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.
