Oregon Super D Series #2: Bend

4th of July in Bend

After its inaugural race last year, the Bend Super D is now the second race in the Oregon Super D series, which attracts riders from not just Oregon and Washington, but over the west coast.  What better way to spend the 4th of July weekend that with some Super D racing?  GL6 racers Theresa, Jamey, Matthieu, Todd and myself joined fellow Washington DHers Pete Jelinek and sons, Kathy Malvern (of Sturdy Bitch Racing) and Greg and Janine Sutterfield for three days of Bend riding and racing.

Jamey rippin it up

After a practice run on Friday evening and couple more on Saturday, we were ready to rock the race course Sunday morning.  The course began at the Wanoga Sno-Park, when down a connector trail to Funner, then down Storm King to the finish 8 miles later.  Though I wasn't at Hood River, I've heard a lot about it, and this course was apparently the exact opposite of the HR course; smooth, sandy trails, minimal technical sections, and lots of pedaling.  Though there was only 150 feet of elevation gain, much of the course demanded constant pedaling to keep speed, and there were several dusty, sandy corners that called up riders' best cornering skills in order to maintain momentum.  There were a few rocky sections and three or so rock drops (thankfully for me, they were all rollable) and some optional skinnies, but for the most part, the course was classic Bend; smooth, dusty, flowy.  The lack of technical features and amount of pedaling frustrated some riders, but I still thought the course was fun and flowy (which makes sense considering that this was my 2nd SD other than the CF classic) even though I was treated to a...well, less than stellar time.

Matthieu off to a strong start

Though none of us saw the podium, Todd, Jamey, and Matthieu all finished within a minute of each other (despite Jamey crashing early on), and Todd was one of two people racing the course on a hardtail single speed.  Once we were shuttled back up to the top, we were treated to beer from 10 Barrel Brewing and some delicious burritos.  Even though there was no podium or awesome raffle swag in the mix for us, it was still an excellent weekend of Bend riding and hanging out with cool people!  I'll be back in Bend for the 24 hour race in September, but I hope to return before then and continue exploring the amazing riding area.

Results
Jamey Poelker, 18th, Cat II Men 30-39
Matthieu Denuelle, 13th, Cat II Men 40+
Todd Davidson, 14th, Cat II Men 40+
Erin Roe, 13th, Cat II Women under 35
Matthew Seeman, 9th, Cat II Jr. Men 13-18

Indie Series #3: Methow Valley

Relaxing after the race

Last year, Courtney and I were the sole representation of GL6 at the Methow Valley Cycle and Sport Mountain Challenge, but this year GL6 and friends swarmed the Loup Loup campground for the event and for a few days of excellent Methow Valley riding.  The Methow Valley is one of my favorite places, so much so that I came out a day earlier than everyone else to secure us some good spots at the Loup Loup campground and get some riding in before the race.  I opted to ride the Twisp River trail instead of pre-riding the course, mostly because I knew the pain and suffering that awaited me on race day and had no desire to experience it more than once when there were so many other awesome riding options.  Even though the ride involved some unexpected washouts, I'm still glad that I did it, and when I got back, everyone else had shown up and was setting up camp.  We headed down to the Twisp River Pub for a pre-race meal, ate some s'mores, and settled in for a chilly night; it's cold at 4020 feet at night!

Reuben smoking the competition

We woke up on race day to a cloudy sky and mild temperatures - perfect conditions for a race with lots of exposed steep climbs.  The climbs began at the start line and barely relented for 3-4 miles.  Occasionally, riders were teased with a short downhill only to round a corner and look up, up, up to see another string of lung-busting dusty switchbacks.  My favorite section of the course was the Bear Mountain trail, a few miles of rocky, sometimes steep, singletrack that kept riders on their toes going up and down.  This dumped out onto a long section of fire road that connected back to the trail with another climb, then a white-knuckle descent down XC ski trails and fire road.  While not technical, the gravelly doubletrack threatened a washout around each turn; it was like riding on ball bearings.  After crossing the road the course shot back up to the ski area and thankfully, the finish line.  Despite being only 13 miles (for the sport class) this is definitely one of the more challenging XC races.  Lee and Kyle had to do another lap, and on single speeds no less!!  Unfortunately, Theresa had a bad crash near the top of the climb, breaking her helmet in three places, giving her a concussion, and ending her race.  And she didn't even get to enjoy the fun parts of the trail  =(

Theresa's broken helmet

GL6 was a presence on the podium at this race, with me taking 3rd place in the Sport Women 19-34 category (and shaving a full 19 minutes off last year's time) and Reuben scoring a second 2nd place podium in the competitive Sport Men 19-34.  He was only 22 seconds out of first and probably would have had the top spot if his cleat hadn't come loose halfway through the race.  We went back to camp and enjoyed an epic campfire cookout that lasted well into the night, and somehow found the energy the next morning to ride the ultra-scenic Buck Mountain trail.  If you haven't been to the Methow Valley, I highly recommend checking it out!!!

Reuben on the podium

Erin on the podium

Results
Reuben Andrews, 2nd, Sport Men 19-34
Erin Roe, 3rd, Sport Women 19-34
Kyle Curtin, 5th, Expert Singlespeed
Lee Peterson, 7th, Expert Singlespeed
John Curtin, 9th, Sport Men 45+
Lito Alamazora, 10th, Sport Men 45+
Nancy Gilbert, 5th, Beginner Women 19+
Theresa Nation, DNF (crash)

post-race campfire

NW Cup #3: Mt. Hood

Results
Jamey Poelker, 2nd, Cat II Men 30-39
Matthieu Denuelle, 4th, Cat II Men 40-49
Rachel Delateur, 7th, Cat II Women Open
Edward Vergara, 18th Cat II Men 30-39

Echo Valley 30/60 Miler

One week after the Bavarian Bike and Brew, a handful of GL6ers once again found themselves on the dry side of the mountains for the second race the NW Epic Series, Echo Valley.  This area is not known too well in mountain bike circles, so not only did none of us know what to expect, but we didn't have anyone to fill us in on the course details.  We pulled into the onsite camping at 11 pm, with the surrounding terrain veiled in darkness, but as the sun rose the next morning, we were treated to some of the views we would see on the course; folding hillsides dotted with pine trees, expansive views of the cascades, and the promise of dry trails.

Lee sports his hardware and matching farmer tan

The course couldn't have been any more different from it's predecessor, Stottlemeyer; Stotty was full of flat-ish, technical and slippery root sections that snaked dizzily through dense forest, but Echo Valley was dry, smooth, included climbs and descents throughout the course, and the most technical challenges were maintaining traction on the descents and not being distracted by the expansive views.  Such a fast course made it difficult to regulate speed and know when to push or back off; all of us had the desire to push it the entire time.  As a result, I burned out after the first lap and let the woman I was chasing (and ahead of going into lap two) gain a full eight minutes on me, and Kyle decided to get intimate with a tree.  Real intimate.  As I crossed through the lap transition, I him standing on the sidelines with blood in his beard.  Apparently he smacked head first into a tree on one of the descents and was treated to a concussion.  Luckily he was talked out of finishing the race by some of the other passing racers and finally by his own good sense.  The carnage didn't stop there; Lee sliced his leg open on his seemingly blunt pedal while running up a steep loose section and had to go the ER to get stitches.  That didn't stop him from smoking the competition and earning 3rd place in the Men's singlespeed category and 12th place overall out of over 100 racers!

carnage!

30 Miler Results
Lee Peterson, 3rd, Singlespeed Men, 12th overall
Brian Mitchell, 25th Open Men, 57th overaall
Erin Roe, 12th Open Women, 63rd overall
John Curtin, 26th Masters Men, 88th overall
Michael Scholl, DNF (injury)
Kyle Curtin, DNF (crash)

Oregon Super D Series #1: Hood River

Rachel and Matthew ready to rock the Hood River SD

Rachel on the urban dual slalom course

Results
Rachel Delateur, 14th, Cat I/II Women 35+
Matthiew Denuelle, 5th, Cat II Men 40-49
Edward Vergara, 49th, Cat II Men 30-39
Matthew Seeman, 9th, Cat II Jr. Men 13-18

Bavarian Bike and Brew

For those who are unfamiliar with the Bavarian Bike and Brew in Leavenworth, WA, it is an event not to be missed.  The course serves a capillary-bursting climb followed by a brake-burning descent that racers complete one, two or three times, but their efforts are rewarded with an all-you-can-drink-for-fifteen-bucks beer festival, a chance to win passes to Stevens Pass (and other great prizes) in the raffle, live music and delicious food, all set at the picturesque Gibbs Organic Farm.  And heck, what other race includes a beer stein with your entry?  On top of all that, the race is situated just minutes from the tourist-luring bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth, which, by the way, is on the dry, sunny side of the mountains; we enjoyed 80 degree weather all weekend!

After surviving traffic and nearly leaving behind a phone, wallet, and suitcase, Rueben and his wife Jill, Derik, Michelle, Rachel, Nancy, Bernie, Jamey, Lee and I met for some pre-race beer at the new Icicle Brewery in Leavenworth.  Lee and his buddy Mike left to camp onsite, while the rest of us once again made our home the Reflections "Cabin," a huge vacation home riding distance from the race site that came equipped with a BBQ and kitchen which came in handy for breakfast the next morning.  After some pancakes and smoothies, we were off for a day of racing, beer drinking, and sunburns.

Erin on lap 2

Much as I love this event, the course has gotten the better of me for the last few years - in fact, I distinctly remember being near tears on my second lap last year - and this year wasn't shaping up to be much better.  I had come down with a cold three days before and knew that within minutes of the start, I would be a wheezing mucus-fest, which was pretty much true.  Remembering last year, I started mellow and paced myself up the road climb and into the singletrack.  I slowly caught up to two other ladies on the four mile leg sapping climb, and then the payoff; four miles of nothin-but-downhill.  The downhill is screaming fast and nearly always causes a broken collarbone, concussion, or separated shoulder to a racer or three, so I was cautious; unfortunately, my caution cost me some time and one of the girls I passed on the climb passed me back on the descent.  After fifteen minutes of downhill bliss, I settled in to another forty of minutes of climbing torture.   Near the top of the climb on my second lap, I looked back and saw Rachel had nearly caught up to me.  Rachel has bested me on this course every other year, but this year, I was determined not to let her beat me again.  The climbing was my opportunity to stay ahead of her, as she had been ripping it up on DH and SD courses all spring, but I was set.  I opened it up and let it rip for my second lap, and was able to stay ahead of her all the way to the finish line AND shave 11 minutes off my time from last year.  Nothing like a little teammate competition!  Unfortunately, I still occupied the second-to-last spot in my age category.  Next year!!!

Derik: 2nd Place Expert Men 35-44

Other GL6ers ROCKED THE HOUSE!!  Both Derik and Rueben earned a spot on the podium, each taking 2nd place in two very competitive categories!  And, both Lee and Nancy scored some Steven's Pass weekend passes in the raffle!  We got our money's worth out of the beer garden, then rode back to the cabin and made use of the BBQ.  I can't wait for next year!!  Definitely one of the best bike events of the season!

Rueben: 2nd Place Sport Men 19-34

Results
Expert Men 35-44
Derik Archibald, 2nd
Lee Peterson, 17th

Expert Men 45+
Bernie Miller, 15th

Open Women 35-44
Michelle Kautzmann, DNF

Sport Men 19-34
Reuben Andrews, 2nd

Sport Women 19-34
Erin Roe, 7th

Sport Women 35+
Rachel Delateur, 7th

Sport Singlespeed
Jamey Poelker, 5th

Jamey singlespeeds it up the road climb

24 Hours of Spokane

Team Shredded Bits and the Funky Junk: 3rd Place!

For the 2011 Round and Round 24hr mountain bike race in Spokane, we combined a team of Green Line 6 and Olympia Orthopaedic racers to form The Shredded Bits and the Funky Junk racing in the 5 Person Co-Ed Category.  Team members were Derik Archibald (GL6), Michelle Kautzmann (GL6), Ann Mitchell (OOA), Brian Koder (OOA) and Brian Mitchell (GL6), we also had two awesome support people, Camp Bitch Karen Kimmel and Camp Bitch's Bitch Camille Terhune (Camp Bitch is what they called themselves, they even had embroidered aprons).  Our goal was to go out and have a great time camping and racing and that is what we did.

We determined that Derik would take the first lap which consisted of a 3/4 mile Le Mans run to help thin out the 200+ rider field.  The course was dry and fast and each lap was approximately 15 miles.  At noon the anticipation was shattered by a loud gun blast and the race was on!  Derik set the tone for our team by riding a smoking fast 57 min first lap including the run and putting us in 1st place!  Michelle took the second lap completing it in just over 1 hour, next was Brian Koder coming in at 57 min, Ann in an hour and 7 minutes and finally I got to race coming in at 1hr 4min.  This was a theme we would carry out for the next 20 hours, one fast lap after another.

The team was exceptional, we didn't have any flats or mechanicals and everyone stayed healthy.  There were a few hard crashes, lots of bumps and bruises, some failing light systems and a great deal of pain dished out over 24 hours but our team stayed the course and fought on.  At the conclusion of each lap we were met by a Camp Bitch holding a frosty beverage, for some it was Recoverite, for others it was beer or a bottle of booze. Back at camp there was always a hot meal waiting for the rider coming off a lap and lots of support and encouragement from the team.  We could not have raced as hard without our amazing support team.

In the middle of the night we were in second place in a hard fought battle for the top four spots.  We went back and fourth from second to fourth place through the night laps and into the next morning.  When the dust settled at noon on Sunday we were on the podium in 3rd place out of 16 teams, the top three places were separated by minutes after 24hrs of racing.  All three teams on the podium completed 23 laps in 24hrs.  Shredded Bits and the Funky Junk covered 338.1 miles at an average speed of 13.7 miles per hour!

It was a special event for me, we had an amazing team with an amazing support crew.  I feel honored to have raced as part of the Shredded Bits and the Funky Junk this year.  Everyone poured out everything they had on each lap, there was a lot of pain and a lot of fatigue but also a lot of fun. 

I saw two other GL6 racers in Spokane, Henry Gertje who was smoking fast putting in sub hour lap times and racing in a different category then me and Luke Brechwald who was camping with us and racing solo.  Great job to those guys who represented the team very well.

24hr racing is a very different experience, it is very difficult and painful but also very addicting.  For me, while racing, I cant stop thinking about how I never want to do this again but then when it ends I cant wait for another 24hr event.  Lee Peterson, Erin Roe and I will be representing GL6 in the 24hrs of Bend in September and yes, I can't wait.

-Brian

Indie Series #1: Dry Hill, Port Angeles WA

The first Indie Series race of 2011 offered up a slightly different course than the typical XC race.  The downhill-racing roots of Dry Hill influenced the course layout and made for an interesting event.  The first mile+ of the course was a short loop with ups and downs that spit riders out back at the starting line.  Next came a grind up a gravel road, a grind up singletrack, more grinding up road, grinding up singletrack, road again. . . you get the idea.  The highest point of the course was near the top of a particularly nasty grade.  Upon hitting the top though, all pain was quickly forgotten as the trail turned into a super-fun super-D style run.  Roots, whoopdies, tight turns, drops, steep turns, mandatory ladders, optional ladders and a finish on the last 200 yards of the downhill race course all made for a white-knuckled good time.  Kyle and Jamey both rode fully-rigid single speeds and were lucky their teeth didn’t rattle out of their heads before it was over.  This course really favored skilled all-mountain riders, and the results show that team GL6 does indeed have some mad skillz. 

The award for perseverance goes to Jamey.  As he started on the downhill in first place during the first lap, the spindle to his right pedal snapped off.  Rather than quitting and rolling back down the road to the bottom, Jamey rode the downhill section with only one pedal and a metal spike sticking out where the other one used to be.  He managed to reach the bottom with only one large gouge in his leg.  (Ouch!)   He then proceeded to hunt for Theresa’s car keys, get his toolbox out of the car, put on a mismatched pedal, and go finish the race.  Now that is dedication!

-Theresa

Indie Series #1: Dry Hill Results 5/22/11

Bernie Miller, 4th, Expert Men 35-44

Kyle Curtin, 5th, Expert Singlespeed

Jamey Poelker, 4th, Sport Singlespeed

Theresa Nation, 2nd, Sport Women 35+

John Curtin, 7th, Sport Men 45+

NW Cup #2 Results

NW Cup #2 Results 5/14/11
Jamey Poelker, 13th, Cat II Men
Edward Vergara, 20th Cat II Men
Rachel Delatuer, 3rd, Cat II Women 40+
Dani Vergara, 3rd, Cat III Open Women

Stottlemeyer 30/60 Miler, Port Gamble WA

The Stottlemeyer 30/60 race in Port Gamble marked the series opener for the new NW Epic Series and the first race of an ever-growing endurance race scene here in WA.  I signed up for the 30 miler, but after watching the rain outside my window for the weeks leading up the race, I began to get a little nervous.  For one thing, I'd never ridden out there before and had no idea what the trails were like.  Mike rode the course a few weeks before the race, and said the course was "rooty, twisty and rooty, and rooty.  Did I mention it was rooty?  And there's a lot of climbing at the end.  Better tighten your cleats."  Capitol Forest has a huge variety of trails, but twisty, technical, root-strewn singletrack is not among them; I slow down to a crawl once I get in the stuff.  For another, this was the wettest spring on record, so adding mud to the mix certainly wouldn't help my time.  I headed up north with only three goals for the race 1) no injuries  2) no mechanicals  3) finish before the cut-off and put all my effort into the course.

Henry completing 60 miles!

Mike, FOCF regular Darin Handy, and Brian and Ann joined me on the 30 mile course, while Todd and Henry took on the 60 miler.  Todd, Henry and the 60 milers took off first, followed by us 30 milers half an hour later.  The first lap began with a two mile gravel road climb, after which we would enter the singletrack and do two loops.  Good thing too, because with over 118 racers all starting at once, and miles of singletrack ahead of us, we wanted to spread out a little.  The climb was a nice warm up, and then it was into the single track.  I had a fairly good position on the climb, but let a train of faster people go by me shortly after entering the trail.  The first 5-7 miles was exactly as Mike had described; twisty and rooty.  I took it easy, staying focused on the trail, conserving energy and keeping frustration at bay.  The singletrack ended in a fast gravel road section, a relief after the slow going in the technical stuff, which turned into some fast hardpacked singletrack.  I felt pretty good as I approached the first aid station and considered passing it by, but decided not to risk it.  I guzzled an FRS drink (my savior during the Cap. Forest 50 last year), crammed some shot blocks in my mouth, stuck three more on my stem, and off I went.  The fast, flowy trail continued, but there hadn't been a lot of elevation gain and I knew the last half of the course would dish out all the climbing.  I was right.  The singletrack became narrower, rootier, muddier, and twistier, and pretty soon I was slowly manuevering through a section much like the first part of the course, only this time, it was harder and had climbs thrown in for good measure.  I was still feeling fairly strong, but fatigue was slowly nibbling away at my legs.  The lap ended with a couple steep climbs, and a long, muddy, energy sucking false flat not unlike Lost Valley in CF.  Finally, the course went downhill, then climbed briefly up a gravel road to the second aid station the beginning of the second lap.

Erin pushing to the finish line

I fueled up again at this aid station, but as soon as I began my second lap, I lost my mojo.  I felt sick, took poor lines, and was generally a mountain biking mess.   The shot blocks I ate were a gelatinous lump in my stomach, my legs were beginning to ache dully, and I couldn't stay focused.  If there was one place where I lost time, this was definitely it.  Luckily I was over it by the time I hit the first road,  managed to put a smile on my face through the flowy section, and stayed focused through the climbs at the end, and finally I was DONE!  Even though Ann broke her chain five miles from the end and still beat me running/coasting to the finish, I felt accomplished finishing a 30 mile race so early in the season.  I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard, but I would also be lying if I said it wasn't a blast!


Results
30 Miler
Open Women
Erin Roe, 12th, 73nd overall

Open Men
Brian Mitchell, 25th, 50th overall

Masters Men
John Curtin, 26th, 96th overall
Mike Scholl, 30th, 108th overall

60 Miler
Masters Men
Henry Gertje, 5th, 34th overall
Todd Davidson, 13th, 79th overall

Mike is all smiles at Stotty

Race Results NW Cup #1, Spring Brake Super D, Ft. Steilacoom, Henry's Ridge

Budu Final: Henry's Ridge

Rockin the new kits!

Money shot!

Theresa crosses the finish line at Henry's Ridge

Budu Series podium: Sport Women 30-39

Beginner Women 30-39

Dani Vergara, 2nd; 3rd OVERALL

Sport Women 30-39

Erin Roe, 3rd; 2nd OVERALL

Courtney Anderson, 11th; 4th OVERALL

Sport Men 30-39

Edward Vergara, ???

Brian Mitchell, 7th

Clydesdale Men

Mike Scholl, 5th, 5th OVERALL

Expert Men 20-29

Luke Brechwald, 1st

Singlespeed Men

Lee Peterson, 4th

Budu #5: Ft. Steilacoom, April 11th

Brian Mitchell at Ft. Steilacoom

Expert Men 30-39

Bernie Miller, 3rd

Sport Men 19-29

Reuben Andrews, 5th

Sport Men 30-39

Brian Mitchell, 7th

Edward Vergara, ???

Sport Men 40-49

John Curtin, DNF

Sport Women 30-39

Erin Roe, 2nd

Clydesdale Men

Mike Scholl, 5th

Singlespeed Men

Kyle Curtin, 5th

NW Cup #1, April 7-10

Rachel DeLateur, 19th, Cat II Open Women

Edward Vergara: 24th, Cat II Men 30-39

Dani Vergara, 3rd, Cat III Open Women

Dani Vergara: Best finish EVER!!!

Sandy Ridge Spring Brake SD #2, March 27th

Lee fights the mud at Sandy Ridge

Pro Men

Derik Archibald, 8th

Luke Brechwald, 13th

Cat 2 Men 30-39: Lee Peterson, 6th

Cat 2 Men 40-49: Todd Davidson, 2nd

Budu #4: Cookin in the Kettles, Ft. Ebey State Park

While Olympia was enduring yet another spring deluge, sun crept through the trees at Ft. Ebey State Park. Shadowed from the nasty March weather by the Olympic mountains to the west, the Cookin in the Kettles race is the high point of the spring racing season; it's longer, technically and physically demanding, scenic, sometimes ridiculously fun, sometimes demoralizing, and for last three years, completely rain and mud-free.  Too bad the same couldn't be said for the Sandy Ridge Spring Brake SD, where Lee, Todd, Derik, and Luke (and their bikes) were getting mud-baths.

Rachel, Dave, Brian, Ann, and Mike, along with fellow Cap riders Nancy and Lito headed up on Friday to nab three primo campsites, and get an early start on the beer.  I showed up midafternoon Saturday to find the campsites deserted.  I figured everyone must be out pre-riding so I hopped on my new Norco Faze 1 and hoped to catch them on the trail.  Unfortunately, the course wasn't marked, so I ended up tooling around on random trails and hoping that at some point that I'd run into course markings, which I never did. Once I gave up trying to find the course and everyone else, I settled back and enjoyed the mercifully dry trails.  I met up with everyone else back at camp; they had a printed map of the course and managed to pre-ride most of it.  Luckily I had raced this course twice before so I had an idea of the pain that would be in store for me the following morning.

Race day was rain free but cold and windy, a discomfort that was quickly alleviated about five minutes into the race.  I told myself to shoot for a good position at the start but not to push it, as there was 14 miles and around 3000 feet of climbing to do.  The course started with a fast downhill plunge and then a short steep rooty climb; this was a sample of what the rest of the course would be like.  The first third was sections of root-filled climbs, some sections of fast double-track descents and a few sharp switchback singletrack descents.  Keeping one eye on the upcoming trail was crucial, as many of these descents abruptly ended in steep climbs that could easily catch riders in the wrong gear.  The middle section of the course twisted through some dense salal and alter and then turned back into the forest for the first section of switchback climbs.  The second section of switchback climbs was what I had been dreading the entire race; it switchbacked up a sandy bluff that sapped my energy in the previous races, but this year I climbed up it relatively painlessly.  I don't know if it was improved fitness, better conditions, or less Elijah Craig the night before, but I was pretty stoked!  I didn't to loose position the first lap and on my second lap I managed to reel in two women I had been chasing most of the first lap.  Come to find out they weren't even in my age category, but that didn't stop my from grinning ear to ear once I crossed the finish line, quite unlike my barrage of profanity after the Black Diamond race.

After the race, we headed over to Port Townsend for some delicious happy hour beer and food and took the scenic way back along Highway 101.  What a great weekend of sick racing and good friends!

Results:
Beginner Women 30-39
Dani Vergara, 4th

Sport Women 30-39
Erin Roe, 3rd
Courtney Anderson, DNF (mechanical)

Sport Men 30-39
Brian Mitchell, 12th
Edward Vergara, ??? (no time posted)

Sport Men 50+
Dave Snyder, 9th

Clydesdale Men
Mike Scholl, 7th

OOA Sisters
Ann Mitchell, 2nd, Sport Women 30-39, Karen Metcalfe, 3rd, Sport Women 50+

Sandy Ridge Spring Brake Super D #1

Results

Cat 2 Men 19-39
Lee Peterson, 9th

Cat 2 Women 35+
Rachel Delateur, 1st

Olydirt brothers
Matt Jagger, 2nd Pro Men
Jim Graham, 5th Cat 1 Men 19-39

Budu #3: Soaring Eagle

I decided to make Soaring Eagle my first race of the year, and my first competitive race since the Capitol Forest 50.  I race in the Men's Sport 30-39 category and as usual, there was a very large field for Sport racers.  There were around 100 Sport racers on the course and we were separated by about a minute, it was a bit chaotic.

 

When our group was released the pace was very fast, the course started with a very gradual climb in thick, slick mud where everyone was gunning for the hole shot onto the single track. A break of 8-10 riders quickly formed in front of me and a large gap was behind me.  I was feeling really good, which surprised me since I haven't really ridden much since September, so I decided to bridge the gap and stay with the leaders.  My goal originally was just to ride hard and do my best but now, with my new found confidence I changed my goal to a top 10 finish.  I bridged to the leaders quite easily and we quickly caught the 40+ group which started a minute ahead of us.  The course was not really technical, there were a few log crossings and a fair share of roots but mostly it was just tight, flowing and winding single track with lots of mud.  Passing was a problem and the flow of the race quickly changed once we caught the group ahead of us.  We were passing three sometimes four wide which meant breaking trail, lots of bar banging and some crashing.  The race quickly went from fast and consistent to anaerobic repeats in order to stay in contact with the leaders.  Around 2/3rds of the first lap the lights went out for me, I was done.  The starting and stopping, sprinting and crashing had taken its toll.  The rest of the race was very uneventful, I was getting passed on the fast straight aways and passing back on the single track, this went on for the remaining 2 laps, I was slowly losing ground and just racing to hang on.  At the end of the race I finished in 20th place which I was not happy about but also not really disappointed either since I had no real expectations.  I now know what my fitness level is and what I need to do.  I look forward to Cookin in the Kettles next weekend!

-Brian M.

 

Results:

Beginner (W) 30-39 Dani Vergara 3rd

Sport (W) 30-39 Theresa Nation 6th

Sport (M) 19-29 Reuben Andrews 7th

Sport (M) 30-39 Brian Mitchell 20th

Sport (M) 30-39 Edward Vergara 28th

 

Our OOA Brothers and Sisters

Expert (W) 40-49 Jennifer Burtner 2nd

Sport (W) 30-39 Ann Mitchell 1st

Budu #2: Black Diamond

I'd been to the Black Diamond area twice.  The first time, as a novice mountain biker, I slipped on a wet root and broke the master cylinder on my right brake after thirty minutes.  The second time, for the Budu race two years ago, it was snowing, turning the course into a muddy, slushy mess.  I finished DFL.  Last year, I skipped it and was planning on doing the same thing this year until I found out I was going to miss the Soaring Eagle race in two weeks.  I still wanted my series points, so off to Black Diamond I went, hoping that the new course would leave me with a better taste in my mouth.

Upon arriving, we sought out some beta about the course.  Switchbacks.  Slow.  Narrow.  Twisty.  Tight.  No open spots.  No room to pass.  These responses were not heartening.  But worse than the course reports was the pain in my tailbone from my epic sock-slide fall last week.  I hadn't ridden all week, so I wasn't really sure how riding would feel, but I popped some painkillers at the first aid tent and hoped for the best.

The painkillers did eventually kick in, but not until my second lap and by then, the damage had been done.  Unlike Dash Point, this time the race started on a wide gravel road before plunging into the singletrack.  I had a fairly good start and held my position well for the first half of the course.  But then, the tight turns and twisting course got under my skin.  I made some stupid mistakes and got passed by a few people.  Made more and was passed by a few more people.  In all that tight terrain, I couldn't find my groove and began to get frustrated.  The pain in my tailbone still hadn't gone away, so every time I had to manuever over a root or around a turn (which was every three seconds) pain would shoot up my back.  And this on the first lap.  As I crossed the lap transition, I honestly didn't know if I could make it through a second lap.  Aerobically I was doing fine, as there were no real climbs and no place to really push your speed, but mentally I was loosing it, my butt really hurt, and I did not want to pedal another four miles of tedious twisting.  Thankfully, the painkillers finally kicked in and I felt much better the second lap.

Luckily, the other GL6 racers didn't share my luck!  Luke Brechwald won 2nd place in the Expert Men's 19-29, an excellent mountain bike season opener, and Courtney took 1st place honors in Sport Women's 30-39.  Dani, Edward, John, and Kyle also raced, and we were joined by fellow Capitol Forest riders Nancy, Lito, and David, as well as OOA racer Karen Metcalfe.  Though the course chewed me up, the conditions were perfect!  The trails were muddy but super tacky, which was very helpful in negotiating those tight turns, there were only a few tire-sucking bogs.  Much improved from the snow I rode in last time, but humbling all the same.


Results

Beginner Women 30-39
Dani Vergara, 6th

Sport Women 30-39
Courtney Anderson, 1st
Erin Roe, 5th

Sport Men 30-39
Edward Vergara 20th

Sport Men 50+
John Curtin, 9th

Expert 20-29
Luke Brechwald, 2nd

Single Speed
Kyle Curtin, 6th

Budu #1: Dash Point

Sunrise broke over the manicured lawns and four-car garages of Norpoint Way, a wealthy neighborhood in Tacoma whose upper-most houses enjoyed a 360 view of the snow-capped North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound and the Olympics.  This was not a neighborhood used to seeing a solid line dirt-smeared Subarus and aging Vanagons lining it's sidewalks, especially on a Sunday morning.  Yet on the morning of February 20th, that was the scene; dirty cars, spandex, and lots of mountain bikes.  Like last year, the weather was clear and sunny, a rare February gem, and with the good weather came mountain bikers anxious to blow the dust of their legs for the 2011 racing season.

GL6 had a good showing (both of racers and dirty cars): Edward, Dani, Lee, Erica, Mike, Dave, Erin, Courtney, Kyle, and John all raced, with Kerry and Brian shouting out encouragement and good-natured heckling from the most spectator-friendly part of the course (i.e. the wood bridge rooty mud bog)  Joining the ranks from the Olympia Orthopedics team were Ann Mitchell, who took 1st place honors in the Sport Women 30-39 category, Karen Metcalfe, and Stephanie Werts.

Due to construction in the park, the race was staged from a roadside trailhead (hence the line of dirty cars along pristine neighborhood streets) instead of from the campground like last year.  Every other category was started according to age, but not the women.  Usually all women start together because the age categories were so small, but today there were twenty four total women and were were all released together.  There was no place to spread out, no hole-shot, just straight into the singletrack from the start.  By that time, what had been frosty hard-pack for the beginners and experts had melted into muddy mush, which we were used to after riding all winter in CF, but combine racers of varying technical ability packed all together onto the singletrack and you get confused carnage.  Luckily I started in the middle of the pack so I was able to make it through the first few miles of swearing (not just from me), run-arounds and near-pileups without loosing too much time.  Unfortunately, Courtney started near the back of the pack and was stuck at the end of the line of slipping tires, nervous dismounts, and slow climbers, which take much time and energy to get around.  After racers sorted themselves out, the course twisted and turned, dove and climbed through the park.  The most challenging components of the course (other than managing energy) were roots made slippery by all the mud, keeping good speed and flow through the turns, and a few narrow wooden bridges over especially muddy spots.  There were several spots I had to jump over logs too big to ride over, or run up a particularly tough climb.  The course ended with a muddy, root-filled drop into a bog which was covered by one of the wire bridges.  I heard from Dave that he went down hard in that section and since there were so many spectators there,  I didn't even bother trying to ride it.

Though I had ridden all winter long, this first race drained me.  Riding all-out for an hour and twenty minutes was much different then cruising through the woods on the Rita.   Though I really enjoyed the course, I was thankful to cross the finish line and be done and even more thankful for the happy hour beer at the nearby Harmon Brewery.

Results

Beginner Women 30-39

Dani Vergara, 3rd

Sport Women 30-39

Erin Roe, 4th

Courtney Anderson, 7th

Sport Men 30-39

Edward Vergara, 18th

Sport Men 50+

John Curtin, 8th

Clydesdale

Mike Scholl, 8th

Singlespeed Women

Erica Keller, 1st

Singlespeed Men

Kyle Curtin, 7th

Lee Peterson, 12th

Dave Snyder 19th

2011 Capitol Forest Classic Registration is Open!!

Mark your calendars now for AUGUST 13th and 14th!!!! Friends of Capitol Forest presents the fourth annual Capitol Forest Classic featuring the Northwest All Mountain Championships. Spend the weekend at the Pacific Northwest’s premier mountain bike festival! Come and ride the GL6 Crew's home turf with two epic courses of 100% singletrack.

Super D: Drop 2100′ in 6 miles on our namesake trail, Green Line 6.This trail is 100% singletrack and features smooth flowy berms, tight switchbacks, a couple of short climbs, rocky and rooty technical, fun pumps and small jumps in a mix of deep forest and dry clear cut.   One run and you'll see why we named our team after this trail.
Cross Country: Come race some of the most fun and most challenging single track in the Pacific Northwest. The Cross Country course is 100% single track and includes a little bit of everything: tough climbs, sweet descents including finishing on the Super D course, rocky and rooty technical, and flowy, smooth and fast sections.

All Mountain: The All Mountain class will test the boundaries of racers’ abilities. Racers will compete in both the Super D and the XC on the same bike. Yes, that’s correct, the SAME bike, with the same parts. Lowest combined times from both the Super D and XC in each class wins. King and Queen of the Mountain awards are given to the overall lowest combined times.

Both days include a kids race, lunch and snacks, and a raffle that includes a $1000 bike credit at Joy Ride Bikes in Olympia.

Visit http://capitolforestclassic.com for more info and REGISTRATION.

Tapeworm Time Trial

First GL6 race event of the 2011 Season. 

The weather broke off partly sunny and cool, the trail was mostly in really great shape except the one muddy section back somewhere in the labyrinth. 

Lee Peterson came in 9th overall. Erin Roe came in 6th in Women's and Todd Davison placed an Amazing Blazing 30th out of 70. I think I was off to over extended and pushing too hard by half way through the course and was out of breath all the way to the finish. Fast on this 6 ish mile course is an under 45 minute finish with the top time around 38 minutes. 

Fun trail, lots of low speed bike skills to get around those corners and through the trees. Check it out sometime. Maybe another time trial in March.


-Todd


Results
Lee Peterson, 9th Men's (out of 56!)
Todd Davison, 30th Men's
Erin Roe, 6th Women's

GL6: Ready to Rock the 2011 Season!

2011 is here, and Green Line Six is getting ready rip it up!  First, we would like to introduce the newest members to our team lineup.  All-star trail volunteer Ruben Andrews will be racing the same trails he maintains so vigilantly.  Dani Vergara sported her FOCF shirts at the NW Cup last year and now will be wearing the GL6 star on her trips to the podium.  Competitors might recognize Joyride co-owner Luke Brechwald as he speeds past them on his single speed.  We also welcome Brian Mitchell, who was previously with the Olympia Orthopedics team!  We also bid a sad farewell to ripper Matt Jagger as he goes solo this season.  Best of luck also to Kyle Curtin who will be riding with the PLU Cycling Team as well as GL6 this year.  Check out the GL6 Race Calendar for all your NW racing needs.  Bring on 2011!

The 2011 Green Line Six Roster:

Courtney Anderson
Ruben Andrews
Derik Archibald
Luke Brechwald
Trey Clay
John Curtin
Kyle Curtin
Todd Davison
Rachel Delateur
Matthieu Denuelle
Natalie Gentry
Henry Gertje
Michelle Kautzmann
Erica Keller
Bernie Miller
Brian Mitchell
Theresa Nation
Lee Peterson
Jamey Poelker
Erin Roe
Mike Scholl
David Snyder
Kerry Tarullo
Dani Vergara
Edward Vergara