Last weekend I raced in the third cross country race in the Mid Atlantic Super Series, “Escape from Granogue”, in Delaware. This race gave me a good lesson what can go wrong on race day. I had raced Granogue before, winning the Expert Class, so I knew the course well enough that being competitive on a singlespeed was going to be tougher than in the last race. The previous race, “On the Rocks at French Creek” , was a great singlepeeder’s course. It started with a good climb and was very technical, with few flat sections. Either you were climbing, or bombing down rocky downhills. I rode most of the race with Rob Lichtenwalner (“Vegan Rob” DR #121), who was on a geared bike. We finished 5th and 6th in the Elite class, my best finish to date.
I knew Granogue would be different. The race starts with a quarter mile of flat road, then goes into some fast dirt roads, and a maze of twisty singletrack with no rocks. There are a couple steep climbs, including a dirt road grinder. The mix of a fast start, and the hills, made picking a gear tough. I went with my standby 32×19 (on a 29’er hardtail), figuring that it was perfect for the climbs. I knew I would get dropped at the start, but figured that a 17 or 18 tooth cog wouldn’t make any difference. In the little pre-riding I did, this proved to be a good gear choice, it seemed like I could punch up the hills well and gain some time there. The other change I made for this race was to drop my standard Maxxis Ignitor tires in favor of something lighter, a choice I would pay for. I threw a Maxxis Small Block Eight on the front and a Stans “The Crow” on the rear. “The Crow” is a superlight, minimal tread tire, designed to be run tubeless at very low pressure. I figured that with no rocks on the course, and all of the climbs, the low weight would be a nice advantage. I didn’t anticipate the railroad tracks.
See the guy in an awkward tuck? Yep, that’s the singlespeeder trying to draft. Photo courtesy of MLKimages
At the start line Topher, a longtime Elite singlespeed racer, looked over and said “damn, you’re running the Crow”. He had thought about using one too but decided against it. The start went as anticipated, everyone shifted into their big rings and dropped us. At the sharp right after the pavement I was able to get the inside line and gained a better position, then passed more riders on the first short climb. I settled into the racing groove and was riding with Topher, in the top 15, on the first of three laps. Then we hit the railroad tracks. Literally, for me. A steep little downhill section brought us over some old railroad tracks, wood planks had been placed between them, but your back wheel still hit pretty hard on the far side. I heard my rim smack the rail, and 20 meters later the distinctive sound of a tubeless tire letting out air once per revolution. I pulled off the trail and grabbed my pump to see if a little extra air would help the Stans goo do it’s job, no such luck. The combination of a superlight tire and a lightweight rim, plus a steel train track, had led to a dented rim. I knew that my race was pretty well blown along with the tire, but I wanted to enjoy riding the course anyway. I slowly put a tube it, pumped it up, and got chasing. I was able to make my way though the Expert field by Lap 2, with some narrow misses passing on the tight trails, then I came up on the tracks again. I slowed a bit more this time and tried to keep my rear tire un-weighted, but it was not to be. Bang! Another flat. I called it a day and hiked back to the finish line, taking a DNF. Lesson learned. Chris Eatough (Trek VW) took the win, with Topher (Bike Sport) taking the honors as first on a singlespeed, in 14th.
Adventure Cycling Association—North America’s largest cycling membership organization—and Dirt Rag magazine invite cyclists to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) which travels the spine of the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide for 2,711 miles and stretches from Canada to Mexico.
Enter the Ride The Divide contest at this Dirt Ragweb page for a chance to win a $3,500 Old Man Mountain Boomerang bike with custom racks. Second prize is a week-long guided tour on the Great Divide Route, and third prize is a Cycling the Great Divide guidebook and map set.
Speaking of guidebook, Cycling the Great Divide, a comprehensive guidebook to the GDMBR written by Adventure Cycling’s Michael “Mac” McCoy has just been updated. Adventure Cycling also offers map sections for the route, featuring turn-by-turn directions, campground locations, and the best re-supply points along the way. If you’re not bold enough to sally forth on your own, Adventure Cycling also offers guided tours on the GDMBR. Information about the tours, the guide, and map sections are available at www.adventurecycling.org.
Ultra-endurance cyclists will one again gather for the Great Divide Race—the fifth annual edition starts on June 20th in Montana and follows the GDMBR from the Canadian to Mexican borders. Last year’s winner Jay Petervary set a stunning new course record when he completed the route in a blistering time of only 15 days. Listen to the champion talk about his record-setting race in Dirt Rag TV’s video interview with Jay Petervary:
New this year is The Tour Divide which, like the Great Divide Race, is entirely self-supported with riders carrying everything they need. But this one goes up to 11, and starts a week earlier on June 13th in Banff, Alberta and includes the GDMBR’s Canadian section for an additional 221 miles of riding. Adventure Cycling is not officially involved in either race but encourages all riders of the route.To cap off the anniversary events, Adventure Cyclist’s July 2008 issue will be devoted to inspiring stories from and practical advice for the route. Essays by Mac McCoy, the GDMBR’s principal architect, and other luminaries will look back at the route’s first decade, while Adventure Cyclist Deputy Editor Aaron Teasdale gives his account of riding the Canadian section and presents a special section, “Gear for the Great Divide.” Adventure Cyclist is the member publication of Adventure Cycling Association.
–Karl Rosengarth
It’s time for the next stop on the 2008 Dirt Rag World Tour. Justin and I are heading to the Massanutten resort in McGaheysville, Virginia, for the 20th Anniversary of the Massanutten Hoo-Ha! this weekend, May 31-June 1, 2008. This classic cross-country race is the biggest and baddest in Virginia, and the plentiful supply of rocky trails makes it one of most challenging courses around. Because it is the Virginia XC State finals, you can expect to see some explosive and fun racing. If racing, spectating, or enjoying a trail ride aren’t enough to do, the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition is hosting a Super-D race on Saturday afternoon at 5:00 pm. So come on down and make a whole weekend out of it.
Be sure to swing over to the world famous Dirt Rag booth. We have a lot of swag for any new or renewing subscribers; this includes Platypus bladders, Jagwire brake /derailleur cable and housing sets, WTB Moto raptor tires, and much more. Stop by to say hi, shoot the breeze, become a new or renewing subscriber, or to peruse our selection of authentic Dirt Rag merchandise. See you at the event!
As an industrial designer, Erik Björk typically is faced with a lot of limitations. He strives to produce non-conventional product designs that are not too experimental, They should be easy to mass produce, yet hard to copy. He aims to create an exclusive look with interesting, low-cost materials. Most days he finds that limitations are inspiring and challenging, but sometimes they can also be very frustrating.
Erik admits that “The Do It Yourself Wooden Bicycle” is the polar opposite of his trademark industrial designs. It is very easy to copy and reproduce. The components are available from the nearest hardware store, and anyone can build it with common hand-tools. The look is quit rough and unconventional, which Erik hopes will make the bike an unlikely target for bike thieves.
Erik considers his design as a first test version of a open source project. He encourages folks to build their own. If you’d like drawings of Erik’s bike to jump-start your own project, then contact him via email. More information on The Do It Yourself Wooden Bicycle is available at Erik’s website.
The 2008 Kenda BikeFest presented by Dirt Rag Magazine kicks off on Friday, July 25th with a screening of the mountain biking movie Klunkerz, which traces the Marin roots of mountain biking. The film features archival footage and interviews with the pioneers of off-road riding who built their bikes—the so-called “klunkerz” of the title—from scavenged frames and parts they adapted to the demands of what was then an entirely new cycling discipline.
The screening will include a special guest appearance by film cast member and contributor, Charlie Kelly—one of the “Originals” of Marin, who is credited with being the creator and promoter of the legendary Repack time trial races down Pine Mountain. Kelly also started the The Fat Tire Flyer, the first magazine devoted to mountain biking.
Filmmaker Billy Savage says, “I’m thrilled that Dirt Rag and the Kenda BikeFest have decided to screen Klunkerz at this year’s festival. Both Dirt Rag and the Kenda BikeFest are focused on the grass-roots of the sport, and that’s what Klunkerz is all about.” Savage added, “It’s amazing what the kids are doing these days on the big travel machines, but that’s a pretty small part of the whole thing. I made Klunkerz as a little bit of counter-cultural programming to all that stuff. In the beginning it was all about getting together with friends and having some fun out in the woods. That’s the essence of what motivated the pioneers of the sport, and I wanted to share that with the audience.”
The 14th annual Kenda BikeFest presented by Dirt Rag will be held July 25th – 27th in Hancock, MA. Set in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains, this non-competitive cycling event offers three days of camping and outdoor activities for cyclists of all ages, skill levels and styles. The Festival also features live music, outdoor movies, kid’s activities, food, bike expo and family fun. For more information visit www.bicyclefest.com.
USA Cycling has announced the junior and U23 cross-country racers that have been nominated to represent the United States at the 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, June 17th–22nd.
In the U23 category, Sam Jurekovic received the only automatic nomination to the men’s team, thanks to his fourth-place Elite finish at the Fontana National. Colin Cares, Mitchell Peterson and Tim Allen received discretionary nominations. Jamie Dinkins posted the top U23 women’s performance at the Fontana National and received the only automatic nomination. Chloe Forsman received the sole discretionary nomination.
In the junior men’s division, Kerry Werner and John Bennett received automatic nominations, while Robbie Squire and Seamus Powell garnered discretionary selections. Jill Behlen won the Greenbrier Challenge in April to score an automatic nomination, and Deidre York took the victory at Santa Ynez to earn a spot on the junior women’s squad.
U.S. U23 and Junior Cross-Country Team Nominations:
U23 Men’s
Sam Jurekovic (Colorado Springs, CO)
Colin Cares (Boulder, CO)
Mitchell Peterson (Sandy, UT)
Tim Allen (Flagstaff, AZ)
As an industrial designer, Erik Björk typically is faced with a lot of limitations. He strives to produce non-conventional product designs that are not too experimental, They should be easy to mass produce, yet hard to copy. He aims to create an exclusive look with interesting, low-cost materials. Most days he finds that limitations are inspiring and challenging, but sometimes they can also be very frustrating.
The 2008 
