12 Hours of Great Glen

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember amateurs built the arc. Professionals built the Titanic."

And I did try something new. John and I did the 2 person 12 hour race at Great Glen. A couple of year ago I was on a 4 person 24 hour team. Have to admit that the 12 hour was harder. With both John and I doing sub 50 minute laps, there was just not enough time to rest.....but just enough time to let the muscles set up into concrete! I also found it hard to eat. I do admire those solo riders......

The race was great! Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend! The course was full of wildflowers and blueberries. The views to Mt Washington from sections of the course were breath-taking! Because of all the wet weather this summer, the race officials shortened the course and did LOTS of work on the wet areas (thanks for trying guys). But, alas, after so many riders cross a mud bog, it's bound to get bigger and deeper. The "plunge" at the end of the course posed its own hazard. There was absolutely NO braking on this one. I found that I had to come to a complete stop at the top of it and then just point and shoot the bike down it. Of course on the last two laps the deep rut at the bottom posed its OWN problem! I managed to ride it every time.....impressive given that on my forth lap I was sure I was going down. But something or someone (my guardian angle?) kept that bike upright! I vowed that I was going to walk it on the next lap.....but.....it can't be that hard to ride, can it?!?

My first lap was exciting. After the 1/4 mile run at the start, I had made my way closer to the front of the pack' but there were still points in the first 2 miles that had backups with riders. After the second mile, I could feel my headset loosen. Note to self....do NOT put your fork back on yourself without knowing which way the cups are placed in the headtube! Yes....the top one was upside down! This made the first lap exciting being that I really didn't know if the fork could fall off. But I did finish and immediately made my way to the Red Jersey Cycling Tent for some neutral support. I took the fork off myself and had the guy show me how to put it back together correctly (otherwise they said I could leave it there and they would get to it in a 1/2 hour....not a choice with John already well into his lap!). After that, the bike worked flawlessly! I'm always amazed that the bike continues to shift with all the mud on it!

John and I finished first in the 2 person co-ed teams. After 6 laps I was cooked, so John took a break and went back out at 11 to finish just after midnight (30 seconds after to be exact!). We finished with 12 laps.....if we were really tough....we could have had 14 laps. But hell, we are there to have fun!