Hindsight is 20/20

I got an email today  from Nigel, my 24 Hours of Moab teammate.  He spent some time looking at the times of our laps and noticed that our team, which finished 2nd in the Clydesdale category, managed to only loose an average of 1 minute per lap on the first place team.

Our team did 16 laps.  If you are math savvy and have been paying attention, that means my team came in 16 minutes behind 1st place.  Four of those laps were ridden by me...  That means I'm responsible for at least four of those minutes.

That got me to thinking, which can be a dangerous thing...

What could I have done differently to have saved those four minutes?  In hindsight, the answers are pretty simple and a bit frustrating when time was actually given to think about it.  Let me explain.

Lap 1 was my best time at 1:20.  The lap felt great.  The only bad point was where I tried to make a pass on a sandy slick-rock section and lost traction.  I slid on my ass for a at least ten feet, took a pretty hard hit to the pride, sucked it up and then shook it off.  All in all, I lost at least 1 minute dusting myself off before hopping back on the bike to finish my lap.

Lap 2 was my first night lap.  I felt pretty good and gained confidence in the dark as the lap progressed.  Maybe a little too much confidence.  In the dark it is sometimes hard to see where the sand is packed and where it is soft.  I misjudged a section of soft sand, thinking it was hard packed, and decided to try to pass someone.  As I made the pass, my front tire stopped dead in the track and I (once again) hit the deck pretty hard.  This time more than my pride was hurt, my light decided to shut down.  Fumbling in the dark for 4-5 minutes, I dusted myself off (again) and reconnected my light.

Lap 3 was the hardest of the laps.  It was cold and I was tired!  Determined not to crash during the lap I made myself be more cautious and as a result I was slower.  I'm guessing 2-3 minutes slower.  Plus, I took 1 minute, mid lap, and readjusted my leg tights.  They were starting to slide down my leg and it was not only annoying, but it was making me cold.  So I spent the minute standing on the course readjusting my gear.  I know my teammates will be reading this and saying to themselves "You Fool", but it had to be done...

Lap 4 was my final lap and there was something about riding in the warm sun after a long night that rejuvenates the body.  I felt like I had the potential of making this a fast lap.  However, shortly after my third lap, while my bike balanced against a rock, the tire went flat.  It was completely random and without explanation.  I told myself it was better it did it then instead of during the race, but in my mind it made me remember that mechanicals happen.  So when I started the final lap I knew first place had a lead I couldn't catch (Greater than 16 minutes).  So my goal was to ride the lap clean, enjoy the views, enjoy the trails, and hope I didn't have a mechanical.  This mind set certainly slowed me down by at least 1-2 minutes.

So...  According to my calculations, given the worst case scenario, I could have saved 12 minutes on my 4 laps alone. 

The interesting thing is that I'm sure each of my teammates could reflect on their runs and realize ways they could have saved time on each of their laps as well, which is why it is said that "Hindsight is 20/20."

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not taking this too seriously and I'm not bummed about this.  In fact, it was a great learning experience.  My first 24 Hours of Moab and I learned a lot by doing.  Plus, using my hindsight; I'll be better prepared for what I should expect next year.