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Test of Endurance Mudslinger Events OBRA mountain bike race

Getting my Hat Trick on! OregonVelo

In lieu of making a 20 hour roundtrip to Sun Valley, Idaho, for Marathon MTB Nationals, I traveled 45 minutes southwest to Blodgett and raced the Test of Endurance 50. Not only was there the dilemma whether to take another stab at a national title, but also which TOE event to race.

I have won the Oregon’s ‘Test” several times over the years both in 50 mile format and also last year as a 100 mile event. This time around my old buddy Mike Ripley (Mudslinger Events) changed the 100 miler to a 100k race that journeyed to the top of Mary’s Peak, the highest point in Oregon’s coastal mountains. I have ridden up the Peak many times over the years but the opportunity to race there was enticing indeed!

In the end, my decisions all came down to good ole simoleons as there would be no prizes and massive expenditures in Idaho and only the TOE 50 race would offer cash prizes this year. With our move to Washington looming on the horizon next month it only made sense to save cash and leave open the opportunity to bring home a little more to offset my expenses. Read more »

Mudslinger Events mountain bike race OBRA

Ryan rips the woods–OregonVelo

The Test of Endurance race was held on Saturday July 6th. New for the 2013 event was a 100k option over Mary’s Peak. Wanting to try a big challenge this year, and never having been on top of the highest point in the coast range of Oregon, I decided to sign up for the 100k in the single speed class. After having to do a bit of convincing, I was able to get my good friend and teammate Dave Hill to also sign up for 100k of pain and suffering. Dave turned 50 this year and we had talked previously about racing the High Cascades 100 miler to celebrate him turning half a century old. It wasn’t going to be 100 miles, but the challenge would be just as great with over 10,000 feet of climbing in just 62 miles. Read more »

mountain bike race OBRA classic

DH climbs through the flowers on his way to the TOP!

What a great surprise to go all the way down to Yreka, thinking there’s no possible way to see any one you Know let alone another teammate–hello EP! The race was a 42 mile test of fortitude, willpower, and how much my little legs could climb. Would i be like Icarus–get too high and they would melt in the hot summer sun? Well, that seemed like climbing mount Everest twice without oxygen. i survived a truly epic ride up my first Hors Categorie climb! Then came what seemed like 20 miles of downhill with a couple 90 degree turns, at 50 plus MPH. Another big climb and fast descent then we finished with 12 miles of single track which included climbing to the top of Humbug Pass before and the beautiful ride back down through the trees. Three and a half hours later, I crossed the finish line in the park “WARD OUT” but with still enough energy to talk about what just happened! Read more »

mountain bike race solo gallup new mexico zia rides

Before the rain–Brian Leddy, Mountain Flyer

As I have alluded previously, my race schedule is becoming less and less a relentless chase for results but rather a random “bucket list” of events I’ve never attended or have unfinished business with. My history of 24 hour solo racing is concise but fairly successful. I won the overall at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in 2009 then failed to finish National Championships in Moab that same year. In 2011, I won the single speed solo National title in Colorado Springs so that rekindled my desire to take one more shot at the solo title this year near Gallup, NM. Read more »

Last weekend, my teammate Ryan Eisele and I headed to the Alsea Falls switchback XC/Oregon State Championship mtb race. We both raced single speed but were also were scored in our age category as well. Ryan had ridden the course before so I took his advice on gearing for the day. The course was about eight miles long and we were to three laps. After a short warm up, we lined up buried in the back because of a mass start. After the gun fired we both put in a hard effort to try and get close to the front. I followed Ryan for as long as I could up the first three mile paved climb. He began pulling away from me pretty fast and seemed to be riding well. Once at the top we hit a fast gravel downhill with small water bars then onto the first single track where I caught and passed two SS riders. I held the two riders off for 2 miles of single track and then began a climb in the middle of the race that hadn’t been included previous years. It was about a mile long, steep and the gravel was really loose. About half way up I began wishing I had a lower gear. I came through the start/finish and started my second lap but before long the two SS riders I’d passed closed the gap and then returned the favor. I was able to pass them back, but worried I was in trouble with two more trips up the steep gravel climb remaining. I managed to hold my pace for another lap finishing in 8th in the SS and 9th in my age category. Ryan finished 5th in SS and 3rd in his age category. This was the toughest races of the year for me so far! it was a great course and Mike Ripley (Mudslinger Events) always puts on a solid event so I will be back for more next year!

JW

Fast and Grippy with burly shoulders!

Fast and Grippy with burly shoulders!

Friday I picked up a pair of 29×2.0 Kenda Slant Six SCT tires. They felt a little hefty; they felt sturdy; and they looked like they had some skimpy knobs, skimpier than, say, the Specialized Renegade, or the Bontrager XR1. Those were my first impressions. Friday night I hopped in a car and drove to Bend, Oregon and was out and about until after 2AM for a bachelor party, um, session.

Saturday I was up too early, coffee in hand, sitting on a sunny porch, yanking the XR1′s that I rode many, many miles on last season off my wheels, and putting on those heavier, stiffer, and on closer inspection, more toothy Slant Sixes. I can usually get away without an air compressor and these Kenda’s mounted up nice and easy with a cocktail of sealants I had on hand, the front with a hand pump, the rear took a little coaxing because of the ding in the rim and old tape that was folded in one spot. Soon they both were seated and then with only a few hours sleep we set off on our merry way into the hot sun of Central Oregon. Read more »

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