Ready to Rock?

With the race season quickly coming to a close Team RowMan planned on heading over to Ohio for the Bob Evans race but long work hours and lack of motivation to make the long trek kept us close to home. So we decided to go up to Coopers Rock to prep for the WVMBA Series Championship next weekend. The brothers and I got up there in the early afternoon and the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Great day to be on the bike. We met up with Sean Z. at the day lot and got ready to scout the race course.

J and I were on the SuperFly's and Steve brought along his newest ride which just could be the hottest bike around. I won't give away the surprise but it is Top Shelf.

We started out on everyone's favorite trail, Scott's Run and then hit the Nature loop then to the Right away Trail. Sean turned us onto a new trail that bypasses the hike-a-bike on the Right away Trail, nice improvement. Then it was back up on top and out Ridge Tail.

It's been awhile since I've road a hardtail at Coopers and I quickly remembered why. So now I'm considering pulling the trigger on the HiFi for the first time in a race. I think the bombing ability will be a nice advantage and hopefully the extra weight won't kill me on the climbs. Which there is quite a bit of hard steep sections to contend with. I'm still not 100% sold on the idea but the HiFi does plow through the rough stuff and climbs well. So, why not?

Team RowMan also hit up the Wedesnday Night'r this past week. First time this year we were all three in attendance. The ride was a bit subdued cause Adam A. didn't make it and Gunnar and Betsy split off early. It was a large group but it seemed like no one really wanted to put the hammer down. We split from the group at Mt. Morris when Jeremy stayed on the gas after the state line sprint and only a few others bridged up. Re-grouped after the turn around and stayed together back to town. Ended up being a good hard ride and I was feeling the burn afterwards.

One more race to go in the XC season. Then it's time for some sweet fall mountain bike rides and the annual trip to Slatyfork for singletrack euphoria.

Looks like Jeremy has the series championship wrapped up as long as the wheels don't fall off at Coopers. And Steve will grab a 4th place overall. Nice work fellers.

Keep an eye out for a report on Steve's new ride.

See ya at the races,
Josh

Black Bear Race Report

Another race in the books. This week Team Rowman traveled to our state capital, Charleston, WV for the 23rd (Yes, 23rd) annual Black Bear 40K. I was looking forward to this race for awhile cause the course suits my riding abilities. The course takes racers up and down and around Kanawha State Forest. The KSF has some of the best riding in the state, next to our own Coopers of course. There are lots of steep technical descents that include large imbeded rocks, roots and tight switch backs. There's a lot of ups to go along with the downs but most is fire road style with only mild to moderate grades. However, it does boast the meanest hike-a-bike ever.

As stoked as I was about the Black Bear the Rowands were that much not stoked. They must have been ravaged by the Bear before. But, in true RowMan style they manned up and made the race. It was another 11am start so we had to role out of Motown at the crack ass of dawn. Hell, it was still dark until we got 30-45 min. down 79. We wanted to make sure we got there earlier than last week to get in some more warm up time.

The Sport Utility Neon was like the 4th car in the lot at KSF. Hell yeah, first ones to register. These guys must be hungry to for some race'n. So we did our thing and before long it was go time. Not a real big showing for the expert/SS class. Mostly just the usuals like Steve H., Robbie L., Don P., Gannar, Chris M., LB, Adam S..

The start sent us directly across a stream crossing and then up a steady long fire road climb. I think I got the worst start ever. I was pretty much DFL starting up the climb. I couldn't even see the lead group. But I didn't panic and just put my head down and tried to tap out a good pace. I was able to make up some ground and before long I was just behind Jeremy and Steve who were up with the lead group. I was in the company of Adam S., Don P., and Brad S. By the time I got to the top of the climb the leaders were out of site. Once on top we hit some nice twisty single track. Robbie and his bitch'n bike skills bridged up to me on the down hill section and for the second week in a row I wiped out with Robbie breathing down my neck and then got passed by Adam S.. Just a quick front wheel wash out from riding the brakes too hard. I was back up and going pretty quick with no damage done.

I found myself riding the brakes a lot on the descents. I don't know if it was the pitch or the speed on technical, unfamiliar trails. I had some uncomfortable moments but was able to clean the rest of the descents. It was a total 180 from ACE where I was feeling fast and confident on the descents. The trails were super dry and loose so, maybe that was the difference.

For most of the race I kept yo-yo'ing back and forth with Robbie till he put on a hard push up one of the final road climbs and got by Adam S. I got close to Adam a couple of times but he would pull away every time we hit the woods. I think he might know the trails a bit better than myself.

About 2hrs in I started to fall apart a little and started to think back to last week when I blew it at the end. I didn't want that to happen again. I was able to keep it together and avoid the cramps. Probably do to the great weather. Cool and low humidity. I made it to the long 200 yd., strait up hike-a-bike. By the top my calves were on fire from pushing up hill. I could hear someone below me up the hike'r so I jumped on and tried to push it as much as I could without going over the edge. I made it to the finish without anyone catching up. I came in 6th, my best finish of the season. I grabbed a good chunk of points but still have a good gap to close on Donny P. Only two more to go.

Steve H. got the win for the day and he was unreachable on his home course. No wonder the dude is so fast. Riding the KSF will make ya fast and tough. Jeremy had another showdown with the wily Gunnar. Coming down the home stretch Jeremy was in the lead and Gannar tossed a stick in his derailleur to try and slow him down. But Jeremy's drive to win was greater than his concern for his high dollar gear. Jeremy came in only seconds in front of the ol' pirate to claim 2nd place. He said he tried to drop the Gunny a couple times but he was able to swashbuckle his was back.

Steve had a solid day but actually admitted to doing too much climbing which I didn't think would ever happen to him. Sounds like he was nailing the descents this week. He came in 4th for the day though he was passed by Robbie in the last stretch. Yes thats right, he was caught by a SS on flat ground. I've got two words for ya dude "Big Ring". Good finish anyway.

Robbie got another win in the SS class. That makes 6 for 6 on the SS. Nice work man and thanks for the encouragement. You are a true sportsman.

Next week is an off race week. However, the Chapman's are moving into their new digs so come on down if you like to move heavy stuff cause I know I don't. Next stop for Team RowMan will be the Bob Evans and then the championship race on our home turf (Coopers). Sure to be a good time. Last WVMBA of the year so, leave it all out on the trail.

See ya at the races,
Josh

I'm Back

I'm finally back on the the race train after a month hiatus and it's good to be back together with my Team Rowman bros. The team headed down to conquer the ACE Bike Fest in Oak Hill, WV. It was an early 11am start so we had to role out of bed stupid early to make the 2.5 hr drive. But I was pumped to be racing my bike again so I didn't mind. I've been preoccupied the last few weeks going on vacation and working on my new house. My hours on the bike took a dive along with my fitness but I've been working on bring it back up for the past couple weeks. I didn't have high hopes for myself at ACE but I went along for the fun and fastness and to hang out with some cool cats.

We didn't get to ACE till a little before 10am so there wasn't much time to get registered, geared up and warmed up. The first thing we noticed when we got there was the standing water on the ground. Looked like we were going to contend with some muddy, wet trails for the first time in awhile. I was hoping I remembered how to handle the bike on slippery trails.

After registration we got base camp set up and quickly got ready to race. I only got about a 10 minute warm up before the racers meeting. Not optimal for myself, I usually need at least 30 min. to warm up the diesel. The start of the race took us out a flat gravel road around the camp ground and then dropped into the woods. A hairpin turn sent us back the way we came alone the contour of the ridge on a rolly trail. The start seemed to be almost in slow motion. Not like the typical WVMBA start which is usually red line out of the box. But I was cool with it, a little more warm up time. I found Steve's wheel to follow and he was on Robbie's wheel. There was a small gap between us and the lead group with Jeremy, Gunnar, Steve H. and Chris ?. After a small climb we popped out on a gravel road. I grabbed the big ring and closed the gap Steve and Robbie got on me and we stayed together on the road and back onto the trails. The lead group was out of sight by the time we got back on the trails. Those guys were smoking it!

It was cool riding with Steve and Robbie all alone. Felt like a Thursday Nightr. I was feeling good and having a blast on the twisty and rollie trails. We past Gunnar changing a flat at the bottom of a rocky decent. After a short rocky technical section we were back on a gravel road. I grabbed the big ring again. Worked with Robbie for a bit but he couldn't keep pace on one gear. Steve was close behind till we got to the premier decent on the course, Rigamortis. The SuperFly was feeling good so I let go of the brakes and let her fly on the decent. There were some steep, loose rocky sections that made it real interesting. At the bottom there was no sign of my teammate. I was hoping he didn't plummet into the canyon.

Next was some more rollie fire road and then the big climb of the course. Midway up the climb I saw Steve and Robbie closing in. I was glad to see they were still alive and in one piece. On a single track section those 2 were breathing down my neck then the next thing I knew I was falling over the hillside. I don't know what the hell happened. I don't know if it was the oxygen dept I was in or all the paint I've been huffing lately but I pretty much just fell over the side. That's were my race started to go down hill. I went from 4th to 7th in a matter of minutes. I dragged my carcass up the steep, mucky, rutted out climb. At the top there was more of bread and butter though, fast and rollie. Big ring time! I road the next lap and half with Montana M. till the climb came back around. I could feel my legs starting to cramp up so I backed off a bit and tried to spin a bit more. By the time I made it up the climb I was starting to fade fast but only had a few miles to go. But then the cramps hit me hard, felt like my muscles were going to tare in two a couple times. I had to jump off and push the second to last climb. Then Donald P. came around the turn. He was encouraging me to ride but all I could do was hike to the top. He passed me just at the top. I mounted up and kept the gap close hoping to spin out the cramps and sprint it out on the final climb. But when the last kick came I stood up to go then my legs seized up hard and let out a scream of pain. Ouchy! On go. I wasn't happy about getting passed at the last minute but all and all it was a good day. Eighth was better then I expected after my hiatus.

The rest of the team had a great showing. Jeremy got the win after an epic battle with Steve H. and Chris. The three were together most of the race till Steve and J. were able to put Chris in the hurt locker. J. got a 30 sec. gap on Steve for the win. He said it was the hardest battle of the year with lots of going hard and fast. Nice work kid, back on top. Steve came it a solid 4th place. Wish I could have stayed with ya mate. Maybe next time. Good job Stephen!

Only 3 more races left in the WVMBA series. It's been a good season thus far with Team RowMan+ members racking up some real solid finishes. Looks like J. might have the series wrapped up but don't look for him to fade anytime soon. He's still hungry for more wins. Steve's looking to climb up the ranks before the end. I'm hoping to pull together some more fitness and get a couple good results. Maybe we will see a Nate comeback. Tim is back to school but might come out to finish out the season. No coach though, he's in the deep south, miss ya little buddy.

Come out and get your racing in while you can and have fun with Team RowMan.

See ya at the races,
Josh

P.S.
If anyone out there would be interested in sponsoring the fastest team in the state next year send me an e-mail and I will hook you up with our team resume.

Pics. and results coming soon.

DIRT DERBY

Yarrrrrrrrrrrr, This past weekend was the Dirt Derby in Barboursville. Was a pretty long drive , but we made it. No Chappy for us this time around. The new Plus, Tim drove us down. Things where hot as soon as we got there. Even for a 11:00 start, the sun was blazing.

The race started a bit after 11. We rolled out the park on the hardball. About two miles later we popped into the woods. Jesse Stevens was setting a good pace followed by J and myself. We quickly pulled away from the pack. I love that river trail. OH SO FAST.

J, just looking too fast.

We stayed together for about the first lap and well, the heat and the pace started to get to me. I slowly lost contact with J and Jesse.

Jesse went on to win and J got 2nd. As for myself I got 3rd. Our powerhouse Plus got 6th in his class. Good job Tim.


The Full TEAM ROWMAN will be racing the ACE this coming weekend and we hope to see ya there.

HEHEHE, Tim and his go fast treats.

DAMN, he must be sponsored.







Expert podium, hot dang.

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