All About the Challenge! March 2021

With the announcement and availability of vaccines, we have been optimistically planning for this year’s National 24 Hour Challenge. Just like you, we can’t wait for the National 24 Hour Challenge to return, especially with all the new things we have planned for this year, like two loops, RFID scanning, and the addition of a recumbent trike class.

We wanted to let you know about two of the challenges we are currently facing. First, the State of Michigan continues to regulate the number of people we can have indoors and outdoors for events. As of today, the indoor restriction is 25 people, and the outdoor restriction is 300 people. These restrictions on the number of people would make it impossible for us to hold the event. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 rates in Michigan have increased dramatically in the past two weeks, making it unlikely we’ll see these restrictions ease anytime soon.

Second, Thornapple Kellogg Schools are not allowing any organizations, school-related organizations nor outside organizations like the National 24 Hour Challenge, to use their facilities at this time. We have used Thornapple Kellogg Middle School as our headquarters for 20 years. It would be impossible for us to find a facility with similar amenities (food service, locker rooms, parking lots, indoor space for weather safety, technology, etc.) in the Middleville area that would be suitable for holding the National 24 Hour Challenge.

In order to hold the National 24 Hour Challenge in 2021, both of these challenges will need to be addressed favorably, and regrettably, they are both outside of our control.

The National 24 Hour Challenge Board of Directors recognizes that many of our riders come from long distances to participate, and riders need time to plan their travel. Accordingly, our Board of Directors will be meeting on April 11 to discuss this year’s event. The Board of Directors will consider all information available at that time in determining if the event will be held on June 19-20 as scheduled, delayed to a later date, or cancelled for 2021.

Because the Board will be meeting on April 11, we will extend the cut-off date of March 31 for registration at the current rate until April 30. Quite simply, everywhere it said “March 31, 2021” in the registration information packet, it will now say “April 30, 2021.”

Registered Riders: Just like last year, if we are forced to reschedule or cancel the event this year, we will contact everyone who has registered and you will have the option of rolling over your registration until next year or receiving a full refund.

Volunteers: We appreciate all of our incredible volunteers! The volunteer website is open to sign up for volunteering at volunteer.24hr.bike. If you sign up to volunteer and we need to reschedule the event or cancel the event we will contact you.

Thank you for your understanding as we work through these challenges to make the crucial decisions that will result in a safe event for everyone – riders, crews, volunteers, and spectators.

Should you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to email us at: National24Hour@gmail.com