Ever wondered how far you could pedal in 12 or 24 hours? Here’s a new opportunity to amuse your muscular mitochondria with 12 non-stop hours of pedaling. Or, if that’s not enough, add sleep deprivation and see how far you can go in 24 hours.
Glenn Johnson of the Vancouver (WA) Bike Club has just announced the 1st annual Lewis and Clark Ultra 12/24 (aka LaCultra), which will be held on May 24-25.
Although Glenn is relatively new to bicycle racing, he is off to an impressive start. Glenn’s idea of “new to bicycle racing” was to immediately jump into the deep end of the swimming pool: Glenn’s first bicycle race was the 2006 Race Across Oregon (RAO). His first effort was as part of a two-man team, but his partner abandoned in Prineville and he soloed the final 130 miles. Impressive.
In 2007 Glenn soloed the RAO, finished second overall, was the first rookie, earned Rookie of the Year status, and qualified for RAAM (Race Across America).
Glenn has also twice competed in the Ring of Fire Time Trial. Glenn planned to race the Davis 12 & 24 Hour Challenge last year, but had to withdraw due to illness.
Glenn’s endurance objectives this season include undisclosed brevet(s), the Deschutes River Valley Time Trial (read Martha Walsh’s account of the 2007 DRVTT), LaCultra, a 2-man RAO (Glenn’s looking for a partner!), the Ring of Fire, and to top things off, the Furnace Creek 508 (as in 508 miles!)
Glenn is sponsored by Powerbar, which will likely sponsor the LaCultra.
Glenn says 12/24 hour Time Trials are in short supply in the west (um, I wonder why…) and wants to establish a bigger menu for regional endurance cyclists. He says: “There just aren’t very many to choose from and even less in the west. The Ring of Fire is the only one nearby.”
Course Details:
The first loop begins in Vancouver, WA, heads east to the Wind River Hwy, up the modest climb of Old Man Pass drops down to the Swift Reservoir, then back to the start for a total of 144 miles. The remainder of the race (either 12 or 24 hours) continues on a short loop of approximately 10 miles over flat and rolling terrain.
The registration form is not yet posted. In the meantime, please email Glenn via the LaCultra website for more information.
If the kind of race is outside the scope of your cycling objectives, but you’d like to support the competitors, Glenn is looking for volunteers to help organize and run the event.
