In the 7 years of this event, over half a million dollars have been raised to help out families battling cancer and the high costs associated with treatment. A few minutes before kickoff, the VIP hummer arrived with some honored guests.
The event is the only simultaneous mountain and road 24 hour race in the world!
Most participants join as teams of 2 or 4 and rotate riders during the 24 hours. Participants are encouraged to get sponsored for the event and raise money. Riders will raise hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Andrew made it to the start line by noon! He is the one in the the red, white, and blue kit smiling.
Bill Moreman, leader of Team Bicycles Inc., poses with his puppy at the start line. He did the 6 hour, which didn't start until 6:00 a.m. the following day.
Andrew tries to figure out how many of the riders are doing the 24 hour solo. Turns out there were 23 males (2 females) total. Rocky, the one behind him in the white, blue, and orange, kit, ended up winning the solo division with 30 laps (255 miles), Andrew got 2nd with 29 laps (247 miles). They pushed each other the whole race and enjoyed the friendly competition. Both are from Austin and have raced against each other in previous XC races.
Off they go!
Aaron mans the pit station. We set up camp right here beside the trail. The cots were great for quick rests (I pulled one back into the trees and got a little sleep before the 6 hour race started.) Aaron rested for only a couple of hours but was up most of the night keeping his brother on the bike.
A rider sets out on the 8.5 mile lap.
Aaron and I went out on a "pre-ride" after Andrew was off and running. We did 2 laps plus a little extra after we took a wrong turn. Thank goodness for the water station that was set up out on the course.
It is funny how perspective can change the mental approach to a race. Previously, 6 hours would require a big push mentally and physically. (The longest mountain bike race I had participated in before this was a couple of 4 hour races.) However, on this day, I was so inspired by Andrew and all the other 24 hour riders, that the 6 hours went by pretty fast. I ended up finishing 8 laps (the 8th one didn't officially count since they started pulling riders after 11:00 a.m.). I had planned my pace and one pit stop at the halfway point around a true 6 hours. Even though they took my timing chip, I wanted to hit my goal of 8 laps. With 5 minutes to spare, I "unofficially" crossed the line after 68 miles. It was a great day in the saddle with some great sights.
A turkey crosses the road right before the aid station. We saw several turkey and deer out on the trail.
Isaiah and Jose were in town from Abilene and San Antonio riding the 24 hour solo division. They ended up hanging out with us at our tent the whole night and we were blessed to get to know these amazing gentlemen. Talk about a small world...Isaiah is a senior at ACU, Aaron and my (and most of our family's) alma mater. I asked him if he knew my cousins Laura and Mark Phillips who are professors at ACU and avid riders themselves. (Only days before I had ridden with them over memorial day weekend.) Isaiah said, "Yea, I know them. They sponsored me to come here." Isaiah was also a lot of inspiration for the rest of us. His mother had passed away when he was 17 from cancer and he was riding in honor of her. He ended up riding over 110 miles.
Bicycles Inc. had a nice showing. Bill, John, Josh, and I all did the 6 hour. Janis and Sherry were great support, cheering as always. They got to ride some while they were there, but were kind enough to be the pit crew during the race.
Janis and I
Isaiah, Andrew, me, Aaron, and K.P. (Kregg Pearson) all pose for a picture after the race. Amazingly, Andrew was on his feet doing great after all 24 hours and 250 plus miles (this includes his unexpected warm-up) on the bike. I kept expecting him to totally crash after he finished, but he never did. Tired and sore, of course, but no worse for the wear.
K.P. was in town from Abilene as well. He did the road version of the 24 hours and got a nice century ride in himself. We all enjoyed his company and encouragement. He was another huge help for all the mountain bike riders, especially Andrew. Since Andrew was riding all night, and safety was a concern in light of the combined factors of limited visibility and fatigue, during the few hours K.P. went back to his tent to sleep, every time he would wake up he would say a prayer for Andrew.
Andrew's bike after a day of work. As he said, "It did me right." He didn't have one single mechanical during his race.
Andrew (left) and Rocky (middle) accept their well-deserved and hard won trophies for first and second.
John (left) got second and Bill (middle) won first in their 6 hours. Way to go guys!!
I came home with a trophy as well, although as you can see from the empty podium spot on the right there were only 2 of us:)
After Aaron, Andrew, and I managed to get all of our gear packed up, we said bye to Palo Duro Canyon and hit the road to continue our journey west. Next stop, California!!
