Mont 24 advice

[barron]

HI all,

I'm heading to theMont 24 for the first time after a late offer to join 6man team.

Haven't done much XC racing let alone 24hr racingand interested in learning from your combined experience in all facets,
ie:
training prep
bike set up (this in particular, have anold hardtail but will most likely ride dual sus trailbike)
technical nature of course
recovery and management during

Won't be bothering the elite guys, justtrying to be prepped to get most out of the weekend.

 

[quiggs]

Have a bit of 24 experience but only as a solo not in a team. So this is what I think would be reasonably important, you are going to have plenty of down time between laps so warm clothes and then some more warm clothes because Canberra can get friggen freezing in summer let alone this time of year, good sleeping bag and sleeping mattress/bed, just one bike (if anything goes haywire you will have hours to fix it before your next lap and there will be some bike shop mechanical support there to help you out. Good sense of humour and a fun mindset for when you are sitting around talking crap with your team mates! Food, Beer or some other beverage to aid in recover post smashing out your lap. Bike lights that are fully charged, personally one of the reasons I love 24hr racing is the enjoyment I have riding single track at night time. Don't wimp out of night laps they are fun fun times.

Hopefully more advice will come, but at least thats a start!!

quiggs

 

[Patio]

I think having not done much XC/24hr racing you will have to get used to the varying pace of other riders on the Mont course fairly quick. The top riders can really come upon you very quickly and the slower riders can sometimes just stop when you aren't expecting it. Communication between riders is key here. The Mont website should have some info on rider etiquette you may find helpful.

It's a bit late to do much more training for the Mont now, so just continue riding on the dirt, improving your skills and be careful not to over train and turn up shagged.

The course won't be overly technical but there should be some parts that will challenge you. I think you'll probably enjoy riding the full suspension bike more than the hadrtail. Try getting down there on Friday arvo and do a practice lap.

Time can really get away from you when doing a 24hour team event. Before you start a lap make sure you put some fuel into the body. When you complete a lap refuel, rehydrate and clean/repair your bike. Get this done fairly soon after coming in and then relax or sleep until your next lap. Talk with your team mates about when it's time to prod the next rider. Have a clock around the campsite and keep an eye on the time. Setup your lights during the daylight. Bring plenty of warm riding and camping gear. There's plenty going on around the event site check it all out and have a great time.

 

[BLKFOZ]

HI all,

I'm heading to theMont 24 for the first time after a late offer to join 6man team.

Haven't done much XC racing let alone 24hr racingand interested in learning from your combined experience in all facets,
ie:
training prep
bike set up (this in particular, have anold hardtail but will most likely ride dual sus trailbike)
technical nature of course
recovery and management during

Won't be bothering the elite guys, justtrying to be prepped to get most out of the weekend.

I've only done the one 24 in a team of 6 but a couple of 12hr team of 2 and 4 and heaps of 7-8hr 2's and 3's and solo 4hr, 6x6 etc.
I'll be at The Mont in a team of 4 this year and we'll be looking to go pretty fast.
Last year I tried to sleep after about 10pm between laps but it didn't really work. I recon I felt worse for trying but might have been even more tired if I didn't sleep at all.
Make sure you don't burn all your energy up in the first lap or 2 - you'll be riding somewhere around 80-120km all up within that 24hrs so pace yourself. Lap times will vary from mid 40-low 50min for the fast guys, around an hr for the average Joe and 1hr15minish for slower guys.
In terms of prep - get some night rides in. It's different riding at night and some people struggle with it. My 2am lap was my worst for traffic with tired, hesitant people struggling under lights.
In terms of race fuel - it is nearly Easter and they make these awesome things called choc-chip hot cross buns; I got through a pack and a bit of them over the race. There is also plenty of food available on site but greasy stuff doesn't sit well with me when I'm racing.

 

[pliskin]

to go on my experience last year, didn't end up sleeping that much.
was on a team of 4, that were completing laps every 80 - 100 mins. which meant that after each person finished a lap, there was a potential of 4 - 4.5 hours before you had to be out on course again . this will vary depending how many ppl are on your team/ how strong they are .

not to mention the 10 minutes to get back to your campsite from race HQ, then go have a shower/ change riding gear for warm sleeping gear /, drink more beer / eat late night pizza / chat to some randoms at 2am in the lineup for the showers/ chat to randoms in the 45minute wait for coffee at 7 am on Sunday morning / manage to wake up, spend 10 minutes getting into damp riding gear ( in the dark ) that has already been sweated into twice/ get to transition 15minutes before your teammate is scheduled to get in, in case they had a blinder of lap.
did 1st lap at 12 on Saturday, then second lap at 6.30 pm, slept for a few hours. did next lap close to 12.30 am , slept for a few hours, did 6am lap . then got to campsite to begin packing up at 740 am.
also take into account the ground is in no way flat, at the campsite. so even if you have a fancy mattress, its doesn't guarantee a better sleep, i continually woke up 1/2 rolling into the slope, off the side of my matress.
also considering how wired you will be after each lap, i felt it very hard to get fully relaxed enoutgh to sleep.
id be more concerned what temp rating your sleep bag is rated too, it got down to 5c for Sunday morning sunrise ,was extremely foggy too.

and to clarify, ill be back to do it all again this year

 

[Mike Read]

Enjoying reading everyone's advice. I'm doing the Mont for the first time in a team of 4. We did a recce ride a few weeks ago, should be a great course. Looking forward to it!

 

[ChopSticks]

Don't forget this years mont 24 is a 25hr race
teams should be able to squeeze another lap in.... Maybe 2 for the elite guys

look forward to it too as it will be my first ever race!

 

[hyper_sic]

HI all,

I'm heading to theMont 24 for the first time after a late offer to join 6man team.

Haven't done much XC racing let alone 24hr racingand interested in learning from your combined experience in all facets,
ie:
training prep
bike set up (this in particular, have anold hardtail but will most likely ride dual sus trailbike)
technical nature of course
recovery and management during

Won't be bothering the elite guys, justtrying to be prepped to get most out of the weekend.

Barron, you will love it, I have been racing at least 2 24hr races a year since 2009 and still love them!!, its fun atmosphere and people and riders love these events. My number 1 tip is eat all the time so that you are refuelled and also drink so you dont get dehydrated. then you will be sweet to do your next lap. laps can be from about 45mins to 1:20 on avg, mont courses are normally really flowing and fun. Just go out and Enjoy the experiance

 

[Quency]

Don't forget this years mont 24 is a 25hr race
teams should be able to squeeze another lap in.... Maybe 2 for the elite guys

look forward to it too as it will be my first ever race!

pretty sure they are just running 24 hours mate:
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/379603/5567ffb0fe/1454500273/ac580ab84c/

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS AT THE MONT 24
Sunday April 6th marks the end of Daylight Savings, so the clocks officially go back 1 hour at 3am. Of course, the Mont 24 will run the full 24 hours regardless of what your clock says, so plan to either adjust your clock and finish at around 11am or do nothing and finish at around noon.


This will be my second Mont and 3rd 24 hour. you guys will have an awesome time, they are heaps of fun. my advice would be to make sure your lights are charged before you get there, and have at least 1 spare set of riding clothes so you dont have to put on dirty damp ones in the middle of the night

 

[morgs]

pretty sure they are just running 24 hours mate:
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/379603/5567ffb0fe/1454500273/ac580ab84c/

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS AT THE MONT 24
Sunday April 6th marks the end of Daylight Savings, so the clocks officially go back 1 hour at 3am. Of course, the Mont 24 will run the full 24 hours regardless of what your clock says, so plan to either adjust your clock and finish at around 11am or do nothing and finish at around noon.

Correct, 24 hours, gives everyone an extra hour to get home afterwards.

 

[slowmick]

with a six man team you will most likely wind up competing against each other for lap times.

take plenty of food that you know you like and can ride after eating. don't go trying new gels/energy bars or potions. some of the boys have wound up with cramps by eating stuff they are not used to.

take a comfortable chair to sit around in between laps. take lots of warm stuff. don't sit around in your bike gear day or night. during the day let it dry out. change your shorts if they are not dry before you head out for a lap. wet/damps shorts lead to chafe and unsightly blisters. damp shirts can give you a chill. look at some thermal tops to wear at night. tight fitting polypropylene or merino will make you feel a whole lot better on a cold night lap.

if you sweat a heap suck a gatorade around the camp and wash it down with plenty of water. race day is not the day to skimp on food and drink. diet tomorrow. if your not warm when you head out don't charge off from the gate. there is plenty of time to get the rhythm and build up speed up around the course.

never underestimate the restorative powers of dry socks and gloves. you feel like a new man.

we like to camp next to the track and cook a bbq through out the day. a snag on the grill is a wonderful thing after a lap. have fun. it will be the quickest 24 hours you've had in a long time.

 

[Ky1e]

Cannot wait for this!!!! :madgrin: Will be my first Mont

 

[Ev]

Also amped for the mont. Will be my first.
Back on the bike post injury just in time for some conditioning for the next 3 weeks.

 

[pharmaboy]

Jeez, I read a 45min lap in this thread somewhere - only by marshals on a thumper!

1/2 a dozen laps broke 50min by what I consider to be well know riders, and under 1hr average will get you top of podium for over 40s. 6 man.

If you are at the pointy end in pace you won't get passed hardly at all, but will pass scores of others - great race, but also a tad frustrating if you are racing for a spot and get behind one of the trains downhill..

Take a spare tube and a 25g co2, almost no need for water, non technical flows course - don't yell TRACK! - only dickeheads do this, talk to the person in front, and if they look inexperienced, ask them to hold their line on the track, ride normally and I'll get past - plenty of places to overtake only one rider, gets much harder when it's a train.

Always acknowledge the rider who has come up behind you - just letting them know you know they are there helps heaps.

Ride with a spare light at night

 

[Ky1e]

Thanks pharmaboy, some good tips!

 

[hawkeye]

I'll be missing The Mont this this year due to a conflict.... my wife has organised us onto a cruise to Noumea!

I'd echo much of the comment here. Year before last was almost my last - freezing cold 1deg C night lap, poor lights and an interrupted training leadup meant I was miserable and really over it by morning.

Last year in contrast was brilliant fun and I did my quickest lap at night.

Good lighting makes a *big* difference to flow on the trail and enjoyment of trail, as does nutrition and leaving the Camelbak hanging up in camp and going bareback with a bottle.

Sent from my android thingy using Crapatalk

 

[StanTheMan]

I'll be missing The Mont this this year due to a conflict.... my wife has organised us onto a cruise to Noumea!

I'd echo much of the comment here. Year before last was almost my last - freezing cold 1deg C night lap, poor lights and an interrupted training leadup meant I was miserable and really over it by morning.

Last year in contrast was brilliant fun and I did my quickest lap at night.

Good lighting makes a *big* difference to flow on the trail and enjoyment of trail, as does nutrition and leaving the Camelbak hanging up in camp and going bareback with a bottle.

Sent from my android thingy using Crapatalk

Ohhh no.....LOL the wife, the cruise, The Mont 24. I smell a rat.

 

[cleeshoy]

take a generator, couple of powerboards (to charge lights with) and a gas heater - its gets cold at night there.

 

[barron]

Thanks for all the input and advice.

Just comeback from a weekend at Canberra, spent most of the time at Stromlo, but did get out to Sparrow Hill.

Is the rest of Kowen, similar to Sparrow?

 

[Mal01]

Thanks for all the input and advice.

Just comeback from a weekend at Canberra, spent most of the time at Stromlo, but did get out to Sparrow Hill.

Is the rest of Kowen, similar to Sparrow?

Certainly much more like Sparrow than like Stromlo. East Kowen and Sparrow are similar terrain and trees (a few nice native patches in Kowen) and Kowen trails are newer than Sparrow and so have less exposed roots (from trail wear). The underlying philosophy of the trail builders in both places is very similar though.

There's some videos here and here which might give you some idea of the trails.

I'd wager that you'll like it.