On September 6, 2008, 192 cyclists took to the streets for the 4th annual Faster Mustache 24 Hour Urban Bicycle Relay. Saturday morning's cool fall air was thick with anticipation as teams from Atlanta, Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Knoxville, Seattle, and London set camp in the Johnny's parking lot and on all sides of the building, claiming their space for the next 24 hours. The atmosphere was soon chaotic as the last racers turned in their waivers and bikes were checked for mechanical precision before the maiden lap. A warning was called out over the mega phone: "All riders must wear a helmet or their lap doesn't count!". The rules were explained, the T-minus was given, and at 12:00pm Saturday the race began. Bikes poured out of the Johnny's parking lot with cheers of encouragement from the team members and onlookers standing by.
Saturday's hint of fall was soon overtaken by the hot sun and Atlanta's streets were on fire. Racers turned in lap after lap, sweat pouring from their helmets as they screamed into the parking lot upon completing a lap. Quick turnarounds at the check in/out table were key to shaving seconds and minutes off lap times, so racers anxiously awaited the arrival of their rider on the course. With no set route on the course, this was prime time to discuss strategy and perhaps overhear a golden nugget of information from a competitor. An ill timed traffic light or a steep hill could mean the difference between a fast lap and a record setting lap.
John "Twotone" Woodroof displays a perfect fixed gear dismount.
The competition was intense from the beginning. Returning champions, Squid 1 battled it out with Dreadnok, Juggernaut, Mooseknuckles, and the newly formed FM: Race from the very first lap and after 3 laps these teams were all close. Meanwhile, a rivalry was brewing in the solo category, as Mouhamed and Eddie made it known that neither one wanted to lose. In the women's team category, TNT was back from last year and better than ever, having recruited some of the fastest ladies in Atlanta. It was becoming apparent that the men's top 10 teams had another team to look out for.
Not every team was out to prove the power of their legs. Some wanted to prove the power of their liver. Great beer specials from Terrapin and Johnny's encouraged teams to sit back, relax, and have a pint. No one embodied this spirit like team Sloshy Squids. They had a great start with fast lap times from Jordy, Curt, and Ben, but things turned South when Sloan went out for his tour de checkpoints. When he reached the last checkpoint at Elliott St. Pub & Deli, the party was in full swing and he didn't want to be left out. So he got comfortable and took a well deserved break from the race.
Sloan takes a break.
This year we introduced specialized missions that the race teams had to accomplish in addition to riding laps around the city. "Off-duty agents" from each team were challenged with finding obscure spots around Atlanta, or competing in unconventional events to prove their skills. These missions were a chance for teams to get creative and have fun. Several teams were challenged to photograph themselves inside the elusive "corkscrew": TNT's Stacey accomplished it with sparkling results. Other missions found Team Hollywood Grill throwing an impromptu party at Trader Vics; The Gentlemen of Leisure and team Fleidermouse dusted off their French to take a tour of Atlanta's version of classical architecture; and Phantom Brigade found the best view of Atlanta's skyline. Corey of TCB Lightning Bolt showed off his fixed gear freestyle skills to win the NoBrakes skills comp, and Roby of the Rickshaw Union took everyone to school in the 4 am ghettodrome pursuit sprints.
Shawn returns from a night lap, RFID card ready for the handoff.
As the daylight went to sleep, Atlanta woke up. The top teams were churning out fast laps despite the heavy traffic, like Crenshaw's blistering 32:53 at midnight. FM:Race hunkered down and began doing double laps to offer some much needed rest to the team. East Atlanta transformed into a block party as patrons of Flat Iron Bar and nearby hangouts came out to see all the action. Elliott St. opened its doors and riders were greeted with ass slaps, cheering fans, and bourlesque dancers.
Durkie discusses strategy.
Most of the racers welcomed the onset of closing time and the inevitable decline in traffic. The city went to sleep but the race went on. Empty streets, cooler air, and generous green lights offered riders the opportunity to turn some fast lap times, if their tired legs allowed. By now, the heavy hitters had shown up and were ready to play. Leigh Valletti, Jeff "Hoppy" Hopkins, Bobby "Dixie" Costello, "Ricky Bobby" Fuqua, and "Nasty" Nate Sibly showed up for some late night-early morning burn fests, tearing it up with the fastest times of the race. This put the other contenders on the edge of their seats, recalculating strategies and planning critical sleep sessions to store energy for the following morning's fight. Many didn't realize that the top solo competitors, Eddie, Mouhamed, Mark, Emily, Amelia, and Lynn, were quitely pedalling all the time, never stopping for more than a water bottle change and a granola bar.
Mouhamed and Eddie battled it out all day and night.
Morning finally came and the sunrise was welcomed with thumping music, chirping birds, and a relatively tollerable sun. Nothing was decided during the night, so the fastest teams had to find out how to stay fast. TNT was battling it out with Gentlemen of Leisure for a covetted top 10 spot, Sloshy Squids was battling a hang over, and Dreadnok was split between fighting for 1st and defending 2nd place. Juggernaut, the longest running team in FM 24 Race History, was having its best year, and wanted to overtake Dreadnok.
Four races wouldn't be settled until the final laps: 1st place solo, 1st place team, 4th place team, and 10th place team. Mouhamed, having fasted for much of the race in observance of Ramadan, never stopped until 11:15 when he finally ended it. He and Eddie had each spun over 350 miles and the race was finally Eddie's. Squid 1 took 1st in the team category for the third year in a row, barely one lap ahead of Dreadnok, who managed to fend off the Juggernaut for 2nd place one last time. TNT managed to knock Gentlemen of Leisure out of the top 10 with Melissa's last lap cominig in at 11:45am. FM:Race, having done double duty racing and hosting, got their 4th place over Mooseknuckles, who ended up with the day's last lap. Blake made it in with 2 minutes to spare! Gabe and Gregg's team barely squeezed by to take first in the brand new duo category.
The scene was a mess of bikes and campsites.
Having completed 13,800 miles of city riding on the infamous streets of Atlanta, everyone was thirsty. Fortunately they were quenched by free beer from Terrapin served by Johnnys' gracious hosts. Prizes from CST Tires, Transit Bags, No Brakes Shop, Peachtree Bikes and Outback Bikes topped the list, along with a surprise donation from Faster CC Cycling Club. Winners were cloaked in custom Chuey Hats and winner's t-shirts designed by Krautstache Design. Some teams even took home cases of Terrapin beer! The top prize, a Dolan Kadet Track Frame and Fork provided by No Brakes and Faster Mustache, was raffled off among the winning teams. Craig "Durkie" Durkin went home with the frame and we will surely see him tearing it up at the track soon! No one was spared from winning something, as prizes from13 Roses, AVX, Dawn Smith, 55nine Performance, Spoon, Cosmos, Salon Modelo, P'Cheen, and more were raffled off. If the shear accomplishment of riding the gritty Atlanta streets wasn't reward enough, Faster Mustache made sure they had something to show for it.
