The 2009 Ultra Marathon Cycling Association’s Ultracup competition is now underway. Linda and I traveled to Sebring, FL, over a week ago to try to get some training in on asphalt. We arrived to freezing weather, something we thought we had left in Michigan. However, by Saturday, it had warmed up, and I did a 120 mile ride over much of the Sebring course. My body indeed was not accustomed to regular bike riding, having spent the last 3 months training on the Computrainer in our basement. My right knee responded by becoming painful and swollen, to such an extent that I figured that racing in a week was unlikely.
It is a Coachman, so we named it "Coach"
However, I took two ibuprofens and went to bed and believe it or not, the knee was close to normal the next day. I rode 40 miles on Tuesday, 75 on Wednesday, and 20 on Thursday. On Friday we broke camp and spent the night in the camper at the speedway.
Saturday dawned clear and sunny, but the race started at 0630, so I donned my long pants, jacket and gloves over my racing attire. 3 loops around the 3.7 miles racetrack before sunrise, then out into the Florida countryside for the 91 mile long loop.
At the Start
Linda parked the RV at about the 2 hour mark, then after meeting me with fresh nutrition (Ensure-like stuff which appeals to the GI tract less and less as the day progresses) then moving a bit closer to the speedway for the second rendezvous. The weather was beautiful with one exception: the wind. This became an increasingly strong and annoying factor as the day progressed.
Once back at the speedway at about 1230 (103 miles), we raced on the short loop, 11 miles long, until 1730. This was a slightly rolling course on the outskirts of Sebring. By the afternoon, it was 85 degrees and the wind increased. One particular stretch along the busiest road on the course (US 98) was a 4 mile stretch uphill and directly into that wind. After about my 5th loop, some old foot problems resurfaced and I was wondering if I could finish. I learned, however, that pushing it a bit more under those conditions worked wonders, and the problems never returned.
169 miles
When we moved onto the racetrack itself at about 1730, I had 180 miles to my credit. 13 hours to go, and thoughts of RAAM qualifying danced in my head. I began the task of seemingly endless loops around the 3.7 mile course, fighting the headwind about half the time. You never seem to make up time lost at 13 to 15 mph by blessed stretches at 20-21. I settled into a routine of resting after every 5 loops, or 18.5 miles.
My favorite parts of the race!
As the sun went down and I watched the evening star make its way to the horizon, I realized that at that rate, I would be unable to RAAM qualify. It was just a number, anyway. The track is not lit, and the folks marked the track with battery powered blinking red lights. Until I became thoroughly acquainted with the many turns and twists of the track, (remember it’s a Formula 1 track, not a NASCAR) I managed to ride into the infield not once, but twice, crashing the first time, simply riding back on the second. At the same place. Twice. Nothing hurt except the pride.
The Pit Crew
As the night wore on and the beautiful gibbous moon began to light the way, my GI system rebelled against any further attempts to at least partly replace the nearly 800 calories burn per hour in an event like this. When the blinking red lights began looking like crabs, and the building began appearing where they weren’t, I did sneak in a nap, violating rule #1. Actually I early on modified the rule to 6 minutes, not 5.
After 344 miles
As the eastern sky turned from gray to rose pink, one of the official ladies urged me to complete 2 loops in the final ½ hour, which I did with several minutes to spare, almost enough for a 3rd.
344 miles was not a record, nor RAAM qualifying, but it was a personal best for 24 hours, and good enough for 1st place in my age group.
The "Winners Circle" for the 60-64 age group
All in all, a good start to the racing season. Best of all, however, is that 24.94 UMCA points were earned toward Project Renewal of the Memorial Christian Hospital in Bangladesh. May God alone receive the credit and glory. May He continue to move more people to sponsor these efforts.
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