Team RowMan @ Valley Falls Challenge

The RowManians had a short trip south this weekend to hit up WVMBA #8, The Valley Falls Challenge. It was a quick skip down I-79 to Fairmont for this one, Sweet! It was just Steve and I in the team sport utility Neon. J caught a ride with his lady Auvid, who was coming down to cheer on her favorite bike team.

Steve and I made the usual caffeine pit stop then buzzed down to Valley Falls. Got there early and set up camp. Jeremy and Auvid arrived right behind us and our newest team member, Tim W. right behind them. So, we did the now routine pre-game and prepared for the familiar pain to come. Oh it hurts so good!

There was a bit of delay at the start while we waited for the sport and beginner class spread themselves along the beginning climb. The challenge of the Valley Falls Challenge starts right from the gun. The expert class starts at the bottom of a steadily steep road climb before bombing back down on some twisty single track. On the line I got shuffled back to the end of the pack while the brothers got good position in the front. On the starting climb the beginning pace was pretty reasonable so I was able bridge myself up to the front third of the group right on Steve's wheel. I was hoping he wouldn't wreck me this time so I decided to pass him. I almost beat him to the trail but he pulled by me just before we turned off the road. He never would have heard the end of it if I would have got him on the climb, and you know that. Looked to me like Jeremy made it in the woods in around 4th or 5th and I could see Steve H., Gunnar, Andy G. and maybe a couple more up in front.

I was pretty geeked about my position at the top of the climb but knew I had to focus on the technical decent so I didn't biff it and blow another good start. I followed Steve's wheel down the decent and was able to keep it on the rail. I did get passed by Benji, but that guy can descend like hell. Saw a number of riders off the side of the trail though on the way down. At the bottom of the decent is a gravel access road so I was able to hit the big ring and power past a couple dudes out the road. I could still see the leaders just up the road so I knew we were in good shape. Tried to do some pulling for Stephen but he couldn't match the power of the Chappy diesel so I backed off and tried to settle into my zone and prepare myself for the big, long climbs ahead where the diesel could blow up. Steve and I stayed together for a good bit with Andy G. and no one else in sight behind us.

When we hit the climb I surprisingly held it together and kept up with Steve and Andy for much longer than normal. But eventually they put a good gap on me and I found myself all alone on the hill. I knew what I had to do so I kept up my cadence and was able to clean the first climb without anyone catching me. I made it to the last kick and could still see Steve just at the top. I couldn't clean the last kick but I saw Steve'o clear it with his 2x9. He's a power house on the steeps.

I hate that climb but man I love the downhill on the back side. I grabbed the big ring and went down as fast as I could on the swoopy decent. Had a great time on the way down letting the big wheels fly. Hit a couple more steeps before starting the second lap but I was able to spin up the first one but had to hike-a-bike the second one. When I got back to the road climb to start the 2nd lap I was passed by a rider on the way up. He was out of the saddle humping it to the top. I didn't chase cause I felt like I could bridge up on the way down. I did, and we road out the gravel road together and he was just ahead of me starting the long climb for the second time up. He must have hit the hill hard cause he dropped me good on the way up. But I was able to clean it again without getting passed. I saw Steve again in the pine section and he was still on Andy G's wheel. I think he's learning how to pace off of others now cause he was able to gap him before the end of the climb.

I finished out the rest of the second lap without loosing any positions. I could see a Night Club'er behind me on one of the climbs, I think it was Benji but I made it to the finish before he caught up. Maybe cause I turned on the afterburners or maybe cause he broke his frame in two right before the end. I came in 7th overall and in the expert class. One of my best finishes yet! Hell yeah! It's about time ol'chappy was able to put together a solid race with no flats, mechanicals or physical aliments.

The rest of the team did good. Jeremy got Gunnar by a wheel for 2nd. He broke a chain and didn't have a quick link so he had to splice it back together. Otherwise he would have taken 1st. Steve got a solid forth, real good considering he was recovering from his fall last week and a busy week of riding around town. Tim came in 12th in the sport class. Nice riding boys! Director Chappy is proud of you.

We had a team dinner at Meriel's and stopped for some recovery ice cream before heading back to Mo-town. It was a fine day.

Special thanks to our number one fan and photographer.........Auvid. Also, thanks to Jason M. and all his sponsors for putting on a great race, one of the best races of the year.

We missed having Nate and Coach around for the race. Nate had to work and Coach is getting ready to move down south to the ATL. You'll be missed little buddy.

It's a couple weeks off for Team RowMan+ to rest and rebuild. Our next action will be the Big Bear Ultra then the ACE race.

See you at the races,
later,
Josh

Check out the WBOY news report here.

WV State Championship Race Report

Team RowMan+ had an exciting day at the WVMBA #7, WV State Mountain Bike Championships in Davis, WV. This is a fun, rocky course with riding you can't find anywhere else around these parts. If you like to ride rough, technical, rocky trails then this race is for you. Not an extreme amount of climbing but the climbs that are on the course are rocky and technical.

The weather cooperated for the race. Saturday it sure looked like it was going to be a repeat of last year when the area got inches of rain the night before making the trails very wet with lots of standing water. The storms broke-up before making it to WV dropping little to no precipitation. So the trails were dry and fast with hardly a spot of mud to contend with. I was sweat'n it on Saturday cause I had changed my tires over to some dry treads in hopes of the ground staying dry. No worries.

On Sunday we got to Davis right on time to give us a couple of hours before the start. Stopped by Blackwater Bikes first for registration and then we headed out Camp 70 road and found a nice spot for base camp right around the start area. After some set-up, resting and hydrating it was time to gear up and get warmed up. We did a quick recognisance ride to check out the conditions and look for a place to stash some extra water in case of emergency since it was going to be a longer race (~28 miles).












Steve strut'n his stuff and base base camp

Then it was time for the start. There was quite a nice crowd on hand for the race. There was some nasty drama off the start. I was mid pack going down the the gravel road right behind Steve. We were moving up a couple of spots and then someone came over on Steve and tangled handle bars and Steve lost is front wheel and was instantly on the ground. I watched him do a power slide on his right side on the gravel right in front of my wheel. I was able to get stopped in time so not to run him over but could not avoid going down myself. Luckily, no one from behind came up on our pile up. We got up quickly and checked things out. Steve was ripped up pretty good but no serious injuries and I hardly got a scratch. Steve's bike on the other hand had a twisted stem, a bent pedal and lots of scares. After assuring he was ok I jumped on and hit the trails DFL. Steve tried to give it a go but the pedal put a end to his day. What a bummer!

I was able to pass quite a few and make up some ground but may have buried myself a little too much. Then, after I got passed Moon Rocks all the folks I had passed were right back on me. That was real demoralizing and took some wind out of my sails. Then I realized that they had taken a right turn before moon rocks following the old course where I went straight following a course change due to the logging in that area. I was pretty pissed about how the day was going so far. Then to make things better on Ho Doo Rocks a bolt fell out of my water bottle cage causing it to fall to the side. So, I had to stop and take it off, watching everyone I passed pass me back. Shit! But I took a deep breath and said oh well, "go out and ride well and have a good time". So that's what I did.

I got past a couple and caught up with Sean Z. and we road together through the rest of the 2nd lap and around the start of the 3rd lap. I was happy to see Steve trial side in one piece. He was grinning with a fresh bottle and gel. Thanks buddy!

When things were just starting to go well and we had a couple of guys in our sites, Psssssss, punchure. Double Shit! So off Sean went up the trail while I had to stop and tend to my flaccid tire. I hit with some air and gave the Stan's a chance to seal, no luck. Then when I was just about to tube it, she finally sealed and held. And I was off again. No other events for the remainder of the lap. I came it just under 3hrs. and in 10th place. I guess not too bad considering another tough day for ol'Chappy.

I got back to find out that Jeremy had blown everyone away and got the win and is now the WV State Champ. Great job Jeremy. Steve looked a little rough with some bandages covering his knee's and elbow's. He was in good spirits though, probably a lot better than I would have been. Heal fast Steve'O. It was nice to take a cool down swim in the Blackwater.


Steve's ouchies

After hang'n out for a bit, enjoying few brews and swapping stories we got over to the awards so big J could collect his loot. He also got a sweet state champ. medal too.













Jeremy pumped for the win and flashing the bling

On the way back to Motown I thought stopping by the Candyland in Oakland would be good for the bros. Jeremy could spend his winnings and Stephen could get some recovery sugar. For anyone who doesn't know the Rowands, those boys likes the candy. So, they were in heaven filling up their bags the all varities of candy. Steve got a record 6 pounds of candy. WoW!










Jeremy with some bag envy

Next weekend we'll be down at the Valley Falls Challenge that is put on by our friend Jason M. This is a well put on, challenging race. So, come out suffer and love it with Team RowMan+ and the rest of the WVMBA racers.

See ya at the races,
Later,
Josh

Pictures on the way soon. For now check out the our slide show and these.
http://www.parsonsadvocate.com/photogallery196.html
Who is that fast looking guy if the first picture.

Independance Weekend Race'n

The RowManians celebrated our countries Independence Day weekend by exercising our freedom to ride. What better way to experience the freedom we enjoy then by jumping on your bike and hurling yourself down the road/trail.

First up was the Barbour DeTour, the 4th and final race in the WV Road Race Series. It was a nice day for a bike race with low humidity and sunny sky's. It was a purty early start with the flag dropping at 10am. Steve and I didn't get to Philippi till after 9am so that didn't leave much time to screw around. Nate got there a bit earlier but not by much. After filling out some paper work and gearing up there was only about 15-20min left for a warm-up. Not optimal but oh well the first climb out of town would be a good warm-up as long as we didn't get dropped.

Steve rolled out with the 1/2/3's right at 10am. I was coming the other way as they rolled out and noticed Steve was already in the front doing work as always..........That boy will never learn. I got back to the start line within seconds of the roll out. For those that haven't road the DeTour before, it is a rollie, ~30miler (~50mi for 1/2/3) with the largest climb starting 1mi after the start. The pace was moderate going up the first hill but not enough to cause much of a split in the group. I stayed around 5th wheel right behind Nate in case there was anybody who thought they would try and get away. No one did. The course got rollie after that with a few guys trying put in some attacks. I went out on a couple with no hope of getting way. Just wanted to stretch the legs and push it a little since it was such a short race. Not much happened till the group made the turn back towards Philippi. Then you could feel the group starting to get twitchy for the run in to the finish. I put in a hard effort after one of the rollers hoping to get a small break. I got a good gap but then I realized I was nowhere near as close to the finish as I thought. So, I shut it down and went back to the group. BoneHead!

Not long after, it was time for the exciting finish which goes down the same starting hill into town and then takes a 90 degree right off of Main then a 90 degree left onto a side street then about 50 meter sprint to the line. It was a fast decent into town with lots of riders jockeying for good position for the turns. I got onto Robbie and Nate's wheel on the inside cause I knew these guys had the finish dialed in. Robbie launched a lot further than I expected and I lost their wheels by a bit but was still 3rd going into the turns. First turn went well, still in 3rd, second turn I got a little wide and had to back off a bit and lost some momentum. Robbie and Nate got away and I lost two more spots as I tried to get back up to speed. I definitely need more work on my sprinting technique. I still came across the line 5th although the results say 6th (no camera, just pen and paper). Nate got 1st (2nd year in a row) and Robbie got 2nd. Nice job boys. Thanks for the ride in. Wish I could have kept it going.

Then it was time to wait for the 1/2/3's to come through after their second lap. About an hour later the first guys came through. A Cat guy got the win with Adam A. right behind him getting 2nd. A couple minutes back was Steve's group. Steve came around the turn right behind Gunnar but lost one spot in the sprint. Still a 5th is damn good in the big boy race. Good work Steve.

The RowManians also collected some swag and bling for placing in the overall road series (Steve 3rd in 1/2/3, Nate 2nd 4/5, Josh 3rd 4/5). Very cool. Thanks J.R. for putting on an excellent series, I had a great time. Only wish there were a few more races to go. Maybe next year?

After the race we retreated back to Motown for a cookout at the Chappy homestead where we had some recovery burgers and beers and were treated to a fireworks show by Sean Z.

On Sunday the brothers Row headed back down to Philippi without the Man for WVMBA #5, Race to lil Moe's. So I don't have much to report yet just some solid results. Hopefully Steve will fill in the blanks. Jeremy got a 2nd behind Gunnar and Steve got a 3rd. Steve was look'n to take ol' Gunny so he could collect on the overall weekend price but alas the old man was just too wiley. Great work dudes. Still 1,2 in the series.

I can't wait to get back on the mountain bike the next 2 weekends at the WV State Championship in Davis and then Valley Falls in Fairmont. Both challenging races. I think the Davis race just could be my favorite. It's got it all and plenty of it for everyone.
See ya at the races,
Josh

Appy Classic Race Report

Team RowMan+ made the trip down to Grantsville, WV for WVMBA #5, the 13th annual Appalachian Classic. This one's kinda special for me b/c my uncle Mike is one of the founders. In fact, it's his art that is used for t-shirts and emblems. Though he doesn't race any more he represented when he did and has some good race stories.

Today it was just the Brothers Row and the Man (that's me). The other Team RowManians had other commitments and couldn't make the race. We missed you guys.

It was a beautiful day for a race. The drive down was full of blue sky and sunshine. Not the norm for this year thus far but a welcome change. So moral was high for the trip and everyone was hungry for some good ol' WVMA racing.

When we got to the Calhoun County Park we set up camp at the shelter where Team Bi-acher/Cannondale Factory Racer, Chris M.had set up camp from the night before. Ol' boy was looking a bit lonely since his fellow Bi-achers (Gunnar & Betsy) were out of state doing one of the 100 milers. So we pulled in to give him some company and share some of his shade. Chris gave us a run down of the Saturday events (TT and short track race) and the festivities through the night. Sounds like we missed some fun but Chris seem to be paying the price a lil but he's a tough dude and recovered well.

By start time there was a nice size crowed on hand. Lots of the usual suspects: WV Night Club (with Andy W. making a come back after a broken collarbone-good to see him back); Pittsburgh Pro guys; The Riddles; Ohio speedster Dave W.; Jesse S. and some more folks I just can't recall right now. There were a couple of faces I haven't seen at the races for awhile, Jacob B.; '08 Sport Champ. Ian B.

After J.R. flashed everyone and got us all fired up he sent us out on the start. The start of this race seemed especially important to get to the front before the taped off section narrowed down the line and hit some tight turns. There was quite a bit of tire rubbing and jocking for position before the first turn but all the RowManians had good position in the front third of the pack. Then it was a loop through the field, up around the pavilion and down the hill to the access road. Once on the access road I grabbed the big ring and made up some ground with Stephen on my wheel and Jeremy two guys ahead. Jeremy hit the single track in 3rd behind Dave W. and Tim C., I was 5th and Stephen 6th and the pace was smoke'n fast. By far the fastest start of the season. We held that position for a quite awhile till Steve H. put on a balls out pass around the whole group and picked up the pace even more. Of course Steve got around me on the first sizable climb but I held my own for a bit more.

Then, I heard a loud pop. It wasn't from my bike but from my body. The fast start quickly caught up with me and I started to pay the price. Got passed by a few on the paved road climb. It was fun while it lasted but for me it was just survival after that as I dropped from 5th to I don't even know where.

I wasn't the only one having a tough go. I think the heat really stuck it to a lot of guys. Jeremy had his first hiccup of the year with some bad luck loosing a contact lens, pedal issues and more. But being the class act he is, he took took on the job of team soigneur, handing out much needed water bottles. The day wasn't a total loss though. The elder Rowand, Steve put together a solid race on a course the suited him well and out ran some fast guys for a podium place.........3rd. Great work Steve!

After I bonked I was ready to call it quites after the 2nd lap cause I was sweltering hot, low on fluids and hurt'n bad. But after a good water dousing from Benji and his wife and my pure stubbornness, I was able to keep going to at least finish. And half a lap later when I was dangerously close to running out of water Jeremy was trail side with a bottle and a gel. You saved my life dude. Thanks! After that I was able to pass a few guys back so I wasn't going to be DFL. I made it. No mechanicals or flats and a finish so it was better than the last two races. Now I just need a course that fits me a little better.

It's funny how I hurt so much and wanted to give up but some how I still had a good time and wanted to keep riding after the finish. Must be the endorphins I'm addicted to.

When it was awards time I think everyone there took home something. By the end J.R. was tossing swag like a he was a bike parade. Always fun when that happens. Thanks for a great race J.R. and sponsors. I think uncle Mike will be proud.

July will be full of fun for Team RowMan+:

Barbour DeTour
Race to Lil' Moes
WV State Champ.
Valley Falls

Check out the new WVMBA Point Series Standings. Steve'o made a nice jump into 2nd place right behind Jeremy in 1st. The rest of the crew is scattered within the top ten. Look'n good boys. Don't let it go to your head though, still 10 more exciting races to go.

See ya at the races,
Josh

Sorry no pics. Forgot the camara. Maybe I can come up with some later on. But who wants to see more pics of us anyway? Anyone?

June Update

First thing to be updated is the road race from the Tour of Tucker Co. Josh and I were the only 2 ROWMANians to take part in this Killer event, and yes I said Killer because thats just what it was! There was a good turn out around 160+ total, and with about 50 in are Pro4/5 class. We started at the bottom of the Mountain. Right from the start the the pace was pretty fast... no one was messing around here. I tried to stay around the front to get the legs warmed up from a rest week. We made the right and headed up the first major climb. A couple of Solay3 guys were setting tempo up front so I sucked in behind there wheels, in 3rd . Well boys and girls, this is where it was over for me and a lot of other riders... about half way up the climb I just could not respond. So I let off the gas alittle bit and let them go. Josh and Robbie L. came up beside me. Joshs was looking fairly strong. I suck some wheel for a little bit, and then let them go on. I thought no reason to kill myself, lets just make this a good day for a bike ride in the great countyside. I wished them well and off they went.

So I kept spinning the wheels, and a few mins later I could see Robbie again so we started riding together and having a good time killin' the downhills. Man can that boy ride! He made me scare my self a few times as we hit 48.5 mph on one of them... kinda crazy when theres gravel and grass in the rode. Anyway, Robbie and I contiued to have a great ride as we hit the bottom of the last major climb, Sugarlands. It's stupid steep and long... Yea it's pretty dumb, but great. As we were coming to the bottom of the climb, a couple people came up behind us, and I decided the legs are feeling good. I finally opened them up a little and to see what I had. Well I was able to put over 5 minutes on the group. I was with, and pass over 20 people up. It made me feel alittle better about myself for the day. Josh pulled out like 17th, think I was 21st. All in all, a good day for a bike ride on some great WV Mountain Roads.

Next up, The 24hrs of Big Bear... well, for this year's addition it was just me. I found me a spot on the WVMBA Dream Team Roster, along side Chris M., Gunner S., and Steve H. All very fast guys, and I had some big shoes to fill to being on this team. I met Steve H. on Friday night to camp in the oh so pro suite in same spot as last year. We got there around 6pm to set up camp, and to go out for about an hour to spin the legs out. The course was fairly muddy. We just hoped it would dry out for the next day. The night club kept it interesting all night as always. The next day, noon rolls around and we somehow suckered Chris into running the first lap. He turned in a good first lap top 10, and then off rolled Gunner. He smoked a lap out and we were now setting in 2nd exp at this point. I took out on a pretty good pace, but not killer...just trying to catch the 360 team from Kansas that was leading us. As I hit the final climb before the rock garden I could see him ahead. I made the pass on the climb and got a good little gap. He closed the gap on the next down hill and we rode together to the rock garden. As soon as I got there, I wasted no time and ran the garden and got another little gap on him. I was then able to get out of his sight up the climb which puts us in 1st exp 3rd overall. When I came in on that lap, I handed off to Steve H. He got out and turned a super fast lap and put us into 1st overall. From that point we never looked back. We did get some heat in the middle of the night from the 360 and WV Night club boys, but we opened the gap back up the next morning. Gunner went out and took are last parade lap. He had a couple flats but no Heart Attacks so we were able to take the win by around 20mins. The Womens Dreamteam was able to pick up the win, and girled almost every team out there... Good Job Girls! Thanks and Congrats to JR for setting up this killer team and his team for winning the full grown man class.

Thanks to Robbie L for keepin the superfly and hifi running all night long!

photos by Theresa Svoboda

Next up for team Rowman+

Appalachian Classic

Barbour DeTour

Race to lil Moe's Place

Product Review: Raced a new pair of Bontrager Race X Lite Mtb Shoes for the 24hr race. Never got a chance to wear them before the race so was a little scared but they performed flawlessly. Put 50+ fast miles on them and the feet felt great. No hot spots, sores, or blisters.

Rock on Nate

Creek to Peak to Podium

Well guys and girls super J was able to pull out another victory last Sunday at WVMBA #4, the Creek to Peak in Eleanor, WV.

The brothers and I headed down Sat. after work and set up base camp at Ma and Pa Chappy's place which is only about 30 minutes from the race. We were treated to a great nutritious breakfast by mama Chappy, got to play with the puppies and kitties, then got on the road. Made the short drive over the hill and arrived around 10 am with plenty of prep time.

It was clear it was going to be another slogger with lots of mud and wetness. The area got some heavy t-storms the night before so, there was plenty of standing water around the venue. But the sun was shining and temps were warm and yes it was race day........Game on.












The whole team was able to make it down for this one. Ryan and Nate ran the short track race on Sat. evening with Nate getting 3rd behind Nick Waite and Ben Ortt. Ryan had some bad luck and flatted out.

XC race.......There was a bit of funny stuff off the start caused by some of the course markings from the short track still being up. After the start the whole expert class ended up back at the start minutes after we left. The sporters had started by that time and after a quick restart we were off for real. There was a nice pull along a paved road and then a left onto the trails. This was about the time we caught up with the sport group. This made for some interesting congestion as experts riders were trying to get around the sport guys. Some were willing to give way and other were determined to race the expert class. Just tried to be patient and pass when I could. I was around Steve and Ryan so I was in good company.

The trails were wet and muddy and the twisty single track made things interesting. There was a nice long climb to start things out. I was able to keep Ryan and Steve in sight for most of it but by the time I got to the top a slow leak in my rear tire made my rear tire unridable. Time for a some more air, but to my surprise the Big Air strapped to my seat post decided to jump ship. Shit! I had no back up pump so I was out of luck with no means to inflate a tire.

So I started walking.........more like stomping the course. Had to walk for about 45 min till I got to a point where I could cut down the hill. I ran into Theresa Svoboda taking pics for iplay and a couple of spectators who had a pump. As I was standing beside the trail slowly changing my tire Jeremy came flying around the corner. I let out a loud "hell yeah" cause I knew he was riding in first. I didn't see the 2nd expert (Nick Waite) till a few minutes later. Looked like Jeremy was going in for the win as long as nothing tragic happened.

I got the tire ridable again and just at that time Steve came around the turn, seconds behind 4th place Steve Hill. So, I jumped on his wheel and tried to motivate Steve to pull himself up a place. He put on a hard chase but was unable to catch Hill. Good effort dude.

After stopping to give Jeremy a big man hug for the win I went the finish to finalize my DNF. But I wasn't the only one that had a tough day. Ryan had some mechanical issues but was able to finish. Nate took a nasty spill and knocked a leg and shoulder out a whack and had to DNF as well.

Even with all the misfortune, the trip was still worth while since Jermey got win #3 of the year beating some fast competition. He sits atop the point series standings and with Steve and Ryan getting solid finishes they both grabbed a chunk of series points. Great job Team RowManians.

"Jeremy collecting his loot and enjoying a winners shot"

Next up for the team:
Tour of Tucker County
Ryan doing XXC at Massanutten
Nate doing 24hrs of Big Bear on this years version of the WVMBA Dream Team
Then Appy Classic WVMBA #5

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

Gear point of the week:
Jeremy says the Bontrager Mud X performed like a champ in the wet muddy conditions and is definitely a good choice for the sloppy trails.

Wet N Wild

Team RowMan+ got some tough man miles in the last couple of days.

Wednesday we couldn't make the Wednesday Night'r so we put together our own ride. Strong group of riders (Steve, Jeremy, Nate, Robbie and myself) headed out to do Fort Martin/Taylertown loop with Bobtown climb thrown in for some fun. Started out with a pretty steady rain to get things nice and wet and maintained a nice drizzle for awhile. For anyone that doesn't know, those road are not the cleanest in wet conditions thanks to the coal mines. Check out the filthy group after a couple hours in the wet.

Today was the Thursday Shop ride. I headed out a little early to catch up on some ride time. Got some rain early but it didn't really make it through the canopy. Trails were in good condition with a bit of mud but not enough to make it greasy. The HiFi was feeling especially dialed in. Hooked up with the group at the usual time. Attendees: Colin, Jeremy, Nate, Robbie, Jake, Bala and Ryan P.

We started out going up Spaghetti which is always a challenging way to start out a ride. After stopping for a flat change it was on to break in the new trail a lil more. Jake did some leading after that and kept the pace up. Look'n strong kid!.........Then the new trail in opposite direction and then the sky opened up. Thunder, lightning and hard winds. Not a good combination in the woods. We had a real interesting decent to the gate but all the troops made in in one piece.

The team will be heading down to Eleanor, WV for WVMBA#4, Creek to Peak. The brothers and I will be turning Ma and Pa Chappy's place into a biking Bed and Breakfast since they live about 30 min. away. Sweet, short drive on race day.

See ya at the races,

Later,

Josh