February 2022
24 Hours at the Old Pueblo Podcast: Coming off the Couch with Alex Johnson
Alex Johnson grilling steaks the night before Race day. 24hour Town, near Tucson, AZ, photo by author.
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo — one of the largest 24-hour mountain bike races in the country. Thousands of eager cyclists pour into a hilly span of the Sonoran Desert. Organizers hire porta-potties by the dozens and disposal services. Sponsors set up tents to show off their new products and sell expensive hats. Food trucks line up and run generators as they dish out hot food to filthy, sweaty cyclists. 24-Hour Town expands into a community of thousands over the course of a week, and by Sunday night after the race has concluded, only a couple RVs remain — still committed to the party. I was a part of a four-man team. Oliver and Jack drove down in Oliver’s little VW Golf. Alex and I drove in my Volvo wagon. With bikes on the back, we blasted at high-speed through snowstorms and rain until we reached the pleasantly hot desert outside Tuscon. We arrived late, just a day before the race so we had to park all the way up the hill, about a mile from the start line.
Alex is one of the fastest XC mountain bikers in Fort Collins and he has plenty of racing under his belt, but ever since he bought a Yamaha dirt bike last year his orange Orbea Oiz has seen less action. We were able to recruit him for our four-man team. Alex led the team with the first lap. 24 hours has a Le Mans start which means every racer has to sprint several hundred yards to their bike to begin the race. Alex volunteered to start us off claiming an impressive 40-yard dash time in his high school football days.
In the podcast below Alex and I reflect on a weird and sleepless weekend of racing bikes in the desert as we drive north back to Fort Collins.
Alex preparing for the first lap of the race. 24hour Town, near Tucson, AZ, photo by author.
Alex in taking his bike in the Le Mans start. 24hour Town, near Tucson, AZ, photo by author.
Conclusion: Cracked
cracked (cycling)
/krakt/
physically exhausted, used up, spent, cognitive processes impeded
March, 2022
Hands at Work
(Bike-Packing) Having good bags to store and carry equipment in is key while bike-packing, and sometimes you have to make them custom. Watch Oliver work his magic as he makes a custom frame bag for a full suspension mountain bike.
March, 2022
Photo Essay: Off the Bike in Arkansas
The bike trip: I’ve come to realize that cycling is not just an activity to do, but a reason to go. This photo essay is from a trip to north west Arkansas. We rode bicycles everyday of the trip, except for one cold, rainy day in the Ozark St. Francis National forest. Sometimes what happens off the bike is the most memorable.
Rain on the roof of my tent. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Morning fog over the campsite. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Rifle targets and wet leaves. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Wet bicycles. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Wilderness boundary sign, closed to bicycles. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
An old tree growing out of a stream. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
A mossy plant. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Fossils in rock. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Oliver standing behind a waterfall. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.
Looking out from behind a waterfall. Taken in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, photo by author.