Preparing for DGD is different from other races. You have more preparation. Instead of worrying about what to eat before the race, you worry about how little you can eat. I try to arrive to the race hungry and depleted...which usually makes me a bit angry as well. Angry is good for a race. You don't want to be toeing the start line "wanting" to be first to the donut stop. You need to be so depleted that you "have" to be the first to the donut stop. You need to be to the point to where if you get held up behind a slower rider you may pass out from hypoglycemia before reaching the first donut stand.
To achieve such a level of starvation, I like to start my preparation a few days out. No sweets in the days leading up to the race and a very light dinner. Then I follow that up with an early ride the morning of the race. I don't eat before the ride and only have a slight snack after the ride. The morning spin gets the metabolism up and readies the furnace for the trash you are about to pour into it. And large amounts of trash it will be!
It was a foggy morning road ride.
A few minutes prior to the race we were informed that the race course was flipped this year. It's the same old 9.75-mile loop at Lock 4 in Gallatin, TN, but this year we would be running the loop in the opposite direction. Chaos! People ride out there a lot and have every line dialed in. The change really threw a wrench into the plans for most riders. I was not excited, but the change was good for me. Riders were forced to rely on skills more than just memory for their line choice. That would be good for me.
Kids on the start line
Shannon with Keith and Misty's daughter Ellie
The race format is one lap with two donut stops along the way. This year the stops came at mile 1.5 and mile 8.5. For each donut you consume, you get two minutes subtracted off your final race time. Finally, a race that rewards those who like to ride hard AND eat!
The start was a short dash in the grass to a 180-degree right turn before a quick left turn took you into the woods. We had a big class on the start line. Classes here are arranged by weight class not ability level. I am a mere lightweight in the Under 165 Lbs. class. With a wide range of abilities on the line you had to be sure to get a good start. Lesser categories can often start fast, but they will likely die once they get to the woods. You will be stuck behind a rolling roadblock. So you must beat them to the singletrack at all costs!
Keith gets the hole shot in the Singlespeed group
Keith leads into the first turn
My start was bad. I missed my pedal and then had my foot slip off as I tried again to find the pedal. I fumbled around like it was my first day on clipless pedals. I was halfway down the grass straight before I got my feet clipped in. I put in a few good pedal strokes and cleared all, but two riders prior to reaching the first turn. One guy beat me to the corner with a bar ahead of me, but I had the inside. I did not back off and we both went into the corner way faster than would allow us to hold our line. I knew that would happen. That's why I pushed hard. The speed pushed us wide and he had to back off to stay out of the tape at the exit of the turn. My inside line kept me in the course full-gas and put me to the woods first. Mission #1 complete.
Me trying to get the lead on the start
There are two separate strategies at work here. First, you have the start and speed strategy. You must get in the woods with a good position and then ride your speed, whether that's wide-open or pacing yourself. I like to go wide-open so I want to be out front. Strategy two is your eating strategy. You have two stops. How many will you eat at each one? Over the last three years of racing DGD, I have found that gorging yourself at the first stop is the best option. Surprisingly, having a gut full of donuts does little to your ability to hammer on the bike. When you are in the depleted state that I strive for, it actually makes you feel better with the rush of sugar. Eat a bunch at stop one, then eat everything you can hold without puking at stop two.
My donut goal was to beat last year's number of 16. I did 8 the first year, then 13, then 16. I must keep improving! In the back of my mind I was secretly hoping for 20, but I did not think I could do it, so I did not make it an official goal.
The trail had no flow in this direction. I was overshooting corners and making tons of mistakes. I tried so hard to shake the two riders on my wheel, but kept screwing up too much to ever get a gap. I think it was a combination of nerves and lack of food that had me in a brain fog. I held the lead to the first stop and began to plow in the donuts. I was hoping to eat 10 at stop one. The first six were easy, then things got a bit tougher. Ten came and went pretty quickly. I pushed out to 12, then decided to go. But there were too many people around the stand and I couldn't get out! Instead of fighting my way through, I grabbed another donut. By the time I finished it, the group had cleared and I rolled back onto the trail with 13 in my gullet. Mission #2 completed and exceeded.
Keith and I at the first stop
Shoving them down
Mike Edens grabbed a dozen and took a seat
Ben Howard grabbing with two hands
Making room for more
Keith was the first rider to the first stop and one of the last ones to leave
Eating extra donuts put me way farther back in traffic than I have ever been before. There were many slower riders ahead. I caught most of them in groups. That was good because I was able to pass multiple riders at once. Some of the uphills were exciting. The rider up front would stall, jamming up the full line of riders. One hill I passed about seven people that were tumbling down the hill like dominoes, all because the first rider fell.
I dug hard all the way to the second donut stop. The goal now was to get down three to get a total of 16. Anything after that was just bonus. I told myself I would only stay at the donut table as long as I was gaining time. If it takes you more than two minutes to down the donut, there is no point in eating it. The first three went right down the pipe. The taste was getting old and I was getting full. I kept going though, alternating a big chomp of greasy donut with a squirt of water. I almost puked on 19, yet still decided to try for one more. It was tough to get down 20, but I managed to just do it. I think one more bite would have caused a reversal. I knew I was at my limit, so I hopped back on the bike and limped my way to the finish. I felt horrible that last mile, not from being full, but from the sugar-rich taste of the donuts. I think there was room for a few more in my gut, but the taste was too much to try for more. Props go out to Mike Edens who sat there on the ground in agony trying for an even two dozen. He made 22 before throwing in the towel. He said 23 would have made him throw-up and he was not about to do that in front of all the heckling kids that were crowded around the donut stand. That was the top number of the day that were held down. A few guys ate over 30, but all of them threw up before finishing. Puking is not against the rules, but it is frowned upon by all the competitors. You aren't real if you can't hold them down!
Shoving in donuts at stop #2
Me struggling to get down 20 while Mike Edens sits down again and plows his way to 22 donuts
Mmmm...donuts!
My time was still under an hour even with the long stops for eating. Subtract two minutes for each of the 20 donuts I ate and my final time came to less than 20 minutes, more than fast enough to win my class and the overall. That gives me three wins in a row a DGD and my first win of any kind this season. Does it mean you're a fatty when the only race you win all season is one involving overeating?
See our race video posted below. There's some race action, but mostly it's a lot of people grossly overeating.
20 green stickers on the number plate
2013 Dirt, Guts & Donuts race video
No comments:
Post a Comment