Good luck to Cody and Dave – this should be a great show.

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Wandering Justin takes a lap at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. Photo by Tyrone Minton.

A few weeks ago, I raced in the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo as part of the duo team Lost Nuts. We finished in the middle of the pack, with having few mechanical problems being our only distinguishing feature. It was my first 24 hour event, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My partner, Harry, had a great question for me after the event. “So, what did you learn?” I rattled off a few things. But for this episode of Mountain Bike Monday, here’s my more considered list, in no particular order:

1. Pack meticulously, and don’t overlook food. I failed to bring some essentials that I used throughout my training: V-8 and coconut water, both of which are great for re-hydrating. I also, if you can believe this, forgot my freakin’ helmet. Fortunately, several local bike shops had set up camp there and I was able to score one on the cheap. A second helmet is going to be useful for riding at night more often. Which leads us to #2.

2. Ride at night lots before the race. That way, you won’t be a chicken like me. Night riding freaks me out, and I need to get used to it if I’m going to do this more often. Which I intend to.

3. Bring cash. You can score a lot of deals at a 24 hour race if it’s well supported. You can also get some much-needed real food. But bring twice what you think you’ll need. Few of the merchants take cards, and there’s no ATM close by.

4. Skip the Camelbak. Try riding triathlete-style instead … use a seatbag for tubes and tools, stash your food in a bento box and mount your pump on your frame. It’s very liberating, and you seriously don’t need 100 ounces of water per lap. Save the weight. I only used the Camelbak for my double set of laps, when I need to have my light batteries with me. Along the same lines, try using electrical tape to secure gel packages to your handlebars or stem. That allows your to tear them off one-handed, and prevents the torn top from falling onto the ground. Clever, eh?

5. Taking the first lap sucks. Most 24-hour races feature a Lemans start. So that means you have to run to your bike about a half-mile. Not a big deal (see a photo of me running). The thing that stinks is that the pack is really bunched at that point. So you’re having to get around super-slow people in tight singletrack, and super-fast people are trying their damndest to get past you. That can create some frustration, especially on a cactus-lined course like Old Pueblo.

Ready to roll to the start line.

6. Make sure it’s safe to pass. Too many people out there tried to pass in unsafe conditions. If it’s not safe for the passer and the passee, just don’t do it. It’s not worth putting yourself into a cactus or making someone else crash, okay? Most racers were good about this. But far from all. Far from all.

7. These races are a lot of fun. If you get in with the right sort of crowd (which I did), you’ll have fun. A 24-hour race is a bonding experience. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a kinship that develops among racers. Especially once you start recognizing each other.

8. Bring beer. It makes a great gift for the people manning the booths and the occasional volunteer. New Belgium 2 Below was my offering, and it was a hit.

9. Endurolyte and salt tabs can save you. Electrolytes are what mountain bikers crave. When we don’t have them, we cramp. These can prevent cramps.

10. Keep your sense of humor. Even when the prospects are grim, smile through it. Some false courage and plucky bravado can turn into a huge benefit.

11. Breathe Through Pain. On my third lap, I was suffering. I didn’t have enough electrolytes in me, and I could barely apply any torque to my legs. Then I remembered some wisdom from yoga class and the Brad Warner book Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies & the Truth about Reality. First, concentrate on breathing. Second, (in a nutshell) accept pain as the status quo. Don’t think about it getting any better, and just embrace where you are. Doing these things helped me get through the rest of the lap and restored some leg power.

Got a question or idea for Mountain Bike Monday? Shoot it over to me at wandering.justins@gmail.com!

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1. In epic mountain bike racing, we don’t explain things. So if you don’t understand why someone wants to do this, I can’t explain it to you.

2. The race is open to a number of categories based on number of riders, gender, combined age and even whether your bike has more than one gear. And yes, there are solo and co-ed categories!

3. The idea is to do as many laps as possible from noon one day until noon the next. Now, let’s say you’re coming through the finish area at 11:55. You dawdle a bit, and the next team in your class whizzes by and sends a rider for another lap. Well, if you send another rider, you’ll have the same number of laps. Your rank will be determined by who gets back fastest. So pedal faster, or you’ll hear banjos!

4. Yes, some people stay awake the entire time in the solo class. And they’re still obscenely fast. See Tinker Juarez. And Tinker is no spring chicken. Bow before him, and recognize consummate coolness, professionalism and old-timey good mountain biker vibes.

5. The Old Pueblo course is stupendously fast. No epic climbs, and huge sections of largely straight jeep road.

6. There’s also a lot of twisty singletrack, tons of cactuses and some sneakily placed ditches and ruts.

7. There are lots of cool people racing and supporting the racers. I rode with James (a solo class racer) and his pal, Mike. They were both super-awesome and helpful in showing me around the not-quite-marked course.

8. Watch for bovines. That’s cattle, to the layperson.

So what class am I? Well, I signed up with a friend for the Men’s Duo Class, but he’s come down with tonsillitis. So I’m essentially racing solo in the duo class. He’ll probably take a lap or two, but I’ll be pulling some long stretches.

A Note on Kona: If you’re not familiar with Kona, it is a very sweet mid-sized bike manufacturer. It produces solid bikes for a wide range of disciplines. The company tests its products quite a bit in the northeast U.S. and British Columbia, ensuring that its products are all sorts of tough. Kona is unfortunately overshadowed by all the big companies - their bikes are just as good, if not better. Kudos to Kona for sponsoring this race – for Kona, it’s not just about advertising: It’s about being part of the cycling community and making it better and more accessible. I truly dig Kona’s stuff and recommend its products, even though I don’t own one (but Sarah’s first mountain bike was a very capable Kona Cinder Cone hardtail, and I worked at a Kona dealer).

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That brilliant line of thought led me to Sumits Yoga in Phoenix, at 20th Street and Camelback. They have a “Two Weeks for $20″ deal, so I showed up, yoga mat in hand, and signed up. Here’s what you need to know about Sumits Yoga.

1. It’s a hot yoga class. The temperature is about 105 degrees. Show up with very cold water, and maybe even a sports drink. I have a 32-ounce H2O bottle and a 10-ounce bottle of Cytomax half-frozen, and topped off with their respective liquids.

2. Dress right. I find Under Armour HeatGear shirts work really well. I think they’re actually a little cooler than just going shirtless, which I also tried. They’re also fitted so they don’t get in the way. Not really happy with my pants situation. But I should probably keep wearing them, ha! the problem is that there are certain poses where I have to brace a foot against my leg, and the incredible gusher of sweat makes me slide all over.

3. Bring towels. The studio sells these fairly pricey towels that keep you from slipping on the mat. I like them a lot. But I also have a regular towel to mop the sweat off myself.

4. All the instructors are excellent. Four classes so far, and each instructor has been knowledgeable and likeable. That helps! I’ve picked up different helpful bits from each of them. They offer individual advice and are generally pretty easy to understand. Any miscommunication is probably down to the fact that I’ve been sweating like crazy, I’m low on electrolytes, and I’m having hallucinations of a giant ham floating in front of me.

5. The first class is going to work you into the ground. Don’t feel bad about going into child’s pose to recover. I promise, it will get better in a hurry. I’ve practice various types of yoga for nearly 10 years (in stops and starts, naturally). And my first class took me apart. It wasn’t even pretty.

6. The classes are based on a system. Except for some minor variations, each class is pretty much the same. You don’t need to do a zillion poses. The system seems to use a fairly small number of poses, but the heat and the pace between each pose is what adds the more challenging element. It doesn’t seem to take long to see some results. My back problem is gone gone gone, and I’m just feeling better in general.

7. There’s only one thing I’d change about the classes: Less music, and definitely no pop music (especially U2, the most hackneyed, trying-to-be-deep-and-worldly collection of instrument-toting charlatans on the planet). Music with lyrics and a steady beat totally runs counter to my ability to follow my own breathing pattern. They also need to turn it down a few decibels so the students can hear the instructions better. It also runs counter to the idea that you should be focusing on your practice – when one of the classes had a Journey tune, I thought “Hey, my drummer would love this!” I shouldn’t be thinking that. Music is, overall, just a distraction that doesn’t really add anything.

8. It’s not cheap. After the two weeks are up, per-class prices run anywhere from $15 to $12 per class. Is it worth it? Yeah, I really think it is. Find other places to save a few bucks – I’m convinced there’s something to the Sumits Yoga concept. It’s worth throwing some extra clams at your health.

9. They have showers. Seriously, you’ll need one after class.

There you have it. I’d have to give Sumits Yoga an A-, with the minus coming from the music. It’s neck-and-neck with my other favorite studio, the unpretentious, high-quality Metta Community Yoga. I also like A Desert Song quite a bit, and they have some really unbelievable instructors (if it wasn’t for Meg and Heidi, I probably never would’ve done a head stand, much less a handstand – still not great at those, but not as bad as before). Unfortunately, their classes are really crowded.

Sumit definitely has a good thing going. I plan to keep going. I won’t be able to go the recommended five times a week – I am still, after all, deep into my other recreational pursuits and there are only so many hours in each day. But I’d bet a session there a week, plus my own individual practice, will do me some good.

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