24 hours of fun, dirt and camaraderie

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT CYCLING CLUB

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24 Hours of Fun, Dirt and Camaraderie

By Sarah Constable

August 23rd, 2005 -- Riding a bike in the dark doesn’t seem to be an obstacle for seven locals who set out to race another 24hr mountain bike event.

The team overcame some slick trail conditions, lots of darkness, and a few mechanical problems to finish 7th out of 90 teams in their 6-10 person category.

The race course was approximately 16 kilometers long with both single and double track sections. Heavy rain on Friday at the Albion Hills Conservation Area left the trails extra mucky and the roots and logs slippery for the noon Saturday to noon Sunday race.

These trail conditions were challenging, but also more fun in the eyes of a mountain biker. Helmet or handlebar-mounted lighting systems helped the riders cruise the course through the long, 10 hour night.

The trail conditions further added challenges, by contributing to mechanical problems the team had to face. Although mountain bikes are built tough, chains and brakes have difficulty working properly when they are filled with obscene amounts of mud.

Despite these challenges, the team completed 23 laps in 24 hours.

The Hot August Nights race, organized by ChicoRacing, attracts around 2000 competitors from across Ontario and other parts of Canada and the US, making it one of North America’s largest mountain biking events.

Sault Ste. Marie riders have participated in this race and it’s sibling Summer Solstice race for the last two years, having fun and finishing with impressive standings at both events.

Last year, 5-person teams brought back first and third place medals, and this year the coed team of seven riders finished 7th, up against much larger teams in a category that did not distinguish between coed and all-male teams.

Team member, Brad Phaneuf commented on the team’s efforts this year, “We seemed to be bouncing from 3rd – 8th for the entire 24 hour period so there was no time for our team to let its guard down. 7th place out of 90, with a coed team, feels pretty amazing.”

Other members of the team included Kim Chapman, Sarah Constable, Scott Elgie, Paul DeBeer, Dave DeGueus, and Jason Luther.

The team would like to thank their sponsor, Lucidia Studios for helping them out again this year.

For more information on this race and other mountain biking events visit the Sault Cycling Club website at www.saultcyclingclub.ca.

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