August 17, 2003 (Barrie, ON) – On the eve of the 10th Anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Adrenalin, the situation looked grim. The power had been on again off again for two days as rolling black outs continued to plague Barrie due to the massive power outages that hit all of Ontario and the Northeast. Not to mention the forecast of thunderstorms all weekend long. But not even there trying circumstances were enough to stop the weekend party at Hardwood Hills, as 2,500 riders and 6,000 spectators made their way from their darkened homes to join the ultimate outdoor weekend, better known as the 24 Hours of Adrenalin presented by Jeep.
And present they did, as their was no way that Jeep was going to let the obvious trying circumstances stop this party from happening. “We were here to support the event and all the competitors that made it out here this weekend. They made it out and so did we to support them under the circumstances,” said one of Jeep's on-site representatives. And they brought with them their fleet of 2003 Jeep vehicles, their Jeep prize packs and loads of swag that they gave away all weekend long.
All the action got under way at noon on Saturday as riders lined up for the Merrell LeMans Start, a heart-pounding running-style start that's always guaranteed to energize the crowd. Before mounting their bikes and heading out on the 21km course, the one chosen (or appointed) team member braved the lung-busting 1km run, in quest of a new pair of Merrell Reflex trail running shoes. The lucky and well-deserved male and female winners of the run were none other than Aaron Coutts from team Numb n' Number and Kristen Johnson from team M.A.J.I.K. respectively.
The team relay was in full effect by mid-afternoon, as battles started to develop in several categories. By 4 o'clock, just 5-minutes separated 1st and 3rd place in the 4-person Category. The situation was the same in the Corporate Category, as Hardwood Hills Devo had jumped out to an early but slim lead. As the heat and humidity started to take its toll on riders, hydration became even more paramount. That's why the SISU Hydrade tent was jam packed, as riders lined up to sample the new flavour, Glacier Berry, and replenish their electrolytes at the same time. Hydrade was also available at the course's four checkpoints which kept it in high demand.
Two of the Adrenalin series' U.S. sponsors were also a massively welcome addition to the weekend. Mavic rolled into town with their rig and provided neutral tech support to all riders. They also graciously awarded several sets of Speed City Wheels throughout the weekend, going out to the male and female who had the fastest overall lap time at the event. The well-deserved winners were Mike Simonson from abikes.com and Carrie Alexander from the Wogmonsters, who turned in lap times of 59:37 and 1:15 respectively. A third set of Speed City's were also available via a raffle that all event participants were eligible for. Saris and CycleOps also made the trip for the weekend and brought their Warm-up Area with them, allowing riders to get primed for their lap on a Fluid 2 trainer. The CycleOn Hitch Rack demos and prizes were also a hit among all competitors. Their presence at the event was much appreciated by all competitors.
As the afternoon sun disappeared and dusk hit, it didn't put a damper on anyone's spirits. In fact that's when the party really got started. It all kicked off with the ATI Movie Night. As well as demo-ing their new All in Wonder graphics cards all day, the folks from ATI also spent the afternoon gathering video footage of the start of day's race, course riding and of the Tetra Pak 24 Minutes of Adrenalin kid's event. They put it all together into an 8-minute video montage which kicked off the evening's activities. Add a little popcorn and a surprise fireworks display and it was a perfect evening.
And out on the course things remained perfect as well as riders had their paths lit by their Nightpro lighting systems. Some were even powered by the new Solarc HID technology. With the proper illumination, it's no wonder why everyone was so elated about the Master Lock Tough Under Fire Award, going out to the male and female with the fastest night laps. Four winners went home with the prize: Eric Batty, Mireille Maturiny, Darrell Heaps, and Carrie Alexander.
The Sunday morning sunrise signaled that just a few hours remained in the 24 hours of mayhem. The battles in the solo category continued to rage on as just a few minutes separated 1st and 2nd place. But down the stretch it was Gary Hudson who held on for the win, with an impressive 15 laps. Following him were David Stowe and Kenneth Waring.
The race came to a close with the Swag-off at the finish line, which kicked-off with the Platypus Suck-a-Thon – a fun contest for 10 volunteers that truly showed-off the abilities of Platypus' hydration products. Other prizes given away at the Swag-off included Rudy Project sunglasses, Sock-guy socks, and Explore prize packs. And tons more draw prizing was given away at the Awards Ceremony, including Hayes Disk Brakes, and Thomson Seat Posts and Stems. Not to mention the prizing that went out to all category winners: custom Louis Garneau winner's jerseys for first place, Platypus Megawatt Hydration Packs for second place and Kenda Klaw XT tires with a glow-in-the-dark 24 Hours of Adrenalin patch for third.
Based in Markham, Ontario, 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike events are held in a growing number of excellent locations in Canada and the United States and attract tens of thousands of participants and spectators alike. Participants are primarily known not as mountain bike racers, but as outdoor enthusiasts and weekend warriors who enjoy both the social aspect and the often fierce competitive environment that the 24 Hours of Adrenalin events provide.