Balance Bar 24 Hour Adventure
Nike ACG/Balance Bar off to Winning Start
22.07.2004
Newly formed Team GoLite/Timberland took third place with a time of 16:13:14, passing Team Montrail while on the orienteering course. Rounding out the top five were Team Montrail, with a time of 16:20:09 and Team Epi/Sole Custom Footbeds arriving at 18:52:59.
It\'s always a tough race when competing against world-class teams like Seagate and Montrail, but we were able to build an early lead,\" stated Mike Kloser, Captain of Team Nike ACG/Balance Bar. \"Everyone stepped up along the way, which is important to our continued success. We\'re excited to take home the win again at Beaver Creek.\"
Teams began the race at 7 am Saturday morning at the State Bridge landing on the banks of the Colorado River. Dressed in full paddling gear and carrying their paddles, teams raced the eight-tenths of a mile downriver to the kayaks. Once in the boats, racers paddled in mostly Class 2 water before reaching the Catamount Recreation Area and transitioning to a trek.
Following the trek up and over Horse Mountain they switched to mountain biking and rode to the ropes section just off Highway 131. At the ropes, racers encountered the Tyrolean hanging some 200 feet across and 90 feet above Alkali Creek. They had to cross while pulling their mountain bikes along from behind!
Following the mountain bike leg with a cumulative elevation gain of 7,800 feet, teams reached the third transition area located at Beaver Creek. Here, they left their mountain bikes and took to their feet for the final leg of the race, Orienteering, which required teams to find nine points on the north and north eastern slopes of the mountain.
First place Coed Elite Nike ACG/Balance Bar earned $10,500 in prize money, while second place finishers Seagate return to New Zealand with $7,500. GoLite/Timberland took home $4,000, while Montrail earned $2000 and Team Epi/Sole $1000. In addition to prize money, teams also accumulated points toward the Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure Series Championship, to be awarded at the Series final in Los Angeles, Nov 20-21st.
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