that I went down. I couldn’t straighten the legs to put one down. I ended up at that spot for about 20 minutes, finally started to go again after downing more GU and water. I don’t know if I started to improve at this point or if I just became used to it but if I kept spinning even an easy gear I could push through the cramps as my legs tried to lock up. I had to maintain a high enough cadence and low enough resistance but I could do it. Talk about a slow ride.
5:20 into the race I called it quits, the best I could hope to do was four laps, and it just wasn’t going to happen with my legs locking up every few seconds.
I was very disappointed by my performance, I had just turned a few laps out there a couple of weeks before and had based my objectives on that ride. Four laps was the minimum I planned to do and that was if I had a bad day and or mechanical problems. Six laps was the true goal, I wouldn’t have been on the podium but I would have been close. I still don’t know why this happened; I have never had this issue and routinely spend 3 or 4 hours in the saddle. To have it happen only 16 miles in was unimaginable to me.
Results and pictures haven’t been posted yet, will update. I am fairly certain I was DFL.
This past Saturday (9/22) was the 12 hours of Dauset mountain bike race. I entered the 6 hour solo category. Regardless of what you may read after this I had an absolute blast and can’t wait to do the next one, lessons learned.
I got up at 6AM and had a breakfast of oatmeal (real oatmeal, no instant) and whole wheat toast. I took the hour drive to the race venue, once there I met up with the group that was letting me use their pit space for my extra water, Gatorade, cliff bars, tools and backup bike – my single speed. I had actually contemplated riding the single speed as the primary, glad I didn’t as you will see. The forecast for the day was going to be upper 80’s with 129 percent humidity.
The race actually started on time, a Lemans start with an uphill run, ugh, then the parade lap headed uphill for another ½ mile. I maxed my heart rate before we even started and I was all the way near the back. We came to the first downhill and I learned my first lesson. If you are going to be near the end be so far back that you actually ride. I am very fast on the downhills, it makes up for the slow ascents, unfortunately there was such a backup it was hard for me to carry any momentum or get up any real speed. I started passing wherever I could squeeze through and picked up quite a few places. My HR was still in uncharted territory but with tight twisty single track and more downhills I knew I could push it, passed several more people before we hit another long climb. I hit the hill hard and fast and passed a few more, an expert solo was on the side of the trail with a flat and a broken pump so I stopped to help him out. He pumped his tire up in record time and off we went, passed several more people and I got on his tail to make some time. About this time I realized my HR was still in uncharted territory and it wasn’t coming down. For the second half of the lap I slowed my pace, settled into a rhythm and got my HR under control. Finished the first lap strong in 1:25 and only 10 minutes slower then I planned, started thinking I might just get in the six laps I was hopefully optimistic about. Stopped after the first lap to refill the water bladder (wow, 70 ounces of water the first lap) down a Gatorade and cliff bar, five minutes later I was heading out for lap two. Started passing some more people and was feeling strong, Checked my computer and saw it had taken me about 20 minutes for the first four miles, very cool, at that rate I would finish my second lap in under an hour.
Then it happened. I hit a short somewhat steep hill at mile 5 and both legs completely seized up. I mean they locked up so badly I couldn’t even get off the bike. This had never happened to me before, I was only 16 miles in to the race and I was in complete agony. I downed a couple of GU’s and some more water, finally was able to move the legs and get off the bike, stretched a bit and hoped back on to continue riding. For the rest of the lap every uphill my legs would lock up. I started walking the uphills in an attempt to keep them from cramping. I ended up finishing the lap in 1:42. Talk about disappointing.
I stopped for a banana, more Gatorade and another cliff bar before heading out for lap 3. It started right away, the legs were cramping on every uphill, I walked the steeper ones in an attempt to recover. It didn’t help. They locked up so badly again about 4 miles into the third lap that I went down. I couldn’t straighten the legs to put one down. I ended up at that spot for about 20 minutes, finally started to go again after downing more GU and water. I don’t know if I started to improve at this point or if I just became used to it but if I kept spinning even an easy gear I could push through the cramps as my legs tried to lock up. I had to maintain a high enough cadence and low enough resistance but I could do it. Talk about a slow ride.
5:20 into the race I called it quits, the best I could hope to do was four laps, and it just wasn’t going to happen with my legs locking up every few seconds.
I was very disappointed by my performance, I had just turned a few laps out there a couple of weeks before and had based my objectives on that ride. Four laps was the minimum I planned to do and that was if I had a bad day and or mechanical problems. Six laps was the true goal, I wouldn’t have been on the podium but I would have been close. I still don’t know why this happened; I have never had this issue and routinely spend 3 or 4 hours in the saddle. To have it happen only 16 miles in was unimaginable to me.
Results and pictures haven’t been posted yet, will update. I am fairly certain I was DFL.
) but it sounds like an electrolyte or calcium depletion to me. My toes have been known to spasm to the point where I can't swim a lick and adding calcium to my diet has helped.
