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
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Washington Cyclocross State Championships 11/20 and Seattle CX series, Sprinker Center 11/21
This was a my weekend debut into cyclocross(CX). After listening to
friends talk about it and watching several races (and finally having
the funds to buy a new road-ish bike) I figured what the hell, I'd
give it a try. Catagorys are a bit different from mountainbiking in
that everyone starts in Cat4 and even that is broken up by age. Points
garnered thru the series and wins allow for moving up to a higher
ranking. (It's a roadie system, little understood by wood rats like
me).
The goal was simply to ride and not get passed or dropped, and finish.
Goal accomplished.
The WA State Championship is a decieving title. I at first thought it
would be a run out for the points leaders. Wrong. Its a non series
race, still fledgling in the making and whomever wins each catagory is
the state champion.
Don't let it fool you, these folks want to win and go all out. I got
to the State Championship held at Steilacoom park really early,
temperatures in the mid to high 30's, thinking I had a 915 start time
and wanting to ride the new bike at least a 2nd time before a race. I
ran into Bob and Sarah right off the bat and after signing into
followed them around on a warm up lap. Turns out my race wasnt to
start till 1015 so I had time to take some pictures and watch Bob and
Andy race. Standing at the end of the straightaway leading into the
first corner and watching 30+ riders hammer in for the hole shot, all
I could think of was 'holy shit!'. Amazingly enough even though it
was a transition from pavement to muddy grass on a sweeping right, no
one bit the dust.
Before long it was my turn to race. The temperature dropped a bit and
the wind was kicking up, standing at the start line waiting I was
freezing! At the whistle the Cat4 masters 45+ took off, with me
trying to hold on to the pack.
I lost the pack before we were even out of the 1st field. I figured
just keep going, maybe everyones adenalin would run out and I would
catch someone, anyone... About 1/2 into the 1st lap of 3 I was headed
up the hill to the low barriers, time to dismount, leap and remount on
a hill. Instead of trying to remount uphill I ran to the top and
remounted on a bit more level ground, I also caught up to someone in
my group, cool, I might not be last!
The course wound thru fields, back fand forth thru the grass and then
up a hill for about 1/2mile, then desended down to a really nice spot,
a S turn section under some oak trees. This leads out to another hill
with soft gravel near the top, soft gravel on skinny tires! From
there the course goes downhill thru some nice corners, slightly bermed
and then back to the flats and another set up barriers, taller than
the 1st set.
Having never done running dismounts, it took a bit of concentration
but I was able to get thru and even passed a rider while going over.
Of course she immediately passed me a again and I was back to the
chasing the back of the 45+ riders.
By the top of the climb on the last lap I was spent, after only
30mins! I managed a final push to the finish line and crossed it
without passing out, about 15 secs or so behind the rider I had been
chasing. Last place, 11th, but not lapped and after a min I was able
to breathe and speak again. Holy crap!! Yeah, lets do that again!!
And so I did.
Sprinker Rec Center the next day, Sunday, was even colder and spitting
snow. I got there and signed in a bit too late to practice before the
Cat4 and Cat4 35+ so had to wait it out and get out for a practice lap
after they had finished.
This Seattle CX race was even better attended. There were over 45
riders just in my class! Cat4 mens and womens masters and Cat3 womens
SS all starting about 30 secs apart. There had to be well over 125
rides out for the 1015 start.
Juniors led off followed by 45+ men. This course starts off with a
very short straight and right into the trees and turns. It took almost
1/2 a lap to get spread out. This race would be 4 laps, 2 barrier
areas and a sand runup and a grassy mud run up (with a barrier at the
bottom). I did fairly well I thought, even passed a couple riders
both young and old. The off camber dismount into the sand hill thru me
off and I could just not get the hand of the running dismount there.
But I could and did run in the sand!
The race was a blast, many folks I knew were on sidelines yelling
encouragement and crowd was awesome. Tired and sore and 41 mins later
I crossed the finish line with a final sprint. I found out a couple
days later I was not last, finishing 37th with 1 guy behind me only
completing 3 laps and about a 1/2 dozen who didnt finish (or maybe
didnt start?).
Wandering around the parking lot after putting on some warm clothes,
Bob's Red Mill was there with some hot oatmeal and some friends were
getting ready to start the Cat1/2 race. It was too cold to stick
around and I was beat. 2 races in 2 days!
It was awesome! I'll be back to try again.
friends talk about it and watching several races (and finally having
the funds to buy a new road-ish bike) I figured what the hell, I'd
give it a try. Catagorys are a bit different from mountainbiking in
that everyone starts in Cat4 and even that is broken up by age. Points
garnered thru the series and wins allow for moving up to a higher
ranking. (It's a roadie system, little understood by wood rats like
me).
The goal was simply to ride and not get passed or dropped, and finish.
Goal accomplished.
The WA State Championship is a decieving title. I at first thought it
would be a run out for the points leaders. Wrong. Its a non series
race, still fledgling in the making and whomever wins each catagory is
the state champion.
Don't let it fool you, these folks want to win and go all out. I got
to the State Championship held at Steilacoom park really early,
temperatures in the mid to high 30's, thinking I had a 915 start time
and wanting to ride the new bike at least a 2nd time before a race. I
ran into Bob and Sarah right off the bat and after signing into
followed them around on a warm up lap. Turns out my race wasnt to
start till 1015 so I had time to take some pictures and watch Bob and
Andy race. Standing at the end of the straightaway leading into the
first corner and watching 30+ riders hammer in for the hole shot, all
I could think of was 'holy shit!'. Amazingly enough even though it
was a transition from pavement to muddy grass on a sweeping right, no
one bit the dust.
Before long it was my turn to race. The temperature dropped a bit and
the wind was kicking up, standing at the start line waiting I was
freezing! At the whistle the Cat4 masters 45+ took off, with me
trying to hold on to the pack.
I lost the pack before we were even out of the 1st field. I figured
just keep going, maybe everyones adenalin would run out and I would
catch someone, anyone... About 1/2 into the 1st lap of 3 I was headed
up the hill to the low barriers, time to dismount, leap and remount on
a hill. Instead of trying to remount uphill I ran to the top and
remounted on a bit more level ground, I also caught up to someone in
my group, cool, I might not be last!
The course wound thru fields, back fand forth thru the grass and then
up a hill for about 1/2mile, then desended down to a really nice spot,
a S turn section under some oak trees. This leads out to another hill
with soft gravel near the top, soft gravel on skinny tires! From
there the course goes downhill thru some nice corners, slightly bermed
and then back to the flats and another set up barriers, taller than
the 1st set.
Having never done running dismounts, it took a bit of concentration
but I was able to get thru and even passed a rider while going over.
Of course she immediately passed me a again and I was back to the
chasing the back of the 45+ riders.
By the top of the climb on the last lap I was spent, after only
30mins! I managed a final push to the finish line and crossed it
without passing out, about 15 secs or so behind the rider I had been
chasing. Last place, 11th, but not lapped and after a min I was able
to breathe and speak again. Holy crap!! Yeah, lets do that again!!
And so I did.
Sprinker Rec Center the next day, Sunday, was even colder and spitting
snow. I got there and signed in a bit too late to practice before the
Cat4 and Cat4 35+ so had to wait it out and get out for a practice lap
after they had finished.
This Seattle CX race was even better attended. There were over 45
riders just in my class! Cat4 mens and womens masters and Cat3 womens
SS all starting about 30 secs apart. There had to be well over 125
rides out for the 1015 start.
Juniors led off followed by 45+ men. This course starts off with a
very short straight and right into the trees and turns. It took almost
1/2 a lap to get spread out. This race would be 4 laps, 2 barrier
areas and a sand runup and a grassy mud run up (with a barrier at the
bottom). I did fairly well I thought, even passed a couple riders
both young and old. The off camber dismount into the sand hill thru me
off and I could just not get the hand of the running dismount there.
But I could and did run in the sand!
The race was a blast, many folks I knew were on sidelines yelling
encouragement and crowd was awesome. Tired and sore and 41 mins later
I crossed the finish line with a final sprint. I found out a couple
days later I was not last, finishing 37th with 1 guy behind me only
completing 3 laps and about a 1/2 dozen who didnt finish (or maybe
didnt start?).
Wandering around the parking lot after putting on some warm clothes,
Bob's Red Mill was there with some hot oatmeal and some friends were
getting ready to start the Cat1/2 race. It was too cold to stick
around and I was beat. 2 races in 2 days!
It was awesome! I'll be back to try again.
-Mike
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Capitol Forest 50/100
An endurance race in Capitol Forest, or in Washington for that matter, was a long time coming. Every year there was grumbling, but no one was willing or able tostep up and put it on. Then, like genies from the endurance-race bottle, Roger Michel and 4th Dimension Racing appeared to grant the wishes of so many sadistic mountain bikers. Those wishes were granted and then some. The course was well marked, aid stations were appropriately place and stocked with Clif gels, blocks and bars, FRS energy, Nuun and many other goodies to keep the bonks at bay. The swag and raffle prizes were plentiful, and the course itself was sweeeeet. Not only did Roger promote and organize the event, but he came out to several FOCF work parties to get the trails in shape, andbrushed nearly 40 miles of trail by himself in the week leading up the the event.Matt, Henry and the other 100 mile racers started off from Mima Falls campground at 6:30am, while Erin, Derek, Jim, FOCF regular Darin and the 50 mile racers started at 8:30. After the Lemans start, the course followed Mima Porter 8, which started off with some fast rolling terrain that progressed to a steady climb up through an old clearcut and into the forest above. The climb ended with a quick fast descent into Lost Valley. This section of trail, known by the locals as "the valley of death," is notoriously muddy, rooty, a real energy sponge. Thankfully, we were descending through the worst of it! Aid station #1 was
at Fall Creek, about 13 miles into the race. After refueling with FRS drink and come Clif shots, the course climbed up out of Fall Creek and continued to gain elevation all the way to aid station #2 at Wedekind, about 21 miles into the race. From here, the course followed a short section of doubletrack, then picked up MP8 once again for one of the most flowy descents into the forest. The silky smooth rail is scantly wider than my front tire and flies through the trees and lush green undergrowth; the only time the brakes were needed was to get around a couple switchbacks. Near the bottom the course began rolling and dumped out on C-1000 road, which racers were supposed to climb all the way back to the Wedekind aid station. The climb was steep but thankfully not a classic CF gravel road puker like the C-7000 or C-8200. Back at aid #2, I thought that the course would hop on the Crestline trail with it's techni
cal climbs and rock gardens, but no, we were supposed to keep climbing the road all the way the base of the peak, where the course would hop on the Green Line Six, FOCF's pride and joy and our namesake. But riding the road all the way there? Ugh. That road ride saved some energy, but it was tedious and never-ending. Finally racers reached GL6, which was in prime shape. The corners that were dusty and dangerous during the CF Classic were tacky and perfect; I literally forgot that I has been riding for 45 miles when riding down 6! After reaching the Fall Creek aid station once more, the course stayed on GL6, climbing for 2
miles and then descending nearly all the way back to the start/finish/lap transition at Mima Falls, mile 50. The 100 mile racers would turn around and to the entire loop again. I stoked to have finished the race and felt pretty good, but there's no way I would have been able to turn around and do it again.
This was my first endurance race, so my only goal was to earn that finisher pint glass. On top of accomplishing this goal, I also walked away with 2nd place in the Women's division! Matt rocked the course and got 2nd in the 100 mile Men's Single
speed. This was an awesome event and I really hope Roger and 4th Dimension will put it on again next year. I didn't realize how much I had been looking forward to this event until it wasn't there to look forward to anymore.
Results
Open Men 50 miler
Jim Graham, 17th, 21st overall (5:16)
Derik Archibald, 51st overall (6:16)
Open Women 50 miler
Erin Roe, 2nd, 71st overall (6:53)
Open Singlespeed, 100 miler
Matt Jagger, 2nd, 10th overall (10:49)
Masters Men 45+
Henry Gertje, 16th overall(11:56)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Oregon Super D Series: Oakridge and Sandy Ridge
| Oregon Super D Series stop #2 Oakridge, OR 8.29.10 The Oakridge course is the longest super d race in the country. 14 miles long with 4700' of descending and 900' of climbing. Rachel, The Jagger's and The Graham's got down to Oakridge on Thursday. We took a couple runs Friday, rested Saturday and raced Sunday. Matt landed in second CAT 1 19-39, Rachel got fourth in CAT 2 Open, and I placed third in CAT 2 19-39. The Oakridge course is epic by super d standards. It is absolutely huge. The descents last forever. I actually looked forward to the climbs so I could recover. Hopefully the OSS will stop there again next year. If not, I'm glad I was able to have raced there. Oregon Super D Series stop #3, Series Final Sandy, OR 9.5.10 Trey, Jamey, Theresa(team support), Matt, Matthieu, Rachel and I attended the series final in Sandy. The course is on some very well built use specific(MTB!!) trails on BLM land just outside of town. The course was 6 miles long with a couple thousand feet of descending and a few hundred feet of climbing. Very similliar to the GL6 course as far as the numbers look. The course was a surprising mix of many NW mtb elements. It was a mini version of A Line, The North Shore and Capitol Forest all in one. Dropping in from the top(literally) you went through a section of perfect berms and mini table tops, followed by a little climb and then a section of fast North Shore BC-ish rocks and roots followed by another little climb and then you are dumped out at the bottom into bermy, flowy clay bliss. Aaaahhhhhhhh. The conditions were greasy and a little sketchy from the rain the night before, but we all raced the same trail under the same conditions so no whining. A massive amount of schwag went away with the GLSIXER'S between the podium prizes and raffle. In fact, it was almost eerie the amount of stuff we all seemed to keep winning. Lucky day I guess. Props to the promoter for putting in the time to round up good sponsors and schwag galore. Super D racing is really starting to thrive in the NW. It's amazing how many SD races there are now in the NW. It's great. It's actually more than great, it may be a Christmas miracle. Santa did get my letters! Super D is a newer discipline in the world of mtb racing, and it is certainly the most inclusive. There really is no way to take sides in it. If you come from XC racing, downhill or trail riding you have any equally good chance of doing well. And you are garunteed to have a good time. This is the first year of the Oregon Super D series. I was grateful to have had the time to participate in all three events. They are on to something, and they did a fantastic job. We are lucky to have this opportunity to race in what truely is the best super d series in the US right now. There is talk of expansion of the series next year too, and if you aren't there you are missing out. -JimEG Sandy Results Matt CAT 1 19-39 2nd Trey CAT1 over 40 4th Jim CAT 2 19-39 2nd Jamey CAT 2 19-39 4th Rachel CAT 2 ? Series Overall Matt CAT1 19-39 2nd Jim CAT2 19-39 2nd Rachel CAT2 Open 2nd |
CAPITOL FOREST CLASSIC!!
The Capitol Forest Classic was only the best race weekend of the season. I'm biased, you say?Okay, let's look at the facts: two days of racing, free onsite camping, a delicious BBQ included in the race entry, a raffle that included a car stereo and $2000 gift cert for a new bike both days, accurate timing by a crew of well-organized volunteers, fabulous weather, a Super D and XC course that served up some of the best singletrack the NW has to offer, maintained by the one of the hardest working (and definitely the most kick-ass) trail crews in Washington, Friends of Capitol Forest. Try and beat that. Just try. That's what I thought. You can't.
Day 1: Super D
This course went down our namesake trail, Green Line 6, and anyone who raced could probably see why we named our team after this trail. A mix of tight switchbacks, swooping berms, flowy singletrack, roots, rocks, and even some small features, this trail has it all. Recent logging made conditions extra dusty and dry; the loose corners in the fresh clearcut caused even the pros to hit the brakes and proceed with caution. This didn't stop GL6 racer Matt Jagger from getting a smokin fast time of 20:21, winning the Open Men's category and coming within a minute of Nathan Riddle's sub-20 minute course record. Unfortunately, there was also some carnage on th
e course. Two people took a trip to the emergency room with injuries, one of them being GL6 ripper Kerry Tarullo. Kerry broke her collarbone and now has a steel plate and a number of pins in it, courtesy of Green Line six (the trail, not theteam.) On the bright side, her recovery is going well and hopefully she can get back on the bike soon!
Super D results:
Open Men:
Matt Jagger, 1st
Luke Brechwald, 4th
Derik Archibald, 5th
Kyle Curtin, 6th
Open Women
Michelle Kautzmann, 2nd
Expert Men 36+
Bernie Miller, 2nd
Henry Gertje, 7th
Glenn Graham, 8th
Lee Peterson, DNF (mechanical)
Expert Women
Rachel Delateur, 3rd
Sport Men 36+
John Curtin, 4th
Sport Women
19-34
Courtney Anderson, 1st
Erin Roe, 6th
Kerry Tarullo, DNF (injury)
Day 2: XC
FOCF has had a problem with rain in the past. In fact, the sloppy conditions of the 2008 XC race are near legendary. Not this year. But the cunning weather gods were just as punishing; instead of rain, we got heat. 97 degrees of heat. On a course with 2,500-4,000 ft of climbing, that's like twisting on a rotisserie in hell's BBQ. Many a strong racer was brought to their knees, or rather, their granny gear. Where Saturday's Super D saw broken shoulder sockets and collarbones, Sunday's carnage came in the form of cramping, vomit, and DNFs. The XC course started out with a fast rolling warm up, then began climbing through clearcuts on trail 8, which was like pedaling through an oven. However, once the trail entered back into the forest, the heat became more manageable. After reaching Wedekind, racers went across the "Crestline" trail, which served up some technical uphill sections which were hike-a-bikes for most. Racers were rewarded with a run down the Super D course from Saturday. Sport racers were done after reaching Fall Creek (16 miles), but the Expert/Open racers had to turn around and complete another 10 mile loop, which meant one more climb up though the clearcuts on 8. Despite the heat, GL6 had another excellent showing, Michelle earning 2nd in Open Women, and Erin and Courtney crowding the Sport Women 19-34 podium in 2nd and 3rd place. This was also Kyle's first XC race in the Open category. Although he had some incredibly bad luck with mechanicals, suffering both a broken chain and a flat tire, he and his bike still managed to finish the race!
XC Results:
Open Men
Matt Jagger, 6th
Luke Brechwald, 11th
Kyle Curtin, 12th
Bernie Miller, DNF
Open Women
Michelle Kautzmann, 2nd
Expert Men 36+
Henry Gertje, 8th
Expert Women Singlespeed
Erica Keller, 1st
Sport Men 36+
John Curtin, 13th
Sport Women 19-35
Erin Roe, 2nd
Courtney Anderson, 3rd
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