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From the BIG BEAR GRIZZLY

You’ve just climbed the highest peak in the world. What do you do for an encore?

Ride a mountain bike for 12 hours straight.

Going against better judgment and despite zero mountain bike training for the past seven months, Big Bear’s Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren of Team SOLE Adventure Racing, competed in the 12 Hours of Temecula mountain bike challenge at Vail Lake on June 12.

On the morning of the race, Lundgren decided to go for it in the women’s pro solo division. She whipped out 10 laps of consistency, and took home the top prize for completing the most laps in a woman’s solo or team effort. “Part of the reason I went so fast was my front brake failed just one hour into the 12-hour race, allowing for less braking,” Lundgren said.

Romero teamed up with single-speed champion and new Big Bear resident Allan Laframboise to win the two-person open division under the banner of Don’s 29er. The team fought off several foes throughout the day, completing 14 laps of the 10-mile singletrack course.

Team SOLE returned just a week ago from a Chinese expedition to climb Mt. Everest with Romero’s son, Jordan.

“Having spent two months in the Himalayas climbing actually is a very low intensity event, and frankly we lost a lot of power and strength,” Lundgren said.

“The good thing about spending that time in extreme altitude is our blood, heart and lungs are in great condition, this is what we capitalized on,” Romero said.

Team SOLE is preparing to compete in the Brazilian Multisport Championship taking place in the capital city, Brasilia. This event is a one-day, marked, solo event.