24 hours solo!
29th November 2023
The mud has settled and I've caught up on some sleep after one of the most impressive sporting weekends I've ever been witness to.
ThreePointZero's own Nick Swanson took on the JetBlack 24 hour mountain bike race this weekend, and in his first attempt at this kind of epic endeavour not only won his age category (50-59yo) comprehensively, but also placed 3rd overall, only 1 lap behind 7 time World 24hr champion Jason English.
The start of the race was delayed due to torrential rain, and only moments after the rain began, the heavens opened and provided a thunderstorm which really set the tone for the race. The riders were absolutely smashed by rain and wind as the track turned into a slippery, soggy nightmare, but Nick was unperturbed and soldiered on stoically, banging out impressive laptimes for the first 4 hours despite being in the worst conditions imaginable. Like I said last time, this sport appeals a special kind of masochist who revels in suffering.
By 10pm the rain had calmed but the damage was done. Nick was holding top 5 overall, but his body was starting to shut down. The extra energy and concentration demanded by the terrible conditions was taking it's toll. By the 1am pitstop things were looking rough, with Nick struggling even to get his leg over the bike after a quick change into dry clothes. Some encouraging words from the pit crew and another fresh water bottle and he went on his way again. Only 11 hours to go...
Finding a second wind at around 2am, Nick found a decent cadence again and powered through to sunrise. Thankfully Sunday morning weather was far more kind and with a little sunshine and a drying track the competitors brightened up and the pace increased again. By this point Nick had been riding for 16 hours and other than grabbing a fresh bottle each lap had only done one 10 minute stop to change clothes.
At 10am, with only 2 hours to go, the body count around the paddock was starting to grow. Nick came into the pits and was visibly shaken, with every lap you could see his body breaking down. A very physical track meant his upper body was absolutely spent, hands and arms barely able to hold the bars or squeeze the breaks. Legs turning pedals over purely by habit. When we sent him out for the last stint he was looking at around 5th overall, if he could even make it to the finish...
Unable to even sit straight on the bike, Nick proceeded to punch out 5 of the most determined laps of the whole race, to leapfrog 2 other riders into 3rd place, and when the final lap started he had only 8 minutes advantage so had to push beyond any preconceived limits to earn his podium finish. It was truly inspiring to watch.
313km. 3500m of off road climbing. Over 16,000 calories burned. Unreal.
I have been involved in many elite events over my 30+ years of sports, and I have been witness to some epic performances and shows of spirit. I think that watching this athlete, with whom I've spent countless hours with over the last 12 months preparing for this event, might be the single most impressive display of guts, determination, and sheer force of willpower that I have ever seen.
Being a part of this team, helping Nick at this event achieve such an epic result, is truly one of the highlights of both my coaching and personal life, and I couldn't be more proud of my athlete and my friend.
Yes, tears were shed, but mainly by Vicki because she kept saying the P word.
Thanks to Nick for letting me be part of the team, and trusting me to help him get into the physical condition he needed for such an adventure. Thanks to Vicki and Harry the mechanic for being awesome pit crew teammates. We were all awake for nearly 40 hours straight together so chemistry is pretty important!
Nick also managed to raise $3500 for cancer research in memory of 3 friends who he lost to the illness, and I know that their memory inspired him to keep pushing when giving up was an option. Donations are still being accepted so I encourage you to chip in and support this amazing effort.
Being a coach is amazing. So grateful for this opportunity.
Well done Nick. Back to training when you can sit down comfortably again 😂
Inspired.
Dan
