Like Anton Bosman said in his interview "The 24-Hour route changes throughout the race as you ride it, so you are always faced with challenges as you go".
Showing posts with label 24 hour racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 24 hour racing. Show all posts
2012 Route scenes
Looks like we'll be keeping in line with the 2011 course with some small changes. The terrain is looking fantastic with something for everyone.
Like Anton Bosman said in his interview "The 24-Hour route changes throughout the race as you ride it, so you are always faced with challenges as you go".
Like Anton Bosman said in his interview "The 24-Hour route changes throughout the race as you ride it, so you are always faced with challenges as you go".
Have you entered?
Do you need a team member or in need of an entire team? Post it on our facebook page facebook.com/24Hourmtb and we'll hook you all up
Keep your eye on facebook and here from now on for important info and updates about the event.
Do you need a team member or in need of an entire team? Post it on our facebook page facebook.com/24Hourmtb and we'll hook you all up
Keep your eye on facebook and here from now on for important info and updates about the event.
24-Hour tips and advice
1. Pack meticulously, and don't overlook food. I failed to bring some essentials that I used throughout my training: V-8 and coconut water, both of which are great for re-hydrating. I also, if you can believe this, forgot my freakin' helmet. Fortunately, several local bike shops had set up camp there and I was able to score one on the cheap. A second helmet is going to be useful for riding at night more often. Which leads us to #2.
2. Ride at night lots before the race. That way, you won't be a chicken like me. Night riding freaks me out, and I need to get used to it if I'm going to do this more often. Which I intend to.3. Bring cash. You can score a lot of deals at a 24 hour race if it's well supported. You can also get some much-needed real food. But bring twice what you think you'll need. Few of the merchants take cards, and there's no ATM close by.
4. Skip the Camelbak. Try riding triathlete-style instead ... use a seatbag for tubes and tools, stash your food in a bento box and mount your pump on your frame. It's very liberating, and you seriously don't need 100 ounces of water per lap. Save the weight. I only used the Camelbak for my double set of laps, when I need to have my light batteries with me. Along the same lines, try using electrical tape to secure gel packages to your handlebars or stem. That allows your to tear them off one-handed, and prevents the torn top from falling onto the ground. Clever, eh?
5. Taking the first lap sucks. Most 24-hour races feature a Lemans start. So that means you have to run to your bike about a half-mile. Not a big deal (see a photo of me running). The thing that stinks is that the pack is really bunched at that point. So you're having to get around super-slow people in tight singletrack, and super-fast people are trying their damndest to get past you. That can create some frustration, especially on a cactus-lined course like Old Pueblo.
6. Make sure it's safe to pass. Too many people out there tried to pass in unsafe conditions. If it's not safe for the passer and the passee, just don't do it. It's not worth putting yourself into a cactus or making someone else crash, okay? Most racers were good about this. But far from all. Far from all.
7. These races are a lot of fun. If you get in with the right sort of crowd (which I did), you'll have fun. A 24-hour race is a bonding experience. It's hard to explain, but there's a kinship that develops among racers. Especially once you start recognizing each other.
8. Bring beer. It makes a great gift for the people manning the booths and the occasional volunteer. New Belgium 2 Below was my offering, and it was a hit.
9. Endurolyte and salt tabs can save you. Electrolytes are what mountain bikers crave. When we don't have them, we cramp. These can prevent cramps.
10. Keep your sense of humor. Even when the prospects are grim, smile through it. Some false courage and plucky bravado can turn into a huge benefit.
11. Breathe Through Pain. On my third lap, I was suffering. I didn't have enough electrolytes in me, and I could barely apply any torque to my legs. Then I remembered some wisdom from yoga class and theBrad Warner book Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies & the Truth about Reality. First, concentrate on breathing. Second, (in a nutshell) accept pain as the status quo. Don't think about it getting any better, and just embrace where you are. Doing these things helped me get through the rest of the lap and restored some leg power.
Published by Justin Schmid - Featured Contributor in Travel
Doing it again . . .
Things are looking good for 24-Hour racing in 2012. More people are finding out the great experience of the 24-Hour MTB format and how it brings people together.
This year we have decided to make a few changes and push the fun and camaraderie aspect of our event to new heights in December.
Details will be available soon.
Bicycling 24 Hour MTB - Brought to you by Omni-Motion
5 December 2009 - Our tenth year and still growing. Dont miss it.
Look out for more info in Bicycling Magazine and on this site soon.
General Rules
General Rules (AMTRI)
1. Team Captains
Each team will designate a team captain and co-captain. Team captains will represent the team in all official correspondence and communications before, during and after the event. The co-captain may represent the team during the event when the captain is unavailable. Only team captains and co-captains may file protests.
2. Pre-race Meeting
The team captain and/or co-captain must attend the pre-race meeting; however, everyone is welcome.
3. Team Pit Area
Team's must designate one and only one pit area. Typically, this is at your campsite or housing accommodations. Racers may change or repair any equipment in their Pit Area. Pit areas are not allowed on the course or in the Start/Finish area. However, emergency repairs may be performed in the Start/Finish area; you may even swap entire bikes. In the Start/Finish area or the team's pit area, racers may accept support from anyone. Also, teams may bring as many support people as they would like, but their support is limited to the Start/Finish and the team's pit areas, not on the course.
4. Support on the Course
Support on the course may only be supplied by other registered racers. Supporting racers must access the course under their own power (i.e. foot travel or on bike) and that access can only be achieved by following the course in either direction. Short-cutting the course is not allowed (see rule #12). Supporting racers should stay clear of all competing racers. Supporting racers may take any equipment or tools with them; they may even swap bikes with their teammates. Cannibalizing bicycle parts is legal. Support can be provided by any registered racer on any team to any registered racer on any team.
5. Water and Food
Water and food may be supplied to any racer, by anyone, anywhere on the course. However, racers must stay well clear of the course when taking food or water. (And please do not throw energy food wrappers on the ground. Remember: Leave No Trace).
6. Permitted Course Riders
Only officially registered racers, credentialed media and event staff may ride on the designated race course during the event.
7. Team Number Display
Racers must display their handlebar number on the front of their bikes, whenever on course. In the case of a bike swap, racers must swap the bike number to the new bike prior to continuing the race. Race officials may request to see this at any time.
8. Drafting
Racers may draft, but they may only draft registered racers. Drafting other vehicles or a non-registered rider is grounds for disqualification.
9. Right of Way
Racers riding bicycles have the right of way over racers pushing bicycles. When practical, racers pushing or carrying their bikes should stay on the least rideable portion of the trail when being passed. Racers pushing or carrying their bikes may overtake a racer riding his bike provided that they do not interfere with the riding racer.
10. Lapped Racers
Lapped racers should yield to leaders. Leaders should be very vocal when preparing to pass any racer. "PASSING on your LEFT!," "PASSING on your RIGHT!" should be called out. It is the responsibility of the challenging racer to overtake safely. Racers being lapped must yield on the first command.
11. Vying for Position
When two racers are vying for position, the leading racer does not necessarily have to yield position to the challenging racer. However, a racer may not bodily interfere, with intent to impede another racer's progress; this is considered to be highly unsportsmanlike behaviour (see rule #14).
12. Short-cutting
Short-cutting the course by any registered racer shall result in a disqualification of that racer's team.
13. Law Abiding
All regular provincial laws and ordinances will be abided by at all times.
14. Sportsmanship
Foul riding, use of profane or abusive language and other unsportsmanlike behaviour will be taken very seriously. Such behavior by any racer shall subject that racer's team to a warning or immediate disqualification. This will be strictly applied when such behavior is directed at course officials, volunteers or spectators. The penalty imposed is at the discretion of the race director or co-director, should the race director be unavailable.
15. Protests
Protests can only be made by team captains or co-captains. Protests will be made in writing and delivered to the race director or co-director any time during the race or after the end of the race, up to 30 minutes after the posting of the final results. Protests should contain any information that supports the protest, including description of the incident, witnesses, names, addresses, phone numbers and signature of protesting team captain. A R20 fee shall be submitted, in cash, with the protest. The race director, after his own discovery, will promptly rule on the protest. The fee will be forfeited to the race director if the protest is denied or refunded if the protest is upheld.
16. Final Rulings
The race director has the final say in any ruling, including rulings made by the co-director.
17. Quiet Hours
Quiet hours for events conducted at night, will be imposed from midnight Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. During this time, noise must be kept to a minimum.
18. Lighting
Lighting requirements for events conducted at night: During the night ride, racers must have a primary light source with a minimum rated power of 10 watts. In addition, each racer must carry a secondary or backup light source in the form of a penlight, flashlight or other lighting system. (Battery chargers may be plugged in at the neutral charging station, when provided. For your own sake, teams should label their batteries and chargers with the team's name. The neutral charging station is unsecured).
19. Lights Burning
Racers entering the course two hours before sunset on Saturday and up to one-half hour before sunrise on Sunday must have both primary and secondary light sources installed and in good working order. Racing with lights out to save batteries or racing with discharged batteries is dangerous and is done so at the riders own risk.
20. Timing channel/zone
Racers must dismount and walk the 6 meter timing channel, making sure the number board is seen by the timing marshal. In the transition area that follows, the team baton must be passed from the racer logging out to the next team mate continuing on the route. The clock is ticking the entire time. Change-over cannot take place anywhere else on the route.
Helpful Hint: Racers can shout out their numbers to make sure that laps are not missed.
21. Consecutive Laps
A racer may ride consecutive laps. This depends on team strategy.
22. Loss of Baton Penalty
Loss of the baton will result in a 10-minute time penalty which will be applied to the team's finish time on its last lap and will accrue to the racer finishing that final lap. The Registrar will issue a new baton. Verifying the Log Sheet
It is the team's responsibility to verify that each racer is timed and registered correctly. Please be courteous and patient while verifying information with your Registrar. Registrars and race officials may request to see your race number on your handlebar at any time.
23. Lap Requirements for teams up to 5 riders
All team-mates in 2, 3 and 4 people teams must complete at least two laps each or a one lap penalty will be applied to the teams finish.
24. Lap Requirements for 5-Person Open
At least one female team-mate on a 5-person Open Class team must complete two laps, or a one lap penalty will be applied to the team's finish.
25. Cancelling a Lap
Once on course, a racer must complete his or her lap. However, the team has the option of cancelling a racer's lap and restarting the lap from the Log Tent with a substitute. This is a difficult and costly decision, but if the first racer is unable to complete the lap for any reason, it may be to the team's advantage to cancel that racer's lap. Any team member can cancel a racer's lap by notifying the team's Registrar at the Log Tent and initializing the log sheet next to the cancelled lap. If a team cancels a racer's lap and is restarting with a new racer, a new baton will be issued without penalty. The new racer inherits the log-in time of the cancelled racer's lap. Once a cancellation has been made, it cannot be rescinded. The cancelled lap does not count as a completed lap.
26. Substituting a Rider
To substitute a rider, the new rider must fill out an Accident Waiver, complete with team name and original signature, and deliver it to Omni-Motion no later than the end of the last day of Registration.
27. The Finish
Most 24 hour races start and end at 12 noon. (12 or 18 hour race promoters may set their own start and finish times.) Racers should log-off the course from 12 noon on. Each team's final placing will be determined by the number of laps the team has completed and the sequential order of finish within the team's last lap. For example, a team that has completed 22 laps with a finish time of 12:31 p.m. would beat a team that completed 22 laps, with a finish time of 12:47 p.m. And, of course, a team that completed 23 laps, with a finish time of 1 p.m., would beat them both. If a racer logs- out before 12 noon and no other team member logs-in, the last completed lap time will be the finish time.
28. Catastrophic Failure
In the case of catastrophic failure due to weather or another extenuating circumstance that prevents the ongoing scoring of the event or creates a racing environment that is deemed too dangerous for the participants, the race director may call the race as of a certain time. Final results will be calculated based on each team's placement at the call time as determined by that team's last completed lap. This rule is intended to be exercised as a last resort, in the direst situations.
1. Team Captains
Each team will designate a team captain and co-captain. Team captains will represent the team in all official correspondence and communications before, during and after the event. The co-captain may represent the team during the event when the captain is unavailable. Only team captains and co-captains may file protests.
2. Pre-race Meeting
The team captain and/or co-captain must attend the pre-race meeting; however, everyone is welcome.
3. Team Pit Area
Team's must designate one and only one pit area. Typically, this is at your campsite or housing accommodations. Racers may change or repair any equipment in their Pit Area. Pit areas are not allowed on the course or in the Start/Finish area. However, emergency repairs may be performed in the Start/Finish area; you may even swap entire bikes. In the Start/Finish area or the team's pit area, racers may accept support from anyone. Also, teams may bring as many support people as they would like, but their support is limited to the Start/Finish and the team's pit areas, not on the course.
4. Support on the Course
Support on the course may only be supplied by other registered racers. Supporting racers must access the course under their own power (i.e. foot travel or on bike) and that access can only be achieved by following the course in either direction. Short-cutting the course is not allowed (see rule #12). Supporting racers should stay clear of all competing racers. Supporting racers may take any equipment or tools with them; they may even swap bikes with their teammates. Cannibalizing bicycle parts is legal. Support can be provided by any registered racer on any team to any registered racer on any team.
5. Water and Food
Water and food may be supplied to any racer, by anyone, anywhere on the course. However, racers must stay well clear of the course when taking food or water. (And please do not throw energy food wrappers on the ground. Remember: Leave No Trace).
6. Permitted Course Riders
Only officially registered racers, credentialed media and event staff may ride on the designated race course during the event.
7. Team Number Display
Racers must display their handlebar number on the front of their bikes, whenever on course. In the case of a bike swap, racers must swap the bike number to the new bike prior to continuing the race. Race officials may request to see this at any time.
8. Drafting
Racers may draft, but they may only draft registered racers. Drafting other vehicles or a non-registered rider is grounds for disqualification.
9. Right of Way
Racers riding bicycles have the right of way over racers pushing bicycles. When practical, racers pushing or carrying their bikes should stay on the least rideable portion of the trail when being passed. Racers pushing or carrying their bikes may overtake a racer riding his bike provided that they do not interfere with the riding racer.
10. Lapped Racers
Lapped racers should yield to leaders. Leaders should be very vocal when preparing to pass any racer. "PASSING on your LEFT!," "PASSING on your RIGHT!" should be called out. It is the responsibility of the challenging racer to overtake safely. Racers being lapped must yield on the first command.
11. Vying for Position
When two racers are vying for position, the leading racer does not necessarily have to yield position to the challenging racer. However, a racer may not bodily interfere, with intent to impede another racer's progress; this is considered to be highly unsportsmanlike behaviour (see rule #14).
12. Short-cutting
Short-cutting the course by any registered racer shall result in a disqualification of that racer's team.
13. Law Abiding
All regular provincial laws and ordinances will be abided by at all times.
14. Sportsmanship
Foul riding, use of profane or abusive language and other unsportsmanlike behaviour will be taken very seriously. Such behavior by any racer shall subject that racer's team to a warning or immediate disqualification. This will be strictly applied when such behavior is directed at course officials, volunteers or spectators. The penalty imposed is at the discretion of the race director or co-director, should the race director be unavailable.
15. Protests
Protests can only be made by team captains or co-captains. Protests will be made in writing and delivered to the race director or co-director any time during the race or after the end of the race, up to 30 minutes after the posting of the final results. Protests should contain any information that supports the protest, including description of the incident, witnesses, names, addresses, phone numbers and signature of protesting team captain. A R20 fee shall be submitted, in cash, with the protest. The race director, after his own discovery, will promptly rule on the protest. The fee will be forfeited to the race director if the protest is denied or refunded if the protest is upheld.
16. Final Rulings
The race director has the final say in any ruling, including rulings made by the co-director.
17. Quiet Hours
Quiet hours for events conducted at night, will be imposed from midnight Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. During this time, noise must be kept to a minimum.
18. Lighting
Lighting requirements for events conducted at night: During the night ride, racers must have a primary light source with a minimum rated power of 10 watts. In addition, each racer must carry a secondary or backup light source in the form of a penlight, flashlight or other lighting system. (Battery chargers may be plugged in at the neutral charging station, when provided. For your own sake, teams should label their batteries and chargers with the team's name. The neutral charging station is unsecured).
19. Lights Burning
Racers entering the course two hours before sunset on Saturday and up to one-half hour before sunrise on Sunday must have both primary and secondary light sources installed and in good working order. Racing with lights out to save batteries or racing with discharged batteries is dangerous and is done so at the riders own risk.
20. Timing channel/zone
Racers must dismount and walk the 6 meter timing channel, making sure the number board is seen by the timing marshal. In the transition area that follows, the team baton must be passed from the racer logging out to the next team mate continuing on the route. The clock is ticking the entire time. Change-over cannot take place anywhere else on the route.
Helpful Hint: Racers can shout out their numbers to make sure that laps are not missed.
21. Consecutive Laps
A racer may ride consecutive laps. This depends on team strategy.
22. Loss of Baton Penalty
Loss of the baton will result in a 10-minute time penalty which will be applied to the team's finish time on its last lap and will accrue to the racer finishing that final lap. The Registrar will issue a new baton. Verifying the Log Sheet
It is the team's responsibility to verify that each racer is timed and registered correctly. Please be courteous and patient while verifying information with your Registrar. Registrars and race officials may request to see your race number on your handlebar at any time.
23. Lap Requirements for teams up to 5 riders
All team-mates in 2, 3 and 4 people teams must complete at least two laps each or a one lap penalty will be applied to the teams finish.
24. Lap Requirements for 5-Person Open
At least one female team-mate on a 5-person Open Class team must complete two laps, or a one lap penalty will be applied to the team's finish.
25. Cancelling a Lap
Once on course, a racer must complete his or her lap. However, the team has the option of cancelling a racer's lap and restarting the lap from the Log Tent with a substitute. This is a difficult and costly decision, but if the first racer is unable to complete the lap for any reason, it may be to the team's advantage to cancel that racer's lap. Any team member can cancel a racer's lap by notifying the team's Registrar at the Log Tent and initializing the log sheet next to the cancelled lap. If a team cancels a racer's lap and is restarting with a new racer, a new baton will be issued without penalty. The new racer inherits the log-in time of the cancelled racer's lap. Once a cancellation has been made, it cannot be rescinded. The cancelled lap does not count as a completed lap.
26. Substituting a Rider
To substitute a rider, the new rider must fill out an Accident Waiver, complete with team name and original signature, and deliver it to Omni-Motion no later than the end of the last day of Registration.
27. The Finish
Most 24 hour races start and end at 12 noon. (12 or 18 hour race promoters may set their own start and finish times.) Racers should log-off the course from 12 noon on. Each team's final placing will be determined by the number of laps the team has completed and the sequential order of finish within the team's last lap. For example, a team that has completed 22 laps with a finish time of 12:31 p.m. would beat a team that completed 22 laps, with a finish time of 12:47 p.m. And, of course, a team that completed 23 laps, with a finish time of 1 p.m., would beat them both. If a racer logs- out before 12 noon and no other team member logs-in, the last completed lap time will be the finish time.
28. Catastrophic Failure
In the case of catastrophic failure due to weather or another extenuating circumstance that prevents the ongoing scoring of the event or creates a racing environment that is deemed too dangerous for the participants, the race director may call the race as of a certain time. Final results will be calculated based on each team's placement at the call time as determined by that team's last completed lap. This rule is intended to be exercised as a last resort, in the direst situations.
Info
Twenty-four hour team relay racing highlights the sportsmanship, camaraderie and gritty, hard-core fun that have been hallmarks of mountain bike racing from the very beginning. Invented in 1992 in the USA, these events were designed from the ground-up to appeal to the mountain biker's keen sense of fun. For the racers, these events are some of the most memorable experiences of their lives. For the fans and spectators, they are sports spectacles rivalling anything they have ever seen or done.
Omni-Motion is proud to present the biggest and best 24 hour mountain bike team relay races in Africa since 1999.
Entry Fees cover the following:
Event entry
24-Hour Energy Drinks station
Medical assistance
Camping Facilities
Race Pack full of goodies
Charging station for batteries
Prizes, give aways, entertainment etc.
Experience the unique spirit of 24-Hour racing
Medal to all winners
Omni-Motion is proud to present the biggest and best 24 hour mountain bike team relay races in Africa since 1999.
Entry Fees cover the following:
Event entry
24-Hour Energy Drinks station
Medical assistance
Camping Facilities
Race Pack full of goodies
Charging station for batteries
Prizes, give aways, entertainment etc.
Experience the unique spirit of 24-Hour racing
Medal to all winners
24 Solo
By AMBER LESTER
Byrd Newspapers
When Ken Bell produced his first movie, “Off Road to Athens,” he financed it with credit cards, slept in cars and carried camera equipment in a backpack.
But his experience producing his second release, “24 Solo” was decidedly sweeter.
“This time we upped the bar,” says Bell, who also owns Tradeshow Direct in Harrisonburg. “We had bigger tripods! And steadycams!”
Gripped Films’ “24 Solo” will be screened at Court Square Theater on Saturday at 7 p.m. The film, directed by Jason Berry with music by JMU grad Haik Naltchayan, follows professional cyclist Chris Eatough as he tries to capture his seventh world championship in 24-hour mountain bike racing.
The sport takes mountain bike racing to the next level of difficulty. Competitors race for 24 hours around rough laps from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. The average lap takes 40 minutes, Bell says. Racers only take breaks between laps to gulp Gatorade and change clothes if necessary.
“It’s kind of like the Iron Man — a lot of people are doing it to say they did it,” Bell says. “At the upper level of the sport, these are world-class athletes that really do race.”
Bell met Eatough 10 years ago when both men were competing in local races. They reconnected at the Baltimore screening of “Off Road to Athens,” a documentary that followed eight mountain bikers as they fought for spots on the 2004 Olympic team. At the time, Eatough, an U.Va grad and Baltimore resident, was preparing for another season of 24-hour races.
“He was a logical subject to talk to and shoot a movie about,” Bell says. “He had won six world championships in a row, and was going for a seventh. It seemed like a pretty logical storyline.”
Trek Bicycle Corporation picked up the tab and will be distributing the film on DVD wherever Trek products are sold. Bell says having a sponsor made filmmaking a little easier this time around.
“We weren’t sleeping in cars,” he says. “It’s getting into the screenings and DVD sales and yet, we’re not in debt.”
When they began shooting, the crew had no idea what to expect. The season could be anticlimactic, or worse, Eatough could suffer injury.
“One of our fears was, ‘What if he got hurt?’ ” Bell says. “It is a relatively dangerous sport, racing a bike as fast as you can go on rocky mountain trails.”
He didn’t get hurt, but that doesn’t mean the shoot was predictable. The national race was canceled after 19 hours of heavy rain. “But within an hour of starting, he had the lead of the race, and after 12 hours, he’d already lapped everybody,” Bell says.
The real drama started at the world’s race in Conyers, Ga., where Australian rider, Craig Gordon, pushed Eatough “to the limit and beyond,” Bell says.
“I don’t want to give away the ending, but the world championship race surprised us by its intensity level,” he says. “It exceeded our expectations for drama.”
With two documentaries about cycling completed, Bell expects his next project to be something entirely different.
“Jason’s a real outdoorsy guy, so maybe something about windsurfing,” Bell says. “He’s also very into environmental issues and so maybe we’ll step away from sports-related documentaries. Maybe a travel log?”
Whatever they decide, fans of “Off Road to Athens” shouldn’t expect a sequel for the upcoming Olympic games.
“People want to know whether there will be an ‘Off Road to Beijing,’ ” Bell says, laughing. “The answer is definitely ‘no.’ Too much work!”
Byrd Newspapers
When Ken Bell produced his first movie, “Off Road to Athens,” he financed it with credit cards, slept in cars and carried camera equipment in a backpack.
But his experience producing his second release, “24 Solo” was decidedly sweeter.
“This time we upped the bar,” says Bell, who also owns Tradeshow Direct in Harrisonburg. “We had bigger tripods! And steadycams!”
Gripped Films’ “24 Solo” will be screened at Court Square Theater on Saturday at 7 p.m. The film, directed by Jason Berry with music by JMU grad Haik Naltchayan, follows professional cyclist Chris Eatough as he tries to capture his seventh world championship in 24-hour mountain bike racing.
The sport takes mountain bike racing to the next level of difficulty. Competitors race for 24 hours around rough laps from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. The average lap takes 40 minutes, Bell says. Racers only take breaks between laps to gulp Gatorade and change clothes if necessary.
“It’s kind of like the Iron Man — a lot of people are doing it to say they did it,” Bell says. “At the upper level of the sport, these are world-class athletes that really do race.”
Bell met Eatough 10 years ago when both men were competing in local races. They reconnected at the Baltimore screening of “Off Road to Athens,” a documentary that followed eight mountain bikers as they fought for spots on the 2004 Olympic team. At the time, Eatough, an U.Va grad and Baltimore resident, was preparing for another season of 24-hour races.
“He was a logical subject to talk to and shoot a movie about,” Bell says. “He had won six world championships in a row, and was going for a seventh. It seemed like a pretty logical storyline.”
Trek Bicycle Corporation picked up the tab and will be distributing the film on DVD wherever Trek products are sold. Bell says having a sponsor made filmmaking a little easier this time around.
“We weren’t sleeping in cars,” he says. “It’s getting into the screenings and DVD sales and yet, we’re not in debt.”
When they began shooting, the crew had no idea what to expect. The season could be anticlimactic, or worse, Eatough could suffer injury.
“One of our fears was, ‘What if he got hurt?’ ” Bell says. “It is a relatively dangerous sport, racing a bike as fast as you can go on rocky mountain trails.”
He didn’t get hurt, but that doesn’t mean the shoot was predictable. The national race was canceled after 19 hours of heavy rain. “But within an hour of starting, he had the lead of the race, and after 12 hours, he’d already lapped everybody,” Bell says.
The real drama started at the world’s race in Conyers, Ga., where Australian rider, Craig Gordon, pushed Eatough “to the limit and beyond,” Bell says.
“I don’t want to give away the ending, but the world championship race surprised us by its intensity level,” he says. “It exceeded our expectations for drama.”
With two documentaries about cycling completed, Bell expects his next project to be something entirely different.
“Jason’s a real outdoorsy guy, so maybe something about windsurfing,” Bell says. “He’s also very into environmental issues and so maybe we’ll step away from sports-related documentaries. Maybe a travel log?”
Whatever they decide, fans of “Off Road to Athens” shouldn’t expect a sequel for the upcoming Olympic games.
“People want to know whether there will be an ‘Off Road to Beijing,’ ” Bell says, laughing. “The answer is definitely ‘no.’ Too much work!”
What is it?
"Some say that this is the “Year-end MTB Christmas party”.
Some say that it’s the “Woodstock of mountain biking”.
All we know is that it is an event you should not miss."
Twenty-four hour team relay racing highlights the sportsmanship, camaraderie and gritty, hard-core fun that have been hallmarks of mountain bike racing from the very beginning. Invented in 1992 in the USA, these events were designed from the ground-up to appeal to the mountain biker's keen sense of fun. For the racers, these events are some of the most memorable experiences of their lives. For the fans and spectators, they are sports spectacles rivalling anything they have ever seen or done.
Omni-Motion is proud to present the biggest and best 24 hour mountain bike team relay races in Africa since 2000.
Some say that it’s the “Woodstock of mountain biking”.
All we know is that it is an event you should not miss."
Twenty-four hour team relay racing highlights the sportsmanship, camaraderie and gritty, hard-core fun that have been hallmarks of mountain bike racing from the very beginning. Invented in 1992 in the USA, these events were designed from the ground-up to appeal to the mountain biker's keen sense of fun. For the racers, these events are some of the most memorable experiences of their lives. For the fans and spectators, they are sports spectacles rivalling anything they have ever seen or done.
Omni-Motion is proud to present the biggest and best 24 hour mountain bike team relay races in Africa since 2000.
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