After three consecutive years of racing solo at the 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo ("24 HOP"), I called for backup. Three other retired PCSO Officers answered the call, none of whom have witnessed, let alone raced, a 24 hour mountain bike race. In fact, two have never even raced a mountain bike, at all. Not deterred by a little headwind, we formed a four man relay team shooting to each ride a Saturday afternoon lap, an evening/night lap, and maybe a Sunday morning lap. See, 24 HOP - Old Dogs New Tricks.
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| An idea hatched over coffee and donuts. Four man relay team at 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo. Craig Groseth, Dave Rubins, Mark Steele, Trent Fliginger, Tim Malone (L-R). Four riders + Trent, who will be cruising elsewhere. |
To help those teammates prepare for such an endeavor, I broke down some of the logistics. Next up was preparing our bikes, both pre-race and race day. This event is definitely "Run Whatcha Brung."
For a behind-the-scenes look at our relay team preparing for a 24 hour mountain bike race, I reproduced here the communication "The Bike & Stuff On The Bike" that I sent out to the team.
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"Some thoughts on the bike and stuff on the bike for 24 HOP.
We'll start with a bike diagnosis and maintenance session in October when Dave is back in Rapid City, featuring Professional Mechanic Tim and shade tree mechanic Craig. How about we have that at my house at a day and time that everyone can make. Set aside a couple of hours. I have a bike stand and probably every tool that we'd need. Bring your bikes and any tools you want.
In general, we don't need new everything, but I wouldn't want to go into this with things close to the end of their useful life. Especially tires. So, we'll assess tires, chains, cassettes, chainrings, brake pads, shifter/brake cables, etc. We'll test shifting and braking. We'll have or get parts, if needed. This should be pretty straightforward.
Then maybe we'll go out for a short test ride.
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| My rigid steel Jones 29+ bikepacking bike making the rounds at 24 HOP. This is a screenshot of my cameo appearance in a short video "29 Bike Checks From 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo (2025)." Full video linked below. |
For stuff on the bike for 24 HOP, I don't think you need very much. It's only 16 miles, you're never alone for more than a few minutes, if at all, and you're only riding a few laps. But here are a few things that come to mind.
Cactus extraction tools. I'll carry a hair pick and a small tweezers (tweezers actually were included in the racer packets last year). See attached photo. Yes, the pick works well for those sadistic Cholla cactus.
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| Cactus extraction tools for 24 HOP. |
Small mini-tool. Probably unnecessary, but I'll carry one in case a bolt loosens or something. I have several, if you want to borrow one.
A water bottle or hydration pack. I'll start each lap fully hydrated, so one bottle is enough for me. You can certainly carry more.
A little something to eat on the fly (gel, energy bar, Snickers, M&Ms, etc). I'll start each lap with one Hammer Gel and one Snicker bar. I have lots of gels, if you want to try one. I probably won't eat either during a lap, but it's emergency quick energy and doesn't weigh much.
Lights, for laps starting after 16:30. The rules require lights on bikes starting a lap after 17:30. I'd push that back a bit, so our lap that time of day doesn't end in the dark without lights.
Pump or inflator? With properly prepared bikes and reasonably attentive riding, we shouldn't have any major mechanicals that would require more tools or parts. Maybe carry a pump or inflator, if you're really concerned. I haven't done so the past 3 years riding solo and won't this year.
Right off the bike after a lap, I typically do a quick overall bike check and lube the chain. Nothing much. Maybe a minute or two."
Here's a video introduction to a sampling of bikes of the 2025 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo.
I make cameo appearances with my Jones mountain bike at 00:30 and at 07:55.
Also, my fast friend Jesus Corona at 03:03 brings his special kind of enthusiasm
with his Mondraker Vantage mountain bike.
