24 Hours of BIg Bear

Yea, its crazy about 24 Hours racing. Its kind of extreme, kind of twisted, but fun and a rewarding experience at the same time. Granny Gear has been putting of 24 hour races since 1992 with Canaan being the first one. I've been doing 24 hour races off and on since 1993 the year that I graduated college! And many of the people who were at those early races, were at this one too. And that seems like the special part of the race, connecting with people who love to ride bikes. And that they are maybe a little wierd like me...there's a bond.

Anyway, Me, Tim, Ruby and Collie loaded up the Sprinter Van and headed to West Virginie. Of course we had to drive through Davis and get a pizza pie from Sirianni's. I've said it before and I'll say it again...this is the best pizza in the world. And it started our weekend out just right seeing Mike Goss all fired up as usual.

We made it to Big Bear and set up in the Schooly land VIP section. Big Bear is the best venue because all the camping spots are shaded and covered in ferns. You could bring your dogs, kegs, fireworks, stacker bikes and your twisted desire for night racing. Cassie did the Le mans start and surfed the wave of runners in cycling cleats. These are the coolest starts and it got my blood pumping just watching. Nickyboy and Josh Tostado got the whole shots and fastest times of the race at 1:10!

The course was awesome. It was fairly flat, fast with lots of little greasy spots. It was good to ride in WV. It really teaches you where you are on the bike and where center is.

Tim and Collin washed our bikes after every lap and got them race ready after each lap. They stayed up all night and were really fun to have around. Jeff and Levi were fun and sweet, too. Manny made a chart with the times so we would know when to be down at the staging area. It has been a consistent theme with many racers in a 24 hour event that math skills fail miserably during these times. Its normal. The point is to be there when your teammate comes in and then go fast as you can.

We crushed in our class with 17 laps. I guess our team name was right...WVMBA Women's Dream Team! Thanks JR for sponsoring us and of course Betsy because it was her idea for the team. These ladies are some of the coolest mountain bike chicks ever. We deserved more than a medal, but you don't do these things for money, prizes, swag, gift certificates, or anything else practical. You do it because, again, you are a little bit twisted(I'll use that instead of stupid)

It was great to see friends and push myself in another race.

Coming up next...Canaan MTB Festival June 26,27,28 in Davis. Visit www.blackwaterbikes.com for more info.