Congratulations to Monica Bernhoft  for setting these 7 new WUCA world records on 2021-12-19

Distance Event Kilometers Time Avg Sp (Km) Avg Sp (Miles) Existing records Women, 18-48, solo, Standard bike new record
100 Km Indoor Velodrome 02:32:59.55 39.22 24.37 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 02:37:36 yes
200 Km Indoor Velodrome 05:11:52.81 38.48 23.91 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 05:23:31 yes
300 Km Indoor Velodrome 07:59:31.83 37.54 23.32 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 08:18:13 yes
Distance Event Miles Time Avg Sp (Miles) Avg Sp (Km) Existing records Women, 18-48, solo, Standard bike new record
100 Mile Indoor Velodrome 04:09:50.46 24.02 38.65 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 04:18:01 yes
200 Mile Indoor Velodrome 08:36:41.92 23.22 37.38 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 08:55:28 yes
Timed Event Miles Kilometers Avg Sp (Miles) Avg Sp (Km) Existing records Women, 18-48, solo, Standard bike new record
6 Hour Indoor Velodrome 142.606 229.50 23.77 38.25 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 137.959 Miles yes
12 Hour Indoor Velodrome 272.640 438.77 22.72 36.56 Olena Novikova- 2017-09-16 – 261.811 Miles yes

Ride Report by Monica:

Record Attempt:

6hour, 12hour, 100km, 200km, 300km, 100miles, 200miles on indoor track.

The date was originally set to November 7th 2021, but was postponed to December 19th due to illness

Name: Monica Storhaug Bernhoft

Date: December 19th 2021

Time: 04.33 – 16.33

Location: Sola Arena, 4050 Sola, Norway

Condition:

This is a brand new 250meter track which opened this fall.

The temperature was nice, got slightly colder as the day wore on.

The air was pretty dry, which is common in these types of arenas.

Equipment:

Giant Trinity Adv. Pro

Zipp disc x2

Why:

The main reason I wanted to attempt this record at this time was because Covid-19 made it very difficult to enter the World Time Trials in Borrego Springs this year.

I like pushing myself mentally and physically, and I like having big goals that I can work towards. It is also a big personal achievement to set records like these.

It was perfect timing that the brand new velodrome in Sola was finished this year.

In addition to the personal reasons I wanted to do this, we want to put Ultra Cycling on the map here in Norway, and we are currently working on creating a ‘National Team’ that will, if things go as planned, compete in Borrego in 2022

Eat and Drink:

I tried eating breakfast, but the porridge I attempted to force down could probably have been used as construction material, and I struggled getting any of it down. I managed a cup of coffee and an energy snack from Pure Power. The plan was to eat something every 30 minutes, something which worked well. I had water bottles that contained water mixed with some gel. It was hard to eat solid food, but thankfully my body works well on gel alone.

In addition to gel I ate some baby porridge from squeeze pouches. This worked brilliantly as they don’t create a vacuum and contain a lot of energy and taste good.

When we neared the end I got Haribo Candy.

The best part:

The 12 hours contained several ups and downs, but the best part was probably the three last hours. I had an unplanned; and involuntary break after 9 hours, and after this it was as if I’d started a new race. I was full of energy and in a good mood because at that point I knew I was going to make it. It also meant a lot that some friends showed up to cheer me on, and I kept getting feedback and encouragement from followers on my Facebook page Sykkelmonica.

The Hardest part:

The attempt was supposed to take place on November 7th, but on November 1st I fell ill. At that point we had to make a decision on whether to cancel or postpone the event. We decided to postpone to December 19th. Postponing in this way is not without consequences. It was a tough autumn for me. The illness was stubborn and it wasn’t until two weeks before the record attempt that I felt better, because of this I knew I was not, physically or mentally, in the best shape that I could be for the attempt.

Almost at once I realized that this was going to be a tough day on the bike, and that I needed to actively work on my mindset. The first couple of hours I withdrew into my own little world. I smiled, laughed, sang a little and let my legs work at a pace I knew I could keep up for a long time. I was disappointed when I realized that I had to let go of all my personal goals and only focus on breaking the standing 12hour record. The feedback I received regarding this was good, but it wasn’t what we had originally planned for.

I knew it was going to be tough, but I didn’t think it would get as hard as it did, as early as it did. After three hours I was already struggling and wondering if I was going to be able to finish all twelve hours. Somehow I managed to reach hour six, and that meant it was time to start counting down.

I’m very happy I had several sub-goals along the way, this was very motivating.

I didn’t really feel pain in any particular spot, but as I got close to nine hours my speed was declining and the boys told me to take short break.

As I got up I suffered from a rapid drop in blood pressure which looked rather dramatic. When this happened I accepted that I had to conclude my attempt, but after a few minutes and something to eat and drink it was decided that I was fit to try a little longer.

The last three hours were like a dream.

My toes started hurting and the last hour I didn’t manage to sit aero, but it still went smoothly.

I’m now looking forward to sharing this sport with more people in Norway and we’re looking forward to seeing you all in Borrego next fall.

Kind regards,

Monica