Cow Town Cycling Team had a heavy showing at the Bone Bender MTB Race over the weekend. Chris Locke and Co. with the help of Earthriders Mountain Bike Club, Midwest Mountain Bike Patrol and many other volunteers did an excellent job of getting this race set-up, prepped and executed for what was a first class event. Even though last minute the weather was not so, how you say...cooperative, but the race was on!
As riders prepared for the race, the rain was pouring down. Everyone was preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. We all knew that there was potential for some suffering on the trails today, and that is exactly what we got. The course was excellent; a mix of mostly single track with few short sections of paved trail tossed in for good measure. The trails were in prime shape just hours before the race, but the rain had turned the flowing single track into either a wet, soupy mess or a clay mix that would cling to your bike in a way that would disable your forward progress in a matter of seconds. Many riders barely finished one lap and less finished the race at all. I know that at times I would have to stop and scrape the mud off my bike only to have to do it again fifty-yards later. Even trying to carry your bike with the additional weight of the mud was just pure torture. A true test of determination and will power. It was actually nice to hit the pavement for a minute here and there to recover, not just physically but mentally. I believe the course was estimated at 55-75 minute lap times, but with the conditions, even the fastest lap was a mere 72 minutes (and he was f a s t!), with most first lap times coming in at 2+ hours! All riders coming into the finish area were covered in mud and had the look of death in their eyes. This was a hard race to finish, congrats to all of those who did!
Typical photo of a bike during the event...
This photo of Chris really sums it up...all you could do was laugh!Here is a run down of the Cow Town Cycling Team showings:
Chris Locke - 1st place - 3 HR Solo Singlespeed
John Wagner - 4th place - 3 HR Solo Singlespeed
Michael Tarne - 8th place - 6 HR Solo Male
Sean Burns - 3rd place - 6 HR Solo Singlespeed
Brent Gowin - 5th place - 6 HR Solo Singlespeed
Damian Almanza / Ashley Blum - 1st place - 6 HR Team
Jeff Arnaud / Keith Baker - 3rd place - 6 HR Team
Full Results can be found HERE.
Great work team!
I believe a good amount of cash was donated to the Earth Riders Trails Association, as all proceeds from the event went in that direction. Thanks to all of the volunteers and the event staff for putting on a great event. The weather was not great, but that's racing!
Peace! - Sean
1 comment:
The Bone Bender was a really hard event. You guys all did great.
Hopefully next year will be dry. I love those Smithville trails and would like to hammer them when they are in great shape like they were on Friday.
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