“It was an incredible event, Revolve24 is an exceptional well organised affair, and has to be with a few hundred cyclists taking on a number of events over the weekend festival of cycling. I’m not sure it’s something that I’ll want to try and take on again….
I don’t think I ever want to or have found myself in such a tough physical and mental challenge…..
The event itself started at 3pm Saturday, and it’s a simple premise…. cycling for as long and as far you can until the checkered flag gets waved at 3pm Sunday. Rest when you want, eat and sleep when you need. Me and Ewan has slightly different strategies for the time, I was planning on cycling for 2 hrs then having shorter breaks to refill bottles and take on some food, Ewan was planning longer 3 hr stunts and slightly longer breaks.
The event got underway and we both did exactly what we promised not to do….. go off too hard and get caught up with the quick guys, it was difficult not to do with the adrenaline running. We cycled together for the first 2 hours which was great to get into a rhythm but after that we didn’t particularly see each other much. As the hours ticked by it was evident this was going to be really tough, Brands Hatch is very hilly with 3 climbs over a short 2.4 mile circuit.
It was a warm start in the low 20’s but as the sun set and the moon shone it was a cold night. Extra layers got put on and we continued with our strategies, as the hours ticked by through the night we both needed to rest a little longer. I grabbed a 20 min power snooze at about 4.30am which was needed, this was the only sleep I got over the 24 hour event. We both struggled as the night drew out but as Keith Forsyth had said “if you’re not moving, you’re losing”. This stuck with me and although I needed to shorten my 2 hour stints I just wanted to concentrate on keeping the peddles turning. As the sun came up at 6.30am it brought with it some warmth and a second wind for me.
As the event and time came to a close in the early Sunday afternoon heat, it couldn’t have come soon enough for me…. I’d hit my initial target of 300 miles and didn’t want to get back on my bike! I was empty, mentally and physically.
I ended up covering 301 miles over the 24 hours. That worked out at 126 laps of Brands Hatch race circuit and totalled over 27,000 feet of ascent over that distance…… Ewan hitting his target of 250 miles and over 100 laps. Together we’d covered over 550 miles and covered more climbing than going from sea level to the top of Mount Everest, forgetting your camera, having to go down again and then back to the top!!!!
It’s a bizarre experience and trying to stay sane during those dark and cold hours between midnight and 4am was very difficult….. but something we’re both extremely proud of.”
-Dan Conaway
