The unofficial start to the US MTB season rolled out of the desert this weekend with a couple of special guests as Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie took part in the 19th annual `24 Hours in the Old Pueblo` relay race outside of Tuscon, Arizona. Epic Rides` 24-hour event began the mountain biking season with over 4,000 people camping at the race north of Tucson. This year the 2,000 spots for racers sold out in just seven hours. It remains the largest 24-hour mountain biking event in the US and certainly one of the largest in the world. Former pros Armstrong and Hincapie planned to join Christian Vande Velde and Dylan Casey in the four-person Menīs Open, but Vande Velde fell ill before the event and was replaced by triathlete Julia Polloreno.ADVERTISEMENT `It`s a killer vibe, really, not like anything else I`ve done before,` Armstrong said when asked about the event. `We rode yesterday and the weather was pouring rain, cold and miserable. Now because of the rain the course is perfect.` Armstrong is banned from officially sanctioned events, so the relaxed atmosphere and community at the Epic Rides 24-hour mountain bike race was a perfect fit for him and his crew. When asked about the Wedo Team strategy this year, Armstrong didn`t hesitate: `We`re going slow, having fun, and drinking.` Having said that, Hincapie, who is expected to race at Cape Epic again this year, consistently recorded some of the fastest laps on the course, finishing two of his three laps in less than an hour each. The team eventually finished in the bottom half of the category.
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