Becca Wins 24 Hrs in the Old Pueblo
Editor’s Note: Rene Herse tires aren’t usually associated with mountain biking, but there’s a place for fast-rolling supple tires, especially in endurance races. The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is America’s longest-running 24-hour mountain bike event. More than just a race, it’s a celebration of the mountain biking community.The course consists of a 16-mile loop through the saguaro-studded desert landscape, with rocky singletrack, fast descents, sandy washes, and plenty of elevation gain. An essential part of the event is the ’24-Hour Town’, a tent city where support teams keep their riders fed, hydrated and encouraged as they set out on their next lap of this epic course.
Just last weekend, Becca Book won the single-speed women’s category and second woman overall, on Rene Herse 29″ x 2.2″ Fleecer Ridge tires. Here is Becca’s report:
The iconic Le Mans-style start meant that I was one of 600+ riders who were running to our bikes, jumping on and racing into the desert. After escaping the inevitable chaos that comes with this arrangement, I settled into a fast pace, throwing down 75- to 85-minute times for the 16.5 mile lap from noon until sunset.
The course is has a variety of classic desert riding, dense cacti forests of chollas and saguaros, rock gardens, and one iconic rock roll. My Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge Endurance tires were fast and grippy on all of it. Set up tubeless with Rene Herse Supple Sealant, they were also immune to cactus spines!
My lap times inevitably slowed during the long 13-hour night, but I focused on keeping my stopped time to a minimum—thanks to the support of my amazing fiancé. What more could a gal want for Valentine’s Day than 7.5 liters of high-carb drink mix?
After a stunning desert sunrise, the bulk of 24-Hour-Town started to wake up again. I felt slow next to the well-rested relay teams, but was still able to push out 95-minute laps, so I guess my 32 x 19 gear ratio (with a Wolf Tooth chainring) was the right choice.
I kept trucking consistently for 246 miles (396 km) / 15 laps / 23 hours until my dropper post refused to stay up. With the single-speed solo win easily within reach, I pulled off early, finishing just one lap short of the women’s geared winner.
Congrats, Becca—so glad that you didn’t just win, but also had fun!
Photo credit: sportograf.com
