Team RowBot Takes on the Hills!!!!

This past Sunday myself and Mr. Brian Talbot decide to take on the New Martinsville road race. The trip started off about 6:30. Brian was filled with excitment from the get go, LOL. Was a pretty drive of about an hour and twenty minutes. Once there saw some other Morgantown folks made the trip as well, Don and Mr. Bird. I would say about 60 folks where there to take the hills on. Team West Virginia Night Club was there in force. Morgan and his father Mr. Miller along with Mr. Blaze himself. We all started at about 10 lead out by a police escort. Lol, funny how most West Virginia road races end up in different states. We shortly cut over the mighty Ohio river. Things where running smooth along a straight section by the river for about 15 miles then we hit our first climb on the day. The group quickly fell apart. The lead group was about 6 strong with myself among them. The group didn't want to work together so at about the mid way point it came back together. I was very surprised to see my fellow teammate for the day among them. Mr Talbot did very well on the first big climb. The group started to work abit before the second big climb on the day. This is where a lone rider got away, but myself and the other 123's weren't to worried cause he wasn't in our group. Torwards the top of the climbs I found myself alone chasing this lone break. He was strong and had a good time break on me and held it all the way to the finish. The last two miles or so were very beautifull and fast. It opened up and you could see the town and River right before the descent opened up into many fast switch backs. Overall I am not sure where Mr. Talbot finished, But he looked pretty spent passing the finish line. Myself, I got first in the 123's and second over all. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for Team Rowman.

Hobbs back in the Greenbrier

The absence of a WVMBA event for the weekend left Team RowMan+ scrambling to find an event. After realizing that we would be unable to purchase a one day license that would allow us to race in the Expert category at the Greenbrier Challenge, my fellow team members opted out. I am planning on doing some of those crazy XXC events for the summer, thus I found the Marathon category a viable option for myself.
For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in Greenbrier County - White Sulphur Springs to be exact. I spent my junior racing years training in the Greenbrier State forest. So, for some reason it was almost like I was heading home for this one. I had been jazzed for this race since I planned it out on Tuesday.
For me this is a season of firsts. Well not first place, but first attempts at expert mountain biking, road racing, and ultra-endurance mountain biking. I spent most of Saturday preparing my bottles and bike and organizing my gels for the lengthy journey. I planned out my optimal fueling strategy complete with rescue gels and bottles.

Sunday consisted of a 5:15 rise and shine, quick gather of the final goods, most importantly coffee. Myra and I were on our way by 6:00. We cruised into the parking lot of the Greenbrier State forest on the dot at 8:10. This left me a little over an hour to register, change, and warm-up before the 9:30 start. After a short briefing on the feed zone at registration, Myra headed down to stake out a spot, and I cruised around the park for a warm-up. After a quick good luck kiss I headed to the starting line at 9:25. A nice group of racers showed up for the Marathon (47 racers total) and the competition looked to be pretty stiff. I kept looking around for familiar faces but didn’t see anyone that I recognized; all is well though, figured this could be my little adventure.

The start was about what I planned for, fast but not too fast. I settled in at about 7th position and figured I had a few laps to let things get sorted out. I pushed a moderately fast pace for about 5 min. then backed off into my planned race pace (~85% MaxHR). This worked well, as you can see from the time splits at (http://live-timing.com/report.php?r=13683&rp=167635). I really enjoyed this course...nice sections of fast double track, some tight, rocky winding single track, and slightly technical climbs.

I trucked along lap after lap after lap after lap, and then it started. The heat was hot, beginners and sport races were now out on course, increasing the traffic, and that slow death was creeping into me. For the 4th and 5th lap I started to slightly fall off pace; I was working around the slower traffic, but with increasing fatigue I found it more and more difficult to make passes. I found myself satisfied to sit in - not good for the time splits.

My 6th lap I could feel myself unraveling. Temperatures were now in the low 90s, and my brain was starting to boil. I started to plan out my finishing time for my 7th lap to make the 1:15 cut-off time. I really wanted to get in 8 laps, my target. I was spot on giving myself about 40 min for the last lap to make the cut-off. I was pushing hard to maintain my pace and meet my goal. I found the traffic was in bunches of 3-4 riders in groups, but I was still able to work my way around. On a fast downhill section I approached a much slower rider and called out “passing on your right,” but as soon as the words left my lips the rider in front of me had come to screeching halt in the middle of the trail. I swerved right much faster than I had planned and lost control of my big-wheeled bicycle. I was a mess of bike and boy tumbling between rock and tree. I popped up and still had all limbs attached. The stopped rider was standing there, and I realized it was a girl who was in a complete episode – bawling, tears streaming down her cheeks. She asked if I was okay first, which I followed up with “are you okay?” thinking that with all the tears she must be in serious pain; had I clipped her? Don’t think so; I guess it was just the reaction to seeing tumbling boy and bike snapping small tree limbs and bouncing off of rocks. I grabbed my bike and realized that my rear brake lever was vertical to the ground but figured I didn’t have time to fix it if I was going to make the cut-off. I threw one leg over and tried to get back on pace. As I continued along, I marveled at my trail rash that spread from my right knee up to my right shoulder. I took a real nice digger! I kept pushing but was losing motivation and couldn’t quite maintain the needed pace. I missed the cut-off by about 2 min.

I cruised on down to the feed zone to find my other half. She really did a great job getting me my bottles and gels. Thanks #1 wifey!!! I sipped on water, chatted with JR, wished him luck and encouraged him to consume high volumes of H2O. I headed back to change. I ate a little then headed down to get the results. I decided I could be happy with top ten; it was hard, hot race and all things went as planned except for my crash. My average heart rate for the race was pretty much exactly as planned at 82%, and for the seven laps I climbed close to 1500 m. The results were posted and I went to check things out - I found myself in 5th! 5th! Well hot dog...Needless to say I was quite pleased, considering this was my first attempt at a long distance race. There will definitely be more of these to come.
See everyone at Mountwood,
Ryan

P.S. JR went on to win his class!!! Go JR!!! WVMBA Rocks!!!

J & J's Local Epics

No racing for J & J (Jeremy & Josh) this weekend. We opted to stay home to do some local favorites and get some solid training miles in. I was torn and a lil bummed not to be racing (New Martinsville RR or Greenbrier Challenge) but there is plenty of good racing action on tap this season. There were RowManians out on the racing scene this weekend.....more to come on that shortly.

I started out the weekend with a bang by going to the Black Bear for dinner on Friday. I gorged myself and even enjoyed a few Seneca IPA's. Been laying off the beer lately so this was a real treat. On Saturday I screwed off most of the day till Jeremy was done at the shop. Then we headed out on one of my favorite local rides. Went out to Snake Hill via Dug Hill and on to Rhor Road and Masontown. Took the road around the WVU Research Farm at Reedsville and then ripped up the Summer School Road decent, one of the fastest, funnest around. Things got a lil interesting on the decent when a bulked up Dodge truck swerved into our lane coming up the hill. I almost crapped myself. I hope they were trying to miss a pothole and not looking to run us off the road, that would just be plain mean. I ended up getting 50+ miles for the day after the rail trail ride to and fro.

Sunday was a long awaited Coopers out and back epic. I've been wanting to do this ride for a few weeks now. Ever since our last attempt was foiled by numerous early mechanicals and low spirits. Both of us were on the 29er dual-ees. Made it up to the day lot in just around an hour. Stopped to chat with some pals and then it was out the parallel trail and down, down, down on Ridge Trail. The Hi Fi really excelled on fast rough decent. Put a large grin on my face, when I wasn't making the OH-SHIT face. Jeremy put a technical climbing clinic coming up from Mount Chattue(?). Kid made the whole climb over some real tricky stuff. Nice work super J. Then it was a long hot pull up the rail road grade. No shade to be had since the leaves haven't come on yet. Then we picked up about every other trail on the top side, like Nature Loop, Rhododendron and Rock City. Had to make quite a few water stops due the the sweltering heat. Once we call uncle it was time to spin on back. I think we both ran out of gas on the way back. I was pretty well wilted by the time I got home. I guess 5 hours in the heat will do that. Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Great ride and great weekend on the bike.

Oh yeah, the racers...........Way to to Steve and Ryan. Steve got numero uno at the New Martinsville RR in the 123 class. Ryan pulled a 5th at Greenbrier for the Marathon race. Great job lads. How about some details, I'm tired of reading my own stupid posts.

Next up, Mountwood.

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

Team RowMan+ Takes on Big Bear

Team RowMan+ put on a pretty good showing for the first WVMBA race of the year. Race #1 took us right up the road to Big Bear Lake for the Big Bear Classic. The Bear has a stellar trail system with plenty of challenging riding and rocks, rocks, rocks.

The weather was on our side with temps in the upper 50's to 60's and the trails were dry but still tacky. Traction was in ample supply.










We got on scene around 9:45, leaving us with plenty of time before the high noon start. I was really feeling some excitement/nerves. I kept thinking about how poorly the race went last year. I quadruple flatted with one even before the start. Real long, crappy day.

I didn't feel much better after I got a look at the new start this year. No more long pull out the road to spread things out. It was going to be a mad dash for about 150 yds into the woods onto some loose double track. I kept thinking about a messy pile up off the start and ending up right where I left off last year.

After some jamming to some tunes, talking to some good folk and warming up it was go time. There was a nice showing with about 200 racers on hand. About 30 were lined up at the start for the expert class. Lots of familiar faces, lots of bonified fast guys and some guys that made the jump from the sport class. Good solid competition.

Mark, the race promoter, gave us the count down and the mad dash was on. Just as suspected the start got a lil hairy. I made it around mid pack off the start, little tension I think, a small bobble from someone and there was a nice jam up but not too bad. I got around a few on the first few turns with Steve and Ryan right there with me. Jeremy and Nate got a good start and were up on the front.









Ryan and I switch places a couple of times and got caught up in a stack up on a short, steep bottle neck section. When we hit the first climb Ryan and Steve pulled away from me but I was able to hold off the others behind me. I was in the pain box on the first climb and just tried to spin it out. At the top I could still see a group of five or six in front of me. So I just tried to settle into my pace and try to keep them within reach for later in the race when I usually come out of the pain box and start to click. Takes awhile to get the diesel warmed up.

The strategy was working well. Then we hit the big decent where I knew I could take a few chances and make up some ground. Sure enough, at the bottom I was right on the group. I thought about throwing down a hard effort on the gentle incline on the access road and bridge up the gap and maybe pass a few. I didn't though cause I thought the usual big climb was up next and I wanted to save some gas to bury myself on the ascent. I saw Ryan put it down and make a couple of passes. Wish I would have went too cause to my surprise the big climb didn't come. I had let the group get back the gap and missed my chance. Next thing I knew we were back at the reservoir heading for the finish. I saw Donald Powers in front of me and started a big ring chase to gain a position. Lost focus a little had a bobble and then I wasn't able to close the gap on the final stretch. I came in just under 1:20 and in 11th place. Much better than last year and the Superfly rode like a dream.

At the finish I saw Jeremy waiting and got the big new. J pulled down the big W, that's right kids, 1st place overall! That's when I gave him a big man hug. Way to go dude. He was able to pass JP on the last section and held him off for the win and got there over 2 1/2 minutes before anyone else. And he even had to stop to inflate a burped rear tire. The dude put together a great race.












The rest of the crew did quite well too. Nate got 5th and Steve and Ryan sprinted it out for 7th and 8th. Almost got everyone in the top ten. Dang, I should have attacked when I saw the whites of their eyes. Either way, good showing for the first race and hopefully first of many successful races. Nice to see all the hard work payoff.









Thanks to Mark for putting on a fun event and the WVMBA crew for organizing a kick'n race series. I'm already getting pumped for Mountwood.

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

HI FI Review

I've been on the Hi Fi for a few weeks now so I thought I would let you know how she rides. I can wrap it up in one word..........SWEET! I really like how this bike rides. The Hi Fi just adds to the enjoyment of trail riding and gets me LIFT'D.

The Fox suspension works great. Feels smooth on the descents and very efficient on climbs (bob free). Add the 29er wheels and you have a Cadillac smooth ride. I think the G2 geometry, specifically the fork offset improves the handling of the 29er style bike. Very stable and balanced at low speeds and carves like a knife at high speed. I can feel a difference between my Hi Fi and Superfly, which does not have a G2 fork, especially at low speed. Makes me want to run out and get a G2 fork for the Superfly, but I don't think I can swing that, bummer.

One adjustment that I made was flipping the stem to 7 degrees down to give a more aggressive feel. This is more of a personal preference but made it ride that much better for me. Anybody considering a new full suspension ride I would highly recommend the Gary Fisher Hi Fi. It will make those long epics out at Coopers, Big Bear or wherever you ride as fun as your 21st birthday, it's a blast man! I wouldn't hesitate to pick this bike on race day either. Not to mention, she's a sexy bitch too.

Test ride one today at your LBS and get your own Hi on.

On that note, word is there maybe another member of Team RowMan+ getting their own Hi Fi 29er. I think this person didn't like getting dropped on the decents as I was blazing the downhills on the Hi Fi. Stay tuned to see if this rumor is substantiated.

See you at the races.

later,

Josh

Morgantown RR-Chappy Version

Race #1 of '09 is in the books for me. It was the Morgantown Road Race brought to us by the Back Yard Bike Club right here in Mo-Town.

I woke up super early, 5:30am with that excited race day feeling in my stomach. I knew the weather was going to be iffy and sure enough when I poked my head out the door the rain was coming down and the temps were in the low 40's. Not ideal race weather but I knew things would turn around eventually.

Got fulled up with the usual race day french toast, eggs, turkey bacon and FRS. Then it was time to pick up Stephen and do the short drive to Mason Dixon Park. I love local races, much easier. We arrived at the venue about 9:30am and picked out a prime staging spot in front of one of the pavilions. It was still cold and rainy but my last look at the radar showed clearing conditions on the horizon. Nate arrived just behind us and the Hobbs'es were not too far behind. We quickly got registered and good thing too, cause there was quite a crowed that showed up for this super cool race. A sizable line quickly formed at the registration table.

As we were getting geared up and trying to stay warm we saw lots of big boy's (pro's) showing up. Most noticeable to us was Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale/H-D), some guys from the Kelly Benefit team and others. Big guns in the 1/2/3 class for sure. With the big turn out it was clear the race would not go off at the original start time of 11:00am and that was alright with me. More time for the temps to go up and the roads to dry off.

Things finally got going around noon and the weather was rapidly improving. This was by far the largest group I've ever road/raced with by far. I would guess there were 50-60 riders in the 4/5 group alone. I think there were close to 300 in total, sweet! So, having a few races under my belt I knew the front of this large pack was the place to be. Got lined up in the front with Ryan, Dr. T, and Robbie.

The start was smooth for me but I heard there was some shenanigans on the Bridge right off the bat, strategy working so far. The peleton stayed together all the way to Waynesburg. It was very interesting riding in the pack. I don't know if most of those guys have ridden in a group before or not, but there seemed to be some real tense people and quite a few close calls. There was no organization at all despite attempts from Dr. T's, myself and others trying to organize a pace line. But oh well, no damage done. Once we got passed Waynesburg on Sugar Run Rd. the fireworks started and the pack was blown apart on the climbs. I fell off the back of the lead group on the first climb but kept them within sight. I was able to close the gap but then got separated on the second hill which was quite steep but not too long. Nate was putting on a good show. Boy was climbing like a champ and looked to be in good form despite a unfortunate training incident on the Wed. Night Ride. No other friends were able to make the jump.

At this point I was in no man's land, all alone for a long while putting on a hard chase to catch the leaders that were still within sight. Not a good place to be. Had to use lots of power and energy, bad, bad, bad. But I was able to close the gap again on Rudolph Run Rd. just before the last sizable climb. I was purty gassed from the chase but got some rest sitting in for a few miles. I was able to hang on the last climb. At this point I knew the big ups were out of the way and I could put out some power on the rollers down Big Shannon and back to M-D park. So, at the top of Little Shannon I decided to put on an attack down the decent and hope a couple folks came along to work with. I got away and bombed down the twisty decent using my mad mtn bike skills. I had a real nice gap at the bottom and on the flats but alas, I was all alone again. Not good. So, I shut it down and headed back to the group.....Dang! At least I gave it a shot.

It all ended in a group sprint. I found myself on the front coming down the stretch, not ideal position, shoulder to shoulder with Nate. I didn't have enough gas in the tank for a strong sprint. Too much chasing. But Nate threw it down and got second on the sprint. Good job kid. We thought he got second but ended up third. A guy was able to sneak away for a solo. I don't think anyone even knew he got away. There was lots of traffic to fight through and lots of potholes to navigate. I may have got the top 10 but not sure yet. It might be awhile before final results are out. Lots of numbers to sort through I'm sure. All and all I'm pretty pleased with it. I knew the climbs would be critical but I didn't give up and finished with the leaders. And I had a great time on a fun course. Good job BYBC, thanks for your hard work.

The rest of the crew......I think Steve finished within the top 15 to 20 of the 1/2/3 class and was stoked about racing the new Trek Madone. Real good considering all the talent and power there. Ryan finished a few minutes behind my group and had a good time and a smile on his face. Jeremy couldn't make it today. The shop couldn't spare him, bummer. We missed ya dude.

Next week.......Big Bear Race. YaaaaHoooo! Fat tire time.

later,

Josh

Logan Race Report

Hi folks!! Let me bring everyone up to speed on the happenings down at Chief Logan State Park. Jeremy and I headed out on Saturday night after he finished up at Wamsley's. We spent the night at the Woodworth Inn in Culloden (Thanks, Mom and Dad Woodworth, it was great to be well rested on race day). After arriving at the Inn we quickly unloaded our bags and v-lined for the kitchen where some mixing and microwaving took place. I fixed up whole wheat noodles with onions, red peppers, portabellas, spinach, and chicken. I also had a sweet potato on the side. Jeremy fueled up in similar style with noodles, veggies, and tofu. The rest of the evening consisted of stretching and the watching of a movie. We turned in at about 11:00 to catch some much needed zzzz's.
After a restful nights sleep we were up and about around 8:00. I got some coffee going and J started in on his breakfast of a bowl of Bear Naked Granola and soy milk. After throwing back a few sips of strong coffee I started in on my breakfast of cinnamon spice oatmeal and all natural peanut butter on 12 grain toast. From Culloden, we had a short drive (~1:30 hr) to get to the race at the park. Fueling continued on the way; I had more coffee and a banana, and J threw back some jelly beans. On the way, Jeremy and I gazed out the windows and he said what I was thinking, "Dude, its steep!" Looks like we get to play billy goats today! We arrived around 10:30 with plenty of time for pre-race preps.
As we unloaded the gear, it was brought to my attention that my rear tire was flat. Hmmm...just love the quirks with the first race of the season. After consulting J for some time-honored advice, I decided to pump it up, do a warm-up, then give it a quick check before the start of the race.
During our warm-up routine, J started to feel some tightness in his hip. He decided to spend some time trying to work out the knot he picked up on the car ride down, and I continued with my warm-up. I put in a nice kick and realized my HR rocketed up quite rapidly without much effort. I was pleased and headed back to find J shifting around on the bike with a look of grimace. His hip wasn't letting up, and I could tell the guy was in a bit of hurt. After traveling and paying to enter, I encouraged him to race, "maybe it will loosen up after the start."
At the starting line I definitely felt the butterfly's flutter; I was lining up for my first expert race and was pretty pumped to have made the move. After a short countdown by JR, the expert class headed down the paved road in pace line fashion. I tucked in at about fourth place thinking that I didn't want to be in the way of the fast guys. It was a mellow start and almost enjoyable for a MTB race. The pack turned into the woods and I saw J heading for the front. "Alright!! he is going to go for it," I thought. Jeremy moved in to set the pace, and I could see some guys falling off the back of the pack and some space was generating between the leaders. I was still able to hold on at this point, much to my surprise. It all made sense after about 10 min; J had to step off the bike and out of the race, his funky hip hadn't worked out. I could tell he was in some serious pain as I went by with the new leaders. Awesome effort Jeremy, I am glad you gave it a shot!!
From this point on Jesse Stevens took the lead, Adam Stephens, myself, and Steve Hill followed closely behind Jesse. The pace continued to be lifted and I could see space forming between Adam and Jesse. I was still feeling good so decided to shake a leg and pass Adam, this put me in second. I followed Jesse for about the first 30 min of the race, and at this point I was settling into my pace which was a click slower than his. Jesse continued off the front and I pushed hard in second. At an hour into it a friendly spectator informed my that I was a little over two minutes back. Good news if you still have legs, but at this point I was starting to feel the pain. I would continue on at my pace that was beginning to dwindle.
At 1:30 hr into the race I had backed off considerably. My mantra was now keep pedaling and stay on the bike. Steve Hill rolled up behind me and I could tell he was till moving at a good click. He picked a wide spot and swooped around. I tried to stay with him, but cramps were starting to enter my legs. I continued with my mantra...just stay on the bike. The last climb lasted about a 1 mi and took us vertical just short of 300 meters, definitely hurt at this point in the race.
I ended up ~8:30 min behind Jesse and 2:00 min behind Steve. I was happy to have just finished. I sat in the gravel parking lot cleaning off the mud, throwing back my chocolate pop-tart as J loaded the bikes and laughed about my careless post-race demeanor. All and all, it was a great race, wide open single and double track, not too technical, and steep climbs, put in over 700 meters vertical according to the polar.
After some post race pasta J and I headed back for Motown...
Ryan

3 out of 4 ain't bad

Finally, Jeremy gave the green light to put up a post on his SuperFly race machine. He said he was holding off till he got a few small details finished but I think he was just letting the suspense build. Anyway, check it out and try not to drool on your keyboard.









Real hot looking machine J. Here are some part highlights.
Frame: '08 Gary Fisher carbon SuperFly









Fork: Fox F80 RL
Drivetrain: Xo twisties, Xo rear d., Truvativ Stylo OCT crankset










Wheelset/Tires: Hope hubs/Stan's 355's 29er's/Bontrager XDX










Brakes: Avid Juicy 7
Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 2ti










Bar/Stem/Seatpost: Truvativ NOIR World Cup Riser Bar/Bontrager RXL









Keep an eye out for this machine on race day. Be quick though, it will most likely be traveling at a high rate of speed.

Jeremy and Coach headed down to do the Chief Logan race this weekend. Little bit to far to travel for me this early in the year. Haven't heard how it went yet. We'll try to get a race report from Coach.

The rest of Team RowMan+ (+ being Jason aka The Rev. today) went out for a road ride to do parts of next weeks Morgantown RR. Did Waynesburg and back with various sections of course, some forwards and some backwards. I'm getting excited about the race already. Should be a fun course. Goes like this: roll'ee, flat, climb, roll'ee, climb, roll'ee then finish. Vary versatile course so bring your well rounded game.









There was a Chris Horner spotting today too. I blew by him at a pretty good pace on Big Shannon.

No, it was just Steve Horner rocking out his new Astana kit and matching Project One Madone. Looking sharp dude.









We ended up with around 75 miles on the day. Mostly at a cool pace with some fastness thrown in here and there. Time to eat, rest and recover.
Later,
Josh

Mid Week Maddness

Tonight was the first Wednesday Night'r of the year and it was quite a showing. I think there were 24 riders that rolled out from the courthouse. Some regulars, familiar faces and some newbies. Off the top of my brain I remember: Gary & Traci R., Nate (Too Fast), Dr. Talbot, Adam A., Kyle, Jacob B., Marc G., Jason, Elvis, Ryan P., Papa Dave, Sexy Legs Jimmy, Chris R. I'm sure I forgot some, sorry bout that.

The group road well together up Rt. 100 with some good pace line'n. Then the inevitable attacks were thrown in and the group broke up. I got caught in the back and missed the first attack. Got in a chase with Nate and Jason but couldn't reel in Adam, Jimmy and a dude I don't know (but he had a bitch'n Trek Madone and had a team kit on and road strong). We were just a few seconds back at the top of Lazzel? Hill. After the regroup at the 19 intersection it was State Line Sprint time. Nate was in good position, Adam was up there and Madone dude. Not sure who got it. I was on Dr. Talbot's wheel using him a lead out but we got caught up in traffic and didn't have a chance. Dang!

Up Big Shannon the pace picked up fast and attacks started again. Nate jumped off the front on a good attack to heat it up. I bridged up to the front and just stayed on the some fast wheels doing short pulls. Eventually it was down to Adam, Jimmy, Madone dude and me. Then, just before the last roller there was a real close call with a happy puppy running out to greet us. Thanks to some good handling skills we escaped with all our skin. On the last roller I thought I would go ahead and drop it like its hot. Of course Adam came around, got away from the other two (dog scare may have been more a cause then my pathetic sprint).

The return trip was very similar except a couple of flats and mechanicals. Everyone waited at the 19 intersection for awhile but the victims didn't show, so most rolled on while Gary and Papa Dave went back collect the fallen.

The rest of us headed back so we could get most of the group back before dark. Nate put on a good sprint show at the state line and edged out Madone dude. Then Too Fast beat everyone up the climb with Jason, Jimmy and I not too far behind. After the final regroup we paced down 19. I left the group at Osage so I could hit up the Rail Trail at Star City.

Great first Wed. Night'r of the year. Good to see lots of new faced coming out to test their metal. Its a good indication of the growing strength in the local cycling scene. Very Cool! I had a great time and everyone chipped in to keep the group safe and smooth. I ended up with over 19mph average, pretty speedy voyage.

Hope the rest of the crew can make it out to this ride at least once so we can put on a good team showing on the premier fasty ride in town. Come on in boys, the water is fine.

Later,
Josh

Teaser. I have some photos of another SuperFly race machine. Maybe the badest A bike of them all. Also, I'll be posting a hot looking 69er race machine, other gear updates/reviews and describe the pure HI I get from riding the HiFi...........Stay tuned.