24 hours of cycling fun

By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser

While the I-T&B 24 Hours of Tantalus was a competition, many riders were out for the experience and camaraderie. "The bike-racing community is really tight-knit here," says Alika Chee. "Everyone is here, and we haven't seen each other in a while." Photos by Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Not the kind of atmosphere you would normally find just minutes before a competition. This, however, was not a normal competition.

It was the I-T&B 24 Hours of Tantalus, a bike race, with a 10-mile course up and around the hilly and winding Tantalus.

"It just struck me as a really cool idea," said Frank Smith, race director and owner of Island Triathlon and Bike, which sponsored the race. "I don't know why nobody thought about it before. I thought to myself, 'This is a winner.' "

The race, which took place Jan. 26-27, began and ended at 10 a.m. The start and finish was at the Hawai'i Nature Center, which benefitted from the race's proceeds.

The race was for riders to complete as many laps as they could in 24 hours. Most riders took about one hour to complete a lap, with the faster riders making it in about 45 minutes, according to Smith.

"Some people will be going at it to win, and others will be going for the challenge and the fun," said Smith.

The amount of joking and jostling at the starting line was a true sign of the camaraderie of the bike riders.

"The bike-racing community is really tight-knit here — everyone knows each other, it's a real close community," said Alika Chee, a teacher at Ho'ala School, who raced with the Tradewinds Cycling Team. "Everyone is here, and we haven't seen each other in a while," he said of the festive atmosphere.

Although the riders started with smiles on their faces, once the starting bell sounded, it was almost all business.

Running start

The competitors did a Le Mans start, which means that they ran to their bikes.

Tsana, 32, and Tsedeq, 9, a father and son duo who only use one name and rode tandem, were one of the first on their bikes. Although they needed to be in sync to ride the bike, their reasons for riding differed.

Tsana was there to promote "the (Hebrew) scriptures, and I like the people here."

Competitors got off to a running start for the 24 Hours of Tantalus, sprinting to their bikes at the Hawai'i Nature Center.

Teams with people who were 40 and younger could have a maximum of six riders, and people older than 40, competing in the masters division, had a maximum of 10 riders.

The teams, which consisted of men, women as well as coed groups, plotted their strategies just minutes before the race, deciding the amount of laps each rider would do, and choosing the order of the riders.

Because of the length of the race, most racers opted to stay overnight, while others chose to return home before and after their scheduled laps. Tents were set up around the entrance to the Hawai'i Nature Center, surrounded by coolers of food.

Monique Mata, a 21-year-old full-time student at Chaminade, stayed overnight. She said that she only got about one hour of sleep, but the experience was well worth it.

"I just like the feeling of being on my bike and just going fast," she said. "You get to see a lot of things. It's just awesome; I love riding."

On a night filled with torrential rains and dangerous conditions — the type of evening where drivers don't want to be on the road — the riders toughed it out.

The same rain that pounded on the tents and made it miserable for those who chose to stay overnight, made the road slick for the bikers. However, there were no accidents or major injuries during the race, Smith said.

Good workout, great scenery

Tantalus, which provides beautiful scenery and a tough workout, is ideal for most of the racers who like the burn, but appreciate their surroundings.

Mori Cancio, 34, rode solo and did the race "because of the beauty of Tantalus."

Cancio, who moved here from New York, rides his bike because, "It relaxes you and gives you a peace of mind. It's good physical exercise."

Said Mata, who completed five laps for Team Quick Release, "It was really, really fun."

Exhilarating, fun, exciting. Not normal descriptions for a 24-hour endurance race. But after the race, the words were bandied about in conversations.

Smith said the race seemed to be a success, and there would be many more to come.

Ray Brost was the first-place solo rider, completing 24 laps in the 24 hours, with a time of 23 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds. He was followed by Mike Bennet, with 21 laps in 23:33.09, and Peter Hursty, 20 and 23:36.

Team winners for the 40-and-under division were Quick Release (coed), with 29 laps in 23:11, Tradewind II (men), 28, 23:07, and Da Bros (men), 28, 23:10. For the masters division, Tradewind I (men), came in first with 26 laps in 23:25, followed by Cambio II (coed), 26, 23:42 and Tantalus Gold (coed), 24, 23:24.