The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, 2020 solo edition

February 18, 2020 by Catherine Forest in Arizona, Mountain biking

The morning of the race. You can pretty much feel the heart of the 24 hour town beating in anticipation.

Antonio on his first lap, being offered some liquid ‘‘courage’’ at the Whiskey Tree.

A rider stops for a shot at the Whiskey Tree, mayhem ensued!

Jason hitting the rock drop on his first lap.

Antonio coming into Solo Alley on his second lap.

Stopping at our support tent for snacks, bottle refills and cheers!

Pascale preparing some warm food for the racers. After more than 6 hours of racing, they need something more than gels and energy balls to keep going.

Rafael waiting for his daddy to come back from his 4th lap.

Antonio trying to change his shoes without sitting down. His original plan was to not sit down at all during the race (for fear of not getting up).

The plan changed and he sat down at every lap (which ended up working really well). Here, Rafael offers him some food.

It was so awesome to have the boys there to cheer and help!

Unexpected things you might do as a support team: taking off your racer’s contact lenses for him since his hands are dirty.

I don’t have night photos and that is the part that has to be experienced to fully feel such an event, but there were lots of warm soup, coffee and quesadillas, and an impromptu dance party to keep the spirits up and the bodies warm. That was right … — I don’t have night photos and that is the part that has to be experienced to fully feel such an event, but there were lots of warm soup, coffee and quesadillas, and an impromptu dance party to keep the spirits up and the bodies warm. That was right after sunrise.

Pascale’s love, presence and management skills were instrumental to Antonio’s success.

Most of the crew at the tent on Solo Alley.

Regrouping, eating and drinking before leaving for a 13th lap.

Jason back from his 15th lap and removing some layers as the sun warms up.

Tire repair with the Liske boys, Formula 1 pit stop style!

Done and dusted!! 14 laps!! That’s 230 miles (370 km) in 24 hours. A well-deserved 3rd place (over 25 solo men single speeders!).

Jason completing his final and 17th lap (that’s 280 miles or 450 km) for a 1st place!!!

He barely had time to hop off (or more like crawl off) his bike and jump on the podium!

You can see it all in that smile: pride, fatigue and relief!

Antonio congratulating his friend Kelly (who took 5th place).

That’s Jason’s where-are-my-dry-clothes-and-my-bed’s face. Pure exhaustion.

Hanging out at camp after the podiums. So happy to celebrate that incredible achievement with our friends!

The girls spent a lot of time playing with the boys and going from the Whiskey Tree to the Rock Drop to keep our racers’ spirits up!

The 24 Hour Town is almost empty by sunset on Sunday night.

Rafael embodying here what this event is truly about: a strong mind in a strong body, a zen attitude and a desire to always push yourself to go higher!

Even if 24 hour mountain bike race events have been losing in popularity in the last 10 years, The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo’s registrations filled up in 55 minutes this year. It might be because this event carries a sense community and inclusivity for riders of all levels that you don’t always find at bike races that it is still so popular after 20 years of existence.

I’ve written about this cool race before here and here, but this year was different: both our dear friends Antonio and Jason were racing it solo on single speed bikes (they had raced it in 4-men teams before - many times for Antonio and twice for Jason). This year, we were their support team for the event. Solo riders are allowed to have a tent on the very last section of the course, aptly named Solo Alley, so this is where we set up camp. It is a great vantage point to see and hear what happens at the Rock Drop, where many people gather to heckle and cheer.

Doing (and supporting) a solo rider for 24 hours was a first experience for all of us, so a lot of it was learn-as-we-go. We were definitely not the well-oiled machine of pro solo rider Taylor Lideen set up nearby, but between all of us, we did a pretty good job!

As I sat down by the fire on Sunday night, still buzzing with the adrenaline of the last 24 hours, I heard campers making up lyrics for a song: My palms are sweaty, my arms are spaghetti… Tighten your headset, loosen your mindset for the 24 Hours of old Pueblo!

To get more of a feel of the place and the event, watch this few minutes video by Lance Armstrong that he did in 2018 when he raced it.

The Hammerfest race and a visit from Grand-Père

April 06, 2019 by Catherine Forest in British Columbia, Camping spots, Mountain biking

The Hammerfest race was a really fun event. The course was long for the expert, but Mara had a great race, finishing 2nd in the U19 field. Aïsha is still struggling with some back issues and a vertebrae pinched during her warm up, forcing her to sto… — The Hammerfest race was a really fun event. The course was long for the expert, but Mara had a great race, finishing 2nd in the U19 field. Aïsha is still struggling with some back issues and a vertebrae pinched during her warm up, forcing her to stop the race after one lap since she has lost sensations in both her legs.

Mathilde had a great race and placed first in her field!

My dad took the train across Canada and came to spend a week in Victoria.

My dad and I took a road trip to Port Renfrew. We stopped at French Beach Provincial Park along the way.

There is so much to explore on the Island and we will not see it all in the month or so we are here. I’m glad I got to see a part of it with my dad while he was here with us!

The Big Pig Bike Race at Boer Mountain, Burns Lake, BC

August 19, 2017 by Catherine Forest in British Columbia, Camping spots, Mountain biking

Our beautiful free campsite at Kager Lake Rec Site.

Wild blueberries are the best. But picking them in a lesson in patience.

Creepy pig bike light. Nightmare material.

They finished in first place!! They did 7 laps of 10 km in under 5 hours. They are the only team that did 7 laps!

This incredible little boy was doing the race and his daddy was following behind.

The Blood Sun (yes, that's the sun!) created by the smoke from the forest fires.

We have so much history here (just do a search with #burnslake on the home page)... A broken arm, mechanical problems, meeting friends, moon rise watching on the dock in our sleeping bags, bonfires and berry picking... It’s no surprise when a local comes and knock at the bus door, happy to see us returning once again and offers us a shuttle up the mountain.

I wasn’t excited to come back here again this year. You see, I long for discoveries and new places. All the time. My family likes a mix of both and the girls were *really* looking forward to come back here, especially for the Big Pig Bike Race that we have missed for the last two years since we left the Yukon too late... But as unexcited as I was, it didn’t take long for the magic of this place to hit me! I love Burns Lake. The bike trails are amazing, the community of riders is incredibly friendly and the camping is FREE right by the trails and by a gorgeous lake.

The BC Bike Ride event was here just before the Big Pig and they wrote a great article (with beautiful pictures) about this great place and the amazing mountain biking community.

So this year was the 10th year of the Big Pig Bike Race, which is the premiere mountain biking event in Northern B.C. It’s a family friendly festival, with kids events, downhill races, 4 Cross races, an epic cross country race and cross country events.

On Friday, Mathilde took part in the Pump Track, the Downhill and the X country challenges in the 10 to 12 categorie. She took the first place int he Pump Track challenge behind 12 yo girls and came in 2nd in the other two events!

JF and the twins did the Dante’s Relay, a timed event in which teams or solo riders race to complete the most number of 10 km loops in a five hour period. For the past 9 years, one lap of 10 km was added every year to the Dante’s Inferno course. It culminated with a grueling 9 Rings of Hell last year (for 90 km). I remember reading Dante’s Inferno (in Italian!) when I went to school in Italy at 17. To describe it as dense and intense piece of work is an understatement!

The Hurricane Mountain Bike Festival

March 20, 2016 by Catherine Forest in Utah, Mountain biking

It is quite a funny coincidence that there was a LDS (Latter Day Saints) Homeschool conference in the community center right by the Bike Festival. Every time a rider had to go to the restroom, he/she was greeted by scriptures from the Book of Mormon… — It is quite a funny coincidence that there was a LDS (Latter Day Saints) Homeschool conference in the community center right by the Bike Festival. Every time a rider had to go to the restroom, he/she was greeted by scriptures from the Book of Mormons and images of Saints. The funniest moment was when two girls and I were washing the dirt off our legs in the restrooms, sweaty and in tank tops and shorts, and two well-dressed (and well-covered) ladies walked in with their daughters and gave us a dirty look. What a clash!

Meet Mr. Cru Jones, the mascott of the festival, or festivals I should say, since his owner teaches bike clinics in the mountain bike festivals and brings him with her! He is a rescue malamute pup from Colorado and even has his own Instagram page!

Playing Hangman while waiting for dinner to be ready.

We tried some local beers at the Beer Garden. I really liked the Cutthroat, but the other one was bleh...

Awesome dutch oven cooked meal. I wish I had taken a picture of the pile of dutch ovens covered in charcoals. Only Jerud, Ching and I had Festival tickets, but between the 3 of us, there was enough food to feed JF, Aïsha and Mara (Mathilde was with … — Awesome dutch oven cooked meal. I wish I had taken a picture of the pile of dutch ovens covered in charcoals. Only Jerud, Ching and I had Festival tickets, but between the 3 of us, there was enough food to feed JF, Aïsha and Mara (Mathilde was with Martin and Isa). The servings were HUGE!

Saturday and Sunday breakfasts were served at a super cute local coffee shop. We expected a coffee and a muffin type of breakfast, but we got served an awesome complete breakfast on the back terrace.

First morning was a delicious breakfast burrito with all the fixings, everything homemade. Second day was blueberry buttermilk pancakes, eggs, ham, sausages, bacon, fruits, you name it! And the coffee was very good too. Oh and look at that view! The… — First morning was a delicious breakfast burrito with all the fixings, everything homemade. Second day was blueberry buttermilk pancakes, eggs, ham, sausages, bacon, fruits, you name it! And the coffee was very good too. Oh and look at that view! The sun rose on the mountain as we ate...

Mara riding the Niner RKT 9 RDO. It was really cool that the girls (and really, all the kids!) could try the bikes I was trying since they were the right size for them too.

Sunday morning girls' ride! — Sunday morning girls' ride!

And the winner is: the Ibis  Mojo 3. The smile says it all. — And the winner is: the Ibis Mojo 3. The smile says it all.

Mara completely fell in love with the Scott Spark 720!

The Hurricane mountain bike festival was a pretty fun event! Not too big to be pricey and overlwhelming and just big enough to allow me to sample many great bikes. For $55, I got 3 days of unlimited bike rental, a huge Friday night dutch oven cooked meal and two delicious breakfasts at the local coffee shop. And up to 3 shuttles a day to the top of JEM Trail. Talk about a great deal! When you think that renting such bikes for a day goes from $50 to $80! And compared to the upcoming Moab's Outerbike Festival (same thing but with higher shuttles for $175!)

The whole weekend felt like a blur of grab-a-half-bagel-forgotten-by-a-girl-on-the-table-and-a-banana-and-go-ride-more kind of thing.

Here are the geeky juicy details:

We went back to Gooseberry Mesa on Friday, where I tested the Pivot and Liv bikes. I had taken the Pivot (429sl), but quickly found it way too big for me even if it was a size small. It felt like biking on high heels! I was glad I ran into Ching on the trail who was pretty unhappy with the Liv Lust bike she was trying because it was too small and compact for her. We switched and were both happier bikers!

On Friday night, I took out the Ibis Mojo 3 with 27.5 plus wheels. It was love at first spin! Even after riding most of the day, I went for a ride after sunset with the girls on the Jem trail to test this awesome machine!

On Saturday morning, I went to get a Scott Spark (27.5 wheels) and had JF drop me higher on the trail so I could ride it down. Five minutes in, I discovered how touchy the brakes were by going over my handle bars on a 5 inch drop... This bike felt like a purebreed race horse, incredibly responsible, very light and nervous. I get why advanced mountain bikers and racers like this bike, but it is too unforgiving for me at this point. Then, I did our usual two-hour loop in Hurricane Cliffs Trail system with the Ibis Mojo 3 and had a big smile on my face the whole time!

I went back around lunch and got the same Niner I had tested at the Tucson bike demo and had fell in love with (The Jet 9 RDO). I did that same loop again (and yes, I was exhausted by the time I came back) and loved it. However, the frame felt a bit too big (I would need an XS in that brand and model, but they only had a S to demo) and the stand over height was too much for me.

On Sunday morning, I tried the Niner RKT 9 RDO in XS (the only bike they had in XS to demo) and was glad to be able to compare it with the Jet 9. The stand over height was definitely better, but the cockpit felt too compact (same problem I have with my XS Giant Trance XW1).

So, here's a summary (and my great shoe analogy):

Pivot Mach 429sl: The S frame with 29 in wheels felt way too big for me. I felt I was sitting on top of the bike instead of *inside* the bike. Unfortunately, they don't make XS frames for that model. As I said earlier, it felt like riding on high heels.

Liv Lust: I didn't care much for that bike since it pretty much felt just like my bike with bigger wheels (27.5 in instead of 26 in). Same too compact cockpit and a very twichy feel. This one felt like a pair of old sneakers that I know but do not like every time I wear them.

Scott Spark 720: As I said earlier, this bike felt like a race horse that I had a hard time taming. To continue with the shoe analogy, this felt like track cleats running shoes: very light, fast and responsive.

Ibis Mojo 3 with 27.5 plus tires: This is a funky looking bike with its big 2.8 in tires, but what a sweet ride this is! I love how the reviewer describes it on Pinkbike:

The bike's Nobby Nic tires are grabbier than a prom date when the lights dim and the slow music comes on.

The red Ibis, with its 2.8'' wide rubber, is more playful and alive than the large majority of bikes with tires that are half an inch skinnier and hundreds of grams lighter. Think Olympic gymnast who kills a large pizza every night and then scores a perfect ten despite it not looking physically possible. You know, don't judge a book by its cover and all that cliché stuff.

Note that the 2.8'' tires are an inch shorter than the 29er tires. In order to fit 29er tires, the chainstays would have to get longer. So the bottom line is that it's a better 27.5+ bike because it's not also a 29er.

The Mojo 3 handles like a regular mountain bike - there's no awkwardness or strange gyroscopic effect like you'll find on a true fat bike - and the Ibis scoots up complex and challenging climbs so well that you'll be forgiven for thinking that you're better than you actually are.

So the Mojo 3 was like a pair of Moon boots on steroids. The fun factor of this bike is through the roof and it is such a confidence builder. If only I could afford it, it would definitely be my next bike!

Niner's Jet 9 RDO and RKT 9 RDO: I wish I could have tried the Jet 9 in XS. It would probably be a very close second favorite. I LOVED the geometry of the Jet 9. These two Niner felt like beautifully built Italian hiking boots (think Scarpa) with a Vibram sole. Sturdy, reliable, comfortable and they fit like a glove.

By the way, these were all carbon bikes.

It was such an incredible opportunity to try so many high-end bikes and to see how different they all are. JF had been telling me for over a year that my bike doesn't fit me, that it's not the right bike for me and I keep saying that I am the problem (my lack of skills and experience). Now, I believe him. I just need to find a few extra thousand dollars...

That was a lot of riding! And I feel stronger than ever! All that rock climbing and biking in Tucson, and now biking almost everyday. I know it's common knowledge, but I am blown away by the fact that the more active I am, the more energy I have. My legs feel super strong (now, if only my cardio could follow!). One of the many things I love about our lifestyle is that we don't "exercise", we explore. We are active because we want to discover all these beautiful trails and places around us. It's never been easier to be in shape!

That being said, I am now pretty sore from all that riding (and from the fall... I have a handle bar shape bruise on my left thigh...) and a few more scratches, but that's it.... Whereas JF broke a finger... Poor guy... He has a tendency to break things just as we hit the most epic bike spots (last time was in Burns Lake, now here and Moab...). Oh, and his vacation starts on Thursday and we were supposed to go rock climbing in Red Rock, NV. Back to the drawing board...