Vacas Breaks 1000 km Road Record
| Rider: | Francisco Javier Vacas Rodriguez, WUCA member #8254 |
| Bicycle Category and Division: | Standard Bicycle, Mens Under 50 |
| Start date: | May 7, 2011 at 0715:00 |
| End date: | May 8, 2011 at 1416:16 |
| Elapsed time: | 31 hours, 1 minute, 16 seconds |
| Mileage, Average: | 1000km, 621.37 miles, 20.03mph |
| Location: | surveyed road course, San Martin de la Vega, M-307 Road, QUIÑON round way (Madrid), Spain |
| Officials: | Angel M. Ruiz Saz, Alejandro Izquierdo Carrasco, Eusebio Jimenez Palacios, Jose Maria Benayas Sánchez, Manuel Morente Páez, Javier Gutierrez Saldaña, Victor Blanco Juez |
By Fran Vacas
Edited By Wendell Hyink
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| He’s Off! |
What were the conditions like?
The conditions were very tough: Heavy rain during the first hour, followed by a strong storm that lasted 5 hours. Riding with the wet asphalt was quite dangerous, so I had to be careful and not ride too fast in order to avoid a fall. After the storm, a strong wind blew until following day. The night was cold, and Sunday morning quite hot.
Why did you want to do a record?
It is something that motivates me a lot, because I thnk that it makes me a better person, and it gives me the opportunity to keep on learning how my mind and body work in extreme situations.
What equipment did you use? Anything special?
Ceepo bike, which I have used for 2 years, Zipp Disc rear wheel with Powertap, 3 spoke Hed front wheel, Essacx special saddle, Shimano Ultegra Group, Champion System TimeTrial suit, and Louis Garneau Aero Helmet
What did you eat and drink?
For liquids, I had around 30 liters of carbohydrate and protein drinks; about 1 liter per hour. I ate 5 energy bars and 15 mini-croisants with marmalade, honey, nutella and jam, 4 coconut cookies, 3 oranges.
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| Strong Finish |
What was the best part?
Without any doubt, the best part was on Sunday morning , about 7 hours before the end of the attempt, because many of my cyclist-friends started to come. They continously applauded when I passed, and that made me feel stronger.
What was the hardest part?
The hardest part was during the night, between 3-6 am. It was very cold, and could not stop shaking on the bike, due to the great effort and the rain on Saturday. I really thought that it was going to be impossible to finish the record attempt, although I had a one hour time gap at this point. When the sun appeared, I started to feel warmer and these bad moments disappeared.
Did anything particularly unusual happen?
Like other adventures in which I have been involved, the weirdest and most difficult thing to explain is the power of mind. How are we able to be OK in certain moments, do a U-turn moments later fighting against fatigue and the elements, and then again feel OK a few moments after that?