Preseason - Hammer Nutrition

FROM OUR ATHLETES
Sporting the Stars & Stripes
at 24-Hour MTB Nationals
BY BEN PARSONS, Hammer Nutrition sponsored athlete
I
t’s always hard to muster the motivation to stay at the
top of the fitness game as the days begin to shorten;
at the tail end of our 2012 racing season, six months
of dedicating oneself to the bicycle started to feel more
like work than fun. But after a few years away from
24-hour racing, Clint Muhlfeld and I were hungry once more
for a national title in the pro men’s duo category. With the
generous support of Hammer Nutrition and a local sporting
goods shop (and some prodding from our friends, families, and
teammates), we decided to give it another go.
With the car packed to the gills with bikes, spare bike parts,
tools, and Hammer Nutrition products, we marathon drove
from Montana to Colorado Springs, Colo., just in time to set
up the Hammer Nutrition tent, catch a warm-up lap, and deal
with some untimely last-minute mechanical issues. After a
light pasta dinner, we settled in with some REM Caps for the
precious last night of sleeping and recovering from the drive.
We are both fairly seasoned on the endurance side of
mountain biking and had competed in several 100-mile races
in 2012. We train regularly with each other, support one
another, and try to learn from one another’s strengths and
weaknesses. We also have put a good deal of trial and error
into fueling and supplementing during endurance events
and particularly remember a few hard lessons learned
during our last duo 24-hour national mountain bike race
in Moab in 2010. As such, we had confidence going into
the race, feeling that we had a strong tailwind of fitness,
knowledge of the race and its demands, equipment, and the
correct fuels and supplements. Our last concern was just to
minimize the things that fall outside of our control, namely
mechanicals and wrecks.
Ben Parsons (left) and Clint Muhlfeld
(right) celebrate their 24-Hour MTB
Nationals victory. Photo : Justin Ruzicki
Off to a strong start, we established a commanding lead
within our first few laps each; we alternated every other
lap for the duration of the race—the fastest but most
miserable way to race a 24-hour duo. Clint and I both
found that going out with two Endurolytes Fizz tablets in a
water bottle plus a backup Hammer Gel (Espresso for the
night laps!) was perfect for hydrating and not overfueling.
We stuck to a regimented rest program between each onehour
lap. In between laps, with the awesome support of a
friend from Denver, we were able to maximize relaxation
time with a focus on refueling, drinking both HEED
and Perpetuem, snacking lightly on Hammer Bars,
swallowing a mélange of Hammer Nutrition supplements,
and mentally unwinding before ramping it back up again
for the next lap.
- continued on page 61
60 Feb/Mar : Issue 83 “Thanks Hammer Nutrition for getting me started on my MTB journey again . . . really great products." - Chanet H.