MONTEREY, Calif. - When Peter Fox asked me to be a volunteer for his team in the “24 Hours of Adrenalin,” I thought it would be a fun endeavor.

I mean, we get to drive to Monterey, Calif., in Peter’s RV, hang out for a day or so and then I get to stay up all night and make sure five guys know when and where they are supposed to be for the race.

Piece of cake, right?

Well those 24 hours of no sleep turned out to be about 31 hours after you factor in the four hours I was up before the start of the race and the three hours I spent winding down after it was over and before I could get comfortable enough to rest in the RV as we started heading back to Corvallis.

But all in all it was an interesting and unique experience, one I wouldn’t mind attempting again next year.

q

According to the event’s Web site, the “24 Hours of Adrenalin” is all about friends sharing a weekend together. That’s exactly what we were planning on doing.

The race, which is one of a number of 24-hour events for mountain bikers, took place at Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey on May 3-4.

The race consists of several categories, including solo riders, a five-member team and a corporate team (six to 10 members), among others.

The object is to complete as many laps as possible in a 24-hour (really 25 hours, since you can start a lap before noon and have it count as long as you are back before 1 p.m.) time frame beginning at noon.

Riders can ride as many laps as they want before passing the team’s baton to the next rider.

Sounds like a ton of fun, doesn’t it?

In addition to Peter, Brian Bovee, Dale Blackburn and Carl Berg were along for the ride from Corvallis.

Those four, along with Peter’s friend Dave Kanyer, who lives in Salinas, Calif., would comprise the five-man team known as flatus4u.

Dale was the only newcomer from a year ago, though I was new to the crew as well.

The course was shorter by about three miles from the one they rode a year ago. The loop was just under 101/2 miles and included two climbs.

The shorter one is known as “Hurl Hill.” The second, which was about four miles or so long and toward the end of the lap, is known as “The Grind.”

Ask any of the riders and they would agree both are named correctly.

It was going to be a good time, for sure.

q

We left Corvallis on Wednesday night, April 30, around 5:45 p.m. and traveled until we finally stopped in Corning, Calif.

We parked and rested up before leaving early Thursday morning to complete the drive to Salinas, where we met up with Dave, who lives a couple of miles from the track.

The five guys headed off to get in a practice ride on the course. I was going along for the ride, but I hadn’t been on a bike since last year and quickly discovered it would be a short trip for me.

I let them go have fun as I rode back to Dave’s house, realizing I need to get in a lot better shape.

When they arrived back at Dave’s house, there was a bit of excitement as the course seemed to be manageable and maybe a little better than last year.

After cleaning and maintaining their bikes, we went to get some food and then settled in for some much needed rest.

q

We got to the race track early Friday morning. In fact, I think we were the first competitors to arrive.

It wasn’t a good morning for everyone as Carl found himself battling stomach issues. He spent most of the day laying in bed and trying to get better.

His bout with what we think was a case of food poisoning (Carl, you really shouldn’t be eating any sausage pizza yet), caused Carl to miss the trip Brian, Dale and I took into Monterey.

After eating a good dinner, we headed back to the track. When we got back, I walked over to wait in line to sign up for my 4-hour volunteer shift.

I wound up being second in line, meaning I wouldn’t be stuck out on the course at 4 a.m. directing riders where to go in the cold, early morning.

Instead, I was able to get my shift out of the way early, choosing to be a “timing tent groupie” for the first shift of the race.

All I had to do was check in the next rider and jot down times as riders completed their laps.

I wasn’t the official scorer, so even if I screwed up it wouldn’t likely matter.

That made me feel pretty good.

We tried to get to sleep early Friday night, knowing the next day and a half would be draining on us all.

q

Carl woke up feeling better on Saturday and had visions of riding a lap or two if he could get enough energy back in his body.

His absence early meant a change in the lineup. Carl was slated to ride first, meaning now Brian would have to start off.

As the start of the race approached, I got the sense that some of the riders in our group had a few nerves.

They weren’t here to win or anything like that, but the butterflies are sure to creep in anytime you get ready to compete, even if it is just against yourself.

At 11:30 a.m. I headed over to serve my volunteer shift and wished the guys good luck.

Brian was first to check in and ride. The race began with a running start, as all the first riders had to run from the finish line, around a course on the infield and then through the timing tent to get on their bikes.

Now, Brian had trained to ride, but not to run. So it was no surprise he was at the tail end of those coming through.

Really, it was a smart strategy on Brian’s part to be near the back to avoid the mad chaos of those riders who were there to win and not just challenge themselves.

Being in the timing tent, I was fortunate enough to see all the riders come through.

So I got to see exactly how tiring the lap was when Brian came through about an hour and 10 minutes after the start of the race.

Brian passed the baton to Peter and headed back over to the RV.

Peter finished his first lap in 1:03 and passed the baton off to Dale.

As he was heading back to the RV, Peter yelled, “Gress, that was brutal.”

And that was just the first lap, I thought.

Dale finished his first lap in 53 minutes and Dave came through in 1:03.

By now I had completed my duty as volunteer and the fun part of my job was about to take place as I got to hang out with the team the rest of the race.

Before taking off for his second lap, Peter shared his feelings as we made our way over to the exchange area.

“This will be the most physically challenging (lap),” he said. “The last two will be mentally challenging.”

By now (approximately 6:30 p.m.), Carl had decided he was healthy enough to jump in the saddle and ride. He would take over after Dave completed his second lap.

While he felt good about riding, Carl wasn’t making any promises as to how fast he would complete the lap.

“If you want to take your lap and make it two hours, we’d all be happy,” Dave said, only half joking. “Especially during the night hours.”

By 8 p.m., fog was becoming an issue on the course. That and the wind that began whipping up around 3 p.m. was still in full force, chilling riders and spectators alike.

Carl returned from his first lap in an hour and had a good ride, other than one spill and making a wrong turn before being directed back on course by a volunteer.

q

As darkness settled in, the riders began to grow more tired waiting between laps.

They would take care of their bikes, grab some food and try to relax as much as possible.

On our way over to the exchange for his third lap, Peter talked about the experience and the guys he was riding with.

Peter said training helped build friendships. He didn’t really know Dale until they started training together.

He had spent time with Brian on mission trips but got to know him even better after training together.

It was the same with Carl, an Oregon State sophomore.

“There is something about facing adversity together that helps build a relationship,” Peter said.

Brian returned from his third lap around 10:30 p.m. Surprisingly, he still seemed to be enjoying himself.

“The course is a blast all the way up to ‘the Grind,’ ” he said. “And then it sucks you.”

By 11 p.m. Brian was asleep, Dave was resting in his car, Carl was also trying to rest up and Dale was preparing for his third lap.

When Peter returned he said he was taking his next lap off to catch some rest.

There was some good-natured ribbing from Brian and Carl.

I thought it was a good idea for Peter to get some sleep since he was the one doing most of the driving home immediately after the race.

As the clock ticked past midnight, conversations began to become few and far between. Riders would get back after their lap, take care of their bike, get some food and then contemplate whether sleeping would be beneficial.

Even getting food can be tough after three or four laps. Brian had a hard time getting his spaghetti noodles into a bowl at 4:15 a.m.

I was having a hard time staying awake as well, but I knew if I fell asleep, someone might not get up in time to get ready.

Around 4:40 a.m. I went to check on Dave to see if he was up. He wasn’t. He was sound asleep in his car.

The window was down slightly and I called out to him.

Once, then again a little louder.

Dave jumped a bit as I informed him, “Dale is about half an hour into his ride.”

Dave wasn’t too pleased about having another lap in the dark.

Maybe it was that bad karma, but Dave didn’t actually complete the lap on his bike as he broke his rear derailer and had to walk his bike back in.

Dave wasn’t able to fix his bike, and was a little frustrated that he hadn’t actually completed his fourth lap, so he decided he would ride Peter’s bike for one last lap later that morning.

As the skies lightened, Carl wrapped up his third and final lap — not bad after being sick and drained of energy for more than 24 hours — and Brian made it five laps in 201/2 hours.

It was a satisfying ending for Brian.

“I met or beat all of my goals,” he said back at the RV. “I wanted to do four or more laps, didn’t want to walk and wanted to keep my times consistent.”

Peter finished up his fourth lap, passed his bike off to Dave for his fourth-plus lap and then Dale wrapped up the race with his fifth lap.

As he entered the timing tent just before noon Sunday, the “timing tent groupies” were encouraging him to take one more lap.

No way.

The team had been credited with riding 22 laps in 23 hours, 53 minutes and 17 seconds.

They finished fifth in the 200-plus five-person team combined age group.

The finish, however, wasn’t the important thing. No, it was the fact they had survived a 24-hour period of riding and had fun doing it.

We quickly packed up, showered and headed out on the road to return to Corvallis. In 24 hours, we would be back home, left with the memories of an enjoyable weekend.