Well, THAT hurt...
Well, the Darkhorse 40 was only my third MTB race, just my sixth time on the 29er all year. I bought the bike over the winter, rode it for the first time the day before Lewis Morris, then got thrashed at Lewis Morris and Kittatinny... I'm a strong roadie but coach and train many MTBers, so I told a few of them it was time to get out there with them and have some fun!!!!
But at Darkhorse 40, I wanted to do well -- a roadie can theoretically snare a good result at the Darkhorse... I pre-rode the course with a nice group the Sunday before the race. I was still a worthless mess out there, having to clip out like 8 times per lap, couldn't get up the steeper climbs, just not acclimated to the dynamic of the MTB... Ben Williams of Clockwork Construction spent a good 2h with me, helping me with some tips, showing me the best lines, and his assistance REALLY helped. I told him I wasn't used to this type of assistance, especially from a super strong rider, and he laughed and goes, "That's because you hang out with roadie scum." Lol...
I went back to Stewarts on WED to ride 40 miles. I had a friend of mine, a former pro, to help set the pace!!! Goal was to hit first lap at steady race pace, just steady and fast, and noodle the second half, just time on the bike and burning the course to memory... We jammed first half of lap, and I felt like a different rider, clearing everything (hey, to ME this is a lot, lol) but my friend started to get heat stroke, so we had to shut it down... But I felt ready...
As a roadie and coach, I really train with discpline, with a regimented plan to peak a few times a year for certain races... I had peaked in early summer for the Tour of Killington Stage Race and for the NJ Time Trial Championships, and then I earmarked the Darkhorse 40 and two final NJBA TTs as my second and final peak of 2010...
Well, I'm 100% a roadie and still pretty much SUCK in the woods, but I had ELECTRIC legs and really made a point to hydrate and eat like a pro out there, and it helped. My goal was to have ZERO issues and just ride steady all race long, and I was able to do just that, ended up 5th in the Cat-2 race, to me a huge success being there were tons of fast riders there and 150 starters...
What I LOVE about MTB racing is you have to take care of your body 100% out there. There's no drafting, no sitting in, no recovering, no taking it easier, no soft pedaling. So you have to be on point with the hydration and eating. There is NEVER any fluke results at the Darkhorse -- every rider who does well is doing all the right things on the trails.
I had a Camelbak and filled it with 100 oz of Accelerade. What I like about Accelerade is the protein-carb mix -- your muscles will break down more slowly... For some, Accelerade can be hard to digest, especially over longer distances, but I took a chance... I was going to use Perpetuem but went with my gut instinct... I also had a bottle of water, a Clifbar, and two flasks of honey...
First lap, had that bite valve in my mouth, sucking on Accelerade literally all of first lap. At the start line, seeing guys with one bottle, two bottles, knew this was going to be a frickin' DISASTER for some... I'm learning that MTBers are the biggest weight weenies!!! This is a fast course, and the extra weight will NOT hurt. Who wants to stop in a 40-mile race, destroy your rhythm? I certainly am not fast enough to stop, made sure to have more than enough water on me...
I was able to take top-10 going into the singletrack, maintained position. We were going so fast and I was unusually calm, very surreal... It was an amazing feeling!!! On the first steep climb there was a true train wreck, so I clipped out immediately and ran by everyone, in top-3 and feeling GREAT. However, we all made a wrong turn at some point, and a few of us turned back, a few didn't, and I ended up back in the clusterf*ck that is the rolling pack!!! I tried to sneak back through to the front, always drinking. First lap, ate the bar, making sure I ate it while my body could still digest it!
I caught a small group, then upped the Tempo, wanted to see if riders were up the road. One guy goes, "Northeastern, we have 25 more miles to go. Slow down." "You can slow down if you want," I said, and kept going. Hey, if you want to do well, you race like you're always behind, in last. I felt good and wanted to maintain the steady pace...
I was pretty much solo from then on, for a good 60% of the race, and I thought I was in 2nd or 3rd. Kept my head down and kept drinking, kept slurping honey. People underestimate the importance here, especially in a race this long. I remember this 1998 road race, the Paris-Roubaix, and one rider is off the front solo for 60+ miles, and every time the camera is on him he's eating, he's drinking. Always eat. Always drink. So I tried to do the same thing.
The MTBers I coach, I tell them to break the race into thirds. First third, you're almost a tourist, just riding, warming up, locking every detail of the course to memory. Second lap, you're a racer, steady, fast, in the rhythm. Now, if you've eaten and hydrated and trained properly, the final third of the race, you should be RAGING! This is the principle anyhow. Just like she says, lol, it's not how you start but how you FINISH. The final third of the race is exponentially more important than the first third... SO many riders start off way too hard and can't really experience this sensation...
Well, I didn't either! I had wanted to crush the final third of the race, but I was shot. I was feeling the effects in second half of final lap. My upper body was mush, and I'm not a good bike-handler as it is, so I had to work MUCH harder to keep the speeds up. I was starting to feel a little nauseus from all the Accelerade, but in this heat it's better to over than underhydrate. I turned to the water here and kept slurping honey... and could feel it just sitting in my stomach. Blick.
A rider (I think PoorIggy?) caught me near the end, just blew by me -- he was doing what I wanted to do! Kudos to him, looking fresh and jackhammering along. Music to my eyes. He had gears, so either he was with us or an Expert/Pro who flatted. I thought for a minute maybe he was in the team race. Either way, he caught and passed me, so I gritted my teeth and tried to pull him back, but he was just too fast, too smooth... Gone. Peoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Coming to the final rollercoaster section, I actually felt very good again, able to finish the race strong. Crossed the line and heard I was 5th... VERY happy to hear that and survive the epicness that is the DH 40!!!! I've ridden plenty of 100+ mile road races, stage races, super long group rides, but I've NEVER done a race like this, and I have to say it's the MOST FUN I'VE HAD ALL YEAR ON A BICYCLE. Just so much fun out there... Absolutely hooked on the MTBing, love it, the perfect way to split up the road season... BBQ post-race, everyone so social, so many strong guys out there, people who just love the sport, just good times all around.
I've been telling everyone that the Darkhorse 40 is the single-best race I've ever attended. Been road racing for 10+ years, dunno what took so long to get into the woods! But... better late than never!!! Kudos to everyone who performed well and even finished this hellish event...
Thanks for reading.
Kenneth Lundgren