Chris Eatough (Trek/VW) rode to his sixth consecutive 24 Hours of Adrenalin World Championship this weekend in Whistler, British Columbia. After a full twenty-four hours of cold and rain, Eatough finished at 12:08 Sunday having completed twenty-two laps of the 14.3 kilometer loop for 314 total kilometers. He finished twenty-seven minutes ahead of Ernesto Marenchin of Kent, Washington.

Canadian adventure racer Marg Fedyna won the women's race ahead of 2005 NORBA Marathon Series Champion and NORBA 24-Hours Solo Champion Monique Sawicki (TeamMATA - Warrior's Society). Sawicki was racing in her second-ever 24-hour solo race.

Adrenalin-series promoters provided a world-class challenge for the field this past weekend. Held on the slopes above Whistler Ski Resort, 115 kilometers north of Vancouver, British Columbia, solo competitors rode a modified version of the team's competition course. The modification brought the per-lap climbing to 460 meters compared to the 13.1 kilometers, 380 meters standard lap.

A constant misty drizzle fell at noon on Saturday as Solo competitors were sent off five minutes ahead of the team's field. In a sign of the day to come, Chris Eatough was the first rider to finish the first lap at 49:56 (even with the extra kilometers and climbing). Nat Ross (Subaru - Gary Fisher) was hot on his heels only twenty seconds back. Missing on the start line was 24-hour solo legend Tinker Juarez, who opted out of the race to save himself for a competition in Ohio next weekend.

Eatough kept the pressure on, seeming to ignore the slick and muddy conditions; posting focused lap times and wasting no time in his efficiently run pit. By early afternoon, Eatough had put fifty minutes on his chasers; Canada's Galen Kehler, Ernesto Marenchin of Kent, WA and Ross.

Newly crowned NORBA Marathon Series Champ Monique Sawicki was the first woman in on lap one; 11 minutes behind Eatough. The challenge to Sawicki's lead came early as Canadian endurance specialist Marg Fedyna slipped into the front and Californian Louise Kobin (racing in her fourth 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo Worlds) moved into second.

In twenty-four hour solo races though, it is the time between midnight and dawn that can test a racer's resolve more than any other; riders are usually past their training-ride limits and can struggle mentally. Drenched by the hardest deluges of the race, the constant rain and fatigue took its toll on many competitors. But not Eatough. He seemed infallible. He continued to pit methodically and pounded out the laps as evenly as conditions allowed. The group of three behind Eatough shuffled positions through the night but never drew within twenty-five minutes of the NORBA Marathon Series Champion.

Although by a slimmer margin, Fednya held onto the women's lead through the night as well. By morning, Sawicki, who had fallen to fourth earlier in the race, managed to regain one spot and sat third behind Kobin.

Drawing toward noon and the end of the race, the top riders in the men and women's fields held their positions as best they could. Eatough finished at 12:08 having ridden 22 laps. "I have nothing left," he said, "So many things have happened during this race, so much to go through. I'm just glad that it's over."

Fednya finished at 11:24, not needing the additional lap to win. She posted eighteen total laps won with a fifty-minute margin on Sawicki and a full lap ahead of Louise Kobin. The win was Fednya's first 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championship.

Here's the race story courtesy of Marg Fednya: http://www.eteamz.com/Marg/news/index.cfm?id=3440562&cat=369771

If you want another racers perspective you can click http://mtbike.mountainzone.com/2005/adrenalin/index.html to read Matt Hart's story.

If you have a good story to tell, please email it to:

worldchampionships@twenty4sports.com


Stuart

The guys at Team Canada have created a new blog site... check it out:









       http://teamcanada24.blogspot.com/



Have news about your countries team? Fire it our way and we'll let the world know what you are doing or who's helping you get it done, emails can be sent to:

worldchampionships@twenty4sports.com

Jennii English is an Australian Sports Dietitian with a particular interest in nutrition for 24 hour mountain bike racing. Her husband, Jason English, has benefited from her expertise and he generally follows her advice! Jennii will be presenting a three part series on endurance race nutrition with a view towards easily understood descriptions and simple to apply tips - we hope you enjoy the series.

Hydration

Many individual and environmental factors affect the rate of sweat loss during exercise. It is therefore recommended that athletes monitor changes in body weight during training in order to estimate sweat losses (see table). Undertaking this exercise in a variety of conditions will enable you to develop a hydration plan for use during races.
 
Typical sweat rates may be around 500-1000ml per hour but can be higher in hot conditions and may be lower in cool conditions when exercise intensity is low. During a 24 hour mountain bike race, sweat losses will be at their lowest during the night as the pace slows and the temperature drops.
 
Athletes are advised to drink at a rate that is comfortable and practical to replace most of their losses. Remember that thirst is generally not a reliable indicator of hydration status.

How to estimate sweat losses during exercise:



Start your 24 hour race well hydrated and aim to drink small amounts regularly during the race. This helps maintain gastric volume which increases the rate of fluid delivery to the small intestines where it is absorbed. Sports drinks are the best choice for prolonged exercise as they provide fluid, carbohydrate and some sodium. The carbohydrate content of sports drinks (typically 4-8%) means they empty from the stomach at the same rate as water. Be cautious with fluids such as soft drink, cordials, energy drinks and fruit juice. The higher carbohydrate content of these drinks slows their digestion and absorption and this may cause gastrointestinal discomfort for some.

Sodium

Sodium is the main electrolyte lost in sweat and needs to be replaced during prolonged exercise. Sodium losses vary greatly between athletes. Ingesting sodium increases water absorption in the small intestines and improves fluid retention by the kidneys, resulting in a smaller production of urine.
Aim to replace sodium during your race through both fluid and food. Sodium can be ingested via sports drinks, bread, salty spreads, soups, savoury snacks, instant pastas and salt added to food. Many sports bars and carbohydrate gels provide only small amounts of sodium so try not to rely on these alone.

Hyponatraemia

Hyponatraemia is a potentially life-threatening condition where the normal level of sodium in the blood is diluted. Ultra-endurance athletes are at risk of hyponatraemia if they consume more fluid than is lost during exercise. While an inadequate sodium intake may be a factor in some cases, an excessive fluid intake is the main cause of this condition. This highlights the importance of knowing your sweat rates and not drinking above these.

In the next newsletter, we will discuss fluid replacement and nutrition for recovery after a 24 hour race.

For the last three nights I've been heading out the door with my bike as the family is going to bed. At 9PM it's still pretty bright here and the trail conditions have been good (dry) enough that it's hard to resist jumping on my bike and heading for the singletrack. 20mins of bike path riding to the trailhead and I can drop in on some dirt, then fully engage myself in the technical flow of roots and rocks, tight corners and steep drops.

Late at night I have the trails all to myself, well me and the occasional whitetail deer, and with the trails so quiet I get to tune in to the ride and the bike - feeling the flow.

While I was out riding last night I was thinking about how 24hr Solo training and racing is a study of two extremes; training by yourself being one extreme compared against racing within a large group as the other extreme. I enjoy them both equally.

I've come to love riding by myself, setting my own pace and choosing my own technical route layout. Charging hard up a difficult trail section when I want to or instead taking my time to pick out a really nice line. Training for and enjoying 24hr Solo racing requires a certain amount of... well... solo riding. You have to be comfortable in your own skin.

On the other hand, racing with hundreds of other soloists has its own kind of fun factor, to include the pre-race carnival like atmosphere and the classic 'I haven't seen you since last year' moments. I always look forward to feeling that group energy and being part of the same collective spirit that defines this kind of event.

I already know this year's Australian vibe is going to be off the chart. How could it not be with this many soloists and team racers. Then getting to hang out with my family (yes we are all going) for a couple of weeks after the race to hit some of the 'Top 10 reasons to come to Australia' will make things all the more sweeter. Good times!

I know how hard Stuart and CORC are working in the background to make this one a big success. It's going to be one for the history books. I'm really looking forward to the WSC and the Australian vibe, till then I'm going to continue looking forward to riding by myself... The Yin and Yang of 24hr Solo.

On a separate note, the image of Stuart and I shaking hands at last years WSC post-race celebration, as seen in the newsletter intro above, came as a bit of a surprise to me. I had forgotten about that photo moment until it hit my email inbox today. I blame the forgetfulness on the 24hrs of racing that preceded the photo, or the beer, whatever it was there are two important lessons here. First, the memory gets a bit foggy after hammering on the bike for a long time. Second, if you see me after the WSC event and I yell out "A round of beers for the entire place' just ignore it as it's pretty obvious that I get confused easily after big races - but if I yell out "A round of beers for the entire place, Stuart's buying!" well that's a sign I'm having a moment of clarity and Stuart being the stand up guy that he is will pull out his credit card. ;-)

That's all for now, see you in three weeks...

Shaun