This weekend, August 23-24 2008, I will be attempting to set the world record for 24 hours on a track as well as the 1000KM track records. Beginning at 10:00 AM Saturday morning I’ll begin doing 2578 laps on the Northbrook Velodrome in Northbrook IL. The velodrome is located at Meadowhill Park – North 1500 Block, Maple Avenue, Northbrook Illinois.
It is going to be a test. While 30 hours is a long ride, I am more concerned with the monotony of the track. Most endurance races I look forward to being out in the countryside and the motivation of competition. This will be different in that it is completely a battle with myself. No external diversions to occupy my mind.
The current records are:
24 hour record – 535.86 miles indoor, 532.74 outdoor.
1000K record – 29:12:33 indoor, unset outdoor
I’ve been preparing for this record attempt for most of the summer. Working on position, equipment, and nutrition to find a balance of comfort and aerodynamics that will get me those numbers.
Come on out and picnic in the infield, yell some encouragement, shake your head at one of the more unusual endurance tests you’ll ever see.
Go baby go.
You tweaky nut job you.
good luck bryce. may the force be with you.
Bryce:
All the best. I’m rooting for you.
George
Bryce:
Best of luck, we’re all rooting for you back here in MPLS. Kick some velodrome ass!
Dear Bryce,
My name is Robert Elfinger and I’m a reporter with Pioneer Press newspaper. I’d like to write a feature story about this race so please call me at 847-486-7352. Thanks.
I always knew you weren’t very smart.
So…just curious (and I don’t mean to be a downer) but if you find that you are off the pace for both records, will you quit? Or are you riding 30 hours no matter what?
Barring unsafe conditons. I intend to do 1000K no matter what. My biggest concern is thunderstorms that appear to be on their way toward Chicago. The track gets quite slick when its wet and I may not be able to safely ride it in the rain, but im gonna try even its raining.
Just think, no potholes!
Dear Bryce,
I’m a reporter with Bat Shit Crazy magazine and I would like to write a feature about your bat shit crazy ass. Call me: 876-555-9746
JD
p.s. Good Luck Bryce!
best o luck. i might be able to drive down saturday night.
is the velodrome open for spectators all night?
Will they even allow you on the track if it’s wet?
Are you riding a fixed gear for this?
I might ride up Sunday morning to cheer you on.
Good luck on this crazy attempt.
Eric
2578 laps on the track to go,
2577 laps on the track to go,
2576 laps on the track to go,
2575 laps on the track to go,
……
1000K? That’s like 50 miles!
What’s going on? Did bryce start yet? Who’s in charge of the blog updates here, and how do I yell at them?!? I need updates every 15 minutes starting 3 hours ago. WITH VIDEO AND PICTURES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
How did it go, Bryce? I’ve been thinking about you this whole time and wishing you the best! Looking for an update…
We hope it’s going great. We’re watching for an update. We’re with Dave wanting all kind of info!!!
Hi all,
I just arrived in Mpls upon an early return from the race Chicago. Bryce should be finished up by now. When I left at 2 pm he was on track to finish the 1000K at about 6 pm CST.
He started the race really strong, and had some problems with cramping in the 2nd and 3rd hours (don’t quote me, I was not crewing, but was an official time keeper). He was amazingly tenacious throughout the ride.
He was not able to attain the world 24 hour record, however he did make a track record, and beat Lon’s time by over an hour.
However the finish went he will still have a record on the 1000K. I hope he was able to dig deep and finish strong.
He was smiling throughout the day despite the pain and exhaustion.
To whomever brought those cowbells on Saturday night – thank you. Your group and the cowbells really made a difference.
I can’t wait to find out how things finished.
awesome sandy — thanks for the update!
Wow, what an incredible feat – over 24++ hours of biking in the Velodrome. You rock! I am a resident in Northbrook, knew nothing about this event and haven’t been to the velodrome in years. I just stopped by the Velodrome at 7pm Sat. to show my 6-yr-old son (who just learned to ride his 2-wheeler bike an hour earlier) what a bike track looked like. Initially I was just happy to someone on the track however once I got a glimpse of the magnitude of what was going on, we were hooked to see history in the making! I had to keep coming back throughout the day Sunday as we couldn’t believe our eyes. Bryce, your support team was terriffic. We had fun in the stands “making noise”, making fools of ourselves and cheering you on. Thanks for the most interestingly fun and bizarre weekend. We hope you made history!