Nearly Two years ago in September 05, on TV there was a Half Hour Documentary done on the sport of 24hr mountain bike racing which totally captured my imagination and I became fixated on, to nearly obsessed! The only problem was I was a road racer and only would ride off roads for fun!It was that week in September 05 I started serious training to prepare for A 24hr solo that I would try some time in 2007!Training would normally involve six days a week totaling 15-22hrs of training to get me in 24hr marathon shape.
Me With Some Of The Local School Kids
In Feb this year I decided that my fitness and strength where bang on target as I had won a few of the early season races on the road and on the MTB, as there are no 24hr events in Ireland north or south I would have to improvise and organize my own in aid of some local charities. Once all was decided and plans laid my start date would be 6pm June 8th 2007 and finish at 6pm the next day. The course would be 27 miles with half on roads and half off roads around Kileeshill.On the morning of the 24hr I spent checking over the bikes I would use and organizing the required food and equipment. By the time I had all this done it was around 1pm, so I had my dinner and went to sleep for a few hours wakening again at 5pm. Then it was just a matter of getting to the start at the community center!
On The Start Line June 14th 07
At five mins to 6 I was standing on the start waiting anxiously to go nerves were very high and it seemed forever but then I was told I could go Thank god! Off I went onto my first lap I was undecided for a few minutes weather I should go out fast and hopefully get into a speedy tempo or keep at a steady tempo, in the end my mind said FAST GO FAST. The decision paid off and my first 3 laps where very fast around the 1hr 20min mark, every thing went perfect, my power and speed on the road was great and my flow on the off roads was fast. At the end of my 3rd lap at the 81 mile mark I made my first food stop an put on the lights for the night section!On to lap 4 about half way around, my pedal on the bike began to cease up! FUCK just what I need! I rode on as normal though it was now starting to cause my knee pain, so I had to limp around the rest of that lap and change pedals! Luckily at the finish of the lap my close friend Oliver was there to help but try as we might the pedal would not come off so I had to change bikes, this held me up for a good twenty mins setting up the lights ect on the spare bike, so it was now around 1am and time for lap 5 which went well, but lap 6 was when the body started to slow I wandered if my early pace was making me pay or was I just low on fuel/food I was glad to see the end of lap 6 only for olie and jemma giving encouragement through the nite I would have Blew!So after a bowl of porridge at around 5-6am and some energy drink it was on to lap 7 which was also hard all the hills where like mini mountains and the off road section was killing me, I even fell off I was that tired, luckily I didn’t hurt myself! Everything was now sore, as everyone kept telling me at around the 12-14hr mark is when the sh1t hits the fan! And it’s true you have to just struggle on through it! Come the end of that lap at around 8:30 I got some pasta and more food, and got my specialized XC Pro mtb back fully fixed so on to lap 8 and I got a sudden surge of adrenaline and the old me was back ready for quicker laps!On lap 9 I was joined by another close friend Raymond, his Dad Kenny and Ian this was of great benefit as they could now set the pace for me and keep me going, and as Kenny is a coach and has done many endurance cycles before (Including the Road Race across America!!)He gave me invaluable advice! Forever grateful for that!The laps just seemed to come around and come around it was great!On the 12th lap Oliver had a car load of supporters (Emier, Bro & Jemma) to see me through my last few laps, once again it just spurred me on soo much, and then the phone in my back pocket was beeping, I gota text from Sinead and 1 from levina giving support and they really iced the cake just wot I needed, Thanks so much, the mind soon was active and ready to take on the last few hours!From all the support on the 12th lap I managed a 1h 28min lap!!Couldnt believe it! I was motoring again and then the 13th lap, which I started at around 4pm feeling great, soon turned into a hard slog my body was just giving up telling me to stop there was a few times on the longer 3mile plus climbs I had to stop the heat was high and the sweat was rolling off me flat out! Luckily I just mad the last lap and as I rounded the last corner my legs just gave up, it didn’t matter 1 fuck now cause I was home, and every one was there to greet me was a special moment for me as nearly 2years of hard work had come right on the day!Once showered and changed I had a stretch and started planning the next 24solo which will be Aug 11th & 12th 2007 In EnglandAnd hopefully olie will be there again!Thanks again to Raymond, Kenny, Ian, Jemma, Emier, Bronagh, Levina and of course Sinead.And one very big thank you to Oliver your part of the team.
Micko
Micko
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