What a great race, wow that hurt. I was not feeling 100% prepared
going into this race but was excited to give tag team a try. My teammate
and I took in some good advise prior that really helped us plan for a
positive experience in tag team.
“Do double laps so you can recover, don’t race your teammate!”
Generally we are somewhat competitive so the second was going to be harder. I planned my food/water/fuel strategy according to the weather we had been having and decided on one water bottle for first 2 laps as it still felt a little cool but humid after the rain. This was my first mistake.
Lap one I felt great and did not reach for the bottle til I was part
way through. Lap 2 I was dipping in alot and had emptied it before the
half way point. I cramped due to hydration issue in the last 5k section
but not bad enough to dismount. A friend mentioned that my chain looked a
little loose and that I should add some tension between laps.
My teammate want out and I started playing with my 2ish hour eat/drink/rest/recoup plan. I think I was doing well at the one hour point of my plan when he came in with a broken pedal. I grabbed my bike and 1 bottle I had prepared and out I went. I had not drank enough between laps as I was trying not to flood myself. This lap I cramped up at the same point but not as bad and it cleared quicker. Then I dropped my chain, (remembering what friend said) luckily it wasn’t broken. Popped it back on and made mental note to repair at break (this time 2 hours).
My teammate’s bike was fixed and we got into our proper flow just a little bit beat up early on due to the missed rest.
I went out for my next 2 still not dealing well with water intake and cramped twice in each lap but still bearable to ride. Thankfully the cool of the night arrived with cool temps that took away on the bike cramps and I let myself slip into a manageable pace and take in the night. This worked for the next couple also and then came the morning heat. I had finally learned how to hydrate but had no strength left.
Last 2 laps I ended up walking hills and stopping for drinks as I was exhausted mentally and physically.
After I was done I realized we were in 3nd place and my teammate was out there to try to keep that. He had a great lap and then we changed war stories. (You could easily tag team with someone you don’t know as you never see them for more than a couple mins at a time).
All in all my teammate and I each did 10 laps for a 3rd place finish and looking back it was awesome! At the time it was stages of torture.
My teammate Mike http://riotonracing.comhttp://riotonracing.com pretty much pulled me through this race. If I didn't know he wouldn't quit no matter what I may have. His lap times constantly amazed me!!
“Do double laps so you can recover, don’t race your teammate!”
Generally we are somewhat competitive so the second was going to be harder. I planned my food/water/fuel strategy according to the weather we had been having and decided on one water bottle for first 2 laps as it still felt a little cool but humid after the rain. This was my first mistake.
Lap one I felt great and did not reach for the bottle til I was part
way through. Lap 2 I was dipping in alot and had emptied it before the
half way point. I cramped due to hydration issue in the last 5k section
but not bad enough to dismount. A friend mentioned that my chain looked a
little loose and that I should add some tension between laps.My teammate want out and I started playing with my 2ish hour eat/drink/rest/recoup plan. I think I was doing well at the one hour point of my plan when he came in with a broken pedal. I grabbed my bike and 1 bottle I had prepared and out I went. I had not drank enough between laps as I was trying not to flood myself. This lap I cramped up at the same point but not as bad and it cleared quicker. Then I dropped my chain, (remembering what friend said) luckily it wasn’t broken. Popped it back on and made mental note to repair at break (this time 2 hours).
My teammate’s bike was fixed and we got into our proper flow just a little bit beat up early on due to the missed rest.
I went out for my next 2 still not dealing well with water intake and cramped twice in each lap but still bearable to ride. Thankfully the cool of the night arrived with cool temps that took away on the bike cramps and I let myself slip into a manageable pace and take in the night. This worked for the next couple also and then came the morning heat. I had finally learned how to hydrate but had no strength left.
Last 2 laps I ended up walking hills and stopping for drinks as I was exhausted mentally and physically. After I was done I realized we were in 3nd place and my teammate was out there to try to keep that. He had a great lap and then we changed war stories. (You could easily tag team with someone you don’t know as you never see them for more than a couple mins at a time).
All in all my teammate and I each did 10 laps for a 3rd place finish and looking back it was awesome! At the time it was stages of torture.
