On the 22 of June 2002, the second annual Yukon Brewing Company 24 Hours of Light tears off through the mountains near Whitehorse, Yukon. Unique in that it is the only 24-hour race where you don't actually need lights on your bike, it runs from noon to noon, and pits teams of one to eight riders against a twisty 12 km loop through former World Cup ski trails. All the usual stupidity that accompanies a 24-hour race will be going on, accompanied by a generous supply of cheap hearty beer.To get yourself up here, and quite possibly back down south again, hop on the Air North 737, which flies out of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver every week.
A little about Whitehorse
With riding terrain similar to Kamloops and Nelson, Whitehorse has almost unlimited freeride and XC potential, so you won't get bored while you're not racing. Rumor has it that there are over 400 km of trails within city limits, but that's probably an underestimation. Trails range from tight singletrack to screaming fast shuttle-assisted descents. As well, the clay cliffs surrounding the city allow for unlimited big drops to tranny for the hucker crowd. If you're still on your feet at the end of the day, there are about 50 "licensed establishments" in the downtown area. Nothing beats stumbling out into blinding sunlight after a few hours in the bar. For a glance at what the town has to offer, check out these
videos.
A little more about the race
The deadline for early race registration is this Friday, but there are still lots of spots available. You can pick up entry forms at the PinkBike DH team party on June 1, as well as online at
www.yukoncycling.ca If you still need to know a little more on the race, give a call to (867) 668-7505, or fax to (867) 668-7577 where a surly individual will grudgingly divulge some extra info.
For more information on riding and causing trouble in the Yukon, check out
www.yukonextreme.com-1.net, or dig up a copy of the March 2002 BIKE magazine.
