Archive for the ‘Racing’ Category
World Championships on CBC
Not all of us can go watch the World Championships in MSA in person like Jeff. But don’t worry, CBC is televising it Saturday afternoon. Go Catharine P & Geoff K!
This pic was borrowed from Canadian Cyclist – photo credit goes to them. I just wish they would show the next 2 or 3 frames as well. Ouch!
Podium bound
So, the Manitoba XC Provs were on Sunday the 29th at Grand Beach. This year, the MCA MTB Committee took on the task of organizing the Provincials race, to try to ensure a well run event and a course that was a good test of MTB for all levels of racers. The race was originally supposed to be at Falcon Lake, but due to excessive moisture this summer, the normally “moist” sections at Falcon are very swampy this year. So the venue was changed to Grand Beach.
Now, Grand Beach has a bit of a reputation of being not very technically challenging, not very much elevation and also too much double track. So to try to improve the course, several committee members and a few non members spent several days at Grand Beach cutting some new single track to break up the long double track sections, including adding a nice set of downhill switchbacks. The course was also run clockwise.
Well Organized Event
Race Day – there was apparently a huge downpour around 9 am, so the start needed to be delayed 30 minutes, but that was well communicated. The kids races happened around 11:30 and the adults race about an hour later. Most everything I heard from other racers after the race was VERY positive about the course, people really liked the added single track and how it felt a lot different from the normal counter clockwise direction. I think it was the best Grand Beach course I have ever done.
The race course was well marked, there were even marshals on the course, food was good (great homemade cookies too), many volunteers were on hand to help and there was a large turn out for the race at 90 people. It was great to see a large turn out and the post race positive vibe. Good times!
Huge thanks to Hal for doing the vast majority of organization work but also to the other racers who sacrificed their own riding time during the weeks leading up to the race, to spend several days cutting new trails, also to the MANY volunteers who helped set up the day before, morning of, and tear down after. It is greatly appreciated & good job!
Tinker Creek Results
Tinker had a handful of members racing, and as Ramona pointed out to me after the race, they did not disappoint. In fact, it was basically all or nothing for Tinker racers. They were all on the podium (except for yours truly who busted his chain half way through the race, while in the lead Expert group of 4 riders… Yes, that is my excuse & no, I didn’t have a chain tool with me!)
Here are the results of the Tinker riders who actually finished and a few pics courtesy of Ramona, make sure to give them props next time you see em.
Under 9 Boys
Tristan Wiebe – 2nd Place
Under 11 Girls
Jaydi Wiebe – 1st Place
Women’s 40+ Sport
Jane Braun – 1st Place - Nice elbow job their Jane!
Men’s 30+ Sport
Lincoln Wiebe – 1st Place
Men’s Senior Expert
Gerald Klassen – 1st Place
Nice job guys. Here are a few more pics courtesy of Ramona.
(Last pic is stolen from Ger’s profile on Facebook).
New single track – Ehhhhhhh!
Provincials XC mountain bike race will do down this Sunday at Grand Beach. Thanks to the hardwork of some dedicated racers, some new single track has been added recently and the course will be clockwise (backwards from the traditional CCW direction for cup races).
If you haven’t raced Grand Beach in a few years, there is some pretty nice new stuff and one newish section that will also be included – on what Hal calls “Blueberry Hill”. (Insert your own “Fonzi found his thrill” joke here.) Check out the course map image below for all the newest sections that have been added – I blame Hal for the names.
But the highlight just might be the homemade cookies that will part of the post race “Made in Manitoba” food.
All the details are at the MCA site here – You gotta have an MCA race license to race. Pre-register for $25, cause walk up is $40.
No word on where Fonzie will be jumping the shark at the East or West beach after the race – TBD.
Congrats Alf!
Saw the results from Alter8 and it looks like our boy Alf had a good day and came in a solid 3rd place. Nicely done Alf. All the post race comments on FaceBook sounds like the course was really good, flowy and fun. Pics stolen from the link on the Alter8 site.
Alter 8
The gang at Alter Ego is putting on the Alter 8 this weekend. They work hard to make sure the course is actually fun and flowy. I can’t go, but if anyone one else doesn’t already know the details, you can find them all here. Looks like the weekend will be a little cooler, a better temp for riding.
Tuesday Nite in WPG
Well, the rain held off just long enough on Tuesday, til the last of the bikes were being loaded into Mike G’s truck after 11pm. It looked like the guys who made it out for the Short Track XC “Race” had some fun. Here is a gallery of the photos from the evening. The camera was acting plenty goofy with humidity… Enjoy anyway. Thanks for helping burn in the trails.
Beach Babe!
OK, now that I have your attention, the gang at Olympia CC are having their marathon race with weekend, all the details are here. 33km, 66km or 100km options.
If you like long rides, this will do it.
EDIT – YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE AN MCA MEMBER TO RACE – ANYONE CAN RACE! Cool!
Falcon Photos
I will let Tim provide a comprehensive Falcon Ridge 24 hour race report. I did take a few pics, just to document that we were actually there.
I will keep my report brief – I had fun.
Tim, contemplating a early race pit stop to make sure the bike is actually ready.
Tim finally getting around to making sure the bike is ready, all of 30 seconds into the race, while the entire field is heading out for lap 1.
You'd be smiling too if you were the 2010 Butter Belt Champion.
Single Track Attack Race Report
So Jane and I both had the opportunity to race on Sunday, July 18th at the Hillside, Single Track Attack race in Elk River, Minnesota. The pre-ride on Saturday was awesome and I was really excited to do this race.
They do things a little different in Minnesota. They have a lot more racers (339 at this race), so they have Citizens race first around 9:30 or so, then Sport went off at 11 am. Jane did the Sport Women’s race, so I could race in the afternoon. She did well, came in second place in her age category and I think 8th Woman in Sport. Pretty good for a Mom who just rides when she can. It was probably really nice for her to have a large group of women to race with fro a change, I think there was 15 or 16 women in her start group. By having different categories go at different times, this also allows them to use specific sections for the different categories (take out the really technical stuff for Citizen & Sport).
Jane started and finished with a smile at this race. (That one chick in the red sleeleless sure looks butch...)
Jane was only a "day racer" and did not get a call up to the front, so she had to start at the back.
Jane & I shared a bike and both used the 29er in the sweet flowing single track. Good times.
I hung out with the kids while Jane raced and obviously took some photos. Once she was done, I had about 10 minutes to change and get warmed up for the Comp Category race. (They don’t have Expert, just Elite/Pro above Comp).
The PRO & Elite Men sent first, the PRO & Elite Women, then Comp Men. Just like Jane, I had to be in the back portion of about 40 men (30-39 men). They had the course set up with a Prologue, down a gravel road (passed a few dudes there), hard right up a hill under some power lines, (picked off about 3 or 4 more up the climb), then down the hill and a hard right to go a few hundred meters more down the road (picked off another 5 or 6 there). Then you entered the single track, at this stage we are probably only about 90 seconds into the race. The rest of the race was in really beautiful, flowing single track, mostly rolling terrain. Lots of small valley features were you go up and down the sides. I managed to just continue to pass guys throughout the race, only got passed by the Comp Single Speed winner. The trails are pretty tight, so you had to take advantage of small opportunities to pass and do it quickly.
Cranking it up at the start, only about 40 guys in my way...
The night before we there were really bad storms and the course had 2 inches of rain (even tornadoes in the area), but the sandy soil made for perfect, high traction and fast conditions. The course had about 1000 feet of climbing per lap, the climbs were mostly side hill, with switch backs and really fun, it was tough when racing, but all middle ring fast and rideable. There were about half dozen rock garden and a few surprise rock ledges etc around some uphill corners, but mostly, just FAST flowing and fun. They manage to fit about 7 miles of single-track into 80 acres.
The organizers did an amazing job. They had a crew of a dozen guys on the trail at 5am cutting out the trees that fell onto the course during the storm the night before. All starts were on time (to the minute). They had a couple of water stations on the course, tunes (cranking out from a RedBull truck with Video Games on the back). Results are posted pretty much as they happen, so within 5 minutes of finishing, you can go see how you did… They just kept on adding results sheets as racers finished. Then, when it came time for prizes, they give out draw prizes specific to each category. For Comp they must have called at least 25 names and probably gave away over $1000 worth of prizes, JUST FOR THE COMP CATEGORY. They did the same for the other categories and for the kids (every kid got something, mostly MP3 players). Incredible!
Anyway, in the end, I came in 4th for my age group, 12th out of 75 in Comp and only 39 seconds back from the win (for my age group). Guess I should have used the brakes a little less…
It was an awesome time & awesome event. It’s no Tinker and it was no Back 40, but a close second for cool races.
Tornadic activity
So, we are down in Minneapolis for a few days of family holiday. Jane and I are planning on doing a Minnesota State XC race tomorrow NW of the twin cities. I preroad the course this afternoon, Jane got about 1/4 way through the lap this evening when the Tornado sirens went off. The kids and I scrambled back to the van from our hike, Jane showed up back to the van within the minute too. Got back to our hotel and about 2 minutes later we got the knock at the door to get into the stair well with 80 other people. Not sure why they don’t have AC in the stair wells? But that is the easisily the longest I have sat in a sauna. The storm blew threw, we survived, for now.
So, did the Weather Network invent the “Tornadic Activity” term or what?
Anyway, the race course is amazing fun. Incredible flow, probably the most flowing, tight twisty trails I have even ridden. Think the best parts of BHP, but with short climbs (actually very little flat). Very few flow killers, sandy soil for lots of traction in most weather conditions. Basically 100% single track. Plenty of technical too, if all races courses were this fun, XC racing would be be a huge sport. Jane races at 11 am, I race at 1:15 – can’t wait.
Kevin
