Rebecca's new adventure

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By Sue George

When Rebecca Rusch lost her sponsor for her adventure racing team late in 2005, she had no idea her next career would be in endurance mountain biking. In 2006, she finished second at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin World Solo Championships in Conyers, Georgia. In 2007, at Laguna Seca she won her first title.

Coming from adventure racing, 24 hour races are a whole different kind of experience. "The intensity is way higher - it feels hard for me," said Rusch who calls Ketchum, Idaho, home. "The pace and speed are so much faster than a seven day adventure race. A winning team in an adventure race often goes from five to seven days, so you're really pacing yourself. You're also changing sports."

On the other hand there are some advantages. "It's almost easy because a crew takes care of my food and equipment. All I have to do is ride my bike and help them get there. In adventure racing no one clean your dirty socks or lubes your bike chain. You do it yourself. Even though it's solo mountain bike racing, there is so much of a team. I feel like a princess."

Referring to the many racers who transition to 24 hour races from Olympic-distance cross country racing, "I come to it from the opposite end. I tell myself, 'It's just one night and I can sleep in a bed tomorrow night and take a shower - that's so cool.'"

The Red Bull / Specialized rider will show up to defend her title at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin World Solo Championship this summer in Canmore, Canada.

Making the leap

"I lost my team sponsor at the end of 2005 for adventure racing. That was a big blow. I had managed a team for years and we had it dialled, but the sponsor got bought out by another team and all the sudden I was out of team in November," said Rusch.

"It ended up being a blessing in disguise. I asked what I could do - I thought maybe I'd be a free agent in adventure racing."

But thanks to a positive experience with some girlfriends racing as a team at the 24 Hours of Moab the previous month, Rusch thought she could try some solo mountain bike races. "I ended up being fastest on my team and got the fastest women's lap overall. It was a huge boost of confidence. I went there for fun and I had a great time."

"I knew I wasn't ready to not be an athlete any more. I knew I was good at endurance and I had to figure out what to do. I thought about ultra endurance running." But her friend Matthew steered her toward bike racing. He told her "You have the engine for it, you can learn how to ride the bike."

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