Saturday, March 7, 2009

24 Hours In The Old Pueblo...






I spent my Valentines Day racing the 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo in Tucson, Arizona on a 5 Person Coed team with pals from Racer's Cycle Service. Our team name was "Racer's Racers" and included Arthur and Jessica Morris, Shaelie "Mrs. Nails" Johansen, and Kellie Williams. The trek down was a harrowing experience as Arthur, Jessica, and I loaded up their 'Burb with 5 bikes (that's right I said 5), gear, and our bodies and headed down I-15. We hit snow along the way and due to a multi-car accident on the freeway we had to detour just before Beaver. We left at about 5pm and due to the snow and a slight detour (through California!) we made it to Tucson 19 hours later! Woo Hoo! 

The first night (and last night) we stayed with Jessica's sister and her husband in Tucson (thanks Mike and Jeni!!) and it was a dream come true! A warm bed, great food, and lots of laughs. The other nights were spent camped in "Tent City" at the race site. There were probably 4 or 5 teams of friends camped in the "Racer's Cycle" area and it was good times hanging out with everyone there. Thanks to those who brought the propane heater and the ginormous MSR tent we used for the "staging area" for our various team racers. This became the hang out spot for us during the night and was soooo warm!

As for the race, Arthur went first and did the Lemans start and the fastest lap time of our team (1:08 and change), I was next followed by Shae, Jessica, and Kelli. The course was 16.25 miles long and had just over 1000 feet of elevation gain. It wasn't a difficult course nor was it technical, except for the 7 or 8 different types of cactus that were everywhere, and I mean everywhere!!! Arthur's blazing lap put us in first place and we never looked back. I put in a fast first lap despite a moronic crash I had on a fast dirt road section while reaching for a Gu (and an overinflated tire). All in all we put in 15 team laps and came in 1st place in our 0-149 Combined Age division. We won some cool trophies and some mad swag ($300 bucks worth) and I had the best Valentines Day I've had in a decade, and that was without a date (my bike doesn't count)!! Thanks to everyone who helped in the race with support, the ride, camaraderie, comic relief, and everything in between, I can't wait for next year! Race results here.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dude, you rock! I agree with you, that is the BEST kind of valentines day!