graemebunton.com » Archives » Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

I’ve been cycling a lot more over the past two years, and having gotten back into reasonable shape this spring (after getting reasonably out of shape and overweight) i pondered trying out racing again.

I last raced in ’97 i think, i didn’t take it very seriously, and i didn’t enjoy it an awful lot. I tried a few O-cup races and the vibe was far more competitive than what i was looking for. So i stopped racing, and even riding much for the next couple of years. In university i was introduced to the Don Valley trails, where I’ve been cycling frequently since about ’02.

So i lost twenty pounds this spring and my cardio got a whole lot better, so i found riding even more enjoyable this year. I put on over a thousand km of almost exclusively off-road trails this summer, despite losing 5 weeks to do a fractured collarbone (also done cycling, but probably worth its own post). A colleague who also does a lot of cycling mentioned he was thinking of doing “Paul’s Dirty Enduro” a few weeks ago as a lead up to the Epic 8 Hour race at Hardwood Hills. I checked it out, and it looked like a perfect way to get back into racing. A fun, community-minded event, with an emphasis on having a good time, and less on time.

Paul’s Enduro has 4 different race lengths: 15, 30, 60 and 100km. When i ride in the Don, my standard length is about 30km, i can crank it up to about 45km, but anything beyond that requires doing laps of the same trails, which is not a ton of fun so i don’t do that a lot. As such, I knew i could do the 30km race at Paul’s, but, as i thought I’d like a challenge, i should do the 60km. Keeping in mind, 60km would probably be the longest ride I’ve ever done, let alone 60km of single track, cross country mayhem.

I did a few long-ish 40-45km rides in the weeks leading up to Paul’s, and feeling reasonably fit i was pretty confident I’d be OK. Now, i’m not retarded, i know 60km of trail is a lot, and would take a lot out of me – i read up a bit on nutrition and hydration for long races and made sure i would have the supplies for that. I also now that much of the trails in the Don are considerably harder and more technical than you would find on race course of this nature. The Don has lots of steep, punchy climbs, and extremely narrow, technical single track. Most race courses for enduro’s are longer, easier climbs, and more friendly single track trails, and it turns out that one is not really good training for the other.

There were about 125 riders doing the 60km, and it didn’t take long for us to spread out after the start. The first 6km were kind of unpleasant as i warmed up and found a pace that suited me. I was find my tires a bit hard so at the first feed station i let some air out of my back tire to help get more traction on the sand, and make riding my hard tail a bit more comfy.

6km to about 35km was amazing. The trails were a TON of fun, i was mostly alone and riding my own pace, feeling great and having a blast. Shortly after the 2nd feed station at around 35km there trail was a brand new cut in the woods, this means that it is very loose dirt, and very, very bumpy.

As mentioned, i ride a hard tail bike, so while i have shocks on my front fork, i don’t on the back. I figure the ration of full suspensions to hard tails at this race was 15 to 1. Everyone knew better than I. This new cut of trail was such carnage that i basically couldn’t sit for 2km. By the time i got out of it i was panting hard and my legs were really beginning to ache. It was the beginning of my downfall, it took a ton out of me. Prior to that section at about the halfway point i was on track for a 4hour finish. As the trail continued on, i was beginning to really feel my legs, not coincidentally, this about the same distance as my usual ride in the Don. My legs were very adamant this was how far they wanted to go, and they were done now, thank you very much.

I kept soldiering on, and made it to the last feed station at 15km remaining. I had nothing by this point, I’d been operating on fumes for the past 5 or so km and i was empty. I took some time at the station to stretch, eat and hydrate, hoping i could get a bit of my strength back. My lungs and cardio were feeling fine, i just had nothing in my legs. I hopped back on my bike and tried my best to keep going.

My average speed dropped through the floor, and if you look at the route elevation, the last 15km have a TON of climbing. By the 50km mark i was hurting pretty bad. My legs would cramp up on the more strenuous climbs, forcing me to walk. Through the woods i could hear other riders screaming. Some from cramps, others from frustration at yet another long, sandy climb. I receded into myself and just kept pedaling, counting down the km.

After what seemed like forever i eventually emerged at the finish, by my clock after about 4:43 of riding. I’d dropped 43mins off my pace from the first half.

I was ( and kinda still am) totally cooked. I was just not prepared for what that took out of me.

It was, despite the pain, a lot of fun. The organization that ran the event, and the mood of all the other riders was great. Super friendly, and everyone was more interested in just finishing, not posting their best time. I would do it again next year, provided i can get some longer training rides in, and that i have a full suspension under me.

You can play through my race here: http://connect.garmin.com/player/13610202 Note that as i am using an googlephone as my gps, it doesn’t have the grain to capture the full distance, so it says its about 8km shorter than it is. As well, that speed spike near the end is an anomaly, i for sure didn’t hit 60km/h.

Share:

TAGS: Cycling, Mountain Biking, Paul's Enduro, Race