October 3, 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, RealTimeT
electronic scoring system uses radio frequency ID (RFID) cards and a
satellite internet connection to broadcast real-time results on
<http://grannygear.com/>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.