The Swiss Epic has really been “the” event for me for 2024, 5 days of racing, 214 miles, 37,500 ft of climbing and a big trip. It’s a duo race, which means you ride with a partner, adding an element to the race. Also, my first time in Switzerland and first 5 day stage race in a number of years.
We left for Switzerland 4 days ahead of the start. The travel time adds up and shifting that many time zones can be tough to acclimate to. Having a few days to get used to the local time and just settle in is helpful because regardless of how you slice it the 5 days of racing is going to be tough.
The reality of the length of the trip has been looming large lately. Things have been busy at work, family life is always intense, and the way the school schedule ended up has them starting school right at the end of my trip. I think the timing of this has made it a little more difficult for Katie and me to be in stride as much as we usually are. Which is a challenge, we count on each other for a lot, or at least I count on her and when things are off it’s tough. I’m looking forward to getting home and getting things back to normal.
Race Thoughts
For now, it’s time to try and focus on the race and have some fun, got to make the most of the time. I like goals, events, things to work towards. This has been my target for a lot of the year. A lot of my riding has been geared towards this. I increased riding volume a fair bit, even focused workouts in trying to get prepared. It’s probably the most prep work I’ve done for an event since the Breck Epic back in 2017. Which is good…since the Swiss Epic is about the same length, with a little more elevation, and 1 less day…so the days are a little bigger and Breck was hard.
I feel a little strange as I haven’t really “raced” since PMBAR and that’s such a different animal. I’ve had some days where I’ve put in some effort, but I haven’t had those all-out days. Stage racing is a little bit of a different animal though. The days can get long, then they’re back to back to back. There’s a bit of a “long game” to it but each day is also hard. I’m really hoping the training has been right and I can get into the race and get better each day.
I’m trying to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself to perform though. I don’t want to get frustrated and miss some of the excitement and magic that’s sure to be out there. Pace is going to be important, my partner for the race, Wes, is a little stronger than I am and overall, a better bike rider. He’s also a competitor and gets after it so we’re going to have to make sure we’re on the same page about how hard I can go.
Pre-Race, Anticipation
The couple days ahead of the race ended up being a little questionable as far as the weather goes. Rain, cooler temps, etc. We snuck in some riding, some walking, some Ping Pong, hung out with the pretty good-sized crew we had from Brevard. Generally, just tried to keep it fun and light.
I’m looking forward to getting to the start line and getting the show on the road. I’m also already looking forward to getting home. I miss the family, it hasn’t been long, I’m with friends, we’re going to an amazing place to ride bikes, but man I miss them already.
