Bone Bender Moved to this Saturday

The Sixth Annual BoneBender MTB Challenge has been RESCHEDULED TO SATURDAY APRIL 12TH. Please read below for details on changes and the new race day schedule.

BONE BENDER MTB CHALLENGE RESCHEDULED SATURDAY APRIL 12TH

As the race weekend approaches we have received many questions about a rain plan for Bone Bender. Of course the safety of our racers and volunteers is our number one priority, and preserving the quality of the trails follows at a close second, so we have been following the weather conditions very closely and weighing our options. I am sure we all agree that while rescheduling a race is never ideal, sometimes it is necessary, especially when the safety of our racers and the quality of the trails is placed in jeopardy. With that in mind we also want to be considerate of the many people who have taken time off for this event, and are traveling from out of town in order to compete in this great event.

After looking at many options, we have decided to change the date and time of the race to Saturday, April 12 @ 1pm. This way we will be able to run the race course as mapped and take advantage of the better weather, as well as hopefully working with the travel plans of as many racers as possible. For those of whom this is not an option, we understand, and you can request a full refund until Friday, April 11th @ 10pm. Contact- wheelforceone@gmail.com to request a refund.

Race Day- Saturday, April 12

11:00am to 12:30pm-

Race Day registration and packet pickup

12:45pm:  Marathon Rider meeting

1:00pm:  Marathon Race Start (mass start)

1:05pm: Cross Country Rider Meeting

1:15pm: Cross Country Race Start (mass start)

REFUNDS - REGISTRATION FEES - PACKET PICK UP 

• Refunds Available for pre-registered racers until Friday April 11th @ 10pm
• Race course and distances will remain the same,
  • o   A Single 12.5 mile lap for Cross Country
  • o   3 Laps for Marathon (37 Miles)
  • o   4 Laps total for Teams (50 Miles)
• Race day registration prices WILL NOT be raised as scheduled- race day registration fees:
  • o   Cross Country $35 ($25 for Juniors)
  • o   Marathon $55
  • o   Teams $70 ($35 each racer)
• A USAC race license is required to participate in this USAC event, and will be available for purchase at registration.
  • o   Single day is $10 or yearly license is $70
• Packet pickup will be Friday, April 11 Noon to 8pm @ The Wheel Cyclery.
• For additional race questions please contact info@thewheelcyclery.com or call 816-455-2453

 We apologize for any inconvenience that this change may have caused. We appreciate you understanding in our need to keep everyone safe and the trails unharmed.

 

Heather Jordan and Chris Locke

2014 Mountain Bike Event Dates

Join us for some fat tire fun in 2014.  

God's Country Fat Tire Festival
3/23/14
Lawrence River Trails
Lawrence, KS
http://fattireduathlon.blogspot.com

Bone Bender Mountain Bike Challenge
4/13/14
Clinton Lake State Park
Lawrence, KS
http://bonebender.blogspot.com

God's Country Mountain Bike Classic/
2014 Kansas State MTB Championships
6/22/14
Lawrence River Trails
Lawrence, KS
http://fattireduathlon.blogspot.com

Masons Midsummer Meltdown
7/6/14
Wyandotte County Lake Park
Kansas City, KS
http://masonsmidsummermeltdown.blogspot.com

Wyco's Revenge
8/9/14
Wyandotte Count Lake Park
Kansas City, KS
http://wycosrevenge.blogspot.com

Bone Bender Race Report

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