Stenger (aka Braveheart)showing his moxie on the transition
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Toad Hill Classic
Pay attention riders, the Toad Hill Classic will be coming up this summer. Preliminary course layout was worked on today.
Stenger (aka Braveheart)showing his moxie on the transition
Stenger (aka Braveheart)showing his moxie on the transition
Monday, June 22, 2009
Darkhorse Gallop - Guppies Gone Wild
It might not have rained for 40 days and 40 nights but there has been rain for 50 of the last 67 days. That meant the normally "smooth as a Brazilian bikini wax" trails of Stewart were going to be bordering on a complete mud bog and mayhem would surely ensue. Conditions were so tough that during a pre race check of the course Hawaiian Mike repeatedly lost his footing on a section of Skip & Bill's and came up covered from head to toe
but was still all smiles because he didn't spill a drop of beer.
Being another "home race" the entire Darkhorse Racing team held a mandatory pre race meeting at the team headquarters where race strategy was planned and the final pounds were shed to guarantee speed on the course.
Recent stories in the sports sections have noted that Real Madrid had recently paid 130 million for the rights to Ronaldo. After reading this the Mayor chuckled and was heard to comment how it only cost him a six pack of Stone IPA to obtain the services of C-Dubs from the IF crew. With contracts still being finalized and marketing rights being ironed out C-Dubs was forced to race incognito for this round as Pee Wee Herman,
but was all smiles when he learned that Hawaiian Mike had a secret stash of Brooklyn Lager in the truck for post race festivities (being the wily old Mayor the keg remained untapped until C-Dubs and 650B had hit the course). Having done in my back in a big way last week at the Stoopid 50 I opted for the complete sandbagger approach and entered the sport wrist snapping class to have a fun ride with Rossi and wreck havoc on the trails.
It didn't take long, with a attempt to "pants" or master of ceremonies, Hawaiian Mike, in front of the ladies class and then with the start of the singlespeeds we let the field speed off before asking if it was time to start. Casual banter ruled the opening prologue but as the mud deepened and the going got tough Rossi began to fade off the back and by the time he came out of the woods he had a look of pure guppy -
Soon after it was the to the high point of the course on Major Mike (usually one of the driest sections) and it looked like this -
and if you think these conditions were bad the river crossing were running so deep that the Navy Seals, returning the favor after Darkhorse Racing broke up the terrorists ring in Stewart, volunteered to assist riders with the river crossings -
For Rossi the pain and suffering was only to get worse as at one point on the course riders were coming out of the trail and commenting on the crazed looking rider squatting in the bush with a boulder in his hands (aka C-Dubs)at one of the big mud holes laying in wait for Tom. The attempt failed to make a dent in the overall mud covering and it was back to riding for the finish. With so many troops on the course the Darkhorse Racing team had men and women streaming over the line like lemmings over a cliff and placing several (Walter & Bobbie) in the top 10. One look at Top Chef and our soon to be newest member Griff tells you how much fun all the men had on father's day! 
but was still all smiles because he didn't spill a drop of beer.Being another "home race" the entire Darkhorse Racing team held a mandatory pre race meeting at the team headquarters where race strategy was planned and the final pounds were shed to guarantee speed on the course.
Recent stories in the sports sections have noted that Real Madrid had recently paid 130 million for the rights to Ronaldo. After reading this the Mayor chuckled and was heard to comment how it only cost him a six pack of Stone IPA to obtain the services of C-Dubs from the IF crew. With contracts still being finalized and marketing rights being ironed out C-Dubs was forced to race incognito for this round as Pee Wee Herman,
but was all smiles when he learned that Hawaiian Mike had a secret stash of Brooklyn Lager in the truck for post race festivities (being the wily old Mayor the keg remained untapped until C-Dubs and 650B had hit the course). Having done in my back in a big way last week at the Stoopid 50 I opted for the complete sandbagger approach and entered the sport wrist snapping class to have a fun ride with Rossi and wreck havoc on the trails.It didn't take long, with a attempt to "pants" or master of ceremonies, Hawaiian Mike, in front of the ladies class and then with the start of the singlespeeds we let the field speed off before asking if it was time to start. Casual banter ruled the opening prologue but as the mud deepened and the going got tough Rossi began to fade off the back and by the time he came out of the woods he had a look of pure guppy -
Soon after it was the to the high point of the course on Major Mike (usually one of the driest sections) and it looked like this -
and if you think these conditions were bad the river crossing were running so deep that the Navy Seals, returning the favor after Darkhorse Racing broke up the terrorists ring in Stewart, volunteered to assist riders with the river crossings -
For Rossi the pain and suffering was only to get worse as at one point on the course riders were coming out of the trail and commenting on the crazed looking rider squatting in the bush with a boulder in his hands (aka C-Dubs)at one of the big mud holes laying in wait for Tom. The attempt failed to make a dent in the overall mud covering and it was back to riding for the finish. With so many troops on the course the Darkhorse Racing team had men and women streaming over the line like lemmings over a cliff and placing several (Walter & Bobbie) in the top 10. One look at Top Chef and our soon to be newest member Griff tells you how much fun all the men had on father's day! 
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Stoopid 50
The Independent Fabrication team showed up in force at the Stoopid 50 with six riders (Harlan, Elk, Greg "the leg", Buck, Vt. Jeff and Wurster) representing the spectrum of classes and putting in some solid and some not so solid rides - Harlan 3rd overall, Elk 7th in singlespeed and the rest of the crew coming in all over the place but with smiles on their faces. 
During a preride of the course on Saturday some of the scenery suddenly started to look very familiar (in a painful kind of way) and at the top of several different climbs I realized I was on the Wilderness 101 course. Further riding brought back more memories, this time of the 2005 Singlespeed Worlds, turns out the course was a combo of the two and if memory held true it was going to be one of the more painful rides on record.
After weeks of never ending cool rainy conditions race day dawned with clear skies and warming temps making this the hottest ride of the season. The start was a controlled role out from Tussey Mountain ski area with a 2+ mile climb up the fireroad before spilling onto some beautiful singletrack and ridge riding (that is if you had time to take the scenery in). The first 4 miles of singletrack had more trees across the trails and rock gardens then I ride in a full season back home. I now realize just how spoiled we are with singletrack as smooth as glass, this was rough and raw with sections that would put a smile on your face and a half mile later have you shaking your head and commenting on how stoopid this course was.
The next 25 miles of the race saw a mix of fireroads and even more singletrack with even more logs and rock gardens. At least the race ended with 12+ miles of fireroad climbing before being dumped onto a 2 mile descent that was loaded with, yes more rock gardens. With the Masters class age cut at 45 the results were painful to look at - 12th in class and a sore back from a misadjusted seat.
My memory of the race is log crossings as numerous as these
and rock gardens that seemed like these
During a preride of the course on Saturday some of the scenery suddenly started to look very familiar (in a painful kind of way) and at the top of several different climbs I realized I was on the Wilderness 101 course. Further riding brought back more memories, this time of the 2005 Singlespeed Worlds, turns out the course was a combo of the two and if memory held true it was going to be one of the more painful rides on record.After weeks of never ending cool rainy conditions race day dawned with clear skies and warming temps making this the hottest ride of the season. The start was a controlled role out from Tussey Mountain ski area with a 2+ mile climb up the fireroad before spilling onto some beautiful singletrack and ridge riding (that is if you had time to take the scenery in). The first 4 miles of singletrack had more trees across the trails and rock gardens then I ride in a full season back home. I now realize just how spoiled we are with singletrack as smooth as glass, this was rough and raw with sections that would put a smile on your face and a half mile later have you shaking your head and commenting on how stoopid this course was.
The next 25 miles of the race saw a mix of fireroads and even more singletrack with even more logs and rock gardens. At least the race ended with 12+ miles of fireroad climbing before being dumped onto a 2 mile descent that was loaded with, yes more rock gardens. With the Masters class age cut at 45 the results were painful to look at - 12th in class and a sore back from a misadjusted seat.
My memory of the race is log crossings as numerous as these
and rock gardens that seemed like these
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Reason You Only See 29er Singlespeeds
The fast rolling capabilities of the 29er wheel have proven time and again to be superior to both the 26" and 650b formats, as can be seen in the shot below of one dinosaur chasing another dinosaur on small wheels.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Singlespeed-a-Palooza
This weekend Darkhorse Cycles hosted an event that in the future is sure to become the benchmark for racing on the East Coast - Singlespeed-a-Palooza!!! Now any time there is an event that has the ability to set the standards, such as this one, there will be a number of non believers, but trust me my friends this is the real deal - great racing, cash prems and lots of cold beer (otherwise know as mtb nirvana) and totally kick ass singletrack riding.
With a momumental event such as this there are two approaches to the racing - a) I am going to go out there and kick some serious ass or b) I am going to get a serious ass kicking by the young xc punks so it's time to party. Well my dear friends and loyal fans of the New East Coast Syndicate, it is a no brainer to tell you where my head was at -choice b. Prior to the race the latest steed in the NECS stable was equipped with the flask of Mexico's finest agave, a hula girl on the bars, a ukuele converted to a camelbak and yes the preverbial "carrot on a stick" only this was a PBR on stick to motivate me around the 20 mile course.
Festivities began with the preride by the base of the climb up Major Mike where, with akido like skills, I tapped the keg of Shock Top Belgian White Ale (and a shot of Del Maguay Tobala) before rolling up to the starting line for the preride announcements. Well the horn sounded, the pro race started and I turned to the organizers to see if it was time to race. Sure enough the field was already 100 yards up the road by the time I realized I should be rolling. Well a couple of quick strums of the ukelele a shot of Tobala and it was off to the races, with one of the sport riders commenting "it sure would suck to get beaten by the guy with the beer can on his bike".
The riding was sweet flowing single track that snaked through the woods and often a rider a couple of minutes ahead or behind was not more then 50 feet away. RIde I did and party along the way I did even better, with my loyal and trusty Beth being a course marshall there was no need to carry any extra yeasty malted beverages, they were ice cold at the midlap check point crying my name out. A quick chug and it was back at it until the end of the first lap at the base of Major Mike, the biggest climb of the day. To the shock of some and amusement of others it was a swig of the agave and a nice cold Shock Top Belgian before heading back out for the second lap. At this point the field was stretched out enough that riding was pretty much a solo event. While I was tempted to wait at the bridge on Skip & Bill's to give 650B another soaking the call of the unopened IPA was clawing at the base of my skull and I rode on stopping only at the wife's station for a quick wardrobe change before pushing on to the finish and the kegs.
And the verdict - with over 200 riders, cash prems and lots of cold beer - Darkhorse Cycles once again showed how to host an event that surely will become the benchmark for single speed races on the East Coast. The Mayor, Shop Sidekick and Hawaiian Mike did a fantastic job and made sure we were well equipped after the race with pint glasses, tshirts and bottle openers to commerate the event. For me this was a great time, a lot of fun and a chance to really cut loose before the long distance season kicks off in two weeks with the Stoopid 50, game on!
With a momumental event such as this there are two approaches to the racing - a) I am going to go out there and kick some serious ass or b) I am going to get a serious ass kicking by the young xc punks so it's time to party. Well my dear friends and loyal fans of the New East Coast Syndicate, it is a no brainer to tell you where my head was at -choice b. Prior to the race the latest steed in the NECS stable was equipped with the flask of Mexico's finest agave, a hula girl on the bars, a ukuele converted to a camelbak and yes the preverbial "carrot on a stick" only this was a PBR on stick to motivate me around the 20 mile course.
Festivities began with the preride by the base of the climb up Major Mike where, with akido like skills, I tapped the keg of Shock Top Belgian White Ale (and a shot of Del Maguay Tobala) before rolling up to the starting line for the preride announcements. Well the horn sounded, the pro race started and I turned to the organizers to see if it was time to race. Sure enough the field was already 100 yards up the road by the time I realized I should be rolling. Well a couple of quick strums of the ukelele a shot of Tobala and it was off to the races, with one of the sport riders commenting "it sure would suck to get beaten by the guy with the beer can on his bike".
The riding was sweet flowing single track that snaked through the woods and often a rider a couple of minutes ahead or behind was not more then 50 feet away. RIde I did and party along the way I did even better, with my loyal and trusty Beth being a course marshall there was no need to carry any extra yeasty malted beverages, they were ice cold at the midlap check point crying my name out. A quick chug and it was back at it until the end of the first lap at the base of Major Mike, the biggest climb of the day. To the shock of some and amusement of others it was a swig of the agave and a nice cold Shock Top Belgian before heading back out for the second lap. At this point the field was stretched out enough that riding was pretty much a solo event. While I was tempted to wait at the bridge on Skip & Bill's to give 650B another soaking the call of the unopened IPA was clawing at the base of my skull and I rode on stopping only at the wife's station for a quick wardrobe change before pushing on to the finish and the kegs.
And the verdict - with over 200 riders, cash prems and lots of cold beer - Darkhorse Cycles once again showed how to host an event that surely will become the benchmark for single speed races on the East Coast. The Mayor, Shop Sidekick and Hawaiian Mike did a fantastic job and made sure we were well equipped after the race with pint glasses, tshirts and bottle openers to commerate the event. For me this was a great time, a lot of fun and a chance to really cut loose before the long distance season kicks off in two weeks with the Stoopid 50, game on!
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