The Gear Movement / Epic Pro Cycling Team(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
At the 24 hours of Old Pueblo(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
Watch out for the cacti!(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
A Gear Movement / Epic Pro Cycling Team racer(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
Time for some medical treatment(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
A beautiful sunrise at the 24 hours of Old Pueblo(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
The Gear Movement / Epic Pro Cycling Team raced Cannondale bikes(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
The Gear Movement / Epic Pro Cycling Team(Image credit: Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team)
The Gear Movement / Epic Pro cycling team won the 13th annual 24 hours in the Old Pueblo this past weekend in Arizona. The team overcame world-class competition from the Kona factory racing team to set a record breaking 23 laps in the four-man open category.
Bryan Alders, Jordan Williford, Sam Morrison and Chris Baddick comprised the winning Gear Movement / Epic Pro Cycling team while Barry Wicks, Kris Sneddon, Spencer Paxson and Sean Babcok made up the runner-up Kona Factory squad.
Alders took the first lap of the 16.1-mile cactus lined course, putting the team in contention behind Kona, before Baddick moved the team into a commanding position at the front of the race. As the evening progressed, the lead stretched to almost an hour. The team managed to avoid flats caused by the Cholla cacti that lined the course.
Williford, an experienced night rider and veteran of the Old Pueblo race, battled through mechanicals in the early hours of the morning and put Morrison on track to lap the Kona team by sunrise. Morrison said the sunrise gave him extra motivation. "As soon as the sun came up, I knew we would be able to lap second place. The daylight and warmth made the morning laps really enjoyable."
The women's four-person category was won by the Stan's NoTubes Elite Women's team including Sarah Kaufman, Sue Haywood, Jennifer Smith and Susan DeMattei. This year's race was dedicated to DeMattei.
