Well, it’s just about that time again… The time when some buddies and I make the annual trek to the Sonoran Desert north of Tucson, Arizona to participate in the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo MTN Bike race. This race always takes place on the Valentines Day weekend, so needless to say my wife is very understanding! If you plan on doing the race this year, my suggestion to you is: “bring every piece of clothing you own”… The reason I say that is because you never know what the weather will be during this time of the year. I have done the race many times have seen everything from 6 inches of snow, to driving rain, to freezing temps, to absolutely gorgeous days/nights… The beauty is that you never know what you will have until you arrive!
The course is a beautiful 17 mile loop which is absolutely perfect for a 24-hour race! It has everything from jeep trails to 8 miles of singletrack, to cactus (lots and lots of cactus, so bring your comb or tweezers!). There is nothing on the course that is too gnarly, this makes is fun and fast (even when you are doing your night laps)! The race begins with a Lemans type start, so this means you are running for about ¼ mile in your carbon-soled bike shoes. After the 1st lap, you start up the “7-Bitches” (7 short climbs/decents just to get your attention), and then proceed to cover many miles of jeep road and single track through the cactus. Next you travel down the “His/Her Trail” which is a cool single track with a few surprise corners and then a long grind up the “High Point Singletrack”. At this point you see one of the coolest sites you will ever see (during the day or night)… You descend back to the start/finish and observe a sea of tents and RV’s in the Old Pueblo “city”. Once you reach the start/finish, you pass-off your baton to your teammate, head back to camp for some food, maybe a little sleep, and then get ready to do it all over again…
It’s gonna be a blast! Hope to see you there. I’ll be the slow guy on the MTN Bike…
Tags: 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, 24 hr race, Cycling Events, Mountain Bike Race, MTN Bike, Team events
Sounds like a lot of fun. You’ve posted a very nice description.
Rick has an understanding wife alright… the race is on Valentines, and my birthday weekend… He always asks first
[...] bike refugee camp is forming in the desert northeast of Tucson, Ariz. It’s there for the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike race (be sure to read “A Note on Kona” below). Even one week before the [...]