Stop time. Time stops.
Time passes. Legs spin.
Planned stop. Time stops. Focus.
Food shop. Follow list. Pack bags. Go.
Water tap. Warm layers. Go.
Time passes. Legs spin.
Stop time is absolutely key in ultra racing.
Time spent not moving on the bike accumulates rapidly. Any efforts to ride fast can be wasted by minimal time spent not moving.
On day 1 of the TransAlba this was my entire focus. I knew I did not have the training to be putting in any efforts. I had to deliberately hold back and watch everyone ride off. My intention was to gain on them when they stopped. Both for food and for ‘rest’.
It went to plan, very well I believe. At the end of the day I had 15 minutes of stop time over an 18 hour ride.
This added up roughly as 5 minutes pee/water stops throughout the day and a 10 minute food restock in Braemar. This was perfectly to plan and by the end of the day, I went for an hours sleep in 3rd/4th place. Before my Braemar stop I was in 7th/8th place and losing ground on those in front.
Given this was my first ever multi-day ride on the road it was a little bit of an experiment. I fully intended to have as little stop time on day 2 but the whole ride quickly unwound…
