Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546340
And the lightning, rain, and thunder made for what I call perfect condi ons lol, but the race organizers are more though ul than I am and red- flagged the race for two hours. With a two-hour break, that was it for me. The pain set in and I could barely walk, so it was up to the other guys to do the best they could. Our star of the team, Liam Hicks, who has never ridden at night, did the most laps for us. At 1:30 AM, the team collec vely made the right decision that the condi ons were not worth the risk of more people ge ng hurt, because at the end of the day we are not spring chickens anymore, but all in all we had fun. This year, the 24-hour challenge won, but rest assured, we will be back next year for redemp on. Ted Hicks: I had been following Keith Taylor on Facebook for a few years, and saw he was looking for riders for the legendary NE24; I had to ask! Even be er, my son got to come too and be on the team. I had no idea what to expect. We only had about 2 weeks to get ready. My son and I loaded up our bikes Thursday night, and we le as soon as I got home from work Friday. With only a couple of coolers, our bikes, gear, and the essen als, we drove 7 hours to the race. Condi ons were unreal, to say the least! The rain was relentless. I went last in the rota on and had bike problems on my first lap, which was right before the red flag. My next opportunity a er chasing down an electrical gremlin was at 10:30 at night. The track deteriorated to a mud hole. No electric fan on my bike and no way to clear the packed mud from my radiators le me with an overheated bike. The expe- rience was surreal, ge ng to be on the same team as my son, and the sheer lunacy of it all. I hope next year we get to do it again and maybe be a bit more prepared. Liam Hicks: The NE24 was a new experience for me; it was a new racing style, and I enjoyed it very much. My father and I le on Friday a ernoon, and it was a very long 6-hour and 30-minute drive, and we didn't arrive at the pits ll 9 pm on Friday. On the drive there, there was a lot of good scenery and a lot of places we plan to visit in the future. Then on Saturday, it was very even ul with the race and the weather. When the race started, the storm also started, and it wouldn't stop ll I went out to race. The track was very techni- cal, and you had to be precise on the lines you took. I did 4 laps and was able to ride at night for the first me ever, and it was so much fun. If I could, I would definitely race the NE24 again.