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2006 marked the beginning of my 24hour solo mountain bike career. Along term adventure racing team sponsor

bowed out and I was left with the task of

redening myself as an athlete or getting

a real job. Fortunately, my sponsors Red

Bull and Specialized were supportive

in my quest to avoid a nine-to-ve

existence. For lack of a better idea, Idecided to take my endurance experience

into mountain bike racing. I knew I could

race for days on end from my adventure

racing career, but had no idea if I was

fast enough or good enough on a bike.

I had never actually entered an ofcial

mountain bike race or ridden against any

women. I won the rst 24 Hour race I

participated in that year in Spokane. It

was my test run and I beat everyone in

the race, including the men. I took it as

a sign. Nine to ve would have to wait.

The 24 Hour Solo Nationals in

Wisconsin was my second 24 hour

race. I went in as a complete unknown

and with a lot of trepidation. This was

a huge step. The reigning 24 hour solo

female champion from the previous year

was there with a gigantic motor home

parked right on the course and a host

of professional looking assistants and

more bikes than I could count. There

were other pros in big trucks with their

names painted on them and lots of logos.

In contrast, I had brought my mom,

my uncle, and a bike mechanic friend

from home. The intimidation factor

was huge. What was I thinking? How

could I possibly make a proud showing

against all these pro badasses? I cried

during my practice ride and gured

Id made a huge mistake in coming to

Nationals this soon. The course felt very

technical. My self-doubt multiplied.We staked out camp, bagged the

idea of sleeping outside, got a hotel and

clicked on the weather channel. There

were severe thunderstorm warnings

for the weekend. The radar showed

a big red blob right over Wausau,

Wisconson. We knew wed get rained

on, it was just a question of how

much and when it would strike.

The next thing I remember was the

starting gun. For the rst couple of laps,

I was ecstatic to realize that I was not

very far off the lead rider. I gured it

would take a while, but Id try to reel

her in over the 24 hours. My condence

increasing, I was soon shocked to see

her uniform from the back on a small

climb during the third lap. I felt a surge,

passed her while trying to act as if I

wasnt working hard, and promptly fell

off my bike right in front of her. A wave

of embarrassment and another surge of

adrenalin got me back up. I rode away

frantically and never looked back. From

that point on, I rode like a hunted animal.

I crashed hard shortly after dusk. In a

tight tree section and trying not to scrub

speed, my handlebar nicked the side of

a tree, causing a wobble. Like a slab

of meat I impacted a large oak to the

left of the trail and was thrown to the

ground. I didnt have time to brake, so

the smackdown was hard and fast. Trying

to get right back up, I knew my shoulder

was in trouble. Desperate to regain

momentum, I raced off into the night.

About 4am, the wind started howling,the air turned cool, and it was clear

that we were about to get absolutely

hammered with rain. Sure enough, the

downpour was incredible. Immediately

the pace slowed because visibility was

drastically reduced. I squinted and

focused on staying upright, trying to ride

by feel. Shortly after, race ofcials waved

me down and forced me to stop. I was

about one-half the way around my lap at

an aid station. There were about thirty

riders there and the ofcials were handing

out trash bags for us to wear. As we all

crammed under one tent, lightning was

cracking all around us at very regular

intervals. I shivered in the fetal position

inside my trash bag and tried to relax my

cramping, seizing legs. I huddled with

total strangers and wondered how much

of my lead I was losing by being stopped.

I kept scanning through the buckets of

rain for another female rider to arrive in

the tent. My biggest fear was that theyd

restart the race from here and Id have a

head to head battle for the last 6 hours. I

could barely stand, let alone race a bike.

We were held there for about

45 minutes and a chaotic re-start

was attempted from various stop

points around the course. I nished

that lap wearing the trash bag,

turning the pedals like molasses.

At 9am, with just one hour to go in

the scheduled race time, I pulled up to

our transition area ready to swap bikesand head out on my nal lap. The balls

of my feet were numb, my wrists felt

like theyd been jackhammered, and I

had crusty mud in my eyes. However, I

was machine-like in my determination.

As far as I was concerned, I still had one

hour to ride and one more lap to complete

to seal the deal. Approaching the pits,

my crew was lounging around and my

2nd bike was not ready to ride. I was

a bit delirious and confused. Turns out

the ofcials had stopped the race againdue to more approaching storms and

had given everyone an ofcial nishing

time from the rst stop. It meant Id

ridden an extra two hours that I did not

get credit for, but I didnt care. I was

ofcially the new National Champion!

Working the24 Hour ShiftMountain Bike StyleBy Rebecca Rusch

Immediately the pace slowed because visibility was dras-

tically reduced. I squinted and focused on staying upright,

trying to ride by feel.

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12 ASJMarch/April 2008

If you are curious about twenty-

four hour mountain bike racing (24hr

mtb), you are certainly not alone.As more NorCal athletes participate

in these events, the positive

buzz is growing exponentially.

Simultaneously, the confusion level

regarding 24hr mtb has grown as

well. Is 24 the most painful, brutal

race format ever, or is it really just

an excuse for good friends to party

all night long? Is it a chance to

achieve new levels of agony with

fellow ultra endurance monks, or

is it a way to metabolize gallonsof beer with fat tire enthusiasts

from all over the world?

As it turns out, the correct

answer is all of the above.

Cyclists from varied backgrounds

are enticed by these events and

quite often are hooked after their

rst race. The reason? To put it

simply, 24 hr mtb events are a blast.

More specically, the team format

of the race appeals to one of thecore values of riders everywhere:

good friends hanging out on bikes.

Unlike adventure racing where each

team must race together, 24 hr mtb

is relay style and allows riders of

all ability levels to race on a team

together. This removes the stress of

slower riders not wanting to enter

the race and also nixes the frustration

of faster riders having to wait for

teammates. Basically, you get to ride

as hard as you can on your lap, then

sit back, cheer for your teammates,

and enjoy the spectacle. More

competitive riders will combine

with other strong teammates for the

greatest possible total lap count, but

the bottom line is everyone gets to

push his or her own personal limits.

Its a friendly combination of a team

event paired with solo efforts.

The circular lap format of 24

hour racing also makes it viewerfriendly for teammates, friends, and

family members. This sort of course

design beautifully accommodates

a festival type atmosphere where

vendors, elite riders, recreational

riders, and spectators can all get a

taste of the action in one place. Add

the novelty of staying up for 24

hours straight and riding in the dark

and you have the perfect recipe for

a surrealistic pain carnival youllbe talking about for months.

At the other end of the spectrum

are the solo riders, and 24hr mtb is

quite popular with this group as well.

Riding a bike for 24 hours straight

is a lonely endeavor, but completing

every lap to the applause of spectators

and vendors eases the pain. Solo riding

is not for everyone, but apparentlythe endeavor is quite rewarding as the

number of soloists increases every

year at every event. I personally have

raced both as a solo rider and in the

team format, and have appreciated

both options for different reasons.

Choosing a RaceIf you are reading this and you are

ready to take the plunge into 24 hour

racing, you will need to choose a race.

This is an important decision since each

race has its own character and air. I look

for two key things. First, I consider the

location. Do I want a race close to home?

Do I want a race thats a desirable riding

destination that I will treat as a vacation?

Do I want to get out of the winter weather

and head to warmer climates? I discuss

all these options with my teammates since

I will have to spend time in the car with

them to and from the event, and making

sure everyone is psyched is half the battle.The second thing I look for when

choosing a race is the reputation and style

of the race director. Most race websites

will claim that they have the greatest

race on earth. Its great to check out the

race website to nd course descriptions,

logistical information and format of the

race. However, I also like to get unbiased

feedback from racers whove been there

before. Many times you can nd online

forums that will discuss the quality and

style of a given race. www.ride424.com

has a great calendar section for endurance

racing and is also a good place to read

race reviews. Race reviews, forums

and blogs are the best way to research

an event, but keep in mind that often

times its just one side of a story and you

ultimately must make your own decision.

Choose a race that sounds well

organized, that you can afford (in time

and money expenditure), and one that

inspires you. Adventure Sports Journalhighly recommends the Coolest 24

Hour Mountain Bike Race held near

Auburn every year May 2nd-4th. This

event rocks hard and raises money

for cancer research at the same time.

Once the race was over, the pain set

in. I realized I could not lift my arm.

My legs were beginning to swell and Ifelt my body and mind shutting down.

I needed help changing my clothes and

had to be directed where to go and what

to do. I was too tired to take a shower at

the venue and fell asleep in a chair before

awards. The award ceremony woke me

up like a jolt when they announced my

name and held up a shiny, new Stars and

Stripes jersey. I needed help putting it on

over my injured shoulder, but it was like

a healing salve once it was on. As I stood

on the top step of the podium at my rst

National Championships, all the pain, the

doubts, and the fatigue all subsided as I

raised my good arm high above my head.

Yes, nine to ve would have to wait.

Rebecca Rusch has been a professional

ultra endurance athlete for over 10

years. She has raced at the elite

international level in adventure racing,

outrigger canoeing and most recently

mountain biking. She has fnished

1st or 2nd in every 24 hour mtb raceshe has entered. In two short years

as a 24 hour solo mtb racer, she has

also earned the titles of 2006 National

Champion, 2007 USA Cycling Ultra

Endurance Series Champion and 2007

24 hour solo World Champion. When

shes not racing, Rebecca is a part

time frefghter/EMT and cross countryski coach in Ketchum, Idaho.

There were other pros in big trucks with their names painted

on them and lots of logos. In contrast, I had brought my

mom, my uncle, and a bike mechanic friend from home.

24!How to Survive Your First

24 Hour Mountain Bike Event

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Check out www.globalbiorhythmevents.

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Choosing a Team24 racing can be raced in a multitude

of formats: solo, duo, three person, four

person, co-ed, male only, and female only.

Choosing your teammates and crew isTHE most important step to ensuring a

successful race and a good time. Often

the best riders do not always make the

best teammates and the best spouse does

not always make the best crew boss. Its

best to choose people who can ride a bike,

but also have a great sense of humor,

good organization and are fun to road trip

with. Select people who have the same

agenda as you. Are they out there to win,

just to nish or to see how many beers

they can drink per lap? All valid goals,as long as you all support this agenda.

Make sure the team is well organized, as

there will be many crucial details to sift

through such as nutrition, equipment,

maintenance, clothing changes, hydration

and motivation in the wee hours of the

morning. The smaller your race team, the

bigger role your crew and mechanic will

play, if you are fortunate enough to have

them. On a four-person team, many times

the racers end up helping the rider whos

on deck. Essentially, there is enough

down time that you can act as crew for

each other if needed. As a solo or duo,

youre just too busy trying to ride your

bike and recover to be worrying about

lling water bottles and checking tire

pressure. Still, if you dont have friends

saintly enough to ll these roles it all

gets down to foresight and organization.

Pre-Race Preparation

Physical preparation. You must doyour homework and get the miles in

to prepare for an event of this length.

Again www.ride424.com is a good

reference for designing a realistic

training plan. You dont need to go out

and ride for 24 hours straight to train,

but you do need a good plan that will

prepare you for that distance. I rmly

believe that ultra-endurance events

involve a high percentage of mental

toughness. However, the stronger you

feel physically, the easier it is to maintaina strong mental attitude as well.

Technical Training. Theres no better

training for cycling than just cycling. You

know what your weaknesses are, so work

on them. Its no fun to work on what

you suck at, but its really fun to nd

that you no longer suck at those things!

Do you need to work on climbing and

tness? Downhill? Nutrition? Go do it.

Night Fever. GET GOOD LIGHTS!

Beg, borrow or rent them if you donthave them. Many 24 Hour races will

have a lighting sponsor with a loaner

program for the race. Your basic

camping headlamp is NOT the way

to go. You will be sorry if you skimp

here. Check out www.bikelights.

com for whats available out there.

Lights are expensive, but oh so worth

it. Riding at night is a skill and a

blast! Practice before the race.

Make Lists. I make a list for packing

bike gear, clothing, food/nutrition,

and personal gear (sunscreen, lube,sunglasses). I also make a list for

my crew with a general plan of what

to put in my water bottles, what I

would like them to prepare for food,

what time I expect to need to eat. The

more organized you are pre-race, the

more fun you will have race day. Ask

your crew/teammates to make lists of

your lap times and lap times of your

competitors so you can keep tabs on

your race and re-live your experienceafterwards. http://www.ride424.

com/training/training.php is a good

reference for a packing checklist.

Practice Eating. This might seem

strange to practice, but what you put

into your mouth becomes the fuel to

push the pedals. Garbage in = garbage

out. For a really great, free reference

to nutrition for endurance sports check

out The Endurance Athletes Guide

to Success which can be downloaded

at www.hammernutrition.com/

downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf.

It includes really good information

on how to eat before, during and

after a hard effort or event. It is

worth it to try to incorporate some

of these simple strategies to have the

most energy possible on race day.

Bring treats and comfort food too!

Race Day

On race day you will ideally be fullyprepared and relaxed. By now, all the

hard work should be over. On the other

hand, expect a few snafus, especially

if this is your rst 24 hour mtb event.

Inevitably something logistical will

cause headaches, but just laugh and

solve the problem. Stay loose and

plan on having the time of your life!

Are you interested in riding solo?

Read Rebeccas tips on going solo

online at AdventureSportsJournal.com