Endurance Racing. Its for freaks and sickos, right? We will see which one I am this Saturday. I registered for the Granogue Singlespeed Endurance class for this upcoming weekend and I have no idea what I am in for. Im not scared, just a strange combination of anxious, nervous, and a little overwhelmed. As I started asking around to the local gurus and scanning the interwebs for advice it is really sinking in that I know absolutely nothing about endurance racing. Nothing.

What I am gleaning is that endurance racing is a balancing act in every aspect of what it is. You must push your body as far as it will go without running into the wall. That means taking in the right amount of fuel, fluids, and salts without causing gastric distress. That means riding hard enough to be competitive, but not so hard that you blow up. That means choosing equipment that is light enough to not act like a boat anchor, but that is robust enough that you don’t get mechanicals. Tires must be fast yet tough and good in any condition. Your pit area must have the right food, fluids, tools, and spare equipment in it. Your head must be able to stay calm and focused no matter what happens. Your emotions must not overtake your judgment.

The only thing that will tell you where your balance point is is experience, so that’s what Im looking for in doing this. Most of the other guys in my class are expert/elite levels, so I fully expect a DFL finish, but because of that I don’t have to balance the ‘competative’ part as closely so it gives me some breathing room. I can experiment and see what works and what doesn’t without having pressure on myself to perform. It’s a good place to start.

I chose Granogue for a reason- the course is less technical than my normal rides. The race format is laps, so if something goes horribly wrong I can stop. Fatmarc puts on a great show so my pit crew (thanks Mom and Dad!) should hopefully not be completely bored all morning. The race is 4 hours +1 lap. All of this adds up to a good venue to give this a try, so hopefully it will give me a good indication if this kind of thing is for me or not. One way or another it’s a new experience to put into my bag of tricks so hopefully it’s a good one.