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Please mark Saturday July 5 and 6 on your calendar and join Norco at Mt Hood Ski Bowl and Black Rock in Falls City.

Last weekend was my first 24hr race of the season … in Spokane, Washington. I was looking forward to the weekend as Fraser had put together a 5 man team (which at the last minute turned into a 3-man team) so it was going to be a bit of a social weekend as well (well, during my 2 minute pits anyway!).

Fraser and I drove (ok, he drove, I relaxed) up to Spokane on Friday morning and got there around 3pm to snag a nice camping spot/pit for the race. We were right on the course which was perfect for me. Having the trailer sure is nice … we roll up and I can pretty much sleep right away. It is so comfortable and easy. I was loving it. What wasn’t so nice was the headwind which greeted us on the way to Spokane. The wind was brutal and at one point we were getting about 4 miles a gallon!!!!! Crazy.

So, the race started at noon and Will, our friend who is living in San Francisco, drew the short straw on Fraser’s team and got to start with me. He decided to use my pacing off the start and we were pretty much the last ones to finish the run (I am not kidding – there were maybe two guys behind us). All according to plan. We headed into the bike and it didn’t take Will long to pick up the pace and leave me in the dust…. I was once again in my own world and in the 24hr zone.

The course had to be re-routed this year due to flooding in the Spokane river and I didn’t really remember my time checks from the year before so the first lap was all by feel and by heart rate. This usually works pretty well but the weather was perfect. I’m not complaining but the cooler temperatures meant that my HR was lower than normal for the same amount of effort. I was also a little too keen on drafting and let my HR get a bit too high a few times just so I could keep a wheel. It’s hard to turn off the competitive racer!!

All that to say that the first lap was a bit fast. It was 1:15 to be exact … last year my lap times were around 1:30. Now, I know I have improved my fitness a fair amount but I also know that I haven’t improved that much. But I felt great. My legs, stomach, and everything felt great. I saw Fraser in the pit and we decided that it was a bit too fast so I backed it off a bit the next lap; coming in at 1:17. I backed it off some more and finished a lap in 1:19. I finally settled in around 1:22 and was enjoying the pace.

This is a good time to talk about the pit. This race was a little different than the other 24hr solos I’ve done. Usually I have dedicated support (Fraser) … this race he was racing too – in a team. He and the others on the team were doing what they could to support me while they weren’t racing. Fraser was, as always, amazing. I would come in, ask for something to get charged, or fixed and the next lap, like magic, it was done. I don’t think he got a moment’s rest between supporting me and racing! The other guys were awesome too. When they were in the pit and I came in they’d ask me what I needed and most of the time they’d have some little cups made up (even if one of the cups had beef jerky in it – what were they thinking??) for me to choose from. They always had drinks made and ready for me. It was great.

Around one in the morning it was getting harder to eat… ahh, the stomach. My biggest hurdle! I had some potato, chatted with Frase and we and decided that I was too on the edge. After Canmore last year I have become very in tune with that line and never want to cross it again…. So. I ate some more potato and had a sleep. Yes, I slept! I was so disappointed but knew if I kept on riding I would likely not finish and worst yet, might end up very very sick. So, I had a 3 hour nap. After 3 hours I got up, feeling stiff but determined, and decided to give it a try and see what I could do. I had some more potato (loving the baked potatoes) and got on my bike. To my great surprise and delight I pulled a 1:20 lap and was feeling awesome. I was ready to hammer to try to re-capture 1st place. I had no idea where I was … I just knew I needed to ride. Fast.

This is a good time to talk about my bikes. This year I have two identical bikes (except the year) and was loving the Norco Faze! What a sweet ride. It was so nice to be able to flip the little switch on the rear shock and get out of the saddle to get up the short climbs … and soooooo nice to have the shock for the rocky descents. It is not a super technical course but had loads of baby-head rocks and stutter bumps. My hands were feeling pretty abused at the end of the weekend. I didn’t have any mechanicals and only swapped bikes once – to fix my race plate!

After another lap Fraser went to check the results and we realized that I was still in 1st and just about to lap 2nd. Awesome. I decided to slow the pace a little, kept on eating potatoes, bananas, and donuts, and kept on riding. I finished just after noon; safely in 1st; having lapped 2nd place.

I want to talk a little about the 2nd place woman because I felt really bad for the 3rd place woman (Janet Axelson). The 2nd place woman rode the entire race with her husband, who was also doing it solo. They come from the Adventure racing background so I am sure it is all very innocent but I still thought it unfair to 3rd place! I know I go much faster when I can work with someone else!!!

And now …. recovery is over and I am back on the trails – getting ready for Worlds. I am increasing the amount of potassium in my diet as it really seemed to help my stomach when I started eating potatoes and bananas during the race. We will see if this helps!!!

Until next time … a big thanks to my pit crew, Norco Bikes, and GHY Bikes! I couldn’t do it without you!!

–
Monilee

Monilee’s blog

DH practice on the Friday went well although conditions were extremely un- predictable.

“With the track as rough and rocky as it is here at Diablo Freeride park,
the conditions in practice were unforgivable, just finding yourself slightly
off line in the wet rocks will more than likely end in tears or at least with
a quick nature appreciation visit to a near buy tree.”

Fionn escaped a fairly big crash on the wet rocks without major injury, just a couple of bumps and bruises to show for her efforts.

Friday afternoon slalom qualification went as well as it could. Fionn had good runs on both courses and took the qualification win convincingly. The 2nd place Kathy Pruitt and 3rd place Joanna Petterson were both riding well. It was a milestone in events for the crew here at Diablo Mountain with their first Dual Slalom event being held here this weekend.

Saturday was literally a whole new day, with Blue skies and a constant breeze both tracks were drying up quickly. DH qualification went off without a hitch, and made for some close racing. With a time of 3.13, Kathy Pruitt nudged Fionn out at the line by 1/10th of a second for the lead and less than a second from that was the South African Joanna Petterson in 3rd.

Slalom Finals got underway fairly late in the evening, with the sun setting it was becoming more and more difficult to see but racing was tough fought to the line every time. In the semi finals Fionn met Katie Holden the 4th place qualifier and easily advanced to the finals where she met Kathy Pruitt. Both Kathy and Fionn charged out of the gate in hopes of opening a time margin which Pruitt did taking the win in the first run. Even with Kathy’s time margin it would not be enough to hold off a frustrated Griffiths in the second. The end result would turn out to be the same as qualification.

Slalom
1st Fionn Griffiths
2nd Kathy Pruitt
3rd Joanna Petterson

Sundays Downhill event took place in front of large crowds lining the rock sections of the track and the lower portion of the mountain. With the Pro’s racing for the top prize of $5000 everyone looked slightly nervous.

” I was all good at the start, got focused and went for it out the gate but in the second turn I noticed Jo walking back up the side of the track, she had left the start house only one minute before me so I thought it was kind of weird but carried on anyway. I got maybe another 45 ft before an official jumped into the track and stopped me.”

After having a re -start due to an accident on course it came down to who could get their head back in the game. Joanna Petterson had a great run beating the fastest qualifying time from the previous day in 3.12, but it was not enough to hold off Fionn who followed with a time of 3.03. Fionn anxiously awaited the arrival of Kathy at the finish but it was not to be Pruitt’s day as she rode in with a time of 3.06.
“The Norco was working really well for me on this rocky track today, I loved every second of it. I just had fun riding my bike and the rest came together for me.”

DH
1st Fionn Griffiths
2nd Kathy Pruitt
3rd Joanna Petterson

Next stop is Andora for round two of the World Cup tour.