Race Report: The Gobbler 6 Hour

The Gobbler probably should’ve have ended in disaster for me, but somehow I managed to emerge at the end unscathed. Leading into race day it was calling for rain all day. I’d also never ridden at Conyers before, so I had no idea how to gear the bike. Then I found out at the pre-race meeting that the course was only 6 miles long, leading to a last minute change in strategy.

I ended up choosing to run 32x19 since that’s my go to gear for most courses when I don’t know what the terrain is. The 6 mile course meant shorter lap times, so instead of stopping every lap to grab nutrition I was going to have to go by feel. Weather reports looked bad; calling for rain coming at 1pm, exactly halfway through the race.

The start of the race was a fairly predictable scenario, with me lining up at the front and immediately getting passed by half the participants because I was spun out. Once we hit the woods and I got my first look at the course I immediately started regretting the gear choice. The course was flat, apart from two steep climbs, but the turns were so tight that I was pushing harder then I wanted on exit to get back up to speed. 32x20 would’ve been a better gear choice, but I was stuck with it nonetheless. Lap 1 ended in 35:38 and I went out for a second lap without stopping, passing my smiling girlfriend at the pit.

After finishing Lap 2 I pulled in for a pit stop. I swapped out bottles, ate a banana and a very stiff waffle, then head back out. It was Lap 3 where I started to get concerned. My left quad was cramping for some reason, but it was manageable. My lower back also started to stiffen up a bit. Nevertheless I kept pushing on to Lap 4 without stopping. Halfway through I was starting to feel hungry and I could start to feel my legs in the big climbs, but my speed was still consistent.

I stopped after Lap 4, ate another banana and two strips of bacon, then asked Jordan to check the standings when they were posted at 1pm, which was the halfway point. It was 1230 and I was looking forward to the 3 Hour racers leaving the course so I could spend less time fighting through them and more time just turning the pedals over.

Lap 5 and I had a moment…and it was not a good one. My legs and back felt terrible and I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it the next three hours. I continued to push through, enjoying the much more empty course. Coming out of the woods I knew I needed to stop again. Jordan let me know that I was currently 6th out of 7. Shoving a banana down my throat did little to renew my mood.

Out I went for lap number 6. At this point my hands were beginning to hurt as well. All the roots, rocks, and high speed sections were starting to take their toll on me. Towards the end of the lap the rain started coming in. Not enough to effect the course, but it was coming whether I liked it or not. Finishing Lap 6 I had to pull up a chair and sit for a moment. My back ached, my legs felt dead, and I was not emotionally ready to head out for another lap at that point. Jordan captured this moment perfectly…

The Look of Despair

My pit boss gave me a time check and it looked like I probably had enough time left for 2 more laps. Half a PBJ later I was back on the bike heading out for lap 7. It was then that I caught site of another singlespeeder. I didn’t know where he was in the pecking order, but I was going to see about chasing him down. I dusted off my tired legs and started the chase when a funny thing happened; suddenly everything felt…not terrible? I caught him right before the first big climb a little more then halfway through the course, only to find out that he wasn’t in my class. He was just riding a singlespeed in the 50+ class. We got to talking, mutually distracting ourselves from the pain of 7 laps. We crossed the finish line side by side and decided to head out for Lap 8. It was just past 3pm we’d just run a 43 minute lap, so there was a good chance that we’d get back in time.

The final lap brought some pretty bad conditions. The first half of the course was muddy and slick. There were several “oh shit” moments throughout the lap. He passed me after the first climb, but I gave chase and passed him on the second, steeper climb. After we popped out of the woods I spun hard to the finish and crossed with 11 minutes to spare. Jordan was waiting for me with the other half of my PBJ and a much needed cold beer.

Post race we started putting things up and getting ready to leave. I wanted to see where I finished, so we head over to results tent where….singlespeed results were not yet posted. There was apparently something wrong with the results. Given that the last time results were checked I was in 6th place, I contemplated just leaving. After watching the podium for several other classes go I spotted a women carrying the singlespeed results and much to my shock they had me in 2nd Place!!! Apparently only one other rider decided to go out for an 8th lap, which pushed me behind him as the only other person to do that many laps. I took my proud place on the podium and gathered up my medal and swag. So I guess the lesson here is keep pushing no matter what. Because maybe, just maybe, you’ll land on the podium for no other reason then wanting to impress your girlfriend.