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2007 24 Hours of Moab |
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Team Bikeman -
Race Reports
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Written by Troy Nye
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Tuesday, 30 October 2007 |
2007 24 Hours of Moab
10/13 - 10/14, 2007
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Here we go again-
This would be my 6th “24 Hours of Moab” and never twice on the same bike. Nice… VERY nice! It would also be my 11th 24 hour race overall (24 Hours of Temecula, thrice; 24 Hours of Tahoe, once; 24 Hours at the Old Pueblo, once). I would once again be racing on the Clydesdale Team, “Big Big Love”. The kicker this year is that I was the sole returning member. OUT were Team Cutthroat riders Bryon, Clem and Derryl, IN were Bikeman riders Cory and Michael, and Cutthroat rider Rob.
This was setting up to be a great event. The once threatening forecast was looking good, and it was great to be racing with the Bikeman guys. We even managed to drag Tim out for his first ever 24 Hours of Moab. I’m pretty sure he’s hooked.
Mark, Set, Go!
Lucky me, I got to do the Lemans style start. I sort of dreaded it because there are 500 others and it can be a real zoo actually getting to the trail, but oddly, this year it was one of my favorite parts. I lined up right next to Tim and the two of us had a pretty good time dicing through traffic together. We rode a good portion of the first lap pretty much together. Good times.
Keeping ‘em turning
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Funny thing about going first; It tends to put you into that somewhat uncertain position of also doing lap 5 (sunset), lap 9 (midnight), and lap 13 (sunrise). It’s pretty hard to plan your lighting needs. A lot can happen during the night, so, would I need my lights for the morning lap? Who knows? I can’t stand the suspense. Luckily I sealed my own fate by pulling the Bone Headed move of the entire event. Like an idiot, I failed miserably in my duty to wake Michael up for one of his middle of the night laps. The bad news was: We lost 23 minutes and possibly a spot on the podium. The good new: We all got a little more sleep and there was no longer any question about whether or not I would need my light for the sunrise lap.
In the end
Finally, in the end, we would wind up with 15 laps, good enough for 4th place. We were more than 23 minutes down on the 3rd place team, so that made me feel a little better about my midnight blunder. My Salsa Mamasita performed flawlessly! I did swap out the rigid fork for the comfort of the Rock Shox REBA mid-race, but other than that, nothing but a splash of Slick Willy and off I went. I also need to mention the performance of my 29er Rampage tubeless setup. At the risk of jinxing myself, I gotta tell you, this setup rocks! (Mustang hoops, Stan’s, and Panaracer Rampage tires) I have put them through some serious, Clydesdale style abuse and they have been unbelievable. I am sold. All in all, it was a great weekend spent in the Southern Utah desert enjoying the good company of some of my best friends. What’s not to love about that?
Other sponsor gear that I used, and that also performed flawlessly: Full SRAM X-9 Drive Train, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Lazer Helmet, Greyhound Juice Anti Friction Cream, Jagwire Brake Pads and Shifter Cables, and nice little sprinkling of Truvativ odds and ends. I’m really digging my setup this year! I wonder what I’ll ride next year?
Troy
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