Kenda Cup - Bear Creek / Windham UCI World Cup

Kenda Cup at Bear Creek
August 1, 2010

This was the finale of USA Cycling's Mid Atlantic Regional Championship Series that consisted of the:

1) 7th Annual Greenbrier Challenge AMBC/ MD State Championships/ Junior Olympics (April 25) – Hagerstown, MD

2) 22nd Annual Massanutten HOO HA!/ U.S. Cup/ Triple Crown All Mountain Pro (Jun 20) – Harrisonburg, VA

3) 15th Annual Bulldog Rump AMBC/ NJ State Championships (July 11) – Andover, NJ

4) 1st Annual Bear Creek Challenge AMBC/ PA State Championships/ U.S. Cup/ MARC Finals (August 1) – Allentown, PA

Aaron, John and Ross went to the finals this year. Aaron won Bear Creek, and in the process, also won the PA State Championship and the MARC Series.

Ross picked up 2nd at Bear Creek.

John was in one of the top places in the Cat 1 category MARC Series through the season, and held onto 2nd place overall in the series after suffering two flats at the Bear Creek Challenge (this just after some hard crashes in the prior few weeks).

Up next for us is the Windham UCI World Cup Finals on from August 25-29, which is the first US World Cup race in the United States in 5 years.

The Scott Swisspower Team, with Nino Schurter (current World Champion/Swiss National Champion), Florian Vogel and a team of top elite, U23 and junior riders (managed by Thomas Frischknecht - one of my mountain bike heroes when I was growing up), will be racing.

The Scott11 Downhill Team, currently one of the top teams in the world in in the downhill World Cup team competition, is also flying over to the US to race the event.

Also, our superstar junior, Nathaniel Williams, was granted a starting place with the US National Team for Windham, based upon his stellar results this past season. So, look for him flying the Stars and Stripes on his jersey at Windham.

Windham has a slew of events on its schedule for amateurs and also includes lots of things for the family, like a block party, a free concert, fireworks, a "Big Wheel" race and an indoor/outdoor mountain bike expo. I'm especially looking forward to watching the Scott guys rip through some New York singletrack (check out the video of some of the courses used last year).

Look for the big Scott tent to check out the feather light NEW 2011 Scott Scale 899, the lightest 29er frame out there, the 2011 Scale 949, and a slew of other 2011 models.

This weekend should be a ton of fun for everyone - hope to see you there!

- Jeff

Aaron Snyder on the top spot at H2H ESP 909 race

Results are available here.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Leadville Trail 100

Leadville Trail 100
Leadville, Colorado
August 14, 2010

Conditions: 35 degrees at the start, mid-70s by the finish
Course: 100 miles starting at 10,000 feet and topping out at 12,600 feet
In Attendance: Jeff Dickey
Result: 36th out of ~1600 registered

In early August, I headed out West for my third Leadville Trail 100 mile race in the high Colorado Rockies. Living at nearly zero altitude in Arlington, Virginia, I entered the LT100 at a significant disadvantage - the race starts in downtown Leadville at 10,200 feet and and mostly goes up from there (to a high point of 12,600 feet). So, I was going from flat, hot, humid and low to mountainous, cool, dry and high. Luckily, I was able to get some vacation time between the end of a two work trip to the Gulf Coast and the start of the LT100 and I stayed in Golden, CO with my brother and his wife for three days and in Breckenridge, CO for another five days. In the two years past, the LT100 has been more of a vehicle to ride on awesome Colorado trails, culminating in a huge bike race. This year was no different.

The first few days, I rode in and around Golden at Chimney Gulch and Apex. The third day in CO, I rode with some fast single speeders (one who runs/works for Spot Brand bikes in Golden) from Kenosha Pass to the top of Georgia Pass (almost all above 10,000 feet). I was climbing well, and the SRAM XX gearing was perfect. I rode the entire ride in my big chainring and used the wide range of gears in on the cassette to roll to the top of the pass. On the way back down the mountain, we got in nearly an hour long singletrack descent. Those CO guys and girls can ride! I relearned my descending skills by following them back down the mountain.

It's odd that despite going pretty fast up the mountain, my heart rate never really got above 130 beats per minute. That's a recovery ride pace for me!

My brother and his wife were packing up to move to Half Moon Bay, CA, so I headed to Breckenridge to stay in a rental condo with Colby Waller (a rider for Gripped Racing from D.C. who also raced Leadville with me in 2009), his wife Laura, and Ryan Douglas (a rider for Route 1 Velo, also from D.C. and racing his first Leadville). If you've never ridden in Breckenridge, I'd highly recommend it. My buddy Colby and I went out and rode the Peaks Trail on the first day there. We were laughing like schoolgirls on that ride. The singletrack trail is all fun and little effort as it follows the contours of the mountains and has little climbing, plenty of hero sections (things that look like you shouldn't be able to ride through, but invariably you are able to ride, making you feel like a hero) and swooping, fast singletrack through pine forests.

On day 2 in Breck, we rode a section of the Colorado trail (an even better ride than the day before) and on day 3, we went to Vail to ride to the summit of the ski area through fields of wildflowers and down the Cougar Ridge trail (a hour long singletrack downhill though aspens and with great views).

On day 4, we rode to the top of Georgia Pass for an 18-mile long singletrack descent back into town. Wow. Each day was better than the last.

Finally, I was feeling good about altitude and on the climb up Georgia Pass, I was able to go fairly hard and recover well. I had two days of recovery before the race.

On Friday, we drove to Leadville to sit in a packed gymnasium hear race director Ken Chlober's pre-race admonishments to "Dig Deep!" and "You're better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can!" followed by a crowd rousing "I commit, I won't quit!"

Due to the "Race Across the Sky" movie that was shown in theaters across the US in 2009 (featuring Lance Armstrong, but also including some little cameo spots by my brother, sister and me), the 2010 LT100 race was packed with riders. Nearly 1650 racers were granted entry spots through the lottery (or otherwise), which would make for some dicey conditions on the course. In 2009, it was freezing cold at the start of the race and started to rain shortly thereafter (with hail on the summit climb), making for some extremely tough conditions. Luckily, in 2010, the weather forecast was for bright sunshine and 70 degrees.

The LT100 starts and finishes in downtown Leadville. It has an initial 3-4 mile paved road section, which leads to dirt and the first pass up the St. Kevin's climb. My first year at LT100, I started towards the back of the pack and was forced to expend a huge amount of effort to get past people on this climb.

After the St. Kevin's climb, the course continues over a longer ascent, the one fun descent (the Powerline section), a long flat road section, a little bit of singletrack and into the half-way Columbine ascent. This last climb starts at a feed zone at about 9,200 feet and goes uphill steadily for 7 miles to the high point in the race at 12,600 feet. The Scott Spark is the perfect bike for this course. It is extremely light, the full suspension softens out the rough spots in the trail, and with the shock at the 1/2 lock-out position, it climbs like a scared cat. I recall seeing at least 30 Sparks in the 2009 race - a very popular bike!

The LT100 starts at 6:30am. It was just 35 degrees and pitch black when I got to town after sleeping out under the stars at a friend's house. Due to my top-100 placing in 2009, I was given a special pass to the front starting area which meant I didn't have to arrive at 4:30am to get a starting position and didn't have to deal with as much traffic on the first climb as those behind me. I lined up right in front of a guy with an awesome looking Scott Spark Limited in black and gold. A very sweet bike.

To my horror, I had a slightly soft front tire at the start, despite having pumped it up to pressure just 30 minutes earlier. I couldn't find a pump in the tangle of riders and used my CO2 cartridge to get it inflated and hoped that the Stan's in the tire would keep me rolling.

Tire issue behind me, I had a great start to the race and was perhaps 15th going over the first climb. The leaders (Levi Leipheimer, Todd Wells, Jeremiah Bishop, Dave Weins, Ned Overend, JHK, etc.) set a pace up the first climb that was smoking fast. My low-altitude lungs couldn't hang with them and I dropped back to the chasing group so I wouldn't smoke myself for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I think someone had stepped on my bike when I left it in the starting area to use the facilities and my shifting and disc rotors were out of whack. Some quick adjustments on the trail got me riding again smoothly, but I lost the chase pack of riders I was with and got in with a smaller group about 20 seconds back of the chasers.

Up and over the second climb and down the fast and hairy Powerline descent, I passed Ned Overend (distinctive in his World Champion sleeves). He said he had a front wheel issue (I later found out that Overend had given his wheel to Todd Wells after Levi Leipheimer crashed into Wells at the top of the descent). I was really flying on the more technical sections of the course, much faster than most of the riders around me. The Spark let me descend much more confidently and quicker than the guys around me on their hardtail bikes.

I got into a little group of riders and we pushed through the open road sections to the Twin Lakes feed zone. This area was an absolute zoo. For about 1/4 of a mile, it was like riding through a Tour de France climb. People were on both sides of the road, cheering, and so close they could touch you (I almost ran over some lady who didn't seem to realize there was a bike race going on). I pulled into my awesome pit crew area (distinctive by my sister's lobster hat, my girlfriend's Roman Princess dress, and my sister's boyfriend's mu-mu and pink wig), got topped up with energy food and headed back out on the trail for the long slog to the top of the Columbine climb. By this point, I was almost 10 minutes faster than last year's time and was on pace to go under 8 hours for the day.

In both 2008 and 2009, I lost a huge amount of time to the leaders on the Columbine climb. I was determined not to do so again. I kept a steady tempo and was able to push a good gear. I kept thinking back to the advice Tom Coleman of WobbleNaught had given me when he was helping with bike fits for the team earlier in the season - to keep the proper posture on the bike and the correct saddle position to use the right leverage and muscles. Every time I got back into the saddle position Tom had showed me, I instantly relaxed and moved faster up the mountain. (By the way, Tom also fit Levi Leipheimer and Jeremiah Bishop, if that says anything about how good he is at bike fitting for the top riders and who trusts him to help them go faster!)

About 3/4 of the way up the climb, my lungs couldn't handle any more of the rarified air. I started getting black spots in my vision, I was dizzy and I was having some trouble breathing. I talked with one guy who had a video camera, but I was pretty loopy at that point and I don't think I said anything coherent at all - I couldn't even form sentences. Luckily, after a little rest through hike-a-bike, I got back to riding and pushed up and over the summit to the half-way point (despite this trouble, I still cut nearly 12 minutes off the time it took me to climb the mountain in 2009).

Ned Overend had caught back up to me by this point and I followed him down the descent and back to Twin Lakes to the feed zone. I stopped for a little bit to fill up with more drink and food and started the remaining 45 miles back to Leadville. I shadowed Overend for almost 15 miles. Very cool to be riding the same terrain with the guy who was my hero when I first started mountain biking in 1992.

At the next feed zone, I caught up to another rider and the two of us worked together to get across a windy paved road section of the course and to the feared Powerline climb. I started to feel pretty bad by this point. I wasn't able to breathe fully by this point and I was having trouble putting anything into my stomach - it felt like I had too much water in my stomach and it wasn't going anywhere. Not a good combination. I tried a little energy gel and could barely eat the whole thing. I still had about 2 hours left to get back to Leadville before my 8:00 hour cutoff, and I hoped I could make it.

The Powerline climb was tough. The first year I'd done the LT100, I walked nearly the entire climb. Last year, I rode the climb and went about 15 minutes faster. This year, I forced myself to keep riding, despite feeling awful. Eventually, I made it to the summit, but it took a long, painful time.

On the descent, I tried to eat some more, but my body refused to take in any more food or liquids. I felt like I was riding in quicksand. The paved road ascent to the top of St. Kevins was seemingly endless. I had no riders around me at all - one person passed me, but I couldn't see anyone ahead or behind me. The lack of any shade on the course was taking its toll on me too - I could feel my arms and head turning an angry red color. Finally, I got to the top and drank some Coke at a feed zone, hoping the sugar and caffeine would get me to the finish.

I caught up to two riders at the feed zone and rode with them over the top of the climb and across the rolling fire-road to the cow-fields at the base. I had nothing left to push to the finish, knowing that my 8 hour goal had slipped. On the final 2 mile climb back to Leadville, it was all I could do to keep moving. Luckily, some of my friends were out to watch for me and started yelling for me to pick up the pace. On the last section of pavement, I dug deep and out sprinted three guys who were just ahead of me. I don't think they saw it coming...

It took me almost 2 hours of laying on the grass after the finish until I could stop coughing up stuff from my lungs and talk coherently again.

I'd cut 18 minutes off my 2009 time and finished in 8:11 in 36th place overall out of about 1400 who actually started the race. Results are here.

Five days later, and my lungs and body still hurt.

It was a very tough day, but the crowds of spectators and the awesome experience of riding at such high altitudes with phenomenal scenery was well worth it. I'm just happy to be back on my bike and riding again after having to take nearly 6 weeks off earlier this year for recovery of my knee injury. Maybe I'll be back to the LT100 next year to try and get that elusive sub-8 hour time...

- Jeff

Millstone Grind

I don't really feel like writing a whole lot about this race. It was a great experience, though and I had fun. The course was great, the event was well run and the scenery was fantastic. I finished 3rd; Ben and Zeb had great races. Both were highly motivated. For Ben, this was his last Root 66 race before college and Zeb's entire (seriously) family was there - parents, grandparents, sister, sister's friends, etc, etc...Plenty of pictures this time, thanks to Kim Holtan. Results are here.

Overcast, but no rain!

We all agreed to a slow start since we all thought it would be a 3 hour race...it was more like 2 and change. I look like I'm not complying with said plan, but I did.

Fun high-speed corner. Kim took 15 pictures of this turn.

Nice.

Riding on grass is demoralizing.

It was a Kenda Cup Qualifier.

Drive home.

Tatum Park Race Report

Tatum Park - Middletown, NJ
8/7/2010

John


Ross

This was a good local race to see how well my injured shoulder and ribs will hold up that I busted up on a ride 4 days earlier and ended up in the ER.

Off the start I pulled the lead into the grass fields and I was flying with Ross on my wheel. I went flying into one of many grass fields turns and ended up on the floor, really tweaking my injured shoulder. All I saw was a bunch of people pass me, got back up on the bike and cranked it and within a few minutes was back up with the front group of two.

Ross and I were able to put some hurt on the other guy. Then while in some super fast single track sitting in 3rd I went too fast into the a turn hitting head on with a tree. Got back on
my bike with the stem and bars twisted and was able to get back into a rhythm cruising my way in for a 3rd place and Ross taking 2nd.

Great race, but I hope this bad week of racing and riding is over.



-John

Midnight at Marsh Creek

Bike racing can be a fickle lover. After having raced road, mountain and cyclocross over the past thirteen years it never ceases to amaze me just how not in control you are over the outcome. Even the best layed plans are subject to be thrown in complete upheaval when you least suspect it. Given the last race the D&Q Summer Sizzler which I trained, planned and was completely prepared for a certain little something called the "Body" decided to, in the course of the first of three laps, shut down. Completely, utterly and without warning I went from full gas to absolutely nothing in the tank. No tank half-full or getting dangerously close to the bottom warning signs just full power to jets shutting off. Maybe it had something to do with the stiffling heat and the heat index nearing 100 degrees or maybe it was some higher power either way it was not a way to go out. I still feel like these things are my fault. A mechanical on a bike no rider has control over, but with all the liquids consumed and proper foods eaten and sleep had I still feel I should, after all these years, have some control over the gas tank. Well with D&Q race lasting me about a half hour I knew I had to put up some results in the next several races while at the same time using them as super high quality training for the upcoming Windham World Cup. The next race in line was the Fairhill Classic which you can read about in Jeff's blog. His thoughts pretty much sum up mine as well. The course was fun, fast and again super hot. After a pretty rough start I started feeling better around mile twelve and played catch up over the next thirteen miles catching and passing about six riders that were in front of me finishing third by a mere five seconds. Objective number one down.


Objective number two: try and make up some series points in which I lost due to some early season mechanicals and aforementioned "Shut down." What better way to chase these points then by racing at night. The Midnight at Marsh Creek was held on, and I will say this with conviction, the hottest day of the year. The temperature was around 100 degrees without the heat index. I don't know where the temperature was with the heat index and I was way to hot to even move anymore than I had to to find out. I got to the venue around five o'clock and figured a pre-ride followed by three hours of drinking water was all I needed to get a feel of the course and cool down enough for the nine thirty start. Team mate Aaron Snyder and his girlfriend Jen were there to sit and sweat with me before the start. Misery loves company. After two hours of good conversation we suited up (again for me) and, ready for this, started to warm up. Ha. They staged us in a field for the start which was fun trying to get to as none of the riders wanted to turn their lights on before the start. Once there though all was good. I lead the field out up a false flat into the single track. On one of the road sections I fell into second position. Mission semi accomplished. My legs were thoroughly warmed up and I was drinking plenty of fluids. Then the unexpected happened. As we were coming around one of the corners I heard what was the most painful scream I have experienced. Ever. Laying there, in one of the two lines you could take, was a rider from the Single Speed class. I stopped to see if he was ok and by the sounds echoing in the woods I could tell he wasn't. After a little while we agreed that the best way to get him back to the start/finish was to ride the course in reverse. And so the journey began. We were making our way back trying not to blind the other riders with our lights when on the other side of the fields we could see lightning. There wasn't a call for storms nor did they come, but not really what we wanted to see with all that was going on. About fourty five minutes later we arrived at the start/finish. The rider, Brett Wyckoff, made his way to the ambulance and I to the timing trailer to pull both of our numbers. Not finishing a race is not a good feeling, but helping someone who needs it and knowing he is now doing well makes up for it. As it turns out Brett had broken his hip in two places. Now put that in with the traditional cuts and scarring and you have a super bad ass story to tell. (Not to mention the pictures which I've seen. Gnarly)

Aaron did take the win by about a second in a sprint. Overall not a bad night. I would definately recommend doing the Midnight at Marsh Creek to anyone who likes to ride at night. I know I will be there next year and this time hopefully with out incident.
Scottie

Root 66 Hodges Village Dam and MA State Championships

Gold. That's good, right?

My strategy was a little different for this race. I had my Wisdom Teeth removed recently and was told not to ride or run (at all) for a whole week. When that week was up, I wasn't sure where my fitness was. Being the Massachusetts State Championships, I was planning to do just enough work to place well, but not turn myself inside out, ride sloppy and crash or break my bike. I did just that, letting Ryan into the woods first, riding behind him for about the first half a lap. He seemed to slow down so I passed him and turned up the pace a bit. It wasn't very long before I had a gap that would steadily grow to nine (9) minutes. I had a good race, the course suited me well and I wasn't the least bit tired before the start. In fact, I can count on my hand the number of races where I have felt awake at the start. For whatever reason, I wasn't nervous leading up to the race and I slept well, really well. The race was long, over two hours for most mortals (except for Mike Rowell and Alec Petro - Cat.1s with Pro fitness). I don't have a lot to say, so this is nice and concise.

Hey look, a dam!


Cat.2 start


I was tired. The course was insanely dusty and it stuck to me and my bike.

Long Pine Classic

It's been a while since I've posted to the site so I figured I would start with the Long Pine Classic which was held on July 4th. The weather was hot and humid. Starting temp was in the upper 80's and this was 9:30 in the morning. After getting to the race site and going through the pre-race ritual it was off to the rider meeting and to the start. The Long Pine Classic is not your typical mountain bike race. Instead of doing 4 or 5 laps the organizers have you do one colossal 25 mile lap. Held in the Michaux State Forest the Long Pine Classic is run on some of the best single track anyone could want for a race. It has a little of everything for everyone. Lots of tight twisty singletrack, rocks, roots and lots of climbing. The start was a neutralized affair which was pretty cool. Instead of having everyone rip roarin from the start we followed a motorcycle for about a mile and a half on a gravel road to the start of the single track. As soon as we made the turn into the singletrack it was game on. I had a good start position on the front row about four riders to the right of team mate Aaron Snyder. Into the singletrack I was in about 8th position. It took a while, but eventually found my rhythm and everything was comming together. The first few miles were tight enough to not allow passing so between that and the mass of riders trying to enter the singletrack I did not see anyone for most of the race. Enter the climbing. Between the bouts of epic singletrack there has to be climbing. I don't mind going up hill in fact I even look foward to it in some sort of a twisted way. Most of the climbs were done on a gravel fire road similar to the one we started on so putting time on riders still trying to navigate the singletrack wasn't a problem. There was one climb or rather a hike-a-bike section that just didn't make sense. This thing just went on and on. As soon as you thought it was ridable there you were dismounting again and walking in the negative mile per hour range. Eventually it came to an end not in the it's all down hill from here sense, but rather a long false flat that didn't seem that bad after the walk.

The rest of the course was much of the same as the beginning lots of twisty singletrack peppered with gravel road climbs. The last mile or so was in the high canopy trees with superman dirt singletrack. The kind you just get incredible traction on. The finish was a bit strange. There was an event tent with two people under it. At first I thought it was a feed station, but upon making my way up the climb I noticed it was the finish. Just two people one screaming numbers and the other writing them down. This is where the fun began. Just as I realized that the race was over I also realized that in order to get back to the start/ finish area we had to navigate one of the craziest sections of trail yet. Fun Fun. When it was all over and the sweat eventually stopped Aaron had taken the win in the Pro field and I finished second in the Cat 1 35-39 field. The Long Pine Classic is an absolute must do and worth the trip if you come from a distance. I know for a fact I will be there next year. Until the next adventure enjoy the ride and keep the rubber side down, Scott Wilson

EFTA #5 Horror at Harding Hill

I raced in Sunapee, NH at the Horror at Harding Hill on Sunday. The race was very uneventful, nothing great, nothing bad. I felt fine physically and rode a decent race. The course is not technical, but it can't be mistaken as smooth either. There are numerous fireroad sections, but on either side of the defined path is tall grass littered with large rocks and divits. So, the perceived trail is quite wide, but the actual path is actually very narrow. I didn't get a chance to preride the course and doing so would have been quite helpful. Many times during the race, I found myself taking awkward lines that slowed me down. I did the Elite / Open race. At the Summer Sizzler, I could have had a decent result in the Elite field had I not had chain issues, so I figured I'd give it another try. In addition, my friend, Ben Chase, also decided to try racing with the fast guys. The start was okay, I was in 9th for most of the first lap, but forced myself to slow down in order to survive the long 5 lap race. So...I rode in last the rest of the race. On the last lap or two, I started to catch up to Jeff Landfried, Ben and Stephen Humphereys, seeing them through the trees and up the trail. I finished 39 seconds behind Jeff and about five minutes behind Ben, who seems to get faster each race. I just didn't want to risk blowing up trying to catch them, so I concentrated on riding smooth and consistent. I didn't embarrass myself, but I do think I will go back to Cat.1 / Expert for the hilly races (Harding Hill was ~400 ft. per lap, not crazy, but not flat either) and keep trying Elite for the courses I do well on - dry, fast and flowy.

Just like at Weeping Willow, there must have been 10+ photographers, but not a single one has posted anything on the wonderful www, so if you have made it this far without a photo, good for you and thanks for reading.

Results are here.

Delaware Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic Report

Delaware Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic (MASS Series Event)
July 18, 2010
Fair Hill, MD
Conditions: July hot (upper 90s by the finish), dry

In attendance: John Arias, Jay Dodge, Mike Joos, Jeff Dickey, Scott Wilson, Cam Dodge (in a cast from last weekend's broken hand), and Ross Anderson

The Fair Hill July MASS race brings out huge crowds of mountain bikers to ride on the beautiful singletrack trails that the local clubs have worked to maintain. The Fair Hill area is also heavily used by the equestrian set (the start was near a number of active horse barns and the trails had horse route signs all over them). The course was in great shape - mostly dry, smooth and fast singletrack that wound back and forth. At one point in the race, I swore I was getting dizzy from so many left and right turns in quick succession.

This week, though I usually carry my mtb tube in my back jersey pocket, I needed some space to carry a spare water bottle, and so I used my new Simple Strap from Kyle at ByeKyle. The Simple Strap is a very sturdy and secure method of attaching your tube, CO2 inflator, tire levers, etc., to your saddle or frame. Kyle coats the backside of the velcro straps with a sticky substance that, when cinched down, doesn't let anything slip out. I'd never used one before, but they're used by a number of top riders like JHK, Jeremiah Bishop and Georgia Gould. It was easy to attach and I strapped my tube and CO2s to my frame to free up a full jersey pocket. It worked perfectly. I didn't even notice my tube/CO2s during the race (they're usually bouncing around in my pockets) and found them in exactly the same spot as I'd put it on before the event. This coming week, I'm going to try attaching my tube, etc., directly to the saddle rails and see how that works. Here's another link to a review.

Kyle can make custom colors for you if you'd like something specific to match your frame or kit. This is also a nice item to have on your bike if you get into a real fix and need to do some McGyver type repairs to your bike. If you'd like one, send him a note at Kyle@ByeKyle.com

The elite/open field had about 35 starters and the start was on a 2-3 mile prologue in open fields before hitting singletrack. Mike Joos and I got into the singletrack in the top 15 and with a few passes, I worked my way up to 7th. The course had a number of short, steep hills, and I used them to gain a little bit of time on the guys ahead of me.

Eventually, the field sorted itself out and I found myself in 4th place between a group of 3 riders ahead and one or two behind. Wes Shempf caught up to me on some exceptionally winding sections of singletrack and we worked our way up to Chris Beck. The three of us rode together for 15 or 20 minutes until a long, fast downhill where I was leading. I was confused by the course marshal and went straight, instead of a right turn and lost some time on the other two. I used some extra energy to catch back up, but hit a series of long climbs just as I latched back on. I'd done a road race Saturday and cramped badly in the high heat and I could feel my calves starting to lock back up again. As I was trying to stretch out some cramps, I bounced off a tree. That set me back and I wasn't able to catch back up to the two guys ahead of me.

I kept a good high pace to the finish (dodging some horses who had gotten onto the trail) and finished up in 5th place. Some Italian ice at the finish really hit the spot after the race (why don't more races have that at the finish?!). Mike came in 10th in the elite field, just getting pipped at the line by the 9th place rider.

John Arias rode away from his field to convincingly win the 35-39 division. Scottie finished up in 3d in that field, just losing out in a sprint for second place.



Ross Anderson turned in a fast time to place 3d in the always quick 19-34 category.

Jay Dodge survived two 27 mile laps in the 90 degree heat to win the masters endurance category (and finished eighth overall in the endurance category).

After the race, we had a little BBQ under the Scott team tent that we linked up with the Guy's bike shop team. A good way to end the day.

I'd highly recommend going to Fair Hill for next year. It's one large 27 mile loop, has just the right amount of climbing and the trails keep you on your toes with lots of different terrain features, like bridges over the highway, trails along a river, some open fields, and lots and lots of smooth, fast singletrack.

Results from the day are here.

- Jeff

Hotcycle Race Report

Hotcycle
July 10, 2010
Leesburg, VA

Conditions: Wet, muddy, slippery

In attendance: Jeff Dickey

Even though it was the day before last weekend's Summer Sizzler, I couldn't pass up the local Hotcycle race held in Leesburg, VA that was less than 1 hour from my house. I entered the race with some trepidation, as this was the same course that had left me laid up for 1.5 months earlier this year with a massive hematoma, broken blood vessels and the inabilty to walk, let alone ride for several weeks. And, this time around, Virginia had just gotten its first rain in a few weeks, leaving the trails with a quarter inch slick of mud over hardpack. But, it's hard to turn down going to a good local race.

The course is about 75% singletrack and is purpose built on the race organizer's family farm. It's only available for riding on race day or designated pre-rides with the organizer as it's an active cow farm (and you wouldn't want to wander into one of the fields that hold their large bulls). I lined up with 20-25 other guys in steamy weather. It had just finished raining hard and the temperature was beginning to climb - humidity must have been 100%.

From the start, guys were having difficulty controlling their bikes in the mud. I hadn't had much time for a warmup (and having done a local road "race" on Tuesday night in 102 degree temperatures and a mountain bike Wednesday night in 104 degree temperatures, I was still a little tired out), so I planned to take the first 8 mile lap fairly easy, get warmed up, and go from there.

I entered the singletrack in 7th or so position and had to slow down for the riders infront of me who were slipping and sliding everywhere. Eventually, we sorted outselves out and by the end of the first lap, I was riding in a three person group with local pro Matt Bailey and Plum Grove (the team that was hosting the race) rider Stu Staton and we were chasing one rider who had gotten a lead while the three of us were gingerly riding through the mud and getting warmed up.

I'd been getting more and more confident in the slippery terrain (I used to race these kind of conditions all the time back in New Hampshire growing up) and when we got within 10 seconds of the leader, I slid out on a corner and kept sliding across the slippery mud, eventually ending up in a ravine. It took a bit to climb back out and to the trail and by that time the leaders were gone.

This race was all about drafting in some of the wide-open cow pastures and without the draft, I lost a bit of time to eventually finish 4th. Results are here.

- Jeff

Danzeisen & Quigley Summer Sizzler Race Report

Danzeisen & Quigley Summer Sizzler (MASS Series Event)
July 11, 2010
Gloucester County College, Sewell, NJ

Conditions: HOT!

In attendance: Nathaniel Williams, Cam Dodge, Aaron Snyder, Scott Wilson, Mike Joos, Jay Dodge, Bart Passanante, Brian Bohlman

Almost all of the team traveled to NJ on July 11 for the Danzeisen & Quigley Summer Sizzler held on some very cool singletrack trails at the County Gloucester College. Even Nathaniel came to the event, all the way from Massachusetts (enduring a 12+ hour train ride that involved a delayed bike and a long, long day).

Danzeisen & Quigley, the race sponsor, is a big Scott dealer in Cherry Hill, NJ, so, if you're interested in a bike like one of our team bikes that have been fast in all conditions and courses this year, like the Spark RC or the Scale 29er, give them a call at 856-424-5969.

The Summer Sizzler course was almost 100% singletrack and was tacky and fast from some overnight rain showers. The local trail builders had done an awesome job stuffing as many trails as possible into a small space and using all of the available terrain; so, there were water crossings, a big sandy area, tons of short, steep uphills, roots and lots and lots of twists and turns.Bart lives 1 mile from the course and brought the team van and two tents. We had an awesome compound set up right by the start area. Very cool.

We also had our new team banner made for us by EJ of Crankskins (a beautiful piece of work that shows off our team sponsors to the fullest). EJ can seemingly make anything, from frame decals (he made us all sponsor decals for our bikes, as name decals) to custom water bottles, to banners with incredibly clear writing.

Also along for the trip was Brian Bohlman, the regional sales rep for Scott who is based in the Virginia Beach, VA region. Both Brian and Bart were headed out to Scott HQ in Sun Valley, Idaho after the race. If you haven't seen it already, Scott is launching a 949 gram or less (!) Scale 29er frame and a 899 gram (or less) Scale 26er for 2011. Both are going to be much lighter than anything offered by Cannondale or Specialized. As much as I love my Spark RC (which weighs in at just 21lbs with 4+ inches of travel front and rear), I can't wait to see how a 20lb (or less) 29er rolls. I may just need to get a second (or third bike) for next year.

The race start at the D&Q was pretty rough (that's an understatement). The prologue shot through a large open lawn area and into singletrack. As I was sprinting for the holeshot and all my weight was forward, I hit a concealed drainage ditch in the middle of the lawn and it sent me into a nose-dive. I landed hard and Cam, who was following me, also fell into me. He broke his hand. I felt so badly about that crash as he's going to be laid up for a few weeks with a cast.

By the time I'd untangled myself from under a pile of bikes, realized that I'd not broken my collarbone and gotten riding again, I was already 45 seconds behind the field. To make matters worse, the crash damaged my seatmast clamp and my saddle came loose. I made it up to 10th place or so and in the twists and turns saw that Aaron was in the lead. When I caught up to Nathaniel and Mike, I tried to fix my saddle, but couldn't get it sorted out in my haste. So, after the first of 4 laps, I pulled into the pit area, planning to drop out and ran over to see how Cam was doing (lots of ice and a hurting hand). While there, I was able to fix my saddle and I got rolling again.

Back on the trail, I caught up to Nathaniel who was having some chain issues. I paced him for half a lap to make sure he was OK and then started to get some speed. I didn't catch any riders, but had a great time on the swooping singletrack trails.

Aaron won the race in a sprint finish. Mike passed a bunch of guys to finish 7th. Jay crushed his field and won by over 4 minutes. Scottie pulled out from the high heat. I rolled in 16th and Nathaniel was just behind me in 17th. Results are available here.

After the race, we all went to Bart's house for a big BBQ. He's got an incredible place (his garage is stuffed with very cool Scott bikes and parts). It was good to sit down with everyone and just relax after a hot and fast day.

- Jeff

H2H Bulldog Rump Race Report

H2H Bulldog Rump (Campmore H2H Series #4 event and USA Cycling Mid-Atlantic Championships Series event #3)
July 11, 2010
Andover, NJ
In attendance: John Arias, Ross Anderson

The H2H Bulldogs race was a big one for me since I'm currently 2nd and closing in on 1st in Category 1 30-39 for the USA Cycling Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships with one race to go. I'm in 3rd in points for the H2H series.

Bulldog Rump went very well with a stacked group of 30 plus racers. I started off in top-5 then four of us packed together to pull away from the main field. During midway of the first lap we were able to drop one more making it three of us in a fast train. I kept moving to the front to do some hard pulls to ensure we would not be caught.

After the start of the 2nd lap myself and Ryan Heerschap were able to pull away from the other guy; Ryan and I swapping back and forth for 1st. Feeling good I attacked at the end of the 2nd lap gaining a lead, but took a bad line on a downhill into a rocky turn and went into the woods crashing. I was able to get back on the bike and get flowing again, midway of the 3rd lap was back on Ryan's wheel and we were CRUSHING it.

We rode together till the last rocky climb where he took a better line then me and gained about 10 seconds on me. I tried to close the gap but wasn't able to, finishing in 2nd.

This was a great race for me, fine tuning my racing tactics and what my body can do. The H2H series is by far one of the hardest series out there that I race but I know all my competitors are beatable now.

Results are available on the Bulldog team site.

- John

Delaware Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic XC

Sunday July 18, 2010

John Arias and Scott Wilson scored 1st and and 3rd in cat 1 race

West Hill Shop Race Report

The Sparknotes version: I raced my bike for 45 minutes, I got a flat, the CO2 didn't work and I DNF'ed. I'm good at making little things long, though, so below is the real edition.

So, anyone who reads this knows school had been intense the last two months. The spring of Junior year may be the worst part of all 12 years of public high school and I attempted to "get my priorities straight" by studying and not riding or racing my bike too much. I managed to get in four races, and four wins on 3-7 hours of riding a week. School ended recently and I decided the best way to celebrate was to ride my bike, putting in a 21 hour week of pedaling (pavement and dirt). I was beyond psyched to get out and race at Putney, VT. It is sponsored by the local West Hill Shop.

Local friend, Fred Howland got me up there.



When we pulled up, we saw the TWO time Olympian and totally rad Mary McConneloug and her husband, Mike Broderick. Pretty cool. They won...they dominated.




There were seven (hahaha, Seven) Cat.1 Juniors, some I knew, some I didn't. That was a record number, at least since maybe '06. So, the race started and a super quick 15 year-old almost got the holeshot, but I beat him to it. The first descent was very fun, downhill, smooth and berm-laden. I stayed in front for maybe five minutes, until said 15 year-old attacked and my friend, Ben, went with him. There was no way I could stick with them. They were on fire and I was certainly not. In fact, I was cold. I had cold chills, my head was throbbing and I had no power. I remained in 3rd for a bit, until my chain got properly bounced off my crank and the jockey wheels on my derailleur.This actually happened a few times and I think it was simply due to the fact that I was on a hardtail and the descents were super fast (and rough at speed). So, that allowed Zeb to get by. I rode a lap, had fun, but was withering in pain and wondering how I would survive another three laps. Well, fortunately, that pain was cut short on another fast downhill where a rock sliced my sidewall. I have never sliced a sidewall before, but I had a Stans setup, and I thought it would seal. I attempted to CO2 it, but the head wouldn't let it out. I decided to walk it out and cheer everyone else on. I later ran into Matt Green, who had also flatted, but got a spare wheel. He knew this DQ'ed him, but he was just riding around having fun. Ten minutes later, I ran into him again. He flatted again, attempting to ride his 18lbs Spooky hardtail like a downhill bike. He attempted to gap / tabletop 25 feet of trail on another fast descent. He came down on the front wheel (a 1150 gram MTB wheelset, mind you) and his tire exploded off the rim, causing him to die.



Not really, I lied. You can see in the picture above, he is alive and well. He had enough energy to lift his middle finger at me in protest of me taking his picture (it's a joke). So, he was in good spirits and told me about his "training week" that does not really include "training" rides, but rather trips to the BMX park and such. Must be all that rainbow colored unicorn blood.


Our local Adam Craig - Tom Sampson the 2nd best XC bike handler in the country (my subjective opinion)...he rides wheelies forever and gaps things, without making a sound or crashing. He can pedal, too.




So, I DNF'ed. Eh, I'm somewhat disappointed, somewhat okay with that. During the race, I felt like I was working hard, but going nowhere. There is good pain, and there is bad pain. That was bad pain. Anyways, I got to see some people I hadn't seen for awhile, and ride some pretty sweet singletrack. It's not all bad.

Last year, I filmed the race, along with Colt from Cyclingdirt. Our videos and pictures are here. The music on mine got messed up, so just turn it off.

Long?

H2O Overdrive Triple Crown Finals - Massanutten Hoo Ha!

H2O Overdrive Triple Crown Finals - Massanutten Hoo Ha!

Date: June 19-20, 2010
Location: Massanutten Resort, Keezletown, VA
Conditions: Hot!

In attendance: John, Aaron, Jay, Cam, Jeff

This past weekend the Scott RC Mountain Bike Team traveled to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to race in the the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown Finals consisting of a three races: a Super-D, Short-Track and Cross-Country. Massanutten Resort, who hosted the event, is a classic mountain bike destination and has been holding races at the resort (on pretty much some of the same terrain) since 1989, including a UCI World Cup downhill event. The trails are typical Virginia - lots of rocks, climbing and included typically hot and humid Virginia weather.

Not only was this race the H2O Overdrive Triple Cup Finals, but it was also round two of the USA Cycling's Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, and the Mid-Atlantic Kenda Cup Invitational qualifier. A lot on the line!

The major cycling news organizations came out to cover the race: http://www.cyclingnews.com/, http://www.velonews.com/ and http://www.cyclingdirt.org/.

Additionally, the Triple Crown format pitted all racers in the Triple Crown, whether pro, Cat 1, or in the open category, in the same running for prize money and started all of the categories together. So, an amateur could potentially win the top prize of the weekend if he won all the events.

On Saturday morning, the super-downhill event kicked off the weekend. The team met up before the 1:00 start and rode up the downhill course as a team to get a close look at what we'd be flying down. The trail was full of sweeping singletrack turns that followed the natural terrain, a few short climbs in rock gardens, large berms in fast corners, and some sections of 35+mph. It started out on a rocky ridgeline and finished in the main expo area. Unlike other super-D races, this one was a time trial format as the course was nearly 100% singletrack. We lined up by number and had a 1 minute gap between riders.



The team had a great result, with Aaron and me both top-10 in the pro field and Cam and John both finishing near the top in the open category. Jay had a brief mechanical, but managed to untangle himself and was able to finish with a fast time.
It felt like a 15 minute wind-sprint down the mountain. My heart-rate was maxed out for nearly the entire course!

Former World Championship medalist Sid Taberlay of Sho-Air won the event, with local multi-US national champion Jeremiah Bishop in second.

Saturday afternoon was the short-track, on a bermed course in the expo area, that featured switchbacks, some singletrack, a little jump and was very spectator friendly.

All 60 guys in the Triple Crown event lined up at the same time and went for the holeshot into the singletrack. John had an awesome start, but was taken down by another rider just before hitting the singletrack.

I made it 6th into the singletrack and rode on the wheel of Bishop, Taberlay, Andy Schultz and one other for the first half of the race. The venue was soon covered in massive amounts of dust from the riders and it was nearly impossible to see or breathe clearly.

I fell back from the lead group and Aaron caught up to me - I waved him through into the singletrack ahead of me so I wouldn't get in his way and he continued on to chase the leaders. I could see Cam in a group 30 seconds or so behind me, but couldn't see Jay or John through all the dust.
I eventually recovered from blowing up, but couldn't catch Aaron to help him chase the leaders. Aaron placed 7th and I was 8th. Cam was the first amateur to finish in 13th place overall (besting several pros).

The next morning was extremely hot - nearly 95 degrees - for the the cross country. Riders were tasked with completing two 12 mile loops that climbed to the summit of Massanutten mountain. The course was nearly all singletrack and riders encountered a long switchbacking ascent with several technical rock sections, a rocky-ridgeline, a long singletrack descent from the top of the mountain, lots of baby-head rocks and a few extremely steep, but short climbs. The race was a mass start and a number of riders showed up for just the cross-country portion of the weekend. So, fresh legs to push the rest of us...

The race started with a bang and headed uphill for the first 10 minutes. Aaron got a great start and caught onto the lead pack. I fell back a bit, lungs burning in the heat, and had to recover for the first major climb. I could see Aaron ahead of me in a large group of riders for almost the first 30 minutes, but I couldn't match his pace. Luckily, the promoters had a number of water stations and cooled us off on the switchback uphills.

The trails to the summit were incredible cut singletrack. The thousands of hours of labor that had gone to make them over the past several years were clearly evident. Aaron rode a very strong race to finish 6th in the strong pro-field. Cam was second in the men's open category, just missing out on first by 11 seconds; I picked up 12th in the pro field. John was 3d in the Cat 1 30-39 race and Jay won the Cat 1 50+ master's race by over 9 minutes.

In the combined overall for the weekend, Aaron was 6th, I was 9th, Cam was 13th and John was 21st. A great result for the team!

Results are here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/massanutten-hoo-ha-ne

- Jeff