Racers are positioned behind these rows of bikes and use a Lemans-type start by running a few hundred yards out and back to their bicycles.

The Lemans-type start helps with the potential congestion of a mass bicycle-mounted beginning.

There were approximately 1,500 participants for the 2010 edition of the 24 Hours of Moab.

The race is on! There were approximately 50 various categories. Included was the men’s and women’s solo, coed, mixed duo and four-person teams.

Bruce Hildenbrand, from San Francisco, is the voice of the 24 Hours of Moab. He has been announcing for the last six years.

One lap of the course is 14.9 miles.

The 24 Hours of Moab is held approximately 15 miles south of Moab, Utah. A small mountain-biking community of a few thousand is created in the Behind the Rocks area. Vendors of all sorts set up for the two-day event.

Children have no problem finding entertainment.

A popular tradition at the 24 Hours of Moab is the “24 Minutes of Moab.”

The “24 Minutes of Moab” is a series of races by category for children as young as two and up to age 12.

The first 24 Hours of Moab was held in 1995.

Dennis Faris, right, of Salt Lake City, gives advice about lighting systems. Faris has been to the race nine times representing Light and Motion.

Lights line a table being charged for the extensive use that will come later.

Afternoon begins to slip toward evening as a racer zooms through “Mechanic Alley” at the edge of the main event area.

At the completion of each lap, racers document their time at the check station.

“Mechanic Alley” is eerie looking near midnight as racers’ lights zip through, unless a bike is in need of some maintenance.

The check station also serves as the area where teams change riders.

At times the night can provide much solitude when no other racer is around.

As the sun begins to rise, the haze of campfires lingers over this small community of tents, trailers, RVs and other assorted camping arrangements.

Water trucks were essential in keeping the dust down as thousands traveled up and down the roads where racers and their support personnel camped.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest is a backdrop for cyclists on the race course.

Matt, from Durango, was part of a team that dressed as super heroes or princesses.

For 67-year-old Jim Simons of Bozeman, Montana, this was his fifth 24 Hours of Moab. The cancer survivor, who admits to a time of heavy drinking and smoking, says “if I can do it, anyone can”.

10-year-old Tanner Davis, from Black Hawk, competed in the solo division and completed five laps.

Grand Junction resident Ross Schnell was part of the Honey Stinger/Trek team that won the four-person men’s championship. Schnell recorded the fastest lap time at the event, clocking in at 57 minutes and 51 seconds.

Sari Anderson, 32, of Carbondale, recorded the fastest lap time by a female finishing in 1:11:20. After focusing for 24 hours on her bike, her daughter was happy to have Mom back.

Josh Tostado, won the 24 Hours of Moab for the second year in a row. He completed 18 laps, pedaled 268.38 miles and gained 24,480 feet in the 24 hours.

Men’s solo champion Josh Tostado, from Breckenridge, recorded his fastest lap time at 1:01:23.

As the race wound down to the last hour, many cyclists could be seen finishing with a cold refreshment in one hand.