I just finished crewing for a a friend in his solo effort to complete a 516 mile, 40,000 feet of climbing race (Hoodoo 500) in 48 hours. He is a veteran of two RAAM completions (finisher) and a finisher in two previous Hoodoo 500 races. So he had nothing to prove to anybody about his ability.
As all ultracyclists know there are `times' and then there are `times.' This year my friend experienced gastric problems that drastically reduced his ability to take in calories. As the hours of his racing wore on he took on fewer and fewer calories. Finally, after 17 hours, 247 miles and 20,000 feet of climbing he knew it was over for him. His strength and endurance were fatally impacted by the inability to consume `fuel.' (I mean, how many endlessly long 13% hills can you climb without eating?!)
It takes character and emotional resilience to be know when to stop. Even more so, it takes maturity and experience not to blame yourself for not achieving the near-impossible. And in this regard I found his wisdom and good cheer refreshing and ... motivating.
Anybody who has crewed on an ultracycling event and says that they enjoyed it gets three free psychotherapy sessions from me! Crewing is hard. It's uncomfortable. And it is extremely demanding.
My normal weight is 185. When I weighed myself after crewing it was up to 198.6 lbs. (Today, after a 55 mile 4,800 feet of climbing 4 hour training ride - very well hydrated - it was 182.6)
Why the dramatic weight gain? Water. Bowels fill up and peristalsis goes on strike. Lack of physical movement causes my body to just `absorb' to the max.
Crewing puts you in a car or van, following your racer, at an average speed of 13 mph. One of the crew is driving. Another is navigating and keeping in contact with the racer. And I was preparing the food, hydration, recording everything in 15 minute increments.
The racer doesn't stop. And neither did the crew vehicle (except to get gas, pick up ice for the cooler, some grim road food, use the facilities). And for this race (48 hour time limit) sleeping is something that may or may not happen as a crewmember.
The crew is always `alert' to the racer. If the racer tells us we're the best crew s/he's ever had a little bright light of sunshine enters our grim boring world. If the racer is vomiting, has diarrhea, is cramping ... we scour our experiences and knowledge to make it `go away.'
Me? I'd rather race than crew. Crewing is harder.
I'm currently of the opposite thought as you. I'd rather crew than ride. But then I've been crewing for a few years now, and just this year have been dabbling into the riding side of ultracycling (did 6 hours at Ring of Fire last month)
ReplyDeleteI do agree a bit though in reference to crewing for a solo rider. There's just not as much to do, and you are just sitting there with plenty of time for snacking. I've experienced that twice, crewing for a solo at Race Across Oregon. But when it was two of us crewing for a 2 person team at RAO, that kept us plenty busy (four bikes, each rider with DF and recumbent). Same thing when I crewed RAAM this year, stayed so darn busy (and ate good food), I think I actually lost weight that week. (though I made it up in Annapolis)
This weekend I'll be headed down to crew yet again. Will be spending time in the car behind Dana again, but for Furnace Creek 508 instead of RAAM.