Mud and Tight Races Throughout the Weekend at the 13th Annual 24 Hours of Great Glen

Pinkham Notch, NH—Sum up the thirteenth annual 24 Hours of Great Glen in one word? Easy: MUD. Recent rains made the racecourse wet and slippery all weekend, even though not a drop of rain fell during the competition. As if on cue, the rains ended just before the start of the race on Saturday and resumed immediately after the conclusion on Sunday—wet bookends to a gorgeous weekend in Pinkham Notch that featured terrific performances in all divisions.

Despite the muddy and slippery conditions, 459 competitors took to the trails to compete for 24 consecutive hours in the premier 24-hour mountain bike race in New England. Competitors race as teams, made up of 2, 4 or 5 members or tackle the course solo. This year, 53 racers chose to ride on their own. Competitors raced around the clock for a total purse of more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. Not just a mountain bike race, the 24 Hours of Great Glen is a weekend-long event for the whole family featuring Festival 24, which is packed with contests and games for the whole family, including a cheese doodle toss and the 24 Minutes of Great Glen—a mountain bike race for the kids.

This year, the course was shortened slightly due to the recent rains. The final layout was just over 8 miles and featured technical single-track, steep drops and tricky corners. Its difficulty is compounded when riders tackle it in the dark as the race continues non-stop for the entire 24 Hours from noon to noon. However, the mud was truly the story of the course this year, as no one was able to avoid the mushy mess that only grew with each lap. Mud-splattered spandex was the attire of choice all weekend.

The mud didn’t dampen the race action, thought, as the action on the course was electric with some races not decided until the twenty-fourth hour. The overall all winner was the Men’s 4-person Pro Team, Cycle Loft, with 34 laps completed in 24:04:02. Completing 24 laps in 24:17:00, Sore Butt Speedy, a 4-person Expert Team was the top women’s team. The closest team competition was actually in the 4-person Men’s Beginner Category with two teams completing 23 laps. Team Ding Dong Ditch edged Team Butter by only 51 minutes, 24:02:07 to 24:53:36. Perhaps the most exciting team race was in the Mixed Pair division, one male/one female rider, in which Hari Kari battled closely with 50% Nuts throughout the night with the two teams often separated by just minutes. As the clocked neared noon, Hari Kari managed to pull away for a one-lap victory, 26 to 25.

On the solo side, Gregory Jancaitis was the overall winner turning an impressive 23 laps in 24:36:49. However, the most impressive solo performance of the weekend was turned in by sixteen year-old Ben Chase. Chase easily won the 18 and under Solo Men’s Division with 22 laps in 24:32:36, a total that placed him as the second solo rider overall. Jennifer Johnson was the top female solo rider completing a total of 14 laps in 24:25:24. The 24 Hours of Great Glen also features a Solo Single Speed Division in which racers select bicycles with only one gear, as opposed to traditional bicycles with multiple gears that allow for easier climbing and more efficient pedaling power. With 16 laps in 24:00:21, Abe Wrobleski was tops in this extremely challenging division.

Racers competed in 24 separate divisions for all ages and sexes from beginner to pro. And no matter what division in which they raced or order they finished, tackling the challenge of racing a mountain bike for 24 hours is an impressive accomplishment.

Complete results are available at www.24HoursOfGreatGlen.com.

The cycling events at Great Glen Trails continue this summer with the final 3 weeks of the Importech Summer Mountain Bike Series presented by Dakine still to come, and the racing will continue into the fall with the Porky Gulch Classic on November 8 & 9. The Porky Gulch Classic is a true test of all around cycling with three unique stages over two days. The first stage, The Toughest Two, is a two-mile hillclimb up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. The second stage, the Story Land Criterium, is a race through the popular amusement park. The race concludes on Sunday with the Rockpile Rampage, a cyclocross held at Great Glen Trails.