What should I say? What do I need to say? 24HITEF was an amazing race!
The race organization was perfect – thanks Lindsay, Claudia, Donna, Lisa… and everyone else
The course design was perfect – thanks Bill & others
The course preparation was perfect – thanks YCC
The staging area was perfect
The weather was perfect
The cows were friendly
The mosquitos & bugs only took what blood was required
I can look back at every race I’ve competed in and and can always come up with a ‘should of’, a ‘didn’t’ and / or a ‘that was stupid’. (Wait – do I really compete? Maybe, maybe not.) Anyway, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing for 24HITEF. Awesome Race. Gallup is Awesome! And I grew up in Durango, so I know all the Gallup jokes. Anyway, next year will be a zoo. The race will be huge once the word gets out. But that’s cool. Next year I’ll be ready to roll and will fight my way through the zoo to the back of the front of the pack, not the front of the back of the pack.
Brian Leddy authored an awesome review of the race for Mountain Flyer Magazine. Check it out – The 24HITEF Mountain Flyer Link, Dude!
Nathan Friedman / Handlebar Sandwich, 2nd Solo Single Speed, wrote this killer blog posting. 24HITEF – Lucky Number 7
The 24HITEF Volunteer Crew:
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest had THE BEST 24 hour volunteer group – ever. The support stations and transition area were staffed with incredible people, the enthusiasm was unbelievable. The cheering, bell ringing, support definitely lifted spirits during the late night psychosis.
The Back of the Pack Racers:
The Back of the Pack founding members. The Judd (The Philosofizer), Tedd (The Morale Chairman), The Lt Col (The Elder Statesman). Where is Prob-eee? At the back of the back of the racing pack. As usual. A new friend of BPR’s, Matt Pacheco, sent me this pic. Thanks Matt. See you at the Crazy 88 in Flagstaff. FYI #1: Notice that Judd is at the front of the back of the pack. As always, I’m preparing to make my break. I can only take Tedd and his B.S. for so long. FYI #2: Notice that we are all riding Black Sheep Bikes, fully rigid. Yep, that’s why Prob-eee is Prob-eee. He doesn’t have a Black Sheep, thus he can’t hang at the front of the back of the pack.
BPR, The Race:
The race strategy was simple, complete 2 hour laps – includes both riding and transition time. Some laps faster, some slower. This strategy would allow me to come close to my 200 mile goal. (unfortunately 12 laps was just shy of 200 miles, like 0.8 miles short, if you assume a 16.7 miles loop and ~ a 15.5 mile 1st lap.) Well, a few things went wrong and I was done after lap 11. I finished around 10:40AM, not the minimum time of 1 hr 45 min I needed to finish a brutal 12th lap, my personal cutoff time was 10:15AM.
Check out the following link for the race data and some cool pics:
the data and pics, dude!
Physical status / race preparation: No problems. The body held up great. This was amazing since I was off the bike for 2 weeks. Why would I take two weeks off? Wasn’t my idea, sometimes I’m sent out of town to do crazy stuff in crazy places.
Mental status: I fought off a few demons during the race, not much of a problem. My sports psychologist helped me develop a bullet proof game plan. Sports Psychologist? Yeah, that’s me. There are many things I can’t do / won’t do – like cook. But I excel at many things – like philosofizing and psychologizing (misspelling intentional, dude!)
Results / Awards:
Avery – BPR Hero of the Day Award
4th place kids race
Judd – BPR ‘ I hurt but these cranks are still turning‘ award
3rd place, ~ 182.5 miles.
The Lt Col – BPR ‘ I may be slow, but I’m fueled by pepperoni pizza and I’ll finish‘ award
4th place ~ 182.5 miles.
Tedd, The Morale Chairman. BPR ‘ I’m done, no I’m not, yes I am, no I’m not‘ award
5th place, ~ 132.4 miles.
Prob-eee, BPR ‘ My stomach hurts, I’m tired, I can’t find the porta nester‘ award
8th place ~82.3 miles.
Ricky Bobby – BPR Crew of the Month Award
Thanks a million Bobby we owe you.
2. To break 200 miles, lap transitions MUST be optimized, pit operations must be efficient. If you save 5 to 10 mins a lap, you could save enough time for that extra lap at the end.
3. Check tire pressure, sometime. I was running below 20 psi after lap 10. Didn’t even think about it, until then. Yeah, I start with 40 psi. I like 40 psi, end of story.
4. Food preparation – no more passing the buck. I caved in on lap 6; I was out of gas. This led to a 90 minute disaster – see next lesson learned.
5. Stay warm between laps. You’re sweating, you stop, it’s cold at night, you get major chills, you can’t ride. Stay warm.
6. Figure out the right chain lube and application cycle. My chain is always gunked up, Lt Col’s is always dry. What’s the correct product and procedure?
7. Intermediate results don’t matter. Just keep the cranks turning until the race is over. Why would I say this? Because, I rely on the Lt Col to watch the standings and give me the required input. Well, I can’t wait around all day for the Lt Col, I need to keep the cranks turning.
8. Have a post race plan for food. Food doesn’t fall out of the sky. Solo racers have no energy to fix dinner. Solo Judd NEVER fixes dinner.
9. It’s OK to participate in late night shenanigans, you can still make the front
of the Back of the Pack if you don’t treat your body nice the night before.
10. It’s OK to race in jeans. If you’re cold, you’re cold. What other options are there? I had the chills prior to my midnight lap, jeans were my only option to beat the chills and keep riding. (Long story, refer to #4 and #5 above.) I was roasting at the 5 mile mark, but cooled off on the downhill. I broke the hot / cold cycle via jeans. Try it. It may work for you.
11. It’s OK to show up to the race a) bloated, b) obese, c) tired. It’s all about the positive attitude.
12. The nights leading up to the race, don’t leave a full keg under BPR supervision.
13. BPR will always trade race support for a supersized primo spot, free beer, and great company.
14. Don’t fly one of the military’s most advanced aircraft (with the tightest cockpit) after riding 182 miles in 24 hours. Right Lt Col? Brilliant.
15. Mosquito Control? How about hiring Fat Bastard to Carpet Bomb the 24HITEF Staging Area. I think it would work.
2. Why can I race for 24 hours, ~ 182 miles, but I still get tired walking up the steps at work? That’s bizarre. Would I get tired walking through Walmart – if I went to Walmart?
Final Thoughts:
Back of the Pack had a very successful 24HITEF race. Serious miles were logged by the team. But I, Judd, failed in my goal. I ‘dusted’ The Lt Col by about one hour. My goal was to smoke the Lt Col by 2 laps. I didn’t give the Lt Col enough credit prior to the race. Well, I don’t accept failure. I need a new strategy. Maybe keeping my mouth shut is a good strategy. But would that be any fun?
This community is full of awesome people. Back of the Pack Racing made many new friends we look forward to seeing again soon.
And… The Back of the Pack Racing membership application will be posted soon. Probationary memberships are available to all racers, rigid single speed – of course. Full membership? Well, that is a little more difficult. (Not really, unless your name is Prob-eee.)
And Just Remember:
The Back of the Pack Store will be open soon. Why? Because. We are a small team. Minimum orders are huge, my house is full of ‘stuff’. Well it was. I need to work on the inventory.
The Videos & The Pics:
Check these out. Not as long as usual. I know, you wanted the killer tunes. Well, check out my course videos posted in May – Click Here Dude!
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest, cruising to the starting line
24HITEF – The Race from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.
24 Hours of the Enchanted Forest- 1st Lap of the Race
Which one is Prob-eee? Guess.
BACK OF THE PACK RACING 
Dude! Awesome video footage! I almost brought my helmet cam but the video sucks! What kind of helmet cam are you using???
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Viva el port- a nester!!!!!! i love reading your posts, they crack me up!
Looks like it was a great time. ill be looking forward to the online application for BPR. hopefully we will have our ss bikes soon!
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Hey Joaquin. Yeah, the video is a blast. I have a Contour HD 1080P. There are 3 or 4 video / resolutions. Believe it or not, I use the low resolution mode to save on memory – but it is very good quality. I have a few problems with the helmet mount vibrating. I need to find a solution to that. With regards to the shirt. I could mail you the shirt, cost around 5 bucks. And you could mail me a check. Someday I'll figure out the paypal. Or I can just hang on to a M and we can arrange a time / place to hand it off.
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Cindy and Ernesto – sounds like The Lt Col may make it to the 24 Hrs in the Sage – August 21st. You should make it out. There is a major competition between me and the Col. He is going down, hard. Yeah, the application should be hilarious, but since you have a genetic link to The Lt Col, you're in, I think. Check out the BPR Operating Instructions – click on the link to the page. Your big bro worked hard on it. He definitely captured it all. Now there is zero guessing on how BPR operates and what BPR expects out of the team members. Hope to see you two soon
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I'll have to look into one of those. I like recording rides just never get good results!
That works, I can always meet you somewhere if that makes it easier. You guys do much riding in the foothills? I live right next to them.
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