Solstice Weekend

I’ll let our Captain Gilles give a full team recap.

Having never ridden Albion Hill or in the Summer Solstice event before, here are some personal observations:

• The course was probably the best race layout I’ve ever ridden. Every lap had a perfect combination of singletrack, double track, and climbs. If you had only one of fitness or skill, this course was setup that you could still run competitive laps.
• The singletrack on the course was so much fun. It was relatively easy, yet had an amazingly high ratio of risk/reward. If you let the bike roll and trusted a couple of tight blind corners you could save lots of time, but at the same time some of it’s many subtle roots could knock you down in an instant.
• Gilles & Stef have the whole 24hr racing thing organized to perfection. The camp, its location, and the logistics were perfect. Transitions were seamless and each rider was scheduled to ride to their strengths. In a race where thousands of things can go wrong, these guys made it look EASY. For my ‘plug & play’ role this weekend, it made for a super positive experience. Thanks guys!
• Five rider team offers the perfect ride/rest ratio for me. My five hours of riding more than made up for the time/cost investment to get there, but still offered enough time to relax and socialize. The 24hrs just flew by!
• The Pirate plank was hilarious
• I’ve never seen a full suspended recumbent on singletrack before.
• Red Bull is stellar at delaying the onset of cramps.
• Our one female teammate Anna should become a night light model. I’ve never seen a rider wearing clunky night lights look so good. :-O
• Our Big Ring jerseys really stood out amongst an ocean of colorful racing jerseys. There was a lot of positive feedback from other riders.
• Team Big Ring is based out of Ottawa, but ironically I had the pleasure of meeting many of my team mates (John, Tobin, and Rick) for the first time in Toronto.