Today is the start of a 24 Hour MTB race outside of Tucson. I wish I was there. I wouldn’t have thought I would normally think that, but I got the pleasure of doing the event two years again and was surprised about how great it was. As an event and as a life experience.
Vincent is there again this year, along with my friend Jed Schneider, along with VIncent’s team mate for Racer X, Bob Campbell. They invited me, but I felt that it wouldn’t maybe be in my best interest, recovery-wise, to do something so extreme only 4 months after experiencing a TBI. Shows you that age sometimes gives you some common sense. Not that I’m all that happy about the whole decision.
The race is on a pretty great loop in the desert. It takes around an hour per lap. If you’re fast, you do a lap under a hour, if not so, it is over an hour. I think that the winning overall team did 23 laps the year I did it. We were at 22, finishing 3rd in the 4 person category.
Lance and 3 old Postal Service team mates are racing the event. Lance can do it because it isn’t sanctioned. It will probably add something, I’m not sure what. LIke I wrote a while ago, I don’t think they are just there to ride around and have fun. We’ll see.
Anyway, I wish all the riders good luck, which is always nice to have. The weather looks iffy. It shows wind and cool temperatures until mid afternoon, then rain from 3 – 10 tonight. Ouch.
Even so, I am jealous that they get to spend tonight, riding around the desert, with lights on. It really is something that should be on all rider’s bucket list, even if they don’t think it should.
You can following the results live here.
The race course at night.
Doing laps in the desert 2015.
Sunrise was very special. I got lucky and got to do the lap when it changed for dark to light. It was crazy beautiful.
Good for you not racing that kind of event just yet. It’s not easy to sacrifice pleasure in the now for potential greater benefit in the future. I found the concept of “future self” to be helpful when deciding what/how to do things that are in my best interest. http://www.raptitude.com/2013/10/the-elegant-secret-to-self-discipline/
It’s raining today, lol.
Burning Man for cyclist. There’s a certain hedonism/self indulgence that makes these events so enticing. 24hrs of Canaan and Moab in the mid-’90s are amongst my greatest cycling experiences.
The majority of entrants are from the Southwest and have been training all winter long. There’s nothing fun about showing up without a great fitness base.
I’m hoping it’s cold and rainy so I don’t feel so envious.
steve, in your opinion, you think lance is still taking peds? I know the races lance does now are no where near as hard as the tour de france and all the other one day races over in Europe, but I don’t think when he enters these races he currently enters he hoping for a top 10.. hes there to win them…you think he still cheats and takes peds?
I dunno why but this makes me think of old Tom Simpson saying if ten will kill can I take nine and win…
What is the name of team Lance?
WEDU, currently running third in the 4-person.
http://liveresults.epicrides.com/24results/default.aspx?event=2017
WEDU? Does that mean: When Erythropoietin Dopers Unite??
Know how you feel. Supposed to be racing solo, but sitting here reading and recovering from shattered collarbone instead. The wet weather won’t be too much of a problem except for the solo riders – especially the hardcore ones without a support team to lube their chain and wipe their ass between laps. At least folks won’t have to deal with the dust.
Seems like sillypuddy’s silly question from the other day might get answered. If I recall Steve had faster laps than LA’s first one (although LA’s first was the running lap so might not be apples to apples).
Apparently it has to do with this:
From Bicycling Magazine:
“Armstrong hasn’t given many details, but the trademark application filed for WEDU gives us an idea of what he envisions. Beyond “arranging and conducting” endurance events, he hopes to develop a Strava-like fitness-tracking app and launch a website that will list endurance sport events (specifically triathlons) and offer training tips, organize athletic coacdu
I think Lance knows he needs to DU some hustling to make money, as his current stash is in jeopardy. So maybe not “WE”du, but certainly HEdu.
Kyle Trudeau is pretty much singlehandedly destroying the 4 man open division
What a wonderfull way to spend Saturday, looking at a computer screen sifting through old race results from years ago. Some people just know how to live. I think I know why your divorced. Your just to much fun. Anyway, tell your sister Bridget I said hello.
Sillypuddy OUT!
Sillypuddy: I guess you’re not talking to me cause I’m not divorced and don’t have a sister named Bridget. What I do have are some results at the 24HOP to sift through. Didn’t see any for team sillypuddy. Just for the record, Steve’s 7 laps in 2015 pretty much destroyed LA’s 5 this year. Nothing against LA, but you got your answer.
Paul, I was talking to you.. I just couldn’t imagine someone as exiting as youself being tied down. Now when I suggested that ST race LA. I meant a REAL bike race. 24 hr guys are in impressive in their own way. But not like real bike racers. Just for giggles why don’t you compare their 10 best TT’s, or world championchips. See if you can sqeeze that in between PBS and 60 minutes.
Sillypuddy OUT!
SP: Ok, got me there. My wife would agree with you. I’m not a PBS or 60 minutes guy (don’t agree much with Steve’s politics)., I’m sitting here having a beer and watching old Ayrton Senna videos on YT (doubt you know who he is). Still, you don’t think 7 hours of racing is a good indicator?
I read these stupid posts from a few days ago. Silly string asking Steve if currently he’s faster than lance. Steve says yes. Then silly string says let them race head to head. Most think these two racing against eash other will never happen but it could easily. As much as steve travels Steve needs to travel to Texas which he does a few times a year and do the Texas state TT. Steve has lances phone #, so all Steve’s gotta do is call lance and put the challenge out there. Then lance comes up to Kansas and does the Kansas state TT . The race of truth they call these TT . So with stevd flat out saying he can currently beat lance in a race, this seems to be a doable race to meet up with lance. Steve’s got plenty of time to train and he likes going to Texas so let’s race the TT there and in Kansas. Steve , u did say u could beat him so call him up and set this up. No wussing out saying it can’t be done. As much $$$$ as both of u guys got there are plenty of TT in all states to make this happen. No fuckin excuses..
My guess is that neither gives a shit one way or the other. Lance should fly his private jet up to to Topeka and they ought gravel ride to the best beer bar there and have a few – throw the bikes in the back and Uber back to Topeka…
Ayrton Senna? I know who he is, i used to work on his car. Now Crum hit the nail on the head. This thing is doable. You are probably right, neither one does actuall give a hoot. But it would be fun to see. Even if it was just for fun. Now i got time get to knock out a Nati-lite before I call it a day.
Sillypuddy OUT!
That too Paul . But a nice TT in any state would prove to Steve’s followers, the hundreds he has, that what he did say , how he’s faster than lance is true. Not too cool saying ur faster than someone, and not proving it.. Plus, having the time and. $$$ to prove this, then not act on it is lame. Come on Steve. Do it. Call lance and race him in a TT..
SP: Now you have my attention. Which of Senna’s car did you work on? One of his turbocharged Lotus’ in ’86 or ’87? Or perhaps this McLaren V12 monster in drove in ’90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auXfAHHNSFo
Road TT to determine who is the better cyclist? Well, I would argue that MTB racing is a better test of one’s all-around strength and biking handling skills.
Guessing the pud was born around ’92, so no working on Senna’s car. And STL is a long way from South America. 😉
Personally Idc .i could give a fuck… My point is you don’t flat out say u r better and faster than someone and then not prove it and back it up when there are tons of races to prove it in.
When you’re on a 4 man team in a 24, every lap you go out for is a TT