Monday, August 16, 2010

Coming to a close

It's been a month since I last posted and SO much has happened: Versailles, Super D, & Logansport. With one more race in the DINO series, how will the points stack up? We already know Coach Battin has sealed the deal with another DINO series championship--his 7th in fact! Congratulations, Matt!!!

So, Versailles proved to be a great, fast course this year. While I still had the goal to catch up to Danny, I knew early on it wouldn't happen. He went on to finish in the top 10 in his class. Big hats off to Kevin B, though, on a tremendous day with a big 'W.' Kevin beat out his rival by under a minute and earned bragging rights for a hard effort and successful day.

Speaking of wins, there were a couple more for Bicycle Station with Zane W topping the Juniors and Matt beating out rival Messer again. And let's not forget Denny, in his self-professed last year of racing, **cough, cough** coming in first in the 50+ category.

Good job, everyone! Bruce said he would be camping that weekend, but I somehow missed seeing him the entire day! Maybe b/c Mer & I parked by the pool instead of the shady spots by the campground--lesson learned there.

We had some other great finishes and efforts as well with Fett taking a podium spot and several more top 10 finishes.

Next up, came the Super D--Indiana's first Super D downhill course put on by Sub 9. Results are on the Sub 9 website and some cool videos are floating around as well. Give a shout out to Fett for placing 5th overall and top in the Cat 1 with a time of 20:22--a mere 2 seconds ahead of former teammate, John Clasen. I have to ask Fett if he ran his special seatpost for this course. I'm rather intrigued and wonder if I should get this new gadget!

Mer earned a podium spot in the women's Cat 1, and Danny placed in the top half of his category. Blake finished with a respectable time of 22:02--and didn't even have to count laps!

Logansport:

Hot? Humid? I can only imagine. This is the first DINO race I've missed in 4-5 years. Looking at the results, I see we had some more great results with 'W's from Denny, again, and Matt, again. If I'm counting correctly, it looks like Fett & Larry both achieved podium spots. Sadly, I see Danny posted a DNF. I can only assume he lacked motivation since I wasn't there to pass him. We'll leave it at that. It looks like Feske & Blake rolled in together at the finish....was it a sprint???? John W got a top 10 place on what was presumably a good course for this roadie turned mountain biker. And Mike B is consistently putting in hard efforts here as well. I don't understand the scoring in the Cat 1 field--1A & 1E & age group.....we women are all scored together making it pretty darn easy to figure out where we are.

So, these are some short recaps. I'd love to hear some stories and to ride with the team members soon. As the weather turns cooler, the rides will be a little more enjoyable.

Stay cool and stay safe.

Great job, Team! Can't wait to have an end-of-the year party. After Southwestway, of course!

Of course, there really is no "end" right? There are plenty of Fall & Winter events to keep us going with the Brown County Breakdown, Hilly Hundred, 24 Hours of DINO, etc. The fun never ends!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Out and About

WORS:
Some team members are expanding their race horizons by venturing to other states. In June, Mike B went to "America's largest state MTB race series" known as WORS - Wisconsin Off Road Series. Indeed magazines often tout the tough competition in this favorite national and regional series.

Below is a pic of Mike on the start line of the Subaru Cup. And a big congrats to him with a solid Top 10 finish in Cat 1. All that training is paying off, right Mike?



SERC/AMBC:
Taking a mini vacation, I ventured out to do the SERC/AMBC race in Chattanooga, TN on Raccoon Mountain. Here I met another teammate on a mini vacation--Meredith! She scouted out the trail with a pre ride on Saturday, and I took some cues from her Sunday morning prior to the start.

This trail is F-U-N. Rocks, Roots, hills, switchbacks, whoop de doos, awesome descents--it has everything!

I learned quite a few things on this trip with the most important: Meredith is someone you want on your team! Kudos to her for abandoning the race after coming upon a rider completely knocked out after a crash. Giving up her pursuit, she administered first aid until other medical personnel arrived. What a true team player. Congrats, Mer! And a big THANK YOU for representing the team so well.

Below are some pics from the trip courtesy of MRL.



Note that Mer showed me how to ride this prior to the race; unfortunately, the guy in the pic bobbled in front of her and didn't quite get out of the way in time.



Eating Crow

So, it's taken me so long to post after the North Vernon race b/c I just finished eating all that crow. If you recall, I sent an e-mail with the following goals:

1) Do not let Matt Battin lap me during a race.
2) I must catch Danny G at some point in the race—game on, Danny!
3) Learn Denny’s secret to success (i.e. befriend Martha).

As far as Matt NOT passing me, well......he was SMOKING FAST on that course and came away with a big "W." He went around me so fast - and early - I might add. So, goal # 1 - FAIL.

By the time Matt passed me, I was giving up on goal #2 as my chain had already come off 5 times. That's too bad b/c the legs felt good. After the 6th time, I called it a day as my mental frustration exceeded my limits. Better racers would have stuck it out in one gear. Admittedly, I like my gears; in fact, I want more. My 1x9 is truly testing my legs on some courses. I have no shame announcing I want my granny back. (Or a 2x9 as in Meredith's new setup? Note to self: ask her how she likes it.) So, #2 = FAIL.

Number 3 proved to be a lot easier than I thought. I took the direct approach with Martha and asked about the secret of Denny's success. I know this blog can be accessed by anyone in the world, but I'm going to tell anyway.

"Never grow old."

It's that easy.

The team suffered some injuries prior to the big race: broken fingers, knee strains, ankle recoveries, etc. But everyone waltzed up to the start line to give it his/her best. Additionally, Larry did the Stoopid run the day before.

So, I left early and didn't get everyone's stories, but I'm pretty sure I missed out on Lindsay's peanut butter & chocolate bars. DRAT. Perhaps next time when I meet more than 1 of my goals.


Great job team on overcome obstacles and finishing strong!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

French Lick-DINO

What a day! Can you guess the overall mood of the day from these pics?




That's right--JUBILATION!

And why is everyone so happy? Because French Lick fosters fun! (say 3x fast)

Yes, it was hilly.
Yes, it rained the night before. (Ask Dave McComb about tent camping in low lying areas.)
Yes, it was HOT. (could that be why I blew up on my first lap?)
Yes, it was hilly. Did I mention that already?
Yes, it smelled like farts again b/c of the sulfur water--not b/c of our teammates.

But it's true. All the hills, pain, and temperature were trumped by the ever-so-sweet downhill just before the finish. What a blast!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

BCSP pics

What a great looking team!


Denny shows JL how to race.

Meredith is flying down the hill!


Kevin prepares to finish despite some earlier trouble.



Is that a smile or a grimace?



Let's start already!


Need more air.


Matt at the start---there was no one around him at the finish either.


Danny looks calm and focused.



Blake prepares to get wet.



Tuesday, June 8, 2010

DINO race - BCSP

By Ange:


With trail conditions questionable, some of us were checking the HMBA forum and DINO website for a possible cancellation. Lo and behold, the gods of thunder and inclimate weather smiled upon us as major storm systems missed our beloved park, for the most part.


Conditions were tacky with a few slick spots in between. Team Bicycle Station had a tremendous showing with 13 adults and 5 kids (Noah, Sierra representing the girls, and Teddy--or was it the other one? and Mike B's little ones) participating in different categories of racing. Wearing a helmet and a skin suit, Master Battin schooled all of us in how to race fast. I saw him twice, as a matter of fact: once on the start line and once when he lapped me. (Starting 14-18 minutes behind the Pro/Cat 1 men, my goal this year was to NOT get lapped by them. Fail.)


There may have been a couple of crashes as I saw some blood on not one, but 2 team members with Kevin taking the trophy for what I presume was the most painful. With adrenaline pumping, Kevin had a strong finish in the Cat 2 race.


Results are here. You can read Angela's race report here.


Our own Larry Wasson pulled double duty by racing the 5k DINO Trail Run on Saturday followed by a lap on the mountain bike Sunday. Great job, Larry!


Following our hard work, we enjoyed chicken brats, brownies, beer, and other delicious picnic items. Team pic will be distributed soon. Happy 10th Anniversary to Matt & Melissa for their ownership of the shop. Well done!


CONGRATULATIONS to Matt B, Meredith, Angela, Mike B, Dave M, Jeff, Denny, Blake, Sean, Kevin, Danny, John, and Larry on the great day.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

French Lick Report











Do you know what sulfur water smells like? Several Bicycle Station team members are especially aware after last Sunday's DRT tune-up race at the French Lick Resort. We pulled in to the parking lot and camped right by the creek. Ahhhh.

The venue gave us a preview of what the DINO US Cup qualifier race will be all about on June 19. Specifically, we learned that there is over 1,000 feet of climbing per 9-mile lap. Additionally, the sweet, new trail is quite bumpy as riders have not yet smoothed it over. With that in mind, bring your full suspension rigs as you and your back will be thankful you did.

Approaching 90 degrees, the hilly race was challenging and fun. Congrats to the team on some great finishes. Results are here. Also, THANKS to our supporters as well. It's great to see spouses, family members, and friends.

I should also point out that Meredith and I (Angela) helped raise some money for HMBA by representing Bicycle Station at Saturday's Time Trial presented by Planet Adventure. On the shortened course of Town Run Trail Park, we tore up the corners and followed it up with a Trader Joe's run.

GREAT JOB, EVERYONE! Brown County here we come!