24-9 recap.

This was my 2nd attempt at a 24 hour race. I pre-rode the course with Jeff Kerkove on Friday and was able to tap into his vast knowledge of endurance racing. He pitted along side me so Sarah was able to chat with his parents during the race. The race started with a .25 mile run where I was almost passed by a guy in a pink pig costume. I was mid pack and had to wait at the first single track for like 5 minutes completely stopped before everyone funneled in. I did 3 laps with short breaks in between then I took longer breaks between laps 4 and 5. My 6th lap was at night and I was able to ride with Jeff for a short time as he was feeling sick and going at a slower pace. I ended up sleeping for a few hours during the night and did one more lap in the morning to finish after 10am. The highlight of my 7th lap occurred with about 1/4 lap left when the carbon seatpost on my Trek broke at the clamp. I had to ride the remainder of the lap standing up. I finished in 7th place with 7 laps. Had I ridden all night, even at a slow pace, I may have finished on the podium as everyone 3rd down took a break during the night. Jeff is right when he says you always want to keep moving forward even if your only going 2 mph. It becomes a mental battle as well as a physical one. Hopefully I can improve with each 24 hour effort. We are staying at the Holiday Inn tonight and will be heading home Monday am. I will post a few pictures then. Beware of purple horses.