According to RoadRacingWorld.com, Lance Armstrong dropped out out the Mellow Johnny’s 6-Hour Classic mountain bike race this weekend after aggravating a previous knee injury. Eventual men’s solo winner, Ben Bostrom, even held Armstrong off for several laps before Armstrong bowed out. Race results show Armstrong completed 4 laps in 2 hours, 17 minutes, though technically he didn’t DNF (he just didn’t ride the entire 6 hours). I guess it wouldn’t have looked good for Lance to win his own race anyway – nobody likes a show-off.

The Mellow Johnny’s 6-Hour Classic mountain bike race was held at Juan Pelota Ranch in Dripping Springs, TX.

photo courtesy ray’s indoor mtb.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website and raysmtb.com, the grand opening of Ray’s Indoor Milwaukee scheduled for this weekend has been delayed due to city permitting issues. Word is permits for occupancy, alteration, electrical, and fire supression systems are all still pending, though the real culprit may be a recent failed elevator inspection. Let’s hope this gets worked out soon and that all the festivities and celebrities can be rescheduled…

Not since the premier of Happy Days has Milwaukee been stoked for such an occasion: the grand opening of Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park November 12-14. Of course at this point Ray’s name has become synonymous with indoor mountain biking, having opened the original (and IMBA-certified epic) indoor MTB course in Cleveland in 2004. The grand opening festivities in Milwaukee will include a park preview on Friday (no bikes allowed) followed by a celebrity BBQ on Saturday with legends like Cam McCaul, Dave Mirra, and Ross Schnell in attendance. Then on Sunday you can ride with the XC Pros all day or check in during BMX night from 4-10pm with Dave Mirra. Seriously. Here’s a bit from the official press release:

After an extensive search, the location for a second Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park has been secured and Milwaukee-area mountain bikers can now rejoice!  The 110,000 square foot former Menards Home Improvement Center is currently undergoing the transformation from empty warehouse to the most exciting indoor mountain bike park the world has yet to behold.

Building upon the success of the our original Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park of Cleveland, Ohio, Ray’s of Milwaukee will provide cyclists from across the Midwest an unrivaled place to ride, train, and develop their skills throughout the long winter months when local trails are closed or often unridable.

Ray Petro, founder and namesake of Ray’s Indoor MTB Park, had quietly planned the opening of a second Ray’s Milwaukee locale for the past few years. When financing stalled at the last minute, Trek Bicycle stepped in to purchase the business and ensure the continued expansion of Petro’s indoor MTB park vision.

In case you missed that last little bit, Ray’s is now owned by Trek which is convenient since Trek’s HQ is located less than 100 miles from Milwaukee in Madison. Does this cash infusion mean we may see indoor mountain bike parks popping up in more cities around the world? Let’s hope so!

Get more info about both parks at raysmtb.com.

photo by Alan Ofsoski, fotoengineers.com

The Singlespeed Mountain Bike World Championships are being held in Rotorua, New Zealand this weekend and there are over 1,000 riders from 30 countries registered for the main event. The course covers about 40 km through Whakarewarewa Forest starting at the Waipa MTB park and promises to be challenging, even by World Championship standards.

According to this article, some of the riders plan to wear costumes during the race – and not because it’s almost Halloween (do they even know what Halloween is in New Zealand?). One rider explained it this way:

I guess you can call it the punk of mountainbiking – back when it all got started not too many people were interested in singlespeed but now like punk it has become fashionable. It’s all about having fun – getting dressed up, having a few beers and racing just for the hell of it.

This year’s course offers a shortcut available to riders who chug a beer before hitting the alternate which sounds like a no-brainer to me. Perhaps the coolest part of the Singlespeed World Championships is the prize: the top male and female finishers get a tattoo! The Rainbow jersey is temporary but the Singlespeed World Championship honors are permanent!

And for those of you who are into the Gates Carbon Drive thing, Gates rider Jake Kirkpatrick took 3rd in the singlespeed division of the Whaka 100, a 100km endurance race that kicked off the overall Rotorua Bike Festival this week. Jake rode a fully rigid Black Sheep titanium bike with the new Gates Center Track carbon belt which seems like a pretty solid endorsement.

Lots of other cool stuff is happening around the race this weekend – if you can make it to Rotorua definitely send us a report!

The Red Bull Final Descent series wrapped up last week when 121 riders saddled up at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico for a shot at $5,000 in cash prizes. The object was simple: complete the most downhill runs in 12 hours. The race ran into twilight hours which added an additional challenge as riders strapped on lights for the final laps. Exhaustion + darkness + DH racing = epic racing conditions.

Ryan Sutton of Crested Butte,CO  and Jackie Harmony of Sedona, AZ took home the Pro Solo honors with 33 and 31 laps respectively, and both swept the series in the process. The race format allows riders to choose from several courses to get down the mountain and only one rider / bike is allowed on each lift chair. If you’ve ever ridden DH at a lift-serviced resort you know it’s tiring – just getting in 5 runs is an epic day. These guys (and gals) did six-times that amount at Angel Fire!

Last year’s Race Across the Sky was a great mountain bike movie that seemed to have it all: star power (Lance Armstrong), an epic clash between an outsider and a local hero (Armstrong and Dave Wiens), and a beautiful and harsh natural backdrop (Colorado, 10,000 feet above sea level). To top it all off the movie was shown in movie theaters across the country to sold out crowds of mountain bikers. Rock on!

Despite having such a tough act to follow, the Citizen Pictures folks decided to make a movie about this year’s race. Armstrong has been replaced by his slightly-lesser-known teammate Levi Leipheimer while Dave Wiens, still a local hero and an amazing rider, no longer has a winning streak to defend. Of course the incredible scenery is back for 2010 and course records were set on both the men’s and women’s sides but it’s not obvious where the drama will come from, especially since the results have been known for months now. The website alludes to personal challenges faced by “citizen riders” but that almost sounds like a remake of “Spirit of the Marathon” which wasn’t that great.

In any event, Race Across the Sky 2010 will be shown in theaters November 4 with an encore scheduled for November 9. Tickets go on sale October 1 but IMBA members have the chance to purchase tickets now before the general release. Trailer is embedded above.

These days mountain bike movies seem to come in two flavors: documentary and music video montages. Both formats seem to work well, though we’re a little bummed no one has found a way to make a scripted mountain bike film that isn’t completely cheesy. Anyway, this week we came across two mountain bike films that deserve your attention.

Ride the Divide

Following three riders as they attempt to complete the “world’s toughest mountain bike race,” Ride the Divide promises to be an epic film. Even if it isn’t the toughest mountain bike race, it’s certainly the longest and the self-supported riders who complete the route join an elite club. The race has no sponsors, no prizes, and just one checkpoint (the finish line). This should be a good film to watch if you’re considering an epic bikepacking trip next summer.

Screening in Denver Grand Junction this week: Thursday, Sept. 16 @ 7:30pm, Avalon Theater. Tickets are just $10 and the filmmakers will be on hand to talk after the show.

Life Cycles

Lame title aside, based on the preview this mountain bike movie should be pretty fun to watch. The Life Cycles film was shot using a RED camera which is a super portable high-def camera that seems to be all the rage in Hollywood. The DVD should be shipping sometime in mid-October and pre-orders are $5 off. Too bad more stuff like this doesn’t show in theaters…

Syd and I are getting stoked for Interbike next week and our appointment schedule is pretty much jammed. A list of appointments is below, let us know if you have specific products or questions for any of these companies.

Rumor has it that Interbike will be heading to Anaheim, CA next year due to a schedule change. Word is the show is moving from September to August and Anaheim is where the show was held until 1998. That was well before my time so I’m not sure what to expect in terms of Outdoor Demo facilities…

Mountain Bikes
Ellsworth
Niner
Banshee

Components
SRAM
e-thirteen
Candy
Topeak
Ritchey/Syncros
RaceFace
Easton
THE/VSI
Kore

Suspension & Brakes
Fox
Formula

Apparel & Hydration
Gore
Osprey
Keen
Hydrapack
Camelbak

Tires, Lights, Etc.
Light & Motion
WTB
Saris
Nalini
FRS
Clif

Beyond the appointments listed I’ll be at the Outdoor Demo Tuesday to check out bikes from Trek, Moots, Jamis, and Cannondale. We’re also finalizing more appointments so look for updates to this post over the next few days. What do you want to see from the world’s largest bicycle trade show?

Brenda Simril (Motor Mile) and Sue Haywood caked in Georgia red clay and loving it.

This past weekend the annual Fool’s Gold 100 took place in the north Georgia mountains near Dahlonega with some of the most extreme weather conditions we’ve heard of in a mountain bike race. A dirty century mountain bike ride is tough on any day and the course through the Bull /Jake Mountain trail system is a killer with nearly 14,000 of feet of climbing (at least that’s what we heard). The Fool’s Gold 100 is part of the National Ultra Endurance (NUE) series so it attracts some of the country’s best XXC mountain bikers.

Overnight rains lingered into the morning and the race started off under a flood watch issued for the area. Jeff Schaulk was the fastest around the first 50 mile lap in 4:15:26 and reported his brake pads had been completely ground down from the gritty, wet conditions. Christian Tanguy finished just minutes behind Schaulk and both riders asked race director Eddie O’Dea to cancel the race (and the second 50 mile lap) for the safety of the other riders.

NUE series leader, Jeff Schalk (Trek Mtn Coop), in the lead pack

Singlespeed rider Harlan Price ran into similar brake problems during the race:

After Aid four, there was a straight, nasty, steep descent. I was fully into it before realizing that I had
NO BRAKES. I decided to try to ride it out, reaching speeds up to 30-40mph, scard sh**less, and jus’
holdin’ on! It was then that I realized I wouldn’t make the upcoming turns and had to dump it. The
bike was in the trees and I slid thirty feet downhill suffering bruised ribs and requiring eight stitches.

Tanguy asked if I was ok and then went on. In the process I lost the bead on my tire but quickly made
the repair and moved on. After crossing the finish line, I pretty much broke down upon learning about
the 50 mile cut. I was gonna do it but it wouldn’t have been good.

Out of 300 riders who started the day, only 180 finished. The last rider crossed the 50-mile finish line after 9 hours, 56 minutes on the bike. Talk about dedication!

If you’re looking for a challenge on the mountain bike (and a good time, I swear!) mark your calendar for next year’s Fools Gold 100 – this is a race that will not disappoint.

photo courtesy Race Across the Sky.

The Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race is happening this weekend so we thought we’d give you a preview of this year’s event. One of the most obvious changes to the race this year is the name, officially “The Life Time Fitness Leadville Trail 100.” Yep, race organizers were able to sell naming rights to the race and we don’t blame them for capitalizing on the event’s recent rise to national prominence.

Lance Armstrong is out this year which probably bummed the Life Time Fitness folks but there’s a slew of A-list competitors looking to smash Armstrong’s course record of 6:28:50. Of course local hero Dave Wiens will be there as will Lance’s Tour de France teammate Levi Leipheimer. Last year’s third place finisher, Matt Shriver will be racing as well along with Ned Overend, Jeremiah Bishop, and Todd Wells. Defending women’s champ Rebecca Rusch will be racing on the women’s side.

According to this press release, the Leadville race course is actually 104 miles, making it at least 4% more difficult than I imagined. We haven’t heard anything about a live, online feed of the race this year but that’s ok since last year’s coverage wasn’t that great. If you can’t make it up to Leadville to watch this weekend, grab a DVD copy of “Race Across the Sky” to get a taste of the Leadville experience!

Last Tuesday I drove out to Mt. Tabor Park near Dallas, GA west of Atlanta for the Six Pack mountain bike time trial. This is a super low key and old school event which is right up my alley. When I asked the guy sitting at the start table what time the race started he replied, “whenever you’re ready.” Awesome. The entry fee? A six pack of beer (or $6 for those who are underage).

The Six Pack Time Trial is actually a series of races held on Tuesday nights during the month of July. I had never ridden the relatively new trails at Mt. Tabor Park which gave me the perfect excuse to show up for the competition. After a leisurely pre-ride of the 3.5 mile long loop I was ready to race!

The big loop at Mt. Tabor Park has a little bit of everything – from fast hardpack to rocky, rooty creekside stretches and from winding, switchback trails to flat, tight pine forests where the saplings practically reach out and grab the edges of your bars. The trail also features some sharp turns to help control riders’ speed and if you don’t know they’re coming they can suck the momentum right out from your wheels. Paulding SORBA has instituted alternating travel directions on the trails and on this particular evening we raced the loop clockwise.

Right out of the gate from the parking lot I got off to a fast start on the hardpack singletrack but less than a quarter mile in I dropped my chain (not unusual for me, I’ve been meaning to install a chain retention device). The rest of the hardpack section (part of which is called “Rocks of Doom”) went smoothly except for occasionally overshooting some of the tight reversals.

From my pre-ride I knew the rocky, rooty creek section would be a challenge so I concentrated on picking the most efficient lines and keeping my tires on the ground. Unfortunately I completely lost my rear wheel around one turn and had to jump off the bike for a second time, this time jogging with the bike a bit to regain my composure.

Climbing out the creek section was tiring and even more so considering I was only halfway through the loop. It’s amazing how much pressure the word “race” adds to a ride, even if there’s no one around you! I blasted up and down through the switchback sections to the pine forest trail section aptly named “Pine Pong.”

Pine Pong is one of those trails that takes intense concentration to ride quickly. There’s a ton of wheel and body movement and any slight miscalculation could easily knock you off the bike without a moment’s notice. Early on I dropped my chain and dismounted for the third time to get things back on track. Soon after I got a bit of a scare when I scraped my shoulder against a tree but it wasn’t quite enough to toss me off the bike.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 20 minutes something which seemed decent (the time keeper asked if I had done the long or short loop which is a good sign I suppose). Initially I was anxious to find out how my time compared to everyone else but after cooling down I realized it didn’t really matter. Time trails like this are really about racing against yourself and seeing how you stack up against the trail when you give it everything you’ve got. By that measure I have some room to improve for next time but I had a blast going all out!

photo by Keri Kahn courtesy USACycling.org.

The USA Cycling National Mountain Biking Championships were held a couple weeks ago at SolVista resort near Granby, CO and the headlines that followed in local newspapers around the country say it all: “Garage Door Technician Wins National Downhill Championship,” and “Essex County Mom Wins National Mountain Biking Competition.” If you weren’t a mountain biker you might get the idea that the competition isn’t very serious (it is) or that there’s a single national champ for each event (there isn’t). Either way, the USA Cycling National MTB Championships are fairly unique in that almost anyone has a chance to stand on the podium. Here’s a look at what it takes to be crowned an MTB National Champ.

Qualification

For most races at the MTB Nationals, riders must qualify before lining up at the start. There are essentially 7 qualifying event types held throughout the year including state championships where the top riders from each event/category/class get a spot. Short track XC, single speed XC, and super D competitors are not required to qualify – just show up and at the end of the week you might be crowned best in the nation!

Single Race Determines the Winner

The MTB Nationals are not part of a point series so whoever crosses the line first during the race is crowned the National Champ. Some events like 4-cross and short track may hold qualifying heats while others like XC go off in a single race. Of course this single event, all or nothing format can cause some riders to make risky decisions as this article about the SolVista bike patrol point out. The format also doesn’t account for individual riders’ schedules, illness, mechanical failures, etc. so the season’s strongest riders may not always be represented on the podium.

Categories Galore

This is where the racing and titles get complicated and it shows how an amateur rider like the mom from New Jersey can be crowned national champion. Like most races, there are age group categories in each event, some with as many as 7 age groups not including masters and juniors.

Beyond age group categories there are also classes based on rider ability. Serious racers are probably already familiar with the classes (PRO, I, II, and III) and each class typically has its own race with appropriate course lengths and difficulty. So the mom from New Jersey is actually the “Women’s Cat III 30-39 Cross Country National Champion” which doesn’t really lend itself to a reasonable headline. The garage door tech actually gets a slightly more impressive title: “Men’s Cat I 25-29 Downhill National Champion.”

Of course there have been and always will be complaints about how USA Cycling crowns its champs so it’s helpful to at least understand the pros and cons of the current system. Start training now and you should have a decent shot at lining up at the Nationals next year!