The Call Up
There wasn’t actually a call, or even an email. I had heard
through the grapevine the day before the 24 Hours of Moab (Also the 24 –Hour
National Champs) that Chris Eatough was sick with H1N1. I had my own agenda
going into this event and I knew I had good fitness, but now I felt I had yet
another reason to go for it out in the desert. I’ve always looked up to Chris,
and being on the same team as him starting last year gave me inspiration. Just
like in the movies, with the favorite out, it was the kid’s turn to try and
deliver for the team!
I had everything in my corner that I could ever need
including my girlfriend, family, and friends that were 100% on board to support
me. The race started in its usual dusty fury and we were off. The solo field
quickly whittled down to Josh Tostado and I and we were going at a good click.
On lap 3 Josh decided to back off and I began to put time into him for the next
5 laps.
As night fell and the sun coldheartedly slipped behind the
rocks, a new race developed and I found myself in a darker place than I’d like
to admit. I was eating well and I physically felt fine, but the thought of
defending the lead for the next 15 hours became a little daunting and I became
a little too wrapped up in my own mind. The funny thing about this is that I
thrive on being out front and I usually get inspired to keep the distance to
second. Josh started recovering from the early cross-country race pace and he
began taking time back, eventually passing me around 9:15 PM.
During the night, my lights would go out on two consecutive
laps – at which point you decide on one of two things: 1) I’m going to melt
down… OR 2) I’m going to figure out the fastest way to get through this lap.
Because I’ve been around true professionals like Eatough, I chose the second
option. I got through the night losing some more time to Josh, but as the early
hours of the morning approached and caffeine reached my bloodstream, I began
feeling really good again and my morale was getting back to where it needed to
be. Everything was feeling better and my bike had ridden perfectly for so long
and was feeling so comfortable – even after so many hours!
My crew told me to hammer on all the climbs and all of the
flats. (That would be the whole course, right?) Well, if you’ve ever done a
solo 24-hour race, 20 hours into it, your mind is foggy at best and I was going
to listen to whatever I was told. I began steeling decent chunks of time from
Josh and people were telling me he had been looking rough. There was a hope; a
shot in the darkest of the dark and all I could do was pedal. I left for lap 16
at 10:30AM and knew I had to hammer to make it back before noon to start lap
17. I had moments of feeling like the windshield, and then moments of feeling
like the bug that hit the windshield. I did what I could, but I did not make it
in before noon. However, I had put Josh in the agonizing position of having to
decide whether or not to do the extra lap, which he did end up doing. There was
NO way I was going to rest and I wanted to make him earn it. Well, he
definitely earned it. Josh was the faster man on that day and I felt honored to
be able to race against him and grab second at the 24-Hour Nationals.
I feel proud about my team’s effort and mine. I worked so
hard all year long and I thought about that throughout the race. I also thought
about my crew, who were perfect, about my sponsors, and how Trek supplied the
best bikes I have ever ridden. I also thought about how great it would have
been to see Chris Eatough out there in his last 24-hour race as a pro. Even
though he wasn’t there, his inspiration was partly responsible for the wheels
on my Top Fuel to keep rolling for 24 hours and 8 minutes.
Thank you Trek, my family, friends and support crew for a
great race and a great season!
Thanks for reading,
Kelly Magelky
Trek Racing Co-Op
