Article by Marcus Meyer

On the 1st of May (Labour Day) the local Cube Shop at the Stadium organised a 24-hour distance challenge. They announced the event in the local bike community and provided a support car, rest stop, and prizes for all finishers.
Participants could choose between 300 km, 400 km and 500 km as the target to finish within 24 hours. The clock would always be ticking, so any stops or breaks would be counted into the total time. Represnting the Shaanxi Hills International Team, Marcus signed up for the 500 km goal, and Francis signed up for the 300 km goal.
Around 25 riders in total showed up at the meeting point at 12:30AM in Xi’an and we headed to Lantian, where we would be attempting to complete our distance goals by doing loops in the mountains. Luckily the weather was pleasant, so we didn’t need to prepare for bad conditions.
Riding through the night and into the next day, three riders were able to finish the 500 km goal, with Marcus winning this category with a time of 20 hours and 31 minutes. Ten riders were able to complete the 400 km goal, with the winning time being 20 hours 54 minutes. Seven riders were able to finish the 300 km goal, with Francis winning this category with a time 14 hours and 14 minutes. A great showing from S.H.I.T.!
Comments from the riders:
Marcus: With some years of experience in Ultra Endurance Cycling, I wasn’t worried too much about this one. In recent seasons, there haven’t been many races or challenges happening, so I was very happy the local Cube Shop set this one up. The spirit within the group was very welcoming and uplifting and I was following my routine for these kinds of rides, which is basically: Splitting the whole thing up in smaller pieces, follow my own pace and minimize stopping time.
Francis: This was my first 200km and first 300km ride. Obviously it was tiring, but seeing the sunrise on an empty road, hearing encouraging cheers from other riders, and the sense of incredible accomplishment at the end made it unforgettable and totally worth it! Thanks to advice and support from Marcus, team SHIT, and the event organizers, I didn’t just complete the ride, but I did pretty well as I was the first person to finish in my distance category. Looking forward to the next one!
If you want to join our Cycling club (ShaanxiHillsInternationalTeam, aka Team SHIT) please contact Marcus via Wechat. We do regular social group rides with plenty of breaks, so don’t be shy if you aren’t super fit or experienced. We can also offer rental road bikes/helmets, so you can just try out before buying any equipment yourself. We will gladly help you get started with this sport.