[MtnBikerChk]

I think everyone is still sleeping!

From what I got, the course was maybe a minute faster than last year but had a new NASTY section.

All our teams did well - and were well dressed in their new RM jerseys!

pics to follow............

 

[MMcG]

It was a fun weekend. A different atmosphere overall at the event. Not as many participants, not as many fun things from the 24 Hours of Adrenalin staff (no corn roast at midnight, no campfire around where they showed movies last year (maybe because it was so friggin hot?), a lack of volunteers (probably because of the lower turnout) and a lack of proper communication tools (walkie talkies or something) at the checkpoints. And a new downhill section of the course was a dangerous for this type of event and unfortunately was proven so, as there were several accidents along this section, including one that was extremely serious.

It was fun as hell to get to hang out with my team mates and so many other monkeys. It was also a great to spend the weekend with my sons. They both had a really good time, and Liam had a blast doing the kids race. I sure wish I had seen it, but I was out on my lap while he raced. Oh well.

It was Hot Hot Hot out there, but my team mates kicked some major ass in the heat. Way to go to Jollytime, IAB, Splat and Dalton Doug (who did 5 laps again this year). I'll have to step up my training big time and keep working on those PT exercises for my left knee so I can try and keep up with my 4 teammates next year.

Once again, we were all amazed by Westy and his ability to put in so many laps in absolutely scorching conditions weather wise. And a special personal thanks to Westy, who with just a few words of encouragement, really helped motivated me to tackle that long climb better and faster than on any of my other laps during the event during our sunrise lap. Thanks Westy!!

Great job by the Ass Balancers and the Jackelopes and also Team Humanity's Only Hope. Great to finally meet you Tigg!!! Thanks to justbill for all of his support and his fine cooking. You rock Bill and it was nice to meet your son too. He's a great kid! Thanks to Spat's wife for being our volunteer and thanks to Crazy Sweeper for coming to the event to volunteer and hang out with us and motivate us a bit. I know he helped keep me going at checkpoint One when I finished the long climb on my third lap. Much appreciated Sweep!

The Humanitarian award and the Ridemonkey Cup went to Crashby, who stopped on his night lap to help a fallen rider. He did more than help, he may very well have saved the guys' life. I wonder how that guy is doing.

All in all another fun weekend at the 24 Hours of Dalton.

 

[I Are Baboon]

The race should have been renamed "24 Hours of Heat and Cramping."

The course was real similar to last year, with the exception of some of the downhill getting rerouted. The new section was indeed sketchy. The course was faster than last year, but not by much. Saturday had to be 95-97 degrees. It was still an awesome weekend. I got to meet some new cool monkeys (Crashby, McGRP01, NickTheBrit, Goddy43, Sorge) and see all the old fellow monkeys.

As far as my own experience goes, my goals were to shave five minutes off my average from last year and have one lap under an hour. My best lap was 1:08, but I did shave eight minutes off my average (average 1:10). NOT TOO SHABBY! I had some major cramping issues on my second lap. I actually fell off the bike and could not stand because of the cramping in my thighs. So after the lap I went to first aid and they gave me potato chips.

Anyway, Four Monkeys and a Baboon finished 7 out of 16 in our category. Doug was once again our MVP, doing an extra lap even though he was dead tired. We probably could have moved up a spot in the standings but no one wanted to do one more lap (except Doug, of course). We would have had to throw down a 1:05 lap for it to count and none of us were up to the challenge.

Crashby gets the good samaritan award for spending 90 minutes mid-lap with a fallen rider. The poor guy was in really bad shape. I hear he was all bloodied up, had blood in his lungs, and was in and out of consciousness. Huge to Crashby for staying by the guy's side.

Enough of my babbling. Pics to follow...

 

[Instigator]

MMcG, you said it all. It was great to see all the monkeys and be able to spend some good times with everyone. The heat was a killer, but overall the teams rode faster than last year and everyone seemed to have a really good time.

As for Crashby, You make me proud and lucky to be a friend of yours.

 

[I Are Baboon]

How could I forget....

Huge congrats to all the other monkey riders!! Everyone did great despite the heat! McGRP01 and his team pushed through the nasty conditions in their first 24 race. The Jackalopes were all fast as heck as usual. Treesaw managed to keep her heart rate in check and always came back with a smile on her face. Greasey monkey threw down some sub-50 minute laps. Very impressive! And of course, Westy continues to be the resident bad ass here, finishing the race solo despite knee issues and uncooperative legs. Good job, Westy!

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Doug was once again our MVP, doing an extra lap even though he was dead tired.

don't forget, he ran out of water on that lap too!!!

and BOOO on the race people for running out of supplies at the checkpoints!

 

[stevew]

How could I forget....

And of course, Westy continues to be the resident bad ass here, finishing the race solo despite knee issues and uncooperative legs. Good job, Westy!

I think that's nuts.

Good job.

 

[I Are Baboon]

don't forget, he ran out of water on that lap too!!!

and BOOO on the race people for running out of supplies at the checkpoints!

Yeah, WTF.....Two hours left in the race and the checkpoint at the top of the four mile climb had NO LIQUIDS LEFT. BOOOOOO!!! Poor Doug drank all his Gatorade on the climb and was dying for a drink and they had nothing.

 

[I Are Baboon]

OK...PICS! (dialup beware )

Monkey riders getting ready for the Lemans start (left to right: Stuntmatty, Westy, squirrel, Splat, McGRP01)

Squirrel soaking in the pre-race atmosphere.

Squirrel enjoying the start!

Splat NOT enjoying the start.

Splat coming through the over/under on his first lap (just 8 miles to go, Splat!)

 

[splat]

What a Weekend ! Lots of fun! What Can be said of Bills Cooking other than MMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMM !! How many other had Grilled Red Snapper Stuffed with Hot Peppers , or Grilled Plantes with Ice cream and Cinnamon Sugar !

Not enough can be said for the Heroics of Crasby And I thought it was a Great Gesture of the organizers to Recognize Crashby during the awards Ceremony. I know I was in the transition area waiting for MMcG with Squirrel , who was waiting for crashby when news of the crash came down and all hell broke loose. And Earl was very very worried . But we both sort of knew crashby was helping !

And of course a thanks to My wife for being out volunteer.

Now as for the race. For some dumb reason I volunteered to be rider #1 and Run. I hate running. But I did it . and I felt better , except for on lap 2 where I had a major cramp at the bottom of the Pipeline climb ( as I think every one did ). Also on my 2nd lap I got to ride with Westy for about 10 minutes, which really gave me inspiration , and actually really helped me on the next couple laps. Even after he past me I was able to keep him in sight for abouyt the next 20 minutes and every time I would loose sight of him I would Up shift and start grinding till I saw him again .

On my final lap when I caught and past Tree saw , I was really tempted to give her the slap on the ass treatment ( isn’t that what you are suppose to do ? ) but when I poassed her it was not a good place to do that and I remember what happened to ghostrider when he did that .

But over all I was very Happy with How thngs turned out !

My Pics to follow

 

[MMcG]

Yeah, WTF.....Two hours left in the race and the checkpoint at the top of the four mile climb had NO LIQUIDS LEFT. BOOOOOO!!! Poor Doug drank all his Gatorade on the climb and was dying for a drink and they had nothing.

The event was more low budget this year it seems. And the lack of ability for the checkpoint people to communicate with the main staging area is ridiculous. I still can't believe Doug did that last lap without getting water or gatorade at that checkpoint.

 

[BikeGeek]

But I did it . and I felt better , except for on lap 2 where I had a major crap at the bottom of the Pipeline climb

Ummmm, TMI...

 

[I Are Baboon]

McGRP01 on his first lap (there were monkey jerseys everywhere!)

Westy, same spot.

Splat looking warm after his first lap, Come on Splat, it was only 97 degrees.

Dalton Doug, Team Ringer...

MMcG coming trough the over/under.

 

[splat]

Also It was sort of Erie , especially during my night lap ( where I only saw 4 other riders the whole lap ) , on that sketchy Down hill, seeing a couple of Bikes abandon , from where they hauled out the injured.

 

[splat]

Ummmm, TMI...

opps , Was suppose to be cramp! ( fixed it in origianal post ) every body was cramping there . While waiting in the trasition area your hear people coming in saying how they cramped there .

 

[I Are Baboon]

Westy zooming on by

Splat near the end of a lap

Echo with STYLE on his final lap.

I brought my pet...something.

WeRd

Last pic for now. What thread is complete without a microwave?

I have a TON more pics......

 

[MMcG]

Ummmm, TMI...

hahaha - yeah Splat, slow down and proof read will ya!

 

[Echo]

What a great weekend, even though it was HOT!!

So awesome to ride, race, and hang out with a bunch of people who are totally chill.

Those who met Crashby for the first time this weekend are obviously impressed by his actions when the chips were down. Those of us who have known Crashby for a long time weren't surprised at all. He is one of the nicest and most helpful people on the planet. Word.

 

[BikeGeek]

opps , Was suppose to be cramp! ( fixed it in origianal post ) every body was cramping there . While waiting in the trasition area your hear people coming in saying how they cramped there .

With the kind of heat you guys describe, it's no wonder there was so much cramping.

It's cool to see all the RM jerseys.

 

[I Are Baboon]

What a Weekend ! Lots of fun! What Can be said of Bills Cooking other than MMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMM !! How many other had Grilled Red Snapper Stuffed with Hot Peppers , or Grilled Plantes with Ice cream and Cinnamon Sugar !

Man, a million thank yous just isn't enough for Bill. He makes things so easy for us. It's so nice to come back from a lap and be handed food. Not just any food either, but homemade pizza, fresh pasta, and bbq turkey. Mmmmm...

Thank again, Bill!!!

 

[Echo]

With the kind of heat you guys describe, it's no wonder there was so much cramping.

It's cool to see all the RM jerseys.

Man I hate to sound like an advertizement, but I was popping Endurolytes and putting Elete in my water, and I never cramped. In fact I have not cramped in the 2+ years I've been using those 2 products. And before that I couldn't race more than an hour without cramping.

 

[MMcG]

Man, a million thank yous just isn't enough for Bill. He makes things so easy for us. It's so nice to come back from a lap and be handed food. Not just any food either, but homemade pizza, fresh pasta, and bbq turkey. Mmmmm...

Thank again, Bill!!!

Oh man I can tell that I missed one amazing feast on Friday night.

 

[I Are Baboon]

So when the hell will results be posted? I want to see our official times and do all the comparisons and crap.

I am still quite pissed that JT beat me by 5 minutes overall. :mumble:

 

[Echo]

Bill rocks. I got back from a night lap and had just eaten some Thai noodles, and was trying to figure out what else to munch on before going over to see if Westy needed anything. And Bill comes walking over with a fresh pepperoni pizza. Now of course he could have just used normal pepperoni and thrown it all willy nilly all over the top. But this pizza was a work of art. Huge slices of this delicious pepperoni, placed in a perfect symmetrical pattern around the pie. I swear that made it taste better

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Congratulations! Where's the wok?

 

[MMcG]

So when the hell will results be posted? I want to see our official times and do all the comparisons and crap.

I am still quite pissed that JT beat me by 5 minutes overall. :mumble:

It'll probably take a while for the results to get posted online somewhere, if the rest of how things went organizationally at the event are any sign of what will follow post-event.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Man I hate to sound like an advertizement, but I was popping Endurolytes and putting Elete in my water, and I never cramped. In fact I have not cramped in the 2+ years I've been using those 2 products. And before that I couldn't race more than an hour without cramping.

Thanks for sharing that stuff, man. I owe you huge. The thought had crossed my mind that my race was DONE after experiencing fall-down cramping, but there is no doubt your magic pills and magic potion helped. I didn't cramp at all my next two laps.

 

[MMcG]

Team 4 Monkeys should stock up on those items that help prevent cramping for 2006!

 

[splat]

And you forgot to mention , the Turkey was stuffed with Oranges.

Man, a million thank yous just isn't enough for Bill. He makes things so easy for us. It's so nice to come back from a lap and be handed food. Not just any food either, but homemade pizza, fresh pasta, and bbq turkey. Mmmmm...

Thank again, Bill!!!

 

[Sorgie]

I don't even know where to start. AMAZING weekend! It was nice to meet some new monkeys and put a face to the name. As always it was a blast to hang out with my fellow Jackalopes. Crashby, you're way to humble. I wasn't sure what to expect coming in to this, but I'm totally hooked. I never got the butterflies that I used to get in the normal xc races where you only get one chance. It was very relaxed, like one big party, just hanging out with friends, then go ride your bike and repeat. This was my first xc ride of the year so I definitely suffered on the climbs, but the downhill made up for it. I made up a LOT of time there. FUN, FUN, FUN! I give a lot of credit to Stuntmatty for racing a heavy bike with flat pedals, you're an animal. This was his girlfriend's first race and she was great. The conditions were miserable for even the more established riders, but she always came back from her lap with a huge grin. Way to go Alex! Greasy Monkey....Damn. I'm glad you were on my team. Super fast. Congratulations to everybody else as well!

 

[douglas]

I am pretty sure I suffered from dehydration, and heat exhaustion - and had my 1st (ever) experience with how bad leg cramps hurt, but I am alive!

How to hell does Westy & all of the solo riders survive? My high respect for them is now even higher.



And Crashby, way to go for saying screw the race to help that dude - my highest respect goes out to you

 

[MtnBikerChk]

I am pretty sure I suffered from dehydration, and heat exhaustion - and had my 1st (ever) experience with how bad leg cramps hurt, but I am alive!

glad to see you made it home ok - we were worried

 

[MMcG]

glad to see you made it home ok - we were worried

Glad to hear you arrived safe and sound too Douglas. I only did three laps, but I had to stop and take a power nap on the ride home, so I can't even begin to imagine how you felt driving home.

packing the vehicles back up at the end of the event sucked. So friggin hot to tear all that crap down and load it up in the vehicles.

 

[Echo]

So for a quick rundown of the "awards"...

Ridemonkey Cup: This most prestigous of awards should have gone to 4 Monkeys and a Baboon. However, being the great sports that they are, they insisted that the Cup go to Team Jackalope, because of the 1.5 hours lost while Crashby was on course helping an injured rider. The Jackalopes have officially protested this decision, due to the fact that Bab's team probably would have beaten us anyway.

Ridemonkey Fastest Lap: This was expected to be an extremely close contest between greasey monkey, Sq-earl, douglas, and Westy. But greasey monkey went right out and turned a 48 minute lap which nobody even came close to beating. Then to rub it in, he went out and did a 50 minute lap which nobody beat too. Westy was in the low 50's, and so were Sq-earl and Doug. Actually, Sq-earl and Westy were under 54 minutes on their first lap, which included a solid couple minutes of running. But nobody could touch greasey monkey on this day. We all bow down.

 

[hooples3]

sounds like you all had a blast!!!!!!!! the pics came out awesome!!!!!!
Im sure you guys are glad its over though... with the heat it must have been brutal... good job Monkies!!!!!!!

 

[onionhead]

I met some people recently who were already signed up and riding the event. They asked me to take one for their team, and be the volunteer. I ended up working two shifts... 12-4pm at the over/under -- then 4-8am at Checkpoint #1. That was a blast. I didn't realize there was such a big turnout from the sites here, I would have jumped on to catch up with some of you. I'm a long-time lurker, for the most part.

Who was that I worked with at Checkpoint 1? Sorry, I didn't catch you name...

I got a few pics of the landscape and event I'll post up early this week.

I definitely want to race next year. It was nice volunteering just so that I can get an idea of what to expect.

 

[skinny mike]

wish i couldve been there but i couldnt get a team set up and had all of these other logistical issues. looks like you guys had a blast.

 

[splat]

Who was that I worked with at Checkpoint 1? Sorry, I didn't catch you name...

I think That was crazysweepeer the Bell ringer !

and Lets not forget Crazysweeper and his ringing the bell in the timing tent at 1 am and up at checkpoint #1

 

[onionhead]

Oh, the Checkpoint #1 / radio thing... Word was that the radios they were using would not reach down to the main area. I guess that wasn't discovered until the race started.

We were running out of fluids up there EARLY in the morning. We scrounged up what we had as 'leftovers' in all of the other buckets, and I was amazed that got us through 8am. We reported that we were out of water/gatorade up there when the next shift arrived. The lead volunteer coordinator was loadin up a few full buckets on the JohnDeere when we left... I'm not sure what happened after that...

 

[Echo]

A few more awards:

Humanitarian Award. Crashby, obviously.

Loudest Volunteer Award: Crazy Sweeper.

Trooper Award: (tie) Alex (stuntmatty's GF) and TreeSaw. Alex gets the award because this was her first bike race ever and it was under some pretty tough conditions. TreeSaw gets the award because, well I'll let her tell ya

Hard Core Freerider Award: (tie) stuntmatty and Alex. I'm pretty sure they were the only riders on the course using flat pedals.

Popped 24 Hour Cherry Award: Goddy43, MCGRP01, Alex, Sorgie, Crashby.

Most Improved Riders Award: EVERYONE!