CYCLE RACE THAILAND - EDDIE VERNON WINS! AGED 51!

Eddie Vernon (on the right here and seen with his brother on the left and fellow competitor Bruno, center) won his class in a national level mountain bike race in Udon Thani in North-east Thailand this December. Here's his report: "The cross country mountain bike race was held at Ban Na Kha, 17km north of Udon Thani city in northeast Thailand on 20 December 2009. The race course was a mix of singletrack and doubletrack mainly across rice fields, down farm tracks, along canal banks and through wooded areas. My brother Tim (aged 49) and I (aged 51) raced two laps of a 17km course (total 34 km). The weather was perfect - dry, sunny and warm (not hot). I came first out of 12 riders in the 50 - 54 age group and my brother came 6th out of 14 riders in the 45 - 49 age group; it was his first mountain bike race. The first 7 riders in each age group won a cup. I also won some prize money of 1,500 baht About (US$47). My French friend, Bruno (age 43 - in the center of the photo) from Vientiane and his Thai friend, came equal first out of 12 riders in the 40 - 44 age group, though since only one rider could receive a trophy for first place, Bruno accepted second place". We think this is pretty amazing considering Eddie works full-time, often in Afghanistan, and Thailand is not the easiest place to train.

EDDIE WINS!

Eddie Vernon writes from Thailand: On 26 January went to Chiang Rai to compete in the first of the 5 race series for the national mountain bike championship and came first in the 50+ age group (as I expected). See picture attached. The guy second from right came third. He won all 5 races in 2007. The guy who came second (second from the left) moved up with me into this age group this year - I competed directly with him twice last year and was faster than him both times. So as long as I stay fitter than the others I am confident I'll win the series and subsequently receive a trophy from the prince some time next year.

THE ICEMAN COMETH

Eddie Vernon writes from Thailand: On 17 November I competed in the last of a series of five national races for 2007. I came 4th in the race (40 - 49 year olds) and 5th in the series (though I only competed in 2 out of 5 races). The photo of me leaving the start line (I'm the guy in the centre in red, black and white).

One of my motivators is Ned Overend, who is a legendary mountain biker. At 52 years of age, he just landed a sixth place finish in the Iceman Cometh race (with over 2,000 competitors) in which he was racing against top professionals half his age. The Iceman Cometh is a 43.5km (27mile) point-to-point classic in northern lower Michigan.

Ned hit the top at the age of 32 when he won two world mountain bike championships in August 1987; one in France and the other in Mammoth, CA. He won the world cross-country in 1988, and NORBA national champion titles in 1986 and 1989. Ned is known for his uphill climbing ability, both as a mountain biker and a road biker --- which he does to get in shape for mountain biking. He has frequently dominated the Iron Horse Classic in Durango. Although he retired in 1996 at the age of 41, he immediately joined the fledgling XTERRA off-road triathlon circuit and took a couple of their World Championships. I have Ned Overend's book "Mountain Bike Like a Champion" which shares his riding tips and techniques: http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Bike-Like-Champion-Overend/dp/1579540813 (Check out Eddie Vernon by clicking on the topic in the right column)

EDDIE VERNON - CYCLING IN ASIA

Eddie Vernon - by way of introduction Eddie is one of my closest friends and one of the fittest guys around irrespective of age. He runs his own businesses in Thailand and Laos and combines them with a competitive cycling career. Here's his profile:

I'm British, born in England in 1958 but have been living in Thailand since 1990. I've been cycling since I was a small kid. There were just a few years around my mid- to late-20s where I didn't cycle much. I used to cycle just for fun and to get around (e.g. commuting to university and to work). It was a year or two after I turned 40 that I entered into a bike race for the first time in my life. It was a cross country mountain bike race in Thailand. I was lucky to escape a big pile-up less than a kilometer after the start, but it was great fun. I can't remember now what position I finished but I won a cup. Entrants are usually categorized into different age groups (of 5 or 10 years spread) so that we're all competing against people of similar age.

Since that first race I have been racing whenever I have a chance. Generally I race in Thailand about 2 – 5 times per year. I often come in the top five finishers and have finished first a few times. I now have about 15 trophies on my shelf. On the other hand I have sometimes failed to finish due to mechanical problems such as a flat tyre but I have gradually gained experience and learned how to better prepare my bike properly to reduce the risk of such problems happening.

In mid-2006 I decided I see if hiring a professional coach would help me improve as I had never followed a structured training programme. I will write about that experience in another post about coaching.

Typically I train between 8 – 11 hours per week. On average I probably cover 30 - 33km per hour so this time equates to a distance of about 1,000 km/month. I rest one or two days a week (usually Monday and sometimes Friday too). Weekend rides are longer than the weekday rides.