Title 167

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>REI Austin Cycling Team</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="REI Austin Cycling Team"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Race and Ride Reports"><U><B>Race and Ride Reports</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Race and Ride Reports"><U><IMG SRC="03b0e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>   <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">     <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Title 167"><U><IMG SRC="02f0e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Title 167"><U><IMG SRC="0300e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>24 Hrs of Mud</B></div> <div> <B>... Steve Kellicker</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> REI Team 24 survived the rain, cold and mud at Rocky Hill Ranch this weekend. </div> <div> Before going into details, the team extends a great big thanks to all those who </div> <div> volunteered to provide support! Cary, Zak, Wade, Travis, and Nicole we could </div> <div> not have completed this adventure without your help!</div> <bR> <div> If you looked out the window at all this weekend, you may have noticed the </div> <div> rain. The wet conditions did a number on the trail and each lap it got worse. </div> <div> I led off on the first lap, which consisted of a goofy run around the parking </div> <div> lot. I’m sure I looked like a duck running in my Mtn. Shoes with a camel back </div> <div> strapped on my back. After the run I scrambled to grab my bike laid out in the </div> <div> field at the entrance to the trail. Conditions weren’t bad, but it was like </div> <div> sitting on I-35 during rush hour. Two lanes of folks heading in to get to the </div> <div> single track. By running around some congestion and scurrying up the first </div> <div> climb, I managed to pass around 30 people. A thinned out about half way </div> <div> through and I was able to get some good rhythm. I believe my first lap was </div> <div> right around and hour. I handed the baton off to John and headed to camp.</div> <bR> <div> Each lap conditions got a bit worse, more mud and less traction. Lap times </div> <div> got longer as a result. As night set in, head lamps were used to illuminate </div> <div> the course. It was a little dicey in some sections, but I enjoyed it. The </div> <div> worst part was the first 2 miles or so. It was so muddy, it was impossible to </div> <div> get any traction and the mud, leaves, sticks and grass would get caught in the </div> <div> drive train, braking systems, and pedals. I usually stopped at the top of </div> <div> Chuck’s hill to clean things off. After this section, the trail was a bit more </div> <div> manageable. A few roots and some trees would jump out every now and then but </div> <div> your speed would be a bit faster. As fatigue set in, I swear a I saw a bicycle </div> <div> fairy with pink and white tassles on her handlebars, but hey what’s a 24 hour </div> <div> race with some hallucinations. </div> <bR> <div> The cold and rain were sapping morale and we decided to get some sleep from </div> <div> about 2:30 to 5:30. I crawled out of bed just before 5:30 to start another lap </div> <div> and get the team going again. The conditions were still miserable, but it was </div> <div> a mental game by now. Just keep pedaling and eventually you’ll get back to </div> <div> camp. Having support was great! At the end of each lap, Zak would wash our </div> <div> bikes and then Carey or Wade would make the necessary mechanical repairs. </div> <div> There were plenty of repairs needed because each lap just trashed the bikes! </div> <div> There was also food back at camp, prepared by various folks! Travis makes a </div> <div> great breakfast burrito, and it hit the spot after that first morning lap! Tom </div> <div> and John were able to complete another lap in the morning before the noon </div> <div> deadline, so I was able to make one last jaunt around the course. Thanks </div> <div> guys! </div> <bR> <div> Overall I completed 5 laps, John had 4, Tom with 3 and Tenille finished 2 for a </div> <div> total of 14 laps. We took 13th place out of 35 teams in the 4-person team </div> <div> sport open category. The whole weekend was a wild experience with many stories </div> <div> to share. I’ll let John, Tom, and Tenille share their trail war stories, but </div> <div> collectively we had a good time suffering.</div> <bR> <div> Thanks again to our great support crew!</div> <div> -Steve K. </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>