24 hours of pedal to metal

By RYAN AMYS Chronicle Sports Writer

Matt Fritz said it’s a demented and twisted kind of fun.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN MACHT Team Grizzly Outfitters/Continental Construction, made up of Ben Macht, Matt Fritz, Rich Chandler and Thad Josephson, won the 24 Hours of Vail Lake at Temecula, Calif., on April 26. But those 24-hour cycling relays that can cause so much regret when racing and can be so rewarding when completed keep Fritz and his teammates coming back for more.

“Everybody’s perception of fun is different,” the 37-year-old Fritz said. “And that’s it for us. I’m not getting any younger, but it keeps getting more fun.”

Fritz and his three counterparts who make up Team Grizzly Outfitters/Continental Construction n Ben Macht, Rich Chandler and Thad Josephson n won the opening race of the Suzuki Series on April 26. It is the best the team has done in its five years of racing.

Team Grizzly Outfitters/Continental Construction not only won their expert division at the 24 Hours of Vail Lake in Temecula, Calif., but outraced every other group in the 41-team field, completing 25 grueling laps in one day’s time.

“The thing that really drives you is that you don’t want to let your buddies down,” said Macht, who was one of the founders of the team. “You’re out on the course giving it your all. You don’t want to blow anything for the team, so that keeps you going.”

In a day-long race, which included 1,500 feet of vertical climb in each 10.22-mile lap, the local team expected to face setbacks. But when the pedal on Fritz’s bike busted on his first lap, it seemed like it wasn’t meant to be.

But, as Macht said, 24-hour relays are all about not letting your team down. And Fritz wasn’t about to give Grizzly Outfitters/Continental Construction an insurmountable time to overcome on his first trip around.

He had the option to travel back to the start/finish line to let another member of the team take to the course. But that would have wasted too much time. So, Fritz pedaled on n with one leg.

“I was riding for about three miles with just one leg and the other just hanging there,” Fritz said. “I was thinking about what else could be dished out on us, but I came across a spectator who was riding the course and they had an extra pedal. So what could have been a really slow lap time turned out to be as good as it could have been, considering the situation.”

Although the biking part of the race seems the most challenging n especially when unexpected downfalls come in the form of leg cramps, blown tires and pure exhaustion n the toughest part of the race is recuperation.

“Twenty-four hour racing isn’t so much about racing, but it’s about recovering,” Macht said. “Anyone can redline for an hour, but taking a break after that and getting the drive to do it again is what separates the winners apart.”

At the 24 Hours of Vail Lake, each member rotated their turns at the course, which took an average of 55 minutes to one hour to complete. When a wearied rider was through, he would consume as much liquid and calories as possible, tune up his bike and maybe get in cat nap.

“When you’re on your bike, you really get in a weird riding zone,” Macht said. “Your body knows what to do, and you slip into auto pilot. Once you get off the bike, you’re out of it, just a space cadet.

“But the bike part is almost the easiest part of the race. The mental part of it, getting your gear on and getting back on the bike is the hardest.”

That is just what the team will be doing this Saturday, racing the Round and Round in Spokane, Wash. This is the second 24-hour race of the season for the team, and the season will include at least three more full-day events.

“Some people get a rush from watching television or diving into a book,” Fritz said. “But 24-hour races are one of those things where you like it or don’t like it. And we do.”

Ryan Amys is at ramys@dailychronicle.com.

Reader Comments