SPOKANE, Wash. — Hundreds of mountain bikers will fill Riverside State Park Memorial Day weekend for the annual 24 Hours of Riverside race.
This if the fifth year for this iteration of the race.
Riders tackle a 14-mile loop for 24 hours straight. The rider or team with the most laps wins.
“It’s crazy, it’s competitive and it’s sleep deprived.” Said race organizer Patrick Bulger.
The atmosphere is a little different for this race. It’s not, show up, race and go home.
The old airfield in the park was filling up with trailers and r-v’s Friday morning. It’s a celebration of the cycling community where everyone comes together for a fun weekend.
“It’s family friendly. We’ve got a kid’s parade. Kids decorate up their bikes. We got various food trucks that come out and feed all the riders and all the spectators.” Said Bulger.
Being a 24-hour race means racers ride through the night, taking on the dirt, rocks and hills with bike and helmet mounted lights that hopefully have a full charge.
“We have a designated time that the lights have to be not only affixed to their bikes and helmets, but they have to be switched on usually about 7:30pm- 8:00pm, and they will use them all the way through the night and then they can switch them off, obviously, in the morning.” Said Bulger.
Riding through the night can present different problems for riders but for the most part, serious injuries are few and far between.
“I know we’ve had a couple over the bars in the middle of the night, things like that. But, you know, and maybe a broken collarbone here or there. But I knock on wood and hope that never happens,” said Bulger.
Teams switch riders on and off throughout the 24 hours. There are a few riders who take on the 24 hours along.
“I’ve got a couple friends who do it, and then they realize the mistake they’ve made,” said Bulger.
The race starts Saturday at noon and ends Sunday at noon.
For people who want to watch, you’ll need a Discover pass to park in the park. The race is at the 7-Mile end of the park.
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