Race report Georgia 24 Hour TT race 2026 (1/3) 5.5 month after I cut my …
Race report Georgia 24 Hour TT race 2026 (1/3) 5.5 month after I cut my left leg/hop badly an got surgery I finally was first time in a 24-hour race on my regular upright bicycle … I was happy to see Larry Oslund organizing that race and happy to be there. However admittedly I was scared about the race since my preparation would not allow for a 10–12-hour test before. Still decided to pack two race bikes and drive to the location in Rincon GA on Thursday night. Used the time and did a test ride of the 29.2-mile loop. As info – the race was setup to ride the 29.2-mile loop during daylight and switch to the first part of that loop as a 6.4-mile loop for the dark (nighttime). OK … realistically every coach and adviser would tell me that it’s a foolish decision to ride 29-30 miles the day before a 24-hour race. Correct its foolish but this is a hobby and not for money making. And those 29.2 miles I did the day before having been fun plus I learned how the loop feels like. I did check it out in the car first Thought about the 6.4-mile loop on the spare bike, but rain stopped me doing that. So Later Afternoon/evening I did get my race number. Added it to the bike and tested. … Thanks for Larry to be very patient and helpful. We found a way to get it done ok. I now focused on preparing all I need … water, lights, batteries, food. Also made sure I relax a bit the night before the race. And yes … where did I sleep? RAAM Solo style and my regular way – I have my Chrysler Pacifica setup with a regular mattress on left side, so I slept in the car. Setup my alarm to have some food in the morning and to get ready. Realistically … being down for so long means I had to improvise a bit. Some of my batteries have not been freshly charged. I use my RAAM Solo setup with speaker system installed on my helmet (no ear in). the battery life holds up for 11-14 hours. Normally so I thought I am ok with 2 sets but had 5 with me to be sure its ok. Morning came and I start setting up bike and getting dressed for the race. Turned on my music (fancy mix of hard rock from the 80th). Had some soda (too lazy to make coffee). Setup solar panel outside the car to keep my power generator battery charged in case I need it. Bike was setup ok and tested a short distance and … my headset in the helmet told me: ‘battery low’. Back to the car using next unit (had 5 with me and I knew 2 I kept charging and used in training). Now I felt ready for the race start. Waited with the rest of the racers for the official start and here we go. What’s the strategy for me? Honestly when I start, I try not to take off too fast but do not want to go too slow neither. I took off and kept passing a few racers while over time I knew they may pass me anyway again, but I am racing against myself and have a bit of a schedule for that. It’s not arrogance or ignorance from my end but I have my own agenda and try not to measure myself to other racers in an active race. We took off and I was amazed how well my first lap started. It felt good with speed partial about 20mph (32 km/h) and more.
