By October, almost all the elite cyclists in the world have wrapped up their seasons and shifted into donut-eating vacation mode. Unless you're a cyclo-cross racer or 24 hour mountain biker that is!
"Typically, I dial in my race calendar in January and February and then check off the races as they come and go. Over the years, I have stuck to the calendar as planned and have not added any extra races. This year was different as I added the 24 Hours of Landahl to my calendar mid-August which brought me to four 24's in one summer. It is very difficult to balance racing and recovery from three of these, yet alone four. However, my legs benefited greatly from all the miles in Race Across America (RAAM) in June.
There are two big 24 hour races in the fall with hefty purses; one in Georgia and the other in Moab, Utah. Only one of those is left on my schedule; my sixth consecutive solo race at the 12th Annual 24 Hours of Moab.
But back to Landal - The race went something like this……..
The run was short and fast and I kinda flailed putting on my CamelBak in the transition while mounting my Gary Fisher Super Caliber 29. I picked my way though the group to the front and was quickly joined by my teammate Cameron Chambers who was racing on a four-man team. Cameron charged the lines since this course was in his backyard, and I sat on his wheel and we finished the first lap first and second overall. I had a killer support group consisting of my girlfriend Janis, a mechanic Colin, and my friend Brian. Everything went like clockwork for the first fourteen hours. In fact, I was duking it out with a four-person team for the first placed team overall. "
Read the entire Nat Ross diary here.
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
