Nice Lap

At the 24 hour Mountain Bike Race that is held at the Willow Springs Ranch, this lady is finishing one of her 16 mile laps. She is one of 3500 participants. Some are individual racers going the whole 24 hours, but many are part of teams. Winning solo lady averaged 10 mph and the winning solo man averaged 12 mph.

This race has a LeMans style start. At noon, competitors have a 400 yard foot race to the bikes, then they have to find their steed among hundreds of others before setting out on their journey.

The most notorious feature of the course is a series of hills along Gas Line Road known as the Bitches. Some love 'em, most hate 'em. Last year a 'Skip the Bitches Trail' was introduced which is optional after 3 pm. Of course the Bitches is 2/10 of a mile shorter and is faster. Riders can exceed 30 mph going down the Bitches, only to creep up the next hill in Granny Gear. One downhill has a bump which almost guarantees that bikes will go airborne.

In a vacant part of the desert, a complete 24 Hour Town is built up, consisting of tents, RV's, Concession Stands. There are special charging stations for bike lights that are required at night. The next day the Town is gone, leaving the empty desert. The rule of "Leave No Trace" is observed.