The Australian mountain biking scene has a love affair with laps and hours. Three hour races, four hour races, six hour races, seven, eight, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four hour lap based races. We love them. Put one on and we will enter in droves. I’m certain that if XCO events were still a little longer and billed as 2hr solo only races they would sell out.
The state of New South Wales has had a few eight (or similar) hour race series’ in the past decade. They have always pulled a crowd, including some of the sports elite racers. Of note, the SRAM Singletrack Mind Series, run by Chocolate Foot, has drawn elite racers who have taken on the task of completing the whole series in the solo category, competing for the overall series win.
But why? Saul Britton was an early adopter of Solo racing in lap based events. Hamish Elliot took up the flag, as a way to prepare for National Elite Cross Country. Imogen Smith also raced hard solo when 8hr solo racing started out. More recently, we have seen Jon Odams dominate in 2010, Andrew Hall in 2011, and now Ed McDonald has proven to be victorious in 2012, edging out Andrew Hall in the final round at Awaba.
Would Ed McDonald have made the 100 mile Highland Fling win look so easy without the racing kilometres of the STM Series in his legs? Photo: Richie Tyler
With an increasingly loaded racing calendar, I sought to find out how Jon Odams, Andrew Hall and Ed McDonald dealt with the load of racing hours, how it fitted into their year, and what they have learnt. Everyone has to have a ‘first time’ for long solo races, but what got these three in?
“I took up a challenge issued by a friend of doing a 24 solo. So I entered Solo24 Nationals on the easter weekend of 2010. I slept for about 6 hours after way too much sugar and a terrible stomach. Later I found out I qualified for Solo worlds in Canberra” explained Odams. “I thought I might try some 8 hour races. I completed my first 8 hour in 2010 at STM #2 on the Coondoo Road track at Nowra. From the first race I knew my weak point was picking the right food during the race.”
“My first enduro solo was a Rocky Trail 100 miler at Stromlo at the start of 2010. That was an 8 1/2 hour day. My next solo was the 2010 24hr Nationals! I remember thinking around the 10hr mark in the 24hr solo that this was not much fun and was wondering what am I doing. But, then once you get past the half-way mark it becomes mentally a lot easier. Every minute that goes by is getting you closer to the finish” says Hall.
24 hour solo racing pops up again for Ed McDonald “I entered my first 8 hour race in 2009, although it actually came after my first solo 24 hour. The 8 hour was at Appin, it was very muddy, and I took my singlespeed. It was a struggle, and I got lapped twice by Mark Tupalski. A few months later, I tried another 8 hour at the superb Coondoo Road trails at Nowra on a new and prettier singlespeed. The race got more and more fun as it went along and I finished up second in solo. I was hooked!
Jon Odams focused on pairs racing for the 2012 STM Series.
With a taste of success in one race, or a longer format discipline – some riders may then choose to prioritise those events. But it’s dependant on what else is on. Odams raced the events as they came “I didn’t have any priorities at all. The (24hr Solo) worlds became more of a focus as races and time went on. Leading up to solo worlds I had a good number of hours in the saddle.”
For Hall, who won the series in 2011, and was second in 2012, it was a case of a loaded schedule. “The 2012 STM series was a relatively low priority. I had spread myself pretty thin this year. Between the STM 8hr solos, XCM 100km races, 2 x 24hr solos, 3 x 12hr solos and all the other races in between I usually went into each STM round pretty baked. I really just used the STM 8hr races as volume training.” This approach is echoed by McDonald, who had a focus on key 24hour events. “For 2012, my big goals were the Australian Solo 24 Hour Championships and the Scott 24 Hour. The SRAM Singletrack Mind Series was originally a secondary goal – I wouldn’t bother specifically tapering for races or worry about going in a little overdone. I think Andrew Hall’s approach was similar, although he was racing on a much bigger load again and often raced the Singletrack Mind races far below his best. When the Scott 24 Hour went very badly for me due to injury and poor preparation, I realigned my goals a bit. I was also able to race through October and November much fresher than if I’d raced the full 24 hours.”
Racing solo or in a team for 8 hours or beyond takes a different mindset to racing for a potentially sub 4 hour Marathon – and all three see that a different approach is required. The volume and specificity of their training also changes how they come into each event.
“I consider all three types of ride or race different. Solo and enduro share a similar prep in food, training and mental preparation. Teams 8 or 24 hour is much more about holding the throttle on and eating as much and as well as you can” says Odams, who now races such races in a team – enjoying the great tracks that the Singletrack Mind Series visits.
Hall takes a more scientific approach when comparing an 8hr and a Marathon. “The STM 8hr vs the XCM 100km are really different. The 8hrs are usually all singletrack and there is not too much to be gained by hanging onto a wheel. Usually, the first few laps are hit pretty hard just to get out in front of the crowd, but then you quickly settle into a solid pace. The main aim is to set a pace you know you can hold for the full 8 hours. Having good singletrack skills will ensure you don’t waste energy, and good flow will be more of an advantage then raw power. An average HR for me in an 8hr would be around 150 bpm.”
McDonald agrees with this, confirming that you need to be confident in your own pacing and ability. “Multilap endurance races are usually just long individual time trials. Drafting is not very effective on singletrack, and small gaps open up much faster on the trails. So the races usually aren’t very tactical, unlike marathon racing, where it’s all about effective bunch strategy.”
You have to ride your own race in an 8hr event – but it still helps to go fast! McDonald made sure he ticked that box at Awaba. Photo: Dave Bateman
Hall continues “In contrast, the XCM’s have a lot more fireroad and lot more depth in the field. It is essential to grab a wheel and stick to it.” This has certainly been the case since 2011, with the Real Insurance XCM Series drawing a more consistently deep field to each major marathon race. “For me, I am always weak in the first 2 hours, so that is just survival mode. If I am still on the back of a lead bunch after 2 hours I will generally do well. The XCO guys tend to not like keeping a high pace for a long period of time, the racing is a lot more bursty. You have to be prepared to attacks and surges. There is also a lot more tactics around when to do a turn on the front and where to position yourself in the pack.”
Far from suggesting you can just sit in, Hall clarifies what success in a Marathon, compared to an 8hr event requires, “I think to do well in the XCM races you have to be able to hang on during these bursts, not get caught up with dropped wheels or being in the wrong place in the pack especially when entering singletrack, and then still be able to set a high pace. An average HR for me in a XCM would be around 165 bpm.”
Hall had a huge load in 2012 – and was still recovering from the Scott 24hr at the Highland Fling. Photo: Richie Tyler
The 2012 STM Series sat differently for each rider, in terms of priorities. Odams raced as a team, and managed to win the male pairs category outright. But Hall and McDonald still counted on the solo races for training, and great race preparation. That’s not to say the load was easy to manage.
“I had three injuries between April and September. Two were overuse injuries sustained from long races, and one was from a big crash in a marathon race pace-line. I suppose the plan had been to have an enormous racing load through this time in an attempt to get very good race fitness for the Scott 24 hour. Sometimes we talk about endurance being more a question of “rolling base condition” than “peak form”. So the idea is to maintain an enormous base and perform consistently over a long period of time. The challenges are managing constant fatigue, being able to recover quickly, and staying motivated. This is where singletrack is always a good motivator!” The quality of trails on offer with the STM races always keeps people coming back – even after countless hours on them McDonald finds them motivating.
For Hall, the series was all about training load. “For 2012, I clocked up over 220 race hours, hitting over 23 non club/local races. That is a huge load, but I think this played out as an advantage for me at the Scott24 hr as I had this volume behind me. The biggest challenge when undertaking such a high race load is to still ensure you can hit your training sessions during the week, and still focus on building to your targeted events. For me, I only really targeted 3 races in 2012. All the rest I just fitted in around my normal training schedule. Subsequently, you have to be mentally prepared to do poorly at one race or back off to allow yourself to recover and prepare for your target races. It is really important to schedule your year around building and recovering. You can’t just maintain the same load and build for a whole year. You need to still have a cycle of building, peaking and then recovering.”
With countless hours and many kilometres of experience in their legs, Odams, Hall and McDonald have a few tips to give those who are looking to take on the challenge of solo racing.
“Do as many hours in the saddle as you can, be smart though and build up to bigger rides and races. Ride to how you feel and listen to your body. Food is often the difference between a finish and a podium and as much research as you can do into finding what works for you is really important, copying what the fast guys do, is not a recipe for success. Oh, and it’s for fun so keep on smiling!” suggests Odams.
McDonald pulls from his singlespeed sack of knowledge – insisting that energy conservation is key, “the first tip is to try to ride smoothly and efficiently on the singletrack. Sometimes slower can be faster if you soft-pedal between corners and try to maintain momentum. The second tip would be to live for the downhills. There is nothing like singletrack mojo in long races!You get to ride your favourite section of trail over and over again.”
Typically analytical, Hall suggests you get the basics right first. “Build up your fitness – take 2 to 3 months to do this. Build slowly and consistently. Get your equipment dialled – make sure your bike is right for you, get a bike fit, make sure everything is in working order. You are going to be on your bike for a long time, make sure everything is comfortable and works.” Although elite mountain bikers enjoy a certain nonchalance on the start line – the successful racers are always prepared.
“Get your nutrition dialled – poor nutrition will take you out of a race real quick. Experiment with gels, powders, bars etc to find what works for you. Do training rides on the same nutrition you will run in the race. Make sure your body accepts nutrition when it is under stress and intensity. Do the maths and ensure your nutrition strategy will get you the right number of carbs and fluids per hour. And race your own race – when you hit your first enduro, don’t let the red mist descend and smash out a fastest lap time – this will just make the latter half of the race really painful. Ride at your own pace and set your own goals – don’t worry what everyone else is doing. Your first enduro is your own personal challenge.”
And with that, Andrew Hall sums up the experience well. Solo enduro racing is a great personal challenge. And with club 3 hour races up to International 24 hour races out there to attempt, there should be something for everyone. Certainly Odams, Hall and McDonald have risen to the challenge, and each been a deserving victor of the Singletrack Mind Solo Open Men Series.
Of course, lap based enduro racing in Australia isn’t only about solo men. Next week, we will hear about the solo women that add to the sport, and how teams tackle these races. Check out our calendar for lots of multi-lap races from Chocolate Foot and Rocky Trail in 2013.