Cross-Pocolypse

Double Cross V - Crosspocolypse, turned out to be a dry event (from the sky) but a very wet event (from the icy coolers!!!)

...which has a lot to do with why riders keep coming back year after year, despite being (apparently) homeless otherwsie!

Jim Miller

In fact, some arrived and set up camp DAYS in advance...

Kirk Morrison & Ray Sielski

....and when questioned why they were there so soon, could only shrug their shoulders and say, "WHY NOT?"!!!

Mark Briercheck

At the START for Race #1, Mike Maher (race promoter/host) got everyone organized...

....while 2011 Reigning Double Cross Champion Ray (#1) Sielski waited calmly to the side.

Thanks Ray, for making these SWEET Race Numbers!

Hannah Brewer, fresh off her 24 hour Champion Challenge of Seven Springs race win, sporting the CHAMPIONS jersey, was just happy to be racing in dry (trail) conditions!

Others, like Mark "The Reeper" Briercheck, were not in as good of "worldly" spirits!

 

Each lap, riders had to face various obsticles, both during the "day"...

Steve Brewer

...and at night.

Hannah Brewer

And while some "challenges" seemed excessivly difficult...

...they were made worth while by the IMMEDIATE (and forced) reward for overcoming them!

After the 2nd Race of the night was complete, having taken place completely in the dark...

Kirk Morrison

Mike Maher

...everyone was treated to fireworks!!!

 

 

...and to Kirk's mondolin playing  :)

As usual, pictures of ME are scarce!


Henry Dimmick, photo by The Happy Trout!



By design, this race party LIGHTS UP the beginning of our CycloCross season.

Stay Tuned  :)

Henry Clay 30K

Story by Kirk Morrison
------------------------------
Rich Allen & I headed down to Coopers Rock State Park (outside Morgantown, WV) to race in the 25th edition of the Henry Clay 30K mountain bike race. Last year’s Henry Clay 30K was my first WVMBA race and I was struck by the beauty of this park as well as the fun (and challenging) trails. After spending this summer trying to develop some mountain bike skills, I was excited to head back down for this year’s 25th anniversary race.

The weather was good with dry trail conditions, partly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 80’s. The course changed from last year so that (instead of riding one big loop) we rode an 8 mile loop with 2 laps for Sport and 3 laps for Expert. Sunday’s course was rocky but fast with almost no muddy sections. Thankfully, Richy and I both rode with no major mechanical issues.

At the end of the day Richy finished in 3rd place in a very competitive Sport Grand Masters (55+) group. Richy’s finishing time was only 65 seconds behind the 1st place winner of his class and 17 seconds behind the 2nd place finisher !

I ended up finishing in 4th place in the Sport Masters (45+) group.

Gunnar and Betsy Shogren organized this race (along with many great volunteers) and did an excellent job. The course was in super shape with clear arrow markings and plenty of cheering spectators. After race festivities includes pizza, soda’s and even Nutty Bars ! This remains as one of my favorite Mtb races …. Highly recommended !

http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/?eid=2012/08/13911r.html

Thanks,

Kirk

24 hr Champion Challenge

Hannah Brewer was DRAFTED (loaned!) to ride as the bestest-looking member of a Coed Sport Division team named ESI 2.0 in the 24 hour Champion Challenge mountain bike race at Seven Springs Resort in Champion, Pa.

HERE is her story!
--------------------

Last weekend I competed in my first, and not last, 24 hour race.

Undoubtedly the only reason I agreed to do this race was because I didn't have time to think about it. Any rational thought would have reminded me that I have never ridden in the woods at night, haven't been camping since I was 16, and prefer to be in bed by 9PM on weekends. I wasn't prepared for this, but since I have this eccentric gene that makes me do reckless things, I said yes. The ESI teammies were so accommodating already that I assumed I would be in good hands.  The boys agreed that I didn't have to do any night laps, and that they would only expect me to do the 2 minimum laps required per rider. So, I was IN.

I started packing and talking to Ag3r teammates Henry Dimmick and Mike Maher about "what to expect" and "what to pack." Both were extremely helpful; Henry made sure I had everything I needed for the weekend, and yes, Henry thinks about EVERYTHING. Mike took Steven (Brewer) and I out to pre-ride the course and talked me into doing a night lap. Yes, I am stupid enough to accept (and often agree with) Mike's advice. I went back and told my ESI teammates that I was prepared for night laps. (Lie: I wasn't prepared, I just wanted to do one!)

I was the first to ride for our 5-person co-ed team. The run around the lake was just as everyone said it would be: sucky (and too long to run in MTB cleats). I felt great on both the run and the ride of my first lap. The course was dry, and completely ride-able. My lap time + run time was 1:37:07. I was pleased with my time since the course was almost 14 miles. We were in third after the first lap, but not bad considering no other co-ed teams had sent their girl out yet!

The ESI boys all rode very well, despite one flat and one stripped pedal. We quickly moved into 1st place, and all worked hard to keep our nice lead.

My second lap started at 7:45PM, so my lights were ready and I did 80% of this lap in the dark. Unfortunately, it POURED for this lap. The rain was so heavy it was hard to see because of the fog coming off of my light. I blindly bombed down hills with no care in the world and tried to stay focused on the trail in front of me. Who talked me into night laps again?!?!?  I finished my first night lap in 1:49:13. I felt great crossing the finish line. Nothing is more empowering than riding alone through the dark rainy woods with nothing but your bike, your light, and a prayer that they won't let you down!

I washed up as best as I could, and got in my partially damp tent for a much needed 3 hours of sleep. The ESI guys tuned up my bike between laps and made sure my lights were ready to go. Anita and Tracey, ESI wives/girlfriends/support crew made grilled chicken, pancakes, rice, and anything else we needed to stay fueled. Thanks to these ladies, camping wasn't so bad after all!

I woke up in the dark for my 3rd and final lap, and made my way to the transition zone. Josh, one of the ESI riders was surprised to see me up and said "you don't have to do another night lap." But I was ready to ride! I was tired and disoriented, but energized since this would be my last lap and because the sun would be coming up at some point during my ride. The sunrise lap really is the best lap, even on a cloudy day. The course was a mudfest, and actually the mud was thicker and slicker than it was during the torrential downpours I rode in 5 hours ago. I finished this lap in 1:53:06.

Overall, I was pleased with my lap times, and enjoyed riding and being part of this exciting event. The best part of the day was when the rider that finished next to me on the first lap said "boy, you really have a lot of people cheering for you!!" And he was right. The support from the crowd and other riders was motivating and appreciated.

It was a winning weekend in every way! Team ESI 2.0 won 1st Place for the co-ed 5 person (combined age of 125-175).

We got a champion jersey, medal, hooded green Seven Springs sweatshirt, and some other bike-related goodies.

Its great to know that I have friends outside of my Ag3r teammates that I can depend on and ride with.

Check out our results at:
http://allsportsevents.com/Results/mountain_bike_results/24HourChampionChallenge2012.html

Rider 1: Hannah Brewer

Rider 2: Eric Shick

Rider 3: Brad Bowser

Rider 4: Josh Shirley

Rider 5: Ben Edwards

THANK YOU ESI riders for adopting me for the weekend.  And I am happy to say, I am not a runner or a triathlete, I am a mountain biker :)

Reservoir Dogs

The beginning of one of the best descents around Boulder...

...dropping-IN from "Ned"!

Yellow Creek MTB

Story by Hannah Brewer:
---------------
The August Yellow Creek course was a new course, and included the best of the north and south shore.

Its always fun to ride a new course, and the route was a great combination of fast singletrack and rock gardens. My big accomplishment of the day was making it up Soul Sucker Climb for the first time ever.

I also got to wear the GREEN Winner's Jacket...

...and won a PEACH PIE :)

The peach pie didn't last long -- but this time, the quickly dissapering pie WASN'T all Steve's fault!

It was delicious :)

I finished in 1st Place for the Women, and 13th Place Overall.

PS - I still can't catch Ag3r's Dirty Mike Maher, who finished in 12th Place Overall...!!!

California Pa Criterium

OK.  I am tired of waiting for the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association Criterium Series FINAL Standings to be updated just so I can link them here.

Bottom Line?

Ag3r's Steve Brewer finished the Category Pro/1/2/3 Series in SECOND PLACE...!!!

The series began in Clarksburg, WVa....many months ago, IN THE RAIN, and ended on a perfectly sunny day in downtown California, Pennsylvania, nestled between the college campus and the river.  As with any series, attending (every) race is a critical as placing well in the ones you attend.

In this final race, Henry Dimmick...

...went to work for Steve...

...both of them knowing that Steve was in a battle to make the podium with two other racers, from two different teams....and needed to score points no matter what to stay there.

After a SUPER fast start, many racers were shelled off...but Steve and Henry hung on to finish in 11th and 12th Place respectively...

...vaulting Steve into his final podium position for the Series.

Dan Schar was the only other Ag3r racer to attend this event, putting out an excellent effort to finish in 5th Place in the very competitive Men's 40+ Race.

Afterwards, we attended the California River Festival...

...and ate street fair Hot Sausage...

....made by THIS guy...

....whose kids think looks like THIS...

 ...all while watching a local band play! 

Well Done Steve :)

Ronde-Ohop-Kermesse

WHAT?!?!!!!

You need to check out the incredible views Kirk Morrison experienced during a race he did ...WAY out WEST.

See his post on the right sidebar, or click here --> Late Bloomer

Two Mile Run?

Two MILE Run?

TWO mile bike? 

Confused?  So were all the riders who attended this race :(

--------------------------
Story by Hannah Brewer

I usually count on Kirk or Mike to write something informative, witty, and entertaining after each race, but I guess I'll have to fill in since I was the lone Ag3r rider at the Two Mile Run mountain bike race.

For this race, I don't even know where to start. Actually, I did not even want to start. After three days of hiking combined then three days of cycling in Boulder, my legs were totally beat, but since we came home from CO in time to race, I had to go.

I heard from Richie, and many other local riders, that Two Mile Run is a long grind and that I would get lost at least once, if not several times. Although I usually appear calm and rationale, I am inherently a strong-minded "know-it-all", and didn't REALLY believe that I would get lost. Following a marked trail can't be too hard, right? Wrong.

Within the first two miles, I followed at least 10 other riders off course, for a .5 mile detour. Great. My longest mountain bike race yet (18 miles) and I'm adding more mileage! That wasn't my last mishap. I made at least five more wrong turns, but luckily I caught my mistakes before riding too far in the wrong direction.....Shame on you if I pass you once, shame on me if I pass you twice!

When my legs finally accepted that they were racing and I finally accepted that this was a mountain bike race/scavenger hunt, I had a great ride. The weather was perfect, the single track was dry and fun, and "staying on course" became an added challenge --and I love challenges.

Oh, and logs. At least 25 log crossings. No joke. If I didn't know how to hop a log before, I do now.

I was no speed demon, but I finished 40th overall and 2nd overall for the ladies....1st overall women 14-39 yrs.  The fastest lady must be under 14... or over 40!

Results found at: http://www.smileymiles.com/2012/RES12%20TWO%20MILE%20RUN%20PARK%20MT%20BIKE%20EXPERT%20OA.HTM

Hannah

Steamboat Stinger

See how these two things fit together by reading Kirk Morrison's blog post by clicking here --> LATE BLOOMER.

White Park XC Throwdown

Story by Kirk Morrison:

Fun race for the finale of the ABRA mtb series with lots of podium action with Hannah Brewer, Steve Brewer, Rich Allen, Dave Shaffer and me in attendance.

Steve’s 11:30am single speed race saw the greatest condition changes starting with dry, followed by a rainstorm which turned the course slippery and finally, with the rain ending, an improvement in the trail to a tackier condition. Our 1:30pm race was primarily on the tacky, wet trail with the biggest obstacles being wet roots and logs.

As advertised this was a flowing course with almost 100% single-track. While there were almost no rocks, there were a few steep downhill sections to keep our adrenalin up. Very well marked and maintained ….. great course !!

Hannah: 1st place – Womens Cat 2/3 Sport

Shaffer: 2nd place – Clydesdale

Richy: 2nd place Mens Masters 55+ (Cat 1/2/3)

Kirk: 3rd place – Mens Masters 45+ (Cat 1/2/3)

Steve: 8th place - Single Speed Open

Additionally, in the final ABRA MTB Series Standings:

Hannah: 1st Place Women's 2/3

Richy: 2nd place Men's 55+

Kirk: 2nd Place Men's 45+

Another super event by JR and Gina of ABRA Racing !!

http://www.abraracing.com/Results/WhiteParkResults2012.pdf

http://www.abraracing.com/Results/2012mtbSTANDINGS.pdf

Shannock Valley MTB

Story by Hannah Brewer:

Rich Allen and I raced the Shannock Valley MTB race. Terrential downpours all week and again Saturday morning meant MUD, MUD, more MUD ...and puddles (or small ponds).

Once I accepted the fact that I would be soaked and muddy all day, I decided that the course was one of my favorite race courses so far!

Richy had a fast, 9th place overall finish in the Open/Sport category. He was 2nd in his age group.

I finished 1st Overall for females, and 19th Overall in the Open/Sport category.

http://www.smileymiles.com/2012/RES12%20SVF%20MTN%20BIKE%20SPORT%20OA.HTM

Photos Compliments of Gracie Lim Clark

Storm Peak Challenge Hill Climb

While STORMS in W.Pa. look mostly like THIS:

...the "storm" referred to in the name of this RACE is (probably) the hurricane of LACTIC ACID...

...cascading through Kirk Morrison's veins, as he races along on LESS and LESS oxygen...

Should look like THIS

Should NOT look like THIS!

...while ascending into the clouds at over 9,000 feet.

To read how Kirk is killing off what few brain cells he has left, click on his blog icon titled "Late Bloomer" on the right sidebar under Rider Blogz., or for your Mobile App users, click HERE ...!!!

PMVC 10 mile TT

After an afternoon of Team Building and Race Prep (Waterskiing!), Ray Sielski, Hannah Brewer, and Steve Brewer met up with Steve Marlette for the Pittsburgh Master's Velo Club 10 mile Individual Time Trial.

------------------
Story by Ray Sielski

Here we are at the first event of August to find another night at the track with temperatures hovering around 95 degrees. Clear skys with little of no wind welcomed the racers, apparently there were no pre race track records that needed to fall in this heat so the group got started on time.

Steve Brewer had his sights set on first place as he refused to participate in the team pre race warm up (see abstact above!), then went on to win the event sporting a baseball card in his spokes to intimidate the rest of the field as he cruised by with his noisemaker.

Steve Marlette, not to be intimidated by Brewer's "motor", joined in the team effort by posting an easy second place.

Ray and Hannah sporting their new tan lines and impish grins from the pre race warm-ups, put in fine performances that will be well remembered past the pain of not posting any PR's.

------------------
Results by Oscar Swann
Here are revised results for the 10m TT.

1st Place @21.45 - Steve Brewer (Personal Record)
2nd Place @ 21.59 - Stephen Marlette
10th Place @25:06 - Ray Sielski
12th Place @ 27.03 - Hanna Brewer

The added BONUS of the day's "warm-up" was that Hannah "got up on ONE (water) SKI" for the first time!!! 

Way to go HANNAH  :)

Aliquippa Criterium

Story by Mark Briercheck

It was a counter-clockwise race....definitely a bit faster. The way turn #3 feels is almost like a swooping roller coaster. Super Fun, even with Steve working himself to death :)

-------------------------------------------

The Killer B's go in a circle...again

Cat 1/2/3:
Steve Brewer and I hung on for a hot and fast Sunday afternoon hour long criterium in Aliquippa, PA. From the gun the race was fast. No time to sit and chat...just all business.

Countless attacks went out but each one was reeled back in by the field. By the final lap the field wound up in the final turn and the day was to end with a bunch sprint. During the long final stretch the field was all over the place.

Brewer and I fought through traffic and pushed just enough to move up towards the front to stay out of trouble and come home with a decent result.  Average Speed for the hour race - 27.09 mph!

Mark Briercheck - 10th Place
Steve Brewer - 11th Place

Women's Cat 4:
Hannah Brewer - 4th Place

Bridge Out

You know those days, when life is tight, and you have only SO MUCH TIME to fit in a ride ...and then something UNEXPECTED happens?  

Well...

PMVC Track Night

More Fixed Gear action with single speed regulars Steve Brewer and  Henry Dimmick being joined for the first time this season by teammate Kirk Morrison. 

Hannah Brewer was again on hand to help Oscar run the show!

But before the fixie action got underway, Steve Brewer took on the standing start 200m Track Record.  His first attempt was cut short when he came out of his pedal early on (so we now know Steve is at least 16 newton-meters strong!)  His second attempt, a full run, was negated due to a timing clock error. 

It was on his third attempt he officially set a new track record... giving Ag3r the first FIVE (5) Track Records at the Bud Harris Oval in Pittsburgh Pa!!!

200 m flying start ; 200m ; 13.07 s. ; 34.25mph ; Henry Dimmick ; 8/29/03

200 m standing start ; 200m ; 17.05 ; 26.24mph ; Steve Brewer ; 7/13/12

1/2 mi standing start ; 1 lap ; 55.59 ; 32.38mph ; Steve Brewer ; 6/10/11

1/2 mi flying start ; 1 lap ; 54.52 ; 33.01mph ; Steve Brewer ; 6/29/12

1 mile standing start ; 2 laps ; 1.55.00 ; 31.25mph ; Steve Brewer ; 6/29/12

We are the kings of the short/power events!

------------------
Story by Oscar Swann
Friday Night Track Night. July 13, 2012

A beautiful night for racing. Calm, cool, and fast. Steve Brewer found a gear he really liked, and broke a long-standing record for the 200 meter standing start. Ted King-Smith unwittingly set a record for 2 miles, no previous record having been established.

200 meter standing start record attempt. Steve Brewer 17.05 (new record)
Former record: 200m ; 17.61 ; Michael Leek ; 6/3/05

Here are the results:

Chariot Race
1st - Steve Brewer
2nd - Henry Dimmick

4-lap Time Trial
3rd @4.42 - Steve Brewer
4th @4.51 - Henry Dimmick
7th @5.18 - Kirk Morrison

Danish Sprint
1st - Steve Brewer
2nd - Henry Dimmick

Rabbit
1st - Steve Brewer

Sprint Finals
1st - Steve Brewer
2nd - Henry Dimmick

2-Man Handicap 4-Lap TT
1st - @4.48 - Steve Brewer, Dennis Cowan
2nd Tie @5.01 - Andrew Rose, Kirk Morrison
2nd Tie @5.01 - Henry Dimmick, Travis Rabbit

Overall Omnium Results
1st Place - Steve Brewer - 16 pts
2nd Place - Henry Dimmick - 7.5 pts
6th Place - Kirk Morrison - 1.5 pts

Afterwards, we hung out in the parking lot with Oscar well past everyone else's departure!

Tomlinson Run XC

Hannah Brewer,

Photo by Fred Jordan

Rich Allen,

Photo by Mike Briggs

...and Kirk Morrison all headed WEST (this time) to the on-going ABRA MTB Series.

THE COMPLETE STORY to be found on Kirk's New Blog:

Click: "It's Now or Never"

Good Job, ya'all  :)

PMVC Time Trial

Story by Oscar Swann

Results of 20 Mile Time Trial.

17 riders showed up despite the nnearly 100-degree heat. By the time Skip Rogers and Mark Bowman had completed their 2-man 15 mile record attempt (not surprisngly given the weather, they fell about 1 ½ minutes short), the track was covered in shade, but it was still wiltingly hot.

Thanks to Hanna Brewer for help with officiating.

2nd Place @45.13 - Stephen Marlette

6th Place @46.04 - Steven Brewer
(too many laps?)

12th Place @49.47 - Henry Dimmick (3rd 50+)

14th Place @51.01 - Ray Sielski (4th 50+)
Personal Record

Race to lil Moe's Place

Story by Kirk Morrison:

Hannah Brewer, Rich Allen and I headed down to Philippi, West Virginia to check out this WVMBA race and found that it was plenty challenging with lots of hills, rock gardens as well as some fast single/double track sections.

Unfortunately, this years WVMBA "Race to lil Moe's Place" never made it to lil Moe's Place (a local bar where awards are traditionally dispersed) since all the power for the entire area was knocked out by trees downed in Friday night's storm (!). However, high kudo's are due to the race organizers (headed by Thad Kelley) for working overtime to clear the trails of fallen trees and carry on with this race in spite of the adverse conditions (Note: almost a week later and many of these areas are still without power !!).

The conditions were hot (mid 90's) and muggy with plenty of sunshine. The day was filled with challenges as Richy and Hannah got lost on the course (as well as from each other) on their warm-up ride and ended up riding the entire 6 mile beginners loop (barely getting back in time for the race start). Richy's luck was the worst with a hard fall on the warm-up lap, a flat tire during the start sprint, another hard fall on the course, another flat, a bent rim, a back injury and two heel blisters from the hike back to the start area... bummer !

My day went a bit better with a good first lap. On the 2nd lap I had just passed a competitor to move into 2nd place (in my Masters Sport class) when I tumbled in a rock garden. I quickly recovered from this and was back on the chase when I took a more notable fall resulting in a cracked helmet, torn jersey and the need for a number of bike adjustments before continuing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch back on and ended up in 4th place (45 seconds behind my 2nd place fellow !). Oh well.

While Richy and I were busy with our most excellent “3 Stooges” impersonations, Hannah was laying down a great ride to take 1st place in the Womens Sport class! 

This was especially impressive in light of yesterdays race at Yellow Creek (with a 2nd place finish !), an "extended" warm-up ride and showing up at the start line just as the race began. Nice work Hannah !

After the race, we joined the other racers for a refreshing swim in the Cheat River.

Results:
Hannah - 1st place, Sport Women

Kirk - 4th place, Sport Masters

Rich - DNF, Sport Grand Masters

Results link:
http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/?eid=2012/07/13904r.html

PMVC Individual Time Trials

Rotating through (5 different distances) throughout the summer, the PMVC Friday Night TT landed on 10 miles this particular night. 
----------------

Here is the (short) story by Oscar Swann:

Here are the results for the June 6, 2012 10m TT. A nice night, not too hot, a slight breeze. Andy Seitz majorly outdistanced people, but didn't come close to the record: 10 miles ; 20 laps ; 20.46 ; 28.9mph ; Joe Vallese ; 7/3/09. Thanks to Stephanie Swan for registration and timing. 

5th Place @22.13 - Steve Marlette

11th Place @23.46 - Mark Biercheck

17th Place @24.41 - Dan Schar

18th Place @25.14 - Ray Sielski (6th 50+)

Hilly Billy Roubaix

Kirk Morrison continues to prove he is either tougher than the rest of us, or more stupider(?)  Which one do YOU think it is?!?!!!

-----------------------------
The story of the day, by Kirk Morrison

I headed down to Morgantown for my 2nd ABRA Hilly Billy Roubaix. I raced in the inaugural HBR 2 years ago and was happy to simply survive and finish. This race has definitely grown to a hallmark dirt/gravel/Cx endurance event (attracting racers from all over the country) and is now a part of the American Ultracross Championship Series (http://www.ultracx.com/). As an indicator, my race category (Mens 40+) has grown from 13 racers (2 years ago) to 82 this year !

Photo by Fred Jordan

The race day conditions were good with sunny skies, a light breeze and temperatures peaking in the mid-80’s. Thankfully, the course was much drier than during my previous race so most of the monster puddle sections were much improved (resulting in 3 course records !). However, we still had a number of muddy, wet sections as well as an 8-12” deep, creek crossing.

The Hilly Billy race is appropriately named since it included (at least) 9 - Cat4 climbs (according to my Strava file) with almost 7400’ of climbing over the 73 mile course. The climbing and the gravel/dirt take their toll as it seemed that every 2-3 minutes I was passing a rider stopped by a flat, mechanical problem or overwhelming fatigue. As a reference, of the 243 starters, there were 51 DNF’s (for a 21% DNF rate). Even worse, from the Mens 40+ category, of the 82 starters there were 24 DNF’s (for a 29% DNF rate !). This is not an easy race ….

Photo by Fred Jordan

Bike choices covered the entire range including skinny tire road bikes, Cx, mountain and even one snowbike with 4” balloon tires. This year I switched (from my rim brake Cx bike) to a more comfortable Frankenbike gravel grinder assembled (as per Sam’s advice) from a Cannondale F29’r frame (with disc brakes), a rigid Lynskey fork, Stan’s Alpha 340 cyclocross wheels and Hutchinson tubeless Bulldog tires (700x35mm). The Stan’s system worked great and provided a flat-free race ! The disc brakes and wide handlebars were perfect for tackling the long, sometimes steep gravel climbs and descents. The disc’s were a big improvement over the rim brakes since they allowed me to descend faster and with the confidence that I would actually be able to stop (if needed).

Photo by Fred Jordan

The only mechanical issue was experienced at about mile 40. As I was approaching aid station #2 when I noticed that my front brake was rubbing. As I started to loosen the caliper bolts to adjust its position, I found that both mounting bolts were completely loose (and almost falling out !). I’m guessing that this was from the continuous vibration of the gravel roads. Unfortunately, after several adjustment attempts I was still not able to remove the brake pad drag (I suspect that one of the caliper brake cylinders has seized-up) so I ended up finishing the race with a bit of brake drag.

While I was on pace for a 5:30 – 5:45 finish through the first 4 hours, I started feeling the effects of the long day and jarring roads (as well as the nagging sound of the front brake dragging) after this and suffered through the final 2 hours for a 6:13 finish. This was good enough to land me in 48th place (out of the 82 racers in my group) with a 20 minute improvement over my time from 2 years ago.

Photo by Brian Parker

http://www.abraracing.com/Results/2012HBRresults.pdf

The course support was outstanding with 3 fully stocked aid stations as well as an unofficial aid station at mile 23 (including a live stringband duo and beer handups …. Yes, in the spirit of Cx I accepted). Also a big thanks to Dan Schar (course marshal) for the offer of water and shouted encouragement.

Photo by Dan Schar

Post race festivities included a truckload of pizza as well as 3 kegs of beer (courtesy of Morgantown Brewing). Outstanding !

Photo by Pathfinder

This was an excellent event with plenty of course marshals and clear course markings. Another great race hosted by JR and Gina !

Highly recommended (as long as you don’t mind a bit of suffering).  To see some suffering, watch the video HERE:
http://bigbikesmedia.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/249501-Hilly-Billy-Roubaix/video/644850-Hilly-Billy-Roubaix-2012