24 HOURS OF MOAB AS I SAW IT

COMotion teammate Kris Lathrop is leading in the Le Manns style start and was first to mount the bike on lap 1 at the 12:00 noon Saturday start.

I didn't realize, until I drug out the old 24 HoM long sleeve, that it has been 5 years since I raced the Grandaddy of 24 hour races. It must have made an impression because it seems like yesterday. The honorary "poacher's" lap we took on the course Friday was very, very familiar.

No racing for me this year but all the same, there was a ton of work to be done in my support role for at least 4 teams camped in the "Butler Circle". COMotion racers included Chris Butler, Matt Juth, Bonnie Sandoval, Kris Lathrop and Kalan Beisel. Loose sand slowed the previous years average lap time by over 7 minutes.
I really have no idea how anyone placed, or how many teams were entered or any other worthwhile stats.

All I know is that if you set up a trailer with canopies, break out maintenance stands a 5mm hex wrench and chain brush they come out of the woodwork.

Cris Taylor and I took turns calming down wild-eyed races who all had the same story. "MY BIKE IS SHIFTING LIKE SH*@T!!

The Moab red powder AKA sand was working its way into every derailleur,cable and oily spot on the bikes.

I took a break between about midnight and 4 am but for most of the rest of the weekend stayed busy trying to keep riders riding instead of pushing the 14 mile course.

Two real heros of the weekend were the Honda and Coleman generators that allowed the wrenching to go on all night, re-charging of the critical lighting systems and providing watts to keep the yellow Topeak canopies glowing until dawn.

Mucho thanks to Mrs. and Mr. Joanna Butler for the beds, food and brewskis throughout the weekend. You guys rock.....

Dawn Sunday morning was coffee, smelly desert campfire smoke (no such thing as hickory and oak out here) and total BS stories about why we did not win and what we're gonna do about it next year. And we will......