Three Generations of "Hall" Mountain Bikers at the Buck Hill Race & Bike Patroling at 24 Hours of Afton

The start of the expert/pro class mountain bike race at Buck Hill, Minnesota. Jay Richards, Eric Oftedahl, Hollywood and Jeff Hall on the front line.

Team Manager Owen Hall is seen waiting for, racer dad, Jeff Hall to come cranking out of the woods.

O spied Jeff coming out of the woods.

Go Dad, go!!

O poses with yours truly "Grandpa" Hall. I raced in the first expert mountain bike race at Buck Hill back in the 1980s', some 20 years ago. That makes it 3 generations of Buck Hill racers, we have all won here, so it is always great come back.

I was talking to Jeff about when it was called Tour de Bump. They had a wooden ramp at the bottom of the hill that used to come out of the woods on the north side. Everyone was launched into the air as they hit that ramp, this was before suspension mountain bikes. We got major air, I remember the time Geno got so much air that he almost took out the banner that they had at the finish line. Heck, Channel 11 Sports was even there to shoot some sports footage of the race.

This week-end was the 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race at Afton Alps.

Weez and I signed up to bike patrol (provide first aid, we Ski Patrol at Afton Alps in the winter) at the Afton 24 Hour MTB Race, . The race was 24 hours long, we signed up for the 5:00PM - 12:00 midnight shift on Friday. It was good, only 3 injuries, minor scratches and bumps.

Afton Alps turned into a campground for all the racers, with campers and tents strewn all along the valley. After the sun went down there were campfires and grills started. There were headlamps bobbing in the darkness, it was a scene of stillness yet a constant movement of racers and people who were supporters. We also mounted the headlamps and got out to do some night riding. We rode up to the top of the resort where Red Bull had a lit-up tent, a nice fire going. We spent some time up there talking with a guy who had convinced Red Bull to be a part of the event. Everyone up there was having a great time cheering on the riders who would appear out of the darkness. The moon was out and it was a cool night, in the 60s'. It felt like an early fall night. Good Times!!

The Moon over Afton Alps at the Midnight Hour