marcusjb
Senior Member
- Location
- Twickenham
As some on here know, I ride lots of long distance events, but all at moderate pace.
I had decided that I wanted to give the 24 a go around a year ago. I'd had a big Audax season and wanted to focus on some thing else. The 24 and Audax are tied together in history. Before Audax UK existed, the way to qualify for PBP was to ride 600km in a 24 hour time trial.
24s are rare beasts these days. They used to be more common, but the huge resources required to marshal and time keep these events means we are down to, usually, one a year (the mersey roads) and occasionally two (like this year). The ESCA 24 fell into my diary better - so, despite it's reputation as a harder course, I started working on things.
I can ride for days on end on my main bike (condor fratello), and we have a strict 1 in, 1 out policy now - so a TT rig was out of the question. So back in autumn, I bought some aero bars and started getting accustomed to them.
Even as spring arrived, it all seemed so impossible compared to what I normally do. I'm reasonably quick on audaxes, but as they are not timed, I often use my bit of pace to allow me to spend more time in cafes etc. For the 24, I was going to have to raise my speed and minimise my time off the bike.
How far was I going to go? No idea! The fast boys would crack 500 miles. My targets were more modest (but still seemed so far for me!). I really wanted to get 600km (372 miles) - I liked the tie in with the history of PBP and it seemed a good first time target. It still seemed beyond belief that I could do it though - it normally takes me 35-40 hours to cover that distance.
I got slightly caught up in the game of trying to buy speed - I bought a castelli speed suit (sort of a skin suit, but with some practicality allowed for like going to the loo). I wasn't going to try and ride with a pointy hat quite this time - they are incredibly pricey, and lack ventilation. I was surprised by the number of people wearing them, in particular the bambino, at the start - however, the number at the end was somewhat less.
Everything nearly came off the rails in the final week, when, after a family gathering, I caught a cold. It wasn't too bad and I planned to start anyway. Even if I only rode a few hours, I would learn some useful experiences.
Anyway, I set off. Went really well for the first 12 hours, slowed slightly at 18 hours, fell apart physically in the last 6 hours.
I really messed myself up - I now have a horrendous cough and my leg swelled up like a rock hard balloon. I can now walk again - but still very sore.
http://marcusjb.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/24-hour-time-trial-esca-24-national-championships/
It was a brilliant event, I really enjoyed it. The organisation was amazing.
I was very pleased to reach 600km on my computer (I got about 608) - but it is my official distance that counts - which will take a few days to come through yet.
Will I do it again? Probably. But it has to be your main focus of the season - it is all consuming.
I had decided that I wanted to give the 24 a go around a year ago. I'd had a big Audax season and wanted to focus on some thing else. The 24 and Audax are tied together in history. Before Audax UK existed, the way to qualify for PBP was to ride 600km in a 24 hour time trial.
24s are rare beasts these days. They used to be more common, but the huge resources required to marshal and time keep these events means we are down to, usually, one a year (the mersey roads) and occasionally two (like this year). The ESCA 24 fell into my diary better - so, despite it's reputation as a harder course, I started working on things.
I can ride for days on end on my main bike (condor fratello), and we have a strict 1 in, 1 out policy now - so a TT rig was out of the question. So back in autumn, I bought some aero bars and started getting accustomed to them.
Even as spring arrived, it all seemed so impossible compared to what I normally do. I'm reasonably quick on audaxes, but as they are not timed, I often use my bit of pace to allow me to spend more time in cafes etc. For the 24, I was going to have to raise my speed and minimise my time off the bike.
How far was I going to go? No idea! The fast boys would crack 500 miles. My targets were more modest (but still seemed so far for me!). I really wanted to get 600km (372 miles) - I liked the tie in with the history of PBP and it seemed a good first time target. It still seemed beyond belief that I could do it though - it normally takes me 35-40 hours to cover that distance.
I got slightly caught up in the game of trying to buy speed - I bought a castelli speed suit (sort of a skin suit, but with some practicality allowed for like going to the loo). I wasn't going to try and ride with a pointy hat quite this time - they are incredibly pricey, and lack ventilation. I was surprised by the number of people wearing them, in particular the bambino, at the start - however, the number at the end was somewhat less.
Everything nearly came off the rails in the final week, when, after a family gathering, I caught a cold. It wasn't too bad and I planned to start anyway. Even if I only rode a few hours, I would learn some useful experiences.
Anyway, I set off. Went really well for the first 12 hours, slowed slightly at 18 hours, fell apart physically in the last 6 hours.
I really messed myself up - I now have a horrendous cough and my leg swelled up like a rock hard balloon. I can now walk again - but still very sore.
http://marcusjb.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/24-hour-time-trial-esca-24-national-championships/
It was a brilliant event, I really enjoyed it. The organisation was amazing.
I was very pleased to reach 600km on my computer (I got about 608) - but it is my official distance that counts - which will take a few days to come through yet.
Will I do it again? Probably. But it has to be your main focus of the season - it is all consuming.
but if that's what floats your boat, then why not?
