The Updated First Timer's Guide - Part 8 (Racing)

Everyone has counted down the final 10 seconds, the starting gun has fired, Drew Bragg has played Highway to Hell, and now you’re off and racing. What do you need to do to make for a happy day’s racing?

On the course

Racing in the TransRockies, and racing with a partner, is a big change for many people. There are a few big things and lots of little things that you need to pay attention to in order to have a great experience.

• Dress alike. (If possible, you and your partner should dress in similar jerseys. This will make it easier to locate each other. Wearing the TransRockies jersey you got when you registered in Fernie is the surest way to lose your partner in the crowd. The jerseys don’t have to match, but if they similar in colour you’ll have an easier time keeping track of each other. This can also help if you lose your partner and need to ask passing teams if they’ve seem your partner. “In a jersey like this”, is a much more useful description than “In a TR jersey”.)
• Stay together. (This is easier said that done. Not everyone climbs or descends at the same speed. It is very easy to get separated from your partner if you are not paying attention. Staying together is made easier if you have distinctive jerseys.)
• Call out to your partner. (Let you partner know where you are. When riding behind my partner I called out regularly to let him know I was right behind him. The last thing I want is for him to turn around to look for me and crash into a tree.)
• Have a plan for separation. (Even with the best of intentions people do get separated on the course. The rules say that you should be within 2 minutes of each other but it does happen that one team member gets delayed. You should agree that if you do get separated to meet just before the next aid station. )
• Share the load. (People ride at different speeds. Each rider should be self-sufficient, but teams that are weight conscious will pare down a bit. You’ll only take one multi-tool, one pump, one patch kit etc. Some teams shift the weight to the faster rider but each rider should have a derailleur hanger and be able to deal with a flat, i.e. one with the pump and the other one with the CO2 inflator. But the rider with the team’s toolkit should go last.)
• Make sure you eat and drink enough. (In all of the excitement it is easy to ride hard and not eat and drink enough. This is especially important early in the day.  And in addition to making sure that you eat and drink enough, you also need to keep an eye on your partner. This is critical when it is hot and dry. On three or four occasions I’ve had to give water to other riders who were hot and dehydrated. Luckily in all but one case their partner had been keeping an eye on them, the situation was not too severe and the riders recovered to ride the next day.)
• Make sure you check in at the aid stations. (Failing to check in at the aid stations can cause huge headaches for everyone. The organizers can spend time looking for people who missed checking in. It is your responsibility to make sure that the volunteers at the aid station get your team number. Call it out to them to be sure.)
• Have a plan for the aid stations. (Some people like to stop and chat at the aid stations; I like to get in and get out in a couple of minutes. I drink two cups of water and refill my water bottle and grab a couple of chunks of fruit. Then I refill my hydration pack bladder with water and top it up with Gatorade powder. Finally, if necessary, I lube my chain and my partner’s chain and roll out. The faster rider should have the lube in their pack as lubing your chain and putting the lube away can take a minute or so. Easier for a faster rider to catch up with a slower one. It also gives the slower rider an easier start from the aid station.)
• Don’t be a hero. (There comes a time in every TR when one member of the team will try and convince themselves, and their partner, that they are doing fine and don’t need a hand up that hike-a-bike. If you are doing well and your partner is lagging behind then offer them assistance. At times I’ve pushed two bikes up the hill, carrying one bike while pushing another but I’ve also surrendered to fatigue and let my partner push my bike for me.)
• Remember, the team does not finish until the slowest rider crosses the line. (As 2008 80+ winner Jon Gould remarked, it is the job of each team member to make the other faster. Everything that you can do to make your partner faster is worth considering, and vice versa.  The sooner you finish the happier you’ll be. I’ve done the TR and had times of over 55 hours; I’ve also finished in 37 hours. Faster is better. You have more time to rest and recover and on a long race like the TR rest and recovery becomes essential to survival.)
• Stop to help fallen riders. (The TR takes you through some of the most isolated areas in southern British Columbia and Alberta. For three days there will be little or no mobile phone service. As you might imagine, this can make evacuation of injured riders a huge challenge.  If you see someone stopped by the side of the trail make sure they are okay. In most cases it will just be a flat or a minor mechanical problem, but if someone is injured extra help may be needed. Or it may be like the case of the rider that I helped in 2008. He was by the side of the trail converting his bike into a singlespeed. He’d snapped his derailleur hanger and didn’t have a spare. We rode the same brand, but different models and lucky for him my hanger fit his bike and I was carrying a spare. And you never know, the racer who takes this advice may be the one who stops to help you.)

Next time I’ll cover the most important part of the TR, post-race recovery. Do it right and you’ll be happy and healthy. Do it wrong and you’ll be sore and miserable.