Front Range 50
Saturday brought the start to my 2008 racing season at the Front Range 50. I choose the WaltWorks with a 32 up front and an 18 aft. They staged all the male categories together where I found myself toward the back as we were given the signal to race. It would be five 10 mile laps with roughly 1000 ft of climbing per lap. I found myself early on stuck with pack grinding up the first incline, I settled in knowing that early placement was vital but not necessary. The climbs were clogged with riders grinding methodically up. Things finally thinned out and I found my rhythm as things began to flow. I stuck to my nutrition plan and things were absolutely flowing. At the end of the third lap, I felt that little twinge in my lower quads, not so much a cramp as muscle seizure. Went into damage control/survival mode for the next two laps.
I rolled across the finish feeling strong but a bit disappointed.
I finished in 4:08 which was good enough for 30th place in the geared Veteran 40-49 division where I was scored. My placing in the SS division could be 12th.
Next big race on the docket is Dirty Kanza.
Mike
6 Responses to “Front Range 50”
singlespeeders are hardcore. way to go man. how often did you chow down during the race? i’m planning to do a 100 miler this summer and am wondering about food during the race.
cj
Nice racing Mike… your new Crossniac kit will make all the difference I bet!
I always used Enervit GT tablets & Enervitene Cheerpacks to help fight off cramping. I think I will look into an Enervit sponsorship for Crossniacs – the stuff is absolutely second-to-none.
CJ, grab those Cheerpacks… 240 Calories of quick (fructose) and long-term (maltodextrin). It’s liquid (easy to down in a split second) and it’s like having 2.5 GU’s or Gels at once. This is the ONLY race food I will ever use again… the stuff is liquid gold!
Oooops, here’s the link:
http://www.enervitusa.com/energy.html#d
We use alot of Enervit in the Faulkner household. It is good stuff.
cj
I was using Heed in one bottle and water in the other. Hammer gel for my fuel and some Electrolyte Stamina tablets. My issue was just getting a little behind in my consumption of liquids as the day was warmer than normal.
As a rule, I try to consume 40g of carbs per hour (I weigh roughly 130#) on any of my long distance gravel/dirt events. This works great for me as long as I mix up solid, liquid and gel. This formula worked great for Trans Iowa last year as I was able to finished. On my long rides and races I will make an effort to consume food/gel every 30 minutes with an energy drink in between.
If I would have been in the Crossniac kit, I don’t believe I would have had an issue with cramping. I will have some Enervit in my pack for my race in Kansas for sure.
Mike
Sweet Job Mike! Cheer Packs like the ones Sam Malone would give Norm and Cliffy?