Originally Posted by Long Duck Dong
I'm an endurance noob, but I rode the E50 in Park City last july and learned a lot. What I found really interesting was that the biggest obstacle to success was not necessarily fitness, but just knowing how to ride for that length of time. What I mean is that I rode a lot of training rides of 25-30 miles with lots of vert, and got to the point where I felt strong and fit. But I would hammer those practice rides hard and fast, and wouldn't really need to stop and eat much because they weren't that long. Well, at the 25-30 mile mark in the actual race, my body wanted to stop and eat, a lot. By that time, eating Gu was too late. I was pretty bonked out. So, I took it real slow, ate a lot, and got my strength back and finished the race. But I lost a buttload of time.
So, this year, I'm doing all 3 E races (12 hours of round valley, 100 mile relay with some friends, and 100k solo in August.) I'm hoping to be a little bit fitter this year than I was last year, but mostly I'm hoping to be smarter. Eat when you aren't hungry! All the time! And I'm definitely going to try to do some 40+ mile training rides.
If anyone else out there is doing any of the E100 series this summer, and wants to get out for some long days, lemme know.
Edit: The 24 hours of Soldier Hollow race is pretty new, and obviously close by to a lot of folks in Northern Utah. From what I hear, its a lot more low-key than the 24-hours of Moab, and probably a good choice for aspiring endurance geeks (like me). Anyone interested in putting together a team?