Race Report MidAtlantic 24 hour Race 2025 Washington NC On August 9-10 I…
Race Report MidAtlantic 24 hour Race 2025 Washington NC On August 9-10 I participated in the 24 hour race in Washington NC without support crew – so completely self-supported. First well-organized event and I have done the 12 hours in 2024 and 24 hours this year. I most likely will be back again. My issues started way before the race. No details needed but 2 weeks before I fell non cycling related and caused some cracked ribs on left side plus having issues on right hand and shoulder. Still did Boone NC race the weekend before to test out how I can ride. Went to Washington NC a few days earlier and … next issue with my time trial bike broken down. So I had to switch to the spare bike. Sounds odd but the Trek Madone is easy about 1-2 mph slower than the Speed Concept. Still decided to get this race done and target changed from a good ranking to simply getting through the 24 hours without additional injuries. Race started OK and had 3 solid first laps (about 25 miles per lap). My top average speed on first laps was about 3.5 mph slower compared to 2024 but that was expected due to injuries and bicycle switch. After 3 laps the pain when breathing on left ribs was getting a bit much so I start reducing power input. Kevin passed me in lap 4 (around mile 80) and he was very kind asking me how its going. Big kudus to Kevin. I decided to keep going but at slower power level. Did the first stop after lap 4. Refilled bottles and had a banana and back on the road. Still speed was down a lot. Kept managing pace ok even my target got adjusted in my mind from about 430 miles down to 400 miles. Also changed strategy from every 100 mile stop to every 50 mile stop. That new strategy went down the drain due to my issues breathing plus. In addition, I ended up with an issue to plan for lights change. I completely forgot swapping them after lap 6 and noticed the battery level going down. So, I had to add a stop after lap 7. And sure, enough I did forget swapping my sunglasses to clear glasses … That again added an additional unplanned stop. With issues I faced I ended up with 3 unplanned stops. Not cool but safety first. It was about 12 hours when I realized my adjusted target of 400 miles seems not feasible any longer. So, I adjusted my mindset again to make it about 380 -390 miles instead. It was later in the night after about 18 hours when I was getting frustrated about the issues. My race was no longer a race competing with the others. It was only competing with my inner motivation and personal targets. So, I decided to ignore the pain completely and avoid additional mistakes on my schedule. So, I start pushing much harder. When getting into lap 16 I noticed I made up distance and I may be able to get past the 400 mile marker. So, I increased power and pushed as hard as possible. My last 10-15 miles I was able to push well over 20 mph again and targeted 400-402 miles. Not sure how I was able to cut the pain out completely, but I ended up making it to mile 406 at the end. Rolling back to start finish was emotionally crazy. I knew I was in bad shape and expected nothing specifically on my result. Learning that besides Kevin I was the only other person getting passed the 400 miles was a big surprise. After the race … would I do it again with all the issues I faced upfront? Yes I know I would do it again. However, I cannot recommend it to others. Please try not to push the envelope that much since it could cause additional issues.
