Run, Roger, Run!
"WFO"
#painface :)
20151117
Buffalo Creek Half Marathon
Ag3r RUNNER Roger Lutz dropping the hammer in the SPRINT to the finish of the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon!
Run, Roger, Run!
"WFO"
#painface :)
Run, Roger, Run!
"WFO"
#painface :)
20151030
20151015
Kick Off Cross
......a beautiful SUNNY day at last year's 2014 event.
 |
| Mike Maher and Mark Briercheck |
 |
| Photo by N. Black Photo |
Luckily, the rain lightened up as everyone got dressed...
 |
| Nathan Black |
.....but it was TOO LATE for the COURSE, which looked like THIS, for the first Ag3r race of the day:
The SINGLE SPEED DIVISION:
 |
| Nathan Black |
 |
| Kirk Morrison |
 |
| Henry Dimmick |
But, it was Mike Maher who rode away...
....leaving the rest of us to FINISH TOGETHER. "Go Team"!!!
 |
| Nathan Black, Kirk Morrison, Henry Dimmick |
Moving immediately into the NEXT RACE of the day....
...well, ALMOST immediately...
FIRST we had to re-pin Kirk...who had ALL his layers "numbered" together!
 |
| Mike can't believe it...!!! |
OK............BACK TO RACING.
Ag3r then (immediately) entered riders into the 40+ Division...
 |
| Mark Briercheck |
 |
| Nathan Black |
....and into the 50+ Division.
 |
| Henry Dimmick |
 |
| Kirk Morrison |
But, it was Steve Marlette who rode strongest of the 55+...
 |
| Steve Marlette |
 |
| Steve Marlette |
...to place on the PODIUM :))
Once we got OURSELVES cleaned up....
....and pounded down some hot dogs.....
 |
| Takeru Kobayashi |
20151001
Peanut Butter Festival
Story by Ray Sielski:
--------------------------
The prerace meeting starts with an apology from the director for the rain and bad day, WHAT?
After an evening down pour to loosen up the single track sections the sun came out and revealed a glorious day.
Greeted by the Peanut Butter Festival Queen and with her blessings, Team Ag3r headed off to the start line.
Off we go and this is the last we see of Richey and Hannah, sprinting up the road and off into the double track.
Forget about Bobby as he was the first off the front.
Double track with gravel bumps that dump you into a ravine for a crossing with a climb into more single track. That is the bump and dump section on the map. Here things are a bit bunched up as the riders are not yet sorted out.
Soon you ascend to the highest elevation of the county on double track that opens up to a blue sky view of the surrounding valley.
Back down into the single track where Kirk decides this is a good time to change out his chain.
Confusion at the tunnel as they mixed up the course a bit, however they left the water in the creek so racers received a bike wash for their efforts.
Next onto low land river view single track before the ramp up to the finish.
Here Ray decides to pass and pull out his lead until the gravel pit round about, a bad decision takes him out and results in a lost podium position.
Kirk rebounds nice and finishes with a clean chain.
Off to awards after and podiums.
Hannah impresses all with a Race WIN and with another Bike the Wilds Series WIN.
Later in the day, it was revealed HOW she does it:
Rich pulls a PHANTOM on the podium stage for his placing in the race :((
Bobby is the biggest winner as he shares the podium with a cast of EXPERTS for the BTW series.
http://www.smileymiles.com/2015/RES15%20NEW%20BETHLEHEM%20PB%20FEST%20BIKE%20RACE.htm
http://www.bikethewilds.com/previous-results/btw-2015_final_expert.pdf
http://www.bikethewilds.com/previous-results/btw-2015_final_sport.pdf
--------------------------
The prerace meeting starts with an apology from the director for the rain and bad day, WHAT?
After an evening down pour to loosen up the single track sections the sun came out and revealed a glorious day.
 |
| Photo by Ray Sielski |
Off we go and this is the last we see of Richey and Hannah, sprinting up the road and off into the double track.
Forget about Bobby as he was the first off the front.
Double track with gravel bumps that dump you into a ravine for a crossing with a climb into more single track. That is the bump and dump section on the map. Here things are a bit bunched up as the riders are not yet sorted out.
Soon you ascend to the highest elevation of the county on double track that opens up to a blue sky view of the surrounding valley.
Back down into the single track where Kirk decides this is a good time to change out his chain.
Confusion at the tunnel as they mixed up the course a bit, however they left the water in the creek so racers received a bike wash for their efforts.
Next onto low land river view single track before the ramp up to the finish.
Here Ray decides to pass and pull out his lead until the gravel pit round about, a bad decision takes him out and results in a lost podium position.
Kirk rebounds nice and finishes with a clean chain.
Off to awards after and podiums.
Hannah impresses all with a Race WIN and with another Bike the Wilds Series WIN.
 |
| Photo by Ray Sielski |
 |
| Image by NBlack Photo |
 |
| Photo by Ray Sielski |
 |
| Photo of Ray Sielski taking Photo of Bobby Irwin! |
Peanut Butter Festival Results:
Bike the Wilds Series Results:
http://www.bikethewilds.com/previous-results/btw-2015_final_sport.pdf
Pittsburgh Roubaix
...a CRAZY "city" format for which ONLY Kirk Morrison was CRAZY enough....!
Here is the story by The Man himself:
----------------------------
Pittsburgh Roubaix 2015
....a Sunday in Hell with the Lid Off!
Finish Place: 2nd DFL
...but I wasn't really DFL since I passed at least 6 riders on the course. The first of these riders were just arriving as I was driving out of the parking lot. My guess is that I was the last rider to arrive before the organizers ran out of PBR and headed for home ......!
.........therefore DFL's were awarded, and I was the 2nd DFL (?).
In reality there were about 30 starters and between the DNF's and the riders behind me, I would guess that I finished at about 20th place).
Got it...?....!!!
Attached pic is from one of the traffic lights in Oakland where we were spotted "obeying" the traffic laws!
This was a unique and fun "alley cat" style race with as many cobbled sections as possible (mostly climbs).
Warm race with a 1pm start, bright sun and 90F temperatures.
Course started in Schenley Park with a LeMans run up the hill and then heading straight into Panther Hollow (on hiking trails) before looping through Oakland, downtown, Point Park, past Heinz Field during the Steelers/Green Bay pre-season game, up to Riverview Park, then winding back down through mini-Appalachia to cross the 40th Street bridge, Lawrenceville, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, around Frick Park, Edgewood, and Homewood before finishing at the Bud Harris Oval.
Since we were on our own to find the route it took me 48 miles of riding to cover the 42 mile course (several missed or wrong turns ...)!
2nd DFL prizes were super generous including:
Pretty amazing when considering that the entry fee was only $5.
Cool course!
Web Address to Facebook Results Post:
https://m.facebook.com/events/1702601236627983?view=permalink&id=1707305812824192
Best regards,
Kirk
Here is the story by The Man himself:
----------------------------
Pittsburgh Roubaix 2015
....a Sunday in Hell with the Lid Off!
Finish Place: 2nd DFL
...but I wasn't really DFL since I passed at least 6 riders on the course. The first of these riders were just arriving as I was driving out of the parking lot. My guess is that I was the last rider to arrive before the organizers ran out of PBR and headed for home ......!
.........therefore DFL's were awarded, and I was the 2nd DFL (?).
In reality there were about 30 starters and between the DNF's and the riders behind me, I would guess that I finished at about 20th place).
Got it...?....!!!
Attached pic is from one of the traffic lights in Oakland where we were spotted "obeying" the traffic laws!
 |
| Photo my Megan Lovett |
Warm race with a 1pm start, bright sun and 90F temperatures.
Course started in Schenley Park with a LeMans run up the hill and then heading straight into Panther Hollow (on hiking trails) before looping through Oakland, downtown, Point Park, past Heinz Field during the Steelers/Green Bay pre-season game, up to Riverview Park, then winding back down through mini-Appalachia to cross the 40th Street bridge, Lawrenceville, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, around Frick Park, Edgewood, and Homewood before finishing at the Bud Harris Oval.
Since we were on our own to find the route it took me 48 miles of riding to cover the 42 mile course (several missed or wrong turns ...)!
2nd DFL prizes were super generous including:
3 T-shirts
a PBR bucket & pint glass
a Dirt Rag commemorative bottle opener
a Thick water bottle
2 passes to the Wheel Mill
a free oil/filter change certificate, and
a gift card for Coffee Tree Roasters.
Pretty amazing when considering that the entry fee was only $5.
Cool course!
Web Address to Facebook Results Post:
https://m.facebook.com/events/1702601236627983?view=permalink&id=1707305812824192
Best regards,
Kirk
20150923
Bike the Wilds - Two Mile Run
Story by Nathan Black
--------------------------------
Hot, Hot, Hot...
The Two Mile Run - Bike The Wilds Series - race was fast, dry and you guessed it HOT.
Attending the race from the Ag3r-ButlerHealthSystem squad (Decked out in the new Ag3r Camo Kits) included seasoned dirt worms Richie Allen, Dirty Mike Maher, Scorpion Bobby Irwin, Fast Hannah Brewer and Newb N8 Black.
The Expert Race went off with a LeMans style run up a small grassy hill to the bike park where the real race began. From my vantage point at the bottom of the hill Scorpion Bobby was one of the first to his bike and one of the first to the single track. A definite advantage given the tight turns and narrow passages of the Two Mile Run County Park Mountain Bike Trail.
I did not see where Fast Hannah entered the single track.
The Sport Race went off about 20 minutes later with the same LeMans start and same race to the single track.
My start put me about 30 riders back going into the single track which gave me a prime spot to watch riders falling off their bikes as well as the trail, while jockeying for position on the barely bar width trail. This traffic jam put a sizable gap between the leaders and the main field. The first three miles of the track is a seemingly never ending climb to the top of the park. I latched onto a wheel of a rider in a Nationwide Jersey and allowed him to pull me out of the valley. Once at the top the climb, the back side of the park is a very narrow and very twisty, kinda flat, kinda downhill section that allows for no flow and no momentum.
Riding this trail kept reminding me of Luke and Leia on the Forest Moon of Endor and the speeders crashing into the trees in Return of the Jedi...
Of course my riding style is that of a bull in a china shop so it was hard for me to attain and maintain any kind of rhythm or pace. Only twice did my wide bar width clash with narrowly placed saplings and toss me to the ground.
As the more nimble riders cleared the carnage from the start of the race, I was being caught and passed. This continued for two laps which I completed in just over 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Overall it was a very fun race and I could definitely be pulled from the road to do it again.
I believe that my overall place was 49 out of 62... I have no idea where I finished in category as I cannot decipher the race results on the Bike the Wilds website...
Bobby, Mike & Richie all raced well and finished ahead of me....
...while Fast Hannah finished in 11th Place Overall Expert (1st Place Women's Expert)
Kudos to her!
Links (and credits) to PHOTOS that I could find online...
http://recordedlight.zenfolio.com/p594670376
N8
--------------------------------
Hot, Hot, Hot...
The Two Mile Run - Bike The Wilds Series - race was fast, dry and you guessed it HOT.
Attending the race from the Ag3r-ButlerHealthSystem squad (Decked out in the new Ag3r Camo Kits) included seasoned dirt worms Richie Allen, Dirty Mike Maher, Scorpion Bobby Irwin, Fast Hannah Brewer and Newb N8 Black.
The Expert Race went off with a LeMans style run up a small grassy hill to the bike park where the real race began. From my vantage point at the bottom of the hill Scorpion Bobby was one of the first to his bike and one of the first to the single track. A definite advantage given the tight turns and narrow passages of the Two Mile Run County Park Mountain Bike Trail.
I did not see where Fast Hannah entered the single track.
The Sport Race went off about 20 minutes later with the same LeMans start and same race to the single track.
My start put me about 30 riders back going into the single track which gave me a prime spot to watch riders falling off their bikes as well as the trail, while jockeying for position on the barely bar width trail. This traffic jam put a sizable gap between the leaders and the main field. The first three miles of the track is a seemingly never ending climb to the top of the park. I latched onto a wheel of a rider in a Nationwide Jersey and allowed him to pull me out of the valley. Once at the top the climb, the back side of the park is a very narrow and very twisty, kinda flat, kinda downhill section that allows for no flow and no momentum.
Riding this trail kept reminding me of Luke and Leia on the Forest Moon of Endor and the speeders crashing into the trees in Return of the Jedi...
Of course my riding style is that of a bull in a china shop so it was hard for me to attain and maintain any kind of rhythm or pace. Only twice did my wide bar width clash with narrowly placed saplings and toss me to the ground.
As the more nimble riders cleared the carnage from the start of the race, I was being caught and passed. This continued for two laps which I completed in just over 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Overall it was a very fun race and I could definitely be pulled from the road to do it again.
I believe that my overall place was 49 out of 62... I have no idea where I finished in category as I cannot decipher the race results on the Bike the Wilds website...
Bobby, Mike & Richie all raced well and finished ahead of me....
Bobby finished in 5th Place Overall Expert
Mike finished in 15th Place Overall Sport (3rd Place 42-29 yrs)
Rich finished in 18th Place Overall Sport (4th Place 50+)
Nate finished in 49th Place Overall Sport (8th Place 35-41 yrs.)
...while Fast Hannah finished in 11th Place Overall Expert (1st Place Women's Expert)
Kudos to her!
Links (and credits) to PHOTOS that I could find online...
http://recordedlight.zenfolio.com/p594670376
N8
20150810
White Park Throwdown
Hannah Brewer and Kirk Morrison attended the ABRA White Park Throwdown.
Here is the story: by Hannah Brewer
----------
Fun course, new kit, podium finish, where do I even begin with the Whitepark Throwdown?
Since everyone and their mom already know that Whitepark is my favorite race course, let’s begin with the new kit. In case you haven’t seen it (hahaha, and we hope you haven’t), it’s CAMO
Three years ago at the Whitepark throwdown (and several races thereafter), some of the ladies started saying things to the effect of “Good race, I saw your yellow sleeves through the trees and just hammered it” , “ugh, yellow sleeves, she’s still right here” or “I saw your yellow sleeves and thought, oh yeah, I can catch her!”
After realizing how difficult it was to see some of the other riders through the trees that had darker, more neutral colored kits, I somewhat jokingly told Henry that I needed a camo kit.
After all, most of the ladies I race with have neutral colored kits:
Trek/Top Gear – Black kit,
Pathfinder of WV- Green & Black kit,
Pro Bikes- Black kit,
Ag3r - GLOW IN THE DARK kit!
It was true that Ag3r dirt riders could not sneak up on anyone in the woods.
And so began the conversation of camo kits.....
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there was a time during the camo kit planning process that sample jerseys of hunting-style camo kits started showing up in my inbox:
No to THIS...
No to THIS....
...and DEFINITELY NO to THIS...!!!
Note to Self:
Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
BUT, being the master kit-designer that he is, Henry hit all of the important elements of a well-designed camouflage kit with the purpose of remaining incognito in the woods without using a traditional camo pattern. Instead, we got the green and black color scheme, the flair of something different, our purple Ag3r logo, and a modern, edgy design that says, “I’m going to Moraine to race mountain bikes not to hunt turkeys.” And this is why I love my team as much as I love racing!
Speaking of loving racing, the WhitePark Throwdown is worth all the hype. Trails were RIPPIN’ FAST, completely dry, and well-maintained. I cut into the woods right behind Nicole Dorinzi, and her teammate, Justine Pagenhardt was right behind me. If you haven’t seen Nicole race, she climbs like a goddess and flies through singletrack seemingly effortlessly. There’s no other way to put it, she is FAST. I knew I couldn’t maintain her pace, but I knew I had to work hard to keep Justine off of my back wheel.
The ladies ended up finishing the race in the same order that they entered the woods, but I had plenty of blonde ponytail sightings throughout the race to remind me to continue to push myself in order to maintain my position. To make things more confusing, Nicole and Justine look a lot alike, especially when flying through the woods – same kit and same long, blonde hair.
I never knew if I was seeing Nicole in the singletrack ahead of me, or if I was seeing Justine in the singletrack behind me....???
If you’ve ever raced Whitepark, you know what I mean – the trails wind back and forth and you often see riders at other spots on the course, but can’t tell how far ahead or how far behind they are.
Lap 1: Blonde ponytail - probably Nicole – nice.
Lap 2: Blonde ponytail -probably Justine catching me – go faster.
Lap 3: Blonde ponytail - don’t care, -go faster either way.
Lap 4: Blonde Ponytail – Henry Dimmick...???!!!
I raced well, felt strong, and finished in 2nd place in the Women’s Pro/Expert 1/2/3 Category.
Whitepark continues to be my #1 ... but I continue to be Whiteparks #2.
WV turf and fast WV ladies, I will take it!
----------
My Ag3r Teammate Kirk Morrison took the 1st place WIN for the Men’s Masters 55+
The verdict is, these kits work!
HiVIS is for ROADIES
CAMO is for WORMS ;)
Here is the story: by Hannah Brewer
----------
Fun course, new kit, podium finish, where do I even begin with the Whitepark Throwdown?
Since everyone and their mom already know that Whitepark is my favorite race course, let’s begin with the new kit. In case you haven’t seen it (hahaha, and we hope you haven’t), it’s CAMO
Three years ago at the Whitepark throwdown (and several races thereafter), some of the ladies started saying things to the effect of “Good race, I saw your yellow sleeves through the trees and just hammered it” , “ugh, yellow sleeves, she’s still right here” or “I saw your yellow sleeves and thought, oh yeah, I can catch her!”
After realizing how difficult it was to see some of the other riders through the trees that had darker, more neutral colored kits, I somewhat jokingly told Henry that I needed a camo kit.
After all, most of the ladies I race with have neutral colored kits:
Trek/Top Gear – Black kit,
Pathfinder of WV- Green & Black kit,
Pro Bikes- Black kit,
Ag3r - GLOW IN THE DARK kit!
It was true that Ag3r dirt riders could not sneak up on anyone in the woods.
And so began the conversation of camo kits.....
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there was a time during the camo kit planning process that sample jerseys of hunting-style camo kits started showing up in my inbox:
No to THIS...
No to THIS....
...and DEFINITELY NO to THIS...!!!
Note to Self:
Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
BUT, being the master kit-designer that he is, Henry hit all of the important elements of a well-designed camouflage kit with the purpose of remaining incognito in the woods without using a traditional camo pattern. Instead, we got the green and black color scheme, the flair of something different, our purple Ag3r logo, and a modern, edgy design that says, “I’m going to Moraine to race mountain bikes not to hunt turkeys.” And this is why I love my team as much as I love racing!
Speaking of loving racing, the WhitePark Throwdown is worth all the hype. Trails were RIPPIN’ FAST, completely dry, and well-maintained. I cut into the woods right behind Nicole Dorinzi, and her teammate, Justine Pagenhardt was right behind me. If you haven’t seen Nicole race, she climbs like a goddess and flies through singletrack seemingly effortlessly. There’s no other way to put it, she is FAST. I knew I couldn’t maintain her pace, but I knew I had to work hard to keep Justine off of my back wheel.
The ladies ended up finishing the race in the same order that they entered the woods, but I had plenty of blonde ponytail sightings throughout the race to remind me to continue to push myself in order to maintain my position. To make things more confusing, Nicole and Justine look a lot alike, especially when flying through the woods – same kit and same long, blonde hair.
I never knew if I was seeing Nicole in the singletrack ahead of me, or if I was seeing Justine in the singletrack behind me....???
If you’ve ever raced Whitepark, you know what I mean – the trails wind back and forth and you often see riders at other spots on the course, but can’t tell how far ahead or how far behind they are.
Lap 1: Blonde ponytail - probably Nicole – nice.
Lap 2: Blonde ponytail -probably Justine catching me – go faster.
Lap 3: Blonde ponytail - don’t care, -go faster either way.
Lap 4: Blonde Ponytail – Henry Dimmick...???!!!
I raced well, felt strong, and finished in 2nd place in the Women’s Pro/Expert 1/2/3 Category.
Whitepark continues to be my #1 ... but I continue to be Whiteparks #2.
WV turf and fast WV ladies, I will take it!
----------
My Ag3r Teammate Kirk Morrison took the 1st place WIN for the Men’s Masters 55+
The verdict is, these kits work!
HiVIS is for ROADIES
CAMO is for WORMS ;)
----------
PS -
"Rumor" has it that AFTER the race....and AFTER the clean-up... Kirk realized that he had misplaced his car keys. After lots of looking, they were FOUND.....(in the dumpster) along with all the course marking tape!
Photos by:
Hannah Brewer
Gunnar Shogren
Other Innocent Bystanders
20150716
TTT?
We put TWO Teams into the PMVC 5 mile Team Time Trial, pairing experienced TTT riders with new TTT riders, therefore choosing to all ride ROAD bikes for safety.
Ag3r-REDshift comprised of:
Mark Briercheck
Steve Marlette
Nathan Black
Ag3r-BLUEshift comprised of:
Ray Sielski
Ben Adduru
Hannah Brewer
Henry Dimmick
After receiving our starting instruction from Stephanie and Oscar Swan...
...before getting cue for our starts.
Once rolling, both Team put in steady performances....
5th Place for Ag3r-REDshift
6th Place for Ag3r-BLUEshift
....and sometimes feeling SLOW :)
Afterwards, we lined up....
...to watch Steve Brewer ride ONE whole lap, in what we think was entirely too much CRASH PROTECTION...?!?!?
With the event now over, we hung in the parking lot, as usual, staring at Steve's MOTO...
...while Mark tried out his new idea for Team KNICKERS(?)!!!
Ag3r-REDshift comprised of:
Mark Briercheck
Steve Marlette
Nathan Black
Ag3r-BLUEshift comprised of:
Ray Sielski
Ben Adduru
Hannah Brewer
Henry Dimmick
After receiving our starting instruction from Stephanie and Oscar Swan...
...we took our last drinks....
...and pulled on our super-duper aerodynamic cheating devices...
...before getting cue for our starts.
Once rolling, both Team put in steady performances....
5th Place for Ag3r-REDshift
...sometimes feeling FAST...
....and sometimes feeling SLOW :)
Afterwards, we lined up....
...to watch Steve Brewer ride ONE whole lap, in what we think was entirely too much CRASH PROTECTION...?!?!?
With the event now over, we hung in the parking lot, as usual, staring at Steve's MOTO...
...while Mark tried out his new idea for Team KNICKERS(?)!!!
Pictures by Steve Brewer and Sonic Imaging.
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