The 24 Hours of Moab
The master men's podium: Drew Geer & Keith Sanders
(Mike Hogan & Thomas Dooley had to leave for work before awards)
Thomas Dooley - his podium shot in the Justin's Championship Jersey
The master women's podium Michelle Slingsby, Coreen Wright & Kay Levesque
(Stacy Moller had to leave early)
Coreen Wright, Kay Levesque, Stacy Moller & Michelle Slingsby (Justin's guest rider) won the women's race with 15 laps. This is Kay's 2nd national title after winning the duo title in 2008.
Mike Hogan, Thomas Dooley, Keith Sanders & Drew Geer climbed one step up on the podium after a 2nd place finish last year. Mike is the 2010 XC national champion (as well as multiple marathon titles), Keith the 2009 national XC champion & this is the first title for Thomas & Drew.
Dave Wright rode in the super fast 35+ category & was 3rd. Dan Busse rode for a composite 35+ team & Ben Hogan put in killer fast laps in a 5 person mixed team.
Thomas Dooley in his special championship white shorts
Dan Busse - our 2010 kits were designed to match the Moab sandstone just for this event
Dave Wright - on route to a 3rd place in the 35+ championship
Kay Levesque
Ben Hogan - putting in a 1:19 lap at age 12!
The weather last year was record perfect, only to be surpassed by this year. Don't count on good weather in 2011 - it just can't hold up. Moab has a reputation of very tough conditions - high wind, extreme dust, sand rain, snow, ice ... This year had very low winds & no rain. It had been raining daily the week leading up to the race which makes for a fast course. The usual sand bogs were packed into a fast groove. Riders still had a bit of "sand surfing" but none of the power sucking long sand drags. The technical sections were fast & fun. Only "nosedive" & two steep sand run-ups defied riding this year.
For anyone not familiar with the 24 hour format, the race starts at noon with a "Lemans" style running start. The lead rider runs 500 meters with 350 other runners in a dust fest before grabbing their bike & starting lap one. After the first lap, the lead rider tags the next rider & so on for 24 hours. The ride order can be altered as needed during the day & night. At about 6pm the lights come out. That is when the riding gets fun. Moab is a fun, technical course. It is a 15 miles loop with everything - a bit of dirt road, sand, rock, drops, ripping fast single track & loose rock descents. In the day it requires attention. At night it is best if you remembered your line from the day lap. The lines get blurred & as more riders take the wrong line it begins to look like the correct line. It is pretty easy to launch off a 6 foot drop at night when you were sure that was only 1 foot in the day. Riders have ridden off into the desert briefly & found themselves way off course.
Keith Sanders starting into the first climb
Clear skies, sun & no wind - perfect racing weather
The sun setting "Behind the Rocks" at the Moab race venue
The first night lap is fun, but getting dressed & ready to go out at 3 am when it is 25 degrees takes a bit of prodding. Despite 350 riders on course at a time, it is lonely out there - cold & really dark. The 1am to 6am laps are the toughest. At about 7 the sun comes up for the coveted sunrise lap. You can finally turn off your lights & rip another fast lap. In the early AM the moisture makes the course as fast as it ever gets.
Night riding is what 24 hour racing is all about!
The men's team rode smooth & consistent. We had a few mishaps but no crisis that was not easily fixed. Mike took a big crash on his face during his first night lap but put it back together & pulled out a 1:17 night lap. Thomas lost power on one light, not an uncommon occurrance. He then crashed & knocked out his 2nd light & had to ride the rest of the way in the dark, tagging on other riders with lights - & still finished in 1:23. Our bikes were perfect. The full suspension Carbon X takes the rough parts & smooths them perfectly. You really notice this at high speed. They are very quick - a nice touch to rapidly change lines at night. We rode the Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 tires, electing for the larger surface area in the sand. They stuck to the rock & rolled the sand pits perfectly. With the higher speed this year we choose a bit higher tire pressure, running 26-30 psi, tubeless & this was an excellent choice. Not one flat for any team member.
Mike Hogan
Our support teams were the best! The race is harder for them than the riders - cooking, charging lights, keeping the gear warm & dry & getting the riders to the exchange at the right time. They pulled "all nighters" & every rider need was met perfectly. Big thanks to all our crew & also to all our sponsors!
Seven new national titles for Justin's / Titus
The sun setting behind the rocks in Moab Utah
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