And one from me-
Hello, everyone.
I wanted to give everyone who donated, called me, helped me with a spare bike or parts, a huge thank you. This was definitely the most rewarding event I have done in a while, looking down at the red bracelet from the ALS society, with the saying"never give up", gave me strength during that 3 a.m. lap in the fog.
This was my first 24 hour mountain bike race, and I was honored to be asked. Team EMC/Documentum put together an awesome team, with all the racers boasting some very impressive wins at some tough races. I just hoped to be able to hold up my end and not slow us down.
The race started with a "lemans" style start with our first racer running about 500 meters to his bike. Joe did a great job getting ahead of the masses and got us into about 15th by the first lap. All five of us took turns doing a 10 mile lap, and quickly the race shook out to 3 teams left: EMC,Sycip, and Team Tam. Sycip had a mechanical problem, losing 20 minutes, and we were looking good! I have been battling a respiratory bug since before Ironman Arizona, but I felt pretty good. Our support crew, Larry and Angele, did a awesome job with logistics, massage. All we had to do was race and try to recover for the next lap.
The night came, and with it , a damp fog blew in off the ocean. Headlights were mounted to bikes and helmets, people were admonished to ride safe, and many layers of lycra were donned.
We held on to the lead for the first 6 hours, each guy taking 2 laps, so we could rest. Our fastest rider, Rich Thurman, actually won the fastest lap competition at night, with a 42 minute lap- smokin' fast!
In the middle of the night, trouble started. The rider ahead of me, Greg, lost his contact lens soon into his first lap. he then had no depth perception, which slowed him some. Then his light decided to malfunction, leaving him with limited vision and no light.He was forced to wait for riders to come along with strong lights, and ride with them. He stopped at one of the aid stations on the backside of the course, and asked them to radio for a new rider. Unfortunately, the message was not sent, and Greg found no one waiting when he came in. He decided to soldier on for the second lap, and gave everything he could. The lead slipped away, as Sycip was hammering every lap.
I grabbed the baton, and went out next. I thought I was doing two laps in a row, and paced myself a little conservatively. It wasn'y really a problem going easy, as I could only see about 15 feet ahead of me in the fog with my wet glasses anyway.
Quite ascene out there, I would roll around a corner at 20 mph, and someone would be walking their bike, or crashed out on one of the 40 mph descents.
I pulled back in, and the plan had changed. We would go to single laps and try to pull back the lead. Unbelievable efforts from everybody, all were cramping, backs were hurting, and the lead was staying at 15 minutes. I went out on the daybreak lap, which is supposed to be so awesome and beautiful. All I remember was staring at the fire road in a foggy gray, and going as hard as I could. Maybe next year it will be beautiful.
Before I knew it, my last lap was over. I turned my fastest lap as my last, in 49 minutes and change, and gave the baton to Rich.He volunteered to do two laps, and either bring back Sycip or blow up. Unbelievably, at the end of the second lap, with 10 minutes left on the 24 hour clock, Rich passed the Sycip rider. It was now down to Ron, our leader, 24 hour veteran, and all - around warrior. He left with a 6 second lead on Sycip's best rider.Much tension at the finish line, the announcers were playing it up, nothing to do but wait for about 45 minutes. Ron fought off the cramps that he had started with as long as possible, and rode the last 4 mile climb standing, trying to keep it together. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, and after over 24 hours of hard racing, the Sycip rider crossed the finish line with a 80 second lead.
The team has no regrets, we all laid it on the line. The huge applause at the podium ceremony was nothing compared to the cheers when the representatives from the Bay Area ALS Society were brought onto the stage, and given a check for 5000.00. All of you that donated made the most meaningful part possible. Meeting so many folks that have been touched by it, and hearing the stories, gave me so much gratitude to be able to hop on a bike and ride with my daughter whenever I like.
Thank you again,
John

A race report from Ron last year- enjoy!



Still quite fatigued and sleepy, this report will be some what short
and to the point.
The race was incredible, and every rider rode with true grit and
heart. First let me congratulate and thank each of the members.
Greg who dredged on through his night lap even after his contact blew
out in the wind and fog from hell. He had no depth perception at all,
yet still managed to complete his lap without crashing.
John, who was suffering with bronchitus dug deep and still pulled out
a strong sub 50 minute lap late in the race.
Joe, who reluctantly put in a great Le Mans start and put us ahead of
the traffic jams on the first lap. Joe rode strong and consistant the
whole race.
Rich, who won the fastest night lap competition, and was amazing to
watch. From our camp site we could see the riders go up a section to
climb out of the Laguna Seca Raceway valley. We watched in amazement
as Rich flew through this section dispatching riders like they were
Yugos in a Formula One race. Also to note, Rich really dug down deep
in the last hours and brought the race for first down to a head to
head match on the last lap. And all of this after stepping off a plane
from a week long business trip at 11:30 Friday night.
Special thanks to Larry who served as our team
volunteer/representative to the promoter and helped make sure we were
awake and on time to our transitions. Although not riding, Larry was a
critical contributor to the team and every bit as valuable as any of
the riders.
There was one other guy, a veteran 24 Hour racer. A guy who knows a
little something about pain and suffering. A guy who experienced both
the highs and lows of seeing us move into first place, drop back to
second after dramatic night laps, then loose the coin toss that
decided who would represent the team in a mono e mono show down on the
final lap. As that unlucky rider, barely staving of leg cramps at
camp, I went to the line held together with band aids and bubble gum,
and the legs still twinging from cramp when stepping off of Angela's
massage table.
We took off as two warriors entering the arena in an epic battle for
glory. I can only imagine the suspense that filled Laguna Seca as we
battled out on the trail. Alas, the cramps started up as we entered
the final single track. I did everything I could to flush them out,
but was ultimately forced to ride the last 4 mile climb standing to
keep the legs stretched out. Every pedal stroke was one of extreme
agony as I pushed through cramp. I still kept hope that I might catch
my competitor and pushed on as hard as I could. It was not to be. I
arrived back at the venue with just enough time to see my nemesis
cross the finish with his hands in the air. As I crossed the Bosch
bridge I could hear the announcer congratulate the victor and say "but
where is Team EMC/Documentum?". At that second I exited the covered
bridge and to start the circuit lap around the Paddock/Lagune. Even
though we had been beat, I chose to still show that we were serious
adversaries and stomped the pedals as hard as I could to finish my lap
strong.
We may have finished second in the race, but we EMC/Documentum
recieved a huge amount of recognition by the promoters, and everyone
at the venue will remember us for sure.
Sleep well team, you disserve it!
Ron

Welcome to the Team Blog!

Welcome to the Team EMC/ Vellum cycles 24 hour of adrenaline blog! If you are checking us out, thanks for your donation. The ALS society is a very worthy cause. Please read the race reports from last year and we will add more and more stuff soon.
Thanks,
Johnny