Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher) overcame extreme conditions and confusion at the 12th Annual 24 Hours of Moab to win the men's solo division and the entire National Points Series sponsored by Granny Gear Productions. Lynda Wallenfels took the women's race.
According to local sources, a 105 year-old record for rainfall was broken by Friday before the race, and while the rain backed off to a drizzle for Saturday's race start, a torrential downpour resumed around 7 PM. The desert could not absorb so much water so quickly, so water ran everywhere, eroding the course so that lines differed from lap to lap.
Ross led four contenders at the end of lap one. At only eight seconds, Nick Martin (Trek/VW) followed. The two would stay within only 14 seconds for the next six-and-a-half hours.
Martin said, "My plan was to stick to Nat's wheel - to be that annoying pest behind Nat, but we're really good friends, and I made my intentions clear to him. Our first laps felt pretty comfortable. Nat was setting the pace the whole time and I was just respecting the fact that it was Nat's territory."
For a full race report, photos and as many results as we have from the 24 Hours of Moab, click here.
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