Another 24 hours?

Yeah, time to write about a different 24 hour race, but this time it is mountain biking...ALL NIGHT LONG!

Up first though is the conclusion of:

The 24 Hour Wild and Wonderful AR

Mick, Charlie, Zack and Cameron finished the race...the end :) Okay, some details but quickly:

The bike ride was long and hilly. Zack thought he did terribly...Cameron thought he rocked. Yes, he walked his bike up some of God's longest hills...they may have been rideable...we kept moving while others suffered along the roadside like soldiers that needed a morphine drip. Our motto at this point..."Keep moving". It helped in two ways. One, simple, we kept moving forward which kept our spirits up. Two, physically it kept our muscles from resting and assisting in the lactic acid build-up. We were very strong in this leg, which may be against my other teammates thoughts.

After the ride we hit the last long stretch of hiking. I stress hiking, because my feet and legs were not going to run, even if gravity suggested it could done. My mind was focused, my body was battered...mind said "finish", body said "finish soon". Fortunately we got to hike the sketchiest decents and the steepest accents. Woo-hoo. A couple names I don't want to hear for a while: Rocky Trail and Manns Gorge Overlook. With the two foot wide trails with a killer fall to the left during some of the hike (about a 100-200 foot cliff) I was quite pleased to get passed CP 9. Although the view from the overlook was spectacular...it was time to head home. After a 2 mile easy hike, we finally made it back to Camp Washington Carver.

We checked in and they gave us the orienteering map. This leg of the race was optional. The basis of this leg was to orienteer the given coordinates to collect different time bonuses. Each CP had a different time value from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. We plotted the course and finally decided after 15 minutes that the time differential would most likely be a 15-30 minute gain...best case scenario. Our worn and defeated bodies and tired minds hung up the towel. Ronnie Angel, owner of Odyssey, concurred that we probably made the right decision.

BIG BEAR

The team came strong this year. I know some of the guys were upset at their showing but we can't control everything that's thrown our way. EtD deals with what we're given and always has a great time...why? Because, dammit, it's mountain biking...and that's just plain ol' fun. Even the parts that suck, like the unbearable leg cramps, sleeping too long, knee problems, bikes that break in half, saddle sores, and $200 lights that like to burn out prematurely. It's all part of the experience. The good, the bad...we deal, we move forward, we improve ourselves. I feel privileged to have ridden with these fellas for three (Hoppe), four (Toby) and five (Jimmie) years at a Granny Gear event. Each year we came and improved ourselves. I can't wait to see what next year brings. Okay, my body can wait until next year, but I'm excited already! Someone, please take my soap box now.

Here is a RideCam-specific lap report.

Lap 1

I rode the first lap for the team. Starting at noon on Saturday, in the beautiful West Virginian weather, I started the traditional Lemans-style start. It started with every racer (120 teams) at the starting line, running a parade lap (approximately a quarter-mile) and then a parade ride lap (approximately a half-mile). The idea is to space out the riders. Umm, it didn't work. It was a mess the first 3-5 miles before any real riding could be done and I couldn't get warmed up. I was hanging strong and ready to post a 1:20 lap, but I couldn't make my way around slower riders. I'll have to learn to be more aggressive, but truly there were few opportunities to pass. I ended up with a 1:42...which is great.

First lap for team Enter the Draggin' (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Finishing lap one (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Lap 2

My second lap started at 6:15pm. I felt strong. I went out quickly and didn't really let up. I did dismount on one hill that I probably should have ridden, but I thought it was the mammoth hill which most walk. Ahh, oh well. I logged a 1:34. My best Big Bear time to date.

After the second lap, sitting at the Etd/R U Kid'N compound (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Lap 3

My third lap was at 1:00 am. Energized from a nap I was ready to rock and roll. I headed on the trail and was making up some ground by passing some teams in our category. And then it happened...for the third consecutive year...my NiteRider went out around mile 9. Um...damn. It was only an hour in. I should've had at least an hour of burn time left, what the... Well, enough time thinking about what just happened. I strapped on my Petzl and chugged ahead. BLAMMO! Into a rock I went and my tube popped. Great, now a tire repair? I sat on the side of the trail watching people pass asking me if I need help. I asked for their head lamps. Lots of laughs, no head lamps. I got my tire repair and on the bike I went. The Petzl, while great for hiking, stinks for riding in technical terrain. I finally caught up to a rider who had a head lamp as bright as the sun. Seriously, it probably could've lit Camden Yards. I opted to stay put behind her. She wasn't breaking any records, but it was a safe option to get me back home. Once I felt it was safe to ride in by myself, I told her to hit the gas if she had it. I was able to pull off a 2 hour lap, which again, without the issues, probably would've been a 1:30-1:40 lap time. I finished the lap and there was my partner in light, Miriam. She actually thanked me for pushing her. I came to find out that she made a friendly wager with her teammate (also her father) that she would beat his time. She was given a 30 minute buffer, and her time on that lap put her over the top at 1:57. Way to go Miriam!

Lap 4

Last lap. Where's Hoppe? We came to find out that his bike broke in half! He had to walk it back from mile 6. He is the epitome of giving it all...a Herculean effort. I was a little sore at this point and the tension from worrying about Hoppe was set in. Finally Hoppe rode in on a bike that our mechanic rode out to him (Jon, that was the best gesture of the day...hands down...and this is at the center of why I like the mountain biking community). After we exchanged the baton, I grabbed Toby's beer from his hand, chugged it, and hit the trail. I was in two different states at this point. This was going to be the most laps I've ever recorded at Big Bear - and the one state was to put it all on the table. The other state was to enjoy the ride and just finish. I found myself gracefully in between. I managed a 1:54. Under an hour, I'll take it.

Approaching the final bridge on my last lap (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Some more pics from Poppa C. Results can be found here.

Conclusion of last lap. Jimmie Jam assisting a tire RideCam to the burrito stand...umm, burrito. (photo and burrito courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

The finale. R U Kid'N with Enter the Draggin', lounging with some beers and burritos. 28 laps between the two crews. We're looking to push 30 next year!! (photo courtesy of Big C).

The Kona in all its broken ass glory. I'm thinking this is about to get some press throughout the bike community. I've seen a lot of frames break, but 99% of the time at a weld. At first I thought Hoppe said it snapped at the headset, which made sense. To snap in half like this is probably a once in lifetime sighting(Photo borrowed from Jeff Kerkove's website).