Winner by only 2 minutes
Erick auger
2011-07-05
The Summer Solstice is one of my favourite races. I had great expectation for this race, although I knew I was a bit behind in my training schedule and that the level of competitors grows every year. The first race of the season is always a reality check and to see whether or not you’re going to be competitive for the rest of the season.
For the first time, my official pit crew was composed of my two daughters’ Ariane and Élise (Aged 12 and 9 years old respectively). It was for sure a big challenge for them, but I knew they were ready.
The morning of the race, I was doing final adjustments on my new Pivot Cycles Mach 429. Racing on 29 wheels is a first for me, but I’ve been considering it for quite some time now. The race course at Albion Hills is well suited for such bikes. I first raced my Mach 429 in a local race and I felt confident the moment I jumped on it. My bikes are outfitted with the new generation XTR 10 speed group. I will post more technical information on this amazing bike later.
Before the race it was rainy once again, but by noon it had already stopped. The new course is well drained and there’s no way it could be worst that the 2009 edition. My start was good and I was able to follow the pace of teams and build a comfortable lead in the solo category. Later in the afternoon, I was eventually caught by Robert Pilato and rode with him for a while before let him go. Robert was in the under 40 category, so I didn’t feel direct competition. Robert did an amazing job of winning is category with a total of 24 laps.
All day, I taught my lead was confortable, but all this time Dave Stowe was slowly but surely bridging the gap. By 11 PM he caught me and we rode together for many laps, swiping our chips at a few seconds interval. All night it was a cat and mouse game. Before sunrise, I was able to increase my lead by a few minutes and to eventually 30 minutes after a few more laps. I taught for sure that Dave had finally decided to let it go. During that time, Dave was starting to feel the pressure from the third position rider and accelerate he’s pace to get away from him. My comfortable margin vanished and once again Dave was in my rear wheel. I was doing strong laps to build up my lead again, but Dave didn’t even feel it. On the last lap, I taught the victory was mine, but Dave was right behind me. We’ve talked for a brief moment and shook hand to congratulate each other for such a tight race, after this it was every man for himself. We’ve accelerated to a pace that was as fast as the first lap. I took the opportunity of entering a before him technical section. At that point, I’ve reached for all the remaining energy left in my body and knew that whatever the outcome, I would be proud of result. I finally crossed the finish line with a ridiculous two minute lead on Dave.
I have a lot of respect for Dave Stowe, since he’s a fierce competitor and with his racing experience, he’s always in the top three. I honestly feel that he also deserve this victory. Thanks Dave for such an amazing race. At the award ceremony, my two daughters’ joined me to celebrate our victory. They’ve did an amazing supporting me throughout the race. Thanks Ariane and Élise. My next 24 hour will be in August and in the meantime I’m keeping the shape with local and provincial races.
Solo Podium:
1. Erick Auger; 23 laps
2. Dave Stowe; 23 laps
3. Chris Coultson; 21 laps
Race statistics:
• Total distance: 345 kilometers
• Vertical gain: 5 888 meters
24 hour of Moab - Race report
Erick Auger
2010-10-12
On the weekend of October 9th and 10th, I had the chance to race in the 16th edition of the 24 hour of Moab. The morning before the race, it was time to take care of the pit stop setup. At our arrival around 9 o'clock, most of the other tents were already set up. It was really impressive to see this small village in the middle of the desert. I was strategically placed along the course under the Pivot Cycles tent. Josh, the person in charge of the Pivot Cycles demo tour, took really good care of us all weekend long, it was really awesome. Around 10:30, it was the captain's meeting for the special instructions and rules of the race.
This race is the national championship for all the American 24 hour races. A few solo riders were competing for the national title, while the rest of us were in an open class. I knew I could rival with the pro riders, but I could not race the championships because of my Canadian status. It was my first time racing against top riders from the US like the returning Champion Josh Tostado. It's important to say that most US riders rarely show up at the Solo World Championships because of a rivalry between the two race promoters. For this reason these two races are always held on the same weekend. This rivalry is not good for the sport and it might be one of the reasons for a decline in popularity for this kind of race.
The lemans style start was given at noon. I usually don't like running before getting on the bike, but this time it wasn't too bad. Initially, I didn't really like the course, but once I figured out the fastest lines, I started to appreciate it more. I completed my first lap in 1:18. I was a bit disappointed because I completed the 24 kilometer (15 miles) lap with a slower time than expected. For the first few hours, I didn't want to know my position, but I had a feeling I had the right pace since I was catching up to other solo riders. Around 6 pm, Serge told me that I was in twelfth place. I was feeling great, and I decided to increase my pace in order to catch the riders in front of me.
This race had challenges I've never encountered before. First the night was really long with 11 hours of darkness and the temperature dropped to 25oC after the sunset. Windchill was another factor, since our speed in the long final descent was around 40 km/h. On three occasions, I had to stop and change in order to find the right clothes. Every lap, I was passing riders and by dawn I was in seventh position. I was now after Nate Gizton and Ernesto Marenchin, who were only 20 minutes in front of me. I was still putting in some fast laps and I caught up to Nate, but I was not able make time on Ernesto. Nate passed me again on the last climb; I was not able to keep his pace.
I completed the event in seventh position overall, with the best result amongst all riders in the general solo category. Unfortunately, there was no podium specific to my category. I'm extremely satisfied with my race, and I know I gave my best for my 20th solo event. A special thanks to Serge for helping me out during the race.
This race puts an end to my 2010 season, and I would like to thank all of my sponsors for their amazing support. Thanks to Pivot Cycles, Apogee, Shimano, Light & Motion, Fox Racing Shox, Ergon, Selle Italia, Thule, Schwalbe, Pedro’s, and NYX Dimensions.
Top 10 Solo:
1. Josh Tostado; 18 laps
2. Kelly Magelky; 18 tous
3. Cary Smith; 16 laps
4. Ben Koening; 15 laps
5. Ernesto Marenchin; 15 laps
6. Nate Gizton; 15 laps
7. Erick Auger; 15 laps
8. Macy Travis; 15 laps
9. Micheal Scott; 15 laps
10. Andrew Carney; 15 laps
Race Statistics:
• Total Distance: 370 kilometers
• Vertical: 6225 meters
24 hour of Moab - Pre Race
Erick Auger
2010-10-07
I’m currently in MOAB, and my race preparation is going well. Our plane landed in Salt Lake City and we completed the last part of the trip by car through some amazing scenery. Yesterday, I rode the race course loop. The course is long at 24 km (15 miles), with 425 m (1369 ft) of vertical ascent. The sandy and rocky trails are not too technical, so they are well suited for a 24 hour race. The views are breathtaking and will surely be a source of motivation during the race. Today, Serge (my friend and tech support) and I did the Slickrocks trails, which is one of the most popular trails in Moab. It’s not every day that you can ride for more than 2 hours on smooth rock trails. The tire grip is amazing and makes 25% grade climbs possible. The trail offers incredible points of view over canyons and the Colorado River. In the afternoon, we went visit the mythical bike store called Poison Spider, and later stopped for a delicious wood fire baked pizza. Tomorrow we will do one of the best trails in Moab, the Porcupine rim. Ideally, I should be resting before the race, but it’s a once in a lifetime experience to mountain bike in Moab. I look forward to the beginning of the race (Saturday at noon) even if I know it’s going to be challenging.
12 hour Chlorophylle race report
Erick Auger
2010-09-29
It’s already been a year since I did the 12 hour race in St-Félicien. Being not far away from home is enjoyable, and makes quite a change from the usual 12 hours needed to get to the closest 24 hour race. I don’t really understand why the 24 hours race is not popular in Quebec because everywhere else, endurance racing is quite popular, and some athletes even make it their speciality. I have been wondering about this for a few years now, and I still haven’t found the reason why.
The race started at 10h30 and I made my first lap at a fairly slow pace. I was gaging myself against the solo athletes that were racing the 8 hour event. The 8.6 km course was nicely balanced and was really fun to ride. A lot of roots and rocks made this course harder and harder as the event progressed. My Pivot Mach 4 did a wonderful job of absorbing the rough terrain. I didn’t feel any real pressure from riders behind me. For a lap I was slightly behind Simon Boily. I was keeping my feed stops to a minimum, and I took the lead soon after. Although I was quite fast, I didn’t feel great, my legs felt tired, and I could feel them wanting to cramp up. I readjusted my pace and made sure to stay hydrated by injesting a sufficient amount of electrolytes. I really felt good on lap thirteen and had found my normal race pace. After this lap I was consistent and had good lap time.
The night laps were really fun and I was testing my new Light & Motion SECA 1400 and Stella 300. LED lighting systems have come a long way over the last 3 years. Everyone who likes mountain biking should try night riding, it’s an incredible experience and it can significantly lengthen the season when days become shorter.
It rained during the night, but it wasn’t enough to deteriorate the course. The organizers built an amazing network of trails. I had the chance to ride with Mireille from Cycles Lambert for two laps, and talk a bit since I was alone on my previous laps. Mireille was racing with my friend Michel Bujold in the tag-team category. They’re both passionate endurance cyclists and the result was quite impressive, since they finished second behind an all-male team. My personal objective was to complete 20 laps, but the heavy rain at the end of my 19th lap convinced me to stop. I had a good lead, so I decided to stop and go for a poutine (a popular local indulgence of fries, gravy and cheese).
This event was special since it was the first time my two daughters were there to see me race. A 12 hour race would probably be unbearable for most 11 and 8 year old kids, but it was not the case with them. They were there every lap to cheer me on with their cow bells. Thanks Ariane and Élise for your amazing support that kept me going on for 12 hours.
My focus is now aimed at the 24 hour of Moab on October 9th. The preparation for a race this far away is enormous, so I intend to enjoy every one of the 86400 seconds this prestigious race has to offer!
Solo Podium:
1. Erick Auger; 19 laps
2. Conrad Audet; 18 laps
3. Bruno Paré; 17 laps
Race statistics:
• Total distance: 157kilometers
• Vertical gain: 2 565 meters
Hot August Nights race report
Erick Auger
2010-08-29
Two months have already passed since the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice. Since I had no races planned in July, I put a lot of emphasis on my training. I got out for two long, 250 km endurance rides. My personal goal for Hot August Nights was to complete 23 laps of the course, for a total of 354 km. The conditions necessary to make it possible were ideal. The new course at Albion Hills was really fast and the weather was sunny, for once.
Waiting at the starting line, the sun and heat made me think that I needed to be cautious of dehydration during the race. The crowd cheered the final seconds of the countdown to the start. I got off to a quick start. The other racers did not slow me down since I was in the first row of the starting grid. My first lap was fast, but it was on the second lap that I set the fastest time amongst solo riders. During the Afternoon, the laps were flying by at a ridiculous pace without the feeling of pushing to my maximum. In the early evening, it all started to change because I was experiencing digestion problems, and I felt a bit dehydrated. The odd taste of my protein drink made me think the due date had expired. For safety measures, I decided to switch to solid food, but at this point in a race, I always have a hard time eating.
I was waiting impatiently for sundown to cool me off a bit. The night was hard like no other race in the past. I was so sleepy and every night lap, my only thoughts were about my bed. My lap times were really starting to suffer around midnight. Every race the thought of sleep crosses my mind at least once, but this race was different. I drank a caffeine drink to help me out, but my laps remained slow. At 5:00 in the morning, I made the risky decision of stopping to get some rest. Although I was not able to sleep, lying down really helped me. Waking up is always the hardest part; your body does not really understand why you would want to go back on a bike. Around 6:15, I was back on the course and my times were improving with every lap; dropping to an average of 1 hour per lap. For the final stretch of the race, it was a matter of maintaining my lead. I finished the event one lap short of my objective, but I am still happy to win gold in my category, and be second overall.
Although the race did not unfold exactly the way I intended, I am still quite happy with my overall level of fitness. The added fatigue from the past months forces me think I should get more rest before my next race in Saint-Félicien, on September 18th.
Solo Podium 40 plus:
1. Erick Auger; 22 laps
2. J-P DeCouvreur; 18 laps
3. Steve Lines; 17 laps
Solo Overall results:
1. Ben Dawson; 22 laps
2. Erick Auger; 22 laps
3. TJ Boucher; 21 laps
Race stats:
• Total distance: 338 kilometers
• Total vertical gain: 4 655 meters
