Departure was scheduled for 8:00AM from the Barclin Pemex/Circle K (the last stop on the Sonoyta Highway), but nearly a hundred entrants were gathered by 7:00 for an hour or so of preparation, double-checking and testing equipment and sharing what was obvious camaraderie among a genre of like-minded, totally fat-free fit folks out to test their skills and stamina against those of their peers doing what they love—pushing the bike and themselves to the limit from start to finish.