Stottlemeyer 60 miler: Race Report!

May 19^th brought my first ‘longer’ race of the year … a 60 miler. I wasn’t worried about the distance – I’ve put in some long days on the road bike J I was a bit worried about the technical riding… it’s not an easy course!  I was sick all week leading up to the race … racing was a last minute decision as I wasn’t feeling well even on Friday (exhausted/no energy/stuffed up) and made the call early Saturday morning.  Going into the race the plan was to use it to brush up on my tehnical skills, get in a 6 hour trail-ride, and test out the legs a bit. The plan was perfect J Here are the details …

By the numbers:

• Finishing place: 4^th
• Hours ridden: 6
• Miles ridden: 60
• Feet of climbing: 7,000
• Friends made: 2
• Crashes: 2

J and now for the real details …  The race got off to a great start. The weather was perfect – the sun was out but it wasn’t too hot. The trails were dry, and the field was amazing! The women’s field was 20 deep – which is awesome for a longer race – and the overall field doubled from last year! The organizers did a great job spacing everyone out at the start so there were not any log jams in the single track going in.   I didn’t really warm up (ok I didn’t warm up at all) choosing instead to chat with some friends and relax.  I figured I had 6 hours to sort it out …  As usual, my start was pretty slow … this was ok by me. I was intentionally trying out my 24hr pace for the first lap and then dialing it up if I felt good.  Loads of girls passed me on the road lead up to single-track but we were pretty spread out by the time we got into the woods so I never got caught behind anyone for too long.   The first lap is a bit of a blur … it was fun twisty single-track and I had a lot of fun.  I was focused on relaxing on the trail and was riding pretty well. I was happy with my lap and finished it at 1:36 (it was a bit longer due to the 2 mile road start).

The second lap everyone started to settle in and I started to catch a few girls. I also caught up to a single-speeder in the men's category and we went back and forth until the last lap (where yes, i left him in the dust) :).  It was good fun.  I had just successfully passed my 3rd girl and got agap when i had my first crash ... the guy in front of me went down and I didn't see it till too late ... resulted in an endo where my handlebars went into my abdomen - ouch!  i recovered and she caught me ... i went a bit slower for a while to ensure nothing serious was injured and then finally dropped her again.   My single-speed buddy and I kept on trading back and forth on the course ... i was never alone for too long :)

At the beginning of the 3rd lap a girl (Erin) passed me. Well, that was unexpected. I generally start out slow and pass everyone as I go. Not the other way around!  As she sped by me up a hill and into the single-track she yelled 'let me know if  I am too slow' ... ha! I almost laughed as I watched her ride away.  My singlespeed friend asked me 'you going to let her get away with that?'  'Yes', i said, 'if she can go that fast for another 2 laps, she can have it. And I continued on my way, pushing myself but not too hard - usual Monilee pace.  About 1/3 way thru the 3rd lap I caught back up to Erin and dropped the SS guy ... i'm not sure if she slowed down or I was starting to warm up ... but either way, she was excited to see me. Fun girl ... we rode together the remaining of the race, chatting abit and taking turns leading thru the single-track. She was adjusting to riding a 29er and we were talking about size (how i'd be too small/short to ride a 29er) and the benefits of a 29er vs the 26er.  Eventually i asked her how old she was ... she looked about 27 ... she was 38 :) I laughed and noted how young other races often look ... she agreed and then i told her my age. She was totally surprised. The braids make me look young ;-)

It was a fun and fast 2 laps as we pushed eachother a bit and traded back and forth. i think i almost convinced her to try a 24hr solo some day :)  On the last lap there was an additional bit up the road and into the single-track. she offered to let me go first in the ST and I promptly accepted and didn't look back. I gave it all I had for that last mile and a half ... and managed to finish 1.5 minutes ahead of her!

It was a great race ... i was happy with my biking, my fitness, and my new found friends.