And here we go...

Once upon a time, not long ago I said I wanted to race 24 hour mountain bike races. This of course is after saying I would never race 24hr events.

This weekend is the 24hrs of Old Pueblo near Tucson, Arizon. Here's what we've got:

5 people
4 bikes (single speed yo!)
3 tents
2 dogs
1 minivan

A recipe for awesomeness.

Max aka AdventureSNORE and I are on a two-person team and Jack aka mEGO and Mark Kiecker are on another. We are stoked to ride, hang out, get some miles in and enjoy the start of the 2009 season. Then we saw this photo from the course:


I thought this was the desert! No, I actually know better. The lesson was learned when I was 19 and driving through Arizona (Florida to California) and totaled the car I was in due to ice (and the wreck in front of me). The weather should improve and I doubt we'll actually be riding in much snow.

In 24 hour races the course is a loop and each team member takes a turn riding a lap. This weekend's course is 17 miles. We may end up doing 2 or even 3 laps at a time just to give the other person a rest that lasts more than an hour and a half. You can keep up on our results, live, here. I'm not sure how it is going to be listed, but Max and I are named Swarm! while Jack and Mark are Swarm! A-team Super Elite or similar hyperbole. The race is Saturday at noon till Sunday at noon.