Santos 6-hr Race Report

I got on the box! I got on the box! I’m sorry to be reporting so late but I have been up to my neck in work since the event. I actually ended up leaving really late to the event because my brother Reggie who is a truck driver had just drove into town as I was loading up. He wanted to go to Wholefoods to get some things, and his truck would not fit in the parking lot. So I drove down to N. Miami with the Mrs. P and picked him up. He stocked up on teas, mangosteen, acai, goji, and noni juices. I dropped him back off at his truck, which put me hours behind and jumped on the road.

I was pretty exhausted, and Mrs. P took the wheel and got us there at 6:55pm. I jumped out of the car got changed and went into the course with 2 riders from Higher Ground Bike Shop out of Tallahassee. The male rider took over for the first 10 minutes, then he gave it to the young lady and she was tearing it up. The course was wet, but extremely fast. The “John Brown” section was taken out because the Berger’s expected the rain to come during the race and that section would have been under water and dangerous because it’s so steep and slick when it’s wet. The course only had one section that was up and down to tax the heartrate. We finished the course in 45 minutes and 10mph, which I knew was slow, but because the course was not technical I did not need to really go that fast.

Bob McCarty had got in 10 minutes before me and he and Oscar Camacho had went in for a lap. We all changed and went to Carrabba’s for dinner. We had a good dinner and great conversation as Oscar, Bob and I are all married now. We said good night, and left. Bob said he would be at Panera Bread at 7am, and I knew I would not be there that early. I don’t have anxiety that makes me get to the race venue early. I’m an extremely seasoned athlete and typically show up 1hr before the race. Getting there over 2 hrs before the race is just over the top for me. I get home, and totally clean the drive train to a point that there is practically no dirt on the chain, cassette, or derailleur.

The next morning I get to the venue, and it’s packed. I park behind Bob, grabbed my wallet and went over to get in line. It was 9:15 and the line was over 1 hour long. It was hot, and no sign up rain so I made sure to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

A pic before the race with Bob and Oscar

The chaos ensues as we switch over from running to riding.

Lap 1
We had a Lemans start, and I got to my bike in the top 15, and there was only one other rider that I knew would be strong competition, and that was Greg Derosa. He came on strong at the end of the State Series, and has been riding good all year long. I got into the singletrack after Mark Gerard that was on a team, and he was directly behind Greg D. He passed us both and we didn’t mind, because we would be out here 6 hrs anyway. We passed a couple of riders that were great runner, but not strong mtn bikers and things calmed down. A rider asked if he can come around and I let him, and he is in the 800 series number which means he is a 6-hrs Solo Series. Before I could even react, he was asking Greg if he could get around. Greg let him by and surged, and so did it. This guy was freaking drilling it big time, and I was not sure if he was this strong as a rider, or if he was trying to drop us. The pace was high, and the problem was my heartrate monitor was not showing my heartrate, so I changed it to Avg Speed, and it was showing 13.4 after about 18 mins so I knew we were smoking it. I knew that was fast, but I was not in any danger. Tattooed up dude kept drilling it as Greg and I paced him around the first lap, and we came in at 36mins. Add 1 minute to that for the Lemans starts, but 36 minutes of single-track.

Lap 2
I pulled in, and asked Mrs. P for 2 water bottles because at this pace and heat, it was going to get rough after a couple of hours. I came through the start finish and Greg was getting his water bottles. Tattoo Guy (Andres) was putting on a Camelback. I thought, “Man, this is going to be a long race”, as I left mine at home. Andres kept hitting it hard, but he was only making things easier for Greg and myself. I turn my heartrate monitor off, then back on and it starts working again. It says 169bpm, and I hit the start button. That is way high for a 6-hr race, but this is the group that is going to be on the box so I can’t let them go. After 10 minutes into the course Shawn Smith rolls up on us, and he has an 800 number on his leg. He moves to the front and the pace picks up even more. Greg is in second, Andres is 3rd, and I’m taking up the rear. I hear another bike, and it’s Bob McCarty that has just joined our party. Now we have 5 riders, and having that kind of group together improves moral and speed. In on of the technical sections Andres and Greg go down, and Bob and I pass them and bridge to Shawn that has gapped up a little. Shawn, myself, and Bob bring in the 2nd lap at 36 minutes also.

Lap 3
I grab 2 more water bottles and I’m back in the singletrack with Shawn leading it, and Bob and myself in tow. About 5 minutes into the course Greg bridges back up to us, and Andres is not with him. “He’ll be back “I thought , especially at the speed he was racing. Shawn has it going at practically the same speed and I’m starting to get a handle on how to shift with 34 teeth chainring from Rotor. It was only my 3rd time riding on the new drivetrain, but a great course to do it on. I mastering it in a couple of minutes and I’m wasting less effort coming out of corners. On the fireroad to John Brown Shawn lets Bob take over the pace-making and he immediately forms a gap. No one reacts as he is doing the 13-hr. But Drew Edsall bridges up to us, and he attacks off the front in pursuit of Bob. When he gets to Bob, he then attacks Bob and they are off. Gutsy move to attack off the front 1 hour into 13 hour race. Shawn then gives the pace making to me and I actually take it down a notch. I ride on the front for about 10 minutes, and give the pace-making to Greg. He keeps it at that pace. As we go through a technical section I take a bad line and I here my chainring hit a rock. A moment later I hear a clicking when I pedal and I back off. Shawn passes me and I’m off the back. I quickly find out that I can’t use the bottom 2 cogs on my cassette for some reason, so my cadence picks up. I am able to finish that lap with the guys in my sight. I finish at 37 minutes, but I’m going to let them go this lap, as it is time for me to ride “Solo”.


Lap 4
This lap I can feel that little tingle in the legs that lets me know that cramping is not long away. I have been drinking my 2 bottles per lap, but not eating. So I eat 2 bags of shot blocks that Mrs. P has put in a small cup and into the back my jersey and wash it down with one bottle of water with organic maple syrup. I can tell that my pace has gone down, but I still feel like I have power in my legs so I keep it right at that speed, and finish out the lap at 40 minutes.

Lap 5
I grab 1 banana, 2 more water bottles and tell Mrs. P to keep the water and maple syrup coming and I’m off. I don’t feel the tingling and pick my pace back up, and I’m riding a little bit stronger than the last lap, but I’m mindful that I do have a long day and I actually back off on the fireroads. There is a section where there is 3 back to back climbs that are really steep, and after I hit the last one I feel the cramp pull in the inner thigh of my left leg. Shit!! I’m at the 23 minute mark and I had been feeling so good that I forgot to drink all together. I slam one entire bottle but the cramp is still there. I back off a bit and eat 1 packet of shot blocks, and wash it down with the other water bottle. The cramp is still there and I can only hope that topping off the body will make it go away. It does as I pull in to pit and Mrs P has 2 more bottles waiting. That lap was 41mins, 45 seconds, which would have been much faster has I not backed off for the last 18 minutes. I’m at the halfway point and I’m officially in “ No Pacer Zone”, as I have never rode this hard for this long. I still have 3rd place in the bag, and it’s my race to lose.

Lap 6.
I’m back off and shortly into the lap the cramp comes back, but it is weak, and I can ride with it. It is the first time that I have ever manage a cramp while racing. I drink the entire first bottle and it goes away. I make sure and not get to excited about riding too fast because the cramps have gone away. I drink the entire second bottle on the main fireroad, and 15 minutes into the course I have no water, but the cramps are gone. At the end of the lap I had gone unconscious and had a nice flow going when a sharp cramp rips up the right inner thigh. This one is very strong and I have to almost stop pedaling to see if I can get it to go way. “Do have to take 3 bottle next lap?” I slow down but the cramp is still there, and I’m changing positions with my legs to see if I can stretch it out. It does weaken, but the left leg cramps back up. I know I have slowed down, but my heartrate is still high. Now I’m overheating, so as I pull into the lap at 42 minutes and 50 seconds, and the first thing I do is dig into the cooler and fill up 2 bottles of water with ice in it. I put one on my head, and one on my legs. I dip it back in and put 1 in the front of my jersey, and 1 in the back, and I’m off.

Lap 7
I’m back in the trail and things seem better for me at the moment. My cramps are gone, and my body has cooled down. I have not been caught by any rider ahead of me, but another 2 problems arise. I’m starting to have a problem with my stomach not wanting anything on it. The maple syrup is starting to bother me, and I have told Mrs. P to keep them coming. The second problem which is just as critical is I have had a serious lost of power. I have hit the wall as far as speed. It takes me the entire lap to drink the 2 water bottles, and I manage to get down 1 packet of shot blocks. I roll into the pit at 44 mins, which is only 1 min and 10 seconds slower than the lap before, so it’s not that bad. Mrs P. hands me my water bottles as I pour water all over my head and legs and I’m off.

Lap 8.
I go at the lap at practically the same speed as the lap before, and at the 15 minute mark as I’m on the fireroad I make an attempt to have a gel. As soon as I drink it, I half spit/half vomit it out. That is when I decide that drinking and eating is over for me. I keep the same pace and now my heartrate is in the 140’s, and the laps before it was in the 150’s and 160’s. I know I’m in 3rd place, but I can’t confirm it because I have not asked, and they have not looked at the list for my number. I actually stop to start my ipod over because after around 5 hours of riding all my good motivation music has passed. I stop for 30 seconds, and get my flow back. I finish the lap at 44 mins and 50 seconds. This time in the pit I’m slower and more methodical as I put water on my legs and head. As I pull off I look at Mrs P. and say “One more!”

Last Lap
I’m at 5 hrs, and 21 minutes going into this lap, and as I pass through the start/finish Dave Berger says, “You can stop if you want to”. I say to him, do you think I want to keep going. I know I have to because I’m not sure how far behind the 4th place guys is, and I want to cement this last lap with a good effort. I now understand that it’s really about how you finish this type of race. Starting is really fun, and easy. At the halfway mark, the pretenders are gone or running on empty, and at the end you are only dealing with the real “ Men of Steel”. I keep my pace going and it’s practically the same speed as the last 2 laps. Then it gets dark in the trail, and the temperature drops about 10 degrees. Then Russell Hagen rides up on me, and it is perfect timing. He gaps me a little and I slowly bridge to him. We chat a little and the rain starts to sprinkle and I feel even better. I’m more than past the halfway point of the last lap and ready to let it all hang out to finish the lap strong. Russell really starts to drill it and I feel ok, then the God opens up the sky and the rain comes down so hard that I can’t even see 10 ft. in front of me. I keep hammering and about 2 minutes later, both legs lock up. At this point I back off the pace, take off my glasses and bring it in really slowly.

I was very impressed that I could pull off this 6th place finish considering I had only rode my bike 5 times since June. This was my first 6-hr event, so I am the rookie even though I did not perform like one. This is exactly the kind of result and effort I need to jumpstart my program for the State Series. I’m going to continue to build up to the State Series and not force my form. I’m going to take the next week by ear and see how the body feels. Here are a couple of pictures from the race

Bob McCarty was in the lead by 42 seconds over Drew Edsall when they called the race. He is the primary person that I train with on the mtn bike

These are 2 faces I will get used to seeing for the next 3 months. My goal is for them to look at my back as I ride away.


I huge thank you goes out to my wife Fabienne as it was our first event of this magnitude and she did a fantastic job of having water bottles topped off and ready, snacks in my small cups to go in the back of my jersey, and overall positive attitude. Hey, I think she may have some potential to work for Nascar.

Pacer Out!