Fox Epic Spring 8 Hour MTB Relay Race - Review

Finally, after waiting all winter, the first of the real endurance races was here.  The Spring 8 Hour...8 hours of fun (torture), friends (competitors), mountain biking (full-body shit-kickin), exercise (extreme exhaustion) ...   WOO HOO!!!  Presented by Chico Racing (including Sean of Superfly Racing).  These guys have been doing this forever, and always well run, they have the mtb racing organization down to a 'T'.  The Spring 8 Hour held at the challenging (this year more than most!) trails at Mansfield, Ontario....Mansfield Outdoor Centre.

So Lois (who would be my best-in-the-world pit support crew), Giant, and I packed the truck and moved to Beverly (or...drove to Mansfield, actually...yes, you have to be old to get some of my joking references).

Fig and Blaze headed up in Blaze's truck.

We get set up in the solo pit area...

The pit...thank you to BicycleWorks for the Kona EZ-up 'tent'!

The food table.

The bike...plate 52!

Yeah...loads of pics...Lois was busy on this day.

ApexTed of ApexRacePhotography was also on scene taking fancy pics...several of his pics posted here to make this post almost respectful!

We warm up and get ready in the start paddock...

There I am...in the start paddock...

Hidden somewhere in this mass...

And soon we were off!

Up the start hill, in this massive mass start.  This must have been a record for number of participants for an Epic 8 race....there was a steady stream of traffic on course all day.  Although I was near the front of the start paddock, the shear masses still made for a tough go.  I wanted to blast away to get a quick first lap in then settle into an 8 hour pace...but the constant braking and accelerating, due to the traffic made that plan not doable....and the attempt to push a good first lap soon cost me.

This was possibly the most technical 8 HR race I have done, fast, rough, rooty descents...a couple of very steep, twisty climbs...and Exit Wound...a very challenging feature near the end of the loop...

Exit Wound....the drop

Exit Wound...the drop on the flip side...

That is how Ninja fast ApexTed is!!!

Exit Wound...the singletrack switchback.

Anyways...about two thirds of the way through the first lap...I had worked my way up through a mass of riders...and there was another group ahead to catch.  As we came down a very fast, narrow, twisty hill, I came up fast on the rider in front of me...and got closer than I like to because I can't see the trail ahead...and sure enough...there was something.

A downed tree that had been cut away...but the stump protruded just enough, that not being able to see it in time, I caught it with my pedal.  It catapulted me, at speed, up and over the bars...and onto the other half of the cut tree on the other side of the trail.  WHAM!!  Heavy contact, with ground and tree.

Someone behind me called, "Rider down!!", to alert everyone behind to check their speed so they didn't plow into me.  (It sounds way more ominous when the 'Rider Down' call is for you...)  He asked if I was OK...and I reflexively said, "Yeah, yeah...", so he carried on.  But I kind of felt like this guy...

Jeremiah rode by laughing and calling, "Riot down!"...mimicking the 'Rider down' call.
Fig rode by directly behind Jeremiah laughing and pointing, "Look, someone threw out a perfectly good Metis!!"

Yeah...it's great to have good friends that care...

As I pulled myself off the ground a female rider racing for the Bike Zone stopped to make sure I was not injured.  "Are you sure?", she asked, genuinely concerned, "That was quite a spill!"  I reassured her, as I checked my bike, that other that being scraped up, I was OK...and she continued on...not quite convinced.  And I wasn't so sure...yet.

As I got back on my bike Alexa pulled up behind me and also asked if I was OK..."What part took the brunt of the impact?", she asked.  "My right chest", I answered.  "And how is it?"...."It will hurt like hell in the morning.", I answered as we sped up back into the race.  I checked visually to make sure I didn't have a branch sticking out of my chest...because the truth was it hurt.  It was not at all comfortable...and I knew I had damaged a rib or two.

But it was so early in the race...I couldn't quit yet...who does that??  So I continued on to see how it would go.  Through the solo pit, I smiled and waved at Lois as I went by...

Then, after the solo pit, the most soul sucking part of the course....a loooong gradual climb...that turned right up the Wall of Pain....a very steep double track climb...that turned left into Oxygen Debt...a very steep, twisty single track climb...as I crested the top ribs were screaming on top of the maxed heart rate, as I sucked for air...

I grabbed for my water bottle...It was gone...shaken loose by the fall or one of the very many fast, root infested descents.  "Shit!!"  Now that was just piling on...

Ah well....a couple more rooty descents...and climbs...then carefully through Exit Wound....into the transition area...lap 1 done...unfortunately not so uneventful...and dry mouth to boot...

But there was the Bike Zone girl...who had stopped and waited to make sure I was OK...how nice is that??  To top it off she noticed I had lost my water bottle, and offered hers, which I very gratefully accepted...how nice is that??  Team 238...I owe you a water bottle...and a very heartfelt appreciation...Thank You!!

I have mentioned in previous posts how nice the BikeZone racers are to encounter on the trail...and this confirms it!  If you live in the Barrie area and you don't frequent the Bike Zone, you should...get over there!  They raise nice folks there!!

FYI...Team 238 came in 1st in the 4 Person All Female category...good Karma!
Alexa came in 1st in the solo Female category (riding a single speed!!)...good Karma!

Anyways...I mozied on...up the start hill climb....another soul sucker....this course was full of them.  As I kept going the constant jarring was making the rib pain gradually worse...then on lap 3 I took notice of something slapping my shin while chugging up a climb.  I looked down to see this...

Yeah...that's my shin...a huge gash, with a flap of skin hanging and whapping me.  I looked back up...'let's just ignore that, for now'...

Lap 3 or 4 (I don't remember which) through the solo pit...Lois handed off a fresh water bottle....the donated one was dry...RichBow was behind me at the time, and commented' "That sir, was a f'king nice hand off"...or something to that effect...in his uppity British accent (not nearly as hoity toity as Unglued's accent though).  I mentioned that it was all Lois...I was too much of a mess to make that work.  We rode together and chatted till he left me in the dust at the start climb of the new lap...

RichBow

This is Bevin...why?  Why not??

This is Emily...OK...maybe this one wasn't necessary...but a pro MTBer!!

Anyways...sorry.  Then lap 5, 6, or 7....can't recall which...I caught Fig...or he caught me...not sure how that happened...he must have stopped to eat...we rode and chatted...(the only thing Fig likes more that riding, is chatting...well, maybe eating too....) till he left me in the dust on a hill.  The discomfort was becoming intense...building with every rooty descent and every climb...

Lap5, 6, or 7...can't recall which...lost another water bottle...   Dammit!!!  Not only the $35ish ....but another dry lap!!

Lap 5, 6, or 7...can't recall which...I stopped.  Blaze (who was now in the pit helping Lois help me...thank you so much Blaze!!), grabbed my bike and re-lubed the chain while I restocked water, and shoved food into my face...  I was in so much discomfort, I was considering abandoning...until they told me I was currently in third place.  Shit...almost.  No quitting now...

And so it went....up....down...ouch.  But as the pain increased...the ability to push depleted.  Lap 10, I had fallen to fourth place...but passing through the solo pit area Blaze called that I was only a couple of minutes out of third place.  I continued on...rib discomfort a constant buzz in my head...and was, by now, rounding about my back...

Still lap 10, struggling up Oxygen Debt....legs, lungs, and ribs all screaming at this point...but a very young, junior rider also struggling mightily in front of me stalled out...and started falling toward the cliff edge of O2Debt...I reached out to push him back into the hill side...but as I did so I pushed myself to the cliff side...and too tired to unclip...over I went...sliding down the cliff side, the young guy calling, "I'm sorry!!" as a mess of bike, Metis, and dried leaves slid away.  I splayed my arms and legs out to stop myself...ribs howling now.  The rider behind me asked if I was OK...I said, "Yeah...just practicing for the luge..."  (That was for you, Oggie!)....He laughed and continued, following the young guy up the hill.  I tried to laugh...couldn't and just dragged my bike up...slowly...gingerly....and continued.

Still lap 10, (yeah, this was another eventful one)...I was behind a rider, who was behind another young junior rider.  The youngster inexplicably crashed (on a rather tame bit of trail...but on another 'cliff' edge)...and down he went over the cliff side...wedging his head awkwardly between two logs.  Me and the rider in front of me stopped to help (well I mostly watched, unable to do much)...he dragged the young guy up...then his bike while I made sure the young rider was OK...ish.  He stayed with the youngster while I continued on to tell the next Marshall what happened.  Not sure what happened after that.

I continued on...but I was done...and not ashamed to admit I had to walk Oxygen Debt on laps 11 and 12.  It just hurt too much...  Finished lap 12...checked the result screen...time was 5:46pm...I had time to complete another lap before the 6:30pm cutoff...I had fallen to 5th place.  And if I completed another lap I still couldn't catch 4th...and 6th place couldn't catch me at this point.  So I called it...I was done after 7 hours 46 minutes of racing....12 laps...5th place.

I was hoping for 14 laps...and always shooting for a podium spot...I had come up short.  But given the circumstances...I'll take it.  I handed in my chip...and SuperflySean announced my name and finishing position and said, "I'm proud of you Michael...I'm proud of you."  Haha...I don't think he even knows who I am...

Of course, by this point I barely knew who I was.  I was fubarred!!  I was messed.  The extreme exhaustion and discomfort had my emotions through the roof.  Between giggling and sobbing, there was Oggie and Unglued...a blur to me at the time...giving me high five's and congratulations, although I really hadn't accomplished anything other than my own inner struggles.  In fact, to me I had failed my ultimate goals.  I felt like this guy....

Back at the pit...Lois and Blaze congratulated me...again not sure why.  I was still a mess...

Blaze consoling an emotional Riot...

Blaze helped Lois clean me up...including cleaning my shin wound (Blaze is a para-paramedic of some sort).  Thanks again Blaze!!  'Blaze drinks for free' night is owed!!

A trip to the doc yesterday (Monday) confirms...3 fractures but no treatment is possible...I am good to be active as long as I can tolerate the discomfort.  We will see...

So far 2016 has been replete with difficult races for me...gotta be some good ones coming up!!

13Stone had a rough race as well...you can read about it here...

https://maplediesel.com/2016/05/09/bleedy-mcbleed-face/

Yeah....there was alot of ugliness out there this day...

What??  Yikes!!  Sorry.....again.....

But so many friends had a great day...and ended up on the podium.  Congrats and huge respect to you all.  A tough challenging course....and tough competition.  Everyone seems to be in mid season form already....and well ahead of where they were last year.  The top guy did 17 laps!!  How is that even possible??

Of course the real question of the day is how Giant managed this!!  Giant, not only took 3rd place....but got this pic...   How does he deserve that??

Notice his grin??

As always....I have more work to do...and some mending...
And a water bottle to return...



Until Thursday,

Stay posted...