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Eatough, Sawicki win 24-hour solo championships

By VeloNews.com
Published: Aug. 4, 2008
Eatough at the 24-hour solo championships
Eatough at the 24-hour solo championships
Photo: courtesy Trek

Trek/VW rider Chris Eatough came from behind to win the 24 Hours of 9-Mile solo national championships in Wausau, Wisconsin, Saturday. Pua Sawicki defended her 2007 title with 18 laps, which she completed in 24 hours and 3 minutes.

Eatough at the finish
Eatough at the finish
Photo: courtesy Trek

In the men’s race, Josh Tostada led the race early on, riding 15-mile laps in under an hour.

“[Tostada] really put me into difficulty, he and I were very evenly matched,” Eatough said. “But my pit crew has our routine dialed, and the new bike let me race even faster.”

Eatough won aboard the new Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL, which will be available at retail for 2009.

By the 12-hour mark, Eatough was at a 3-minute deficit, and could see his competitor through the winding northern Wisconsin woods course.

“My vision started to freeze up, and I hit the wall that I always hit at the 12-hour mark,” Eatough said. “But I know how to handle those conditions. I just ride consistently through the night and save enough for the daylight.”

By lap 15, the six-time world solo champion and reigning national Ultra Endurance Series champion was 15 minutes down. But at lap 16, Tostada suffered trouble with his lights. Eatough gained three minutes. By lap 17 Eatough and Tostada were trading pulls.

“I’ve never seen such a close race,” said Trek/VW team manager Zack Vestal. “Since they were the only contenders, by 8:00 am they reached a gentlemen’s agreement that lap 20 would be the final lap. I was sure it would be a sprint finish ... after 23 hours!”

Instead, Eatough solidified his win with an attack, halfway through the last lap.

“I felt awesome,” Eatough said. “I felt twice as fast as I did earlier in the day.”

It was his fourth national 24-hour solo title.

Unlike the men’s race, the women’s contest was a shut-out. Sawicki put 13 minutes on her nearest competitor in the first lap — and just opened it up from there. At race’s end, she had two laps up on Danielle Musto and Sarah Kauffman, in second and third, respectively.

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