Southern Lights 24-7 2005
Southern Lights 24-7
June 11th and 12th
Farmington, GA
It’s been a few days and it hasn’t really sank in. This is a goal I have been after for a few years and I’m not entirely sure what it means to finally achieve it. I do know what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean I’m done. There is much more to go after, but for now I want this win to really sink in.
The 3rd Southern Lights 24-7 started under an ominous sky. Tropical Storm Arlene was generating plenty of cloud cover to keep the soaring summer temps at bay, but there would be a price to pay later. My full support entourage was in attendance to see me through this one with the exception of Namrita. She was racing solo as well. My brother Dan, nephew Jimmy, Richard Walker and Charlie Martin would be supporting us both. The added workload didn’t seem to faze them a bit.
After tying up all the loose ends and missing the riders meeting I made my way over to the start with about ten minutes to go. I met with Andrew Gilchrest who I knew would be my rival for the day. He’s a strong rider, but I didn’t know too much about his abilities. I decided during our warm up laps that I’d just try to lay out a steady pace with him until I saw a weakness and then turn the screws.
On the start line I realized I forgot my Camelbak and only had one half full bottle. This was not going to be a good way to start. I kept scouting around for one of my support guys, but never saw them. They must have been squaring away the pit. I’d just have to swing into the pit during the parade loop to grab it…..easier said than done with a 80 or so riders racing behind you. The start horn sounded and I took off. I felt great. I had a three week taper heading into this race and my legs felt so good I felt like I could have easily done the fastest first lap. I ducked in behind a couple of guys for the first hundred yards on the gravel. We hit a small hill and I took the lead knowing I’d be pulling off in another 30 seconds. I pulled off into my pit, much to the amazement of those behind me and my pit crew. As soon I slung the pack over my shoulder I was off again. I lost 10 or 12 spots, but it was nothing to worry about.
We completed the loop around the pit area and headed into the woods. I settled in for the ride. I still felt great despite my hard efforts, but I’d let the team riders go to conserve some energy for later. We dipped into the single track at high speed with this lead group getting pretty spread out by the pace. I concentrated on cleaning the roots and rocks smoothly. The course opened up again on to some double track and the pace surged again. But something wasn’t right.
Suddenly riders were headed straight for me screaming about turning around and going the wrong way! It’s total chaos as I swing around and face the 20 other riders immediately behind me. It turns out we were headed back to the start finish already because someone had forgotten to tape off a turn. I found this pretty humorous, but the team guys who had worked so hard to get to the lead now found them selves 20 or 30 riders back. Surprisingly to group did not get too aggressive about passing.
Andrew was just a couple riders ahead of me in this mess and it only took a mile or so for me to close that gap. He quickly let me go by and I began to set the pace. We stayed within a minute or two of each other for the next 3 laps which were taking about an 55 minutes each. I was beginning to wonder just how strong he was and how long or if I was going to shake him. Over the first 6 laps barely 10 minutes ever separated us.
I was just biding my time until the night laps came. The darkness does not slow me at all. I began doing night rides years ago back in Florida with the SWAMP Club. We’d meet every Tuesday night for a ‘nightie’ at Flatwoods in Tampa. Every week I’d bite off more than I could chew by heading out with the fast guys and getting dropped. Sure enough though every week I’d hang on a little longer until after a year I was at the front leading the way. Since then both my skills and lights have improved greatly. Light & Motion provides me with the best lights available, Arc Li-ions.
I digress. Between 9 PM and 1AM I just churned out laps at about an hour and ten a piece. The gap was slowly increasing with each one. The fast pace at the beginning must have been making Andrew’s legs a bit heavy, but I still felt well. I had a full lap on him around midnight and continued to put more time into my lead.
I guess it was about 10 after 1 AM when I came across a team rider with no lights. He asked if he could follow me out and I had no objections. It was very motivating to have someone following me. I didn’t want to dab and have him run into me and I was doing my best to kept the pace reasonable for him. The trail was getting slimy from the light rains and heavy humidity, so he had to walk more than he probably would have liked, but I guess he didn’t have much choice did he? I felt a renewed source of energy during the last couple of miles of that lap to lead him into a strong finish. Little did I know that would almost be the end of the fast laps.
I’d switch between my two Kona bikes every couple laps to let Charlie clean and lube the drive trains, though the course was a bit bumpy to be very comfortable on the hardtail. This was the first time I’ve done a 24 hour with my new bikes. My full suspension, a King Kikapu, was absolutely perfect for long distance racing. The active suspension was very comfortable throughout the race and it’s lightness made it a joy to climb with. Next year I’ll have to make sure there are at least two of these in my stable for racing. The hardtail, a Kula Primo, is light fast and stiff. Perfect to get me through my lap very quickly so I can get back to the Kikapu. Seriously, it would make a great XC racer, but I need to make some adjustments to make it a bit more cushy for these long rides.
There was one more fairly dry lap before the skies opened up at 2 AM. The winds had been strong all day, but now they threatening to send our pit tent into the next county. I hung out for an extra few minutes hoping it was just another small storm band from the lingering Arlene. I took off for my lap during a lull in the action, but it wasn’t long before I was sloping through streams and puddles that didn’t exist and hour before while getting rained on from above.
The next 4 hours was definitely the low point of the race. My times dropped because of the conditions and I actually walked most one lap because I’d burned through my front brake pads and my drive train was so mucked up. The conditions were miserable by any standard. When I came in from my lap at 6 AM I was so frustrated I almost lost sight of the real goal here. Finish this race…..and hopefully finish in the lead.
Once it occurred to me that everyone was having troubles and most had given up, I was reenergized. I drank some BURN, got some fresh shorts, had Charlie clean up the bike, and I was on my way. I knew I had a significant lead, so all I had to do was continue making forward progress at a reasonable rate and I would have a 24 hour solo win. That in it’s self was very motivating.
The rain came a little less frequently for the rest of the race, but this only created thicker mud on the trails. Using a bottle of water to clean the chain off occasion I was able to ride most of the course again, but it was slow going to avoid any crashes. Most of the riders where feeling rejuvenated and some were just plain flying through the mud. I can only assume these folks where fighting it out for positions in various team categories. I got in just 3 more laps in the next 5 hours to finish my last lap at 10:54. I did hang out in the pit for a couple minutes thinking I needed to finish a lap after 11 AM, but Southern Lights has no such rule, so I wrapped it early.
Andrew was one a full lap back at this point and would have to finish two laps in two hours to beat me. I was confident he would not. At 11:00 on the dot he rolled through, thought over the situation, and called it a day. We congratulated each other on hard fought day and that was that. I’d won my first solo 24 hour.
In writing this I’ve had a chance to think about why I do this and what it means to me to achieve this goal. I’ve decided regardless of my placing I had a good race. Even if I finish 10th, I could be happy with my effort. I pushed as hard as I could and had a very solid race in very poor conditions. The fact that I was the strongest this day only makes my reward that much sweeter. I do these races to test myself. To find out just how far I could go if I gave everything I had. This time I passed and next time I will have much more confidence.
I’d like to thank my sponsors who have been so helpful this year:
Mechanical & Product Support from Cartecay Bike Shop – Ellijay, GA
Supplements from GNC 5361 N Socrum Loop Rd, Lakeland, FL
Energy drinks from Source Drinks makers of BURN & BURN2
Nutritional & health advice from Dr. Jamie Brenon.
Chiropractic Services from Dr. Josh Glass
Addition Product Support from Chainwheel Drive Bike Shop in Clearwater & Palm Harbor, FL
Thanks for reading,
Eddie O