Last year I wrote a post about The Epic, and how it was an exercise in how not to race. The TL;DR of it was pretty much ‘didn’t sleep, was disorganised, super anxious and needed to do lots of wees, ended well but annihilated myself’.

This year’s Epic was the same 100km course, and with the memories of the 2019 version in mind I was more than a little reluctant in the days leading up to the event than I had been before. The more experience you have, the deeper you can go into the pain cave, but the more aware of what it will feel like (a bit like childbirth, they say you forget about it but I remembered enough to ensure that I still only have one child…).

Training wise, my best numbers had come around 5 weeks prior when I hit an all time new best FTP. When scaled for weight it was a little under my best but I knew I was pretty strong. After that, though, the toll of maintaining a high CTL (for me anything over 90 with accurate zones) became pretty difficult, and life got in the way a little and while my load was maintained, I certainly wasn’t gaining any fitness. I was mainly just tired and hopefully maintaining a semblance of that previous form.

Without any specific training for the race, I had completed enough load to know I could have a half decent race, but it was only the day prior when I really went through the training and got prepared and realised that.

With COVID wreaking havoc on race plans globally, we were actually pretty lucky to have a 2020 Epic, and it was surprising and quite nice to have the largest elite womens field since the 2016 version, when it doubled as a national series race and that year was my first dominant XCM national race win.

Anyway, a mild warm up and we were off. The neutral start was pretty respectable, hanging with the Elite boys until the first main climb, which was a bit of a leveller. Last year I had really paced this effort because I knew of the hurt ahead, but this year I had ridden the climb a few times before and the pitchy gradient was quite enticing, and despite the dice I was rolling going early I put in a threshold effort up the climb, and by the top there was daylight.

Which was fine, but we had another 5hrs left.

I caught glimpses of two chasers, Holly and Imogen, on the descent of Treedom while I wove my way back up Intervention. I knew it would be a pretty silly sort of effort to continue riding at threshold, so I played the long game. The climb would be 20mins, and I knew if I could put some distance in there I could get a mild buffer, even though it’s a bit of a long meandering roadie climb.

I rode up at subthreshold, behind Riley with Mike glued to my wheel.

Down Devine it was super fast, I hit some jumps and was having a great time, then out onto the field and up Riders Creed I had to take a few moments to temper my intensity and remember to sit in tempo where I could.

A nice tap along and up to Gorgeous, I knew the short descent to the lookout preceded another solid 5-10mins of climbing until the first really solid recovery of Skyfall Snappy Turtle and Trailer Thrash. That was a real highlight.

The next section of riding up a fireroa and through a field was less memorable, as was climbing up to the top and through Epic trail. I had been keeping an eye on the computer and eating and drinking regularly, and I wasn't distressed, but aware I had used some biscuits up early and that I was going to have to continue to temper my effort and be very mindful of intake as the temperature was increasing.

Quick stop at the 55km feed zone I swapped packs, grabbed coke and food and headed off, my support crew having finished his race just a minute or so before.

The remainder of this race is always where the racing starts. On this day it wasn’t where the move went, or where people started eyeing each other off, it was already split up. But regardless, it marks the point where the racing becomes physically and mentally difficult.

If ever I was thinking negatively (which will invariably happen when pushing your limits) I would continue to remind myself that this is the important part of the race, and to keep focussed and fed. At one stage I was bitten on the far by a wasp climbing Dandy’s. At this stage I was feeling quite grim and considered the merits of an anaphylactic reaction mid-race:

Pros: could stop pedalling, could lie down, hopefully someone would come by and help

Cons: could die

Fortunately, in hindsight, I don’t have a wasp allergy and was condemned to continue pedalling. Though that grimness was temporarily addressed by realising I hadn’t had caffeine since 0700 (it’s now 1100) and downing a double espresso gel. Disgusting deliciousness.

Coming out of that loop (which seemed to go on forever) I pinned down the fireroad and over to Dances with Dingoes: another trail which goes forever, is hot and exposed and not particularly fun. This is followed by some more dead paddock and into Grinder, which this year they put the slightly longer (and I am not sure if it’s better or worse than the fireroad) single track climb in. And that’s when I started to get some cramps, we were at 82km.

Not to worry, power of the mind and all that, I pedalled knees in, knees out, standing up; anything to reduce the likelihood of a while body cramp. Ripple effect was a welcome reprieve, but followed by Fairy Wrenly, it’s so close to home yet so far, as the roadie that had blasted past me on earlier climbs began to suffer and said it must have been the last climb. I hated to be the bearer of bad news (or did I?).

Rock bottom and Up into Juiced is a cruel way to end the race, especially when you end up just where you came out 20mins prior. Down Plane Sailing and I knew I was home free. The brain is free to shut up, the legs free to stop pedalling.

In the end, it wasn't quite the level of sufferfest of the year prior, though I did suffer. The last 18km of threatened cramping the whole time really made me be a lot more cautious and ride with more care. In the end I was stoked to get through with a course record and 14mins of last years time. The first part of the course seemed faster, but probably not to the extent of 14 minutes so I was happy with my efforts.

I enjoyed having some alone time, and despite my earlier reservations was happy with the way I managed my exertion and notoriously slanderous head talk. A huge congratulations to little Holly Lubke who debuted the 100km in amazing fashion, coming in second (she is just a baby!). And Imogen Smith who thought it was the 87km course and was rudely surprised at the 87km mark, riding into third.

2020: 99 Bikes Cycle Epic Marathon

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