24 Hours in the Old Peublo

ORACLE, ARIZ.- There is no such thing as bad weather, only soft people.

At least that’s how some racers felt about the challenging conditions at this year’s Kona Bikes 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.

The weekend started off with strong gusty winds sending dust and sand swirling through the air that made sure racers earned each lap. Then came the rain. It began with a heavy mist that coated everything with a film of greasy condensation, then morphed into a steady drizzle punctuated with blasts of blowing showers that continued into early Sunday morning. While the conditions were unpleasant, it certainly didn’t dampen spirits.

“The best part was the night laps from midnight to 2am. It was raining, you’re soaking wet, the mist is going across your lights but it was totally epic,” Garrett Alexander of Carbondale, Colo. said.

Nick Toberg of Tucson, Ariz. agreed.

“It [the rain] just made me ride faster, it made me angry. My best times were during the rainy night laps,” he said.

In conditions like that, proper clothing makes a huge difference and the cold rain left many a racer shivering in their tent.

“I basically sat out 10 hours [while it was raining]. I was convinced it was going to be a mud-fest, but I saw all these other riders going out, so I snuck out for lap at 3am,” Judd Rohwer of Albuquerque, N.M. said.

By dawn on Sunday morning the rain had stopped, the clouds began to clear and the trail had become packed down and extremely fast. The sound of knobbies urgently buzzing across singletrack was punctuated with occasional shouts of “Passing on your left!” by races eager to make up for any lost time.

“The whole thing was like pavement it was so hard,” Rohwer said.

Bad weather aside, there were still plenty of the expected good vibes and great times that are found at Epic Rides events. The 24-Hour Town scene was lively. At the Kona tent people were huddling around a fire drinking beer and hula-hooping during breaks in the rain. A crew from Glenwood Springs, Colo. was ripping around on big fat Surly Pugsleys with polo sticks and cutout swords. Towards the end of the race a few riders did the rock drop (also known as “The Option”) in their underwear before hopping off their bikes to drink a beer with the rest of the crowd that had gathered. The whole sight speaks of the community, camaraderie and spontaneity that form the core of Epic Rides philosophy.

“I like how unorthodox it is. For 24 hours it’s a new life,” Mark Pomilio of Phoenix said.

“It’s a new life without your wife,” Chris Janick of Phoenix added as they shared a laugh.

As in years past, the event always honors someone who has contributed significantly to the mountain biking community. This year’s honors went to Steve Anderson of the Pima County Parks and Recreation Department. Anderson is responsible for developing and building hundreds of miles of trail in the Tucson and southern Arizona area.

“He’s a servant, and he’s our servant,” Epic Rides event promoter Todd Sadow said during a dedication dinner where he and others spoke of the Anderson’s accomplishments. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s deserving of this award.”

Top honors in the Solo Male category this year went to Ant White, coming all the way across the pond from the U.K. for a 2^nd consecutive win with 18 laps. Despite suffering a multitude of problems, including a broken finger and handlebar, White was able to beat his previous year’s effort by one lap.

“Basically it was destroying me, I almost quit, but I just had to grin and bear it in cold wet clothes,” he said.

Top Solo Female winner Lindy Lane also suffered for her 13 laps.

“I did two laps in the rain that were awful, after the second lap I was hypothermic,” she said

Male Solo Singlespeed winner Shawn Gregory rode 15 laps, one less than he did last year for second place.

Female Solo Singlespeed winner Karen Rishel also came back to win her category this year with 10 laps.

Despite the rain and challenging conditions presented throughout the weekend the Epic Rides crew managed to pull off another successful race. “Despite the bad weather, we did a lot right this weekend. When its bad weather it really tests your crew” Todd Sadow said.

On Sunday evening, after all but a few hardy souls willing to brave another bout of rain had cleared out, the sun finally broke through the clouds into a glorious Southwest sunset. People emerged from their shelters and once again a small chorus of shouts filled the air. “24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, woooohoooo!”

For full results, check out the Epic Rides Results Page.

Too see more photos from the race, check out Brian Leddy's Photo Archive