Bacchetta Recumbent Team Dominates Sebring Races
“Too much is not enough” best describes my experience at the 2006 Sebring 12/24.
While the weather has always been pretty good for the race, this year it was perfect. The temperature at the 06:30 start was about 60 degrees with fog and most importantly, no wind, unlike the past races that have had 20mph winds all day. The afternoon brought temperatures into the high 70’s to low 80’s under blazing bright sun and deep blue clear skies. The conditions were definitely too nice, but not more than we could stand.
The Sebring 12/24 starts with three laps of the famous 3.7 mile, 17 turn race track. In the past we entered at an access point at Turn Seven, which was very narrow and sandy. The race has now grown too large and we entered the track at a new point that proved to be very safe and allowed all to get a good start without first slipping in the sand and playing bumper pool with fellow competitors.
A nice sized group formed and we rolled along at speeds from 20mph to 30mph. Last year there was a team from Atlanta that controlled the pace at a steady tempo. With no team setting the pace, we seemed to chase down anyone that rolled off the front including the poor RAAM qualifiers, who were trying to not mix in with the group. Too many riders, but not enough to cause a big problem. For the first time ever I was in a recumbent bicycle rotating pace line. We were all riding Bacchetta brand bikes, mostly Ti Aero’s with a steel and an aluminum frame Corsa thrown in. I was on the only CarbonAero. The group of 6 recumbents rolled into the 50 mile check point/ turn around in Frostproof at 2:07. I and another rider got off the bikes to use the restroom and when we came out the rest of the group had rolled in and left and that left me to head back by myself. Too many riders before, not enough now.
As we headed back out re-tracing the way we came in, I saw my wife Christine. She was much further along on the route than last year, she too was having a “Too much” day.
I picked up a young recumbent rider named Ben and we rode back to Sebring together. Just having someone on my wheel increased my speed about 1mph. During the first 50 miles, all I got to see was the person ahead, to the left, and right of me. Now I was able to take in the scenery. All too fast. We came in to the timing station in 4:24 for 101 miles. A PR for my fastest total time century, but 11 minutes behind the lead group. “Too much, but not enough”.
Pit stations were set up along one of the service roads near the track. It was a good set up because you rode down the service road and were able to tell your crew what you needed as you rode further down the service road and made a U turn around a pylon and back down the service road. By the time you got back to them they had ready what you needed. Many thanks to Rich and Sara for doing such a great job of keeping all of us supplied and motivated. Your enthusiasm was every bit as helpful as the hand offs.
After the 101 mile loop you ride a 12 mile loop till either the end of 12 hours for the 12 hour race or till the track opens for the 24 hour racers. I am racing in the Drafting legal class, but other than the first 50 miles I’m either alone or with another competitor here and there. As I passed others I tried to call out words of encouragement. When I came across someone that I knew, they would often ask me, “How you doing”? My response was, “I’m going too fast but when I try to slow the pace, my legs will have none of it”. I had a 5:40 for 200km, 130 miles went by in 6 hours, 200 miles in 9:30, and 245 miles at the 11:31 hour mark when I started my track loops. All PR’s, all too much for someone coming from Ohio in February, but would it be enough to end up atop the standings?
All the night loops are run on the race track. Because of that, we feel that Sebring has the safest night racing of any race we have participated in. The only problem is that it takes a heck on a lot of laps to rack up any miles when you are ticking them off 3.7 miles at a time. Sebring also has the logistics problem of moving your day pit set-up to the track. The actual pit lane is used on the track which requires you to move everything about ¼ mile from the service road. In past years we were able to move our vehicle to a spot right behind the pit wall. This year there were too many competitors racing 24 hours to fit them in the limited space and everything had to be hauled in from a parking lot behind the pit straight grandstand.
As Christine finished her 12 hour race, I begin to make laps in the fading sun light. The bright day gave way to a spectacular sunset. As I completed another lap, I scanned the pit lane for Christine and the rest of the Bacchetta crew. Finally an official told me I needed lights. Just then everybody shows up and Christine and Rich Pinto run to our van for my lights. I take the time to make sure that I’ve kept up on my supplements and get fresh bottles and fill my water bladder.
After three years of participating in this race, I still love riding on the track. I love how you have to learn the track and work each lap to find the fastest line. The Sebring track is made up of old airport runways that were notorious for being rough... Over the years most of the track has been re-done and is quite smooth. The exceptions are the last turn before the pit lane, the pit lane, and the long sweeping turn at pit out. It doesn’t take too many laps before you also try to remember where that bump, hole, crack or rough spot is. Inevitably I find myself hitting the same bump lap after lap.
The track has only one tight turn as far as a bicycle is concerned. Turn Seven comes at the end of a long straight that runs in front of the track hotel. The only noticeable change in elevation accrues here as well. There is a slight dip down to the apex of the right turn and then straight back up out of it. This makes for a very fast turn if you get it right or one that you could loose a lot of time at if you get it wrong. It also seems to be the darkest turn on the track at night. When we arrived on the Friday afternoon a driving class was being held on the track. From the hotel pool I watched as car after car got sideways, spun, or just missed the turn altogether and had to take the runoff lane.
I was using bike mounted LED headlights and for all but Turn Seven the set-up worked well. Sometime in the night the roughness of pit-in got to the metal of my light bracket and the next thing I knew were my lights skidding across the track. Part of racing is to have a plan and part of that plan is to realize that nothing go according to plan. Up until that moment I had followed my plan to the letter. As I rolled into my pit box everyone sprang into action. Improvise. Flip the lights over and zip tie them to my helmet. Where were those zip ties? Someone kept calling out that they had duct tape.
Finally, I found two zip ties at the bottom of the toolbox (why is everything you need at the bottom?) and cinched them down tight. Hopefully I placed them in the right spot, too high and I’d be illuminating the sky and too low and my feet would be well lit. Just as I was about to roll off, Rich Pinto felt the need to snip off the excessive ends of the zip ties. I thanked him for making me look less funny; he murmured something about excessive weight. Perfect, better than perfect, now I can shine the lights at the turns and see where I’m going before I get there. Best of all was being able to see better at Turn Seven. The little change of plan helped increase my speed through the turns and reduced my lap times.
I watched the moon rise and then followed the race between Jupiter and the moon across the night time sky. A shooting star streaked across the inky blackness; was it an omen for good luck or bad?
Riding with others in the dark can be tough. At Sebring with all its turns, it is nearly impossible. This can make for some lonely times in the night. Night riding is not unlike riding the trainer in the basement with the lights off. By about 10pm I’d had all the deep discussions with myself that I could stand, so I made a new friend, one who Christine made last year. Mr iPOD. . Your mind can process only so many stimuli at a time. Distract your mind enough with something pleasant and it will block out the pain and discomfort. I’m still amazed at how well that listening to music uplifted me and kept me going strong.
Christine has a setup that places both ear buds near her right ear, but not in her ear. With no traffic to worry about, I used the ear buds in my ears and now wish that there were more races that used a closed track for the night loop. Using ear phones is unsafe on open roads with traffic. The night loop at Sebring is on a closed loop and I use a mirror to monitor what is going on behind me. I will now need to come up with a similar set up to Christine’s for future 24 hour races.
As the time was winding down, more people started to show up in the Bacchetta pit box to cheer us on and watch records being broken. Jim Kerns was going to break the 500 mile mark and set a new course record for all types of bicycles. As Jim lapped me yet another time I just kept pace, 20 or so yards behind him. All of a sudden I see a wild flashing of headlights and tail lights. Jim has clipped the curb and has gone down. As I stop, he is up and is OK but has flatted the front tire. Just by instinct he asked for mine. I told him my extra wheel is back at the pit but I’m on a record pace myself. Shortly after I rolled away, I feel bad and hustle to get back to the pit and tell the crew that Jim needed help. By the time I finish the lap Jim has made his way back and exchanged wheels and is back on course.
Just a short time ago there was too much time and now as the horizon starts to glow with the day’s first light, suddenly there is not enough. My lap times had been in the 12 minute range for awhile and now the clock said 20 minutes to go. Time for one last lap, one that I didn’t have to rush. One that I could take my time on and savor the moment. For hours I have held on tight, and thought of nothing but to eat, drink, keep the pedals moving, stay on the bike and keep it upright. As I said goodbye to each corner the emotions of joy and accomplishment came flooding in. I have ridden my best race ever and had exceeded all my expectations. Christine had forfeited her 24 hour race and did the 12 hour so that she could crew for me and without her I couldn’t have accomplished so much. Christine rode 183 miles and came in tied for 2nd on mileage of all the women. Pretty darn good for someone that wasn’t able to get a century in beforehand.
As I came to a stop, I looked down at my computer to see that I had broken the 450 mile barrier for the first time by 10 miles, but what would be my official score? When the official mileages were posted I couldn’t believe what I saw next to my name, 471.2!
(20.5 ride time avg.) That is 60 miles more than I did here last year. It was the first time that I had been able to ride past the 200 mile mark at night. I also defended being the drafting class course record holder, 22 miles ahead of second place. In the overall standings I placed, for the third year in a row, forth overall, first non RAAM rider. In the end Team Bacchetta riders swept all the top male divisions.1st and 2nd place in the 12 hour race with John Schlitter & Bill Wolff tying with two upright riders at 269 miles and 1st and 2nd place RAAM qualifiers with Jim Kern at 516 and Tim Woudenberg at 483. And me with 471.2 in the drafting class.
Afterward Rich Pinto reminded me that he told me after last year’s Sebring that if I rode one of his bikes (Bacchetta) that I would go 475 miles. I was one lap short. “Too much, is never enough”.
Larry Graham
graham146@wowway.com