The Updated First Timer's Guide - Part 11 (The Evening Meal)

You’ve finished your day of racing, showered, changed and dealt with whatever bike issues you might have. You need to get fed and informed every night, so make the best of it.

Evening Meal

The evening meal is more than just a chance to fill the belly. It is a great opportunity to meet and talk to new people and find out about the following day’s route. The route descriptions can be a life saver. Paying close attention can save you lots of grief.

• Don’t panic about arriving when the doors open.  – There will be lots of food and standing in line for ½ an hour may not be the best thing for your legs. But you can’t turn up at 8:00 pm and expect to be fed. I usually eat around 6:30. This gives time for the initial rush to clear and still gives me plenty of time to eat, and get seconds, before the awards and videos.
• Eat a lot. – The food is great. By the time you get to day three or four eating becomes a bit of a chore. Luckily good food makes it an easier chore to endure. Considering that we’re in the middle on nowhere for a big chunk of the week, the food and service is remarkable.
• Drink a lot. – From the time you finish until the time you got to sleep you should be constantly drinking. If you don’t have to get up in the night to pee, you are not drinking enough. I always have a water bottle for H2O with me and usually manage about two to three litres between the afternoon and evening.
• Sit with different people. – You are doing the race with some really fascinating people. I love talking to new people every day, and dinner is a great chance to meet some new faces.  (Or see familiar faces without their helmets and glasses.)
• Stay for the awards. – I always find it remarkable how some people manage hobble up on stage to collect their certificates. By the end of the week about ½ of the top finishers seems to be sporting bandages in one place or another. They all deserve our support.
• Stay for the photos and videos. – Some of those shots are amazing. And while we are going hell-for-leather we might not be paying quite as much attention as we should to the beautiful country we are riding through.
• Pay attention to the route previews. – The Google-assisted route descriptions are great. I don’t think there is a mountain bike race that takes riders through such spectacular and remote country. One of the side effects of this is that the route finding can be a bit challenging at times. (Well, it is the TransRockies Challenge.) The route descriptions are detailed and entertaining. Pay attention and you’ll benefit.
• Pay attention to Drew Parker. – Drew’s crew of medics do so much to keep the racers going. They are in the middle of nowhere keeping track of people and making sure that everyone is safe and sound. Their advice is based on a tonne of backwoods experience. Ignore it at your peril!
• Get an early night. – You should be tucked up in your sleeping bag and asleep by 10:00. Have your headlamp and water bottle in the tent pocket for those necessary trips to the toilet.

So, only one more instalment to go and it will be on safety. A critical area for everyone.