Reward:
$100 for any information leading the capture, arrest, public humiliation, race license revocation, and torture for the guy who dropped that Gu packet on the race course.

You know who you are, but who the hell do you think you are? Do you think trail fairies come and pick up after you? Is your mommy on trail behind you? Are you too goddamn important to stow your trash in your jersey pocket or under your pants leg? “Oh, I’m mister fast guy, picking up after myself is beneath me”.

Well, I got news for you dude, you’re an asshole, plain and simple. And I would not hesitate to turn you in. It’s the right thing to do. Hence the reward. I’m serious about this.

It seems that U.S. Secretay of Transportation Mary Peters feels that spending DOT moneys on bicycle paths is just another way to spell pork. According to the excerpt below, from the League of American Bicyclists website, Peters made the remarks on a recent edition of the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher. There are links in the excerpt where interested cyclists can access a PDF of the League’s official response, listen to a podcast from the pertinent edition of the PBS NewsHour, and contact Secretary Peters to voice support for bicycles as transportation.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters talks about infrastructure problems and travel initiatives. Peters cited “bicycle paths” as a prime example of the waste

Last night on the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher, DOT Secretary Mary Peters was interviewed by Gwen Ifill.

Peters, when asked about a possible gas tax increase, repeated President Bush’s response - No, there can be no tax increase because Congress is wasting the money they already get. Peters cited “bicycle paths” as a prime example of the waste because bicycles are not a transportation use of the gas tax money.

It is disappointing that the administration is attacking Jim Oberstar for his efforts to get the Minneapolis bridge repaired along with raising all the funding for transportation maintenance, by using Oberstar’s support for bicycles as a weapon.

The League of American Bicyclists feels strongly that this should not go without a response and we have sent a letter to Secretary Peters voicing our view. Click here to view our response.

For those of you who feel strongly about bicycling issues, we would also urge you to contact the Secretary to share your personal viewpoints.

To view a copy of the program click here

With the bicycle industry trade shows in Europe and the USA right around the corner, manufacturers are taking the wraps off their 2008 models. The folks at Santa Cruz bikes gave Dirt Rag the skinny on the latest and greatest from the NorCal purveyor of pedal power.

The Stigmata is an all-new cyclocross offering from Santa Cruz. The Stigmata’s frame, which features Easton’s new EA6X tubing, tips the scales at 1300grams (for a 54cm frame, with powdercoat). Santa Cruz tells us that the race-oriented design has a low BB, tight geometry, and tons of tire clearance (and neither rack nor fender braze-ons). Planned availability is October 2007.

The Chameleon, SC’s rock solid aluminum alloy hardtail that is built tough enough to handle the loads of 160mm forks, gets a new hydroformed top tube for 2008. The 2008 Chameleon also sports an ultra-light eccentric BB and vertical dropouts, for easy wheel removal and disc brake use, in either singlespeed or geared mode. The frame features a replaceable derailleur hanger that SC developed originally for the Heckler. Santa Cruz is expecting to deliver the Chameleon by the end of September.

Santa Cruz has made some tweaks on their downhill-racing V-10 platform, including a redesign of the aluminum frame sections and a carbon fiber upper link, which shaves almost two pounds and offers lower standover, compared to last year’s model. Santa Cruz says that the suspension has been revised to sit higher in its travel for a livelier ride, resulting in a lighter, tighter package with 254mm of rear wheel travel and razor sharp handling. Look for the new V-10 to hit the streets by the end of November.

Hi. I also am posting my first race report. Carol Clemens is my name and racing mountain bikes, well I guess it is my game.
This is a little something about one of the endurance series events in North Carolina.

Cowbell Challenge 2007

Time has continued to move at a rapid pace into what is now my third endurance event of the season. Wow! This time around it’s going to be a 12 hour event in North Carolina, the Cowbell Challenge, and my team consists of one, me.
Solo usually means that I ride it alone and have my wonderful friends for support. For some odd reason I decided that I would take this trip with a bit of a different approach and do the trip and the race all by my lonesome. That sounds great on paper, but I wonder how it is going to go at the race? That is what I kept asking myself and the response was, you’ll be fine. Right? Thankfully I did not let me brain get the best of me and I called two of my friends/sponsors and asked the big question, “You guys wanna come down and help me?” This is a lot to ask two days before an event that is 7 hours away. Thankfully they responded with “We will be down on Friday night, what do you want us to bring?” Music to my ears. Hard to believe they said that but it made a girl smile.
Thursday morning, a good time for me to get in the car and start rolling. I was grinning from ear to ear. That is the common expression that I carry when I am on an adventure. Besides the forgetting of the directions and key to the lock that was on the bikes the trip really was flawless. I cruised into the parking lot of the white water rafting center at 7pm and found the trailhead. I also found the race organizer reassuring me that I was in the right spot. She also informed me that I had 9 competitors, two of which are pros. OK. Well I suited up to find out what this course is all about. Apparently they had added two more miles onto the seven from last year. Longer course and slower times, let’s find out. Out I went and twisted my way through 7 miles, not 9, saw two owls and some great trails. Confused by the race markers not being accurate, but comforted in knowing more then I used to, I called it a ride and moseyed on to the campground. Usually at these 12 hour or 24 hour events you can camp at the venue, but not this one–the campground was 18 miles away.
Friday, race registration time. I headed up to the start to get my packet and talk to the race organizer about the troubles I had the night before on the course. I explained to her that I felt as thought they should mark the course a bit better because I was getting lost and I had only ridden 7 miles instead of 9. Her reply was, “We do that intentionally to keep it interesting.” Ha, well the races never fail to surprise me. That means that I should suit up again and find out what it really is, but I do not want to waste energy, so I go home and relax.
Saturday is here and so is my support. We rose being that we had to account for the 30 minute drive to the venue. Off we went. Thanks to global warming the sun was in full effect and the temperature was rising. Good day for some sunscreen. Chris, Larry and I got the Dirt Rag tent set up, Larry gave my bike a once over and I gave them a crash course of what I need them to do for me. Looks like we are ready to rock. There was no LeMans start at this event, so the racers lined up with bikes and on the count of five we were off. The first lap was smooth considering it was a completely different course than the one that I had ridden on Thursday. Team No Sleep is what I called us and that was our strategy, just keep moving. I started out in third following the two pro women and that is where I stayed for the entire event. There were ups and downs but I was turning 1:06 laps most of the time which allowed me to hold my position. Larry came out and cheered me on during my eighth lap and Chris and Larry both came out on my tenth lap. Awesome. I ending up getting 3rd out of 9 and I could not be happier about that. I would not have been able to do it if Chris and Larry would have not been there to support me. Thanks guys. You rock. A big thank you to Dirt Rag and all of the magical people in my life.
http://www.cowbellchallenge.org

Hello world. I suppose I’ll introduce myself seeing this is my first post.

My name is Ryan LaBar. I interned with Dirt Rag last summer and am now a contributor and racer for them. This summer I’m living, racing, and riding bikes in Colorado before I go back to Michigan to race the collegiate mountain bike series and finish up my last year of college.

Now on to the meat-and-potatoes of the post.

In my time out here in Colorado I’ve noticed a few things that have me concerned with the state of mountain bike racing. It has been said that “racing is dead” and, as of recently, I can’t say that it’s far off (though, I will say, my perspective is mainly from a XC racers point of view; downhill racing seems to be doing alright).

I raced at Telluride ski resort last weekend. Before my race started there was a fistfight between two sport class racers who were approaching the finish. Apparently one rider wouldn’t let the other rider pass and the other rider rammed into him. They then started throwing bikes and punches. Seriously? Sport class? These were grown men! Not such a great example to set for people thinking about starting to race bikes.

Another thing: There were only 5 starters and 4 finishers in my field (Expert 19-24). I ended up in third place. While the podium always feels good, there isn’t much satisfaction in finishing 3rd of four. There has been poor attendance at every race I’ve gone to out here, and the competition is quite spread out. The thing I’m attributing to this lack of attendance is the $50 entry fee. I understand that the promoters need to pay the venue, but $50 is still a hefty fee just to race bikes. If they lowered the price to $25 or $30 they might be able to make up for the loss of profit with the extra people the less expensive entry fees would attract. Another solution to the small fields is to merge age groups, which would be a more realistic first step towards a solution.

Thankfully there is a somewhat silver lining in the bike racing cloud. The newest event: Super D. This event could help save racing if the promoters did it right. The event brings out every crowd, from downhillers to cross country weenies, because it’s just plain fun. I think if you enter any of the main events (XC, DH, or 4X) you should gain free or maybe $5 entry into this event. Doing this would encourage more people to compete in the Super D and give people more incentive to race in the main events.

Another, brighter, silver lining is the state of collegiate racing. With entry fees usually no more than $12 just about any broke college kid can afford to race (the only problem is cost of gas to travel to the races) so the field size is usually good. The races almost always have a fun atmosphere, and let’s not forget the after-parties.

That’s my rant for now.

My Telluride results:

XC–3rd 19-24 expert
SD–2nd 19-29
HC–3rd 19-29 expert

Teammate Lianna’s Results:

XC–5th women 19-29 expert
SD–1st women 19+

For the past four year, I’ve competed (and I use that term loosely) in the Wilderness 101 in central Pennsylvania. It’s a well-run, epic mountain bike race that covers one huge loop (with no repeats) in some stellar riding terrain.

I made some hard scheduling choices this year, and couldn’t make it to the 101, which took place last weekend. Fortunately for me, I received a well-written press release that recounts this year’s event, which I though I’d share with my fellow slackers who did not make the pilgrimage to Coburn, PA this year:

Wilderness 101: Scorching Temperatures Lead to Scorching Course Records

By: Zayne Braun

At promptly 7 a.m. on Saturday, 250 racers started the 7th edition of the Wilderness 101, race 5 in the National Ultra Endurance (NUE) series, near State College, Pennsylvania. The competition was fierce in all categories with several course records set in the open men, open women, and single speed divisions. Weather conditions in the week prior resulted in a fast, dry, technical course and racers took advantage of these conditions on the single loop course.

In the open men, Chris Eatough (Trek/Volkswagen) was expected to race, but Eatough didn’t feel fully recovered from coming off a convincing win at the 24 Hours of Nine Mile in Wisconsin the previous weekend. In his place Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/Volkswagen), Harlan Price (Independent Fabrications), Tinker Juarez (Cannondale), Josh Tostado (Giant/Smith/Dakine/Redbull/Michelin), Sam Koerber (Pro Bikes), Brandon Draugelis (Bearnaked/Cannondale), and Shawn Adams (October Research/Lake Effect) battled for the top podium spot. This elite group escaped around 20 miles into the race and never looked back.
“This was a really tough race due to the caliber of riders present, and especially daunting knowing that Bishop was here,” said Price, last year’s winner of the Wilderness 101. “I knew I had good legs and felt Bishop and I were working pretty well together. I would move to the front of the group on the long climbs and set a hard tempo. When it got quiet I figured that it was fast enough.”
This pace making was enough to drop Draugelis off the group around the halfway point of the race. Juarez and Koerber flew into station #3 with lead bunch, but they fell off right away as Bishop and Price got out of the pit faster. The leading duo extended their lead on the headwall climb, up Sassafras Trail, to one of the highest points on the course by over a minute.
Adams, having fallen off with 2 early flats was never able to regain contact with the frontrunners. Tostado, fresh off his win at the Breckenridge 100 had a tough time with the rocks and triple flatted, but was able to claw his way back into the top 10 finishing 6th, showing that he would have been a force at the front had he not had difficulties.
Bishop and Price continued to push each other and extend their lead, until a minor mechanical caused Price to drop off the pace about 20 miles to the finish. “I stopped to pull a stick out of my wheel and that’s when Bishop dropped the hammer,” recounts Price. “I just couldn’t close the gap. I kept him in sight after that, but when we hit the rail bed I could see him getting smaller and smaller in the distance.”
Bishop’s attack launched him to the win and the course record in a time of 6 hours 52 minutes, beating the old course record of 6 hours 59 minutes set by Chris Eatough in 2005. Price crossed the line second, 5 minutes back, with the second fastest course time. Rounding out the podium in third was Tinker Juarez (Cannondale), Draugelis (BearNaked/Cannondale) in fourth, and Sam Koerber (Pro Bikes) in fifth.

In the open women, the competition was just as fierce. The top 3 ladies in the NUE series were present, as well as some terrific regional talent. Betsy Shogren (WV F29er/Cannondale) rode away with the win, but not after a prolonged battle with Trish Stevenson (Pro Bikes).
“I thought I got rid of her several times, but every time I looked back there she was,” Shogren said of Stevenson. “Finally, I guess I was able to make one stick. I still was constantly looking back, but fortunately I didn’t see her again.”
Shogren’s winning time of 8 hrs 35 minutes set another course record. Rounding out the top five were Carey Lowery (Outdoor Store), Erica Tieszen (Giant/Smith/Dakine/Redbull/Michelin), and Michelle Schneider (VisitPA.com).

The race for top single speeder was heating up, as well. Defending champion from 2006 Greg Montello (Independent Fabrication), regional riders Weston Schempf (VisitPA.com), Tim Dougherty (BareNaked/Cannondale), regional legend Gunnar Shogren (WV F29er/Cannondale), and local Matt Ferrari (Mt. Nittany Wheelworks) all were within striking distance of one another.
Relative unknown Steve Cummings (Meredith/GPOA) took off on a flyer from mile 15 and appeared to be on course for the win. An unfortunate navigation error cost Cummings a shot at the top step, but opened the door for the rest. Schempf and Montello continued to ride together until what proved to be the decisive climb at mile 45.
Schempf, the recently-crowned US National Semi-Pro STXC Champion, extended his lead over the duration while a battle between the rest played out behind. Finishing 7th overall with a time of 7 hours 49 minutes, Schempf set the course record for single speeders and took the category win. Shogren used his experience to slip into second and Benji Klimas (Specialized) rounded out the podium.

What may have been the most anticipated race within the race was for top local. Plenty of State College’s finest and fastest turned out for the local hardman title. Rising to the top for this year’s bragging rights was Rich Straub (Mt. Nittany Wheelworks). “I just rode my race and kept consistent,” said Straub. “Matt (Ferrari) and I were trading verbal jabs as we rode up the climb out of check point 4. He took off, but I didn’t panic and was able to dispatch him on the next road section and solo to the finish.”

The final results of the day have both present and possible future ramifications on the overall standings in the NUE. In the Elite Men’s Category, Harlan Price moves into second place overall, squeaking past Shawn Adams (October Research/Lake Effect) by a quarter of a point. Jeremiah Bishop’s win over defending series champion Price may eventually help his teammate Chris Eatough to take the title in 2007. With only two races left in the seven race series, every point counts for the leaders. The Elite Women category saw Carey Lowery (Outdoor Store) leapfrog over Danielle Musto (Slingshot Bikes) into the series lead, while Erika Tieszen (Giant/Smith/Dakine) jumps seven places into third. Finally, John Majors’ win in the Masters class enables him to hold on to his series lead in that division.

For a look at the 2007 race results click here.