By: Lindsey Stebbins
24 hours. 1, 440 minutes. 86,400 seconds. These are numbers that have going through my head since June 15, 2014. They represent the time of a single event which I have been spectating, crewing, cheerleading for since the late 90’s. It is the National 24 Hour Challenge and 2015 represents the year I come off the sidelines and participate myself.
How did I come up with this crazy idea to participate? Well, some of you may know Dave Stebbins. He is my father and also to blame for the craziness I am about to partake in.
The National 24 Hour Challenge is a cycling event where participants see how many miles they can ride over a 24-hour time span. My first experience with this event was in elementary school when my mom, sister and I went down to cheer on my dad. I was a little baffled because for me, at that age, biking was all about fun, so why did some of these people look miserable? Fast forward to my middle school years where I started to pit crew for my dad and it started to make more sense…people really ride their bikes for hours on end in circles (long, scenic circles, but, circles none the less). Through my many years of pit crewing, the event continued to fascinate me. I’ve watched and admired as thousands of people tested their mental and physical capacities.The commitment, determination, strength (mental and physical) and passion have captivated me for years. So,while there is no shock that an event that has me so transfixed would eventually call to me, there are a few concrete reasons that finally pushed me from professional spectator/pit crew extraordinaire to participant:
Age: Every year before the 24-hour, and a week or so after, I say “Maybe one year I will do this.” This has evolved a little over the past few years to “I’ll do it before I’m 30.” Long story short, I’m 28 and time is running out. I will squeeze the event in just before my 29th birthday. 1 year in advance (pretty good for a chronic procrastinator)! Time will tell if this is a one and done deal or if I continue to torture myself like my dad, and Team OAM Now teammates Glenn Dik, and Laura Melendez.
My Dad: I have been crewing for my dad since middle school. What does this include? Driving around to the checkpoints on the first loop (125ish miles); keeping track of mileage (mistakes happen), providing comic relief and motivation; handing off bottles, nutrition and other essentials; keeping track of nutrition intake/expenditure to make sure we can do everything in our power to avoid “bonking”; and keeping myself awake for 24 hours. Dad/Dave won the overall event in 2005 and has placed second 4 times (2000, 2003, 2006, and 2013).
There is a lot I admire about my dad and this event, but to keep it short, I’m going with my favorite: He keeps things interesting and DOES NOT QUIT! This event has a ton of ups and downs and through it all he is able to pull himself back around and keep riding. As far as keeping things interesting, he has incredible passion and drive for whatever he does and that translates into fantastic stories!
Glenn Dik: Glenn is a legend when it comes to the 24-Hour. He has participated 23 times! He has ridden over 300 miles 17 times, racking up a total of 7,445.1 miles! Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe m
y admiration for Glenn and his commitment to come back year after year after year.
What I really admire in Glenn is his constant calm and appreciation through the 24 hours. He is truly a pleasure to be around the entire time!
Laura Melendez: She is true joy to watch during the 24-hour. She is always happy and thankful towards everyone. Laura has always put up some impressive mileage in her 6 years of participating. Most of those years she has logged over 300 miles. What I admire about Laura is her happiness throughout the event. Laura, you give me hope!
So, thank you Dad, Glenn, and Laura for inspiring me to participate in what I consider craziness. I received my official registration letter, so there is no turning back! I’ll be sure to follow this up with a race recap.
