24/9 regrets, and the story behind the race

I just ran across a link to this newspaper interview with Kevin Eccles, post-24/9, on the WORS board, via Mountaingoat. I made the difficult decision this year not to go to 24/9. I convinced myself that it wouldn't be the best mountain bike party of the year like it has been in the past, since it was no longer Nats, and since Granny Gear had taken it over and raised the fees (which would mean a lot of people wouldn't go). I mean, you couldn't even figure out what the fees actually were without starting the registration process! So I went on hearsay, that they were very high, seeing as how they weren't easily accessible. But really, I just knew I would need a weekend at home in the middle of the long season after alternating between traveling to WORS and WEMS races in WI every single weekend!

And I did need that weekend at home. I did the Chicago Criterium, which felt like a special opportunity to me. Not having raced in Grant Park in a long time, I knew it was an opportunity that might not come around again for me. And I got to watch a pro race in downtown Chicago, not something that happens every day.

But I still felt like, as someone on the WORS board put it, I was "missing the prom". I really missed being there. Even with the controversy over the new promoter and the negative comments by people. It turns out that there would have still been many friends and acquaintances to cheer on, many of whom ended up in close, exciting battles! It may be going back on the calendar for next year, probably as a last minute decision. If you haven't read how the race started, you might enjoy the article. It tells the basics of the story, though it left me wanting more details.