Race Recap: 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo

XXC Magazine contributor and Podcast Co-Host Ben Welnak of Twenty2 Cycles checks in with a race report from the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. We talk more Old Pueblo with Ben and fat bikes with Guitar Ted (Mark Stevenson) on the next XXC Magazine Podcast due to drop on Friday, so stay tuned for that.

The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
by Ben Welnak 

For 13 years, 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo has been attracting people from across the world to kick off the endurance mountain biking season in the US. I can’t think of a better start than a long weekend with friends and competitors in February in the Sonoran Desert in Oracle, Arizona. The sheer number of racers, race supporters, family members, volunteers, photographers, vendors, and fans at this race is unbelievable.

The “24 Hour Town” started to fill up earlier in the week. The serious racers and vacationers started trickling in on Tuesday and by midday on Thursday prime spots along the course were gone and other spots were filling up fast. By Friday afternoon, the entire place was full, racers had completed their preriding and were getting their bikes dialed for the 12pm start on Saturday.

The vibe around “town” with over 1,600 racers were nervously awaiting the start of the race was a mix of excitement, intense focus, and looks of bewilderment. Some racers were sitting quietly in their pit area, while others were nervously chatting away with competitors, teammates, and their friends that came along for the ride. Pro racers talked to their mechanics to ensure the exact psi was in their newly mounted tubeless tires, while hurried racers trying to balance family and racing such an event ran around camp with their kids in tow, stressed, and clearly already tired. The diverse group of 627 teams, which include solos, duo, 4-person, 5-person, and corporate teams, toed the line for the extended run start.

The entire group of 627 people headed up the gravel venue entrance road to the start line. The race starts with a long run start of probably 400 or 500 meters, followed by a short section of open gravel road before hitting the actual course. It’s meant to spread out the race field a bit, but with so many racers bursting with adrenaline, it’s hard to separate them so early in the race. The weather at the start was fantastic – a clear blue sky, about 70 degrees, and calm winds. The course was dry but packed due to a little snow (yeah, snow near Tucson…) during the week. For February, it was about as good as we could expect, especially after last year’s wind, rain, and cold weather. A little over 16 miles of smooth winding singletrack, small dirt road climbs (aka “The Bitches”), and cactus forests that would come into play as the race wore on.

The start was really fast for a race that was lasting a day. Sprinting from the bang of the shotgun, racers were jockeying the entire run, ensuring they could find their bikes, and get a good start. The race was definitely on. Bryan Alders of Epic Pro Cycling and Spencer Paxson of the Kona Factory Team quickly sprinted to the front and battled the first lap with Paxson prevailing by 27 seconds. That was the last time the Kona team would lead the race. Epic’s Chris Baddick laid down a ripping 56 minute lap to take the lead. The real race was in the 1st lap’s chase group. Among the chase group were several male duo teams, including riders from the top five teams.

As the afternoon wore on and the sun began to set, the temperatures took a quick drop. Clear weather in the desert at 3,000 feet of elevation in February means one thing – cold temperatures. As temperatures raced down from 70 to about 40, team racers done with their laps huddled around propane heaters and campfires to wait out the cold and rest up for their next laps. Solo racers took a little extra pit time to layer up to fight off a full body meltdown because of shivering cold. With tired legs and lost energy to the cold, racers began losing concentration and running into the thousands of cactuses lining the entire course. Several riders every lap were hunched over their legs pulling out treacherous spines of the feared cholla cactus. With reverse barbed ends and a coating of some strange swell inducing venom, the cholla springs to life upon impact. For any rider hitting a cholla, it could mean an end to the race. Some unlucky riders spent over an hour in the medical tent as they endured a one-by-one removal of cactus pieces similar to porcupine spines. The race must go on…

Epic Pro Cycling went on to pound out an impressive 23 laps and Kona went on to ride an also impressive 22 laps to capture a very solid 2nd place. The male duo category was dominated by youngsters Alex Strickland and Richard Hurst of the El Grupo Duo Team. El Grupo laid down fast and consistent laps, with 18 laps less than 1 hour, 11 minutes. With a total of 22 laps, they nearly lapped the 2-time defending champion and experienced Pivot Cycles team of Brian Bennett and Ernesto Marenchin. A race worth mentioning is that done by friend of XXC, Jonathan Davis and his 12 year old son, Tanner. They raced their first 24 hour duo and finished with 15 laps, which was good for 27th of 93 teams. Tanner successfully completed 5 laps during both the day and night with some fast times. Tanner has had a good last few months on the bike. In addition to Old Pueblo, he completed 100 miles at the 25 Hours of Frog Hollow in November and rode well at Dawn to Dusk in Arizona in December until bad weather cut his race short.

Another great race went on in the 4-person women’s team category. The Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s team of Jennifer Smith, Susan Haywood, Sarah Kaufman, and Susan DeMattei tallied a total of 20 laps to put it to the 2nd place team, Single Speed Sweetness of Sarah Gibeau, Paula Bohte, Kristi Olson, and Alice Drobna, who rode a strong 19 laps.

The stars of any 24 hour race really are the solo riders. There were some truly impressive efforts in all of the solo classes. 2010 Canadian 24 hour champion, Cory Wallace, knocked out 18 laps in 24 hours, 10 minutes, and 41 seconds, finishing 45 minutes ahead of 2nd place rider Cyril Jay-rayon, who also finished 18 laps. Friend of XXC, Curt Wilhelm had a great race and steadily pulled himself up through the rankings during the night to finish 3rd with a very strong 17 laps. In the men’s singlespeed category, Michael Melley stomped his way to a win with 18 laps.

The women’s solo field was a tight race, separated by only 21 minutes from 1st place to 3rd place. Sarah Caylor powered to the win with 14 laps in 24 hours 11 minutes and 31 seconds. Janice Tower managed to hang on for a second place finish ahead of Michelle Thiry. Tower wrapped up 14 laps in 24 hours 30 minutes and 50 seconds. Thiry poured on the power on the final lap to best Tower’s final lap by over 13 minutes, but came up short, pulling to within less than two minutes of Tower. In the women’s singlespeed division, Melissa Liebling and Lauren Frisk both crushed it with 15 laps to finish 1st and 2nd respectively.

The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo was a great race to the start of what looks to be the start of a great endurance season! The XXC race calendar is packed full and new races are popping up every day, so get out there and get training for a great 2012 season!

Pictures are courtesy of Devon Balet.
For more sweet pictures from Devon, check out his site at devonbaletphoto.com.
For more information, including full results, go to epicrides.com.

Category: 24 Hour Race, News, Racing