Birthplace of Ginger Rogers, Independence, Missouri, just east of Kansas City, will play host to a different kind of foot-stomping entertainment on September 16th-17th, 2006. The 24 Hours of Landahl will convene mountain bike racers from all over the Midwest to compete on Landahl Park. The regional mountain-bike park in the Jackson County, Missouri park system offers a race venue unparalleled in access, design, variety, and flow.
"Landahl Park mainly consists of hard-packed single-track with several limestone rock outcropping formations," explained local mountain bike racer Danny Hooks, "'babyhead' rocks to actual spots where limestone walls are 6-8 feet high - where you'll be riding right between them provide just enough variance without disrupting the best thing about Landahl - its flow."
With the signature LeMans-style start at noon on September 16th, racers will spend the next 24 hours riding, resting, refuelling or strategising as they devise new ways to beat the competition. With Granny Gear Productions' reputation for producing first-rate events, the 24 Hours of Landahl expects to attract racers from as far away as Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Des Moines, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Nashville. Even Rocky Mountain racers from the Denver/Boulder area are within striking distance of the 24 Hours of Landahl.
Local support for the 24 Hours of Landahl has been overwhelming. The event will be the first of its kind to take place in the Midwest. 2005 24-hour US National Champion, Cameron Chambers, said there is no way he would miss the 24 Hours of Landahl, especially since he's raced at Landahl more times than anywhere else in his career and it's not far from his Kansas home.
"This race is huge because with all other races, I pre-ride the course but I still don't know what the trail is like at race speed," Chambers said. "With Landahl, I have the advantage of knowing what the course is like during a race. Plus, the trails are laid out superbly; the locals in Kansas City have put a lot of work into Landahl and can take a lot of pride in their trails."
For more information, visit www.grannygear.com.
