Justin and I are in the heat and humidity of Roanoke, VA this week for three different mountain bike national championship events. The first of these was yesterday with the marathon event (~3-4 hrs) and later in the week are the short track (~20 minutes) and cross country (~90 minutes) events.
On Monday Justin set off at 7am for a 53-mile race with essentially two big loops plus an out-and-back section. We had previewed some of the course on Sunday and found plenty of roots and creek crossings along with more than 6,000 feet of climbing and descending. There was not a separate under-23 category, so Justin was racing with the elite men, which made for a super competitive field. He started well and slotted into the single track at mile 7 in 4th spot. Throughout the first two hours of the event, he was together with local Virginia pro Kerry Werner, and the two were battling for 5th place. Kerry knew all the good lines on the course, and Justin was happy to have his wheel to follow!
But disaster struck the second time down the major descent when Justin punctured his rear tire despite using a foam tire insert. The hole did not seal with sealant or a tire plug, so he was forced into the long process of installing a tube and riding gingerly to the finish to avoid another flat. He ended up 13th on the day, and that matched his plate number 13, which he might install upside down in the future for better luck!
My event had a nine o’clock start, which meant that the heat and humidity were already ramping up, on their way to a forecasted 95 degrees with 95% humidity. My course was slightly shorter at 40 miles with 4200 ft of climbing, and I hoped for a somewhat reasonable starting pace so that my body would hold up over the next three and a half hours. But the pace was quick as we caught the back of age group fields that had started ahead of us, which meant lots of acceleration bursts as we passed people on the single track. At the end of the first hour, I was in second place by myself, about thirty seconds behind the leader.
I entered the feed zone and took on an icy hydration pack with the equivalent of two bottles of drink mix plus some added sea salt. But soon after that, the leg cramps began, culminating in full leg lockup of quads, hamstrings, and calves on the steepest section of the main climb. Walking was not an option since my hamstrings did not work, so I stood on the side of the trail for a bit as racers streamed past. I was finally able to remount and pedaled as slowly as possible while waiting for things to get better. After 10 minutes or so, I was able to get back to about 2/3 speed, but had to moderate my effort so I stayed on the edge of cramping without going into full lockup.
Over the course of the next two hours, I regained places as other people blew up, but I was never able to get back to putting full pressure on the pedals. I was surprised when I crossed the finish line and the announcer said that I was in third place! I’m going to try to train in the heat all this week so that I am better prepared for the cross-country race on Sunday.
Justin races short track on Thursday and then cross-country on Saturday. More race reports to come!
-Chris
