how long is 24 hours??? “I will let you know tomorrow”, “give me a day and I will sleep on it”, “see you tomorrow”. they all sound pretty short.  24 hrs = 1,440 min = 86,400sec. in the grand scheme of things they are just a blink of the eye.  however, make it a bike race and it seems to drag on f..o..r..e..v..e..r.

so, what the hell am I talking about???  delirium 2013 was a timed lapped event down at cowaramup which ran for 24hrs.  this is pretty unique as most events over that duration are usually mountain bike events.  there are a number of endurance events on the western australia mountain bike calendar for 6, 8, 12 hrs.  doing an event this long on the road is a lot different as there is drafting and packs and teams trying to outdo each other with different race strategies.

there are a number of categories but basically there is the solo or the teams.  teams of up to six riders can swap over whenever they like to keep the riders fresh.  the solo riders can stop whenever they want to keep themselves fresh.  like most events some people race hard while others are just there to finish.

I had toyed with the idea of entering last year, but I had a wedding to attend on the saturday, so it was a no-go.  alison, dale and leah completed delirium 2012 and all reported back that it was a great event although while stu cranked it out in the teams category.  the teams is definitely a different event as the top teams are all smashing out laps at close to 40km/hr.  this is hard to maintain, even with lots of rest.  the solo is for the plodders.  consistency is the key.

so the seed was planted last year and I was considering it this year when brooke said that she was going to do it.  it took a little convincing, but I decided that I would like to see what I was capable of. I signed up.

how the hell do you train for a 24 hr event???  I had no idea so I just started doing longer and longer rides.  saturday earlybird plus main plus an extra lap became a staple as I tried to get my body used to being on the bike for an extended period.  soon that saturday 150km was backed up by a sunday hills ride and then the 3 dams to give me a 300km weekend.  was I ready??? I still had no idea.  the only thing I did notice was my arse wasn’t getting quite as sore (conditioning).

logistically, a 24hr event takes a lot of work.  I was trying to work out my race strategy, my support strategy and my driver to get me home.  I was planning to put something up on the blog but then kate said that she and the boys were going to come down.  brooke had someone lined up that would stay up all night that would look after both of us.  with accommodation booked we headed down on friday to get a good night sleep before the 11am kick off on saturday.

the course is a 3.7km circuit around a housing estate in cowaramup, just north of margaret river.  many people said that 3.7km would be like being in a fish bowl, but I can assure you that it is not.  logistically, from an event organiser point of view, if the circuit is too long, then you have riders out in the middle of nowhere at 2am in the dark.  not the most ideal situation if anything goes wrong.

by the time we turn up there were tents, campervans and all manner of temporary accommodation being setup just after the start/finish line. it was a bit of a free for all with the more experienced teams coming early and staking out the prime locations.  we just pitched where we could which was pretty much the second to last tent in the row.  as we were doing solo, it didn’t really matter about being near the finish line as we weren’t going to be changing over during the race.

we set up the tent, got our food and clothing ready and went to register.  our overnight support had to pull out so we were going to be on our own.  I had come up with a race strategy of 3 hrs on the bike then ½ hr off.  during the ½ hr I would totally get changed and have something more solid to eat.  I thought that this strategy would keep me feeling fresher and I could crank out close to 100kms per block or 700km for the 24 hrs.  allowing for fatigue I estimated that I could get about 600kms if it all went well.  that was my target.

without a support person, brooke decided to adopt the same strategy so we could look after each other throughout the event.  kate and the boys were there at the start, but the plan was that they would head off to go visit some attractions before bringing pizza back at the dinner time stop.

with everything in place, we went and did a lap of the course to see what it was like. it was generally flat, with a few slight rises and one little valley just before the finish.  the road surface was pretty good with probably 75% being new hot mix and only 1 or 2 potholes that we had to dodge each lap. the houses were on big blocks so there were not that many that you would see and there were a couple of stretches of bushland and vineyards.  overall there were not that many street lights along the course, but you didn’t really notice it at 11am.

by the time we got back to the start, people were lining up for briefing.  they asked the riders to self seed with the faster teams that would average 40km/hr to start at the front.  I was just behind them hoping the get a draft for as long as could.  11am saturday had arrived and we were off.

the teams went off like a shot.  a couple of strong teams were in there including satalyst giant who had lots of strong riders.  they really were going to average 40km/hr.  there were a couple riders in front of me that had overestimated their ability and didn’t get on the train which caused me to also miss out.  I chased hard for a while to see if they would ease up after the initial burst…they didn’t.  on my wheel I had jessica douglas who is a mountain bike 24 hr world champ.  she said that there was another group coming up behind and we should wait.  40km/hr was a bit ambitious for a 24 hr event.

we settled in to a rhythm with the group and the laps started ticking by.  the unwritten rule is that the solo riders usually don’t do any work and the teams should set the pace.  at the start, the solo riders are also full of beans and so we did a few turns at the front.  not too many though as it is a long day ahead.  I found out that some of the teams were on a pretty quick turn around with some of them changing riders after only 4 laps.  we worked this out when our lead riders suddenly pulled off and left us solo riders on the front.  the other thing I discovered was that the teams want to make it easier for their next rider by attacking hard up the last climb to get ahead of the group.  this then gives their next rider a group to draft behind.

11am to 2pm was my schedule and during that time kate and the boys had hung around to watch.  each lap I got a “go dad” which was great to hear and kept the momentum happening.  even better was when a light shower of rain came through, I asked kate for my vest and got it without having to stop and lose the group.

30 laps down and I pulled in for a break.  the plan was to get changed have something more solid to eat and get back out on the road. as I got changed, kate headed down to the food van and picked up some hot chips.  it took me 15 min just to get changed.  by the time I settled down enough to eat, filled bottles etc it was 50 minutes by the time we got back on the road.  hmmm.  that strategy may need rethinking.  also, that first 3 hrs I had averaged 37km/hr.  a bit ahead of schedule (I had planned 33km/hr), so it may even out in the end.

we decided to stick to the same time strategy but now extend the stops out to an hour.  this meant that we would next be getting off the bike at 5:30pm.  kate and the boys would not be hanging around and the original suggestion of getting pizza went out the door.  nutrition is such a fickle thing and understanding what your body can take is sometime hard to judge.  I can probably eat a whole pizza by myself after 3 hours on the bike, but trying to cram that into a 30min or even an hour gap isn’t easy.  it takes a good 20 mins for your heart rate and breathing to come back down let alone your appetite.

back on the bike and you notice things are hurting as you settle into a rhythm. I came prepared for chaffing with butt cream and fixamull but it never really happened.  what I did notice was that the area around my sit bones were getting very tender.  I had to keep adjusting my position on the saddle to ensure that I wasn’t always directly on them.  you would find a comfortable spot and try to keep it there for as long as possible.  it would then start to hurt so you would stand for a bit and then try to get comfortable again.

26 laps later at around 35km/hr and I was off the bike again.  cramps were starting to effect my quads and the tendons behind my left knee were feeling tight.  getting changed was starting to become and issue especially taking my socks off.  bending without cramping was hard to do.  food was not appealing but I forced myself to eat half a can of stew and have a bit of coke.  this time we spent an hour off the bike giving us time to get our breath back.  restock the pockets, fill the bottles and ensure the lights are on the bike.  off again.

we now had 2 ½ hrs on the bike before our next stop at 9pm.  the pace had dropped off significantly as it was now harder to keep up with the teams who were still going strong. once the sun had really gone down, it was a whole different ball game.  there were still groups hooking around, but everyone was getting tired.  earlier in the day I had kept an eye on some of the other solo riders to make sure wasn’t too far behind, now I just didn’t care.  some of the teams were pretty good at wanting to help the solo riders, others gave you the flick of the elbow to ask you to come through.  “sorry mate, solo rider, can’t help you” was the usual reply.  some riders where not happy about that.

I managed 22 laps and was feeling crap.  cramps in my quads, soreness behind my knee, upper back/neck stiffness. 78 laps complete so just under 290kms, the longest ride I had done so far.  change, fill, charge, eat ready to get back on the bike.  brooke had pulled in for this break and was not in a good place.  she felt that she had enough and crawled into the back of the ute for a sleep.  it had been windy all ride and in between the wind there had been rain showers.  not the most ideal riding conditions and ones that quickly wore down your resolve.

I headed out after one hour and started my next 2 ½ hr block.  there were less and less people on the road even though the numbers shouldn’t have dropped off that much yet.  when I managed to get in a good group, it was a lot like the thursday earlybird ride.  pitch black and a little patch of light illuminating the guy in front of you.  the results really showed whether you were in a good group or not.  sub seven minute laps showed a good draft, plus eight minute laps means long stints on your own.  I had moved off the gels and onto perpetuem which I grabbed from brooke.  I had only had them a few times before, but they actually went down better than the gels did.  if you hadn’t seen them before, they look like marshmellows, have the consistency of chalk but have a slight strawberry flavour.  at first attempt, it feels like you are trying to eat a small urinal cake.  the biggest winner for me, nutrition-wise, were vegemite sandwiches with the crusts cut off.  nice and soft, full of carbs and salt.  I found the crusts too dry and a real struggle to eat while riding.

at 12:30am I got off the bike after another 20 laps.  pace was slowing and I was starting to have a tough time mentally.  brooke was asleep still and I couldn’t remember whether I was supposed to wake her up or she said she was setting her alarm.  on either side of the tent were the support teams for the two guys that were leading the men’s solo category.  they were friendly enough and happy to just have someone else to talk to.  the wind was still blowing and the occasional shower of rain kept the temperature down.  it made it hard when you were off the bike, so I quickly got changed and wrapped myself in the doona.  eating became a struggle and I had to force something down.  I think this break I ate half a packed of salt and vinegar chips.  not the most ideal mid-race nutrition but all I could muster.

an hour passed and I couldn’t get out of the chair.  everytime I thought about riding, another shower of rain came though.  this is the time when you need a good support person kicking your arse, or at least another fellow competitor to motivate you.  brooke was still asleep so I felt pretty isolated.  an hour and three quarters later I was back on the road.  I remember being told that I was in 5^th place so I wanted to hold onto that if I could.  I had no idea what I was now sitting after so long off the bike but was angry with myself for not being motivated.

it was passed 2am and it was cold, windy and there were not many people out.  there were long stretches where I saw no-one for almost a whole lap.  on the front straight it wasn’t too bad as you passed the people waiting to change riders or those sitting alongside the course supporting their teams.  there were a few fire pits going to add to the camping atmosphere so you saw people in that section all the time.  the back straight, however, was cold windy and dark.  the place you really needed someone to draft off and you are all on your own.  mental games.  14 laps down and I pulled back in at 4am.

changed, refilled, charged, fed.  wrapped in the doona staring out to space.  brooke woke up and asked me why I didn’t wake her.  I thought that she had set her alarm, she thought I was waking her.  whoops.  it was cold and windy and the rain was now blowing under the tent.  people were passing by on bikes and I just didn’t seem to care.  I jumped into the back of the ute under the tarp to keep the wind and rain off and promptly fell asleep.  brooke said I complained about the bike lights shining as they went passed, then started snoring.  whoops.  112 laps down and 414 kms and I was still sitting in 5^th place.  there were only a handful of laps between 4^th – 6^th and here I was sleeping.

brooke got up a bit angry with herself for sleeping so long and headed out, accidently waking me in the process.  now I was angry with myself for actually falling asleep.  we had no-doz, but had not taken any and hit that early morning slump hard.  it was an hour and three quarters until I was on the bike again.

i got my gear together and headed out.  at the first intersection (the one leaving the circuit) there was a commodore waiting to turn.  as I passed by, it honked it’s horn at me.  what the???  the last thing I needed was some type of abuse from drivers at before 6am.  the car turned to follow me and pulled up alongside.  a familiar voice started some friendly abuse but my night vision was shot due to looking at the bike light for so long.  who the hell was that???  it turns out that nathan and shaw had decided that a 2:30am road trip was in order and they came down to make sure I wasn’t asleep.  the support was appreciated and I showed them where we were camped.

just seeing someone familiar was a big relief and even when they headed out for a walk around the circuit, it gave me something to aim for.  it was a short stint on the bike and only 14 laps later I pulled in for the 7:30am stop.  the rain had come and gone and come again and the wind hadn’t really abated.  conditions really sucked, but I knew that I only had one more block of riding to go.

126 laps down and 466kms a long way from my initial goal of 600kms. i was going to make sure that the last block of i at least hit the 500km mark.  I pulled in and got changed.  kate turned up with the boys and bought bacon and egg muffins.  it still took an hour to get everything done but I had some more solid food in my belly and could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  also, it was light as the sun had come up and that made all the difference.

I headed out the same time as joel in the next tent and we jumped into a group of mostly solo riders.  I had talked to him a few times in the night, but by now he had solidified his lead overall and was a lot more relaxed.  when I first met him, he had an audax jersey on and I immediately knew he was a player.  talking to him and his support crew I found out that he had done a bunch of 200, 400, 600 and even a 1200km ride.  his strategy for the delirium was a 0 stop strategy and just ride all night.  he actually did stop 3 times for about 5 minutes each time.  the rest of the time he just had food and drink passed to him as he rode by.  the funny thing was I found out that he was really worried about me.  in the first 3 hrs when I averaged 37km/hr I was actually ahead of him in the standings.  he found himself going harder than he wanted, to make sure that he didn’t get too far behind.  I laughed and said that anything over 200kms was new ground for me so he needed to have worried.  he said that at my first stop when he saw me get changed and put trackie daks on, he knew I wasn’t a threat.

his real threat came from mountain bike 24 hr world champ jessica douglas who was neck and neck with him come midnight.  however, she hit the wall a bit and backed off the pace during the witching hours and joel managed to get ahead.

in the men’s solo, however, there was generally only 5 – 10 laps between the 2^nd to 5^th positions.  this meant that they watched each other quite closely in the closing stages.  as we headed around, the top 6 or so men were being lead by mark who was consistently setting the pace.  I went to the front to relive him and he said that he was fine.  he had gotten 10hrs sleep over night as he started coughing up blood.  he actually lived on the circuit so just went home for a sleep. he came out again at 7am to help a few of the guys get home.

as we progressed around, the pace wasn’t really on and I was feeling remarkably good considering.  mark had said that he got just over 530kms in D1 and I thought that maybe I could get better than that.  doing the maths in my head, I needed to pick up the pace a bit.  the rest of the guys were reluctant as they had pretty much solidified their positions in the leaderboard.  for me, it was less about position and more about total kms.  as the laps wore on, more of the solo guys dropped off for a break and soon it was just me and mark with some teamsters.  as someone faster went passed, I told mark to go with, but he didn’t have the legs so I took off.

jumping from team wheel to team wheel I kept my pace up as high as I could waiting for the quad cramps to come and stop me in my tracks.  they didn’t come.  I kept going hard. by this time all the teamsters were more understanding of us solo’s drafting behind and put in some good efforts to drag us along.  with about an hour to go it bucketed down with rain.  I was following this guy with mountain bike shorts on for 3 laps and he had one more to go.  he was faltering so I went around to give him a hand and he dropped my wheel.  oops, but sorry mate, no time to lose.  thanks for your help though.

I soloed past lots of riders that where just tapping it out to finish off the 24 hrs but the top team guys were still racing hard.  I stopped in for 30sec to dump my powerade and grab a coke before pushing on.  the roads were soaking, I was dripping, puffing and panting I kept smashing the last few laps out all the time looking at the remaining time and my total kms.  I might just get over 535kms.  it wasn’t till my second last lap that a guy from satalyst giant team came past and told me well done.  no time to reply I just jumped on his wheel and hung on tight.  luckily he didn’t smash the hill too bad and I could stay with him.  I checked the clock, maybe we can get one more in after this if we make it around in time.  pushing hard we averaged about 35kms into a strong wind but it was not quite enough as time expired and we crossed the line.  I thanked him for the draft and pulled into the tent.  I had completed 145 laps and 536.5kms.

I was panting, soaking, dirty and tired, but relieved that it was finished.  the two guys either side of us had gotten 1^st and 2^nd with 743.7 and 632.7kms respectively. I was a long way off, but they were both experienced distance riders so I didn’t feel too bad for my virgin outing.  the supporters had packed up all the gear and all we had to do was get changed and head down to the presentations.  true to form it rained during the awards and we all crammed into a tent for the finale.

the winning team had cranked out 917.6kms which was a new record, joel had smashed the previous solo record and jessica has not only smashed the women’s record (held by leah) but also was second overall in the solo category.  brooke wasn’t happy with her 9hrs sleep but still managed to crank out 321.9kms which is a awesome effort considering how long she has been riding for.

would I do it again???  probably, but there are a lot of things that I have learned from this experience.

firstly support is everything.  even if it means that you have to stay an extra night down there to get more sleep, it is worth having a 24 hour support person to fetch, carry and motivate you.  some of the solo riders also had teams down there and those teams would often be seen drafting the solo’s around.  the more people from the same club all sharing the same amenities makes it easier to deal with.

the second most important thing would be somewhere to keep warm and dry.  a proper tent or a campervan, or both.  the pop-up gazebo didn’t really cut it at 2am with the wind blowing rain into the area.  even worse for those that are sitting up all night as support.

nutrition and knowing what your body is capable of are really hard things to understand until you have done one of these.  my idea that having solid food on breaks was good, but I didn’t realise that my body wouldn’t accept it anyway.  also, you get sick of gels really quickly.  also, having lots and lots of powerade and gels plays havoc with your system for a couple of days to come.

the most important thing was some advice from leah and that was double knicks.  yep, 2 pairs of knicks on makes all the difference.  my biggest issue was I didn’t double until after my 2^nd break.  it was too late by then as I was already sore.  I was sure that I had bruises under my sit bones.

now I know that some of you have already talked about doing this event and i highly recommend it.  it would be great to get a decent contingent heading down to D4 next year including a couple of teams as well.  getting a big spr showing will be on my agenda and expect to see more about this at the start of next year.  I am planting the seed now as it will take you a while to realise what you can achieve.

more info can be found on their website and results can be found here.