Whitehorse, Part 2

Part of our trip to Whitehorse was to do the fabled 24-hours of Light Mountain Bike Race. The end of June = light all night! Well, it gets dim in the wee hours of the morning, but you don’t need bike lights.

This race is growing in popularity and attracts riders from across the country. Teams ride a 15km cross-country style loop, taking turns doing as many laps as they can within the 24 hours. There were a variety of teams – from 8-person to the crazy solo riders.

Our team: Anthony Jenny, Kenyon, Cam, Tanya. Our pal Anthony moved up to Whitehorse last fall, but he was recovering from a terrifying plane crash so his girlfriend Jenny took his place.

The thing about 24-hour races is that as the day wears on you get more and more fatigued ... and silly me kept thinking “oh I have tons of time to take photos later!” The result? Sleep became priority.

Thankfully Kenyon’s girlfriend, Mei, took photos and she’s sending them to us. So there will be proof!

Our team was strong – a lap took us each about 45-50 minutes. Of the ten 4-person teams, we were neck and neck with a team from BC for first place. 

The most frustrating part of the race? Slogging along the trail, aching from saddle sores, when some rider goes flying past you because he’s on an 8 person team and he’s fresh-as-a-buck. I can’t imagine what it was like for the solo riders. They all looked like zombies.

The best part of the race? We came in second! I know it’s not 1st, but when you’re up against an all-male team that had a massive RV and BBQ set up, 2^nd place is pretty darn good.

After staggering home to a big meal of potato salad and BBQ chicken wings (yay mom!), Dad took us for a spin on his own bike.

I love motorbikes!!

Cam was a bit nervous, can you tell?