SITS 2009 24 Hour Solo

It’s been sometime since Sleepless In The Saddle but after losing my first draft I have never got round to summing up the event. My Blog has been very neglected this year and it’s long overdue a few words and pictures.

The run-up to SITS saw little real training, I clocked up a few long midweek evening rides but epic rides just haven’t really happened this year. My knee has been improving which was my biggest worry but with great support from Graham at thebodyrehab I felt it would hold up. The weather forecast for the day was looking good but after weeks of rain it was still expected to be rather damp in places, hopefully nowhere near as bad as last year though.

It was a chance to treat the family to a wonderful long weekend at Catton Park. I took the Friday off work and we set off mid morning to beat the Friday afternoon rush and try and get a decent pitch. The site seemed almost deserted as we drove in, stark contrast to Mountain Mayhem a month or two back. Signage wasn’t great but we soon worked out the layout and managed a trackside position adjacent to the solo marquee. Once the tent was squeezed into the gap and everything unloaded it was time for a steady lap of the course to see what lay ahead whilst the camp slowly filled

The campsite was quite a muddy mess in places which was a worry for the course. I had fitted Speedkings to my hardtail and took this out for a reccy. It didn’t take long to realize that mud tyres would be the starting choice, some sections were cut up badly already and the sections deep in the tree line stood little chance of drying out all weekend. With flashbacks to last year I had to stop and pull mud from the bike at one point, happy days The course seemed great apart from the mud, no big hills but a few short steep climbs to test the lungs and a selection of muddy therefore sketchy downhills to keep you on your toes. With my new found knowledge I headed to a stall and bought a new set of Mud-X tyres as soon as I could and fitted then ready for the race.

I guess I must of been keeping things rather close to my chest, I knew Mark was entered and had sent him a text asking how things were going. When he got round to replying I rung him, as we spoke I saw him heading for the cafe, he still didn’t know at that point I had entered let alone was sat in front of my tent watching him It was nice to meet up again, it’s been too long. Barny was again popular with the boys and it was nice for Sarah and Chrissy to catch up again as well. Small talk out of the way, gauntlets were thrown down ready for the battle tomorrow I think both of us just wanted to nurse our way through, Mark was struggling with his knee from the start in a re-run of my event last year. 15 laps and to make the finish lap was my goal.

With my best disco slippers on I lined up for the run on Saturday afternoon. With the more laid back atmosphere there was no great jostling for position and I found myself quite well up the field. That could soon change unless there was a mass of others not keen on anything other than a leisurely jog. And so it began, slowly settling into a gentle pace and keen to avoid joggers nipple I went with the flow and on occasion passed a person or two. The run was plenty long enough for me and I was glad make it to my bike and start the event proper. The first lap often means being stuck in a long queue but I got a reasonable run in but the obvious choke points were slow going.

Lap then blended into lap as time went on, strategy wise I threw my camelbak to Sarah or the boys as I went past and pitted in to collect it and take a short break every lap. The hardtail was proving a good choice and the tyres were doing better than my hopeful first choice although the roots had in in for me With light fading the lights were fitted and my first problems surfaced. My HID lamp started to cut off when it seemed I needed it most, it was fine cruising along double track but gleefully went out as soon as I turned onto single track Thankfully Stu had lent me his Lumicycle HID which served me well.

The night laps were a gruesome experience for me, a heavy dew meant the sappy conditions were taking their toll. The low point of the lap for me was about the halfway point where the track skirted close to the allure of the arena and warm bed before heading upwards for more punishment. The dawn lap couldn’t come quickly enough for me, the temperature had dropped and the cold air was playing havoc with my lungs and the bloody roots seemed to be growing.

Dawn has always been a great time for me on events, this one was particulary welcome. It was great to see some faces again and look forward to the trails drying out. With the end now in sight things felt easier, I was on target to pass my target laps with plenty of time to spare so planned to swap bikes on 15 and finish the race on the comfort of the E-120. With help from the mechanic camped next to us I swapped the tyres over as I felt the course still justified the ones I had been running. Maybe not the wisest choice in hindsight, my carefully prepped and tested bike kept throwing the chain into the wheel. I had to adjust the stop screw on the mech, I guess something was knocked slightly in transit

The extra comfort of full suspension was maybe a bit too late in the day for any real gain and certainly felt harder work on the last few laps as the ground started to dry nicely. My body was already hurting and on the 17th lap the sunrise effect had long since worn off and I was in a bad way. I crossed the finish line and could of quite happily cried. With two hours to go I could of got another two laps in but opted for a 5 litre bottle of water over my head, an extended break and a very steady last lap. Surprising I felt much better on my last lap to the extent I was seriously considering putting in another but instead passed 30 minutes with the pre-finish line crowd that was gathering.

Not long after the horn sounded the 24 hours were up I crossed the line to shake Pats hand. It was a great feeling to of finished after last years disappointment, my heart went out to Mark though when I found out he had had to retire early with his knee in a re-run of my experience last year. We spent another night on the site rather than rushing home, the family had enjoyed the weekend again and I am sure we will be back next year for more suffering

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