24 Hours of Iowa this Saturday, September 1!

Mon August 27 2007
Posted Aug 27, 2007
13,488

The forecast for this weekend is shaping up to be ideal for the 5th annual 24 Hours of Iowa mountain bike festival with sunny conditions and temps in the upper 70's to lower 80's. It doesn't get any better than that! Race director Kyle Sedore has set up camp at Seven Oaks Ski Area today (Monday), and plans to remain there all of this week to get the course prepped and in prime condition for this weekends festivities. I spoke with Kyle earlier today and he said the trails are in great shape and will be even better by this weekend. This year's race has expanded to include a 12 hour race, finishing at the stroke of Midnight on Saturday. Both races, the 24 (solo and team competition) and 12 hours, begin at noon on Saturday, September 1st - on Labor Day Weekend. Registration and check in begins at 8AM. A mandatory pre-race meeting will take place at 11:30. Festivities for racers, support crews and race fans will be offered throughout the afternoon and evening on Saturday, culminating with the midnight chairlift rides and a free spaghetti feast! CyclingUpdate.com will be posting updates of all the racing throughout the day - and on into Sunday - so fans can keep up with the action from home! However, you are not required to participate in order to enjoy the festivities so come on up Saturday night and join in on all of the fun! There will be a food stand open from 2 to 11 on Saturday and from 6 – 10 on Sunday. Free camping will be available throughout the weekend beginning Friday at 12pm. Fire wood will be available for purchase. Kyle Sedore - organizer of the race - anticipates a record number of racers, due to the addition of the 12 Hour event. Relay teams are welcome in both the 12 and 24 Hour races. This may mix up the results a bit, as some racers may opt for the 12 hour race, as well as new additions to the 24. The premier event - the Solo 24 - has had only 2 winners in the 4 editions of the race - Mr. 24, Jeff Kerkove (Ergon/ToPeak) took the 1st and 3rd events, while Dennis Grelk took it in years 2 and 4. 'Squirrel', Brian Pottorf of the Rassmusen's squad, is hoping his long-distance fitness has returned from a Spring injury while training for the Trans-Iowa V3 - to challenge Grelk, Kerkove -or any other crazy's that toe the line. Sedore is hoping a large cash purse for the Solo winner of $1,000 will attract some of the Midwest's best and make for an exciting race. A cash payout of $250 for the first 12 hour soloist is also up for grabs. There will be cash payouts for the top three finishers in all categories and payouts will be dependant upon the number of entries in each category. There will also be door prizes provided by our generous sponsors Rasmussen Bike Shop, Ergon, Bikeiowa.com, Boulevard Brewing, Toyota of Des Moines, Fitnesssports.com. Irwin's Bike Shop and Bike World! Questions? Contact Kyle Sedore at 515-238-3841 or Kyle Robinson at 515-270-8304. Hope to see everybody there! Cam Kirkpatrick President – IMBCS Urbandale, IA