Stone Temple 8, Laramie, WY

writing by: Shannon Boffeli
photos by: Jennifer Hanks

On Saturday morning with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s the flag dropped on the Stone Temple 8. The Stone Temple 8 is an eight hour endurance race brought to you by the same folks that promote the always popular Laramie Enduro. Stone Temple is held on an eight mile loop at Curt Gowdy State Park. Each loop includes 99% singletrack and makes for some of the best riding in the west. The terrain is a challenging mix of East and West coast riding. The tight winding singletrack and sketchy corners make you feel like your riding in Vermont while the rock drops, granite slab climbs, and fast open descents remind you you're in the wild west.


A short and quick Le Mans style start got things rolling with Trek rider Charlie Hayes quickly moving to the front. Riding a singlespeed Trek 69er, Hayes would take the honor of leading the first full lap. After that he set a smooth and steady pace quickly putting time on solo men's field. After the first several laps the Trek rider switched to his geared bike but made it clear he wasn't beginning to fade as he continued putting down consistent lap times and finally finished a full lap ahead of second with a total 9 laps under his belt.

In the women's solo event it was Laramie local Sarah Konrad (Wings Time) taking the top spot. The 2006 two-sport Winter Olympian improved on her 5th place at this year's Laramie Enduro, Konrad used her local knowledge and solid fitness to hold off challengers Kara Durland (Pro Cycling) and Michelle Doyle who finished second and third respectively.

In the Men's Duo category. It was Laramie's Team 0.5mph charging to the early lead but a flat tire halfway through the first lap put them well behind their challengers. In the next seven hours they more than made up for the early mishap as they put together the fastest overall time of the day and were one of only three teams to finish with 9 laps completed.

Much of the day's excitement came from the Coed Duo category. The Revolution/Peak Fasteners pair of Shannon Boffeli and Jennifer Hanks put together one of the fastest overall rides of the day combining for 9 laps. Boffeli was the last rider on course stating his final lap just minutes before the eight hour cut off. He used this opportunity to log the fastest single lap time of the race with a scorching 45 minutes and 45 seconds. After the race Boffeli said "I didn't have to go out on that last lap because we were already ahead but I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to ride this course again, it's too much fun!"

Second place in the Duo Coed came down to the last lap with Team Natural Selection crossing the line just minutes in front of Team Stern.

The Stone Temple 8 is an endurance race which is both challenging and fun. Ultra-Endurance racing is as much a mental effort as it is a physical one and having a race course as enjoyable as the one at Curt Gowdy State Park makes eight hours of racing a breeze. After the race virtually all the participants commented on how much they enjoyed the event and the race course.

Brief Race Results:
Solo Men
1,Charlie Hayes (Trek/VW) 9 laps 7:57
2,Joe Bagley 8 laps
3,Calvin Rickard 7 laps

Solo Women
1,Sarah Konrad (Wings Time) 7 laps 7:08
2,Kara Durland (Pro Cycling) 7 laps
3,Michele Doyle 4 laps

Men's Duo
1,Team 0.5mph 9 laps 7:38
2,Team Campbell-Colts 8 laps
3,Team Stone Temple 7 laps

Coed Duo
1,Revolution/Peak Fasteners 9 laps 8:05
2,Team Natural Selection 8 laps 8:07
3,Team Stern 8 laps 8:11

Cross Vegas

Trebon repeats as Cross Vegas winner and Compton proves she's Quenn of US Cyclocross: Lance Armstrong makes surprise appearance



more photos to follow

Interbike 2008 Dirt Demo, Las Vegas, Nevada

Rocky Mountain Altitude, full carbon frame and 5 inches of rear end travel











New Rocky Mountain Vertex sports a full carbon frame with bolt on front derailleur which allows for a stiffer bottom bracket









The carbon Vertex drops nearly a full pound from the scandium version












New carbon frame for the Felt 29er












Best hangout at Dirt Demo, cold drinks and Fosball!
Type your summary here

More Dirt Demo Pics

Trek Top Fuel is worth all the hype















The Top Fuel sports a 2-9 carbon crank













Celebrity sightings:
The one and only John Tomac




















Johnny T waiting for his chance to meet Andy Schultz














Ross Schnell preparing to get rad on Trek's all-mountain bike











Ned "The Captain" Overend still shredding after all these years

Revolution Cycle and Ski Singletrack Escape and State Singlespeed Championships Saturday September 20th, 2008 St. Cloud, MN.

Revolution Cycle and Ski Singletrack Escape and State Singlespeed Championships
Saturday September 20th, 2008 St. Cloud, MN. – MN State Championship Series
Finals

MN State Singlespeed Championships:

The MN Singlespeed Championships were won by Heath Weisbrod (LCR Racing), and
Kyia Anderson (Ekho/Revolution/Cannondale), under ideal conditions at the Singletrack
Escape.

Mary Moncorge, Kyia Anderson and Alison Tungseth MN Single Speed State Champions
Heath Weisbrod battled in lap 1 with former World Singlespeed Champion Jay
“Hollywood” Henderson (Hollywood Cycles), and then pulled away in lap 2. 3rd place
went to David Meyer after passing Daren Muenchow in the last lap.

Kyia Anderson took the lead from the line and powered to the championship. Mary
Moncorge finished second and Alison Tungseth finished 3rd.

Revolution Cycle and Ski Singletrack Escape Elite Races:

The men’s elite race was won by Jeff Hall (Salsa Cycles), with Brendan Moore (Velo
Rochester), and Jesrin Gaier (Trek/VW Regional Team) rounding out the podium. Jeff
got a gap in the early part of the race and kept the power on to solo in for the win.

The women’s elite race was won by Jenna Zander (Sobe Cannondale), with Kyia
Anderson (EKHO/Cannondale) in second, and Jennifer Nowlin in third. Kyia and Jenna
battled over the first half of the race with the race changing hand back and forth in the
new tight rocky singletrack before Jenna made a strong attack to take the win.
Brendon Moore, Jeff Hall, Jeserin Gaier Elite Podium

All ~300 finishers enjoyed the singletrack laden trail and the great weather and
atmosphere of the event, which also served as a fundraiser for the ski trail grooming at
the site and MTB trail maintenance.

Full Results can be found at www.mnscs.com

Mid Minnesota Cycling Club “Pork Chop Challenge” CX, St. Cloud, MN 9-21-08 –
MN Cross Rider of the Year Series

A beautiful sunny weekend opened up the cross races for the metro area and over 140
riders came out to enjoy the course and atmosphere.

The men’s elite “A” race was won by Dewy Dickey (MBRC) with Bjorn Selander
(Ridley), and Jeff Hall (Salsa Cycles) in second and third respectively. The three rode
together for the first ½ hour until Dickey stuck an attack and then used the double hill
finish area run-ups to build on his lead in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.
The women’s elite race was won by Jenna Zander (Specialized.com), with Linda Cooper
(Great Plains) in second, and Casey Ellis (Bianchi-Grand Performance) in third. Zander
powered away from the first corner and built a commanding lead throughout the difficult
race.
Jenna Zander (Specialized.com) leading the Elite women’s CX at the Pork Chop Challenge.

Racers toe the line of the Beginner Race of the Pork Chop Challenge.

Full results from all finishers can be found at:
http://www.midmncycling.org/Site/Events_files/pcresults08.pdf
Additional Photos from the CX race at www.skinnyski.com

Hi Kathy,

What tire pressure do you run in your cyclocross tires for different conditions? How do you set up your tires to prevent flats?

Thanks,

Jen

Hi Jen,

This is an important question because your tire pressure can make or break your race. I would strongly recommend considering many different tire pressures on race day vs. just going with that one pressure that always works for you.

Depending on the race terrain I may have my tire pressure anywhere from 25 psi to 40 psi. In order to find the preferred tire pressure for the course I am about to race I get to the cyclocross venue with plenty of time, and start with my favorite pressures which fall right in the middle of the above number and then tweak the pressure from there.

Generally speaking, you would want to go with lower tire pressure for a muddy technical course and higher pressure for a smoother and faster course. Once you have ridden the course and think you have found the pressure you want, increase or decrease it to that desired pressure and then do a hot lap on the course to make sure you donʼt have any doubts. You want to do a hot lap on course so that you know how the tires and pressure are going to hold up at speed.

To address getting flats you may want to consider putting sealant in your tires. Yes, it adds a minuscule amount of weight but remember you donʼt have to use as much in your cyclocross tires as you would for an MTB tire! And it is great insurance against those nasty goat heads and any other sharp pointy object you may find yourself rolling over in a cyclocross race.

Thanks for your question!

Kathy Sherwin
SoBe Cannondale MTB Team

Update

MTBracenews was the first to report that Chloe Forsman crashed heavily in the Cross Country race at the NMBS finals in Brian Head, Utah, August 31 . The Luna team rider and Under-23 National Champion went down hard on the Lowder Ponds descent of the technical Brian Head race course. Race staff escorted her from the course and she was taken to the onsite medical clinic at Brian Head Resort.


While Chloe received 24 stitches to close a gash over her knee she was happy to hear the laceration was the extent of her injuries. The resilient Luna rider said, she recently started her Junior year at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Forsman expects to be able to return to racing action in the local Arizona scene this fall and remains committed to defending her Collegiate National Cross Country Championship in 2008.

National Mountain Bike Series dissolves, Sho-Air tries to pick up the pieces

The mountain bike community can expect some changes in the 2009 season. It was recently announced that the National Mountain Bike Series (formerly NORBA National Series) will cease to exist following 2008.


Executives from Team Sho-Air, a California based trade show transportation company, have taken it upon themselves to pick up where the NMBS left off. They have proposed a seven race series dubbed the "United States Cup". At first glance, the U.S. Cup looks similar to the former NMBS, featuring XC and DH races at familiar locales like Fontana, CA, Fountain Hills, AZ, and Mount Snow, VT.

The difference comes in the details, Sho-Air promises significant changes focused on enhancing the racing experience for Pro and amateur level athletes as well as making races more spectator friendly. Highlights of the proposed changes for the Pros include modified courses to create more spectator excitement, dual racing lines to encourage more extreme riding options (think Traverse City water jump), more exposure to top pro athletes, and a total prize purse of $115,000 for the XC series, with equal pay out for men and women. Amateurs racers can expect an elevated racing experience, Series Champion jerseys, more swag, series points, and increased acknowledgment for their efforts. Sho-Air also proposes increased focus on marketing of the series, it's sponsors, and athletes.

While Sho-Air has laid out the path they hope to follow in creating the United States Cup industry support is still needed to make the series a reality. Sho-Air must secure industry commitments for $200,000 before October 3rd 2008 to cover marketing and promotion of the series as well as UCI inscriptions and prize money. If Sho-Air is unable to obtain industry commitments to cover the cost of the U.S. Cup in 2009 the United States will be without a National mountain bike race series for the first time in two decades.

Tentative U.S. Cup 2009 Schedule:

March 21-22 – Fontana, CA "Fontana National" UCI C1
April 4-5 – Fountain Hills, AZ "Nova Classic" UCI C2
April 16-19 – Laguna Seca, CA "Sea Otter Classic" UCI C1
April 25-26 – Los Olivos, CA "Santa Ynez Cup" UCI C2
May 24-25 – Angel Fire, NM "Chile Challenge" UCI C3
June 27-28 – Windham, NY "Windham Cup" UCI C2
August 8-9 – Mt. Snow, VT "Snow Shootout" UCI C1

TMBRA Fall Series, Rock Springs, Texas

written by: Sean Sindt

Texas mountain bike racers were back in action last weekend with the first round of the fall racing series. In order to avoid dangerously high temperatures in the summer, mountain bike racing in Texas is broken into two separate seasons, Spring and Fall. This weekend's race at Rock Springs represents the first race of the fall season.

Rock Springs, Texas, hosted the Camp Eagle Classic with a very difficult and demanding course. The Camp Eagle race course has a lot of rough, rocky sections and a lot of elevation change. This race was sure to test the riders and determine what kind of shape everyone was in after enduring the hot Texas summer.

In the men’s Cat 1/Pro race 14 racers lined up to take on the challenge. Off the start, Tristan Uhl (San Jose Hotel) took up the lead with a furious pace on the first climb. Because of the fast early pace, the pack separated quickly. In the lead was Uhl, matched only by Scott Henry (Trek/VW). Forming a three rider group behind them was Matthew Davis (Mad Duck), Sean Sindt (Bicycle Sport Shop), and Rick Wetherald (Solar Eclipse). At the midway point of the race, Henry and Davis had fallen off the pace while Wetherald bridged up to the leaders and took control. Over the second half of the race, Weatherald built his lead up to two and a half minutes over Uhl and Sindt, trailing in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Wetherald won easily, with Uhl about two minutes back, and Sindt two and a half minutes behind the leader. Wetherald is new to the TMBRA series, having just moved to Austin, TX a few months ago from Durango, CO.

“I felt bad off the start and thought the pace was too fast at first,” said Wetherald. “I waited until the pace settled in and then made my move to the front. Once I got there I felt good and I was riding smooth. I’m happy to win my first race in the TMBRA series.”

The next round of the fall racing series sends riders to Huntsville, Texas on the weekend of September 20-21st.

The women’s Cat 1 race saw the usual scenario play out. Christina Smith (Lonestarworks/Austin Bikes) won the race easily, covering the course a full 12 minutes faster than her closest competitor. Christina was recently crowned the spring 2008 TMBRA series champion and appears to be going for the fall series championship as well.

TMBRA #1
Camp Eagle Classic Results
Rock Springs, TX
8/31/08

Men’s Cat 1/Pro

1 Rick Wetherald (Solar Eclipse) 2:08:24
2 Tristan Uhl (Hotel San Jose) 2:10:06
3 Sean Sindt (Bicycle Sport Shop) 2:10:53
4 Nick Cirincione (NRC Pedalmasher) 2:12:34
5 Wallace Groda (Bike Barn) 2:14:44
6 Scott Henry (Trek/VW) 2:18:17
7 Craig Kunz (Bicycle Sport Shop) 2:18:35
8 Freddy Moore (NRC Pedalmasher) 2:21:18


Women’s Cat 1/Pro

1 Christina Smith (Lonestarworks) 1:46:38
2 Sara Krause (Trek/VW) 1:58:18
3 Melanie Etherton 2:00:45

Hi Kathy,

I am looking into getting a new pair of mountain biking shoes but I am thinking about doing some cross too this year. Do you wear different shoes for the cross season?

Thanks,

Joe

Hi Joe,

This is a great time of year to consider getting a new pair of cycling shoes. The off season is always a good time to change things up and sample new things too. That way when the time comes to race in the spring you have everything already dialed in and are comfortable with your new product choices.

I do wear different shoes for cross season than I would for mountain bike season. I do that for two reasons. One, is that my mountain bike shoe has a mesh top which is great for summer, but is not so good when the fowl weather of cross enters the picture. A mesh top can be too cold for cyclocross and allows far too much mud and rain to enter the shoe which can cause all kinds of difficulties in a race. The second reason I wear different shoes for cross is that those shoes are going to get destroyed by the end of the season. And, I donʼt want to destroy my mountain bike shoes when I may be doing some mountain bike rides during that time as well. So instead I choose to have shoes that are made for fowl weather and that I already know ahead of time are my cross shoes and nothing more.

The cross shoes that I currently use are the Sidi Dominator 5 for Women. They are nice because they are narrow in the heel (for women), they donʼt have mesh on the top and they are durable, soft, and breathable in addition to being warm. They are also not only secured into place by Velcro straps which can come undone in muddy races and instead have both Velcro straps and a buckle. Additionally they have a spot for toe spikes which you will need for those muddy cyclocross conditions.

Best of luck to you!

Kathy Sherwin
SoBe/Cannondale Mountain Bike Team

Now that Cyclocross season is coming up do you start incorporating running into your daily routine? What do you do for it?

Thanks,

Kary

Hi Kary,

Yes, I do start running during this time of the year, but not daily. We all know that cyclocross incorporates running at full speed after dismounting your bike for a run up and/or barriers. And although you may not win a race with superior running skills, it is possible to lose the race without them. That is why it is best to get some running miles in before your first cyclocross race of the season.

For most cyclists who donʼt have too much running under their belt, I recommend starting very easily and slowly. That can be a hard concept to grab for most of us but you need to go easy on yourself while your body adapts to the new routine and new stresses of a completely different sport.

To get started I would recommend a very easy 15-20 minute run on the flats twice a week. Start with walking for 10 minutes as a warm up first and then doing your run following that. Do this until you are no longer getting sore a day or two later which may take some time. As you get stronger you can start finding hills to run up for 15-20 minutes (after warming up). Once you are comfortable with doing that, you can increase your intensity by doing 15-30 second running intervals with 3-4 minutes of recovery in between. You can decrease recovery time as your running fitness increases as well to make things even harder. And as always, remember to stretch after you are all done with your running workouts too!

See you out there!

Kathy Sherwin
SoBe/ Cannondale Mountain Bike Team