The first 24h race of 2017
Between the anticipation of a great and energetic weekend, there's always a bit of nervousness mixed in for me... what a challenge for people and material :D. After all, a 24-hour race requires a lot more preparation than a marathon.
The Alfsee is located near Osnabrück, essentially in the flatland. The journey takes about 2 hours. How to gain altitude on the flat?! -> Up and down the dike, again and again, on meadow and sand...
Planning the race starts with packing: long, short, thick, thin, for rain, for wind, for sleeping, for sitting, for washing, for eating.
The food during the race is excellent at Alfsee, but since you arrive on Friday there are always two boxes of food on the packing list in addition to the tent and clothing. So the car is always full to the brim.
It rained heavily on Friday. We got a little wet while setting up. But the rain cleared quickly and we were able to end the evening comfortably by the lake after the pasta party. Well rested and with a nutritious breakfast, we drove along the route on Saturday to explore the small changes that had been announced: an approx. 6m section of trail was new and once again up the dike; Nothing was impossible, but I was uneasy (as always).
The starting signal went off at 2 p.m. and I had again decided on 3rd position in the order. We all wanted to do two laps each by the next morning, meaning just over a 3 hour break for each of us. With the motivation from last year, I started the first two laps around 4:10 p.m. Unfortunately, on the second lap I slipped on a downhill curve on the meadow, otherwise this would certainly have been my fastest lap. Conclusion after the first turn: two super fast laps.
We quickly found ourselves in 3rd place in the overall ranking, yup 🙂
My second turn went just as well as the first and the times remained consistent. Intermediate food: fruit, Jentschura porridge, Herbalife shake, rice, arginine (soooo delicious *gag* -> promotes regeneration, but unfortunately it is not tasteless) and lots of liquids.
I already lay down for the third turn. The lamps were already ready as they are mandatory from dusk. The time iron indicated the next start time was around 1 a.m. When driving at night, the question of what to wear is always particularly big: your circulation is in the basement and you're tired, so you freeze before you start driving, and as soon as you start you usually think: crap, too much on... But I've already had three years of experience; ). The first round was unusual as usual. On the second lap, a rider fell on the trail directly in front of me. I initially stayed with him until the paramedics and team were notified and a rider friend of mine came along. I finished the round with the chain on the right, so I still got a time of 35.
The fourth turn at dawn always takes a lot of effort. After eating and sleeping, the sun was already tempting, but the struggle with moisture and signs of fatigue is increasing. The lap times also confirmed this, so we decided together to only do one lap from now on. Because estimating the strength for two rounds is no longer easy after 18 hours.
I clearly felt the improvement on the last two laps. Time flew by and we managed to send my father on one last lap with just under four minutes to go. 3rd place secured, YES!!! Proud as Oscar!!!
After so many hours, the trails were noticeably worn out and revealed a variety of things: roots, manhole covers, steps,... I often followed the line of other riders, rode extremely slowly or simply let myself roll. I'm really proud that I didn't give in to the "I want to push" man. In addition, we didn't have any defects, knock on wood.
I'm really proud of all of us. This year we also registered a second team, 4 men with three 'race debutants'. Everyone did their best. We'll definitely be at the start again next year, as it's not only a great race with a great atmosphere, but the accommodation at the campsite is also unique and extremely comfortable ;D.
