12 Hour Race Question(s)

[spayer]

Is anyone going to be in the 12 Hours Of Dauset in Jackson, GA this Saturday, July 22? I haven't been in an event like this and was looking for some advice and what to expect. I do a lot of road biking and a little mountain biking on the side. I feel like I am in good condition and put in over 10 hours a week on the road bike but I haven't been in an event like this. I am going to be in the 6 hour male solo event.

Any advice/tips?

Thanks!

[Nick Verstain]

A six-hour mountain bike race is a lot like doing a century ride on the road: keep a steady, comfortable pace; eat and drink on a regular basis even if you don't feel thirsty or hungry; find another rider whose pace you like and ride together -- you'll both go faster; in the last hour, increase your speed until you're hammering across the finish line.
If you are aiming to win, however, you'll have to train a lot harder and longer than you are now. The idea would be to maintain a pace just under your lactic acid threshold, keep your pit stop times to a minimum, eat a lot and drink alot and sing "My Sharona" a thousand times in a row.

[OneGearEnuff]

A six-hour mountain bike race is a lot like doing a century ride on the road: keep a steady, comfortable pace; eat and drink on a regular basis even if you don't feel thirsty or hungry...

I couldn't agree more. A 6-hour race seems like something at this point that you want to survive and not thrive.
Keep up your fluid intake (even if that means setting a timer on a watch to remind you....something I've definitely done) and eat 250-300 calories an hour. You can't take in more than that without compromising your performance. Make sure that you take in salt and your other electrolytes to stave off cramping and maximizing the work your legs can do.
When you go out, don't hammer. It's better to ramp up than die because you went out too fast. Trust me on this one. I did it at the 6 Hours of Power in 2005. I went out too hard and didn't drink enough in preparation for the race and cramped for 4 of the 6 hours (still finished 6 laps in 6:02 though).
Your second lap should be faster than your first and from there on they should remain pretty consistent until your last lap when you should just really try to gun it and go for broke. In your last lap, you have nothing to save so might as well hammer.
Warm up for at least 25 minutes beforehand on either a trainer or by rolling up the first climb at an even pace.
Modify your body position on the bike to keep different muscle groups in your legs, back, and upper body going. 6 hours can feel like an eternity.
When it comes down to it, have fun and don't blow up.
If you do it again, I'd train for this specific type of event by training up to a solo ride, maybe on the road, that is about 8 or 9 hours long. Do it about 6 weeks before the event. That way, you know your base really well and can guage the kind of consistent power output you are capable of doing. After you have that base, you can work on power or speed.
Rock on.