Damn...that stings...

One more sleep to race day down here in Tucson - awaiting the fiesta that is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo...Got my first taste of true desert riding yesterday with a pre ride on the 16.1mi course (thats about 25.76K for us Canucks...) and it is full on! Driving into 24 Hour Town takes about 30 mins give or take, once you head off the highway - up a dirt ranch road, deep into the cactus filled badlads - not a tree in sight over 6 ft. tall, and even they are rare. What is there, is a tonne of amazing cactus, and tiny spiky plants, and turtles, javelina, cows, mountain lions, and gilla monsters - way too cool.
By tomorrow, the patch of desert that was once vacant, will be a full on, raging, spinning, drooling, cheering mass of 24 hour devotees and their band of merry hooligans - 24 Hour Town has arrived! It was amazing to see, in the time it took to do a lap, how many RV's, dogs, kids, tents and riders were piling in - and still with two days to go - this is serious party...
This year, the course is fast, fast , fast - desert hardpack, some sand, flowing climbs and a little rock. Not a lot of technical, but enough that if you are sleepy at 3AM, and I will be, you can get tossed - the technical edge here will be to not lean too hard in the corners, as the course is a narrow...and I mean narrow...pathway between masses of very sharp cactus. Get switching too fast, and you are bound to get a legfull!! Yeehaw and ouch...that stings...My biggest worry is that the course is so fast, it's tempting to want to push it, and my legs are definitely not there yet!! This could be mentally taxing for sure - better pull out the deep thoughts to mull over for the wee hours cuz I'm gonna need the diversion...
Off to try another spin out there, then back to pack, arrange stuff, sort out fuel, and rest...tomorrow will come quickly :)