10/19/2006 Team
This past weekend was the Granny Gear series season finale in Moab, UT. Typically, 24 Hours of Moab is a fast, dusty course with lots of climbing. This year it was washed out with a storm that topped a 105-year old record for rainfall.
Subaru-Gary Fisher endurance racer Nat Ross entered the Moab series finale contending for the overall Granny Gear championship. After wins at Temecula and Landahl, Nat needed a top finish at Moab to clinch the overall title.
The Friday before the race saw torrential rain, but by the start on Saturday the rain had slowed to a drizzle. True to Nats form, he led out fast. He led the entire field after lap one. Nick Martin (Trek/VW) was only 8 seconds behind on that first lap. The two would push the pace of the race early on.
After about five hours of racing the rains returned in earnest. The downpour was washing out entire sections of course and carrying away boulders. Nat and the rest of the field were forced to pick new lines each lap as the course changed with all the rain runoff. In addition, the wet sand was clinging to the bikes causing mechanical issues for all the racers. Sand clung to chains, cassettes, and brake pads. Nat was forced to change brake pads every other lap.
Meanwhile, Josh Tostado (Giant) had closed the gap on Nat and Nick Martin. As evening set in and with the rain coming down hard, leaders Nat Ross and Nick Martin pitted to regroup. With the course getting dangerous, it was uncertain if the race was going to be halted or if the racers needed to dig in for a night of wet, treacherous riding. Nat and the crew had to plan to ride through the night. So in the pits, Nat shoveled in food and changed into dry clothes. His pit crew kept an eye out for Nick Martin and Josh Tostado so as not to let either build a gap on Nat.
Then things got confusing. Someone in the pits saw what looked like Nick Martin heading out on the trail. In fact, it wasnt. Nick was still at his camp. Still, Nat scampered out chasing the racer he assumed was Nick. However, once on the trail, he didnt find Nick, but instead found a numberless racer that looked like Josh Tostado. Nat trailed this mystery rider for much of the lap. When he pulled up on the rider it was indeed Tostado. Nat pulled it together, passed Tostado and kept charging through the driving rain looking for Nick Martin.
When Nat finished his lap shortly after 8:00 in the evening he was pulled off the course by race officials. The course had become too dangerous so they were stopping the race. At that point, Nat was leading the soloists. He had passed Josh Tostado and was well ahead of the other soloists. So after 6 laps in sketchy conditions, Nat Ross collected his third Granny Gear 24-hour first place and also grabbed the overall 2006 series title.
Now Nat will and start racing some cyclecross events and take some well-deserved time off. Congratulations Nat on a consistently great season.
Nat Ross is the 24 Hour Series Champion
It was a tough year to be a 24-hour racer. Usually epic is used to describe the ride, but in 2006 it was better suited to describe the weather conditions.This past weekend was the Granny Gear series season finale in Moab, UT. Typically, 24 Hours of Moab is a fast, dusty course with lots of climbing. This year it was washed out with a storm that topped a 105-year old record for rainfall.
Subaru-Gary Fisher endurance racer Nat Ross entered the Moab series finale contending for the overall Granny Gear championship. After wins at Temecula and Landahl, Nat needed a top finish at Moab to clinch the overall title.
The Friday before the race saw torrential rain, but by the start on Saturday the rain had slowed to a drizzle. True to Nats form, he led out fast. He led the entire field after lap one. Nick Martin (Trek/VW) was only 8 seconds behind on that first lap. The two would push the pace of the race early on.
After about five hours of racing the rains returned in earnest. The downpour was washing out entire sections of course and carrying away boulders. Nat and the rest of the field were forced to pick new lines each lap as the course changed with all the rain runoff. In addition, the wet sand was clinging to the bikes causing mechanical issues for all the racers. Sand clung to chains, cassettes, and brake pads. Nat was forced to change brake pads every other lap.
Meanwhile, Josh Tostado (Giant) had closed the gap on Nat and Nick Martin. As evening set in and with the rain coming down hard, leaders Nat Ross and Nick Martin pitted to regroup. With the course getting dangerous, it was uncertain if the race was going to be halted or if the racers needed to dig in for a night of wet, treacherous riding. Nat and the crew had to plan to ride through the night. So in the pits, Nat shoveled in food and changed into dry clothes. His pit crew kept an eye out for Nick Martin and Josh Tostado so as not to let either build a gap on Nat.
Then things got confusing. Someone in the pits saw what looked like Nick Martin heading out on the trail. In fact, it wasnt. Nick was still at his camp. Still, Nat scampered out chasing the racer he assumed was Nick. However, once on the trail, he didnt find Nick, but instead found a numberless racer that looked like Josh Tostado. Nat trailed this mystery rider for much of the lap. When he pulled up on the rider it was indeed Tostado. Nat pulled it together, passed Tostado and kept charging through the driving rain looking for Nick Martin.
When Nat finished his lap shortly after 8:00 in the evening he was pulled off the course by race officials. The course had become too dangerous so they were stopping the race. At that point, Nat was leading the soloists. He had passed Josh Tostado and was well ahead of the other soloists. So after 6 laps in sketchy conditions, Nat Ross collected his third Granny Gear 24-hour first place and also grabbed the overall 2006 series title.
Now Nat will and start racing some cyclecross events and take some well-deserved time off. Congratulations Nat on a consistently great season.
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