Almost 2 weeks ago, I raced the “new” Hidden Vale Adventure Park Epic and (like a few other die-hard fans) decided to race both Saturday’s 23km Chaser & Sunday’s 89km Epic. (Simon Nendick is a whole other level of crazy die-hard; check out his race report to understand why!)
Of course, I didn’t tell my coach that was my plan – but figured that my one-hour pre-race ride with a couple of short efforts was ALMOST like a “short” 90 minute race so why not make the most of the HV trails? With hindsight, I’m not sure that having 87% of my race in threshold or anaerobic HR (with just 9 seconds in endurance) counts as a mostly easy pre-race ride – and I’m not sure my coach does, either! But I had a ball, felt like I followed my own race plan of “ride hard but just not too hard” to save my legs for Sunday, and I even managed to win my age category. I found out later that I was second fastest non-ebike female and am very stoked with that! The real highlight, however, was seeing so many kids racing the 23km course – several with their Dads in tow, keeping an eye on things and offering encouragement as they went.
After a night camping in the van, Sunday dawned cool & clear. The Epic has a well-deserved reputation for always landing on the first proper hot day of spring, so the cooler start was much appreciated. Fortunately, my version of “camping” now includes both a coffee machine and microwave, and a bowl of hot porridge plus coffee set me up well for a long day on the bike.
The race itself had me a little nervous: a new course with an advertised 2700vm of climbing sounded like a tough day. Playing on my mind was the fact I’d taken on a new contract at work and my training had suffered during the “settling in” period, plus the fact that my sleep has been minimal lately. Hello menopause. (Ugh.) Getting only 3-5 hours of disturbed sleep a night, sometimes less, hasn’t been great for my training, my energy levels or pretty much anything else! So, my plan was to play the long game, ride conservatively and save some energy for the final climb back up to 500 Above.
Which is exactly what I did. I jostled for position early in the race, as expected, then settled in after the first hour or so. I felt good but kept reminding myself that it was going to be a long day. The trails were in super condition and I focussed on enjoying myself, staying hydrated and consuming plenty of Infinit Nutrition Australia throughout the day. I had a ball! The support at the aid stations and on course was superb, the group of riders around me was lovely and my Supercaliber ran perfectly over the rocky trails. My only complaint was that my focus on hydration meant a mid-race bush wee – and I hated giving away “free time” as I hunted for some semblance of privacy in the limited undergrowth. (Endurance mountain biking – always a glamourous sport!)
The bonus of staying hydrated, fuelling well & pacing conservatively was that I felt good throughout the day, a Ind entered the final quarter of the race ready to tackle some serious climbing. It must be coming, I figured, as my Garmin showed far less elevation than I’d expected by now. At the top of Sky Fall I topped up my Infinit, preparing for a tough final climb near the finish. Down Sky Fall. Up Fairy Wren. Down Rock Bottom. Back up Escalator. Down Plane Sailing, the iconic final run back to the finish.
Where was the final climb??? My garmin read 1950vm – a big day, certainly, but not the day I’d been anticipating. My legs were tired but not “done.” I’d been so concerned about pacing conservatively to save energy for extra climbing that didn’t eventuate, that I finished knowing I still had more to give – and I did not like that feeling. I could have ridden longer. I should have ridden faster. Basically, I forgot to “be brave in my attempt” (as is my number one goal in all of my races) and I let nerves about the predicted elevation dictate my pacing.
There has been plenty of reflection and a lot of learning from this year’s Epic, especially about pacing & doing full course reccies beforehand, but I’ve also been reminded that maybe I’m stronger than I can give myself credit for. And the learning is what racing is all about. Ultimately, I race because I like to work towards a goal, to look for areas where I can improve and then push myself to (try to) do better. There are always ways to do better! This is the process and the process is the reward, as they say.
Well, that, plus getting to ride incredible trails & descend all of 500 Above, Dialled In, Skyfall & Plane Sailing in one day!
