MY 24 HOURS OF GLEN HELEN |
24 hours of riding? That?s about a billion motos (more like 72 motos at 20-minutes apiece). If I?m hazy headed, tongue hanging in the spokes tired after just two motos, how was I going to be able to pull my weight during the endurance race? It was an easy solution, if you really want to know the truth. I?d like to beat my chest and announce my manhood. I?d like to tell you how tough and grizzly I was, but it?s not the case. Let me just say that the 24-Hour race for me wasn?t about how fast or slow I rode, but instead whose team I was on. When the checkered flag had finally flown at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, it turned out that I was on the best team. The biggest pre-race news was that Travis Pastrana was fielding a team. The kid who dabbles in anything having to do with two or four wheels, TP wanted to give the 24-Hour race a shot. He shouldn?t have. Instead of completing 24 hours, he finished about 24 minutes before smashing himself to bits. However, instead of Team199 forfeiting the race, teammates Brian Deegan, Ryan Morais, and Gregg Godfrey soldiered on without their star rider. Despite their best efforts, the team finished outside the top three. As the clock struck 10:00 a.m. Sunday I was relieved, happy, and disappointed at the same time. Relieved that I hadn?t broken any bones or died during the race. Happy that the team won and pulled together. Disappointed because I didn?t do as well as I wanted to. Looking back I?m glad that I competed, I enjoyed the experience, and I had a great time with my teammates. The 24-Hour race isn?t for the faint of heart. I did prove to myself that maybe I?m not the pre-pubescent teenaged sissy I thought I was. I can already see it now…”When I was your age I raced 24 hours straight (even though I didn?t), logged lap times just as fast as the pro?s (even though I didn?t), and was part of a winning team (the only actual truth).” |
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