 |
| Aaron at the front in the start |
 |
| Cam |
 |
| John |
 |
| Dylan |
 |
| Ross |
 |
| Jeff |
 |
| Cam |
 |
| Mike |
 |
| Mike |
 |
| Mike |
 |
| Dylan |
 |
| Dylan |
 |
| Jeff |
 |
| Ross |
 |
| John |
 |
| John |
 |
| John |
 |
| Team |
 |
| Aaron and Cam post-race |
 |
| Team post-race |
 |
| Podium sweep |
 |
| Jay in 1st |
The Scott Pro Mountain Bike Team is an East Coast based Pro/Am Mountain Bike Team.
May 15, 2012
On the Rocks @ French Creek - Race Report in Photos
May 14, 2012
On the Rocks @ French Creek - Race Report - May 12, 2012
Race: On the Rocks @ French Creek in Elverson, PA
Date: May 12, 2012
Conditions: Warm (80 degrees) with fast, tacky trails
Riders: Aaron 1st (Elite/Open), Cam 2nd (Elite/Open), Mike 3rd (Elite/Open), Dylan 6th (Elite/Open), Jeff 7th (Elite/Open), Ross 19th (Elite/Open), John 20th (Elite/Open), Jay 1st (Master's 50+)
The team had a great weekend at French Creek this past weekend, taking all three podium spots in the 35 rider Elite/Open category and a win in the Master's 50+ category.
I'd never raced at French Creek before and it turned out to be a 95% singletrack course with plenty of rocks (hence the race name) and not many opportunities for passing. It had some fast singletrack sections, a few road crossings and a few short steep climbs and some fast rocky downhills that kept you on your toes. A moment of inattention, and you'd be on the ground.
The Elite/Open field was again very large with 35 or more fast guys lining up to take on the rocks of central PA. I'd not been on my mtb in over a week due to work, muddy trails and other commitments, so I was a little worried about technical skill in the rocks. Plus, at the start, I found myself at the very back of the field...
At the gun, we had a crash in the field that took down 2-4 riders. Luckily, the first stretch was a long fireroad climb and I worked my way up the field from dead last (sorry to Ross for passing him by going through a mud puddle and splattering him) to about 15th by the first singletrack downhill.
I could see Aaron and Cam at the front of the field, John and Ross were right with me and Dylan was a few riders ahead as we headed into the rocks for lap 1 of 3. I worked my way over the rocks and moved up a few more places and saw Mike in the trail right behind me.
I followed Mike for the rest of the first lap and we passed more riders. I lost his wheel when I couldn't make a pass and got caught behind some slower riders. In the distance, I saw that Mike had linked up with Dylan and the two were riding away.
Unfortunately, I felt my rear tire going soft as we were getting close to the close of the first lap. I looked for a good section to quickly hit the tire with some CO2. I stopped, got passed by two riders, filled the tire up and crossed my fingers (it turned out to be a valve stem leak - the tire's now held air for three days with no problems and apparently just needed a little more air).
On the next descent, I caught up to Dylan who was riding slowly. He'd crashed while following Mike down one of the rocky descents. He was a bit shaken up, but soon got his composure and we went flying down the trail to chase down more riders.
Dylan and I rode well together for the next lap and passed a few more riders, working our way up to 6th and 7th and were within sight of 5th when the race ended.
Aaron rode away from the field, finishing nearly a minute up on Cam, who had a battle royale with Chris Beck. Beck eventually had to ease up due to a slipped seatpost and Mike passed him for third. John and Ross were also in the money for the day (both were fatigued from working on a night shift/change in jobs/new house).
Jay also rode away from the competition, finishing first in the fourteen rider Master's 50+ category, almost three minutes up on second place.
All, and all, a great result on a great course. Thanks to Trestle Bridge Racing for putting on a very fun event!
Here's the data from my ride on Strava:
Next up for the team is the Bike Line Fair Hill event on June 3. Hope to see you there!
- Jeff
Date: May 12, 2012
Conditions: Warm (80 degrees) with fast, tacky trails
Riders: Aaron 1st (Elite/Open), Cam 2nd (Elite/Open), Mike 3rd (Elite/Open), Dylan 6th (Elite/Open), Jeff 7th (Elite/Open), Ross 19th (Elite/Open), John 20th (Elite/Open), Jay 1st (Master's 50+)
 |
| Pro/Elite Podium - Aaron 1st, Cam 2nd, Mike 3rd |
 |
| Jay 1st |
I'd never raced at French Creek before and it turned out to be a 95% singletrack course with plenty of rocks (hence the race name) and not many opportunities for passing. It had some fast singletrack sections, a few road crossings and a few short steep climbs and some fast rocky downhills that kept you on your toes. A moment of inattention, and you'd be on the ground.
The Elite/Open field was again very large with 35 or more fast guys lining up to take on the rocks of central PA. I'd not been on my mtb in over a week due to work, muddy trails and other commitments, so I was a little worried about technical skill in the rocks. Plus, at the start, I found myself at the very back of the field...
 |
| Jay at the start |
I could see Aaron and Cam at the front of the field, John and Ross were right with me and Dylan was a few riders ahead as we headed into the rocks for lap 1 of 3. I worked my way over the rocks and moved up a few more places and saw Mike in the trail right behind me.
 |
| Aaron leading after lap 1 |
 |
| Cam duling it out with Chris Beck |
 |
| Mike at the end of lap 1 |
 |
| Dylan at the end of lap 1 |
 |
| Jeff at the end of lap 1 |
 |
| John at the end of lap 1 |
 |
| Ross heading out for lap 2 |
 |
| Mike and Dylan - headed out for lap 2 |
Unfortunately, I felt my rear tire going soft as we were getting close to the close of the first lap. I looked for a good section to quickly hit the tire with some CO2. I stopped, got passed by two riders, filled the tire up and crossed my fingers (it turned out to be a valve stem leak - the tire's now held air for three days with no problems and apparently just needed a little more air).
On the next descent, I caught up to Dylan who was riding slowly. He'd crashed while following Mike down one of the rocky descents. He was a bit shaken up, but soon got his composure and we went flying down the trail to chase down more riders.
Dylan and I rode well together for the next lap and passed a few more riders, working our way up to 6th and 7th and were within sight of 5th when the race ended.
Aaron rode away from the field, finishing nearly a minute up on Cam, who had a battle royale with Chris Beck. Beck eventually had to ease up due to a slipped seatpost and Mike passed him for third. John and Ross were also in the money for the day (both were fatigued from working on a night shift/change in jobs/new house).
 |
| Aaron finishing |
 |
| Cam finishing |
 |
| Dylan Finishing |
 |
| Jeff finishing |
 |
| Pro/Elite results |
 |
| Masters Results |
Here's the data from my ride on Strava:
Next up for the team is the Bike Line Fair Hill event on June 3. Hope to see you there!
- Jeff
May 11, 2012
May 09, 2012
Review - Continental X-King 29x2.2 ProTection RTR
Product Review - Continental X-King 29x2.2 ProTection Tires
I've been a fan of Conti tires for years given their long durability and awesome grip. I've ridden nothing but Conti GrandPrix 4000 clinchers (and their prior iterations) and Sprinter tubulars (and the newer GatorHardshell for winter and rough road training - these tires are indestructible!) on my road bike and I've used Conti mtb tires since the mid-1990s in various models as they have been the fastest tires out there.
Our team sponsor, Continental, hooked up the team with their newly revised X-King ProTection 29x2.2 tires that are Revolution Tubeless Ready. These tires were developed by Continental with the Topeak Ergon pro mtb team and are designed for use in multiple situations - from XC racing to epic long rides.
The tires are handmade in Germany and have the extra-grippy and self-cleaning Black Chili Compound for added traction in wet conditions. The sidewalls have a cool looking Flag Sidewall to them and each of the knobs is siped. In addition, the tires feature a tubeless compatible bead.
X-King's ProTection carcass adds an extra durable layer under the tread and sidewall yet does not add much weight to the tire (and is lighter than the non-ProTection version).
I weighed these tires in at 685g with the ProTection stiffened sidewall, which is just about at the published weight.
I set up the tires tubleless on Stan's Crest Rims. Installation was a breeze and possibly the easiest tire I've ever dealt with to get to inflate.
The bead and sidewalls on the X-King are super stiff and they inflated easily with a floor pump (most other tires I've set up require the use of CO2 or a compressor).
Once inflated, they turned out to be a nice rounded tread with knobs on the edges for cornering traction. This is by far my favorite type of tire to ride - the round profile makes cornering predictable.
I'm looking forward to a first ride on the tires, once the trails dry out a bit and I'll update with a ride report.
- Jeff
I've been a fan of Conti tires for years given their long durability and awesome grip. I've ridden nothing but Conti GrandPrix 4000 clinchers (and their prior iterations) and Sprinter tubulars (and the newer GatorHardshell for winter and rough road training - these tires are indestructible!) on my road bike and I've used Conti mtb tires since the mid-1990s in various models as they have been the fastest tires out there.
Our team sponsor, Continental, hooked up the team with their newly revised X-King ProTection 29x2.2 tires that are Revolution Tubeless Ready. These tires were developed by Continental with the Topeak Ergon pro mtb team and are designed for use in multiple situations - from XC racing to epic long rides.
 |
| Conti's Tire Usage Ranges |
 |
| Catalog Overview Page |
I set up the tires tubleless on Stan's Crest Rims. Installation was a breeze and possibly the easiest tire I've ever dealt with to get to inflate.
The bead and sidewalls on the X-King are super stiff and they inflated easily with a floor pump (most other tires I've set up require the use of CO2 or a compressor).
Once inflated, they turned out to be a nice rounded tread with knobs on the edges for cornering traction. This is by far my favorite type of tire to ride - the round profile makes cornering predictable.
I'm looking forward to a first ride on the tires, once the trails dry out a bit and I'll update with a ride report.
- Jeff
May 08, 2012
Iron Hill - Race Report - May 6th 2012
Race: Iron Hill
Date: May 6th 2012
Conditions: Muddy and non-technical rolling
Riders: Cam 1st (Elite/Open), Aaron 2nd (Elite/Open), Mike 4th (Elite/Open) Nick 8th (Elite/Open) Jay 1st (Masters)
Strong Results for the Scott Pro Mountain bike team in a stacked 35+ rider open/elite field. Cam and Aaron (Aaron rode 60 miles to the race venue that morning in preparation for the Transylvania Epic later this month) rode away from the field, finishing 1/2 and about 3 minutes up on third place. Aaron and Cam dueled it out with Cam winning by 20-30 seconds. This was Cam's first overall win in the open/elite class!
Jay also rode away from the master's field, winning by more than 3 minutes.
Dylan Johnson raced the open/elite category too but after a strong start he suffered a mechanical early in the first lap (rock strike onto a derailleur) that ended his race... Bummer as he likely would have joined the others in the top 10.
Full Results are available here.
Next weekend is the continuation of the MASS series at On the Rocks @ French Creek in Elverson, PA.
-Mike
Date: May 6th 2012
Conditions: Muddy and non-technical rolling
Riders: Cam 1st (Elite/Open), Aaron 2nd (Elite/Open), Mike 4th (Elite/Open) Nick 8th (Elite/Open) Jay 1st (Masters)
 |
| Elite/Open podium - 3 Scott riders in the top 5 out of a 36 rider field. |
 |
| Jay 1st! |
 |
| Scott Scale Expert (top) Scott Scale RC (bottom) |
 |
| Nick and Aaron after race |
 | ||
| Elite/Open results |
 |
| Soft conditions |
 |
| Nick |
Jay also rode away from the master's field, winning by more than 3 minutes.
Dylan Johnson raced the open/elite category too but after a strong start he suffered a mechanical early in the first lap (rock strike onto a derailleur) that ended his race... Bummer as he likely would have joined the others in the top 10.
Full Results are available here.
Next weekend is the continuation of the MASS series at On the Rocks @ French Creek in Elverson, PA.
-Mike
May 03, 2012
Michaux Maximus - Cam 2nd, Jay 3rd
Race: Michaux Maximus
Date: April 28, 2012
Conditions: Rocky!
Riders: Cam 2nd (Pro), Jay 3rd (Masters)
While much of the team was racing in Maryland last weekend, Jay and Cam headed to Michaux to get their fill of rock gardens at the Maximus. This year, conditions were good (which rarely happens at this event).
Cam finished 2nd overall and Jay was 3rd in the Masters field and 15th overall in the 40 mile slog.
Results are available here.
- Jeff
Date: April 28, 2012
Conditions: Rocky!
Riders: Cam 2nd (Pro), Jay 3rd (Masters)
While much of the team was racing in Maryland last weekend, Jay and Cam headed to Michaux to get their fill of rock gardens at the Maximus. This year, conditions were good (which rarely happens at this event).
Cam finished 2nd overall and Jay was 3rd in the Masters field and 15th overall in the 40 mile slog.
Results are available here.
- Jeff
Dylan at Cohutta 100 - 2012
Race: Cohutta 100
Date: April 28, 2012
Location: Tennessee
Rider: Dylan
Result: 21st (out of of 400+)
Dylan traveled to Ducktown, TN for the opening round of the National Ultra Endurance Series 100 mile races at the Cohutta 100.
This event featured a newly revised course for 2012 with more singletrack and approximately 13,000 feet of climbing.
Dylan was out to avenge a bad crash on the gravel roads at Cohutta in 2011 that left him with cuts to his chin that required stitches. As usual, Dylan was the youngest racer at the 100 mile event!
He borrowed a rear wheel from Kevin Carter (who finished 3rd at Cohutta) prior to the start and unfortunately it turned into a tough day.
Just after the start, Dylan's chain jumped in between the cassette and spokes and he had to break it to wrestle it out. Due to the large amount of gravel roads at Cohutta, that meant Dylan would be riding outside the draft of the leaders for nearly 100 miles of gravel fireroad.
However, he got the chain out of the jam and soldiered on only to have the same thing happen again at mile 70. Undeterred, he repaired the problem and finished in a solid 21st place (out of more than 400 riders).
You can read the Cyclingnews.com report of the event here (Dylan is the "wunderkind referred to in the report - "What do four Costa Ricans from La Ruta de los Conquistadores, rigid hard-tailed women, The Pfluginator and a rodent, the SiMonster, a Wunderkid, a Ferrari, a refugee, and a US Olympic hopeful all have in common?")
Dylan also got a mention given his status as the youngest in the field: "At age 17, the youngest rider was Dylan Johnson (Scott RC Mountain) from McLean, Virginia, who finished 21st 8:16:48. He returned to Cohutta following a brutal crash last year that earned him a trip to the ER.")
- Jeff
Date: April 28, 2012
Location: Tennessee
Rider: Dylan
Result: 21st (out of of 400+)
Dylan traveled to Ducktown, TN for the opening round of the National Ultra Endurance Series 100 mile races at the Cohutta 100.
This event featured a newly revised course for 2012 with more singletrack and approximately 13,000 feet of climbing.
Dylan was out to avenge a bad crash on the gravel roads at Cohutta in 2011 that left him with cuts to his chin that required stitches. As usual, Dylan was the youngest racer at the 100 mile event!
He borrowed a rear wheel from Kevin Carter (who finished 3rd at Cohutta) prior to the start and unfortunately it turned into a tough day.
 |
| On the front row at the start |
 |
| Lots of elevation gain in the hills |
 |
| Dylan - Post-Race |
Dylan also got a mention given his status as the youngest in the field: "At age 17, the youngest rider was Dylan Johnson (Scott RC Mountain) from McLean, Virginia, who finished 21st 8:16:48. He returned to Cohutta following a brutal crash last year that earned him a trip to the ER.")
- Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)