News - 6/19/2000

Racer's meet challenge at Snowshoe - Post-race Communique'
Jun. 19, 2000

Dear Toyota 24 Hours of Snowshoe Team Captains,

Congratulations to you and your teammates for the incredible effort put forth in this year's 24 Hours of Snowshoe. It was, inarguably, the most technical 24-hour race course that has ever been undertaken in the history of the sport.

I know that the course presented a major challenge for everyone who rode it, regardless of his or her race class. I know too that "riding it" may not best describe the experience for many of the teams. Walking or running your bike can be a valuable strategic technique but there's a point when too much time on two feet takes away from the fun of being on two wheels. It's clear that this point was reached for too many of the teams.

I greatly appreciate the good-natured sportsmanship that was displayed by so many of the teams, despite the course conditions. This was a tougher course than I would have wanted to put out there for everyone. My crew and I did everything that we could, with the time and resources that we had, to make the course safer and more rideable. If you'd never seen the course before, this last statement may leave you feeling incredulous but anyone who attended the trail maintenance weekend and saw the improvements between that weekend and the race weekend can attest to this.

Nevertheless, "Our Business is Fun!" and it's clear that we had to raise the bar a little too high. While I enjoyed the kudos from the truly endorphin addicted hard-cores who were begging for more, I knew, all the while, that we would have to make serious improvements to bring back the fun factor for 2001. And we will.

I'm meeting with the folks at Snowshoe to discuss next year. They are very pleased to have hosted us and I know that they're very excited to host the event next year. There are several points that must be addressed to make that happen. I'll list them here, so that you'll know in advance the improvements that we are planning. Also, if there's an improvement that you'd like to see that isn't listed here, let us know and we'll add it to the list. The planned dates for next year's event are June 9th and 10th (the second weekend in June).

The Course: Clearly the course will need major work (I'm talking serious trail building not just clearing and drainage work). Remember how sweet the entrance to Enchanted Forest was? It has been built-up with "crusher-run", a mixed aggregate crushed limestone that makes an excellent trail bed. It's the same treatment that we used on Idleman's Run on the old Canaan course after the infamous mud year in '95. It's a lot of work but once it's in place it stays put for many, many years. With Snowshoe's resources and our expertise we will be able to create a very rideable course that showcases the effectiveness of constructed singletrack trail beds. Also, I intend for this work to take place this summer so that by fall, folks will be able to pre-ride the course and see for themselves how rideable a course we have.

Parking: We need more of it. Snowshoe knows this. They need more parking for winter too. Plans are afoot to expand the parking at Silver Creek. Also, we'll have to police the folks who are illegally camping out in the parking lot. This space is too badly needed for teams shuttling their racers.

Shuttles: In order for the bus shuttles to be an effective means of reducing traffic, they have to be able to carry bikes, be frequent, reliable, and around-the-clock. Next year we'll have two shuttles (with bike trailers) that run for the duration of the race. This should make bus shuttle times not much longer than shuttling in your own vehicle.

Hot Showers: I had many complaints about the showers not staying hot. This was Snowshoe's department. I'm not sure what went wrong but I'll make sure they get it fixed.

Food: By all reports, it sounds like the variety of the food could be expanded. Feel free to make suggestions and I'll pass them on.

Don't hesitate to add your 2 cents, even on small stuff. We received many kudos on the organization of the event and much of our success in organizing the event has to do with the attention that we pay to suggestions that we get from our racers. Also, I'd like to thank all of the folks who when they do have suggestions or criticisms, make the effort to do so in a positive, constructive manner. It shows us how much class you have.

Big time Kudos to Snowshoe's EMS! Yes, as you might have imagined, there was an increase in EMS traffic as compared to Canaan, but the folks at Snowshoe's EMS weren't phased. (In the ski season they process more than 2,600 injuries!) Throughout the state, Snowshoe's EMS has a stellar reputation and with the excellent care that our injured racers received, they proved that it is a well-earned reputation, indeed. Many thanks, for a (24-hour) job well done.

If you missed your opportunity to pick up a jersey or T-shirt from the race and find yourself regretting that fact, we've got pretty good stock in sizes and colors. You can place an order through our "Granny Goods" online store or call us at (304) 259-5533. The Jerseys and shorts are available now. We'll have the T-shirts inventoried and up on the store by Friday (June 23rd).

Don't miss The Ultimate Free Ride Sweepstakes. You can win a free team entry in The 24 Hours of Tahoe and thousands of dollars worth of cool product from our participating sponsors to outfit your entire team. The total cash value is more than $10,000! Some lucky team is going to have the time of their lives. Remember that your chances of winning a sweepstakes like this are better than any state lottery you might buy a ticket for. That is, of course, if you enter. Check out the full-page ad in the August issue of BIKE Magazine or log-on to grannygear.com and follow the links to The Ultimate Free Ride Sweepstakes. Enter today. Don't miss your chance to win big!

In closing, my hat is off to each and every one of you, captains, teammates, support crews and cheering fans alike. What an incredible show it was. Thank you. You made it happen.

By the way, besides riding more than two times around the world, we went global via video as well. Reuters news service picked up a live feed of the LeMans style start and fed it to 12 countries in 11 different languages. Here in the U.S., Associated Press distributed photos to Newspapers nation-wide and video were picked up by major networks including NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliate stations as well as CNN. And, Check this out: ESPN's "play-of-the-day" on Sunday was footage of the two nuns (team S.L.O.W.) riding their tandem out onto the course. Hows about them apples?

Best regards to you and yours,

Laird Knight
President and Chief Instigator
Granny Gear Productions, Inc.