**
I get to the venue and register. Super easy and Kenny's (one of the race promoters) wife is very nice and knowledgeable, as she hands me my number and gives me info on the race.
**
I set up across from the @ The Hub/Niner crew, so Andy and the guys will be able to support Cory if Anna needs any help.
**
I lay out all my food on the table and let Cory and Anna know they are welcome to all of it and make sure my light is ready to go. Shey and the CTown guys bring over a cool canopy to give us some shade and we have a sweet set-up!
Anna and Munchie at the pit.
**
Tim and Kenny announce that there will be no lemans start! Yea!!! Running in cycling shoes is NOT my fav! We line up and I find a lady with a number 1 plate on her bike and talk to her a bit about the endurance thing. She says to just let the team guys go and stay at the back of the pack for the first lap. Sounds good to me and we are off! About 1/2 way through the parade lap I realize I never put my timing chip on my ankle and turn around to get it. Then I think maybe the parade lap will go near my car, so I turn back around and head off again with the group. We ride right by my car and I jump off the bike, find the ankle strap, put it on and jump back on the bike. I am now really at the back of the pack, but that's okay, I think.
**
Lap 1
**
Soon, I find out that these guys can go at a slower pace and muscle up some of the granite stuff and I cannot. I pass a few guys and have a much easier time of keeping up my momentum and getting up the normal rocky course. I skip the last 1/4 of the granite climb and the last half of the dirt climb on the granite side. (I am not sure how common it is to cramp in endurance races, but I am seriously worried about it and save my legs whenever I can) We fly down the granite descents and head over to the dirt side. Fast, fast, fast and I climb in my easiest gear at a slow easy pace. Wow, this feels so different than regular xc racing!
At the end of my first lap I am surprised to find a ton of salt on my face, so I stop at our pit and make another bottle of sports drink with electrolytes, then I'm off again.
**
Lap 2
**
Very cool second lap, except when I made a dumb mistake and went down hard, once. My knee was banged up, but the bike was okay. The rest of the lap was awesome and I was happy.
I came in to get some protein. I mixed my drink, as Anna asked what sports drink I wanted, Andy asked what I needed and Mike wanted to know what he could do. Shey told me I was doing great and asked how I was feeling. Jansen checked on my hydration and Bruce made sure I was okay.
**
Why would I think I would be supporting myself? I constantly had Anna + someone jogging over to the pit to support me the entire race. It was awesome! All these people I love to hang around........were there each time I got in from a lap. Nice!
The fam.
**
Lap 3
**
I stopped to stretch my back and my neck, as the granite descents beat the hell out of you on a hardtail. I timed myself and allowed 30 minutes to chill out, stretch and visit with friends and family, then headed out again.
**
Laps 4 and 5
**
Two more laps and they were awesome, but my upper arms and neck were taking a beating on those granite descents. Shey and Mike got the word and had a bike waiting for me when I got back from lap five. Not just any bike, but a carbon Niner. Hmmm, I don't like borrowing things that I could break, but Mike had it set up exactly like my old blue and had gone through a lot of work to get it ready for me. What a great guy! I still wasn't sure whether I would ride it or not, though.
Mike is always there to support our family and he is a great rep for Niner!
*
After lap 5, it was time to put our lights on. All three of my guys were at the pit to support me and let me know they would be leaving soon to head home, since two of them were racing cyclocross in the morning. Shey and Jansen had each done two laps for their teams then were going to turn around and hit the A race tomorrow? Crazy! Everett gave me a ton of encouragement and a big hug before he left. Then, I laid down and thought about when I would do my one night lap. I only have one 5 year old light and I'm pretty sure the battery will only last for one full lap. (I brought a backup light that I just received last week, but I got it for commuting and I don't think it is bright enough) 3 hours later I head out for my night lap. Awesome! Loved riding at night. My light worked great and I had fun.
**
Lap 6
**
I am not tired, but don't have the lights to race all night. I had planned to sleep the rest of the night, but Andy Johnston had different plans.
(Yea, remember this guy? He's a good friend, manager/founder of the Cycle Youth Team and Jansen's coach. Evidently he likes to circle around people in their sleeping bags and pester them until they get back on their bike and hit the trail. What a hobby!)
If I have ever doubted his ability to motivate a racer, I was proven wrong this night. Between the constant chatter about getting back out on the trail, then having Bruce Dickman announce over the mic that Kari Lindner is in her sleeping baaaaaaaag and should be out raaaaaaaaacing, in the 24 hours of Georgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I really couldn't get much sleep, so I thought I might as well go back out there. He also convinced me that the Niner was the way to go. Okay....... I trust him, so here I goooooooo!
Bruce and Mike far left
**
Off to lap 7. I did the math and thought my light would work for another lap, but the battery was old so I wasn't sure. I took my little camping headlamp in my back pocket, just in case.
Good thing, too. About one and a half miles into the granite my light went out. Totally, and it was dark. I couldn't see the trail, I couldn't see my hand, I couldn't see the button on my camp light. I finally got it on and strapped it to my helmet. The light wasn't great but it was better than nothing and I finished the granite side with it. The Niner felt foreign at first, but OH MAN can that bike descend!! There was a HUGE difference riding that thing down any of the granite drop-offs and descents. I knew there would be no worries about my arms and neck if I stayed on this baby. Sweet!
My steed was the third one from the left. White and gorgeous!
**
**
When I got back to the pit I laid down again and thought about whether I should go out again and hope my light would last or wait until the sun came up. Oh, my sleeping bag felt really awesome, because as soon as I stopped riding I got chilly and the bag kept me warm. Andy wandered back over and could not believe I was laying down again. He kept circling me and the last thing I heard him say was, "if you are still in your sleeping bag when I get back from my lap, I will use all means neccessary to get you up" I didn't know what the hell "all means necessary" meant, but I sure did listen for him to leave, timed his granite side, guessed what his time would be on the dirt side, then made sure I was back on that bike at least 10 minutes before he would be back in. Pretty immature, yep, but that was how my mind was working at whatever-time-a.m.
Don't let his smile fool you........
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