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On Pace: Cyclists Say 24-Hour Race Lined With Fun

Posted on: Wednesday, 8 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By Jennifer Duffy, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

You don't always have to go hard or go home.

It's true, many of us yearn to push our bodies to the absolute limit, and a 24-hour bike race seems to cater to that zeal and ambition.

But in reality, a seemingly hard-core bike race like this past weekend's 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is just a plain old good time for many riders.

Todd Sadow, the cool and calm president of the race company Epic Rides, waxed poetic about the event last week. "Racers will race, riders will ride. All will peacefully coexist."

There is an unexpectedly laid-back atmosphere to a racing event centered on endurance and sleeplessness.

Only about 135 of the 1,300 registered participants ride the race alone. The rest of the bunch - a motley crew of fun-loving professionals and students with varying abilities and experience - ride in relay teams of four to 10 people and spend a good chunk of their time camping, eating, socializing and hanging out in 24-Hour Town.

"It is very different from marathons or triathlons. . . . Those races are more individualistic, while this race is team/community- based," said Stefan Walz, a 35-year-old triathlete who competed last year but opted to just cook and care for his team this year.

A member of that team, Aaron Hall, a 29-year-old Tucson attorney, has been mountain biking for five years and participated for the second time this year.

He said he wasn't there to compete, just to ride and have a good time.

"I like camping, riding and having a few beers with some friends. There is a nice atmosphere to the event, and I'm not too concerned about doing X number of laps or trying to win," Hall said.

The 15.2-mile course - a single track that climbs and descends roughly 1,000 feet on trails west of the town of Oracle lined with cacti and sometimes paved in rocks and boulders - doesn't require many technical skills, just cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

The toughest part of the race might be motivating yourself to ride a 15-mile loop in the middle of the night.

"I think once you get on the bike and get the blood flowing and are out competing against other riders, sleepiness fades. However, being physically drained does take its toll," Hall said.

Devoted racers, like solo rider Air Force Master Sgt. David Midel, 48, pushed themselves to their limits until they were completely exhausted. This was his first 24-hour race.

Midel completed nine laps - about 136 miles - and went home and ate and crashed afterward.

"I was really impressed because it was a very friendly, polite atmosphere and even the most competitive riders had time for a nice gesture," he said.

He described the scene on the trail at night as "surrealistic" - he was sometimes gazing down on a huge camp of tents and people, and other times watching little white bike lights floating through the desert.

"I learned a lot from watching the other, more experienced riders, how they set out their food and how they time their laps." Next time Midel competes in the event, he hopes to complete at least one or two more laps from "riding smarter," he said.

His focus and determination are admirable, but what's great about the 24-hour race is that they're not necessary.

Riders ride, racers race, campers camp, beer drinkers drink beer and everyone gets the experience they signed up for.

"The world is tough these days; 24-Hour Town is not," Sadow said.

Cheers to that.

* Sundown at the Pass

What: A 1-mile fun run or a 5-mile competitive course up and over Gates Pass

When: 4 p.m. March 4 (race begins at 5 p.m.)

Register: $30 before Feb. 22 or $40 after Feb. 22. Register at active.com online or go to The Running Shop, 3055 N. Campbell.

For more information: Call The Running Shop at 325-5097 or visit www.publichealth.arizona.edu/ sundown online.

* Arizona Distance Classic - Valley of the Gold Half-Marathon & Northwest Medical Center 5K

When: 7 a.m. March 12

Where: Ventana Medical Systems Inc., 1910 Innovation Park Drive, west of North Oracle Road near East Rancho Vistoso Boulevard

Registration: $60 for the half-marathon, $35 for the 5K at active.com online.

Tip of the week

There's a lesson in the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo event: Something is better than nothing and everyone has their own limits.

If you can't run forever, just go as far as you can go and then walk. Same thing goes for riding, swimming and even water aerobic class.

You only get better at your sport (and fitter) with practice, persistence and patience.

* On Pace isn't just for runners anymore - it's for everyone who is trying to maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle. E-mail your ideas for health and fitness topics, as well as any questions you may have, to jduffy@azstarnet. com. Look for health and fitness coverage each Tuesday. You can find more of my columns at www.azstarnet.com/ sn/health online.

Source: Arizona Daily Star

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