Olympia St
7 February 1999
by JRA (the mountain biker formerly known as Kevin)
Despite the 20-30mph winds and the 60+mph windstorm of the previous day, we had 44 riders show up for the first race of the 1999 Spring Series. Thankfully, we didn't have any blowing sand or driving rain, just sunshine and wind ... a typical day for spring but a bit unusual for February. Gary Larsen and Jay Webber set up a deceptive little 4 mile loop of new singletrack. Once you got on the short sections of "older" trail, you really had to keep your wits about you cause you weren't on the "old" trail for very long. If you didn't pay attention, it was very easy to miss the next turn of the course! We had quite a few racers from out-of-town: Prosser, Yakima, Union Gap, Seattle, Walla Walla & Moses Lake. Thanks to all that helped out, including Randy "Rooster" Coleman, Jay Weber (for the "facilities"), Brent Strecker as well as Tom Bosch & Rod Spaniel (helped with the scoring boards).
A big THANKX to the sponsors who contributed towards the raffle prizes: KENNEWICK SCHWINN, RICHLAND SCHWINN, MARKEE'S CYCLING CENTER [Kennewick], BIG RIVER BIKE WERKS [Kennewick], SAGEBRUSH CYCLES [Yakima], BICYCLE BARN [Walla Walla], and SHEEP'S CLOTHING. Stop by any of these businesses and let them know that you appreciate their support of the Spring Series.
Goto the finish order for this race.
The Beginner Race
Only seven riders showed up to battle for first place but there was still some heavy racing action. The Juniors ruled the day as Steve Henry smoked around the course to claim first place with Daren Shaver and Trevor Shaeffer in hot pursuit. Hopefully we'll have some more competitors for you at the next race.
Check out the Beginner Race (Overall) Results.
The Sport Race
20 riders marshalled at the start area wishing that the race would start so they could warm up a bit. From my position in the pack, I surveyed the field and tried to guage whether my gut would be hitting the tops of my thighs on every pedal stroke or not. I seem to have joined the aptly coined "Old Guys Who Get Fat In Winter" racing team. I just barely managed to not get lapped by the lead Expert riders so it was a good race for me. Rob Hastings, Tom Bosch, and Russ Staples took the top three spots with Rob REALLY putting down some fast lap times.
My mojo, "Marvin" and I waged a running battle with Jimalee Painter and her mojo "Shorn" for the whole race. I had passed Jimalee on the first lap and was hoping to catch some other riders but I washed out my front tire on one corner and thought that I'd broken a spoke. After testing all the spokes and not finding any broken, I was a little mystified why my front wheel wouldn't rotate. On closer inspection, the tire bead had popped off the rim and the bulge was what kept hitting my brakes. While I'm futzing around, Jimalee swooped past and left me in her dust. I finally got the tire back on and hit the trail again. Nothing much else happened although I did have to stop and pick up my tube on the last lap (that I'd forgotten to put back in my seat pack after fixing the tire). Hope you all had fun too!
Olympia Street Race Summary by Rob Hastings
There were forty-some riders who ventured out on what seemed to be a sunny day with a little breeze. A good day for a ride. However, by the time the race had started the sun was nearly gone and the wind had picked up a bit. OK, the wind had picked up a lot. It made what would have been a fun and fast race into a grueling one. Where I normally relax a bit to catch my breath, like descents or on the flat, I couldn't. I had to keep pushing the whole time. Even that last little hill just before the finish was tough. The course was excellent though ... just the right amount of climbing, a few fast descents, great traction and enough bumps to give an advantage to those of us with full suspension. Thanks to who ever set up the course and to Kevin Axt for coordinating the race.
Check out the Sport Race (Overall) Results.
The Expert Race
Two riders from Seattle made the trip over to the eastside and put the hurt on the Expert class. David Richter and Todd Gallaher took the 1-2 spots with local Bullet Boy Mark Painter close behind. Michael Henry Jr (17) turned in a great ride to take 4th place! I heard of one racer who was doing some chain abuse testing. Apparently, he threw the chain to the outside, threw it to the inside and also wound it around the spokes! The darn thing just wouldn't break even though he was heard to mutter, "Break, you blankity blank blank! I don't want to race any more!" We need to get that boy some therapy. Cursing at your bike is a sign of a serious VO2 defiency. Another rider blew past one of the course turns at over 35mph. By the time he made it back on track, he'd been permanently passed by the following rider. I TOLD you to pay attention to those turns!
Once, Twice, Three Times a Tumbleweed by David Richter
Feb.7, 1999 - Olympia ST course, Kennewick
We pulled into Kennewick early. Four hours of 80's tunes had me ready to blow my brains out. So we pulled into Starbucks to calm me down. We put down some joe and headed out to the Olympia Street course. We weren't sure exactly where the course was, both sides of the street looked the same (rolling hills). But moments after arriving we spotted a couple of mountain bikers, they were sure to know. Sure enough, the two locals knew where the course was. It was up by the mattress on the side of the road. We should have known. The start of the race was on a giant garbage hill (that must've been a hard one to get race permission for). There was glass, old tires, and shotgun shells everywhere. It looked just like portions of Aurora Avenue, so I felt right at home.
Todd and I jumped into our polyester with just enough time to preride the course. On the days menu was a main course of rolling power hills and a couple fast bumpy descents for dessert. It would've been a real burner ... if it wasn't for the wind. This was the best weather we'd seen in months. So it didn't even phase us that the wind was howlin' at a steady clip.
We rolled off the line at an early season pace. No serious bolters today. When we funneled onto the first singletrack I realized I was about fifteen back. So I started moving up with Todd shadowing me. We cruised into the top five, out of trouble. About half way into the first lap the kid in second (Michael Henry Jr.) attacked and I jumped on it, with Todd and Mark P. the only others that could respond. The four of us put a healthy gap on the field. No one wanted to pull in the wind, so the kid led the train around the first lap and a half. At this point I gazed down at my h.r. monitor and it said I was loafin'. The kid looked back and he looked cooked. So at the toughest part of the course I punched it. At the switchback I looked back and saw gaps everywhere. It was on. Todd worked hard and dropped the other groupies, only to find me at the bottom of the hill pulling tumbleweeds out of my wheel and derailleur. It was the two of us the rest of the way. On the final lap every time I pulled away from Todd he caught me at the bottom of a hill pulling sticks. I made sure to clear the trail of all tumbleweeds. So if you didn't hit a tumbleweed, it's because I already did. You're welcome. So, anyway I summoned the anaerobic gods and vanished from Todd. I soloed up the garbage heap to the finishing Honey Bucket victorious! We pulled off the old westside 1-2.
Check out the Expert Race (Overall) Results.
Great Race to all riders ... Hope to see you all (and your buddies) at Finley Hills on February 21st.
Spring MTB Training Series Race #1 Results
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