30
Wednesday, July 20, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PALANUK: Mental
stress is toughest
aspect, riders say
Continued from page 1
depicted as the ultimate sin-
gletrack experience.
“You go into the event
thinking you will have an idea
of what it’s like, but, really,
there is nothing we could
have done here to prepare,”
Joel said.
The event draws 600 rid-
ers from 36 countries. It is
supported, meaning they take
gear, bikes, and set up tent cit-
ies as they travel the province.
Joel said that it was amazing
the degree to which the small
towns and their people com-
pletely bought into the event;
they took days off work to
help, the fans were out in the
middle of the woods dressed
up, playing music, having as
good a time as the riders.
An international flavor
was part of the experience.
“You go into your tent
for the night, and as it quiets
down you hear whispers in
different languages. It was
really cool,” Joel said.
Part of the challenge of
this event is the mental stress-
ors that are in play. Both Joel
and Shawna explained that
going blind into the type
of riding that BC presented
Out West Realty
— Serving all of Central Oregon —
was a challenge. The climbs
were straight up, strewn with
roots and technical rocks. The
descents were no less forgiv-
ing. They said there is noth-
ing like this in Oregon. The
nature of this riding leads to
a mental drain. Having to be
atuned, sharp, and have clar-
ity and quickness in reflex can
drain a cyclist just as much
as the most brutal climbing.
Mental fatigue and stress was
their worst symptom.
You go into your tent for
the night, and as it quiets
down you hear whispers
in different languages.
It was really cool.
— Joel palanuk
The event exists as a fine
balance of energy expended
vs. energy saved. Joel men-
tioned that he tried to not
waste energy unrelated to his
mission. It would be easy to
complain or be frustrated at
times, but, that is all wasted
energy. On a seven-day event,
toward day four the body
adapted to day-in-and-day-out
riding. Joel cited Day 6 as the
turnaround.
“I felt refreshed, I had
good legs that day,” he said.
This anecdote echoes a
lot of cyclists in stage races,
where they need to continue
to ride, not allowing the body
to begin extensive recov-
ery, where the soreness and
fatigue can catch up.
The couple used nutri-
tional shakes after each stage
just to bump up their caloric
intake. At mealtimes the event
boasted a healthy spread of
salads, fresh seafood, and
hearty sides. Both Joel and
Shawna agreed the food was
much more than that of a typi-
cal cafeteria fodder one might
expect from a rolling semi-
truck kitchen.
When prompted to com-
pare this to other events, the
Sisters riders said there was
no comparison.
“We’ve done stage racing
on the road, long 100-mile
events, and many many races,
but this is in a class of it’s
own,” Joel said.
This event was the most
difficult, the most logistically
challenging, and had some of
the most extreme conditions
they’ve raced in.
The event management
was on point; both Joel and
Shawna were amazed at how
well they moved people.
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Joel and Shawna palanuk rode well in a grueling British Columbia race.
Organizers shuttled riders on
buses, ferries, all the while
setting up their tent, prep-
ping food, and shuttling gear.
They provided bike mechan-
ics, massage, chiropractic,
and doctors. It was truly first
class, the Palanuks said.
One particular thing they
enjoyed was when they saw
their family on Stage 6.
“Riding into the finish, our
boys were standing there, that
was a special moment to see
them,” said Joel.
Although they had a great
experience; they weren’t so
sure they’d go for another
round.
“The training, and the
preparation is tough for us, it
really divides family time,”
Shawna said.
When asked about their
next big ride, they said that
the rest of the summer will be
spent riding with the boys, and
enjoying the slower paces off
the race course and the flatter
terrain in Central Oregon.