12 hours Dawn to Dusk in Gallup, NM Recap

A 12 hour desert race gave promise to 5 local cyclists to be able to hit the dirt and enjoy our
mountain bikes after one of the coldest and snow-filled winters we've seen in years. With little
to no time on the local trails until late March, this race required our skills from indoor trainers
and dodging snow and ice in our road rides.

And as the time neared, so were the worries that even Gallup hadn't escaped the wet winter. This race
was cancelled last year, as they experienced a warm and wonderful Friday afternoon only to be woken
to snow and ice falling at 3am. With such slush and ice along the trails the race was called off, leaving
racers to make the drive home without the joy of participating in the race. And it almost happened again.

Gallup, NM is a good 10 hour drive south of Fort Collins. That's a long drive for a race! Thursday and
Friday before the race were beautiful 60+ degree sunny days. The course that is 100% singletrack was
dry dusty earth, well trodden in recent weeks for racer pre-rides which gave a very fast course to ride on.

Saturday was the big day. With many waking by 4am to participate in their pre-race rituals, the morning
was brisk at 30 degrees and dark. After prepping tables and water bottles and eating an early morning breakfast,
racers headed out to the start. Shivering in the cold darkness, racers anxiously waited for the gun to get
their bodies moving and get warn again. The first lap was modified to a 5 miles slightly uphill perfect gravel/dirt
road before hitting the singletrack. With 240 racers lined up just past the cattle guards, there was worry
that maybe it wouldn't be enough to spread out the pack.

With a warnings at 10 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute to go, the gun fired and the surge began. Teams raced
a little harder with the solos finding a rhythm they could maintain for the duration. The pack quickly thinned.
At a turnoff towards the trail, we headed straight into the rising sun allowing a beautiful glow around the
silouhettes of the riders before us.

First lap on the trail was essentially a train of racers, some trying to pass when they could and congestion
occurring when someone didn't cleanly manipulate an obstacle.

The day promised sunny skies with temperatures reaching 70 degrees, and it did not disappoint! Most racers shed their gloves or other extra warm clothing items after their first lap, as the sun hit down and
raised the temperature dramatically.

The timing system was great, as there was no checking in - racers could ride right through and were wirelessly recorded
their lap completion time. This made it much faster to get going and continue on, though some solo riders may
argue for their rest period of checking in points.

Solos were lined up along the trail both before and after the lap finish line, which makes tracking placement of
riders throughout the race a little difficult as two racers who rode in together may have different completion times
if one stops at their pit before the recorder and one stops after. But it's really about the last lap completed anyway,
and this race required all racers to complete their laps by 7pm. Any rider coming in after 7 does not have that lap
counted in the race.

Fort Collins had a whopping 5 people represented in this race. Their results and divisions are listed below:

2nd   [Male Solo age 30-34] Matthew Perry

3rd    [Women's Solo]  Elizabeth Boese

4th [Men's Solo age 55+] Curt Amason

7th [Women's Solo] Eva Amason

16th  [Male Duo]  Matt Knox