It's only riding a bike.

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BY: Rob Smith

Published: 19th October, 2014

It's been over a week since the Worlds and Blogs about the event  are popping up on social media with more regularly than clips of cute cats and many of them have written much better words about the WEMBOs so rather than repeat I thought I’d try to articulate my experience using others words, call it laziness, call it plagiarism I like to think its resourceful.

The Course

I liked it, it was going to be tough and I thought it would break a few bikes/riders and I did see at least 2 snapped rear mechs in the first 6 hrs.

Local Matt Jones had this to say, "Having ridden relentless24 last year I was familiar with most of the course, which would provide a true test of endurance strength. Some new singletrack sections had been added and seemingly most of the flat sections removed meaning 450m climbing per lap over the 13.4km course. The major climbs came at the start and end of the laps, the first of which followed part of the witches xc trail up a hard pack but steep surface, after a short flat fire road it then kicked up again to unleash a hellishly fast sweeping descent that plunged back down through the woods to eventually leave you holding on for dear life through the rocky corners at speed. I most enjoyed the final descent at the end of the lap which was super fast with some launch for your life jumps and flowing switchbacks. Free time was there to be had for those who fancied risking a bit of high speed action. On one lap near the end I managed to overtake about 4 riders on one descent, most in fluorescent retro clothing suggesting those of European origins weren’t quite as comfortable on the course as those home grown."



The start


The Team Works!  There's a slogan in there somewhere!

I might not have done a 24 before but I’d done plenty of 12s so I knew not to get carried away at the start and just warm up for the climb, perhaps it was the relaxed start but I didn’t experience any hold ups on those first couple of laps, in those opening hours before lighting up time I relaxed and se started getting dark I settled into a good rhythm not getting carried away on the climb learning the descents and just talking a bottle from Jane as we weaved through the pits.


Obligatory for all Scottish events to start with a pipe band not sure what Weaverville will do next year?  Bluegrass?


Derek Shanks: On Saturday 11th October we were led off up the forest road and onto the trails by a pipe band. A great feature for the riders visiting from all over the world! The sun was even shining!

They must have wondered what all this fuss was about with Scottish weather! In fact, the weather for the entire race was great. It only rained once, and while I'm told it was quite heavy in the pits area, I just experienced it as a light drizzly shower around midnight. I didn't even need waterproofs

By half way through lap 2, I was actually starting to enjoy myself. The course was so much fun. Yes, the climbs were tough and I knew they'd really start to hurt in the early hours of the morning, but the descents were fantastic.

I settled into my routine for nutrition, with hand-ups from my wife ensuring that I didn't need to stop at the end of each lap and could save a few vital minutes.

Night Time


In case you didn't know what night time looked like.


Eventual winner Jason English: The night seemed to kick in early and by 5.30pm it was dark enough to need both lights on.

I’ve always enjoyed riding at night in fact I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of the 3000+ lumen lights, I like being cocooned in a small bubble of light the world closes in and you feel that bit more “alone,” the fact that there was still 18hrs to go didn’t really affect me that much, I did have a little “moment” just after midnight the hard pack climb up Witches XC just did me in, I got off and walked! I realized it’d been a good few hours since I’d had anything hot. So that lap a cup of coffee and more of the amazing home made flapjack (receipt available on request) and I was back out flying.

I’ll let Derek Shanks explain it better than I can:

I was loving it! I can't believe I'm saying this but my favourite part of this entire 24 hour race was the 13 hours in the dark! …… well, I loved it at night! It may have just been the illusion of speed with the lights on, but I even felt like I was descending faster. I was genuinely enjoying myself!

I've re-discovered my love for night riding. You end up in a little bubble of a few metres, in your own little world. Just you, your bike, and the section of trail lit up by your lights. It shows every feature on the trail in a whole new light (or shadow!) and I quite enjoy the solitude of it all. …. I still got those nice quiet times on my own; just me, my bike and my thoughts.

Often those thoughts turn negative at night but I managed to keep them positive. I was doing surprisingly well considering everything I've already mentioned and I was enjoying myself. I was keeping myself going by breaking down the time, singing to myself…………and even starting to write this blog in my head!


Out of the Darkness


Darkest hour is always before the dawn,  Down there somewhere is Fort William.


After almost 13hrs of night riding daylight came as a signal that the end was looming, I had already begun to work out how slowly I needed to ride in order to finish at 1200 and complete the least number of laps. Whilst physically I was in comparatively good shape, that one climb up the Witches trail plus the climb over the tunnel towards the end had my physiologically and tired and hungry and getting more sore I just couldn’t face those climbs anymore. I had been in third briefly overnight but now I was back in Fourth and if I continued as before then I would still finish in Fourth a place higher than my pre-race position, not bad for my first 24.

Matt Page, "The last lap was pleasing, ticking off each section and relieved that I didn’t need to ride it again."


Aftermath


Some say I look like I'm having a stroke but it's just poor lighting and make up!

My first 24 and I finish 4th in age cat, 41st overall with 20 laps complete but more importantly without any major tantrum and with a wife who was still talking to me.

Would I do another one probably not, could I have done better, perhaps? If I’d been a bit more honest about my ability and condition then perhaps I might have been able to fight for that last podium spot but I wasn’t and we didn’t but I'm still immensely proud of what I’ve achieve and incredibly grateful to those that have supported and helped me to….. wait for it…race in a World Championship.  The more I read from others who competed the more satisfied I am about how we did up there against the best in the world.   If you follow certain riders on Twitter or Facebook the conversation seem to be about eating, recovering and wondering when full feeling will return to hands and feet.  I've attended plenty of 24hr races over the years as a 12hrer or as a team rider and I can honestly say that that was the hardest "endurance"  course I have ever ridden so to finish in the top third having only decided to enter in Aug and when my training mostly consisted long road rides shows that perhaps there's more in me than I imagined,  I’m not done with endurance riding just done with going round in circles for 24hrs, that itch has been well and truly scratched.

And I got to hang out with this "Guy"




Matt Jones sums up tow of the best performances of the weekend :Mr Bionic Jason English retained his title with 26 laps having only flown in the day before and having done a 24hr race only 2 weeks previously, nutter! Ant White took 2nd in a performance that saw him push Jason all the way, a great season for the XC Racer man.

My thanks to the following bloggers whose words I’ve used above. I assume they don’t mind!

Matt Page WEMBO - 24hr World Champs - A Cycling
http://www.acyclingteam.co.uk/wembo-24hr-world-champs/

Jason English Jason English - 2014 WEMBO 24hr Solo World Championships
http://www.jasonenglish.com.au/152-2014-wembo-24hr-solo-world-championships

Andrew Burgess Budge takes on the 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championship
http://teamjmc.jmc.it/2014/10/budge-takes-on-the-24-hour-solo-mountain-bike-championship/


Matt Jones UKXCNews.com » Race Report: WEMBO World 24hr Solo Championship – Matt Jones Comments Feed
http://ukxcnews.com/2014/10/15/race-report-wembo-world-24hr-solo-championship-matt-jones/


Derek Shanks Derek Shanks
http://www.derekshanks.blogspot.co.uk/

Right I'm off to eat food and work out when my fingers and feet will start to feel normal, oh and to look for stage races in 2015,  I hear Wales in August is nice.

Rob

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