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While the rest of Europe was dealing a heatwave, the UK was into its third month of almost constant rain and under grey skies, the Trek UK team began to set up the domes for Bontrager Twentyfour12 to be run over the wekend of 14th/15th of July. It didn't look good for the weekend, mud was on everyone's mind.
Saturday the 14th dawned bright and clear and as the race set off at 12 noon, the course was dry(ish), and pretty fast. The sun was with us all day and the sunset was as spectacular as the racing. Almost 1000 riders had entered to test themselves against what is arguably the most technical course in endurance racing. And that's in the dry. Come 12 midnight, the 12 hour racers had done their time and settled in for a night of partying or spectating, or both.
But Widow Weather had a nasty trick waiting. As the clock struck 2am, the rain started with a vengeance and didn't let up again until Wednesday! The mud was everywhere but the course was still mostly rideable; even though your bike may have weighed a tonne, most sections would still let you get through.
At the end of the 24 hour race, the riders had endured a great hardship yet most come over the line with a smile still on their faces. One rider came up to Keith Bontrager at the line and explained that this was his first ever race and he'd enjoyed every second of it. He'd also be back next year. This was a common theme in the forum traffic after the event. Maybe it was the sense of comeraderie that the pre-race briefing instilled in the competitors, or maybe suffering the common hardship of the mud made allies of competing individuals, or maybe people were just having a good time on their bikes on a course designed to be testing. You decide.
Twentyfour12 will be back next year, with or without the mud. And it will still be a great time.
