It takes a lot more than 24 hours of rain, sleep deprivation and a broken bike to slow down Andrew Bovard. The Jasperite recently took home the top spot during the inaugural Golden Two-Four, in British Columbia, June 18-19.
The 24-hour race included a 14.5 km loop and roughly 500 metres of climbing, rolling along the lower flanks of Mount Seven, just outside of Golden, B.C.
Over the course of 24 hours, Bovard clocked in 16 calf-burning, foot-blistering laps, beating the next closest competitor, François Charest, by a lap and third placer rider Scott Lahrs by two.
“I think about 30 per cent of it is physical and 70 per cent is mental because after hour three your body is telling you to stop and after hour 20 it’s just screaming at you, but you have to ignore that and keep on going,” said Bovard.
Bovard has been racing competitively for about 10 years and has competed in nine solo races across North America. The Golden Two-Four was the first time he took home a first place title as a solo competitor.
“I really wanted to win this one so that was a huge motivation for me. The last four races I’ve done I’ve come in fourth so I’ve been chasing first for a while,” Bovard said. “I’m really competitive, but in a good way. When I get beat I’m good because the guy who wins is the one who sacrifices and suffers the most.”
For most of the race, Bovard said it poured rain, making the track slippery and dangerous. By the 20th hour he said he felt slightly delirious.
“I just had to focus on the bike and the course. Your mind definitely starts to wander and you think some insane things, but because this course was dangerous I was able to just pull back and focus on that,” he said.
During his second last lap, the rear derailleur on Bovard’s bike broke. Rather than giving up, he pulled over and quickly snapped the piece back into a functional state, however, he was forced to complete the race using only one gear.
When Bovard finally crossed the finish line he said winning alleviated his mental fatigue, but physically his feet and hands were in rough shape. He spent the next few days afterwards hobbling around town.
“I just didn’t realize how much pain I was in until I got off the bike,” Bovard said. “When I’m in these races I don’t even think about that stuff because I just love being out there and biking.
“Most people think biking for 24 hours is crazy, but I think it’s great.”
Now that this challenge has been conquered, Bovard said he’ll spend the rest of the summer training in Jasper before possibly taking on another solo race in Austin, Texas later this year.
“Biking has just always been my thing ever since I was a little kid,” Bovard said. “I guess it’s just an escape for me.”
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
