CASTAIC, Calif. (April 27, 2003) Hot gusts of California sun driven wind greeted riders, spectators and onlookers alike as the 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ made it’s second stop of the year at a new location for 2003, picturesque Castaic Lake Recreational Area, 1-hour north of Los Angeles. A beautiful Saturday sun saw participants excitedly tear themselves away from their mountain-top style campsites that provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding valleys and waterways and temporarily shed their mountain biker personas to draw themselves to the start/finish line for the mad-dash Merrell LeMans running start. With spectators screaming and cycling-muscle specific legs trembling with the fear of not having two wheels to propel them, the 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ was under way.

As participants express-journeyed their way around the outer expo area on foot, it was a spectator-friendly prologue not a full first lap that awaited them. With all the insanity of a Sunday morning garage sale, riders hopped on board their two-wheeled steeds and set a torrid pace for a single short lap, followed by their official "first" lap of the climbing-inspired 6-mile Castaic Lake course.

In under an hour the first riders were coming through the line—pulling impressive lap times of 35 to 40 minutes. The Castaic Lake course was designed for those with strong lungs and often included equal amounts of time on and off the bike. With a total of 3 times up and down the "mountain" participants paced their way through the beautiful afternoon weather and into an incredible California sunset. Dusk brought cooler temperatures, night-lighting and all the outdoor adventure a 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ weekend brings.

Sunday morning brought more sunny skies as riders began preparing for the final few hours and the countdown to the 1pm end-of-race deadline. Spectators began filing in to the expo area for the 11am "schwag-off" and to view product being supplied by series sponsors Ellsworth, Mavic, Louis Garneau, CycleOps, Saris, Platypus, MSR, Therm-A-Rest and Clif Bar. As the countdown to the 1pm finish began, the drama was high as the final rider for Team "Triple S" was reported to be running to the finish with a broken chain. Emotions were also high as all were unsure whether or not the team would get their last lap before the deadline. And like a reality TV show that you’d actually want to watch, and with the cheers of all those present, the final rider came through the start/finish line with only a few minutes to spare.

Daring men’s solo riders were led by winner Allen St. Pierre, second place Mark Jeffery and bronze medallist Phil Kramer. St. Pierre was impressive with his 29 laps completed in 23:01:44. Women’s solo riders included 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ Arizona second-place finisher and Castaic Lake winner, Ellsworth sponsored rider Terri Wahlberg who came in with a time of 23:12:33 for 18 laps completed. Crowd favorite Wendy Skean looked amazing and was thankful to everyone who helped her complete 17 laps in 24:06:29. 2-person teams included the incredible duo of "Ann and Mel"—an all female team who completed an awesome 30 laps in 23:54:20. The most-laps was an extremely close race as Team Supralife won the 4-person category with 35 laps in 24:14:03, Team Breckenridge Ski Resort topped the 5-Person 150-199 with 36 laps in 24:27:47, Team Moonshiners took the 5-Person 200 with 38 laps in 24:23:18, Team Velo Sport bringing home the Co-Ed title with 36 laps in 24:21:42 and Nuckin’ Futs winning in the 5-Person 100-149 AND most overall laps with 39 in 24:02:22.

With empty stomachs taken care of by the post-race pasta party, participants, winners and spectators alike took part in an awards ceremony that included medals and jerseys, draw prizes and general appreciation for a great weekend of incredible fun. And with the final give-away of a Manitou Black fork (or is that forks?) the 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ at Castaic Lake was complete.

With over $160,000 valued in prizes and 13 events staged at rugged, scenic venues across North America, 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ garners status as the industry’s most innovative event organizer in mountain biking. 2003 marks the 10th anniversary of 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ and the world’s largest 24-hour mountain bike event held at Hardwood Hills in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Returning as sponsors for 2003 are Mountain Bike Magazine, Hooked on the Outdoors, Platypus Flexible Hydration Systems, Nightpro Lighting Systems, Louis Garneau, Kenda Tires, Ellsworth Bicycles, Inc., Clif Bar, mtbr.com, Gatorade, Mavic, Therm-A-Rest, Hayes, Thomson, and Rudy Project. New series’ sponsor are Merrell, Solarc, CycleOps, Saris, and MasterLock.