This is part two in a five part series, I have written about my experience with training, racing and the adventures of 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in 2023.
Part 2: The Days Leading Up to the Race
How does one describe 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo (24HOP) and 24 Hour Town to someone? It’s something special. I describe it as the “Burning Man” of mountain bikes. Somewhere in the middle of no where. In a desert. In Arizona. Outside Tucson. Is a ranch. There’s no structures. No running water. No electricity. 350 odd days of the year there’s nothing there. But for a week in February, 24 Hour Town pops up and the place because electric and magical with a buzz of mountain bike fever.
This year I was particularly excited that I get to share it with one of my brothers. My fam has always been my biggest cheerleaders from afar. And this year I was fortunate enough to have my brother to crew for me.
I flew into Phoenix midday Wednesday. The rest of Wednesday was all about the prep and getting ready to head to 24 Hour Town Thursday morning.
Get bike from oversized luggage, take XL Uber, to RV rental. Drive RV around town to pick up supplies and groceries. Back to airport to pick up brother. Prep day is exhausting, but I had completed the task at hand, all the needed supplies were gotten.
Wednesday evening, we drove an hour towards 24 Hour Town and “stealth camped” in the Walmart parking lot for the night. Thursday morning….”It’s Birthday Day” yes my birthday. We picked up last minute supplies in Walmart and headed to 24 Hour Town. This year was unusually cold we woke up Thursday morning and it was 29 degrees! There were photos of the snow that had covered 24 Hour Town in the previous 48 hours. Did someone say snow tires? Luckily, the forecast for race day seemed much more promising then the 30 degree temps and snow covered ground we were seeing in the days leading up to it.
There is an 8 mile dirt road with plenty of brake bumps leading to 24 Hour Town. In the RV it’s like driving a tin box every thing is so loud and shakes. All the cupboard doors will swing open if not properly cinched down. It’s quite comical to me.
.After the 8 mile dirt road there is a series and maze of jeep “roads” navigating through 24 Hour Town. The first year we did just that we got VERY stuck. The next year we watched everyone else get very stuck! This year we were pros.
Thank goodness I had brother to navigate the RV to Solo Alley while I found the “smoothest” way in possible. We had the most seamless entry possible. I joke that I really only need a crew to drive the RV into 24 Hour Town for me and to get me out without getting stuck. I would cry if I had to do it alone. And most likely get stuck somewhere far from my desired location.
We got a great spot on Solo Alley. I was thrilled. Exactly where I wanted to be. We set up camp. Put my bike together and eventually got ready to go pre-ride the course. Brother was getting acclimated to the desert quite nicely, not 5 min out of the RV he backed himself right up into a Cholla Cactus.
Brother and I went out and pre-rode the course. It was cold. Temps barely got out of the 40s. Much different then the years past. But the course was in tip top condition. Still patches of snow on the sides of the trail. But the moisture from the snow made it all packed perfectly. The bitches were in perfect shape.
Perhaps here is where I should explain exactly what is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo race and how does one race for 24 hours. Well high level it’s a 16.5 mile loop with about 1000 feet of climbing. Whoever does the most amount of laps wins. There’s solo categories and teams categories: 2-man, 4-man, cooperate etc. You must be out on course and finish your last lap after 12pm. If you do not complete a lap after 12pm, you DNF. Solo racers get to park right on the last ¼ mile of the lap. So you can pitstop right before you check in for your lap. You can take breaks for as long as you like. You can ride non stop if you’d like. It’s up to each person or team how they choose to tackle the race for 24hrs.
What was my strategy? Ride non-stop for as long as I could. Get as many laps before dark as possible. Settle into the night laps at a relatively mod-easy pace and tick off the laps. And at sunrise pound out the remaining hours in the daylight until that 12:00pm hour. I have previously done this race twice before so I now am well acquainted with racing 24 hours. Previously I have done really well, 11 laps my first showing and 13 laps my second showing. Ultimately, my goal this year was at least a PR from the year before and hopefully 15 laps, assuming all things go well. There’s a lot that can happen in 24 hours and there’s a lot that can happen when you ride your bike for 24 hours. I just do the work show up and hope for the best day possible.
Ok back to the bitches, I mentioned they were in perfect shape. The bitches is a series of rolling hills on a very rutted out jeep road they are steep pitches both up and down. Choose your line carefully to not get taken out by a rut. Your speeds could get as high as 40mph if your balls out. Also there’s some kickers in there too, so carrying a lot of speed you can actual catch some air, you want to be prepared for these too…as again not to land in a rut that may take you out.
The bitches is notorious for taking riders out. Always on the first lap of the race you see at least one rider down on the side of the road. There is a bypass that adds a 1/10th of a mile and a few minutes to the course, if you so choose not to ride the bitches. However, on the first lap everyone must ride the bitches. I ride the bitches until nightfall and then switch over to the bypass to save the legs on the steep up pitches but also to play it safe.
After the pre-ride brother cooked dinner, we celebrated my birthday and had a dance party in the RV to keep us warm.
Birthday Vibes
That night we had 50 mph winds the whole RV was shaking. This weather had been quite phenomenally cold and windy and yet we were still looking to shape up for a perfect race day forecast.
Friday, brother and I went through race strategy. Nutrition, laps, lights bike mechanics, reviewing everything I could think to run through with him. We met up with friends that had come from Wisconsin and Arkansas to race.
We went out for another spin on the course this time taking the bypass. Nothing like 29 MPH headwinds, tailwinds and crosswinds on an easy pre-ride. I’ve never had a crosswind so strong it took my front wheel from under me. Grateful that this wouldn’t be case on race day. I chalked it all up as a fun adventure out on the course.
Soon enough the day got away from us. We cooked a burrito bowls for dinner. So I could get plenty of white rice to store up my carbs for the next day. And tucked it in early for the evening.
GOOD NIGHT 24 HOP EVE!
Fueled By TheFeed.
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