FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 28, 2004
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendy Booher
wendy@wendybooher.com
617-308-2500

Largest Mountain Bike Race in the West Celebrates Ten Years
Tenth Annual 24 Hours of Moab Welcomes Back Over 4,500 mountain bike enthusiasts

MOAB, Utah (September 28, 2004) The official grand finale to the 24-hour race season begins October 15 when more than 4,500 dedicated mountain bike racers and thrill-seeking support crew descend on mountain biking's most revered destination in Moab, Utah, for a legendary celebration of cycling. The 24 Hours of Moab hosts an international field of racers who will compete for bragging rights and $63,000 in cash and prizes.

"It's hard to believe that it has been ten years," said Laird Knight, race promoter and creator of the 24-hour racing format that is taking the mountain bike world by storm. "Moab has been an incredible event right from the start. We've seen record attendance each year and this year it looks like we're going to fill our 500 team limit earlier than ever before. But the real measure of success for this event is how important it has become both socially and culturally. It is a real gathering-of-the-tribes."

Cyclists of all types who step up to the start line at noon on the 16th will spend the next 24 hours racing, eating or sleeping while their support crews race to keep bikes tuned, muscles massaged, stomachs fed, and insure that weary bodies are scheduled for precious sleep. The majority of 24-hour racers ride on relay teams of four or five people. The objective is to complete as many laps as possible on the 15-mile course from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. The course has a reputation as one of the longest, fastest, most challenging courses in the world. It is also one of the most scenic as it winds its way through the red-rock, high-desert, south of Moab. Three-time mountain bike world champion, Alison Sydor, remarked that, "This is the most exciting and most difficult race I've ever done," after winning a hard fought victory as part of the TREK/VW Coed Pro/Am team in 2002.

One-of-a-kind, ultra-endurance Pro/Solo racers arrive at 24 Hours of Moab to do battle against one of the largest and most elite fields in the world. Many solo racers best more than half the teams. Even more impressive than that, some will log as many as 17 laps, more than 250 miles and 18,700 feet of climbing on some of the most rugged terrain around!

The 10th Annual 24 Hours of Moab marks Keith Bontrager's fiftieth 24-hour race since 1994. The venerable pioneer of mountain biking (and designer of Lance Armstrong's winning wheels) turns 50 in December and, in a Darwinian effort to outpace his competition, Bontrager is in the best shape of his racing career and will likely prove a threat to racers half his age.

Granny Gear Productions' unprecedented, state-of-the-art, RealTime™ electronic scoring system uses radio frequency ID (RFID) cards and a satellite internet connection to broadcast real-time results on grannygear.com. Meanwhile back in at the race venue, a wireless network broadcasts the results to race participants. Racers eager to size up returning competitors can research previous years' lap times for each racer from each team for every race since 2001, visit: http://grannygear.com/Races/history _results.shtml.

Twenty-four hours and many memorable laps later, weary racers cross the Start/Finish line and log their team's final lap. Racers from fifteen different classes will climb the podium at the awards ceremony, which starts promptly at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Prizes up for grabs include Shimano 965 Wheelsets and NiteRider HID Storm lighting systems.

The largest mountain bike race west of the Mississippi, a weekend of world-class competition and fat tire camaraderie, and an opportunity to race on some of the most stunning terrain in the U.S. earns The 24 Hours of Moab its status as one of the most celebrated mountain bike races in the world. Supporting Sponsors include NiteRider Technical Lighting Systems, BIKE Magazine, VeloWear.com, and The American Lung Association. Contributing sponsors include Shimano USA and East-West Printing.

Granny Gear Productions, a sports marketing and event production company, has earned a reputation as the industry's most innovative and successful event organizer. With more than 22 years as a mountain bike race organizer, Granny Gear President and CEO, Laird Knight, created the 24-hour racing format in 1991. In 2001, Knight became West Virginia Tourism's Person-of-the-Year and in 2002, Knight was inducted into The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

For more information, visit: www.grannygear.com
For photographic material, press credentials, or to set up an
interview with racers from your area, call Wendy at 617-308-2500