MOB Racing

East Village Crit

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

We wrapped up the road campaign this past weekend at the East Village crit. It was a bit overcast, and on the cool side but otherwise a great day for racing. There were 33 (all strong) riders giving it a go, including Eric and myself (Ben had a family commitment).

As soon as we took off the pace skyrocketed, with the aid of a big downhill, and never really seemed to slow up all that much. The course was pretty much down one side of the hill, a couple turns, then back up the hill on the other side. The uphill was in two sections the first section was a bit steeper and shorter then a right hander into a slightly longer but more gradual grade.

The plan, as usual, was to stay towards the front, out of traffic, and see what shakes down. Maybe I'd try something up the hill as the lap counter got low. A few laps in, with my "gravitational advantage" down the hill, I had made it to the front and took a quick, short lived flier. Nothing doing. It really seemed unsure of who was gonna make a move and who if anyone would go with. Several riders were looking real strong throughout the afternoon.

About 3/4 the way through the race I got alongside Eric who asked me how his rear wheel looked. I ducked behind him, it looked okay, like it was running true, so I relayed that message to him and again tried to advance closer to the front. With two laps to go, I was on the front and went pretty hard, I looked back at the top of the incline and I had only a short gap to Tim Putnam for NI Spin who was coming up quick with a full head of steam.

Coming down the finishing stretch with one lap to go, there was a prime to be had, but Tony Muse from Rassy's got ahead of me just before the line to take it, and with his acceleration got out in front. I was trying hard to keep contact and a couple other riders came around me after the downhill section. As we got up the hill and around the final right, everything I had was good enough for 7th, as Tim edged me right at the line.

Afterwards, turns out someone had bumped into Eric's rear wheel turning the brake caliper into the rim and causing it to drag on the rim. So he finished the last 6 or 8 laps with the disadvantage and managed a 20th spot out of 33. That is a big testament to his strength. That hill was hard enough without dragging brakes.

If my tallies are correct, between the 3 of us, there were 14 top ten finishes, 2 finishes in the top 5, and 6 podiums. With only one minor crash (Eric at Old Capitol Crit) and the minor mechanical at East Village, it has been a largely successful year. With any luck, it will serve as a good stepping stone for next season.....Travis

Last call for MOB volunteers this weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:43:00 +0000

I've heard from one fellow MOBster about helping out with the race this weekend. I sure could use another helping hand or two on Sunday. Let me know if you are available and willing to help (even if you are racing, there are some things on Sunday that I could use some help getting set up or torn down). I just am trying to make final plans of who I have and what still needs to be covered.

Thanks. My cell is 515-205-4295.

And of course, it would be great to get as many MOB riders out on the trail in the race this Sunday as possible. '-]

Mass start is at 12 noon at Lake Ahquabi.

Clear Lake Bike, BBQ, and Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:15:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

Saturday, Eric Knox, Ben Acree, and myself competed in the crit held in Clear Lake in conjuction with the BBQ & Blues festival. 21 lined up and the pace was high from the git go. We really had no strategy going in, just stay to the front and out of trouble. And trouble was to be had.

About halfway through, on a righthander turning away from the lake, I was third wheel and behind me was the screeching of someone no longer upright. I knew it was going to be close to where Ben & Eric were and as I looked back it was a guy in blue on the pavement. Later, they said he went down right in front of them. Everyone heard it and the pace got wound up right away. A few laps go by, and again trouble struck. Right beside me, coming out of the left hand following the last incident, a U of I rider got his front wheel tangled up with an A9Y bike. Not sure exactly what happened to the U of I rider, but the A9Y guy drug his unpiloted bike quite a distance and couldn't shake it loose. He ended up pulling off to the outside curb to get untwisted.

Not long after that it all seemed to start breaking up. Tim Putnam form NI Spin and Rick Noyes from ICCC and I kamikaze'd a couple corners in a row together to find that we were away from everyone else. We worked well trying to stay away and with two laps to go we knew we had it, but wouldn't let off the gas. Turning into the wind on the final lap along the lake, Tim put in an acceleration that I couldn't immediately match. I caught back on after the last turn into the final incline finishing straight but at the bottom of the hill they started laying more power down and there wasn't much left for me but to watch them go.

I was happy with 3rd, and a beer prime. Ben snuck in a prime as well getting some socks and finishing 8th. Eric rolled in 10th making it 3 top tens on the day for the MOB.

Sunday morning brought on overcast skies and rain threatening on the radar, but a total of 28 Cat 4 riders dared to give it a go anyway. As the three MOBsters were getting loose, we talked a bit of stragtegy. We decided after Tim Putnam's win in Cedar Rapids the previous weekend and a strong showing in the crit, I would be his shadow all day long. Happy to say that we only got a few sprinkles out on the course, about 2/3 of the way through.

A nice long neutral rollout got us going but it was on as soon as we hit the actual start. Right away Rassmusen (who was well represented) sent two off the front. They didn't get too far out and I found myself on the front of the pack. It was pretty early so I wasn't going to kill it to catch them right away. They might have gotten a maximum of 10 seconds when one, then two, then more came around me to catch them. I sat in towards the back, and watched another Rassmussen guy go. Again a gap formed and someone got nervous to go chase him down. This happened again and again. It never seemed to be the same one chasing them down.

The boys in black did a fine job of bullying everyone around, and nobody would let them get out and dangle to beat themselves up BEFORE chasing them down. At one point I was in the middle of the pack, Ben was on front not chasing a Rassy guy hard, when the rider ahead of me hollered "what the hell, are the MOBster's working for Rassy's?". We just figured let them hurt themselves one by one, then go get them.

I pulled alongside Tim, who I never did let out of my range, he said we were just past half way, and the rollers ahead would work for the pack getting the current Rassy fly away back. Around a turn, another Rassy guy went just before a hill with a left trun at the top. I had made my way back to the front and spun a pretty good effort starting about 3/4 the way up the hill and as I got around the turn, Tim pulled through and I looked back to see that He, I, and Rick from Saturday had a small gap and as I was back on the front again I pulled real hard to see what would happen.

I fell back into line and Tim relayed we had a Rassy guy with us as well. After my next pull, Rassy guy wouldn't pull through, and he had no reason to do so, and that move was history. I dropped to the back of the pack and just hung out a bit and got some gel down. When everyone got situated after the final turn on beautiful new pavement I made my way to the front where Eric was dragging everyone into the wind. I thought I was feeling good, so I said we would get it going from there on in.

I put in a pretty serious effort for what seemed like a long time but only maybe lasted 60-90 seconds or so. I pull over to let followers around and Eric leads the charge saying we had a few miles to go yet. I look back to see the whole group single file moving right along. I got in line 6 or 8 riders back and recovered well, and we passed a very animated traffic marshall letting us know we were down to 1 mile to go. I went inside to see that a Rassy guy was starting to go a bit, followed by someone in white, and then I got in third wheel.

I sat behind them only a few seconds and put in everything I had left. I never looked down or back, just head down, full steam ahead. The finish line wasn't approaching quickly enough and I just sensed a mass from behind. As the back of the pack got around me the field sprint took off. I was cheering on Ben and Eric, but I was far enough back they probably couldn't hear me. At the end Eric was just nudged out of 3rd and Ben was 8 again. I eased on over the line second to last.

"Mob the Quab" is once again on the 2009 IMBCS XC race schedule...

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Just an early shout out to all MOBsters to make sure you put August 9th on your calendars for the Lake Ahquabi "Mob the Quab!" XC race. It is the IMBCS #7 XC race for the 2009 season.

This year will run a lot smoother than last year (which went pretty well as it was) because I have learned from the experience. The trail is in good shape. I am posting this a month early in hopes of getting some volunteers to help out with the actual race. And to get interest from other MOB racers to come out and race. I haven't seen too many MOBsters out this season at other mountain biking events. It would be nice to get a few more out there.

The start/finish line will be different this year (and easier) as it will be a mass start for all groups and the final climb to the finish line will give those doing the timing plenty of time to see number plates and enter the information. I will not mark the course in such an anal fashion as last year to save on set up and take down time. We'll cut back on the food and drink a bit to keep it all simple and easy. I'll come up with something, but last year's spread was overkill.

Here's the website of the race with all of the details. Let me know if you would be willing to volunteer on some level. Timers, course marshals, registration, clean-up crew, etc... are up for grabs. My wife and kids (and a couple of their friends) will make up the core of the volunteer base.

I'm off to the WORS race in Chippewa Falls this weekend. After a late start to my training and the XC race season, I am finally feeling like I am in form for racing. I raced my first ever Minnesota Off Road Series last weekend at Mt. Kato outside of Mankato, MN. It was a beautiful course and perfect weather (80 degrees and low humidity with a nice cool breeze). It was tough with 130 sport racers to jockey for position on the starting line with all of the call ups (top 5 in every age group got to go to the front), but I really enjoyed the course and the competition.

I haven't posted any race reports this year, but so far this season:

Bone Bender 3 Hour - 4/18 [DNF due to mud]
IMBCS #3 - 5/31 Banner Lakes [DNF tubeless valve broke]
IMBCS #4 - 6/7 Morehead Pioneer Park [6th Place CAT 2 Open]
Psycowpath #5 - 6/20 Ponca's Revenge [14th Place CAT 2 Open]
MNSCS #4 - 6/28 Bluff Riders Charge [56th Place CAT 2 Overall (130 racers!!!); 9th Place CAT 2 45-49]

At Mt. Kato last Sunday's race...

The MOB at the Memorial Day Races

noreply@blogger.com (MOB Racing) — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:22:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

Snake Alley Criterium

The Snake kicked our butts once again this year. We got there plenty early and enjoyed a beautiful morning watching some of the early races, even my oldest got in on the action in the kids race.

Eric Knox and I rolled out to warm up and wouldn't you know it, clouds rolled in and light rain began falling. We lined up and went hellbent for election with the starting whistle. As we approached the Snake, I got a bit timid and people got around me easily, but I didn't fall back too far. On the backside, just tried bombing it to gain position, but everyone else had the same idea.

After a couple laps, I was out of contention, but wouldn't let myself believe it. I just kept forcing the pedals over, and somewhere around the 5th or 6th time up, several riders and either crashed, or unclipped and started pushing, and after I navigated around them, it gave me more motivation to keep digging in.

Somewhere around lap 9 or 10 I was just in survival mode. It ended up that they started pulling riders right after I crossed the s/f line on the bell lap so I ended up 2nd to last on the lead lap.

Post race, as we watched the podium, Eric told me he was fried after 3 or 4 laps, but he wasn't very far back at the end. As much as it hurt, and as much as I curse that thing, it is still one of my favorite races I have done, and if all goes well, I'll be there next year again trying to beat the bricks again.

Melon City Criterium

It was my first time dong the Melon City Crit, and to be honest, when I heard it is held in a place called "Weed Park" I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was. A beautiful, family friendly venue for a race.

As I did a warmup lap, I find that at the bottom of the sweeping left hander hill, there is a speed bump that we get to go over. I know I lack good handling skills, so I start getting psyched out a bit. I just tried to remember to hit it square every time and I would be fine. Ben Acree made it over to join Eric and I, and we got in a good warmup before singing Greased Lighting on the s/f line to calm nerves.

We took off and immediately the pace was high. The leg burn set in right away, but nearly everyone else raced the day before too, so their legs were no better I thought. After a couple laps riding near the front, someone got out a bit ahead, so on the downhill I kept in the throttle and caught and passed him but took another rider with me on my wheel.

I knew it was too early, and I was too sore to make it stick, so I sat up, and as I did, the entire field swept past. I kept contact in the back and hovered there for a couple laps, before making my way into the middle.

Halfway through the race, I was shifting form little to big ring and it overthrew to the outside. I remembered advice given to me after the Twin Bing RR when it dropped, to keep spinning and shift back and it will thread back on. I kept my composure and it did. However, on the next shift, it did it again, so when it got back on and onto the big ring again, I decided not to shift out of it again. It was only a factor after the super sharp right turn at the top of the hill where you lose alot of speed before the decline into the finish.

Eric and I both kinda floated around in the pack into the final laps. I got a bit aggressive and took a chance cutting to the far right on the climb and made it near the front with only the sharp right to negotiate before the finish. A rider got inside of me going into the turn, and the rider about a half bike length ahead of me took a gamble around the corner and went down, but was far enough outside that it didn't affect me.

Ended up coming across in 9th, Eric was midpack and Ben's lungs gave out midway. Good times were had by all.

MOBsters that like to get dirty...

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Contributed by Bruce Brown

It's time to RACE!!!

All of you dirt loving MOBsters must not miss this weekend's unique XC dirt opportunity. The event is CITA's Summerset Shootout. It's the next IMBCS race for the 2009 season and I know I've been itching to race. There is nothing like this trail in the Midwest as it is very unique due to being built on an old abandoned coal strip mine. Last year's flooding prevented the grand opening of the north side and the park was under water most of the summer due to the heavy flooding. Things have dried up and it is now set to officially open this week with signage being put up and the inaugural race on this singletrack will be Sunday, May 31st. The park is about 5 or 6 miles south of Southridge Mall in Des Moines on Highway 65/69

I did a lot of canopy trimming this week helping to get things ready so everyone doesn't get whacked in the face all day long. Since Cat 2's will do 4 laps, I went out today and did 4 laps to see what the pacing is like. Quite a few riders were out practicing and learning the trails which was great as it helps bed this new singletrack in and gets it ready for next weekend's race. There are no big hills, but a lot of very short steep climbs scattered throughout the north side. Switchbacks, jumps, banked curves, off-camber balancing acts and twisty turns. The south side of the course at Summerset State Park is flat, fast and fun.

There are a lot of thorns, so run tubeless or have slime in your tubes. And bring your mosquito repellent. You won't need it while racing, but if you stop for more than 30 seconds in this State Park - the critters will attack.

I hope to see some dirt loving team members there. CITA has done an excellent job of creating some of the most unique singletrack you will ever get the chance to ride.

BB

Finchford Roubaix Road Race

noreply@blogger.com (MOB Racing) — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Contributed by Ben Acree

Well, the race was Saturday May 9th in Finchford Iowa, approximately 15 miles north of Waterloo. It was a windy and mostly overcast day, which made for cooler temps to race in. The usual suspects of Eric Knox, Travis Jass and myself (Ben Acree) made the 2 hour drive over for the race, thanks for driving me over Travis, needed that extra hour of sleep to be worth anything on the bike. Just 14 hours earlier I was in Las Vegas where it was 95 degrees. Back in Finchford, the race course was a 5 mile loop, which we did 7 laps of. There were 23 in the category 4 group. Really enjoyed the course, nice short loop, not too hilly, the wind certainly played a role in the race. Eric and Travis both took a couple of fliers during the race but the wind really wasn't going to let any individual really get away for too long. In short, the main group stayed together right up to the end. The last half of the lap finished into a very strong head wind, which seemed to have worsened as the race progressed. In the last 3/4 mile of the race and into the headwind, Travis went to the front and stretched the pack out, dropping some off the back. Travis mentioned that the wind and the finally incline to the finish line really spent him. Eric was able to tuck in behind Travis for a nice lead out to finish 4th and Travis rolling in to finish in 5th place. I came in few minutes back in 12th. Congrats on the top 10 finish Eric and Travis. Check out the pics and yes that is prize money in the envelopes. Eric and Travis are now able to retire comfortably with there winnings. I am sure there is more to come this summer.

Jacobson Finishes TransIowa!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:31:00 +0000

Let's start of by saying TransIowa is a tough race. It is so tough that in some years, no one can finish it.

In the early days, it actually ran from west to east on a 300+ mile all gravel route. That proved to be a logistical nightmare, and now the race runs in a big-ass 300+ mile loop!

This was the fifth running of TransIowa. Paul Jacobson has been there for four of them. This was to be his first TransIowa finish.

Don't get me wrong. Like I said, this is a tough race. 340 miles in 30 hours is brutal. Have you done it lately?

Congratulations Paul. You made the MOB proud!

Twin Bing Classic

noreply@blogger.com (MOB Racing) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:52:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

Just checking in with a quick race report from the Twin Bing Classic on Saturday. Ben Acree, Eric Knox, and myself made the journey to Climbing Hill (kinda intimidating namesake) where we opened the 09 outdoor race season.

We rolled off the start line and in about 1/2 mile my chain dropped on a little to big ring shift. Not a good way to open the season. I tacked onto the back pretty quickly and basically sucked wheel for the first half of the first lap. A few riders popped out the back here and there and I could see ahead that Eric was on the front.

I worked up in the pack to Ben and not long after reaching him he cramped and advised me to go on ahead. I prowled around the back of the main field into the second lap before totally bombin it on one of the downhills all the way up to the front with Eric. He said he was feeling ok (even though it looked to me as if he had been doing the lion's share of the work) so I wound the pace up hoping he could just sit in long enough to recover to be able to make a move at the end.

We turned into the wind southbound about 4 miles north of town and the pace just fell flat on it's face. What was left of the main group stuck together until we turned to go thru town one last time en route to the uphill finish. A handful of riders spun it up and there was little I could do but watch them ride away.

I gave it everything I had left but got around only one rider on the finishing hill. Ended up 6th, Eric 8th, full results here. We're really happy with a couple top tens this early in the season. I remember the last two years opening two weeks later at Altoona, and never having this good of result or feeling as good afterwards as I did this weekend. Maybe all the mundane hours on Kreitlers this winter really worked. Only time will tell later on this season, gonna be a fun summer.....Travis

fender season...

noreply@blogger.com (robvrstgh) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:27:00 +0000

is most definitely the best time of year. breaking out the fenders means that you're riding in water, mud, salt and sand. which means you are NOT riding on snow, ice, salt and sand. fender season usually visits us in march, but i'll take these past few days of february bliss. even if it's gonna be nasty again soon, the sneak peak of fender season we have been experiencing is a welcome reprieve from the running, snowshoeing and pugsley riding routine of the past 90+ days. it's funny how, when it's 45 degrees in february, it feels like a day of RAGBRAI. when it's 55 degrees in february it feels like racing at 7 oaks in august?

i hope you all made the most of the best time of the year? and if not, it will be back. hopefully sooner than later........

2009 is alive...

noreply@blogger.com (robvrstgh) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:08:00 +0000

so, i figure it's about time someone comes out of the dark recesses of winter and starts posting on the MOB blog. i hope i'm not the only one. my life isn't that exciting. but who's is, really?

'08 was a blur, and i'm sure this year is soon to follow. but, in the meantime, there are bikes to be ridden (raced?) and fun to be had. look for it. it's everywhere. fun, that is.

with my 'racing' goals set on cross this year, you shouldn't expect to hear any serious posts from ME for months.....no watts, heart rates, training plans blah blah blah. but i WILL scribble about the shenanigans on the bike. there will be plenty. long, dusty gravel rides. pub crawls and the general fun-having on two wheels. with some luck, some poor sap from the team is spending 20+ hours a week on a trainer in his basement. if so, maybe THEY have stories to tell? anyone? it's getting boring here.........

Versteegh Gets Bronze at Iowa Cyclocross State Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:39:00 +0000

It was a beautiful day for Cyclocross. The AllNineYards team had set up a new course in Altoona, and that course got good reviews by everyone. The weather was great, with temperatures in the 70s.

With the good weather, and state championships on the line, the parking lot was full of racers. There was over 40 racers in the cat 4s, which is pretty good for Iowa. Scott Sumpter competed in this class for MOB Racing finishing in 25th.

There was also a good turnout for the Seniors, with around 30 racers toeing the line in the+ 35 and the + 45 classes. Both Sean Myers and and Jeff Farrell competed in the +45 class for MOB Racing, finishing in 15th and 16th place respectively.

The highlight of the day was the was the "A" race. Sure there was the battle for 1-2 with Brian Eppen and Tony Nichols (Brian would win by a wheel in the end). But the highlight for me was watching Rob Versteegh come from behind after spraining his ankle on a barrier in the second lap and falling to nearly last place. After a time out for a little soul searching, he then went on a RAMPAGE, and passed nearly the whole field to finish 7th overall, and third in the Cat 3 competition! Congratulations Rob on the bronze medal!

Capitol City Cyclocross

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:17:00 +0000

Contributed by Rob Versteegh

The first annual Capitol City Cross is in the books. Racers were met with beautiful weather and good times both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night saw a great ‘after party’ at the Bike Collective in down town Des Moines. Overall a fantastic weekend to kick off Iowa Cyclocross in 2008. We had 14 FIRST TIME RACERS! Great to see some new faces out there. A huge thanks to Mark Guthart, as always, for officiating both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, September 27 results

JUNIORS
1. vance fletcher
2. tyler rushing

WOMENS
1. jane riessen
2. kim Hopkins
3. Kristin reese

SINGLE SPEED
1. dennis grelk
2. taylor webb
3. kim west
4. kyle sedore
dnf matt gumm

MASTER 30-39
1. steve bullerman
2. brent hauser
3. mike Johnson

MASTER 40-49
1. scott robinson
2. sean myers
3. jeff Ferrell
4. kim west

MASTERS 50+
1. landon beachy
2. paul varnum
3. Richard gilmone
4. Paul Buchanan

CAT 4
1. mike Morrison
2. jeff kluck
3. Nathan kullbom
4. Carl Buchanan
5. Dave mable
6. Mike Johnson
7. Jacob oyen
8. Rich wince
9. Jason plunkett
10. Brent linn
11. Kurt benson
12. Scott Wilson
13. Robert moural
14. Scott duffus
15. Chad pierce
16. Adam Buchanan
17. Paul Jensen
18. Kale halder
19. Chris cornelison
20. Scott sumpter
21. Jesse gerlits

CAT 1/2/3
1. bryan moritz
2. lane Anderson
3. rob versteegh
4. kyle sedore
5. steve robinson
6. gary mcnabb
7. matt gumm
8. bruce reese
9. taylor webb

Sunday, September 28 results

JUNIOR
1. vance fletcher

WOMEN
1. Brittany mcconnell
2. Jane riessen
3. Kim Hopkins
4. Michelle pohlmeyer

SINGLE SPEED
1. andy lueck
2. james hopson
3. taylor webb
4. scott Wilson
5. kim west

MASTER 30-39
1. brent hauser

Master 40-49
1. dominic moranic
2. randall crist
3. david hammer
4. brian farrell
5. jeff Farrell
dnf scott robinson

Master 50+
1. james hopson
2. landon beachy

CAT 4
1. jeff kluck
2. rich wince
3. nate kullbom
4. rick Thompson
5. john peters
6. carl Buchanan
7. dave mable
8. Jacob oyen
9. Mark hasler
10. Mike Johnson
11. Keith snoop
12. Brent linn
13. David vander horst
14. Jim white
15. Kurt benson
16. Stephen brown
17. Scott sumpter
18. Robert moural
19. Jeff Corcoran
20. Adam Buchanan
21. Jesse gerlits
22. Kale halder
23. Paul Jensen
24. Paul Buchanan
Dnf Andrew greene
Dnf jory conor

CAT 1/2/3
1. ryan legg
2. Kevin mcconnell
3. Kyle sedore
4. Jason landretti
5. steve bullerman
6. bryan moritz
7. steve robinson
8. matt gumm
9. andy lueck
10. bruce reese
11. rob versteegh

Thanks to ALL the racers and spectators for making this event happen! The urban setting of McCrae park was a perfect place for a spectator friendly venue. A HUGE thanks to our sponsors: old maine brewery, bikes to you, bikeworld, kyle’s bikes, rasmussens, BIKEIOWA.COM, the lift, vaudeville mews, quality inn and suites.

See you next week in Newton for Cross out Crohns 2008. Sunday, October 5.

What? MOBster Brownie on the podium 2 races in a row? Say it isn't so...

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:25:00 +0000

Now before anyone gets too excited - let me explain the confluence of events which led to me making the podium 2 races in a row. This confluence occured, in spite of my building for a season ending peak with my training the last 5 weeks. When the wind is right. When the stars are in alignment. When the big guns don't show up for the race. When my legs are rested and ready to rock... With all of this in the best of all possible worlds, it is possible.

Also let me say that I am very impressed with the results listed below from other MOBsters at various events. It's been a good season for many, that's for sure.

IMBCS #8 Science Center TT was held on Sunday, September 7th in Des Moines. A few of the big guns in the series points contenders for the sport open category were no shows at this race. This opened the door for me to turn a good lap on my Sugar 293 and shoot for a podium spot in the open category. I managed to turn the best lap and snag 1st place points in the sport open category. Sounds more impressive than it was, but when the stars are in alignment - you run with it and don't ask questions, right?

The following weekend was a scheduled Psycowpath Race in the Nebraska series north of Lincoln at Branched Oak Recreation Area #7. 3 days of rain before the race caused the obvious reschedule for a week later on my 47th birthday, September 20th. The reschedule meant I would be doing a Psycowpath race on Saturday and the IMBCS Sugar Bottom Scramble on Sunday for a weekend of back to back racing. I had to go with the full suspension Sugar for the weekend to keep my 47 year old body from failing. ;-)

The stars were in alignment again as the 3 big guns in the sport open series in Nebraska were no shows for the rescheduled race date. This left the race open to the rest of us in the top 10 in series points to grab some points. The loop was 2.9 miles with some nice climbing and technical challenges due to the erosion and ruts from the heavy rain season this year. Sport Open was slated to do 6 laps. The race began with a one mile gravel road climb where we managed to form a pace line right off the bat to dig and pull ourselves up the climb as a mass of huffing and puffing wannabe racers. I managed to jump into the singletrack in 4th position and moved to 3rd during the first 1/2 of lap #1. Categories started only a minute apart, so by the end of lap #1 - nobody knew who was in what category anymore as the course was crowded with lots of passing going on during the entire race due to the short 2.9 mile loop and all the racers out on the course.

I had made the decision to keep a high cadence spin in an effort to pace myself for back to back races. I mashed pretty hard in lap 1 and lap 6, but kept a nice spinning pace in laps 2 through 5. In spite of that, these climbs had me at the edge of no return as they were not really steep, but they were sustained long climbs. Those climbs had me looking like this for most of the afternoon...

And when I did manage to look up on the climbs, I was in the cardio pain zone of open mouth drooling...

At one point, I managed to find myself in 2nd place as I passed Brandon Harpster (he's ahead of me in series points this year) when I saw him pulled over in lap 5 adding air to his rear wheel. He caught up to me in lap 6, but I couldn't hold his pace to stay with him to the line and crossed the line in 3rd place for my first ever podium finish in a Psycowpath event.

Crossing the line at the end of lap 6 spent, but not down and out...

Getting the medal and the gift certificate on the podium (me on the left, Andrew Keffer in the middle and Brandon Harpster on the right)...

September 20th, 2008 at the Branched Oak race:

1 Andrew Keffer
2 Brandon Harpster
3 Bruce Brown

Again - I'm not complaining when the right confluence of events takes place to allow a podium spot. It doesn't happen all that often - that's for sure.

I was right back to midpackitis on Sunday at Sugar Bottom where I finished 18th in Sport Open and 26th overall for the 50+ sport riders. Outside of the opening climb where I was unable to get the legs and lungs going to pass more than 2 on the gravel dust bowl race to the singletrack, I thought I rode well and had a good race. But we all know it is hard to do well when you go into the singletrack in about 40th position!!! However, I shaved off about 17 minutes over last years time (race times were running about 5 - 8 minutes faster over last year in all categories due to conditions and the route). So finishing at 2:04 was better than last year when I finished at 2:21. The course was in perfect shape and from my point of view it was the best I have ever seen Sugar Bottom. This year, the course was marked very well with no "which way do I go corners" out on the course. Everyone was pleased with that.

Over and out. It may be a long, long time before my next podium.....

Andrew Carney at the Vapor Trail 125 & Snowmass 12 Hr

noreply@blogger.com (Carney) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:43:00 +0000

I headed to Salida two weeks ago to ride in the Vapor Trail 125. At the start time of 10 PM about 50 of us headed into the darkness for upwards of 20,000 ft of climbing and 125 miles of some of the toughest trails around. By the time the sun came up we had ridden, pushed, and carried our bikes through abandoned mining towns and alpine boulder fields to 13,000 ft in below freezing temps....that was the first 45 miles. Here's some photos and the ride report in it's entirety can be found here.

Day break on Tomichi Pass

Finishing up an hour hike-a-bike at dawn

Then this past weekend, I headed to the Snowmass 12 hour put on by Nat Ross. Some of the race highlights were following Lance Armstrongs wheel on a long techy downhill, finishing 5th overall after racing the prior two weeks, and winning the Rocky Mountain Ultra Endurance Series overall for the season. The complete writeup along with more pictures can be found here.

The Snowmass course consisted of a rough 1600 ft mostly singletrack climb followed by an even rougher and technical decent.

Starting line, Lance is on the right (behind all the media)

Rolling through the pits

Yuki Saito and I on the podium for the Rocky Mountain Ultra Endurance Series overall points standings. (Myself 1st, Yuki 2nd)

Carney, Carney, Young, and Piepel Win at the Boone 24

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Mobsters Andrew Carney, Stephen Carney, Jubil Young, Matt Piepel, Rob Versteegh, Paul Jacobson, and Paul Varnum all took on the Boone 24 mountain bike race this weekend. Andrew was going for a 24 hour solo title, after having finished second to Squirrel last year. Stephen was competing in the 12 hour solo class while mending a broken hand. Jubil and Matt were back to defend their two man 24 hour title, having won that class in both 2006 and 2007. Rob was entered in the 12 hour solo class, fresh off of a successful Leadville 100 finish, and hoping to better his second place finish in the twelve hour class in last year's Boone 24. Paul and Paul were having fun in the 2 man 12 hour class.

With the team members being well spread thoughout the classes, that would mean many opportunities for MOB Racing wins.

The race pace started off fast for the leaders. After a while that started to take a toll on some, with several dropping out from heat related ailments.

Rob Versteeg was one of those that was taken out by the heat. After three laps Rob had to stop with heat related issues. He later went out and did a few more laps, but the heat had done its damage.

The Pauls went out with the intention of having fun. Paul Varnum was a little too busy having fun, so Paul Jacobson had to carry the team to a third place finish, completing 4 of the 6 laps for the team.

Stephen Carney won the 12 hour solo race with 11 laps, beating Trevor Rockwell and John Wright by a full lap! All with the previously mentioned broken hand.

Jubil Young and Matt Piepel won the 2 person 24 hour class by at least two laps. They had such a wide lead going into the night that were able to get some sleep and finshed off the race in the morning with plenty left in the tank.

Finally, Andrew Carney won the big prize, the 24 hour solo! Andrew won the race by following his own pace, and letting the race come to him. He resisted the urge to chase the early leaders, and instead rode at a pace that he could sustain for the whole race. He was in 5th place through 5 laps, moved to 3rd after 6 laps, was second after 8 laps, and took the lead on the ninth lap at 8 o'clock at night, and stayed in the lead for the rest of the race. He won the race with 18 total laps, besting Jesse Bergman by two laps, and Matt Gersib by three laps.

Congratulations to all on a great race!

Here are a few pictures from the race:

The MOB mobs ColorBiotics' Brent Hauser at the starting line.

Rob Versteegh putting in another lap.

It didn't matter whether it was the first lap or the 15th, Andrew Carney looked strong.

Paul Jacobson carried "Team Paul".

Stephen Carney on his way to winning the 12 hour race.

Matt Piepel looking strong

Jubil came down from the mountains for the race.

The top three chat about the race afterwards. From left Jesse Bergman, Andrew Carney, and Matt Gersib.

Jass and Knox Win Iowa Games Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:56:00 +0000

MOBsters Travis Jass and Eric Knox took on the 26 mile Iowa Games Road Race last weekend, and both brought home gold medals in their respective age groups. They also finished 1st (Jass), and 2nd (Knox) overall. Congratulations Travis and Eric!

Their individual race reports follow:

Contributed by Travis Jass

I Met up with Eric and Ben Acree before the race. We really had no strategy going in. After the short roll out, the pack just kinda stuck together for the longest time. As we came into the first big hill near Pilot Mound, I knew Eric was in the pack so I planned to attack at the top of the hill and told Ben just to sit in and let others pull them up trying to break up the pack.

I took off halfway up and got a good solo gap on the field. I was away for awhile and looked back to see the entire field coming. I decided instead of dangling off the front trying to ride the pack apart, I sat up and let them catch me.

We kept going along and nobody really attacked or fell out of the pack. It was just a big clump rolling along. Side note: on our weekly rides I have learned that Ben and Eric can dust me in any sprint. So as we came up on the water plant hill I thought I'd try it again and there would be a long enough stretch afterwards that either they could get pulled along and out sprint everyone else or it would be short enough that I could hold on long enough myself.

After a near miss with a stray tandem, I took off again and climbed with everything I had. As I got to the top I heard another bike behind me and swore under my breath that I couldn't break it up enough. Without turning around I yelled back "how many are we" and I get a familiar voice saying "It's just you and me now". It was Eric!

We went around a couple curves I was recovering on his wheel to look back and see a chase coming for us. I pulled through and was feeling pretty good so I just kept going and checking the shadow to make sure he was still with me. Just inside the 1k to go sign, I heard Eric say we had it. So we rolled through the finish line 1-2, and we are different age groups so we both brought home gold.

Contributed by Eric Knox

Mobsters Travis Jass and I competed in the 26mile road race in Boone on Sunday. We began with a rolling start with fellow Fort Dodger and training partner Ben Acree. The field stayed together most of the race. With approximately 2 miles to go, we started up a long painful climb,

Travis jumped out for the attack and I followed, riding his wheel to the top. When we got to the top, we realized we had created quite a gap. Travis and I worked together on the final kilometer, with Travis setting a blistering pace that held our lead to the end. We took home 1st and 2nd, with both of us taking gold in our age respective groups. Ben took 4th in the 30-39 age group.

All together a great day for racing, and dream breakaway in the final climb to made it oh so sweet.

MOB the 'quab

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:57:00 +0000

MOB team member Bruce Brown made his debut into mountain bike race promotion this Past Sunday with the "MOB the 'quab" mountain bike race at Lake Aquabi state park just south of Indianola.

The event and the course were a huge success with all of the racers. There were many comments about how great it was to have a fast, wide open alternative to single track races. This also brought out a few new faces, which is a good way to build up the sport in central Iowa.

Just because the race was fast and open didn't mean it was easy. There was enough climbing in each lap to make a mountain goat happy.

After the race everyone was treated to a great lunch, and a very generous swag table.

Congratulations Bruce on putting on a great event!

Full results follow.

Expert Open Team Time

1 Cam Kirkpatrick Rasmussen Bike Shop / Orbea 2:05:16
2 Jay Chesterman Powerade / Independent Fabrication 2:17:10
3 Matt Gersib Monkey Wrench / Salsa 2:24:08
4 Chris Hansen Bikes 2 You 2:29:54

Expert Master Team Time

1 Greg Shimonek Midwest Cycling Community 2:14:40
2 Chad VandeLune All Nine Yards 2:23:37
3 Brad Patty 2:34:29
4 Landon Beachy Bike Tech 2:51:01
5 Kim West All Nine Yards 2:58:46

Single Speed Team Time

1 Kent Carlson Rasmussen Bike Shop 1:18:32
2 Kyle Sedore Mercy / Specialized 1:28:43
3 Aarin Rabhett Team Monkey Taco 1:35:00
4 Taylor Webb Mercy / Specialized 1:41:46

Sport Open Team Time

1 Nathan Kullbom 1:27:19
2 Adam Blake DQYDJ 1:27:59
3 Brad Bergman 1:28:20
4 Neil Groteuschon 1:29:20
5 Keith Snoop HBA Racing 1:32:08
6 Bruce Brown MOB Racing 1:38:30
7 Andy Percy 1:47:12
8 Matt Piepel MOB Racing 1:50:28

Sport Masters 35+ Team Time

1 Andre Lima Coroas Do Cerrado 1:32:37
2 WM Huntberger D.I.C.E. 1:33:55
3 Scott Sumpter MOB Racing 1:38:17
4 Steve Fuller Rasmussen Bike Shop 1:41:47
5 Doug Faber DNF

Sport Masters 45+ Team Time

1 Randy Crist Velo Veloce 1:28:52
2 Jim Logan Rasmussen Bike Shop 1:32:25
3 Phil Curran DICE 1:34:00
4 Jim Pratt Color Biotics 1:50:58
5 Paul Varnum MOB Racing 1:54:51
6 Sterling Hiese Rasmussen Bike Shop 2:03:48
7 Dan Rekemeyer DNF

Sport Women Open Team Time

1 Kim Hopkins All Nine Yards 1:52:40
2 Kristin Reese All Nine Yards 1:58:53

Beginner Men Team Time

1 Rick Blackford Rasmussen Bike Shop 32:48
2 Kurt Benson 33:05
3 Bryce Gilbert 35:12

Beginner Women Team Time

1 Julie Vardaman 36:52
2 Elaine Kay 42:28

Young Wins at CrankWorx Colorado

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Contributed by Jubil Young

Super Downhill is FUN!! The course really played to my strengths of fast sprinting on the climbs and super fast bermed downhill sections. The All mountain super D had just under 10 minutes of climbing and 15 min of descending.

The race started with a technical 5 minute climb on which I blew by the competitors on their squishy 6"+ travel bikes and on the 40mph downhill road section that followed they gained some time on me. Once back on the single track I felt more at home and laid it all out to maintain my position to take the win.

I wasnt planning on racing the Super Downhill because I wanted to save money so I could race the XC, however, I had to much fun in the first race so I withdrew from the XC to race the next SuperD. In the SuperD we had a lemans start and I out sprinted everyone to my bike and climbed to the singletrack in first place.

Immediately, on the ST I hit a loose rock and my front end washed out costing me 2 positions. From 3rd I felt better because I could see the lines of the riders ahead of me but I kept getting too close and the dust obstructed my view. I couldnt hold my line around a berm, mainly because it came up so fast when I couldnt see, and had to bail over the edge.

This put me clear back in the back of the pack, 7th out of 8 riders, and I knew that I had to make up some time on the next short climb. The climb came right after a flat, non-bermed 90 degree corner which was perfect to attack from. Once I cleared the corner I went to attack and the rider directly infront of me dismonted and I couldnt avoid hitting him. I may or may not have said some foul words.

I hoped back on the my bike after putting the chain back on and got on the pedals hard. I sprinted up the entire 1/4 mile climb out of my saddle and passed 4 riders to move into 3rd. From there I had to race to hold off the guy behind me and to try and catch the 2nd place dude.

The terrain was filled with bermed corners, 2 foot drops, and a 5 consecutive 30 mph ladder drops which were tought to tackle on my 5 inch travel Trek fuel in comparison to my competitors squishy bikes. I actually opened my gap on the rider behind me but didnt have enough trail to catch the guy ahead of me so I took 3rd.

Check out the results here: http://crankworxcolorado.com/index.html

. . . and the pictures here: http://crankworxcolorado.com/photos.html

Andrew Carney Races at Breck 100

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:18:00 +0000

Contributed by Andrew Carney

Here's how it all went down,

Loop 1: 29 miles - 3,560 vert - 3:30

6:00 AM rolled around pretty quickly race morning and the race was off with a neutral roll-out through Breck. The temperature was fairly cold and most people were wearing fairly full thermals. However I simply relied on my German/Iowan roots and shrugged it off as "meh...it's not THAT cold". After the roll-out, the first 5 miles were a roughly 3,000 ft climb up over the Breck Ski area and over Wheeler Pass. As soon as we were on the gravel climb people started to take off like it was a 2 hr race....silly people. I simply got my HR in the zone of 155-160 and sat in. Before too long I started to spin past people who were already wheezing for air....silly people. After hiking through 2 small snowfields below Wheeler Pass we made it to the saddle at 12,460 ft and the first decent began....yippie! The trail was picture perfect high alpine singletrack... 5 in wide, rocky and steep! Somehow, during the course of the climb, most people forgot how to descend and I watched about 3 people dive over the bars in the first 500 yards of the descent....silly people. I shredded the gnar for about 2,000 ft down to Copper and hopped on the paved trail running to Frisco...time to EAT!!! I shoved down about 500 calories of powerbar (smoothie flavor....mmm), gels, etc. I knew the trail from Frisco back to Breck was fast and I wouldn't be able to eat much, so I made up for it with breakfast #2 on the paved trail. Made it back to Breck feeling strong. I knew the 2nd and 3rd loops were tougher, so I rode at a super conservative pace. Rolled into carter park while just starting to regain feeling in my ice block feet (hiking through snow at 12,000 ft at 7 AM and then descending 3,000 isn't exactly the warmest of activities) I swapped bottles and rolled out on Lap #2.

Loop numero dos: 32 miles - 4,268 vert - 3:27

Loop two started out with about a 1,500 ft singletrack climb that was on parts of the Firecracker course. I knew where the difficult parts were, which helped, but I was still riding at a conservative pace and shoving the food and liquids down by the handful. After the Flume climb (I think that's what it's called) I descended on the nasty shale from the firecracker and actually knew the decent well enough to rail the corners and put some "free" time on those behind me. Next was a long fire road decent before riding part of the Colorado Trail. It was around this time when things started to just click perfectly. I'd been feeling great all day, but all of a sudden everything fell perfectly into place and I was in the friggin ZONE! A smile started to creep across my face and even though I was covered in sweat and out of breath, there was nowhere else I'd rater be. It was that perfect nirvana-like state you only get a few times a year...time to rage! Also around this time I was blinded by a blur of day-glow green and carbon as Kerkove passed me at warp 9. He would go on to win the 68 mile race....nice work! I turned up the pace a bit and finished up the 2nd lap feeling better than after the 1st.

Loop 3: 36 Miles - 4,321 vert - 4:25

Loop 3 started out with a roughly 2,000 ft climb up the fire road to Boreas Pass (check out the profile of lap 3 for a good chuckle). I was feeling amazing and really turned things up on the climb; I was even climbing faster than I did during the firecracker. Passing people left and right, feeling amazing. Even passing some team relay people and their "too perfectly clean for lap 3" bikes. At the top I started the decent and rode with a Mafia Racing guy for quite a bit before dropping him (I'm pretty sure they have the sweetest kits around, and they're sponsored by PBR...bonus!). I arrived at the halfway point in Como (think abandoned small town Iowa and that's Como). I topped off the bottles and quickly headed back out. The next few miles were flat gravel....my bread and butter.....I put some serious time on a few folks who couldn't quite figure out how to navigate washboard sections. I also think I'm immune to how mentally demoralizing a long flat gravel road can be to some folks...guess I'm just used to it. Anyway, this is where the "real" fun starts. I was riding fast, feeling good and wanting to hit the last pass with nothing left in the legs. I kept seeing the flagging that marked the course but after about 30 min the road I was on came to a dead end.....WTF?? I pulled the map out of by bag and saw that I must have missed a corner a few miles back. I still saw flagging so I had assumed I was on the correct road...but nope. So, pissed, I whipped a U and headed back. Sure enough, I found the missed corner....there was an ATV trailer parked just "kinda" in front of the sign....still should of seen it...but it wasn't exactly super visible. Well damn, now I was ticked about loosing so much time, especially when I was riding so strong. So I just put my head down, got mad, and dug myself a grave on the climb back to the pass. I was still passing people left and right, but I'd lost about 40-45 min being lost. I finished the climb nearly slumping over the bars....completely and utterly spent. Lightheaded and loopy is a great way to start a 2,000 ft decent! I came down the backside, rode the last singletrack into the park and crossed the line in 11:23 with 107.5 miles....6th in my category, 28th overall.

Overall, I'm super happy with how I rode...just not how I navigated.. Had I not gotten lost I would have finished well under my goal of 11 hours and been quite a few spots higher in the standings. Pretty frustrating overall. However, the course itself was the best 100 miles of trail I've ever ridden on a bike....super sweet. It's an amazing race and I'll be back for more....

Here's a fun fact: During the race I drank about 440 oz of liquid (8 bottles and 3 camelbacks full) between Heed, Cytomax, and good ole H20......that's about 3.4 gallons.....or about 27 lbs of liquid.....Holy hydration batman!

The MOB Makes a Splash at Clear Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:18:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

Saturday in the crit only 8 of us lined up. Everyone got off to a great start and stayed pretty much together for the first two laps. When we turned parallel to the lake shore on lap 3, the strong cross/headwind broke up the bunch into a lead group of 4, of which I made it into, and a then just a couple that chased hard. The chasers came and went and by the time we had a couple more laps behind us, a gap came between a lead rider and second, and between second and myself. Another rider would catch me and fall back a couple more times before the final lap.

I could no longer see 1st place but second wasn't more than 6 or 8 seconds ahead. I put down what I thought was probably my best lap of the race and coming up the final uphill stretch I gave it everything I had left to get within maybe 10 meters of 2nd. Close but not close enough.

Sunday's road race brought a bigger field to the Cat. 5 lineup. We had a neutral roll out from the Surf Ballroom that served as a warm up for most of us. I sat in at the back of the pack and conspired with an A9Y rider to let the winner from the crit pull us along and we'd work together at the end. We turned and had a strong cross/tail wind and we were expecting someone to attack when the wind would be pushing us. Somebody got impatient and started attacking.I barely held on to the back but once we did turn with the wind I as in good shape once again. I was feeling good and a little froggy so I rolled up next to the A9Y rider and asked how he felt about making a break for it. He thought it was on the early side yet, and as soon as I said it, someone attacked again on some little rolling hills that kind of snuck up on me. I fell back and then the "I spoke to soon about feeling good" thought went through my head.

I fought hard for 2 or 3 miles to catch back up and as I did the group started to shatter. The A9Y rider dropped, then another and another. Soon it we were down to 8 or 9 guys with NI Spin well represented. It wasn't long and one NI Spinner sat up grabbing a hammy cramp. He fell back and two of his teammates went back with him. I looked back to see if all was well. As I straightened back out I realized that two riders had a good sized gap on the remaining 4 of us. I figured what the heck I'll bridge up and the 3 of us (one was the crit winner) should be able to make it stick right?

The harder I pedalled the further I was from them and we were turning into the headwind. I figured when I hit the turn, I was back about 30 or so seconds. All I could think at that point was to put my head down and do not get caught by any organized effort behind me. After 4 or 5 miles of suffering and not gaining or losing time to the lead two, and to afraid to look behind me, we turned into short stretch of a crosswind. I got the courage to look back and surprisingly no one was there....for a long way.

The corner marshalls at the next turn said the wind would push us back the rest of the way and that it wasn't far now. Once again I mustered everything I had left, only to come up short in the end. I was closing fast and by the time I crossed the line I had the gap down to around 10 seconds.

All in all, it turned out to be a great weekend of racing and getting two podiums for the MOB. I also got to meet the Farrell brothers after the Cat. 4 crit Saturday. It was great meeting them and getting to cheer them on as they raced.

Nebraska State Championship - Ponca's Revenge Psycowpath #4

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:31:00 +0000

Contributed by MOB member Bruce Brown

The Psycowpath series held their Nebraska State Championship race this past Saturday at Ponca State Park west of Sioux City. I had never ridden or raced at Ponca, but could tell from the online reviews that it was going to be a fun course. I got there early enough to do a warm-up lap and quickly realized that my 2 x 9 drivetrain with my granny ring being 29T was going to require some out of saddle climbing to keep me on the bike.

The weather was perfect and the course was in prime XC racing shape. Finally! A race that was not canceled or postponed due to the 2008 monsoons...

Numbers were down at this race compared to all the other Psycowpath XC races. There were only 65 total racers for all categories combined. Why? I don't know. I race in the Sport Open category and instead of 20+ guys, we only had 12 line up at the start. The opening climb up the pavement had us all hanging in a tight group...

I felt pretty good during the first lap as my fitness was carrying the day. By the end of the first lap, we were strung out enough that the remainder of the race was man against their fitness and the challenging climbs. Although I made all the climbs during lap 2 and 3 in the same gears as I did in the first lap, I felt baked in lap 3. A lot of Seven Oaks at Boone type of climbing where one has to keep grinding up tier after tier of climbs that are linked together. I would rank this course in the same category as Boone and Lewis and Clark when it comes to climbing.

This photo shows what a lot of the race was like for me in terms of the climbing...

I thought it was a perfect course for the Nebraska State Championship where distance and effort are a little more than the other races in the series. I ended up in 6th Place in Sport Open. That's the same result I had for last year's Nebraska State Championship at Swanson Park. There was a pair of fast brothers from South Dakota who took 2nd and 3rd and had not been at previous Psycowpath races. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same guys I was up against. I was happy with my race, but sure was spent at the end...

Fun was had by all. Ponca is a beautiful state park and the singletrack was well worth the drive over and back to do this race.

The MOB at Snake Alley

noreply@blogger.com (MOB Racing) — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Contributed by Travis Jass

The whistle blew and immediately I was of to a terrible start. I had all sorts of trouble getting my right shoe and pedal to conjoin. I managed to rejoin the group by the time we hit the snake on the first lap only to get cut off at nearly a dead stop in the middle of the first switchback.

Another rider and myself were forced into the curb and we both had to unclip to stay upright. We both ended up walking our bikes the rest of the way up the snake. What a trick that is trying to quickly get up the bricks in cycling shoes. I know he fell at least twice. He got assistance from someone getting back on at the top and by the time I had remounted I was DFL.

I got a full head of steam up on the back side of the course and ended up passing him and another by the time we got to the snake on lap 2. Things got much better after that as I just kept hammering away and passing what seemed like 1-2 riders per lap.

At the conclusion I was quickly gaining ground on two more riders coming up to the finish line but I ran out of real estate before the line to overtake them. Checked the results, I ended up 10th, and 4th Iowan. I was pretty pleased considering, and it was my first time there ever and my first crit ever.

Mobster Makes Podium...

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce Brown) — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:22:00 +0000

Contributed by MOB member Bruce Brown

I attended the Black Hills Fat Tire Festival this past weekend and did the XC race. It was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but 5+ inches of rain in 48 hours had the race postponed until Sunday morning. Weather was perfect on Sunday morning in the parking lot when I arrived:

I entered the Sport Category which had about 40 of us lining up on the line. There were about a dozen in Expert and only 1 rider in the Beginner Class. So total mass starting line had around 50+ riders taking off at the gun. Full write up about the Fat Tire Festival and race can be found here.

Rather than repeat my full write up, I'll just say this was the most challenging XC race course I have ever encountered. The opening climb at altitude was 4 miles with very little recovery during that climb. The final descent was 3 miles on a Super-D race course that was breath taking, nail biting, and challenging enough to fill any flatlander's bib with the morning's breakfast! I had nothing to lose in this race, so I left nothing in the tank. I let it all out and dug deep into my training every second of the race. Felt like puking twice, but I kept hammering and drooling the entire time.

The singletrack averaged in width of 6 - 12", was filled with various jagged rocks and because of the steep drop offs on the off camber track, one had to pay full attention of their balance, take care to not over-counter steer and look ahead on the trail to stay focused on what was coming up. I loved it!

I guess my legs and lungs were in good form after my recent shedding of 15 pounds because I was smashing the climbs. I did the race on my Dos Niner with a 2 x 9 drivetrain, so my granny ring was 29T which wasn't exactly the best thing on that 4 mile climb, but I stayed seated and ground my way up that beast. We had to do that 4 mile climb twice in the sport category. I only had to unclip once as I misjudged a nasty rock right after a switchback on the 2nd lap which left my balance in question. I unclipped to prevent toppling down a rather steep side of the mountain. That cost me about 10 seconds just when I was 20 feet behind the guy in 2nd place. I tried to catch him on the Super-D 3 mile descent, but he was a local racer and knew that trail very well (so he told me after the race was over). He said he has been practicing there for 10 years. Hmmmmm...I guess he knew the lines. I tried to catch him on the final flat sprint to the line, but shot my wad too early in the sprint and came across the line 12 seconds behind him for 3rd place overall and 1st place in the 40+ category. It was a sweet race and challenge for me.

Post race wondering what just happened:

We have to get more of the MOB out for next year's Fat Tire Festival. Awesome event and there were group rides every 1/2 hour Thursday - Monday that shuttled riders in vans all over the Black Hills. Here are a few shots...

I'm looking forward to Lake Manawa this Saturday. Nothing but flat on that course with lots of tight, twisty turns, logs and straight aways for the big ring power pushers. After climbing thousands of feet in the Black Hills, a course that only has one 5 foot climb is just what the doctor ordered...

BB over and out...

Carney Wins at Boone

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Varnum) — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:05:00 +0000

In his first outing wearing the MOB Racing colors, Andrew Carney won the Boone marathon race. In a rain shortened 4 hour race, Carney led the race from start to finish, but his competition remained close for much of the race. At the halfway point, Carney only had a two minute lead over Bike Tech's Mike Johnson. As the race wore on, and Carney continued to pound out lap after lap, and eventually lapped up to Johnson at the end of the race. Full results are here.

Congratulations to Carney, and thanks to the gang at Singletrack Promotions for putting on a great race at a great venue.