BC Bike Race Stage 2: North Vancouver to Parksville

Wicks/Sneddon take Stage 2 win while Luna doubles their lead in the women's race



When most cyclists sign up for a mountain bike race, they can expect to climb on their bikes and ride either loops of a single circuit or a point-to-point course of trails. It's doubtful whether they anticipate a scenic ferry crossing as part of the “warm-up.”

For the almost 400 BC Bike Race participants, an early wake up in North Vancouver precluded their BC Ferries morning voyage across the Georgia Straight to Vancouver Island. The sun shone overhead as many riders relaxed on the upper deck to map out their race strategy for the day.

Once the vessel docked in Nanaimo, racers donned their day's kit and traded their street clothes for their mountain bikes. Close to 400 riders toed the start line in the shadow of the looming Bear-On-Bike crowned arch for the countdown to the 10:45am start.

With the start horn, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police members on bicycles led the controlled start that carried racers to their first drop in of the day. From there until the first feed zone – anywhere from 80 minutes onward – riders gobbled up endless polished singletrack. The inside scoop on this area is that the passionate riders in the local mountain bike club hand-build and painstakingly maintain the trails, some of which were purpose-built for this second BC Bike Race stage. Their efforts were not lost on the pack.

Seamus McGrath and Chris Sheppard (Team Jamis – Santa Cruz) were new to the trails in this area. “We didn't know what to expect but it was honestly some of the best trail that we've seen. It was relentless, fast, flowing, tight technical. A little of everything – drop offs, bridges – everything of what mountain biking is about. There were some great new sections. Whoever built it deserves a bunch of clapping!“

Sneddon and Wicks lead at the BC Bike Race

McGrath and Sheppard started out tight with the Kona team of Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, but at the end of the day, Team Kona was the first to finish in 3:23:42, edging out yesterday's leaders by a mere 3 seconds to claim the yellow jersey for tomorrow's stage. Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk (Trek/VW) rounded out the top three for the day. No surprises in this category.

Once again, Team Luna Chix – Catharine Pendrel and Katerina Nash – dominated the Women's Open category with a 3:57:08 finish. Yesterday's two and three spots stayed the same today with Alison Sydor and Lea Davidson (Rocky Mountain) in second and Lisa Ludwig and Dawn Anderson (Oak Bay Bikes) in third.

Women's leaders Katerina Nash and Catharine Pendrel

The remaining categories saw no change on this second day of racing.

Interestingly, the satellite finish line for timing made for a more mellow Base Camp finish line arch as racers got to spin out their tired legs before hanging up their bikes for the day. After yesterday's short bursts of technical downhill and punchy uphill climbs, an early “go fast, go hard” mindset may have caught some racers off guard with this much longer heavily-singletrack focused day.

This day's technical singletrack bonanza produced much more weary riders at the finish. A few unfortunate racers experienced dehydration on course and found themselves hooked up to an I-V at the medical tent for a fast shot of fluids.

Much post-race chatter centred around the how many riders underestimated the fatiguing nature of the undulating technical singletrack. “I've got a new quote for you today,” said one local North Vancouver rider, “That f'in hurt! It really was unbelievable riding. Draw a chalk line around me, I'm done!”

The new solo category has attracted a broad range of riders from hardcore competitors to weekend warriors who lost their race partner for various reasons.

Riders descend some rocky singletrack

Dan, a solo rider from Colorado, rolled through the oceanside finish looking dusty and weary. “I'm wrecked, but that was unbelievable,” he said, wiping sweat and grit from his face. “I never imagined the riding would be like this. I think I might end up living here. I'm on a life changing journey and it might be starting here.”

Another solo rider from Las Vegas who just celebrated his 40th birthday, decided that the BC Bike Race would mark the transition to a new decade. No family, no friends, no teammate...just the man, his bike and a whole lot of singletrack. Some would argue that turning 40 is challenge enough, let alone adding in a seven day epic. Happy birthday to him!

After a stunning sunset, the oceanfront tented Base Camp was quiet by 10pm as racers maximize their recovery time to recharge for tomorrow's 60-65km stage in Cumberland.

Some of the amazing scenery on hand at the BC

Results

1, Barry Wicks/Kris Sneddon (Kona) 3.23.39
2, Chris Sheppard/Seamus McGrath (Team Jamis/Santa Cruz) 3.23.42
3, Jeff Schalk/Chris Eatough (Trek Racing Co-Op) 3.31.20
4, Brandon Stewart/ Max Knox (DCM/Chrome) 3.31.21
5, Bart Gillespie/Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 3.46.50

Duo Women

1, Katerina Nash/Catharine Pendrel (Luna) 3.57.08
2, Alison Sydor/Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis) 4.05.11
3, Lisa Ludwig/Dawn Anderson (Oak Bay Bikes) 4.37.29

Duo Coed

1, Ryan Trebon/Georgia Gould (Kona/Luna) 3.51.32
2, Mical Dyck/Jeff Nielson (Terrascape/Trek Toronto) 3.58.14
3, Sandra Walter/Steve Devantiers (Local Ride/Pedal Mag) 4.21.21
4, Steve Martins/ Kate Aardal (Hardcore CC) 4.24.00
4, Sue Butler/ Bryan Alders (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 4.36.38

For full results click here

Early Results from BC Bike Race: Sheppard/McGrath Grab Men's Lead While Pendrel/Nash Top the Women

BC Bike Race Stage 1: Vancouver to North Vancouver
Photos by: Dave Silver

The opening stage of the BC Bike race is the shortest but may be one of the hardest in terms of technical difficulty. Veteran racer and last year's stage 1 winner Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com) described the first leg of the BC Bike like this on the team's blog Monavie-Cannondale.com, "What today lacked in length it made up for in technical challenge. The trails of the North Shore, if they can be called trails are legendary for being the most technically demanding in the world. Rock drop after ramp after bridge after rock drop they plummet thousands of feet through the old growth forest to leave one begging for a section of smooth road."

One of the many bridges on the BC racecourse

It seems only fitting then that today's stage would be claimed by two North Shore locals. Canadians Chris Sheppard and Seamus McGrath (Team Jamis/Santa Cruz) blazed their way through the old growth to take stage one by more than a minute over last year's BC Bike Race champions Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon (Kona). Third place went to 2007 BC champions Jeff Schalk and Chris Eatough (Trek Racing Co-Op).

The Duo Women's category should prove to be one of this year's most intriguing battles with Luna teammates Katerina Nash and Catharine Pendrel facing off against epic stage racing's most prolific racer Alison Sydor and her partner American Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis). Sydor has won virtually every stage race you can name including Transalp, Transgermany, and The Cape Epic. It was the Luna team that gained the upper hand today, taking nearly eight minutes out of the Rocky Mountain duo. The high-powered combination of Nash and Pendrel excelled at the cross country length course and will no doubt be pressing hard to keep the pace as high for over 70 kilometers tomorrow.

McGrath and Sheppard descend to a stage 1 victory

The Mixed race went to the superstar team of Ryan Trebon and Georgia Gould (Team Kona/Luna). Both riders are former US National Champions and Gould was a 2008 Olympian and should prove to be almost unstoppable in the Mixed division. Mical Dyck and Jeff Nielson (Terrascape/Trek Toronto) did their best to stay close today losing just eight minutes over a rough 29 kilometers.

Stage 2 of the BC Bike Race will take riders from North Vancouver to Parksville with roughly 70 kilometers of dirt in between. The racecourse feature 1200 meters of climbing.

Stage 2 course profile

Stay tuned to MTBracenews.com all week for the latest results and reports from the BC Bike Race.

Riders get a taste of the technical BC singletrack

Barry Wicks leads the group early in stage 1

The North Shore trails offer up technical riding a plenty

Results

Duo Men

1, Chris Sheppard/Seamus McGrath (Team Jamis/Santa Cruz) 1.35.14
2, Barry Wicks/Kris Sneddon (Kona) 1.36.29
3, Jeff Schalk/Chris Eatough (Trek Racing Co-Op) 1.38.57
4, Ben Sonntag/Matt Shriver (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.40.09

5, Brandon Stewart, Max Knox (Team DCM Chrom 1) 1:41:43

6, Bart Gillespie, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale 2) 1:43:07


Duo Women

1, Katerina Nash/Catharine Pendrel (Luna) 1.50.07
2, Alison Sydor/Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis) 1.58.02
3, Lisa Ludwig/Dawn Anderson (Oak Bay Bikes) 2.11.11

Duo Coed
1, Ryan Trebon/Georgia Gould (Kona/Luna) 1.50.46
2, Mical Dyck/Jeff Nielson (Terrascape/Trek Toronto) 1.58.47
3, Sandra Walter/Steve Devantiers (Local Ride/Pedal Mag) 2.02.30
4, Sue Butler/ Bryan Alders (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 2.03.07

For full results click here

BC Bike Race Set to Launch: Race Preivew

“The Ultimate Singletrack Experience”, is set to launch its third year this Sunday June 28 to July 4, 2009 and will host over 400 riders from around the world. This year’s edition of the 7-day mountain bike adventure offers a revised course featuring a North Vancouver start–taking in the legendary North Shore trails–and two new stages to cement the BC Bike Race as the greatest singletrack adventure on the planet.

BC Bike Race has always aimed to exceed expectations and to be 'the best mountain bike race in the world'. Race organizers believe that their ongoing commitment to the best course possible will create the best experience possible. The BC Bike Race team shares the same values and the same goal: to provide an awesome mountain bike experience like no other. Only at the BC Bike Race are participants set up day-after-day to ride world-famous singletrack featured in countless mountain bike media sources.



The lure of riding the best of BC's world-class mountain bike trails has already attracted a broad range of competitors, from weekend warriors to some of the world's finest mountain bike racers, World Champions and Olympians. This year’s competitor list is a who’s who of mountain bike talent:


Womens Category:
Alison Sydor and Lea Davison -Team Rocky Mountain Bicycles
Cathrine Pendrel and Katarina Nash – Team Luna

Mixed Category:
Sue Butler and Bryan Alders – Monavie-Cannondale.com
Georgia Gould and Ryan Trebon –Team Luna and Team Kona

Mens Category:
Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks – Team KONA (2008 Winners)
Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk – Team TREK (2007 Winners)
Seamus McGrath and Chris Sheppard – Team Jamis and Team Santa Cruz
Bart Gillespie and Alex Grant - Monavie-Cannondale.com



This Sunday a seven-day odyssey will begin for the 400 intrepid adventurers. Stay tuned for all the action and watch some of the notables stretch their legs and their mountain bike skills as they undertake the BC Bike Race.

For more information please visit: www.bcbikerace.com

Stages

Stage 1: Vancouver to North Vancouver-29km
Stage 2: North Vancouver to Parksville-70km
Stage 3: Cumberland-60km
Stage 4: Cumberland to Sechelt-60km
Stage 5: Sechelt to Squamish- 65km
Stage 6: Best of Squamish- 60km
Stage 7: Whistler- TBA

Rinehart and Matter Defend Titles in the Midwest at Subaru Cup Stage Race

Jenna Rinehart (#552; Specialized) leading the women's Pro / Cat 1 

field on the opening climb of the Legacy Cross Country race. 2008 

Overall WORS Women's leader Abigail Strigel (#501; Mafia Racing / 

Pabst / Felt) followed at second wheel. Rinehart went on to win each 

of her three races during the Subaru Cup. Photo by John Senkerik.

Written by: Claire Cannon

The Subaru Cup, fourth race in the Wisconsin Off Road Series, was held last weekend in Mount Morris, WI. The Legacy Cross Country held on Saturday afternoon served as a qualifier for the USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships, while the Stage Race fell in the middle of the American Mountain Bike Challenge calendar. The challenging terrain and technical singletrack once again attracted Pro and Cat 1 racers from throughout the Upper Midwest, as well as from far away Oregon, Arizona and Colorado.

Local talent was dominant at the Stage Race. Jenna Rinehart of Mankato MN (Specialized) defended her overall title from 2008, winning each of her three races, while Sheboygan’s Brian Matter (Gear Grinder) led the Pro / Cat 1 men in points at the end of the two-day event.

Legacy Cross Country events won by Rinehart, Schouten

Jenna Rinehart dominated the women’s Pro / Cat 1 field in the Legacy Cross-Country race on Saturday afternoon, just as Wisconsin’s unseasonably cool early summer was ushered offstage by the arrival of clear, sunny skies and sweltering humidity. The heat did not seem to take a toll on Rinehart (nee Zander), who rode four laps of the technical, hilly course in 1:46:55. Despite starting a minute behind the Pro / Cat 1 men, she passed the majority of the men’s field and was riding around 13th wheel overall at the time she finished her race. As one of the men who jumped on Rinehart’s wheel was overheard to comment, “That lady was one heck of a domestique!”

“I had an awesome time this weekend,” said Rinehart. “I felt great and didn't seem to be bothered by the heat.” Rinehart was followed by Erin Disterheft of Galesburg, MI (Team Billy’s; 1:57:07) and 2008 WORS Overall Series leader Abigail Strigel of Madison, WI (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt; 1:58:58). Sue Juedes, also of Madison (Bike Hub; 2:01:10) and Robin Williams of Iowa City, IA (Mercy-Specialized; 2:03:57) completed to top five women.

2008 Subaru Cup Overall leader T J Woodruff (#2; 

MomentumEndurance.com) and 2008 WORS Series Overall winner Jesse 

Lalonde (#2; Gary Fisher 29 / T6 / BKB) check their gap after two laps 

of the Legacy Cross Country course. Photo by John Senkerik.

The men’s Legacy Cross Country race was hotly contested throughout. A group of five riders broke away during the first lap, and were reduced to four by the midway point. Current WORS Series leader Jesse Lalonde (Gary Fisher 29 / T6 / BKB), 2008 Subaru Cup Stage Race winner T J Woodruff of Tucson, Arizona (MomentumEndurance.com), Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike / GT) and Brian Matter rode together until near the end of the sweltering contest, when Schouten attacked. With steep switchback climbs and singletrack just before the end of the lap, Schouten, of Sheboygan, managed to hold off the riders behind him to win in 1:57:08 for five laps.

Tristan Schouten of Sheboygan, WI (Planet Bike / GT) won the men's

Legacy Cross Country event. Photo by Dave Reich.

“The course was challenging, lots of Midwest style climbing - steep and short - but just the way I like it,” said Schouten after his race.

Jesse Lalonde, riding a rigid singlespeed, finished second in 1:57:26, and was followed by Woodruff at 1:57:35. Brian Matter held on to fourth at 1:59:02.

“A win against stiff competition always feels good. Travis, Jesse, and Brian are all national level riders and there are a few other guys staying in the game each week like Nathan Guerra [of Oconomowoc, WI, racing for Mr. Tree],” said Schouten. The Sheboygan racer, who has been a strong competitor at WORS events for years, has also struggled with health issues in recent seasons.

“The talent in Wisconsin is strong and it's fun to race when three or four different guys can win on a day. I'm just glad that for once it was my turn,” said Schouten. “It's been a while since I had a win at such a big event. I think everyone struggled in the heat and many of us were just trying to feel out our body's response. I guess I had the best legs on the last lap.”

Outback Super D and Impreza Short Track

The start of the men's Pro / Cat 1 Impreza Short Track. Brain Matter

(Gear Grinders, #10) won the men's race, followed by Chris Peariso

(Adventure 212 / Specialized; #3), Tristan Schouten (behind Peariso);

Darrin Braun (VCB; second from the left); T J Woodruff

(MomentumEndurance.com; #2) and Nathan Guerra (Mr. Tree; #5). Photo

by John Wrycza.

Matter came back to attack in the Outback Super D on Sunday morning, winning in 7:17.9 after a Le Mans start.

“The racing started on foot this time around. I warned the guys I had trained earlier in the year, but it didn't work as I was third or fourth to the bike,” said Matter. “I took the first corner in third behind TJ [Woodruff] and Tristan [Schouten]. I played the waiting game as Tristan passed TJ on the descent and others behind crashed trying risky passes. Then, I attacked on the first slight climb and took the lead into the final singletrack for the win.”

Schouten and Woodruff followed Matter by less than a second, at 7.18.3, and 7.18.7, respectively. Nathan Guerra (Mr. Tree; 7.20.6) and Maciej Nowak (Team Polska; 7.23.8) rounded out the top five.

Rinehart led the women’s field by a strong margin, crossing the line in 8:14.6. She was followed by Abby Strigel (8:26.9), and Erin Disterheft (8:31.9). Robin Williams (8:35.5) and Holly Liske (Hayes Disc Brakes; 8:42.2) rounded out the top five women.

The Impreza Short Track, held early Sunday afternoon, kept the heat on to the end as the men settled in for a blazing 23 minutes. The race started with a strong attack by Chris Peariso (Adventure 212 / Specialized), who managed to quickly open a sizeable gap. The chase group of Brian Matter, Tristan Schouten, TJ Woodruff, Darrin Braun (VCB) and Nathan Guerra was able to reduce the gap to a second or two within the first ten minutes. Soon after, Guerra rubbed wheels with Matter and went down, to lose several crucial seconds. Riding alone, he fought back to take sixth. In the end, it was Matter who came around Peariso for the win (23:22.3).

“The action was tight as there was really only 30 seconds of pedaling per lap.” said Matter. It was hard to get any significant gap. I stayed calm and kept the gaps within reason. With two laps to go I bridged up to Chris [Peariso] and went by him. He jumped onto my wheel, but never had the gas to come around me. I hung on for the second win!” Peariso finished less than a second behind at 23:23.5. Schouten (23:25.5), Braun (23:35.7) and Woodruff (23.38.3) completed the top five.

Erin Disterheft of Galesburg, MI (Team Billy's) rode to a strong

second place showing in the women's Impreza Short Track. Photo by

Caren Reich.

In the ladies race, Jenna Rinehart set the pace from the start, riding alone throughout to win in 18:34.8. Erin Disterheft, of Galesburg, MI followed Rinehart with a solid second (18:37.1). Third place was hotly contested, and ultimately went to Holly Liske (Hayes Disc Brakes; 18:43.0), who fought her way up from sixth wheel in the first few laps, to pass both Robin Williams (4th place; 18:45.5) and Abby Strigel (5th; 18:47.3).

Stage Race wins for Rinehart and Matter

At the end of the weekend, Jenna Rinehart and Brian Matter stood on the top spot of their respective podiums. “I decided to head over to the WORS Cup in hopes of defending my title from last year,” said Rinehart. “I also wanted to use the stage race as training for Nationals coming up in July. WORS put on such a great event. The courses were fun, challenging, and spectator friendly! Also, the equal payout for men and women was nice to see!” Erin Disterheft, Abby Strigel, Robin Williams and Holly Liske took the remaining spots on the women’s Stage Race podium.

After Brian Matter, second place in the men’s Stage Race went to Tristan Schouten. T J Woodruff, Nathan Guerra and Darrin Braun rounded out the top five men. "For me, WORS is now three for three in amazing Midwest mountain bike courses,” said a smiling Matter after his Stage Race award. “The Subaru Cup added a new dimension to the race with sustained climbing and hot temps."

For complete results, see http://wors.org. The next race of Wisconsin Off Road Series, the Chippewa Valley Firecracker, will be held July 5 in Eau Claire, WI.

The Robbie Report is a weekly feature on MTBracenews.com. Robbie Squire is the 2008 Junior National Champion and the newest member of the US National Team. Just two years ago Squire was racing as a Sport. In '08, his first year and only year as a Junior Expert, Robbie won the Junior National Championship. In '09 his first year in the senior ranks, the Utah resident will be racing with the U.S. National Under-23 Team. Each week Robbie will share his experiences with us. Join in as the 19 year-old Junior National Champion and first year Pro travels across the United States and Europe racing his bike and living out a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This past week has been very nice with the mostly good weather and the mild temperatures. There was a day or two in there that was unpleasant but it’s nice to see the sun coming out and the trails becoming tacky and pristine. Unfortunately, I managed to get caught in the rain, the few times it rained, which reminding me of riding in Europe.



I’ve been riding a lot more of the local trails that were inaccessible due to the heavy rains last week. Most of the trails aren’t in bad condition with only a rut down the middle from where the rain traveled down the trail. A change that I’ve noticed in our local trails is the amount of work that has gone into “improving” them. I was excited when community groups built a bridge over a stream that caused problems but the new changes to the trails have been much less beneficial. The recent work on the trails have turned great singletrack into a dirt sidewalk. Yes it’s easier but at the cost of a great trail. I appreciate the work that is being done and the commitment to improving trails in the area but existing trails should not be the target. Enough ranting.

It’s funny how there is quite a large break in racing right now. At the beginning of the season, it seemed there were important races every weekend and now the hectic pace has slowed down. It’s nice to have a little break to try to improve my fitness but just strange the season turned out like this.

Not to worry though another big block of racing starts up in the middle of July and all of the chaos will be back. The next block of racing includes national championships in Colorado, two world cups in Canada, and two races on the East Coast. I’m excited for these races because some of them are on courses I know and they don’t require an entire day of traveling across the world to get there. National championships will be good because it is one of only two races that the U-23 racers race by themselves and not as part of the Pro class. It will be strange to do a race in which I won’t have to be battling (as much) for position along the course and will actually be able to race. World cups on the other hand will boast very competitive fields and require a lot battling for position. The Canadian world cups will have a fewer participants when compared to the colossal fields that the European races had, which will make it more of a race for me. Now I’ll be able to start in the 100s instead of 200s.


That trip will be five consecutive weekends of racing before coming home. World championships would be the next race on the schedule and I’m hoping I can do well enough to get myself there. In the mean time I’ll be riding.

Rob

PRO XCT Finals Will Maintain Original Date

For the past several weeks officials with the PRO XCT series and the Interbike trade show have been hashing out the details of moving the PRO XCT finals from the original September 26th date to the 22nd when it would be held in conjunction with the final day of the Outdoor Dirt Demo. Race officials were hoping to build on the excitement of the Dirt Demo. After lengthy negotiations and an overwhelming show of support for the move the plan has ultimately failed to take shape for 2009.

Earlier today, marketing director for the US Cup and PRO XCT, Ty Kday announced that after much thought and deliberation, the final round of the PRO XCT series set in Las Vegas will stick to its scheduled running date of Saturday the 26th at Boot Leg Canyon.

While we had overwhelming support from the industry, teams and riders to host the PRO XCT on Tuesday the 22nd in conjunction with the Dirt Demo, last minute scheduling, logistics and permit issues did not make it feasible for 2009.

Men's PRO XCT leader Max Plaxton

The US cup is engaged in talks with Interbike about hosting a Pro only event at the 2010 Dirt Demo, and we will keep you posted as new information becomes available.

Again the US Cup wants to thank all the people who supported our efforts to host the PRO XCT with the Interbike dirt demo.

In our tireless effort to bring you all the XC and Endurance races in the United States we are constantly adding new races to our nationwide race calendar as well as updating it with new information.

This week we have added the Park City Point to Point (PCPP). The PCPP is an endurance mountain bike event held September 5th in lovely Park City, Utah. The course description includes roughly 75 miles of Park City's finest singletrack while visiting all 3 of Park City's world class resorts. "The riding here is so good we saw Hans Rey on course just last weekend," race promoter Jay Burke provides, as testament to the top-drawer quality of the Park City Point to Point racecourse. Check out the PCPP and nearly 500 others on the MTBracenews Nationwide Mountain Bike Calendar. You're guaranteed to find a race you're interested in.

A rider gets a taste of the fabulous singletrack on tap at the Park City Point to Point

Just click the "Race Calendar" link at the top of this page and with a few clicks of the mouse find the race you have been looking for.

If you would like to add an event to the calendar please send your information to info@mtbracenews.com and we will include it.

Rider on course at the PCPP

Race Report: Cowbell Challenge: Marathon and Kenda Cup East Cross Country

With the heat index hovering in the 115 range, racers in the Cowbell Challenge Marathon took off from downtown Davidson, NC, at 10 am. Six and one-quarter miles of hard surface to get to the dirt and Fisher Farm, and 6 laps of climbs, rock gardens and great single track. Harlan Price (Independent Fabrication) took the top spot on the Men’s Pro Open podium, and also posted the fastest lap on the 8-milecourse at 37:52.389. Just one minute and 22 seconds behind him, Jaifer Beizer (Jittery Joe's U25 p/b Kudzu.com) finished in second. Aaron Oakes (Bulldog/Cycle Craft) finished in third. Nine men finished on the lead lap.

Carey Lowery crosses the line in 1st

On the Women’s Pro Open side, Carey Lowery (Outdoor Store/Specialized) determined that “third time’s the charm,” took top honors from Rebecca Rusch (Specialized/Red Bull), who finished strong but behind Carey by six minutes and 15 seconds. Carey also scored the fastest lap for the field with a time of 44:26.151. Rebecca Tomaszewski (Niner Bikes/Ergon) took third. Eight women in the 12-racer field completed the full six laps in the punishing heat.

In Sunday’s Cross country events, Thomas Turner (Out Spoken/Specialized) and Sam Koerber (Gary Fisher 29er Crew) battled in a sprint to the finish, with Tom taking the win by just 2 seconds, and both averaging lap times of just under 34 minutes for the 8 mile course. Robert Marion (Kenda/KMC/Hayes) finished third, just under 11 seconds behind Sam. Travis Livermon took fourth, with Ryan Woodall coming in fifth.

Jamie Dinkins(Motor Mile Racing) stood at the top of the podium for the Women’s Pro, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Anina Aaron (Heart’s Racing Club) came in second, followed by Johanna Kraus in third, Kylie Krass (Independent Fabrications) in fourth and Philicia Marion (Kenda/KMC/Hayes)in fifth place.

Marathon Results: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1187382&perclass=1
Cross Country Results: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=436231

Lumberjack 100- Results, Report, and Photos

Schalk chases down Tanguy to take his second win on the National Ultra-Endurance circuit. Shogren also makes it two out of three at the NUE.



Jeff Schalk (Trek) and Betsy Shogren claimed wins at this years running of the The Lumberjack 100 in Wellston, Michigan. The contest to capture the coveted Hatchet Trophies on the third stop of this years NUE Series proved to be very different for the two. While Shogren rode in the lead from start to finish, Schalk was forced to do battle up to the final mile.

Race favorites, Betsy Shogren (Cannondale), Karen Potter (mtbmind.com) and Danielle Musto (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes) jumped ahead of the women’s field early on and established themselves in that order and only minutes apart after the first 25-mile lap. The top three women’s positions did not change for the remainder of the race. Shogren claimed victory with a time of 8:20, a new women’s course record, while Potter chased close behind to finish in 8:26. Danielle Musto, her knee bloodied from a near race ending crash on lap 2 was able to finish in third place 8:46.

Women's Podium Karen Potter, Betsy Shogren, Danielle Musto (Left t0 Right)

In the men’s open class Jeff Schalk (Trek), Chris Eatough (Trek), Mike Simonson (Gary Fischer 29er) and Christian Tanguy (Team Fraser) formed a lead group in the first 10 miles and pulled well away from the rest of the field. With Schalk at the front the four stayed together through 50 miles until rising temperature, humidity and Schalk’s blistering pace setting took their tole on Simonson, who lost contact with the group. Little changed for the remaining three over the next 25 miles. Going into the final lap Eatough was the next to lose contact with Schalk and Tanguy. With the finish line less than a lap away and the selection down to just two, Tanguy attacked Schalk repeatedly, pulling well ahead of the Trek rider at one point. But in the end it was Schalk who had the better legs, attacking Tanguy in the last mile and claiming a hard fought victory with a time of 6:48:06. Tanguy finished close behind at 6:48:36. Rounding out the top three was Eatough, who stopped the clock at 6:57. Simonson would cross the line for fourth at 7:17, followed close behind by Derek Graham (Bissel).

Men's podium

The single speed class was dominated from start to finish by Gerry Pflug (Speedgoat/Spk/Salsa). Gerry road to a new Lumberjack single speed record (7:17:33) and also managed to cross the line only seconds behind Mike Simonson for fifth place overall. Rounding out the men’s single speed podium was Roger Masse (Trek) at 7:56 and Joe Kedrowski (Founders Ales) at 8:04.

Complete Results at: http://www.raceservices.com/results.htm

Danielle Musto, battered, crosses the finish for third

Jeff Schalk takes win #2 of the NUE series

Schalk leads the front group

Danielle Musto shows off her battle scars after the Lumberjack 100

Written by: Scott Chambers
Photos by: Jack Kunnen

Women:
1. Betsy Shogren (Cannondale) 8.20
2. Karen Potter 8.26
3. Danielle Musto (Kenda/Tomac) 8.46

Men:
1. Jeff Schalk (Trek Racing Co-Op) 6.48.06
2. Chris Tanguy (Team Fraser) 6.48.36
3. Chris Eatough (Trek Racing Co-Op) 6.57.18
4, Mike Simonson (Gary Fisher 29er Crew) 7.17.02
5, Derek Graham (Bissel) 7.18.18
6, Greg Kuhn (Team Fraser)
7, Jason Lumis
8, Jon Meyers
9, Robert Herriman
10, Garth Prosser (Cannondale)

American Mountain Classic Canceled for 2009

The first multi-day endurance mountain bike stage race to be held in the United States is also the first to fall by the wayside.Race Director Tom Spiegel announced the cancellation of the second year event today on Velonews.com. Spiegel credited low registration numbers as the reason for cancelling the 2009 event. The race was scheduled for August 20-24 in Brian Head, Utah.

The lead pack in the inaugural American Mountain Classic

The American Mountain Classic enjoyed great success in it’s inaugural season. The race hosted big-name riders like Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Jeremiah Bishop, and Pua Sawicki. The AMC succeeded in generating excitement as each stage of the Pro men’s race was determined by a sprint finish with Bishop taking the GC by a total of just 4 seconds, something rarely seen in endurance mountain bike racing.

Ultimately, the AMC may have wilted in the long shadow of similar multi-day events such as the Breck-Epic, Intermontane Challenge, and The BC Bike race, all of which offer a similar race format and have marketed heavily in 2009.

Fabled Brian Head singletrack

Promoters of the American Mountain Classic hope to bring the event back in the future. No specific plans have been announced at this time. MTBracenew.com covered the American Mountain Classic in 2008; with the vast majority of participants describing it as a well-run, enjoyable event featuring some of the country’s best high-mountain singletrack. Click here to view our 2008 AMC race coverage.

Photos be: Greg Gibson

The Robbie Report is a weekly feature on MTBracenews.com. Robbie Squire is the 2008 Junior National Champion and the newest member of the US National Team. Just two years ago Squire was racing as a Sport. In '08, his first year and only year as a Junior Expert, Robbie won the Junior National Championship. In '09 his first year in the senior ranks, the Utah resident will be racing with the U.S. National Under-23 Team. Each week Robbie will share his experiences with us. Join in as the 19 year-old Junior National Champion and first year Pro travels across the United States and Europe racing his bike and living out a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This weekend’s race in Colorado Springs, Colorado turned out to be a lot better than I had expected.I had been sick for quite some time and was only a bit better heading down there. Once the racing started, I was surprised by how I felt, I wasn’t a 100% by a long shot but I could actually ride my bike, which was a dramatic change from the days before. The first race was the short track on Friday. The course was unique for a short track because it consisted of 90% singletrack. Typically singletrack is the best for mountain biking but in a short track it makes it difficult to pass and makes the open sections that much more important. One nice thing was my call up position for the start. I was called up 3rd row in front of a lot of people who had skipped the first short track in California and didn’t have any points.



The race was fast from the gun because everyone was battling to get to the pivotal singletrack first and the pace only got faster as we hit the open section each lap. The next race was the more important of the two, the cross-country. I was unable to pre-ride the course the night before which several people warned me was a huge mistake. I got there early the morning before the race and headed out to check out the course which was a bit risky because you don’t know how tough the course is going to be and if it will take too much energy causing you to be tired for the main event. Luckily, the course wasn’t too tough and was perfect for warming up before the race. The course was mostly smooth and covered in gravel making it really slippery going around corners. Some people were having problems with this but I managed to make it work and was going pretty fast on the descent and making up time.

The start of the race was a little hectic due to the call up and the first neutral start I’ve ever seen in a mountain bike race. Some how I was called up towards the end of the field for the start, which was surprising because I should have had a call up near the front. The start had us go and do a loop in the adjacent parking lot before stopping and being re-started. Unfortunately, there wasn’t tape or anything to keep people from cutting the loop and improving their starting spot. Once we got to the real start I had moved back even further in the field making it much more difficult to move up. Once things got underway the race was much better. The course was very narrow and made it hard to pass but it was wide enough that you could pass and the course was pretty fun. I wasn’t riding at 100% but I still managed to have a good race save flatting at a kilometer to go and having to ride in with 2 PSI in my rear tire.



All in all it was a pretty good weekend, I got to catch up with friends and ride bikes.
Now it’s time to focus on the National Championships, which are only a month away. Everyone will be focusing on it and with everyone riding so fast it will be interesting how it goes down. This year the race is at a very high altitude which will play a huge roll in determining who does well and who struggles. I’m excited for this race because it is the only race in the U.S. where U-23’s race by themselves and are not absorbed in the Pro category. Nationals will be my focus for the next few weeks with some smaller races mixed in for fun and training.

Rob

Blue Ridge Adventures Announces Inaugural Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race

Blue Ridge Adventures will host the inaugural Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race, October 15-18, 2009 in Brevard, North Carolina. With over $15,000 of prize money, the event will feature a prologue time trial followed by three days of racing on the renowned single track of Pisgah National Forest.

The race will play host to elite athletes, amateur teams and enthusiasts alike. In four days of racing, participants will be treated to 145 miles, 38,000 feet of climbing and legendary single track in Pisgah National Forest. All stages will start and finish at the event headquarters within the town of Brevard, just minutes away from the area’s best lodging and accessible by the town’s new bicycle path.

Riders can expect some fun and challenging trails

With entries limited to 150 racers, some of the best riders in the U.S. are already lining up. Jeremiah Bishop, the U.S. National Champion of marathon and short track mountain biking, is one professional rider who looks forward to competing in the event. “When I dream of an awesome mountain bike adventure, I think of trails like those being used in the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. I can’t wait to get down there and ride,” he says. “It’s going to be great to have such a good course. No matter how your race is going, you’ll still have a fun time riding. It’s spectacular, rugged backcountry mountain biking at it’s best.”

In contrast to the ride-all-day and try to survive format of some stage races, Race Director Todd Branham is proud that his event will be “a true mountain bike race” loaded with single track. For riders who are not familiar with Pisgah, the gnarly trails are sure to be an eye opener, though Branham notes “it’s a course made for everybody. We’re not out to demoralize people.” Of the fire road that is included, “it comes when you want it. We’ve had a lot of feedback. It’s laid out well - an exciting course!”

The leaf blanket will be in full effect by October 15th

To ensure that each rider has a great race, the event offers comprehensive support. Each stage will include three fully stocked aid stations with food, water, mechanical and medical assistance. Other benefits include custom event jerseys for every rider, massage, bike wash, closing awards ceremony dinner and cash prizes available to racers in every category. The event will kick off with an Industry Expo.

If Branham’s other events, the Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell and the Swank 65, are any indication, Bishop predicts “the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race will serve up some classic southern-style hospitality and a memorable race experience.”

For more information and to register for the 2009 Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race, visit www.BlueRidgeAdventures.net.

Racers can expect some tight singletrack riding

Full Results, Report, and Photos from ProXCT #4: Colorado Springs, Colorado

writing and photos by Todd Park

Luna Back on the Rails, Irmiger Double Flats/
Pro XCT series leader Plaxton Uses Descents to Move to the Front

Canadian's win the day, taking four out of ten podium spots in the elite men and women XC races. Catherine Pendrel (Luna Women's MTB) won the Elite Women's race, narrowly putting her in the lead for the series, and Max Plaxton (Team Sho-Air/Specialized) increased his current lead in the series with a win in the men’s field.

Plaxton and Pendral in PRO XCT leader’s jerseys

Cheyenne Mountain XC Course:

With a wide single track for half of the climb, followed by more climbing through technical rock gardens and a treacherous descent, this course was designed to expose weaknesses of both the rider and the ride. The lap distance was just over 5 miles and the call-up was crucial, because there was almost no chance to move up on the paved “parade lap” and passing was difficult once you reached the dirt. Those who had the skills to climb and descend well through the rock gardens, but failed to get a good start position, were at the mercy of less skilled riders in front of them.

All of this made for an exciting race for the front runners of both fields. Lead changes were common and no huge gaps were ever established.

Elite Women:

Catherine Pendrel, riding a hard tail, Orbea, was strongest on the single track climb. She was chased by Katie Compton (Spike Shooter), who made up time on the rocky sections. Heather Irmiger (Gary Fisher/Subaru) also looked strong but needed a rear-wheel change on laps two and three, the second one costing her three spots and a chance for a podium finish. Irmiger was riding a 2x9 29er and later reported that she still needs to play with tire pressure for the bigger wheels.

Pendrel and Compton, a close finish

Pendrel came through just ahead of Compton, where she made a point of being first onto the winding, paved downhill section just before the finish. Pendrel and Compton were followed by Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould (Luna Women’s MTB). Lea Davison (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) made an impressive move on the pavement, just before the corners, passing Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) and taking the final spot on the podium.

Judy Freeman (Tough Girls), Heather Holmes and Zephanie Blasi (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes) had impressive races as well.

Women’s Podium

Elite Men:

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Gary Fisher/Subaru), on a hard tail 29er, and Todd Wells (Specialized), on a full suspension 29er, were off the front early. “I tried to blow it apart, I didn’t want to race all three Sho-Air guys again” Horgan-Kobelski said after the race. Plaxton was able to close on Wells and Horgan-Kobelski on the second lap, leaving Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis–Rocky Mountain), Adam Craig (Giant) and Sam Schultz (Gary Fisher/Subaru) to chase. “Max [Plaxton] was descending well” commented Horgan-Kobelski.

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski

Plaxton got by Wells on the descent of the third lap “I was looking for places to pass” he explained. “Todd [Wells] showed me a great line”.

Todd Wells

On the final lap, Horgan-Kobelski made another big surge on the climb, “I thought I had it, Max [Plaxton] made a sick pass on the last descent”. As it turned out, Plaxton made good use of the line Wells took on the previous lap. “JHK was climbing well and was smooth on the descents but his hard tail wasn’t as fast as my full-suspension [Specialized Epic]. I’m pretty psyched about my first [US cross country] win”.

Canadian Derek Zandstra had a great race and overtook Sam Schultz on the last lap, which put him in the final podium slot.

Men’s Podium

US West Cup Finale

Unofficially, Krista Park (No-Tubes/Magura/INCYCLE) and Sid Taberely (Team Sho-Air/Specialized), while neither having their best race, both did well enough to take the series. Park came in just ahead of Allison Mann (Team Sho-Air/Specialized), her closest competitor in the series. Taberlay, after being in the mix with the leaders at the start of the race, dropped off when his front fork locked up.


1, Catharine Pendrel (Luna) 1.21.03
2, Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) 1.21.04
3, Katerina Nash (Luna) 1.24.02
4, Georgia Gould (Luna) 1.25.03
5, Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis) 1.25.51
6, Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth)
7, Heather Irmiger (Subaur/Gary Fisher)
8, Judy Freeman (Tough Girls/Scott)
9, Heather Holmes (Kenda/Tomac)
10, Zephanie Blasi (Kenda/Tomac)
11, Kathy Sherwin (Kenda/Tomac)
12, Kelli Emmett (Giant)
13, Amanda Carey (KEnda/Tomac)
14, Amdance Sin
15, Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
16, Chloe Forsman (Luna)
17, Aleksandra Rokita
18, Krista Park (Incycle)
19, Allison Mann (Sho-Air/Specialized)
20, Nina Baum
21, Anina Aaron (Kenda/KMC)
22, Lindsey Bishop
23, Caitlyn Tuel
24, Lydia Tanner
25, Melody Serra
26, Erin Huck
27, Maureen Kunz
28, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
29, Sonya Bugbee
30, Sara Tarkington
31, Philicia Marion
32, Athena Kraus
33, Danae York

1, Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Specialized) 1.33.08
2, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.33.10
3, Todd Wells (Specialized) 1.34.03
4, Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis) 1.34.27
5, Derek Zandstra 1.36.56
6, Sam Schultz (Subaur/Gary Fisher)
7, Adam Craig (Giant)
8, Sam Jurekovic (Sho-Air/Specialized)
9, Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized)
10, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
11, Rotem Ishay
12, Chris Sheppard (Jamis)
13, Carl Decker (Giant)
14, Troy Wells (Clif)
15, Manuel Prado (Sho-Air/Specialized)
16, Pater Glassford
17, Benjamin Sonntag (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
18, Matt Shriver
19, Colin Cares (Kenda/Tomac)
20, Macky Franklin
21, Travis Livermon
22, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
23, Cody Peterson
24, Dana Weber
25, Bryan Alders (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
26, Travis Scheefer
27, Robert Marion (Kenda/KMC)
28, Adam Snyder (3D Racing)
29, Jason Sager (Jamis)
30, Aaron Bradford
31, Andy Schultz (Kenda/Tomac)
32, Robbie Squire (U-23)
33, Ken Onodera (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
34, Kevin Kane
35, TJ Woodruff
36, JJ Clark
37, Stephen Ettinger
38, Adam Parke
39, Benjamin Portilla
40, Scott Frederick
41, Michael McCalla
42, Colby Pierce
43, Dylan Stucki
44, Aaron Elwell
45, Yuki Saito
46, Barkley Robinson
47, Blake Harlan
48, Matt Rotroff
49, Drew Edsall
50, Greg Carpenter
51, Doug Ryden
52, John Nobil
53, Jan Koles
54, SPencer Powlison
55, Daniel Matheny
56, Tad Elliott (U-23)
57, Ryan Clark
58, Alex Ryan
59, Craig Wohlschleger
60, Kalan Biesel
61, Jamie Morgan
62, Chad Harris (Recer's Cycle Service)
63, Joe McNerney
64, Jordon Williford
65, Seamus Powell
66, Ross Bowden
67, Matt Connors
68, Jacob Virostko
69, Mitchell Hoke
70, Bryan Mickiewicz
71, Katriel Statman
72, Chris Peterson
73, Mitchell Peterson