Event: 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo 24 hour race
Where: Tucson, Arizona
Ridden: February 2017
Joël and I had heard about this race from numerous people and read about it in magazines and on the internet and it has always been an interest to us. In addition, it was in February, so a perfect time of year for us to head south and get away from the cold Pennsylvania winter.
Of course a few interesting factors came to mind when deciding to do this race. Competing in a 24 hour race requires a lot of equipment, how would we get it all there? Fly out, ship our things, buy things while there, or drive everything out. Also, how would we train? What if the winter was terrible, would we just suck it up and suffer through the cold weather or would we put in hour after hour on the home trainer? And what about Clifford, what would we do with him, take him along (and what would we do with him while we race) or find someone to watch him.
So what did Joël and I decide? We opted to drive out. This way we could transport all our gear, food, etc right along with us. We did need to add some additional storage; a friend loaned us their roof box. GPS programs told us the drive time would be about 36 hours; we split that into three days on the way out, arriving in Tucson Thursday night and specifically to the race site on Friday morning. On the way home, we took four days so that we could spend a little time sight-seeing. Clifford came along with us. He has quite the spacious set-up in the van where he stayed during the race and each Joël and I let him out on occasion.
24 Hours of Old Pueblo is unlike any 24 hour race we have ever done before. The race site, named "24 Hour Town" is one huge conglomeration of people camping, RV's, and a large vendor area. I don't know the total number of registered racers, but inclusive of everything from solo riders to large corporate teams there was around 2000 racers. Many of those racers came with huge groups of friends, family, and people to crew for them. And for many of these people it was party town. That is what this race has a reputation for, being one big party. Throughout the weekend there was a beer garden party, a whisky tree during the race, tire throwing events, and numerous other gatherings. Certain areas of the course were infamous heckling areas, which had spectators there all hours of the race. Of course as solo riders we opted not to take part in any of the party events so we could be on our best game for the race but for those that wanted to party this race was the place.
The course was quite pleasant for a 24 hour race; technical at places but not dangerous when tired. There was some climbing; but nothing overbearing. The first few miles of the race has the most significant climbs, known as the "Seven Bitches" which was challenging. There was a go-around option for these climbs but it added quite a bit of extra time, nearly 10 minutes (Joël and I each did the go around at least once just for something different). Near the end of the approximately 16 mile lap there were some false flats and meandering climbs but never anything that one could not spin up when tired. The course traversed along ridge lines which gave beautiful views of the surrounding area. At night there were mice and bunnies, during the day cattle. And of course cacti everywhere!
But so much for racing in AZ to be warm and enjoy the sunshine. It rained. And it was cold. It rained for pretty much the entire race, mostly just misty and drizzle but there were a few good showers. This of course made for mud. And the temps were chilly, in the 40s for most of the night laps. Add the rain, the cold, and the mud and thank goodness we both brought a good sampling of our winter gear because we needed it. Both of us changed a number of times to stay warm and dry. The chicken broth we keep warm in a crockpot also was a big help.
Despite the weather and crowed atmosphere of the race, Joël and I drove out to race and we did. We both rode consistent and strong; stopping only to refuel, change, and let Cliff out. And we rode all the way to the noon cut off, no stopping early. Joël put in 15 laps (244 miles) and 14 laps (228 miles) for myself. That earned me a podium spot for 5th place open solo women out of almost 20 racers and Joël 7th place open solo men out of almost 80 racers!Despite the mud and muck and lack of general care for well over 200 miles, my new Liv Pique Advanced held up great. Rode smooth and was comfortable for the entire race. As was all the Liv clothing and gear I was wearing (thanks to Steve at Saucon Valley Bikes for hooking me up with everything at the last minute, speed ordering on Steve's part).
This race was quite the adventure. We learned more about what we would and would not continue to do for 24 hour races. We would recommend this race to others but would tell them to be prepared for anything and everything. Joël and I both decided we will be back again.This report was more about the race it's self; not as much about the physical and mental aspects of the race. For a more indepth look into what goes through out heads in a 24 hour race, check out the Hardcore 24 report and the Summer Solstice report to really get a behind the scenes look into the personal aspect of 24 hour racing.
Rumor has it there will be a video for this race/trip to AZ, so check back in a few weeks.
- pictures by Joël and Sportgraaf.com