Although this July marked the 20th annual 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike race in Canmore, Sundre resident Jack Grimstead participated for his first time.
Although this July marked the 20th annual 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike race in Canmore, Sundre resident Jack Grimstead participated for his first time.
Despite the arduous challenge of mountain biking in tough conditions, the 18-year-old, who this year graduated from Sundre High School, expressed no regrets whatsoever.
After joining the Sundre Bike 'n' Ski Club, Grimstead said he heard fellow members discussing their positive past experiences with the event.
"I was excited to do it this year because of all of the fun they had last year," he told the Round Up during a phone interview.
So he joined the Scrambled Legs, a team captained by Barry McElhinney. However, two additional groups from Sundre, led by Ben Heffernan and Troy Fee, also registered for the mountain biking challenge.
"The race was awesome," said Grimstead.
"Everyone on the team was super supportive," he said, adding if anyone forgot an item, someone else offered his or her own.
While he enjoyed the race, getting through his first loop — teammates each take turns tackling a leg of the 24-hour event — proved to be a tough challenge. Aside from a demanding, energy-draining hill, he also ended up with a flat tire that set him back about 10 minutes.
"The whole course is fairly hardcore."
However, he acquired a second wind — although he admittedly was not sure from where — on his second and final run.
"The second loop didn't feel as bad."
The first of his team to go at about noon, his first 18-kilometre loop took about one hour and 40 minutes to complete, but he bounced back to finish his second stretch of the same loop in roughly one hour and 17 minutes. Although exhausted following the first leg, he said after completing the second that he felt as though he could have kept going for a couple more miles.
Grimstead started cycling last year after suffering a knee injury that limited what physical activities he could take part in.
"Biking was the easiest for my knee."
Aside from the physical aspect of the course, the weather also plays a big role in creating conditions that affect performance.
"The weather was perfect," he said.
"Last year, so I'm told, it poured rain so it was super muddy. This year was nice and dry so the track was reliable."
Although it was "definitely hot," most of the course was in the trees, which create shade and keep riders a bit more cool, especially as they move fast with the wind and breeze blowing past, he said.
"The conditions were perfect in my opinion."
As he plans to study engineering at the University of B.C.'s Kelowna campus in the coming year, Grimstead said that as much as he would like to return for another go, time and finances might not accommodate that desire.
But anyone else who might be thinking about registering for the race next year should consider the fact he or she is making a major commitment, not just to themselves but for the whole team as well.
"Know what you're getting into," he advised, adding that includes being prepared for the unpredictable — such as flat tires or rainy, muddy conditions.
"Be ready for everything, know what you're getting into and be prepared."
Sundre resident Paul Shippy, who was on Heffernan's team and has previous experience with the trek, said the event is "more of a competition with yourself than against other teams — trying to do the best you can in tough, adverse conditions."
The best a person can do is to try and reach his or her limits and to then push beyond them, said Shippy, who did an early morning loop.
"You don't generally go for a bike ride at 4 a.m.!" he said.
"That's why this event is so special. You get pushed into an unorthodox experience you'd never have otherwise" while along the way creating lifetime memories, he told the Round Up.
Visit www.24hoursofadrenalin.com for more information and to keep up to date with next year's event.
