24 Hours of Adrenaline!
This past weekend I joined 7 other team members to ride in a mountain bike race just north of Phoenix, Arizona. Located near Fountain Hills, the McDowell Mountain Park 
was host to the “24 Hours of Adrenaline” bike race.
The object was to ride as many laps as possible in 24 hours, and do it faster than the other teams competing. We had a lot of fun! The camp/headquarters where the race started and finished was also where most people camped or RV’d – support crew, racers, sponsors, etc. The 11-mile loop that served as the race track that led off into the desert foothills sped us through washes, cactus forests, rocky hillsides, and the odd dangerous downhill drop.
Our team was a corporate team sponsored by Merrell, 
and we had a great camp site right next to the start/finish line. We were 4 guys and 4 ladies strong, with each of us taking turns riding the relay race for a total of 3 laps each except for Aaron who did 4 laps. We did 24 laps!!!! Yeah! It felt good to be outdoors, also, since it was a nice desert fall weekend. Lots of moisture in the air though, which actually was nice because it kept some of the dust down on the trail. The night laps were cold and wet, but went fast and were fairly uneventful. Two major exceptions were Edy barely missing fastest female night lap with a flat tire and Tim having a major crash in a wash on his first night lap.
Our fastest lap was by Edy, at 49 minutes! We all tried to eat, relax, stretch, and sleep during our down time. Pasta was the food of choice, due to high carb content. I mostly ate fruit, vegetables, granola bars, and energy food. I also drank tons of water and Powerade to keep myself hydrated.
The atmosphere at the race was fun, with lots of vendors, special games, a raffle, movies, and other fun stuff going on the whole time. 
All in all, I would say I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Our small Tucson training team called “5AM Crew” is sad to say goodbye to Tim, but we know that he is going to an awesome opportunity in Colorado this winter. Tim, we’ll miss you!
For photos, see both AJ’s photo album that he put up on his adventure site and also my gallery here on fautrever photos. Merrell teammates, if you are reading this please email me if you have any more cool pictures to share with every one else.
