The best athlete doesn't always win.

In Adventure Racing you can be a great runner and biker but you mess up one control point and you're out of the top 10. That is what happened to Jay and I at the December Chill. We ended up finishing in 19th place because we spent at least 15 minutes attacking a control point from the wrong direction. The difference between us and 10th place was only 5 lousy minutes in almost 6 hours of racing.

In some ways I was very happy with the race despite our finish. As far as fitness goes Jay and I were where we needed to be. Our canoeing continues to be an area where we could make up some time. Hopefully we will be able to get out and get some practice in the boat before the Spring Fury.

The day started off with me not rushing to get my pack and drop bags ready because I was fully packed by Thursday night. This resulted in a fairly stress free time leading up to the race start. It was rather pleasant. The first stage of this race consisted of a short trekking section in which we had to obtain 3 control points in any order. This is usually done to help separate the field so you don't have 200 people running off into the woods at the same time. We were able to get 2 of the points with no problems. The 3rd one took us a few minutes longer but it wasn't too bad. Jay and I both had running shoes on but quite a few of the people did the first section in their biking shoes because they wanted a faster transition to the bike after the trekking. Can you imagine running 2 or 3 miles in your biking shoes on totally frozen and icy roads? Once back at the Dodge Pavilion Jay and I headed to the cars to grab our bikes, shoes, and helmets. The first section of the biking had us catching the singletrack at the end of the blue loop. From there we headed onto the yellow loop and took that around to the trailhead parking lot. The trail was surprisingly ride-able if you stayed in the 1 foot wide swath down the center of the trail that was fairly packed down. Venture even 1 inch off that part and you get squirrelly and pulled even more off trail. We were able to pass quite a few people despite the trail condition. You had to be careful and they had to be willing to let you pass. There were 3 control points right on the trail that had to be obtained. From the trailhead we headed down the park road to the canoe staging area which was located on the Huron River just south of the Kent Lake Spillway. The road was really icy and slick. We saw one guy take a hard spill on the bike path so I'm assuming that was just as icy. Jay and I were both able to stay upright. At the canoe launch we had a gear bag waiting for us. The only thing I pulled from the bag were a pair of gloves and my PFD. I wore my biking shoes in the boat which actually wasn't too bad. Canoeing on the Huron River was a blast. Definitely better than canoeing in some huge lake like the April race. The river had a ton of downed trees which made navigating tricky but Jay, in the back of the boat, made it look easy.

Several people passed us on the river. A big reason we were a little slower was were using canoe paddles opposed to kayak paddles which are a lot more efficient. We ended up with a decent split time for the canoeing portion.After the canoeing portion there was a score-O style orienteering section. You are given a map with control points marked by little circles. You are also given a sheet that describes each point. For example it will say at the top of a hill, end of a swamp, or at a re-entrant. These points can be obtained in any order so you have to have a plan as far as how you can minimize your time and amount traveled.

The topography at Island Lake is not that interesting. In the center and south part of the park you have an old gravel pit that is open with some fairly steep hills. At one point the hill was so steep and slippery that Jay and I slid down the hills on our butts. The points in this area were fairly easy to obtain. The rest of the park is fairly flat so the Infiterra crew were limited on how complex they could make those sections. Those points ended up being just as easy to obtain. You really didn't need to take a bearing with your compass...just point and shoot.I say easy but we did mess up on one point. It was sitting on a hill in the middle of a big, thick swampy area. Jay insisted on going west on a two track then north following a contour line. When we get to the area we wanted to head north at the area was marked with No Trespassing signs. We ended up following a group of people through the swamp and into someone's backyard. At this point I finally had enough and told Jay that we are turning around.

On the east side of the swamp there was another small ridge line that went north into the swamp then disappeared. When we made it to this ridge line you could see a trail heading off in the direction of the swamp. After about 10 minutes of bushwhacking thru the swamp we found the hill and the CP. From that point it was onto a couple more points and the finish back at the pavilion.I'm counting this race as a success.

Now back to training and preparing for the March Madness. If we stay fit and don't make any rookie mistakes we should be okay. No guarantees though....this is Adventure Racing after all.

writen by: Tony M

WATERFORD CX STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

It was bitterly cold and windy. To stay warm, I set up my trainer on the side of my truck to block the wind. I spun on the trainer until the course was open to pre-ride. After completing 2 laps, I went to the finish line where I stripped off everything but my skin suit and leg warmers.

I got off to a good start and was right on Vince Roberge's rear wheel. About three quarters of the way through the first lap at the bottom of the hill, he went flying over the bars which caused me to have to stop and run up the hill losing several spots. Halfway through the race, two more riders went down and I was able to gain one spot.

I was in the 6th spot trying to chase down 5th place. It took 2 laps, but I was able to get on his rear wheel. I got around him on the next straightaway. Then with 2 laps to go I bonked and was passed which put me back in 6th place. I managed to hold on to my 6th place position even with the two guys behind me chasing hard.

When I finished I realized how cold I really was. My fingers and toes were numb. I still wasn’t feeling that well until we went upstairs and had a couple of bowls of tomato soup and sat next to a heater. I wanted to finish a little better than I did for the last race of the year, but I will be back next year and plan to keep improving. Hope to see more people giving cyclocross a try next year!

Written by Mark P.

Iceman Images

Images sent in by Ron R. Thanks!

Iceman at the Pro Level!

I picked Derek and Ed up from the finish line and drove back to the start. When we arrived I saw some big names there getting ready to warm up. I was pretty nervous already because this would be my first Pro race and I would be riding a new bike I picked up the night before. You don’t have to tell me, I know riding new equipment for a race is breaking the 1st cardinal rule. I was offered the opportunity to race an ‘09 Specialized S-Works Epic and couldn’t resist. It was a beautiful bike. So, I rode around the parking lot a few times and then hit the trail for a couple of miles to see if there were any surprises I should know about right off the start. The toughest section I found was a sand pit just over a mile in. When I saw the 25-mile sign I decided it was time to head back. I got back to the truck where Derek was standing and took off some of the heavier clothing I had on for warming up. It was a couple minutes after that when we were called to the starting gate. We had 5 minutes until the start and my heart was racing already. I was standing in a pack of 56 riders. I heard the word “go” and we were off on a full out sprint for a sharp left hand turn. I managed to take the inside line and hold it. The first few miles were absolute chaos. My heart rate was pegged, guys were cutting others off to try and get a good position in line. I had someone=2 0try to get ahead of me, but he ended up taking his own front tire out on another rider’s rear wheel. This caused me to lock up the breaks, but I was able to get around in time on the left. As the race went on I found myself in a group of about 5 chasing the larger lead group, which at the time I had no idea there was a group of 3 off of the front of that group. I finally managed to join the main group and was doing my best to hang on to the rear tire of one of the Bell’s guys. I was unable to stay there though and a few miles after Williamsburg Road I was slowly falling off the back. I made a few hard efforts trying to get back on, but with no such luck. I felt like I was on my own personal time trial. I managed to catch two of the others that got spit out the back. I was riding with them until the last section of single track. I was trying to get to the single track first, but ended up second in line with no way around. We came to a short but steep downhill with a sharp left at the bottom. The rider in front crashed. He had slid just far enough off the trail for me to get around. I asked if he was all right but didn’t receive and answer. I saw him scrambling to get up when I rounded the next corner. Now I just had one guy I had to stay in front of so I was giving it everything I could when we entered the finish chute.

As I crossed the finish line I felt such relief that the rider behind me didn ’t catch me. After the race I had to take my new favorite bike back to the Specialized trailer to return it. That was the saddest moment of the day for me. After the awards and a bite to eat we decided to make an appearance at the Bell’s party. Which topped off the night with good beer and some dancing, well I think you could consider it dancing. We were very lucky that our teammate Biscuit agreed not to drink so he could drive us back to the room. Which we appreciated very much. It was a great weekend and I can’t wait until next year to try to improve my time. I ended up 26th with a time of 1:36, which beat my goal of a 1:40, but there’s always next year.

Images from Biz! aka Biscuit, aka Mark T.

Another Iceman in the books!

What an exciting weekend. Our team had 16 riders racing the 27 mile event and two of our riders (Bryan and Montana) took podium spots! To make this weekend even more exciting one of our team members got engaged. I personally could not think of a better event / place to propose!

For myself, the race was interesting to say the least. At the start of the race we stood waiting. During that time I got so cold that my team members in the same wave where getting concerned. But, in a few minutes the gun went off and all 98 riders started. Not more than 1/4 mile into the race I was taken out by a combination of sand and a rider hitting my rear tire. This combination left me laying on the ground watching every rider pass. I picked up my bike and the handle bars where parallel to the front wheel. At this point I wanted to just DNF but I grabbed my multi tool and got the bars almost straight. By the time I finished I could see the next wave of Single Speed riders starting. So I jumped back on the bike and started again with somewhat straight bars. I started to get passed by the Single Speed group which worked out well because I was able to hang onto the rear their rear tire until we hit one sand pit and I was way too far forward and again went over the bars. This time I saw Jared from our team pass. I was so focused on trying to fix my handle bars I didn't even hear what he said. Finally back on the bike and along comes Mark "Biz". We rode together for a few then he was able to gain ground in the last few miles of the race. After a few more miles I finally hit the finish and in 50th passing 48 other riders in my group.

Now that the race was over and the season was done for me it was time for a little celebrating. We hung out in the VIP tent of Gary Fisher and watch the Pro race, while dining on some seriously good food! For the first time in three years our team actually had a rider in the pro class. Mark P. did an awesome job hanging with the Pros!

After dinner with the team and the awards ceremony it was time for the real party. The Bells Beer after party and it did not disappoint! Awesome band and beer. Thank you Bells Beer and the Bells MTB team!

So what is next? Several of our team members still have cross races and adventure races left to do. We also have alot of team business to complete, such as new team members, sponsorship and budgets.

Harvest Mountain Bike/ 5K Races for Charity

The races at Lake Orion High School are always a fun competitive atmosphere. Our team showed up to the event ready to race and help promote the sport(s) for a good cause. The race day started out very cold and dark and the weather only got worse. On the last lap for the Advance and Sport group(s) the rain decided to make things a little more slick. By the end of the last lap it was a steady down poor. The rain did let up for the start of the Citizen group and by the time we left, well, the sun was out! Congrats to Joe from the Bells MTB team for taking first overall. And congrats to Bryan U. and Mark L. for taking first in their groups!


So many of the team members enjoy these races because they allow you to experiment. Some riders, like myself try new race categories ( I only got lapped by three out of nine Advance riders), bike setup, a new bottle mixture and for some, simply doing their first Mountain Bike race. Thanks to Steve M. and the Lake Orion High School for putting on this event!

Peak 2 Peak

What a race! This is one of my favorite races after the USAC series is over. Most of the course is a fast flat nine miles of twistie single track and two track that take you right up to the one mile hill climb. For some of the CT team this was a place to gain positions and for others (me) it was a place of torture! In each of the three laps all I could do is find a comfortable gear and peddle then zone out. Close to the top of the hill you can shift into a larger gear and make up some of the time lost and then the best part of the entire race. The downhill run! The first lap down I remember hearing a someone on the side yelling "slow down". Slow down!? I raced ten miles to get to this point!

The next two laps where pretty much the same minus the person saying slow down. I was able to take 15th in my group while Tony S. took 10th and Bryan U. took 1st! Way to go Bryan. Next up is the Lake Orion Fall race, Cyclocross then Iceman and more Cyclocross!

Massive Fallout

Saturday morning I headed over to Stoney Creek to meet up with some teammates for the Massive Fallout Ride. I found Ed, Mark L., and Derek and we chatted for a bit then made our way over to the trailhead for the mass start. We must've gotten there a couple minutes late because the big group had already taken off. Oops! No worries though. There were many riders still arriving and getting ready.
It was a gorgeous fall morning with cool crisp air, colorful leaves covering the trees and trails, and bikes everywhere. We all headed out towards the Pines. The trail was in great condition, dry and fast. After the Pines, we climbed up Mt. Sheldon where there were lots of riders talking and taking in the views (some of us were catching our breath!). Into the Roller Coaster... After a minute I lost sight of the guys but could hear voices and bikes bouncing across the trail throughout the woods. About halfway through, I caught a glimpse of another Cycletherapy jersey and got excited thinking I was catching up with the guys! I was working hard, but that motivated me to push harder. Soon, I realized they had slowed down a bit behind another group. Oh well, I got to feel fast for a minute :)
After the Roller Coaster, we left Stoney taking the dirt roads to Paint Creek Trail. The trail was full of people taking advantage of the great weather. It was cool to be surrounded by so many active people. We headed north and took a little break at Mark L.'s house to get some water and a little snack. Then, back on the road to Bald Mountain. That was my first time riding at Bald Mountain and I loved it. It was a fast, open trail with some steep bumpy downhills to keep you on your toes. I rode through with another group of friendly riders who pushed me to keep up when I started getting tired. My teammates patiently waited for me outside the trail and we sped off to Addison. I've riden Addison once before, but didn't remember it being as hilly as it felt now. Maybe I was just getting tired... I was working pretty hard to keep up all morning! Though it was tough, Addison was my favorite trail of the three. It seemed to have the most variety. Enough climbing to make you work and some fun downhills to make those climbs worth it. After the trail, legs burning but still smiling, I headed towards the pavilion where everyone was enjoying chili and hot dogs. From there we split up and I enjoyed the scenery on my leisurely ride back to Stoney. It was a well organized event and it seemed like everyone had a great time. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.
This weekend, some of us will be racing Peak to Peak, Grubers and others will be racing cyclocross. Good luck to all!

Pain Haven

Several members of the team decided to spontaneously take on the 30 mile Pain Haven race up by Midland Mi. I have to say the name of this event is perfect. The course had some sweet downhill runs followed by some nice steep climbs. The single track was intense. Most of the single track reminded me of a rough pump track with tight turns, bridges some wicked off camber downhill turns and much much more!! Our very own Mark P. placed second with a finish time of 2 hours and 2 minutes while Derek and I (Ed) finished. Congrats to Steve Kinley of Sobe / Cannondale for his finish and a big thank you to Jen D from our team for helping out during the race and to the promoters Jeff and Jen!

If you asked me right after the race, "would I do it again" I might have said no but looking back at it, I will definetly add this race to next years list!!

USAC Finals

Wow! Another USAC series is over and congratulations to all the teams and individuals that took part in this awesome racing experience. Cycletherapy was able to have seven riders in the top three and everyone who raced the full series placed in the top five. During the final few races we where lucky enough to have Cheryl and Jennifer join our team and immediately started adding first place medals to the team! For some of us this is the start of Cross season and for others it is time to get ready for races like Peak 2 Peak, Iceman, Fall Harvest at Lake Orion and more.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

iVisual
Cycletherapy
National Financial Credit
Multi-Lakes Insulation Ent.
Ressler Design
DeCubber Custom Shop

Thank you Tailwind for putting on these events!

Pontiac Lake Rec. Photos

Derek & Cheryl Hill----------Tony Sebastian

Biscuit & Gravy--------Mark Terrian & son Dylan

Montana & Forrest Johnson --------- Mark Ladwig & Ed Barker

Jen D. & Cheryl H.----------------Lisa Johnson

Ed Barker & Mike Bartlett-------------Bryan Underwood

Pontiac Lake XC

Congratulations to everyone who came to race and help out with the race. With the rain the night before the race course was fast. CT Racing was able to grab 13 medals for the day! The heat was a little intense but overall it was another great day to race!

Below are the team results and hopefully we can update this post with some images from the race.

Mike B. 3rd Elite Men
Mark P. 4th Elite Men

Bryan U. 1st Expert Men 18-Under
Forbes D. 2nd Expert Men 18-Under

Derek H. 5th Expert Men 30-39

Mark T. 5th SS Sport / Beginner

Mark L. 2nd Sport Clydesdale
Ed B. 3rd Sport Clydesdale

Cheryl H. 1st Sport Women 25-39
Jennifer D. 2nd Sport Women 25-39

Lisa J. 1st Sport Women 40+

Forrest J. 1st Sport Men 14-Under
Montana J. 1st Sport Men 14-Under

Tony S. 6th Sport Men 19-29
Jeff M. 9th Sport Men 35-39

Norm J. 6th Sport Men 45-49

Team Results for the Time Trial Series

Congratulations to all those that race the Time Trial series put on by Tailwind! Mark P. took first overall in the mens Elite category and fourth in the mens Expert/Elite Single Speed. Bryan U. also grabbed first in the mens 18-Under. Derek H. took second in the mens Expert 30-39 category. Great Job!!

Big M. Race

Another great day to race! Some pictures from the Big M. race.

Stony Creek Time Trial

Ahhh....racing, I vaguely remember what it feels like. So what do I do, I sign up for a time trial where the pain is very temporary, the Stony Creek Time Trail to be exact. It's part of the Tailwind TT Series.
Stony is a quandry of sorts, with a lot of fast two track that requires gears to go fast throw in some twisty singletrack that requires skillz and timing and then add some good size climbs that require power....all of which is hard to satisfy with a singlespeed. So you pick a gear and plan to suffer, but everyone suffers in a time trial, if they aren't, they're not going fast enough!
My start time is 12:16, I line up to some young buck (20 years younger to be exact) and Gordon counts down from 5 and we are off. I clip in promptly and and off down the slight hill and the young buck is right behind me, he immediately asks if I'm fast, I answer, "I use to be." So with that information he decides to pass me and I hop on his wheel and let him pull me all the way out on the grass against the wind. (I may be slow, but I'm not stupid). We reach the creek crossing and with the days prior pre-ride of the course I am able to go easy before the crossing and then close the gap he has made immediately afterward as I catch him thru the water. We lead out, pass one of the 30 second guys that were in front of us and keep the mini train rolling. We hit the big climb before the singletrack and I am still on his rear wheel like Biscuit all over the latest bike tire offering. We spin together for a little while longer, he asks a few questions like my name and how many races I have under my belt this year, then we catch the other 30 second guy. On a series of smaller climbs we catch and pass a few beginners giving positive reinforcement to each. For now I am content to ride at his pace as I am drafting the whole time. As we enter the Pines singletrack section I hit the gas and go around him as his paced slowed somewhat. I check the heartrate monitor and the HR is at 170, a little high, but managable. I don't know if this cat is fast in the singletrack or not and I'm not waiting to find out, hence my decision to pass. Come to find out, he's fully capable and stays with me the whole way to the point when we pass someone, I tell them two are coming around. We hit the two track and I am still pulling, I slow slightly and he does too, he does not want to pull, but then again, I wouldn't either. I am happy to do more work and lead in to the second singletrack section aptly named The Rollercoaster. I try a little to drop him, but his skillz are one of a seasoned rider so I throttle back a little and keep a good heart rate. It's all about me now and my survival.
We exit he Rollercoaster and he says, "I'll lead for a little while" which I graciously accept. He leads the entire two track section back and I draft as much as possible. A 30 second rider who started behind us catches us just before the first creek crossing on the way back. Again, with my day's prior pre-ride I know exactly what to do. As I dismount and do my cyclo-cross imitation I am promptly behind the young buck again with the 30 second guy behind me, but the young buck faulters and I am forced to stop my smooth transtion from runner with a bike to full on biker. I collect my thoughts, tell the 30 second guy he can go around as I know he is faster then I and they are off...alot more then I would have liked as my mojo was disrupted. But fear not, another creek crossing is coming up and I know for sure I will be able to catch them again! Without worry I am able to do just that and we are all out of the last creek crossing as a tight knit trio, the young buck first, fast 30 second guy second and me happily in third letting them do all the work. We pass a few beginners and turn on the the grassy return. But alas, my little world is about to fall apart as the young buck throws a few more shovels of coal on and starts to pull away. I am sure the fast 30 second guy will follow but he does not and I am at the road crossing unable to pass. As soon as we cross the road the young buck gives it all he has and pulls away. Once we past the bridge I hit the gas and go around him and try to catch the young buck but this effort is futile as he has also saved some for the last sprint and beats me by 3 seconds.
I am happy with my effort, I had a blast actually working with someone during the entire race, tactics can be fun and breaks up the mind-numbing-racing-by-yourself stuff. I finished in 9th place with a 53:21 and only 24 seconds divided 6th place from 9th place! Lots of fun!!!

thanks, Jay Jones

The Ruby Race

Well like almost every race this year, we where greeted with another course soaked by the night rain. Ruby, unlike other courses becomes this greasy, muddy single track on one side of the river then, a sandy rooted track on the other side of the river. This is a perfect combination for our bikes chains, bottom brackets and more! The CycleTherapy shop is going to love us!

We had four riders out at Ruby and each one of us had at least one wreck or bike part that need to be replaced due to the conditions. Our elite rider Mark P. lost the bolt for his rear brake making a already difficult race become more challenging. But, with his skills he was able to claim 4th overall. Derek H. had a good ride but it to included challenges that you don't face on a normal DRY race day but, of the four of us that raced the most amazing story was our rider Forbes D.

There is a downhill section that follows a really tight switchback and on this steep downhill ( a place I wreck during the Sunday pre-ride) Mr. D. decided to do a little trail blazing. The result was a front wheel that resembled a taco. His bike was useless, he, on the other hand, was still in the race. He managed to get his bike across the river and take 1st place in his age group!

We would like to give special thanks to Forbes family for coming out to cheer for him and the team! It was a real boost! Also, thanks to Team Sandbag and Tailwind for another eventfull race!

Stony Creek Marathon

When I woke up, the first thing I did was look out the window. Much to my dismay, I saw it had rained last night. My first thought was, every race this season has had a storm come through making the track muddy. Regardless of the conditions, this race was for double points and I had to do it.

When I arrived at Stony Creek the turnout of racers was impressive. Our team alone had seven riders.

The muddy conditions did improve after the race started, well not until the third lap. As my group took off I stayed back in third knowing that the first little climb would be crowded with riders. This little conservation of energy allowed me to pass the first and second place riders to grab first place about two miles into the race. The first lap went flawless. It was not until the short climb at the begining of the course of the second lap that I started getting "chain suck". By the second hill climb I had lost my shifting in the front. Luckily the guy who was in second place came by and applied some oil to the chain, enough to get back to the start.

When I got to our pit area I was lucky that some of the family members where there and helped clean all the mud out, spray down the chain and oil it. Within a few minutes I was off on the third lap!!

This lap went "ok" but I started to cramp in the back of my legs. Too much thought put into the mechanical issues and not enough thought put into drinking liquids slowed my pace down greatly. As I got back to the pit area all I could think about was holding on to second place. I made my bottle switch, did a quick spray of cleaner on the chain and I was off on the last lap.

In the roller coaster I was beginning to feel the lack of energy, a couple of my teammates passed me as I was standing to the side of the track trying to muster some energy, they offered to help but I was too far gone and only had 4 or 5 miles to the finish. Then everything feel apart!

About three miles from the finish I moved over to let some faster riders pass and wham.... flat tire! No problem, fix the tire and finish, right! I was using my CO2 to fill the tube and snap.... the valve froze on my spare tube and snapped off letting all the air out. Just about that time the third place rider passed me.

I had no choice but to hike in and try to finish the race and obtain some point. The end result of the marathon for me was a fourth place finish. But on a better note the team took several first place finishes! Congrats to Brian, Montana, Forest, Lisa, Derek, Mark, and Mark for finishing... Great job!
Some Pics!

Lumberjack 100

Thursday night saw some of the worst storms on record for the Manistee area. In fact, as I watched the weather channel on the Friday before the race, they were saying 11 inches of rain had fallen over the course of the storm and Manistee declaring its town a disaster area! Luckily, the little town of Wellston had power so our accommodations for the weekend were still available.

Race day saw quite a crowd with many people nervously preparing their pit areas for the day’s racing. Looking around, it was apparent that the competition would be stiff. I prepared Cytomax, Perpetum and HammerGel to sustain me for the day, in addition to various other foods which I thought I might want as I coasted into the pits. At about 6:30 am all of us meet for the prerace, and headed up the Udell Rollways Rd. to start the race. An ominous foreshadowing of the trail conditions awaited us at the start; someone’s house along the road looked to be an island in a small lake of water!

The start was anticlimactic for me. I was at the back of the pack, as I had no intention of competing for hole shot on a race which could last as long as 12 hours. Months of training came down to this. Anyone reading this probably is familiar with the Big M race course, but the first climb is no joke. I enjoy passing people on the hills, but for this race I resisted the urge and trudged up the loose sandy hill with the rest of the racers. Unfortunately, I lost my restraint for the rest of my first lap. The trail conditions were excellent, and I was thoroughly enjoying having a full suspension bike with gears for the first time in 3 years. So I found myself blasting by large groups of racers who were smartly taking it easy and going slowly up the first lap’s hills, and elbowing my way on the down hills having a blast! There was one downhill at the end I past many flying down on the sides of the trail pedaling like a maniac pushing as much gear as my bike had! Felt like a million bucks flying through the shoot and stopping only to replace the bottles.

My subsequent laps were not as fun as the 1st lap. I had used too much of my energy goofing around for the first lap. In fact I was so tired I forgot one of my water bottles on the 3rd lap and had to nurse my supply till I reached the neutral aid station. Funny how anything edible and drinkable tastes as though it is the best food ever produced! For some reason, the 2nd lap was the hardest. It was frustrating to be riding so slow for me. I knew I was able to ride faster, but just couldn’t anymore.

While the trail was in awesome shape, there remained one exception, “THE SWAMP”. We’ve all done it, been so excited to ride after rain and had to pick our way around the foul smelling low areas of the trail where the collected refuse of the wild collects to ferment into a black goo. But imagine this area extended around on all sides! I rode through it all the first lap (cuz I was soooo excited to be passing people), but after emerging from this sump of goo, my bike with warned that in the future laps, it would not cooperate after being dunked in the muddy water. I abided my bikes wishes and carried it through this section for the remaining laps.

Other than “THE SWAMP” we could not have asked for better weather to race in! The weather was warm but not hot and a nice breeze was blowing throughout the day. Perhaps I will do this race again, but will change much in my training plan and race strategy. I was thrilled to have finished, which is all I really set out to do for the first 100 miler. As a racer though, I can’t help but wonder what I’m really capable of at an event like this. Not likely I’ll beat the course record of 6 and half hours! Perhaps a new goal to finish in fewer than 10 would be a more appropriate future goal for this race. In the meantime, I can take advantage of the extra endurance I’ve gained and use it in the local XC circuit!!! -T

Brighton XC race!!

It was a Hot Sticky June afternoon the night before had brought heavy rains to the area so the condition were tough! The Singlespeed class would start at just after 1 pm, between the Elites and Sport riders we had 13 going out. Here we go Robert hits the whistle and we are off, we wrap around the grass down by the lake up a short climb and hit the singletrack the group spreads out and I settle back in around 3rd position (i think),we come to a wide section and I pass the 2nd place rider easily and now in the hunt for #1 position, I spot him a short distance ahead of me and pass him on a long climb.

We ride for some time and I can hear a rider coming up behind me and its the rider I had passed on the climb he catches me and I let him pass me (dang!) lap 2 comes around and no change but I do hear another rider coming slowly behind me so I kick it up a notch and lose him, near the end of lap 2 I have a couple of falls in the slippery corners but maintain my lead.

Here it is finally lap 3 have not seen a rider in awhile a sport geared rider passed me and I slowly bring him in, I draft him when I can and we work together to finish out the race. We pop out of the singletrack and hit the last short section of park road to the finish line, I take one last look back and no one in sight sweet!!! I finish in what I think is 2nd place but find out the rider that passed me was in the Expert ss class and end up with a 1st place finish. I am Hot sweaty but very happy to have my first real class win in my 4 years of racing. I guess some extra miles on the bike have helped me out this year..
Biz!

The Mohican 100 is Bitter Sweet

Three members of the team traveled to Ohio to face 100 miles of the Mohican National Forest. As the team arrived the night shapped up like any other race. We registered, prepared the bikes and then went to sleep. This is where the race really began.

The night was humid, hot and our room held all that warmth. Then after a few hours of sleep some of us where woken up by the sound of thunder and heavy rain. Eventually we fell back to sleep only to be woke up by the shrill noise of our cell phone alarms. Already tired it was time to get ready to go to the start line.

As I pulled up to the start line I was tired and a little depleted from the humid night. I knew it was going to be a hard day when I was looking down the start line and all I could see was the mile long climb. After the announcements of last year’s winner and the primary sponsor Smith & Nephew the siren sounded and we where off, racing!

The mile long climb blew by and before I knew it we where into the single track. But not just any single track. Nope, last night’s rain made everything muddy and slippery. Rock, roots and grass all became points to negotiate. Within the first four miles of downhill trails I wreck twice but, that seemed to be the norm for the day.

For me, at aid station one my misery started to take a toll on my outlook of the race and by the time I hit the second aid station (36 miles in almost 6 hours! Six hours of hiking uphill and sliding downhill in the mud.) I was mentally out of the race. This was my first DNF (did not finish) in four years of racing not due to a mechanical problem.

As I made my way back to the lodge at the finish line I could only guess how the other members in the team where doing. I know they were in front but I was not sure where.

When I got back I waited for the Cycletherapy team to cross the line. After 10 hours our Elite racer crossed the finish line then a little over 12 hours our second rider crossed.

The conditions of the race course were the most difficult I have experienced. The hill climbs where double the elevation of anything we have in southeastern Michigan. Had the course been dry it would have been a blast to race. So, next year I will be back to get my revenge at Mohican.

Ed B.

Bloomer XC Race Spring 2008

photo by Tom Lining

by The Biz (not Bisquick)
Well here it is the first race of the season for me, it came up quicker then expected. The temperature was in the low 60’s and the week prior to the race had been warm and for the most part dry so the course should be good. I decided on a small gear for the race do to the trail setup lots of technical short climbs and not a lot of long fast sections.We lined up for the start of the Race the SS class in front; I was competeting against 7 others in my class. My plan was to hang back and pick them off 1 by 1 on the climbs. Here we go! I fall to the back of the pack and watch the group, I am in 7th out of 8 right now, we come to the first downhill and the group packs up, I now wait for the climb to come, we round the bottom of the downhill and I see the first climb two of the group in front of me are struggling on the climb so at the top I easily pass them I am now in 5th spot.I keep up a good pace and notice a friend of mine in front of me and decide to ride up to him, He is racing in the exp/elite SS class so I now I don’t need to pass him we work well together and catch the 4th place rider, we stay behind him using his draft and pass him on the next climb but he stays with us, we put some distance on him and ride away.At this point I am trying to catch the lead pack but never come in contact with them. My friend says to me “don’t look now, but he’s back” sure enough; he was right so now we are all 3 in a line. I know from the past encounter that I can take him on the climbs, we stay together mid way thru the 2nd lap where the climbs start and that is where I lose him, I look back to see him “pushing” his bike up the climb Ba Bye!
The last lap! Finally my legs are screaming, my back is sore and I am ready to be done. The 2 of us keep on going switching who is leading, no one in sight so we can just ride out the race and not worry too much about the competition. We make a last big effort to catch the pack but never see them, at this point we are encountering slower traffic from the beginner Classes and decide to finish the race where we are, I came in 4th in Sport/Beg. SS and My friend ended up 3rd in Exp/elite SS…..Great racing with a Friend!!
The Biz

6 Hours of Addison Oaks 2008

by The Biz

It was a cool dry morning, perfect day for a long race endurance race. The singlespeed class had 9 racers in it so I knew I had alot of work to do. We all started at 10:01 after the team riders went off, here we go a large group of riders taking the trail at once always gets alittle scary but everyone was patient and we had no problems.

The group started to spread out after about 2 or 3 miles so I was able to get into my race speed I was looking to turn between a 32 and 33 minute laps, i came thru lap 1 at 32:16 (perfect) felt great laps 2-5 were all in the 33 minute range.I stopped at the beginning of lap 6 to stretch my back out and take off my shoes (my feet were hurting bad) I stopped for about 5 minutes and hopped back on the bike finishing laps 6-8 in good times between 33-34 minutes still feeling pretty strong.

My pit crew told me I was in either 2nd or 3rd at this point and kind of knew who I was racing against a friend of mine from another team,so I tried to keep an eye on him he took off and after my short stop to stretch and grab a water bottle I did the same. I thought I could reel him in and was able to get close on lap 9 and even closer on the 10th and finally lap but he ended up beating me by under 2 minutes, I finished just after the 4 pm cutoff point so I was unable to go out for lap 11 and try to move into 2nd place.

Well not bad for my longest race/ride of the year 65 miles in 6 hours, my back,feet and behind are sore but overall I felt good. The 1st place racer had 11 laps and I know he is an exp/elite rider so I did pretty well. The trail was perfect, racers were very nice no problems passing or being passed just a great day of racing at my favorite trail, can’t wait until the fall XC race.

Biz!!!!