GES #2 – Mountain Creek 2014

June 10, 2014

Bring Out the Big Dogs

First race with the new Spoke Apparel team in full effect. Eight of us made this race including new team members Matt, Phil and Bobby. Dan B. was on board on for this one too. His first race. The course was rumored to be gnarly rocks and poor flow. Could not have been further from the truth. This may have been one of the most well designed courses we have ever ridden. I might be taking it a bit too far there. Maybe not. It was lots of rock but designed in a way that if you knew how to roll, it was fast, flow, fun, tech, with a massive 45 footer at the bottom. The 45 footer has a sweet grassy slalom leading into it. Hats off to Mountain Creek Bike Park on this one. You guys nailed it.

Saturday Practice

Joe and I started the day along with Gary and Dan. We took leisurely practice runs until Bobby and Phil showed up mid-day. We took one race run together and Bobby immediately says “Fun run anyone?” We hit dominion and finished out with as many ladders and tables as Bobby can stuff into a run. Really fun. Really really really fun. Want to do it over and over and over.

We group up for some team practice runs. I find out just how fast Phil is. He goes half speed to help me see his lines and bite some steeze. Bobby takes the back of the line on almost every run. At first I think it’s cause I’m faster than him. I was wrong. He was helping me. Stuffing me in the middle so he can see what I am doing and also giving me the chance to follow Phil. Run after run after run like this. Totally different than anyway I have practiced for the previous seasons. Pat Stewart broke it down for me a few weeks ago … how to get faster, what I needed to do. Pleased to say Dr. DH Stewart’s plan is in full effect. Wish you were here to run with us Pat. I can only imagine how these guys would push you too and what I would end up seeing you do as a result.

Race Day Sunday

Dallas shows up with his brand new whip. Huge shout out to team rider Mike Render and City Bikes for Dallas’ prodeal. We really appreciate the support!

Matt spends the afternoon dialing the beast in. We all join for practice runs. He is incredibly fast. He has never ridden an 8″ bike and it’s not at all set up right. Still incredibly fast. We run practice lines over and over in the same order – me in the middle, Bobby in the back, Matt and Phil up front. We break sections down. I listen, they point out. It all helps so much. Joe joins in and grabs many pointers as well.

Our Individual Races

Dan Baechle
On a 6″ Ironhorse with a 7″ fork, Dan completed his first official DH race. Super stoked for this cat. Dan is good people and we love to see him around any time a bike is involved. A dirt jumper by trade, Dan was pushing his personal boundaries this past weekend and achieved big time. Proud of you, Dan. You have an open invite to the team roster as soon as you are ready to commit to more races. Let us know.

Gary Lessner
For the most part, this course was all rock and root (no mud). Somehow, Gary ended up so far off course he was muddy. And his bike was muddy too. He was OK, but it really killed his time. The result was a bottom of the pack finish, something I remember doing myself at Snowshoe two seasons ago. It’s a bummer, but Gary’s not a bragger. He’s in it for the love and never lets stuff like this eat at him. It’s an extremely admirable quality and the essence of what riding is all about. I admire Gary for this. His talents on a bike (DH, street, trials) and his friendship, are all reasons I am here today. It’s cool to have him influence the team in such a positive manner even when the going isn’t so smooth for him. All weekend long he helped keep bikes dialed too. From Phil’s rims and shifting, to Joe’s torn cable. Such an asset to have!

Joe Shack
Joe finished strong with a ninth place. This was less of a track that suits him as it’s terrain was more MTB than moto. Joe’s goals this weekend were to learn and improve. And he accomplished those goals both in learning more on his own and in following our team members. It’s going to be an interesting season for Joe Shack. Can’t wait to see what this guy brings at Oak. I’m excited that he’s stepped up from Cat 3 to Cat 2 to become a guy I am actively trying to beat. That means he is improving and I know he is only going to get better. Got my sights on you, Joe! : ))

Bobby Michailides
Bobby moved up to Cat 2, 30-39. Good call. No way is this guy a beginner. Bummer for me and Shack. Now we have to race another super fast guy. He ended up passing Gary in his race run. As a result, Bobby’s time got confused with Gary’s. Bobby came down with a 3+ minute time and I thought I actually beat him. When the dust settled, and the timing officials sorted it all out, Bobby actually ran a sub 3 minute. He was on a burner!! Damn. All that time in practice … he was really helping me. I was probably holding him up and he never once said a word. And when his race time was incorrect … I never heard him say anything about it until he found out it was fixed. “I thought I was faster than that first time” was all he said. And then he moved on as if it never happened. He came in fourth place. Super respectable against some really fast guys that will quickly be moving to Cat 1.

Thinking back, I remember Bobby mentioning he was doing this for fun. He said the racing part really didn’t matter. And all the fun runs this guy kept taking. Even on race day … sacrificing race practice for fun runs. We’ve all heard the term soul rider. It gets thrown around. Not in this case. This is the guy. I couldn’t be more pleased to be teamed with Bobby. He’s what riding your bike is all about. Thanks for being on our team, ἀδελφός. For all you white people out there, that’s Greek for brother. Tell you what, Bobby … keep bringing that firewater. I’ll swig that shit down and crack brew after brew with you if I get a podium this year. Deal?

Phil Artese & Matt Dallas

I have to group these guys together because their racing each other felt like the clash of the titans or some shit. Phil edged out Matt by .15 secs for the win. Watching these guys go at it was fun. Honestly, I think the new bike held Matt back a bit. Phil was a bit more fluid on his 7″ bike having been well used to that whip. Matt was learning a new bike and still ripping it so hard. But man were these guys so close. Phil launched that 45 footer like the captain of the Starship Enterprise goes into warp speed. See the sequence below. He took the hot seat and never let it go. So pumped for both of these guys. So fast, so fun and so helpful. Big congrats to you both on a great weekend. Matt – can’t wait to see what you do once you have that bike dialed!

My Race Run

I came in eighth. Crashed out on a rock roller. No crashes in practice at all. This was my course. I should have done better. But I felt good. Really, really good. So much power and such little fatigue. I’ve crashed twice in a race run since I started racing. I think that’s part of my problem. Playing things a bit too safe. After having a few days to let it sink in, I’m OK with the crash. I knew the second I crashed that I would still come in mid-pack. There is a lot of comfort in that confidence.

Learned a lot this race. My greatest take away was from Amanda – don’t let it eat at you (competitively) like you would if you were playing college or highschool sports. She’s right. I get too focused on the competition. Tunnel vision. Makes me miss the good stuff. Like Dallas’ suggestion to take a team picture, which never happened cause I couldn’t stop processing the race. The new kids on the team taught me a lot. What jumps out at me the most is that they aren’t kids. And that’s what’s different this year. We’ve always had fast. Now we have smart, steady and calculated too. It’s going to make us all better for the right reasons. The photo below is one of my faves. Shot by Amanda. This is what friendship looks like. Thanks guys. Great first race together. Can’t wait for the next.

Steve Pereira

Thought I forgot? Nope. Steve’s sick fast. Second place Cat 2, 30-39 with a crash in the open field that peeled his arm skin like a cheese grater. Steve, you’re next on the squad buddy.