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!

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.

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.

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!

2010 DINO #1

From Angela:

After a week of gorgeous weather, the Winona Lake trail was hammered with thunderstorms making for a greasy, muddy race track. For some, this is welcomed. For me, it produces a fear and dread I cannot describe.

On the start line, I changed my tune. After entering the single-track, I realized it really wasn't as bad as I thought. While I couldn't corner as fast as I wanted to, riding and racing was actually rather fun--especially when the racers had screaming spectators ringing cow bells at the top of the short, steep climb just before the field. Weren't those people awesome?

Since the first lap went OK, I knew I could punch it during the second lap. Ten minutes into the lap, I abruptly hit the ground after sliding out on a slick root. To my dismay, it was witnessed by 2 men across the creek.

I jumped up and shouted, "So, what's my score?"

One guy's reply, "25!"

25?!?!? I was expecting something along the lines of gymnastic scoring like a 6.2 or 7.8. For the next 40 minutes I contemplated the scale he was using to warrant a score of 25. Oh yeah, I was racing too.

As it turns out Luther Prater was one of those guys who witnessed my ungraceful fall. (I guess it didn't help that I let out a low scream that sounded like an agonizing grunt.) He explained that I was actually the 25th person to crash in that very spot; it wasn't scoring at all. Whew--perhaps I'm not a total klutz after all.

I saw several teammates on Saturday but didn't get to say Hi to everyone. I hope your racing went well and you have some words of wisdom to share. Congrats to all the hard efforts out there on a tough day!

And here's some pics for the blog.......

Here's one for the record.......

Let the fun begin!

Last Sunday marked a season opener with the DRT time trial at Brown County State Park. Starting at the North parking lot, the riders left in groups of 4 riding the Pine Loop, North Tower Loop, Aynes Loop, then up the Hesitation Point trail for the uphill battle.

Team Bicycle Station showed their colors with 7 riders blazing through the now dense forest. The DRT website shows the results, although it's not broken down by divisions. Nevertheless, it looks like these are superb times that will only get better as the season progresses.

Congrats to Matt, Art, Jeff, Mike B, Denny, Blake, & Meredith!

Thanks to Matt L for the pics below.

It's Here! It's Here!

While we were sloshing through snow, Mother Nature decided to sneak some Spring into the mix bringing in some pretty fine weather for bicycle racing. Team Bicycle Station was well represented last weekend in Indiana & North Carolina.

Weight Weenie, Mike Blanz, sent some great pics from the DINO Spring Tune-Up in Avon. The short course has a little bit of everything--hills, technical spots, and some smooth paths to enable racers to test out their legs. The Bicycle Station team comprised new member, Kevin Burnett, Denny Barber, and Mike B.

Welcome, Kevin!

And it sure is nice to see Denny's name on the results after last year's threats of no racing; we sure would have missed Martha.

Mike took the top spot on the podium in the 1A race while Kevin & Denny proved they will be major threats this year as well. Great job, guys! Results are here.

Here are some pics...

This sled weighs in at 18.4 lbs. Is this a new record????

Mike B is determined!

Mike B rounding the corner while being cheered on by his #1 fan, Benjamin.

Meanwhile, I (Angela) was fortunate enough to have a chauffer, my husband, to drive me to North Carolina for the Knobscorcher race in the Tsali Recreation Area. Also sporting the new Bicycle Station kit (see Mike's photo above), Dave McComb joined Matt B & myself for this venue.

I should point out that Noah had the best finish for the Team in the kids race with a 4th place finish. Great job, Noah!!!! Great job, especially when he had the earliest start with temps will in the 30s.

The weather was perfect as we set out for one of the longest XC events I've ever done. At just over 30.5 miles, this course is tough. In addition to the pine branches that hit the riders' faces periodically--they weren't trimmed back--total climbing for the race was around 2500 feet according to my GPS. My legs were burning. Of course, all that climbing also provided some sweet descents with bermed corners. The course is truly remarkable and worthy of a road trip.

Course map--1 outer loop followed by 1 lap of the right.

With temptations strong and trails calling our names, our gang--including Jason & Melissa--rode many miles in the days leading up to the race. This made for some sore legs at the start, but with the weather and trails in super condition, it really couldn't be helped. Next year's plan is to race first then spend a few days riding! Any takers??

For my own race report, I'll share how ecstatic I was to catch a couple of girls in the last 2 miles. It was so painful, but knowing the last 1.5 miles was a long gravel road descent with super high speeds, I had to pass them on the hill before this. I was able to pick off one of them but lacked the gas to catch the second one. Drat! Nevertheless, it was a strong finish for me and I didn't cry this time of total relief at being finished. (True story--in the 2008 Knobscorcher race I was so happy it was over when I crossed the finish line I teared up.)

Results and some pics can be found on the Gone Riding website. Additionally, there are some links to pics and a Facebook page for the organizers.

Below are some pics from North Carolina. Great job, Team, on a fun-filled weekend!

Dave, Angela, & Matt--all smiles before the start.

Melissa at the top of the Overlook trail above Lake Fontana.

Guess who got the HOLE SHOT in the Men's Pro race--Coach Battin!