September 3, 2003 (Whistler, BC, Canada) – This past weekend saw 167 excited athletes from nine countries gather under a cloudless Whistler, BC sky for the 5th annual 2003 World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin Championships. From the venue opening on August 28 to the final rider finishing at 12 pm August 31, the event was the largest gathering of world championship 24-hour solo riders ever and included participants from host country Canada, Norway, Austria, Germany, France, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and USA. Vying for a $20,000 US prize purse, competitors were treated to a challenging 14.2k course that snaked through the beautiful Rockies and tested rider mettle with a mix of very technical single track, long climbs and scenic fire road  descents.

Heading into the event, 3-time reigning champion Chris Eatough (USA) was well rested and was certainly the odds-on favorite to gather up his fourth championship in a row. Peaking specifically for the World  Solo 24 Hours of AdrenalinT event, he gives it top priority in his calendar. “This for me is the biggest event of the year and I've really built my career around it.” Renowned for their accuracy and precision, Eatough's pit crew was also well prepared to keep their champion in the lead and ensure that if Eatough could get out front early, they would be able to help him stay there throughout  the weekend. Eatough's task would not be a cakewalk by any means.

Standing between him and a fourth consecutive title was among others the 2003 24 Hours of Adrenalin US National Champion Tinker Juarez (USA)-coming off of a recent serious hip injury that left him with post-surgery pins inserted into his femur and the desire to make up for past second place World Solo Championship finishes. Also in Eatough's path to another championship and exuding a quiet air of pre-race confidence was Nat Ross (USA), 2002 World Solo  24 Hours of Adrenalin Championship 2nd place finisher Mark Hendershot (USA), up and comer Chad Oleson (USA) and Mathew Chynoweth (USA).

Much like the men, the Elite Women's title would be both a battle involving some of the best-known names in women's endurance racing  and also had the potential to be a back and forth contest that would not see a victor until the very end. With a background in single-speed racing, pre-race favorite Cristina Begy (USA) was pegged as the one to watch not only for her trademark hair braids and bar-end streamers, but also because of her sheer mountain biking talent and riding ability. Potential threats to Begy's quest for the crown would be sure to come from riders such as Michelle Grainger (USA), Marg Fedyna (Canada), Agnes Drogi (France), Katie Lindquist (USA) and Louise  Kobin (USA). With the race barely hours old it became very clear that Eatough was totally on his game as he completed three laps in 2:34:35 and quickly built a sizable lead over Juarez and the rest of the men's field. By 3pm Juarez was struggling after taking a number of spills – straining his recently healed hip and throwing into question his ability to continue in the race. Taking advantage of Juarez's stuggles, Ross, Swanson , Harlan Price and Hendershot battled for the top five behind Eatough while in the Elite women's race, Canadian Marg Fedyna jumped to a surprising early lead over Christina Begy. Louise Kobin and Katie Lindquist.

Through Saturday evening and into Sunday morning, Eatough took advantage of his superior pitting ability, Juarez's on-course struggles and inner-mental battles and held on to an almost full-lap lead over the rest of the field. Begy too was dominant in her riding and for much of the event maintained a 45 minute lead over her closest rival. And as 11:30am came up on the event clock and the Sunday morning  sun continued to smother the Whistler crowds, it was indeed clear that the 2003 World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin Elite Male and Female Champions would be Eatough and Begy, the two individuals that for the most part had led the pack from the outset.

Chris Eatough finished the championship weekend with a total of 22 laps completed in 23:40:04. In second place and coming back from as far back as 10th place was a resurgent Tinker Juarez, finishing 22 laps in 24:01:06. Third place in the Elite Men's category went to Nat Ross who completed 22 laps in 24:44:54. Cristina Begy took the Women's Elite title with 18  laps completed in 23:39:01. Second place went to Katie Lindquist who rode 18  laps in 24:18:36. Third place in the category went to Louise Kobin who finished 17 laps in 23:39:46.

When asked how it feels to ride a mountain bike for 24 hours straight, now 4-time World Solo 24 Hours of AdrenalinT Champion Eatough  perhaps said it best by stating: I am completely 100% exhausted… but I couldn't  be happier!” Look for Eatough to aim for championship #5 in 2004.