This weekend at Devil's Head Resort mountain bikers, friends and family from all around gathered to partake in the first annual 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike team relay. The 24 hour mountain bike festival involves riding on teams of 2, 4, 5 and 6-10 person teams allowing for riders of all levels to participate.

The weather was beautiful! Hot sunny days and cool nights were made for mountain bikers. This past weekend at Devil's Head Resort participants rode their mountain bikes for 24 hours from Saturday noon to Sunday noon. Many participants had not competed in any other mountain bike races while others had a fair bit of experience. Many riders commented about the great feeling of team work and camaraderie, people were there to have fun riding their mountain bike.

The excellent course designed by the Devil's Head Staff and the trail crew from Trilife Sports left riders climbing a mile and a half before flying over some great singletrack and open trails that cut across the hills leaving riders a spectacular view of the valley below. "People were so excited by the course that most had forgotten that they had to climb up the ski hill in order to get to the top." Event staff commented.

The solo race was unforgettable! Steve Fassbinder (Durango) and Michael Madden (White Bear) battled for the entire 24 hours. Michael had taken a lead early in the race and maintained a quick pace throughout the entire event. John Stamstad who was riding his own race and slightly behind as always until the midnight hours where he makes his move had to withdraw from the event due to severe stomach cramps. This left Steve and Michael to battle it out. At the 23 hour mark these two were within 20 seconds of each other making for the closest finish in the history of the 24 Hours of Adrenalin series. Steve Fassbinder managed to build a 4 minute lead in the last lap finishing first in 24:29:34 and Michael came second in 24:34:55 with 28 laps. Jon Kirshcke finished third in his second appearance at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin for 1999 with 22 laps in 24:07:17. Pat Irwin came fourth with 21 laps, but he did the entire event on a single speed and without shocks on a course where shocks were essential. A new female soloist on site Katie Lindquist put in an outstanding performance winning the female solo field and placing fourth overall with 21 laps in 24:01:26. Katie will be a tough competitor at the World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin Championship at the Canmore Nordic Centre on July 17-18.

In the team categories the 2 person category B & B Bikes & Beer won their division with 28 laps in 24:00:18. Eating up an strong 2 lap lead by B&B was second place finishers LLIKZZUB who completed 28 laps in 24:16:29. Two Superior Guys finished third with 25 laps. The 4 person elite category was won by Team Most Difficult-Mawri Night Pro (Lansing, MI) with 29 laps in 24:00:36. KC Soul Ride finished second with 27 laps in 24:00:23 and 26 minutes later Bill's Dumb Idea crossed the finish line placing third. Bill's Dumb Idea showed up with 3 of their 5 person team missing including Bill. They met two riders looking for a team Saturday morning and entered a 4 person elite team. One of the original riders fell and could not ride after 7:00 pm Saturday and therefore finished with just 3 riders.

In the 5 person open age categories several local teams performed very well. Dustin Riley's "Team 2 Racing" from Madison won the 5-person 100-149 open age category with Trek Engineering placing second and the Pinheads from Hell coming third In the 149-199 category Those Guys Ridin' Hayes, Hayes Brakes sponsored team won this division with a commanding 2 lap lead with 32 laps in 24:00:02. End0 finished second with 30 laps in 24:10:10 and Devil's Head with Cheese, the Devil's Head Resort team finished 20 minutes behind End0. In the 200+ category there was only one team however these guys from Activity Sports completed more laps than any other 5 person team on site.

Other happenings at Devils Head, local Ironman Seth Werner also from Madison decided to go for the entire 24 hours by himself. This was his first time riding solo for 24 hours and he faired well considering the top endurance riders in attendance who travel North America to compete solo for 24 hours. A father and son team named Bring's Cycle and Fitness spent fathers day weekend riding as a 2-person team and placed fifth overall in the 2-person category.

Watching the many children up on the stage for a disco dance contests was a highlight for many at the event. In addition, riders celebrated the beautiful weather and coming of midnight by partaking in Mike's Famous Corn Roast. This tradition happens at all 24 Hours of Adrenalin going all the way back to the beginning. After the event finished between noon and 1:00pm teammates gathered around and sprawled out all over the lawn and enjoyed a post race pasta party. As folks were stuffing themselves with a well deserved meal, prizes and awards were distributed.

"I can't wait until next year," claimed many participants as the event came to close on Sunday afternoon. Trilife Sports has positioned the 24 Hours of Adrenalin as a weekend more about having fun with friends and riding your mountain bike as a team than it is about racing. As usual, it was good ol' dirty fun!

24 Hours of Adrenalin at Devil's Head Results