I previously wrote about the True Grit Epic 100 as my Big Hairy Audacious Goal for the early season this year. Even though I am a bit sad that I missed my goal, it was not a loss! It kept me motivated to work hard during the winter months on the trainer, road and trails when the weather allowed. With the help of a well-structured custom training plan laid out by my coach with Saavy Bike, I increased my Functional Threshold Power and decreased my weight. Overall I am faster and stronger on the bike than I have ever been in my life! I love training for its own sake, and will keep it up as it motivates me to stay healthy. As an added bonus, the fitness I have gained can be used on other races this Spring. Here is what I learned about the True Grit Epic, which will hopefully benefit other amateur racers looking for information on this super tough mountain bike race.
- Choose your weapon wisely. Ignore what the race website says most people use. A hardtail is not a wise choice. 😉
- The stats do not do it justice. While the Grit is “only” 86-88 miles and has 10 – 11K feet of elevation gain, the terrain on half of the course is super technical and can be slow going. There is a reason why this race is part of the National Ultra-Endurance Series.
- Develop more upper body strength than you think you will ever need. That tiny amount of tricep work, planks, rows and push ups that you do are not enough. Get shredded.
- Expect that second time around Zen trail to be BRUTAL, especially if you violate rule #1. But don’t let this deter you. Keep going, you can recover some on the following section.
- Do yourself a favor and use a hydration pack. Accessible nutrition is essential. Fill it with a sugar/electrolyte mix, such as Skratch Labs hydration mix, or Tailwind. Have a spare bladder pre-filled waiting for you at aid stations. You won’t get many flat/smooth places to unwrap bars or gels. Eat something at the aid station stops or grab and go, and leave the trash there. There were sadly dropped bottles and wrappers lying around the bumpy course.
- Have plain water on hand in a bottle. Squirting the plain water on the legs and arms when the sun is blazing feels nice and cools you down.
- Of course get fit – do your trainer intervals religiously all winter.
- PRE-RIDE. If you can, definitely do the super fun Trail to Zen training camp organized by Red Rock Bicycle Company in St. George. There are friendly locals who can show you the best way to navigate the tricky sections and also guide you around some other sweet little-known rides in the area.
- Stay positive and don’t stress out about the cut off times. Just keep it moving, stay healthy, hydrated and fueled and you’ll do fine.
- Learn to love and have fun on technical rocky trails! (#1 helps with this).
