Looking Back/Looking Ahead - 2009 Retrospective The Year of Rain

Once again it is that time of the year where I reflect on the year past, all that was accomplish (or not accomplished) and wonder what lay in store for the coming year.
As always this year kicked off with the traditional New Year’s Day ride and we were blessed with temps in the single digits and wind chill that sent the mercury into negative territory. Despite the conditions there was a respectable turn out and also the start of a tradition of bashing Hawaiian Mike for failing to make the Sunday ride.
The winter proved to be a metamorphosis of sorts where I came to the realization that 26” wheels were now of a bygone era and it was time to step up the singlespeed to a 29er. It was hard to part with my old steed, after all this bike was my first Indy Fab, had carried me to the finish in La Ruta and powered me across the plains of the Klien Karoo to become the first singlespeed to complete the Cape Epic. Despite all of the nostalgia it was time for a new girl and the irony of it all was I sold the bike to the teammate that bailed on me for the 2009 Cape Epic and he was going to take it back to South Africa for a go at the race with gears.

This year all it ever seemed to do was rain and rain and then rain even more. It proved to be a pivotal year that tested the mental toughness as the troops were forced to repeatedly hit the trails of Stewart in downpours and face countless miles of mud before settling into traditional post ride growler debriefs. It was on one particularly bad day that Friar Rossi and C-Dubs were the only ones to show and rather then go at it with each other on the trail (the norm) a true bonding occurred and born out of the loins of bad weather was the newest rediscovered trail aptly named R-Dubs with the featured “Cliff of Death”, a nice 20 foot drop if you missed the line.

In terms racing it was very much an up and down year with the initial disappointment of missing the Cape Epic taking more out of me then I realized. Some of the spark came back with Singlespeed-a-Palooza, a race that is destined to be one of the East Coast classics. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t catch that can of PBR hanging off the front of the bike

The Stoopid 50 was just that – Stoopid – lots of rocks, lots of trees, lots of climbing....everything that is going to hurt and it sure did but it was a great help in building up the technical skills (which is a distinct weakness). Onto the Dark Horse Gallup, personally I hate XC racing but with all of the rain the course offered up the best mud fest around and the opportunity to ambush Friar Rossi at the mud holes was too good to pass up so I rode, got real muddy and had a great time – to me this is what mountain biking is all about – mud, moar mud and then beer with you muddy mates during and after the ride.

Cool wet conditions continued for most of the summer with the heat and humidity making its appearances for the week that covered the Wilderness 101 and Dark Horse 40. Humidity and I have a mutual hatred and on and both races provided a lot of it and my results reflected such with my W101 time 35 minutes more on the course then last year and off the podium. The Dark Horse 40 was the mountain bike equivalent of the Bataan Death March with a heat/humidity index well over 100 and shattered riders all over the course. The saving grace was the Sirens of Stewart handing out ice cold PBRs at the 7 mile mark of each lap. The saving grace for the year was the Shenandoah 100 with its 14000’ of climbing where a good chunk of the Dark Horse team made the journey south to lose their dirty century virginity. It was a massive success with fantastic conditions, a new personal best (sub 10 hrs) and everyone on the team making the finish. The 24 hrs of Moab ended up as expected, all fun and a real beating on the singlespeeds but everyone that made it was in agreement – it was the best mtb trip any of us had ever done. And the grand finale of the year was Beer Cross, destined to be an annual NECS classic.

Now to looking ahead, since I am still sorting out issues with a lame hip a lot of the coming season is up in the air. Of course there will be Singlespeed-a-Palooza where I will be making an appearance as Thor God of Thunder, but new on the horizon is the 6 Hours of Stewart (at long last a nice endurance race early in the year and right in my backyard) and of course there is the Wilderness 101 where I will be going for an 8th straight finish. Still to be sorted is one final shot at a new multi day stage race (think BC) and if all goes well Burnin’ at the Bluff with the rest of Team Seagal. One thing I do know is another year of having fun and riding bikes is in the cards.

And The Winner Is -

Well dear friends, after a long and arduous search, the New East Coast Syndicate has stumbled upon the beer of choice - BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Just the name alone makes this a winner and of course the 32% alcohol by volume makes this the best bang for the buck in the buzz department.

Happy Holidays

Beer Cross Non Participants (aka Hawaiian Mike Davidson)

Seems this is becoming all to common but here we go again. The day before Beer Cross we were hanging out at the shop and decided it was time for the usual Dark Horse Cycles Saturday drunken phone call and the winner was Hawaiian Mike Davidson.
After the usual banter everyone at the shop was pumped up to hear Hawaiian Mike confirm that he was "absolutely in" and "wouldn't miss it for the world". There was more enthusiasim in his voice then a 14 year old about to lose his virginity. Well we guess there was a case of premature - well you know what - and come race day guess who didn't show up. Here is what our (my) twisted minds came up with for plausible excuses -

Cheerleading At The NAMBLA RallyGiving The Weekly PedicureCleaing Up His Man CavePost Dump DetoxHoney Do'sMore Honey Do'sAnd Even More Honey Do'sPaying The Price For Not Folding The Laundry Correctly

Non Race Day - Beer Cross 2009

Okay loyal fans of the New East Coast Syndicate, after a week of waiting with baited breath here is the down and dirty on what will go down as the Non Race of the year and is sure to be future classic along the lines of Paris-Roubaix.
I awoke from a night of sleep with all of the anxiety and excitement of a 6 year old on Christmas Day, at long last it was time for Beer Cross '09 and we had been blessed by the Cyclocross gods.....there was 4 inches of fresh snow on the course and 5 - 30 packs of PBR in the back of the pickup chilled to perfection from a night out in the snow. All we needed now was some cowbells and Belgian waffles and UCI certification would be all but guaranteed.
Sometime during the night Shop Sidekick rambled out onto the course and added a bit of excitement with the Snowman Chicane. Knock one done and it's beer drinking time!With so much at stake everyone was out early pre riding the courseto get a better feel of the traction and to try and best memorize the layout. The big dogs (Montelbano & Shop Sidekick) had the race faces going and mumbling about how they were going to rock the course and for good reason. At stake was this fine display of hardware that included limited edition Gogi berry influenced number plates, pint glasses and awesome yeastly malted beverages.What they had failed to realize was this was a New East Coast Syndicate production and the non rules had stacked the deck heavily in favor of the drinkers. There was only one dizzy bat and it had to be shared by 6 riders so the start was going to be critical.

Pit Stop Beverage Of ChoiceBraveheart - Fully Authentic ScotsmanThe Mayor, Still Suffering The Effects Of Shenandoah Syndrome, Adjusts His Panty HoseThe overnight snows had resulted in the morning ride be cancelled so most everyone was at the course early putting in the laps and sizing up the competition while we waited for the arrival of Sal with the race swag - beer coolers.
Sergant Sal With The OrdnanceThe Coveted DHBX CoozyThe Mayor Showing Us Who Is In Charge (Think Max from the Grinch That Stole Christmas)
At the non race meeting everyone listened with interest to the non rules which were fairly simple. Le Mans start with a 100' run to the bikes where you either chugged an icy cold Dale's Pale Ale or 10 times around the bat before mounting up and heading onto the race course. With the command of racers ready coming from the day's MC, Top Chef, Jocelyn immediately straight armed Monte to win the sprint to the bat.Meanwhile the intelligent racers grabbed their beers

Transition Chugwith C-Dubs finishing his Dale's first and heading out onto the course.

Landshark Off In The LeadMeanwhile back at the bat Monte finished up and after coming off the bat veered sharply off to the right before a crash and burn in the snow. This was followed by a bit of stumbling around in confusion before finally locating his bike and heading out almost a lap down to the drinkers. The rest of the non drinkers did not fair all that much better.
Shop Sidekick Comes Off The Bat And Right Onto The GroundOut on the race course it was Senor Agua taking the lead from the Landshark and showing skills that only a free range totally organic chicken could possess - opening each lap's beer with a beek.
Beer StopMonte Showing His Form On The Bat

The Landshark "Fins" His Bike For The Barrier SectionAs the alcohol flowed and the snow balls flew everyone lost count of the laps and the race disintegrated into a free for all with Friar Rossi (aka 3 beer) well over the limit and tackling riders all over the course.
By the time the last snow ball had been thrown and race beer chugged it was too close to call. If there was a reward for suffering the most it would have gone to Montelbano for the post race hangover from going around the bat some many times (that will teach you to come prepared to drink next year). Mike was heard mumbling something about the SM100 being less painful.
Monte Sporting The Post Non Race Hangover2009 Beer Cross Group ShotFinally the judges came from their chambers with results in hand. 1st Senor Agua, 2nd Braveheart, 3rd The Mayor, 4th Friar Rossi. And here is the post non race podium interview.

Beer Cross Course Preview

Here are some of the featured sections for Sunday's Beer Cross. Classic cyclosscross course with lots of yellow tape, twisty sections and barriers.
Tree SlalomGrowler Barriers
S-Turns

Beer Cross

So here we are with one week to go to the greatest Non Race of the century - are you in or out? This weekend saw countless hours of toil by Braveheart and C-Dubs, creating number plates that are sure to grace the walls of the Guggenheim. Here is a glimpse of Braveheart, after hours of Dales and gogi berry chasers working on the plates. For those that are in there is a total of 25 of these limited edition number plates that are there for the taking to the first to register. Oh yeah registration starts at 10:00 am and ends when we are all ready to race.

Beer Cross '09 - Play By The Non Rules

The format is pretty straight forward, race and drink. Here are the non rules

6 lap race
Alcohol consumption can be substituted for non drinkers - 1 beer = 10x around the dizzy bat
Non Racers will be DSQed for not doing one or the other
No penalty for puking
Costumes Mandatory – 10 minute or 3 beer penalty at the start for not wearing one the entire race
LeMans Start
Mandatory beer prior to mounting bikes
Mandatory beer per lap
Dismounting mandatory at the Growler Barriers (2 beer per barrier penalty for not dismounting)
Skipping the Tea Totaler Teeter Totter is 1 beer or 1 shot (tequila) penalty
First across the finish line in the riding portion has to do a shot of tequila
Winner is determined by fastest time/most beer consumed/best costume and Mayor's discretion

Interesting Moments From Moab

With any of these trips there is always those moments that don't really fit into the story but at the time were amusing enough to warrant taking a picture so here you go......
A Mayoral Moment
Visit from the ChinamanKing TuckHere's To Getting F.I.S.T.ed

NECS Non Race #2 - Dark Horse Cycles 1st Annual Beer Cross

It's official - if you are a connisseur of the bizarre (you have to be if you hang out with C-Dubs) and a member of the Dark Horse Racing team then this is the event for you!!!!! To kick off the winter non race season and to christen the new home of Dark Horse Cycles, the NECS in conjunction with Dark Horse Cycles, will be hosting the first annual Dark Horse Cycles/NECS Beer Cross Non Race.
The rules are simple, first non racer to complete the 6 laps wins. To get to the finish there will be a number of obstacles to navigate with the highlights being the Growler Barrier, the Tea Totaler Teeter Totter, and the PBR per lap check point (for those that do not drink we will offer the dizzy baseball bat option). Costumes are mandatory and will be supplied from the racks of the new Dark Horse Cycle Barn. Final results will be certified by the Mayor and bribing of the judge is highly encouraged.
This is one not to miss and has received the C-Dubs "This is Truly the Stupidest Thing I Have Done" certification.

Arches/End Of An Epic Journey

Tuesday 10/13 – While the cycling might have come to an end the partying was still going full force and following the C-Dubs mantra for the trip – Go Big or Go Home. Since the flight wasn’t until Wednesday it was hammer time. The plan for the day was to hit Arches National Park early then shop the town and cocktail in the afternoon. To get the morning going C-Dubs immediately hit the fridge for yet another cold frosty beverage and chased it down with a reheated chicken enchilada while the rest of the crew just stood there in shock making eggs. Top Chef and C-Dubs then stirred the coals and put another log on the campfire to warm up the morning.The hike in Arches was beautiful but all of us were feeling the riding and kept to the road for most of the trip. On the 3 mile hike to the delicate arch we came across a lady hiking in flip flops and pondered who was dumber – her for choice of footwear or us for riding singlespeeds for the race.Post arches arches
The plan for the evening was to take a couple of growlers of beer and a bottle of patron up to slick rock for some beers and shots while checking out the stars. Well the clouds had rolled in so the growler never made it out the front door (the same with the team) and we settled into a night of hammering beers and doing shots. The bottle of Patron added a bit of spice to the evening and we managed to catch this shot of the Mayor enjoying one of many shots.(there was denial of this ever happening put the proof is in the photo).After the Mayor stumbled into the master suite to pass out the crew decided to order in a couple of pizzas to top off the night. Well we all paid the price for that stunt and after passing out during South Park we made our way to the gas chamber where it was an all night session of groaning over bloated stomachs.

Wednesday 10/14 – With the final campfire finally put out we all piled into the van for a civilized drive across Colorado to the Denver airport and final beers before heading home. It was here that C-Dubs finally hit the wall and was caught leaving unfinished beers at each of the bars – a major faux paux. With his head hung low it truly was time to go home.
By the time we all got back to home base the consensus was that this had to be one of the all time great trips/rides any of us had been on. Keep posted it looks like next year will be either Bend, BC or Santa Fe.

Hazard/Kokopelli Trail/UPS/LPS/Porcupine Rim

Monday 10/12 – After a full night of rest and more bedroom chemical warfare (at this point it has become a full on competiton) we set off for Chili Pepper Bicycles and singlespeed glory riding one of the all time classic trails, Porcupine Rim.
The bikes were loaded onto Dr. Frankenstein’s version of a VW microbus or should we say buses as this was two microbuses welded into the Moab version of a stretch limo.While we were questioning the abilities of the van to make it to the end of the parking lot, our driver Jesse, assured us that we had nothing to fear on the ride up the mountain. About halfway up we ground to a halt waiting for a rider/bike exchange with one of the other shuttles when suddenly around the corner a cowgirl appeared in full chaps running the herd down the mountain. The Mayor was so smitten with her that we were sure he was going to offer to let her hog tie and brand him as one of her own.Despite the shuddering and gear grinding, true to Jesse’s word, we made the final pitch to the base of Hazard where all of us were more then happy to be out of the limo and ready for the final climb to the summit (where C-Dubs demonstrated how to crash going up hill) before over 4 hours of downhill singletrack.
Once over the summit it was time to rock and roll as we snapped the wrists of many a dual suspension rider on the drop to the Colorado River.
On Upper HazardNotch GuppyThe Team Ponders What Could Have Been At The RaceThe ride back to town was punctuated with a lot of high fives and a stop for a 12 pack to take the dust out of our mouths and celebrate the end of 4 fantastic days of riding. Back at the hacienda it was time to break down and pack up the bikes, light a campfire and prep for another round of margaritas at La Hacienda where the Mayor was to lose his margarita virginity.