24 Hours of Fun

A heavy downpour greeted riders just before the Riverwest 24 began, but spirits remained high, and at 7 p.m. sharp 1,000 riders began the 24-hour bicycle competition.  This year, 277 teams competed for the coveted ice trophy. Teams compete in four major categories: solo, tandem, A Team (2 – 6 riders sharing one bicycle) and B Team (2 -6 riders). Points are awarded for laps completed, 23 bonus checkpoints, and for getting a Riverwest 24 tattoo.  This year one bonus checkpoint had riders acting out scenes from the Godfather while another had them riding a scooter through an obstacle course ending with a dousing of glitter.  This race isn’t about Spandex and Gatorade.

Adding to the eccentric nature of the Riverwest 24 is the mix of bicycles spotted out on the course. There were fixies, fat-bikes, tandems, and even a bicycle with a horse head. Steve Roche, Mr. Underwear Ride himself, was spotted on a tall-bike, and my team and I rode a Midwest BikeShare B-Cycle (otherwise known as the Rocket) for multiple laps.

In fact team Tripp’n The Fatty Boombastic rode a Milwaukee made Schlick Cycles fat-bike to first place in A Team category.  They won with 61 laps (280 miles) and 47 bonus points for a total score of 108.

Our photos capture many of these bikes, riders, checkpoints, and all of the fun that is the Riverwest 24.

Photo Gallery