Henry Clay 30K

Sorry for the late post but such is life. A week and 1/2 ago now was our home race at Coopers Rock State Park. Big turn out for the wicked tough course. Gunnar put together a challenging course that included most of the great trails at Coop's. Lots of vertical, 2 assents up the Rail Road grade with the finish coming at the top of the second time up. As a team we had a good showing with lots of team kits ride'n around in multiple classes. Some guys had a good day and others not so good. Our top finisher in the expert field was Stephen with a awsome 2nd place. It was pretty damn cool to see Steve out sprint Andy W. for 2nd. Wish I would have been ready with the camera but I was too out of it after my meltdown. Jeremy had a tough one with 2 flats but finished after hiking most of the way up the rail grade the second time. Sean and Zach battled for 7th and 8th places, respecively.

In the Sport class Matt was our top finisher with a 4th place but more importanly kept his bike in one piece. Scott got in the top 10 wth a 7th place. Adam R. was flying MTV colors as a honary member and got a 6th place after a specacular finish trying to pass 5th place. Anthony broke the top 5 in the beginner class with a 4th place.

Only 2 more WVMBA's to go. It's a close race in the overall point series and should make for a exciting end to the schedule.

And who was the ace at Ace

Well pistol slingers I believe it was our big man Jeremy. He brought home a hard earned 1st place finish. The rest of the crew didn't do to bad either. We had the usual Ace antics on our side as well. Just maybe one day there will be course marshalls that know what is going on. Results are as follow.

EXPERT
Jeremy 1st
Stephen 3rd
Josh 7th
Sean 8th

Sport
Scott 4th

Beginner
Anthony 6th

Hope to see you all at the home town throw down. Coppers baby.

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Catch Up before the next one.

So, it has been awhile and there are results that need posting and pictures that need looking. The first race to discuss is the wonderfull Black Bear on August 1st. Oh what a race. Think we all forgot how tough it was. Needless to say we got there about 10 minutes before the start, that didn't help. Here are the results for that one.

Expert Jeremy 2nd
Stephen 3rd
Sean 6th
Sport
Scott 8th

Moving on to the more recent race of the Dirt Derby. Was far and oh so hot. The sport and beginner riders lucked out and only had to do one lap. While myself and the other experts had to do two. Which at this point the sky opened up and left some standing water on the trails. Oh such great fun. Here are the results for that one.

Expert
Stephen 4th
Sport
Tim 8th
Scott 9th

Next up the is weekend is Ace. Hope to see you all there.

Big Bear Ultra/ Appalachia Visited

So this is an extra special because you get two races all wrapped up in one post. Scott and I hit up the Big Bear Ultra the week of 08/07. It was a very pleasant day for the beginning of August which made for some pretty sweet racing conditions. Scott raced the Ultra-Light distance and ending up going home with one of those Big Bear Steins for nabbing 5th place. This was my second year racing the Ultra and I was determined to put in a better showing from last year's cramp/sufferfest. Don't be fooled by the picture above, I felt pretty good through 45 miles and ended up taking 37 minutes off my time from last year, placing 11th in the Open/Expert class.

The following Saturday it was off to Rowelsburg where I was the solo-MotownVelo member to enter the Appalachia Visted Road Race. There was rain, two big climbs, a sreaming downhill, and a whole slew of scattered 1/2/3's on the course. I was able to keep with the lead group for the first few miles of the ending 6 mile climb. After that gravity and wimpy legs took over and I finished the race in 7th place.

Little Beaver + Lots O Fun

This past weekend was the WVMBA #9 race at Little Beaver. A bit of a drive, but well worth it. The weather was great and the course was fast. The team did well. Results are as follows.

Expert
Jeremy 2nd
Stephen 4th

Sport
Tim 3rd


Hope to see you all at Black Bear this coming weekend.

Blackwater and Candyland, ONE GOOD DAY

Black water was tough, but we made it. Temps were good and the trail was fast, with lots O ROCKS. Came home with two state champs. J in expert and Tim in sport. Ended it all with a good old trip to Candyland on the way back.

EXPERT
Jeremy 2nd
Stephen 9th
Sean 12th

SPORT
Tim 1st
Scott 9th

Hope to see ya at the little beaver this weekend.

Phillippi Revisited!!

So a few weeks back the gang headed down to Phillippi for the Race to Lil Moe's. The whole gang was their as the weather was warm and the trails were dry. Josh had Jeremy and Stephen with him while Sean, Matt and Anthony rode down together. I was the last to arrive as I napped in and a slumber I did sleep. I was anxious to actually finish a race! And finish without running my bike across the finish line. The last couple of races had been tough for myself as I DNF at Spencer and my chain broke at Logan.

Stephen finished 4th. Sean 7th. Jeremy ran into some trouble along the course and after a couple flats decided to go swimming since it was so hot. In the Sport class is was a fast race from the beginning and I edged out 2nd place by 15 seconds to get 1st while Matt came in 4th. I got some sweet handlebars which I promptly had Stephen through on for me down at the shop (Wamsleycycles). In the Beginner race Anthony came in 9th for a top ten finish. I think me and Anthony came away with some scratches, but I recovered with my paper towel and packing tape as a bandage.

1st Motown Velo Easy Rider

Awesome turn out. In total, 16 riders rolled out of the skating rink
parking lot for the inaugural Friday Easy Rider. MoTown Velo Team
members Jeremy, Scott, Matt, Anthony, and myself were present to help
guide. Some of the riders included the Pathfinder crew of (Dave, Kate,
Shane and Steve), Brice, Dawn, Marvin and his son, Steve from
Delaware, and Josh, Derek, and Zack? Bare with me, I will get better
with the names. We warmed up by crossing "the middle" section on the
crushed gravel trail and proceeded to the climb behind the school.
After a regroup at the bottom of that climb, we split into two groups
and slipped around on the wet single track all through out the park.
After about 45 minutes and not too many technicals, the two groups re-
joined and rode back to the parking lot together. From there Jeremy
led a couple of the more experienced riders on a "hot lap" of the
park. A fun ride with fun people, can't ask for more than that. See
you next week!

Animal sightings and Valley Falls results

Sorry for the delay in the postings. The race was plenty hot and fast, along with those it was painfull. All in all a good time. Mr. Martin put on a great race, with all sorts of food and prizes. Here are the team results.

Expert
Jeremy 2nd
Stephen 5th
Sean 9th

Sport
Tim 5th
Scott 10th

Hope to see you in Blackwater this weeend for the State Championship race. And give Josh some motivation to put pictures up.
Check out the slide show for some fine action photos. Josh

Recent Results June/July

June was a kind of slow month on the race scene for MoTown Velo. But the good news is July is here and the action is heating up along with the temperatures. There are a couple of results to cover since our last post on the Big Bear 2x12.

A couple guys (Matt & Scott) did the 20 mi. version of the Wayne Ultra and went 1/2 on the podium. Well done. Results

Last weekend there were 2 races on tap. Saturday was the APRRS #5, Barbour DeTour road race in Philippi, WV. A few team members were able to make the race but many had to miss out since it was a dang Saturday race. That's all I'll say about that, for now. The DeTour is a mostly rolly route that heads south out of Philippi on Rt.250 then onto Rt.92 to Belington and back to downtown Philippi. This race is all about the finish which is a screaming down hill into town and a sharp right then left and a short sprint to the line. I found myself riding the wheel of the smart riding Robbie L. (Dynamic Therapy) coming into the finish. We were hovering around the front and then Robbie saw the chance to go and I held his wheel till he put out all he could then I stood up and put the hammer down. I got a nice gap on the field but there was a long way to go for the finish. Got passed by one guy just before the sharp right but I was able to hold off the rest of the field to grab second in the 4/5. Big shout out to Robbie for the excellent lead out, he's a crafty dude and always a wheel to watch. Sorry I couldn't hold on for the win buddy. Wow, my new Trek Madone really put a grin on my face. I had to hold on when I took off on the sprint because it was like a rocket ship. WEEEEEEEEEE! Results

The next day on Sunday took the team back to Philippi for the WVMBA #6, Race to lil Moe's Place. Sunday was a scorcher with temps. up in the 90's. The race venue was in an open field with no shade trees around. Good thing we had the pop up tent (compliments of Wamsley Cycles) to hide us from the sun. The course was a twisty single track that starts down by the Tygart River then cuts up the hill and steps up to the top and then snakes back down going back and forth across the contour. The trails had a little bit of everything thrown in. Fast single track, climbs, rocks, switchbacks. Fun, fun, fun. The top expert finisher from MTV was Stephen with a forth place finish. The top sport rider was Timmy with his second victory of the year, way to go kid. Check out the results.

Next on tap is Valley Falls and the WV Championship race.

See ya at the races,
Josh

Big Bear 2x12

For those of you that were bummed that the 24hrs of Big Bear didn't go down this year and didn't come to the new Big Bear 2x12 that took its place, you missed out. Mark did a great job promoting and organizing the race.

Motown Velo had some representatives there for the race. Steve and I competed in the Men's open class. It was a b-e-a-utiful day for a race, the sun was shining and the temps were warm. With the $1K winner take all payout, the event pulled in some quality talent. With that in mind Steve and I were optimistcally hoping for a top five finish and to have a good time.

Steve drew the short straw and had to do the first lap. There was no running start as we thought was going to happen, just a long pull up the gravel road going to the camp ground. Much better idea, running has no place in a mountain bike race. So we were set to do three 12+ mile laps.


Steve didn't have the greatest start off the gun but he made some good time up once in the woods passing a number of racers. He put down a good overall first lap on the pimp'n Trek Top Fuel and put us in 3rd place in the geared class just behind some smoke'n fast teams. I started out for my first lap. I chose to ride the Gary Fisher Hi-Fi 29er. I thought the big wheeled dueley would be a good weapon of choice for longer race at Big Bear. The trails were in great shape, dry and fast. I was pretty stoked that the long climb that is usually in most BB races was not going to be part of the course. I suffered too many time one that one. Instead, Mark decided to send us up a more gradual climb with a couple of short steeps thrown in.

I held my own during my lap, only got passed by one single speeder (Andy W.). I utilized the big ring as much as I could on that first lap. I finished up my first lap feeling pretty good and strong. Got Steve out on his second lap and to my surprise we were still in 3rd place.

So the day continued with Steve and I doing the 1x1 strategy. Some folks were doing two laps at a time but I noticed there second lap time were significantly slower than there first. My second lap felt better than my first. Everything felt smooth and seemed like I was hauling. I though I might come in just over the hour mark but ended up and couple minutes slower. Used the big ring more sparingly, guess that was the difference.

Started to storm during my second lap and the trail was a lil soggy for Steve's 3rd lap. I thought he might have some trouble keeping it on the trail since he had go fast tires not mud tires. He still managed a solid lap. So I was out on my 3rd and final lap and we were still in 3rd place. Just had to maintain and not get passed. It started out well but half way through I started to run out of gas. I don't think I fueled up enough during my break. I managed to drag myself to the finish line without getting passed.

So we finished up in 3rd place and we were super stoked. It was a great race and I had a good time but it was time for the real fun to start. Food from Monroe's Deli (Kingwood, WV), beer from Morgantown Brewing Company and good bluegrass music late into the night. It was a fun evening hanging out with my wife and son and lots of cool people who like to ride and race. All in all it was a great time, didn't miss the other 16 hours at all. We will be back next year.

Check out the results and our slide show for some pics.

see ya at the races,
Josh

Chief Logan

Well fans this one started early for myself , Jeremy and old Timmy. A long mostly fun filled drive down with Tim. The weather was spotty the whole way down. With many a turtle spottings. Finally got there and the weather looked to be holding off. Was cool and dry. Everyone got a good warm up in and J was already feeling the curse of Logan. He was feeling the cramps coming on. Old Timmy helped him work them out before the start. The experts lined up just as it started to spit a little rain. And off we went, J had a good start followed by Joey, Steve, Morgan and myself. The trails were fast and dry. This short beginning loop saw several mechanicals. First to go was Joey and Steve was stopped with him. Then I ran across Jeremy with a flat and I realized DANG I am leading. I was so pumped. I tried to stay on the gas and remain calm as well. Sometimes a hard thing to do, but the faithfull Top Fuel kept me on track. About half way through the sky opened up and the real rain came. Not to worry though. The trails were well drained and hard packed. I managed to hold on to the lead and get my first expert win. J was there to meet me as I rolled in. His race didn't go as well. He double flatted and cramped up badly. Also heard that Timmy broke his chain on the course. Was a bit worried about that, but he managed and came in running. Turns out he ran just about half the course. Way to go little buddy. He ended up with a 5th place finish.

All and all Logan had some great trails and the park was awesome with plenty of things to do. Well worth a weekend get away. Also hope to see you at the up coming Big Bear 2 x 12. Myself and Josh will be taking it on. Wish us luck.

Double the Fun

It was a busy weekend for Motown Velo. It started out with Jeremy and Zack heading east to Rocky Gap, MD for the 9 hours of Cranky Monkey. There was some tough competition with some fast guys from D.C. Big J and Z were able to pull out a 2nd place in the Male Duo class. Nicely done boys.
But 9 hours and 60 miles each of racing wasn't enough for those guys so on Sunday the team headed west for a OMBC race, The Wilds. Jermey, Zack, Tim and myself were in for the race action. Zack and Jeremy were pretty gassed from the race on Saturday but man'd up for a lil more suffering.
It turned out to be a great day for race'n with sun and moderate temps. I decided to pull the single speed from the quiver for this race just for the experience of it. This would be my first race on a SS.
It was a good course with 98% single track, lots of twists and turns and rolly. There were no big sustained climbs to speak of and not real technical. Just smooth, fast race'n course. It is a good bit different from most of the courses in the WVMBA series. The technical degree and elevation gain and loss is lower but still a good time. It was cool to check out a new trail system. It's obvious there has been lots of trail work to groom The Wilds trials.
I thought the SS was a good choice for the race. I switched my 20t to an 18t expecting a more rolling terrain. The 18t tooth allowed me to stay on top of it on the rolling/flat parts but still hump it up the short climbs with limited hike-a-bike sections.
My overall impression of my first OMBC race was good. Well put together and the coolest perk.....Beer Van........with free beer.........SWEAT!!!! We'll be back again. Good times.
Weekend Results:
Cranky Monkey 9hr: Jeremy & Zack 2nd Male Duo 4th Overall
The Wilds OMBC #3:
Josh 2nd SS
Jeremy 9th Expert
Tim 6th Sport
Zack 1 expert lap then to beer van for recovery
Great job this weekend team. Next up Tour de Lake WVMBA #4.
Check out the pics of OMBC site and Cranky monkey site.

Mountwood Race Recap (AKA mudwood wrestling recap)

So fans the Motown Velo team headed to Mountwood the other weekend for the second race in the WVMBA series and it was sure to be an exciting race full of pleasure. Josh, Stephen and Jeremy rode together in the sport utility neon while Zach and myself headed down in my grandmothers car. We could tell it was going to be a wet one with all the rain falling. Zach and I are hydroplanning the entire way there, but we managed to make it. We arrive and it starts to rain a little harder and I'm thinking I should have changed my tires, but luckily for me Josh has a Mud X he lets me barrow. THANK YOU JOSH!! Zach helps me slip it in and I'm ready to go. All of us head out on the road to do some warming up and it seems that the rain has let off a little. We are all hoping the sun doesn't come out and make it humid and mucky. We gather ouselves at the start line and are ready to race. The expert class heads out and Stephen, Josh and Zach are all together as they head into the woods. Zach is having problems from the beginning with chain suck and still muscles his way to a 9th place finish. Josh and Stephen are racing hard and Josh is hot on Stephens tail, but after Josh fly's over the hill Stephen slips away as he finishes 5th. Josh charges on to Finish 7th. Meanwhile Jeremy is up front chasing a single speeder after he passes Jason Cyr. Jeremy finishes 1st in the expert class and has his first win of the season. Even with all the mud it turns out to be a good day as all four manage a top ten finish. Good job guys.
In the sport class myself and Scott performed well even with the conditions both placing in the top ten as Scott placed 8th and I placing 1st. Scott's brother in law Scott did well also as he placed second in the clydedale. Good job guys!

Thanks to everyone at Mountwood who put on the race. Thanks to RVMBA for keeping the trails up and helping make the race a lot of fun. It was wet and muddy, but the trails are well mantained. The course was well marked and no one had trouble knowing where to go which always makes a race that much more enjoyable. Hope to see everyone at the races!

Big Bear Recap

Well fans it has been awhile since the last post. I wanted to get the big bear results up before the next race this weekend.

The trails were in amazing condtion for the race, nice and fast. Hehehehe and believe it or not it started to snow. Mylan thanks for the super fast kits. Here are the results.

Jeremy 3rd expert
Stephen 5th expert
Josh 10th expert
Zach 17th expert

Tim 4th sport
Scott 17th sport

Hope to see you this weekend at Mountwood