8:30 A.M. SATURDAY--PRE-RACE FUN
Good morning sports fans. Vic Armijo from Bigfoot Racing here. We're 3-1/2 hours to the noon start. I awoke this morning to the sound of rain on my hotel balcony. But fortunately it stopped and turned?20into only a light sprinkle. The skies are still dark, so more sprinkles are a distinct possibility.
I had the pleasure of riding the course on Thursday. This year the highly technical course is 8.1 miles long (8.9 for the elite riders) with 1247 feet of climbing per lap (1509 for elites). It's at least 75% singletrack. Most of the favorite sections were not only intact from last year, they were actually in better shape after another year of use. Sadly missed, however, was the twisting, turning singletrack that brought to course back in to the start/finish at the top of the venue. Unfortunately the Luge/Bobsled course for the 2010 Winter Olympics has taken over that particular piece of real estate.
Even with the lost last section it's still a very enjoyable, technically challenging course that has a bit of everything. The circuit is filled with roots, baby heads, rock face drops, and a few North Shore style bridges. Fast fire road and one small section of pavement was used to break up the constant barrage of technical trail. There where a few medium climbs and one particularly tough one near the end.
2 P.M. SATURDAY--CRUEL CLOUDS
Scratch my earlier comments about the rain having stopped. The respite was short. While the rain hasn't been particularly heavy, more of a steady misting, it has been constant. So much so that by the noon start all of the riders had at least donned rain jackets and many had mounted fenders. A more recent weather report calls for an 80% chance of rain for today, with a 60% chance tomorrow. Sorry racers, but it's gonna be a long, wet one.
After the shorter than usual LeMans start it was UK rider Rob Lee who first took the lead. Five-time 24 Hours of Adrenaline Solo Champ Chris Eatough was second, while American Nat Ross of Team Gary Fisher was close behind in 3rd. To give the Solo riders a first lap unencumbered by team riders, the promoter opted to start the solos five minutes ahead. Considering that the solo elites do an added half mile loop and that the teams tend to put their fastest rider first, it was amazing to all that Eatough was the first one to complete lap one. Despite the slippery course conditions Eatough managed to do it in just 49 minutes and 56 seconds. Ross came in 20 seconds later with Canada's Galen Keher in third, one minute behind Ross.
There's already a battle brewing among two single speeders. Finishing lap one in 14th position was Jake Kirkpatrick. He was followed just 10 seconds later by Dejay Birtch. The first woman in was Monique Sawicki, passing under the finish clock some 11 minutes behind Eatough.
Despite the wet conditions, spirits are high among the racers. More than one let out a yell of course praise as they passed through the finish chute. When the race announcer asked Rob Lichtenwaler how things were going out there, Lichtenwaler answered "Dry! Really dry!" Hmmm. Delirium is not unheard of at these events, just usually not this early.
So far the rain hasn't been a cold rain. Many riders had gone out overdressed on the first lap and were seen in their pits peeling off layers. Most have jettisoned their rain pants and rain jackets, opting to stick with shorts, or tights and just a jersey and light shell.
That's it for now. I gotta get back up to the course. My wireless internet connection isn't working up on the mountain. So to bring you these reports I have to ride the gondola down to my hotel to sit with my lap top in front of the nice, hot fireplace. Yeah, it was rough!
4:46 P.M. SATURDAY--EATOUGH STILL ON WINNING TRACK
Well, the rain hasn't stopped. But thankfully it hasn't been a hard rain. Just a misty, constant, water torture. Thankfully it hasn't been freezing rain, and many of the racers are still in shorts and a jersey. That will change soon enough. As night falls so will the temperature and we'll see more layers, more tights, more wool, more Gore-Tex and more cold, shivering racers.
Reports from on course are that the trails are holding up well, despite the moisture. A few racers have been spotted sporting slightly less skin on their shins and forearms. Yeah, the rock faced drops and rooty sections are slicker than that time you spilled fork oil all over the kitchen floor.
In the elite category it's looking like another Chris Eatough runaway. By 4:16 this afternoon the Trek rider had completed 5 laps, putting him nearly fifty minutes ahead of Canada's Galen Kehler. Ernesto Marenchin of Kent, Ohio is less than a minute behind that, followed by Nat Ross just a few seconds behind in 4th place. Thomas Hodlemoser of Austria holds 5th place, some seven minutes behind Ross.
It's still early in this race, but based on the previous five years, all won by Eatough, it seems likely that Eatough will keep his pace and his lead and the battle will be over third and second. Speaking of second, what about last year's second place rider, Tinker Juarez? The crowd favorite opted out this year and is warm and dry at home. Reached by phone the rider who's come closest to challenging Eatough explained, "I would have liked to have been there. But you can only do so many long races. I had committed to doing the E-100 in Utah last weekend, and wanted to check out this new event next week in Ohio. Tell the fans hi for me."
The fight for single speed honors continues. Jake Kirkpatrick still holds the lead. But Dejay Birtch has dropped to third with Dale Plant of Bellingham, WA moving up to second. Just 2-1/2 minutes separates first and second. With nearly twenty hours to go it's still anybody's game.
Marg Fedyna, one of Canada's top adventure and mountain bike endurance racers, is holding the top position in thes elite category. Three minutes back in second is Louise Kobin of San Jose, CA. Kobin, a long-time fixture in endurance racing. Louise is fresh off of a strong 3rd place ride in the TranRockies where she teamed up with 24 Hours of Adrenaline U.S. Solo Champion Eric Warkentin. In third is Monique Sawicki, just 45 second behind Kobin. Sawicki is on form, having recently won the NORBA Marathon Series for the second year in a row. A consistent season had her sew up the series before the sixth race was even held.
10:30 P.M. SATURDAY--EATOUGH LEADS INTO THE NIGHT
It's been dark for a few hours now and Chris Eatough is still out in front, albeit by less than earlier today. The Trek rider holds a 25 minute lead over Nat Ross in second.
Among endurance racers the efficiency of Chris Eatough's pit crew has become legendary. Of his five 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Championships, the winning margin in almost all can be attributed to the time he saved during pit stops. This year it is plain to see that the competition has studied the methodical pit techniques that Chris's father Mike and crew have developed. Most of the top contenders are now getting in and out of the pits in mere seconds, instead of minutes.
When complimented on a particularly well performed and speedy pit stop, Ernesto Marenchin replied with a casual, "We're trying." Their work is paying off as Marenchin currently has a hold on third place. Marenchin was ninth here last year and since then took a win at the 24 Hours of Big Bear.
Just across the pit aisle from Marenchin is Graeme Allbon's pit. The Australian, currently in 7th place, has also emulated Eatough's pit methods. Before one pit stop his crew had his bottles, food and batteries all staged and waiting long before he arrived. He wasn't even off the bike before his team was cleaning his face, feeding him cups of pasta and changing out his water bottles. Within seconds he was on his way. Allbon was a successful cross-country racer in the late 80's and early 90's. He won the Australian National Championship a number of times and also scored some impressive results in the NORBA National Championship Series. He got out of racing for ten or so years while working on his career as a biochemist for the Australian Institute of Sport. There Graeme helps train athletes of various types, including cyclists and boxers. His return to racing last year has already been fruitful. Earlier he won Australia's, Working Week Series, which includes 5 eight hour events. He had the series wrapped up after the 4th race and skipped the finals to race in the U.S.
It was a fast pit that put Monique Sawicki temporarily in the lead of the women's class. She and Marg Fedyna had come in moments apart at about 8:00 tonight. While Fedyna's crew attended to her, Sawicki's crew did the same, but faster, and sent her out well ahead. But once on course Fedyna was able to take back that time and then some, finishing the following lap several minutes ahead. Meanwhile back in third, Louise Kobin remains steady and strong. "She's feeling well," her crew chief reported. "She was relaxed and unhurried during her last stop," he said, "She got a bottle, a ClifShot and was gone."
Also gone are a few riders. Earlier tonight Dan Barger of Team Subaru pulled out with scratched corneas from having wet grit flung into his eyes. He'd been having trouble since the first lap and finally packed it in and went back to his hotel. But not before earning some endurance racing karma points by helping his neighboring pit with cables and housing that their riders needed. Barger said he'd be back in the morning to spectate and cheer on the remaining racers.
Also packing it in is our former single speed leader Jake Kirkpatrick, having called it a race after losing his brakes to cracked brake lines. "No one here has the lines I need," he lamented. "We asked everyone and checked all the bike shops. No luck. That's racing, stuff happens." Before packing it in Kirkpatrick did two laps with just the front brake. "I wanted it pretty bad," he shrugged. Imagine riding this technical, rocky, rooted course with just one brake on a fully rigid single-speed. Ouch!
Jake isn't the only one to experience brake problems. While modern disk brakes are a godsend in wet conditions, they are also vulnerable to premature wear when those wet conditions are also as gritty as the trails of Whistler. Throughout the pits mechanics have been seen changing brake pads... Or for those without spares, frantically trying to borrow or beg a set of pads.
That's it for now. Your roving reporter is going to grab a couple of hours of shut eye before going back out on course to gather more interesting bits for your reading pleasure.
7 A.M. SUNDAY--OVERNIGHT SENSATIONS
Guess who's still leading. Yup, Eatough. There are however many changes to report behind Eatough. Just 25 minutes behind is Ernesto Marenchin, whose move up to second relegated Nat Ross to third. Santa Cruz Cycle's tattooed wonder Mark Hendershot holds fourth, and amazingly enough, Australia's 24 Hour Champion Josh Street has moved up from twentieth to fifth.
A bit of shuffling has occurred in the women's elite category as well. Marg Fedyna is currently first, Louise Kobin second, and former leader Monique Sawicki is in third.
An influence on these changes (and on the departure of several other riders) is last night's weather. The constant light mist that had tormented the entire duration of this event, increased to a full scale deluge before Sunday's dawn. Wind driven sideways rain made for miserable conditions indeed. Racers returning from that lap wore shell-shocked expressions, lots of mud, and soaking wet clothes.
Even the usually unruffled Eatough wore a pained expression on his return from that lap. Eatough's pit stop was yet another demonstration of his crew's ready-for-anything preparation and teamwork. While Eatough sat in his pit (a rarity in itself) his crew cleaned his face and eyes, stripped him out of his wet clothes, toweled him dry, dressed him in a fresh set of gear and even duct taped the cuffs of his rain pants. Eatough sat entirely passive as a mannequin through the entire operation, saving every iota of energy for one thing--being his bike's motor.
For Eatough and most of the top contending men and women, sleep isn't part of their game plan. But for the mere mortals making up the other 90% of the field, an hour or three of shut eye is a must. The question is, how much or how little sleep does a racer need to be able to sustain a competitive pace? Factor in the rain and it's no wonder that among the night's many sounds were loud admonitions of "You gotta get up!" from pit crews to tired riders. How would you like to wake up from a nightmare to the nightmare of leaving a warm sleeping bag for yet another lap in the wet and cold
Take that awful weather, add plenty of rocks and roots, sprinkle in a generous dash of sleep deprivation and you have a recipe for some serious crashes. But although many riders wore mud that was obviously from ground contact and not from wheel spray, all were spiritually unscathed. "A lot of people are walking the nastier sections," reported one rider. Walking sounds like a smart course of action---it might cost a little time, but not that much when one considers the time it takes for a clavicle to heal.
2 P.M. SUNDAY--FINAL RACE REPORT
No one in their right mind would ever call 24-hour mountain bike racing easy. But in year's past Trek's Chris Eatough has made it seem just that. Usually Chris has crossed under the finish banner looking like he's just finished a weekend ride. His post-race interviews have invariably been articulate and lively. Such wasn't the case this cold, rainy weekend. Eatough uncharacteristically earned his sixth title by racing all the way until the very at 12:08 p.m. today.
Eatough still managed to smile and raise his arms in victory as he broke through the finish line tape. That fleeting moment passed quickly, revealing a man with the sunken, faraway eyes of a battle fatigued solder. "I have nothing left," he said, "So many things have happened during this race, so much to go through. I'm just glad that it's over." With that 24 Hours of Adrenaline founder Stuart Dorland mercifully presented Eatough with his Championship Jersey. Eatough then joined women's winner Marg Fedyna on the podium for photos and hugs. Soon after he quickly made a beeline to the hotel for what was likely one of the most enjoyed hot showers in history.
While women's elite winner Fedyna didn't look as if she'd be ready to go dancing tonight, she appeared less strained and drained than Eatough. The Edmonton, Canada-based adventure racer and endurance racer was positively beaming as she donned her championship jersey while spraying the crowd with champagne. "It's been a while coming," she said of her win, having come close before but never breaking the top three until today. Her win was hard fought as earlier in the race newly crowned NORBA Marathon series winner Monique Sawicki challenged Fedyna for the lead before conceding some 50 minutes to take second. In third for the third year in a row was San Jose, California's Louise Kobin.
Kobin has now taken third three times in a row. She's amassed quite a record In the 4 years that she's competed in endurance events. Louise has been in four 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Championships, has raced the TransRockies four times and the TransAlps three times. She's also done LaRuta, the Cape Epic, and won the 24 Hours of Adrenaline U.S. Solo Championship at Laguna Seca National two years ago. Asked prior to this race if she was prepared for the threat of nasty weather, the physical therapist gave an evil grin and replied, "I'm hoping for it." Well she got her wish.
MORE 24 HOUR TALES
Another sicko who expressed hope for nasty weather was female elite racer Teri Wahlberg from Santa Maria, California. Wahlberg is a proven performer, having finished 3rd this year at Laguna Seca. The Ellsworth, Ritchey, and Rudy Project sponsored rider who works as a spinning and aerobics instructor declared "I usually do well in adverse conditions."
Usually, but not this time. She was the only female elite racer to pull out, doing so at the ten hour mark after completing her sixth loop. Let's all wish her luck and hope to see her back in 2006.
A rider who hoped for anything but foul weather was Kip Biese of Colorado Springs. This was only Biese's third 24 hour race, "And hopefully this will be the first one I finish," he lamented. Kip seen successful in the NORBA Marathon series, where he ended the year 4th overall. Poor weather put an end to his lead in an Arizona 24 hour race when he pulled out after going hyperthermic. "Finishing is my first goal," he said prior to Whistler, and a top ten would make me call it a success." Biese met his first goal, he finished, and he came within one position of his second goal with a commendable 11th place.
Also coming very close to his pre-race goal was Australia's number 2 ranked 24-hour racer, David Osmond. His wish was to finish close to Australian 24 hour champ Josh Street. He came close, taking 6th just two spots back of Street. This formidable wind farm engineer claims that he's more of a runner than a rider. Indeed, he's among a very few select, twisted kind of runners. His idea of fun is to run up the stairs of tall buildings. He's twice been to New York just to run up the Empire State Building.
Perhaps the most inspiring of the weekend's athletes was Brian Colbert, racing in the male 45-49 category. While his racing luck wasn't with him--he pulled out after finishing nine laps in 12 hours--he's still a hero as he uses his mountain bike races as pledge rides to raise money for charity. Last year he raised some $200,000. This year he's up to $20,000, with the money destined to go to a Cambodian children's hospital for burn victims. Earlier this year he raced the Trans Rockies where he broke his hand on the fifth day of the seven-day race. Quit? No way. He soldiered on and finished.
WHY WE DO IT
It's that very combination of competitiveness with a soft spirit that makes this such a wonderful sport. All weekend we witnessed the giving nature that flows within our mountain bike community. Someone need a pair of brake pads? Lunched a derailleur and don't have a spare? Camp stove out of propane? Desperately need some "vitamin I" (Ibuprofen)? Ask a neighboring racer or his or her pit crew. In each instance we saw racers share with other racers, even when doing so meant helping a direct competitor. Where else in real life do we get to connect and share such a rich and memorable experience with the best group of friends we've just met?
PHOTOS
Formula One: Chris Eatough's pit crew is legendary. Often his winning margins have been directly attributable to the time he gains in the pits. Here his crew swarms around him attach a new battery, clean his face, change his glove, put on fresh glasses, feed him and then send him out, all in less than two minutes.
Rare moment: After the LeMans running start, England's Rob Lee (39) was first to the bike. Chris Eatough (1), passed him moments later, and led for the remaining 24 hours.
You go girl: Melanie Dominguez of Watsonville, CA put in 12 laps to take 2nd in the women's 35-39 category.
FAST WOMAN: Marg Fedyna's 18 laps topped the women's field, and would have given her 12th against the men.
Toughest man there: What weekend warrior wouldn't be proud of finishing 31st against a highly competitive field? Now consider that Brette Wolfe did it with just one leg. Awesome!
Fast in, fast out: Top contenders like 3rd place Louise Kobin sometimes don't even get off their bikes when they pit. Grab a fresh bottle, get some clean glasses, down a quick cup of pasta, chug an Ensure and off you go.
Watch this guy: Remember second place rider Ernest Marnchin of Kent, Ohio. He has the speed and a pit crew who approaches the efficiency of Eatough's. Watch out Chris!
Blame it on Swensen: Jeff Wardell is a relative newcomer to endurance racing. The Boulder, CO rider won the 12 Hours of Humboldt in July. He's been riding for years but probably wouldn't have ever raced if not for the goading of his neighbor, former NORBA XC pro Carl Swensen. "Yeah, I blame it all on Carl," Wardell says.
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