Big Wheel Racing

Six members of Big Wheel Racing participated in the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo race on February 12th & 13th. The weather this year was the best it has been in a few years and the course was in great shape and very fast.

Dominic Garcia and his team took fourth place with 20 laps in the 4 person single speed category. Nice Job!

Honorable mentions go out to:

• Lenny Goodell
    - 9^th Solo SS Male with 11 laps
•  Jeff Hemperley 
    - 13^th Solo SS Male with 10 laps
• Jen Albright, Lynn Alter, and Donna James
    - 8^th in 4 Person Women Open with 9 laps with only 3 riders

Full race restults are at: http://64.119.44.58/liveresults/results/index.html  

Here is a link to a very cool video of the race.
http://www.vimeo.com/9612350
You can barely see Jeff & Lenny running on right side at the race start and Jen is in one of the helmet cam shots.

Some more cool photos of the race:
http://edemtbs.blogspot.com/2010/02/race_21.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40482534@N00/sets/72157623408842993/

Lenny and Nate  went out to enjoy the fresh snow in the Sandia Foothills for 3-4 hours. Snow was heavy and wet so made for some great resistance training. Lowered air pressure in the tires to sub 20lbs and traction was great. Only in the upper section did snow get over 4″ making it very had to climb, but once we got to the top and started descending, if was excellent. The Specialized Captian Aramdillio 2.2 tires from High Desert Bicycles worked great in snow.

 Nate finishing a short climb.

 Nate on the north end of the foot hills trail

 No clue what Lenny is so happy about!!

Lenny playing in the snow!

Here is a short video of Lenny descending a rocky section in the snow.

SSWC was hosted in Durango, CO this year! Big Wheel Racers Lenny, Jen, Matt, and Jeni represented for a 21 mile, 3627 foot of elevation climbing race on the singlespeeds. What a blast! It was amazing to see so many cyclists lined up in downtown Durango, many in full costume.

The finish line was just as packed as the starting line as fans cheered on the racers coming through both at the half way point and the finish.

The race festivities ended at Ska Brewing Company where there was a basketball game between New Zealand and Italy to determine the SSWC 2010 location. New Zealand won the game. We’ll see if BWR represents in New Zealand next year!!

Our fabulous local bike shop sponsor High Desert Bicycles opened a second store in Northeast Albuquerque last week, which is a Specialized Concept store.  At the V.I.P. Grand Opening event, BWR presented to HDB a framed BWR jersey with a plaque engraved as follows:  Thank you for sponsoring and supporting Big Wheel Racing. 

The store opening was complete with beer, snacks and cake, and was well represented by Specialized and other bike industry representatives, as well as a guest appearance by Professional Mountain Biker Ned Overend.  The event brought in hundreds of cycling enthusiasts who quickly nabbed the free High Desert Bicycles T-Shirts and water bottles, and a couple of lucky individuals even won Globe bicycles.

In addition to the Friday evening shop opening, the weekend provided two group rides sponsored by High Desert Bicycles.   Saturday’s road ride drew approximately fifty riders, while Sunday’s mountain bike ride led by Ned Overend brought about thirty or more. 

The Grand opening was quite a success! Business continues at High Desert Bicycles 909 36th Pl. in Rio Rancho, and the new shop is in full swing at: 8110 Louisiana NE Albuquerque.

Last weekend Stephen dominated the 24 Hours of 7 Oaks by winning the solo open class with 20 laps, which was 2 laps up on 2nd by mid morning. The numbers don’t lie, 150ish miles of singletrack with roughly 33,000 feet of climbing. Last year he won the solo 12 hour while riding with a broken wrist, this year he had a nearly flawless race and set a new course record for total solo laps ridden (taking the title away from me!). Rest up and spend plenty of those winnings on ice cream!

Congratulations!!

I recently finished two races. The first was in Dolores, CO - the Escalante Days Mountain Bike Race. I decided at the last minute to race this event and decided it was time to start racing expert. Not because I win all the sport races I enter, but because I’ve just been racing in the sport category too long. Time to give myself a challenge (not that the sport class racers aren’t challenging riders) in a different class. My first expert race and I managed to win 2nd place overall, women’s expert category! On top of that, I got 1st place women’s expert singlespeed. Woohoo!! I won some cash ($230), a t-shirt, and a pair of bike socks.

The most recent race I completed was right in my home town, the Dirt Lover’s Rally. There’s nothing better than being able to wake up in your own bed, make a nice, hearty breakfast, and then leisurely roll out to to the race start on your bike! I raced expert again and (choke) I’m a “veteran” class racer because of my age. I ended up with 2nd place for the day! It was a great day for the race, slightly overcast to keep things nice and cool. The race was in the Horse Gulch area, so shade was key. The evening before there was a light sprinkling that settled all the dust on the trails too. Perfect!

Unfortunately, no photos from the events, but I’m glad to be wearing the BWR colors and riding for the team!

Jeni

This week High Desert Bicycles generously matched the donations made by Big Wheel Racing team members, which together made a sizeable contribution to the World Bicycle Relief organization.  World Bicycle Relief (WBR) provides the mobility that is an essential component to assisting those in need due to poverty or natural disaster.   This donation will purchase six bicycles and six caregivers, providing support for up to 120 patients and families affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In 2005 SRAM and Trek teamed up to form World Bicycle Relief.  They later partnered with World Vision Sri Lanka for their first mission, Project Tsunami, to provide aid to victims of the terrible natural disaster that swept the Indian Ocean that December. 

Using his expertise, Frederick Day, co-founder of SRAM, worked with Trek engineers to design a 65 lb. steel frame bike, which is capable of providing mobility for an entire family as well as cargo capacity.  In addition to being culturally and functionally appropriate, this bike is built to last. The self sustainable program also provides locals with a week-long class on bike maintenance, repairs, and business practices so they can provide necessary repairs through a profitable business.

Yesterday in Chongwe, Zambia WBR launched their newest project called BEEP, or the Bicycles for Education Empowerment Program.  This project will provide bikes to schoolchildren in Zambia, which will reduce their travel time, and increase the safety of their commute.  This increases their chances of continuing to pursue their education.  Education is paramount to these children, who in many cases are orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and are in danger of falling more deeply into poverty or worse.

WBR’s long-term plan is to be operating in all of Africa within 36 months, with a mission to provide access to independence and livelihood through The Power of Bicycles.   

By contributing to World Bicycle Relief’s efforts, our donation and the generous matching donation from High Desert Bicycles will directly affect the lives of children in Africa.  If you are interested in more information on World Bicycle Relief and their efforts visit their website: http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/

The Gunnison Growler course was a great challenge as usual this year. Racers rolled out of town with a vehicle escort to pace the crowd. Mike Mangan and Jeni Turgeon were the BWR racers for this event.

Great Ergon grips and Kenda Tires Small Block 8 tires did the trick for the course for the singlespeed!

Riders had a wet day, so lots of mud on the bikes and the racers at the end of the race! Thank goodness for Showers Pass jackets. Both Mike and Jeni brought out the ProTech jackets for the race and stayed dry. King Cage kept out bottles on the bike throughout the race, and Sock Guy kept our feet nice and warm.

Congrats to Jeni who placed 2nd women’s singlespeed and Mike who placed 4th. Both Jeni and Mike raced the 32-mile 1/2 Growler.

A delayed report, but a great race nevertheless! The 12 Hours of Mesa Verde was well-attended by the BWR crowd. We had 4 solo riders (all on singlespeeds), and 1 duo team.

The weather treated us well this year, not too hot, not too cold. Good times all around.

The race began with a Le Mans start. BWR was up front, ready to roll!

Jen, our only female racer at the event, rode singlespeed and finished 6th place with 4 laps.

Lenny rode solo singlespeed and finished with 4 laps.

Jeff rode solo singlespeed and finished 10th place with 6 laps.

Matt rode solo singlespeed and would have finished in 3rd, but a crash on his last (8th) lap only a mile or so from the finish left him with a 5th place finish. Three fractured vertebra and a totally broken helmet later, he’s well on the road to recovery. Hooray!

Our duo team, Cal and Mike finished 9th out of 38 teams with 8 laps combined.

Thanks to our sponsors who provide us with the means to get to and participate in the races!

High Desert Bicycles
Ergon
Kenda
SRAM
Orange Aspen
Hammer Nutrition
King Cage
Vantastic Vans
Sock Guy
C Change

The Cochiti 100 is the most difficult race in the New Mexico Endurance Series. With three loops originating from the parking area, support is simple, but the three loops can take a toll on any rider. The first two loops are very similar except for the direction of travel, and the third is a little shorter with minimal technical riding. The weather couldn’t have been better Saturday, low temps, mostly cloudy, and occasional light rain, made for cool climbs and fast turns.

Peer pressure. Although he didn’t resort to the “triple dog dare”, Lenny Goodell wouldn’t let me quit after the first loop like I had planned. Around 20 miles, I had cut a sidewall on the rear tire and had to put in a tube, and I had passed through my “fuzzy zone” a few miles after I got rolling again. The fuzzy zone is a long story but I had my worst attack on Saturday.

Crosstown Trail was wearing me out on Loop 1, even with the 32×21 on my singlespeed Specialized Stumpjumper Marathon 29er. I do remember pushing my geared bike up the same steep pitches. Gears or not, I was getting in my strategic walking for the day. Pulling out of Crosstown onto FR 268 with three other riders made me realize that I had not been left too far behind, and three of us rode the 268/Media Dia descent together. And there was Lenny at the gated end of Media Dia. I was telling him I was done, and he was telling me I wasn’t.

Peer pressure. We headed back up for Loop 2 after a stop at the car. With two more riders beginning Loop 2 later, we were the first to head out on the second longest climb of the day. Conversation helped me ignore the climb, and we dove back into Crosstown eventually. By the time we started Motown Trail, I was recovering from the long climb. Motown was unbelievably fun on Loop 2, being a mostly downhill run to Carl Shipman Trail. We crossed Dome Road and descended Carl Shipman, and eventually back to the car for the end of my day. Lenny had other plans.

Peer pressure. I let him talk me into doing the remaining “easy” 20 something miles of Loop 3. And to my surprise, I knocked an hour off my time for this loop from last year. Ok, so peer pressure was a good thing Saturday. After my third year attempting the Cochiti 100, I finally completed the full course! With nearly 14 hours on the clock, I wasn’t the fastest finisher, but I’m one of only three to complete the course and the first singlespeed.

Chris Hereford
“C Cow”

The annual Alien Run MTB Race was held on April 26, 2009 in Aztec, NM. BWR was represented at the venue with Mike Mangan, Jeni Turgeon, and Greg Kaufman. The day was beautiful and the singletrack was nicely packed, without a lot of the sand that has been an issue in the past. At 10 AM, the mass start began, and the race was on! The expert categories raced 25 miles and the sport categories raced 24 miles.

The race course was a combination of dirt roads among the oil fields and great singletrack that had a little bit of everything to offer. The slick rock section at the Aztec UFO crash site is always lots of fun!

The final stats:

Expert Veteran, 5th Place, Mike Mangan

Expert Masters, 4th Place, Greg Kaufman
Sport Veteran, 2nd Place, Jeni Turgeon

Many thanks to some of our great sponsors whose products kept us rolling well while at the race!

High Desert Bicycles
Dr. James Slaman
Vantastic Vans
King Cage
Kenda
Ergon
Sock Guy

“I never thought”…many things; like I never thought I’d live in Texas, but I did.  I never thought I’d be an artist, but I am.  I never thought I’d develop a taste for ginger, but I did.  I never thought I’d like a single speed road bike, but I do.  I like it a lot. 

So 3 years ago I did something I never thought I would do… I went to the dark side and bought a road bike.  I’ve really enjoyed the fitness and social aspects of road cycling without as much pain and recovery issues as I had with mountain biking.   

Big Wheel had another great showing at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo this year! 

The weather was much better than last year, but it still got cold and humid during the night (34′ish degrees) and windy most of the time. The course was in great shape and was fairly fast, except for the head wind on the bitches (6 rollers on a dirt rode). Lenny’s new Specialized 29er Captains tires from High Desert Bicycles rocked the trail. These are his new tires of choice!! Lenny and Jen’s King Cage Ti water bottle cages are sweet and worked great for those blind inserts in the middle of the night, and our new Pactimo team thermal jackets were sure nice for those cold early morning laps. The team was sporting their new one Red one Green BWR socks from Sock Guy, which Lenny received an offer to trade goods for a pair from a fellow SSer. Jen enjoyed her Kenda Karma’s hooked up for some stable laps on both her bikes, including the recently acquired custom frame from Siren bikes. Last but not least, are Lenny’s awesome SRAM Avid Juicy Ultimates brakes made descending sweet with the great modulation they allow.

A special thanks goes out to our PIT crews, which were Laura Hemperley, Claudia Goodell, Lenny’s parents, and others for Jen and Mike’s teams.  Liz Mazzola was there to pit for John, but got sucked into racing on the tandem. YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Here is how the BWR team members fared:

• Lenny Goodell -  5th  in Solo Single Speed
  • Podiumed with 11 laps
• Jeff Hemperley- 18th in Solo Single Speed
  • 7 laps before getting sick
• Jen Albright- 7th  in Coed-Duo 
  • 15 laps (7 laps for Jen) - only SSers in top 10
• Mike Mangan- 14th in 4 person men open
  • 19 laps  (5 laps for Mike)
• John & Liz Mazzola - 26th  in Coed-Duo
  • 5 laps - The lone Tandem team
  • Note that John & Liz had 6 or 7 flats and had not planned on riding the tandem until Todd (promoter) asked if they wanted to ride it in the coed-duo class.. so their tires were not properly prep’ed for this course. Wait and see what they do next year!!! I heard rumors of a full suspension tandem…

The full results are HERE.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Lenny and Claudia sporting their BWR Moroccan Beanies.
Yep, they got them on their Morocco trip last December.

John & Liz on the Tandem at the start of the race.

Jeff (grr-animal) at the start of the race. Doesn’t look sick yet!

Jen at the start of the race.

Lenny still running at the start of the race.

The rest of the pictures can be viewed HERE.

Also the professional pictures are HERE. Enter Bib#
    65 for Lenny
   123 for Jeff
   239 for Jen
   465 for Mike
    7 for John & Liz

-Lenny

Michael on the right, me, then Ayden (in green)

7 Feb 2009

   Other than cross races, I like events that take a good chunk of the day. Why get the bike out for less than 50 miles, or 5 hours of riding/racing? And maybe I’m just getting a little slower in preparation, but it seems like I’m doing more preparing some times. I could have done a little more preparing for the Puzzler, like putting on a larger cog, maybe a longer travel fork, and attaching suspension to the rear. And I could have put a motor on the bike too. I rode my 13 year old Specialized S-Works M2, which converted to a nice light weight SS a couple of years ago.

   I could have ran different gearing, because I did my most difficult SS work at the El Paso Puzzler. Last year I rode my Specialized S-Works Enduro, with 5 inches of travel front and rear. It’s funny how I forgot what worked great and remember only how heavy the bike was on the long climb up Mundy Pass. I do know that the hardtail SS climbs easier, given the gearing. But the Puzzler course got rougher since last year. A long section of new singletrack was added to the “east side” section. Tight turns, in a continuous rock garden, moving mostly up hill. This new section adds to the typical rough stuff on the “west side”.

   Just for background info, the NM Off Road Series holds the Coyote Classic on the west side trails. Some XC racers skip this event due to the difficulty of the course, and many mumble about it all season long. This is all within the Franklin Mountains State Park. The Puzzler involves a 35 mile loop around the northern section of the mountain range, covering the east side trails, and then a return to the west side by climbing Mundy Pass. On paper, Mundy seems like nothing special, but I think El Paso has a gravity generator in the mountains, making the short climb worse than anything in the NMES. I’ve taken my bikes out for great walks in the beautiful forests, and now I’ve walked much of Mundy while pushing SS and geared bikes. So much for the lighter weight of the SS hardtail.

   The Mundy climb is all two track loose rocky steep road. The approach to the climb is a few miles of great singletrack, which, without Mundy looming in the distance like an 8000 meter peak in the Himalayas, would be awesome riding. (By the way, the Coyote Classic will be on the east side trails this year, but it won’t include Mundy).

   The race start was interesting, Michael was out front somewhere on the paved climb to the dirt. Many riders with shifting problems, (snicker, snicker), one rider down on the pavement (?), and we dropped into the next bowl to the north. I somehow caught up to Michael on the singletrack after a couple of miles. I think it was because he didn’t have a “trail marker” in front to follow. (Trail Marker- a rider you can follow close enough to show you the details before you hit them.)  So, I used Michael as a trail marker. And he was railing the turns! (I need bigger wheels). After a few miles, we hit two track and I took the lead.

   A thousand miles later, we got to the east side and worked the course around. The food stop at the city park was great! This was after riding along a levee, backed up against large homes with swimming pools filled with beautiful blue water! Distracting.

   After completing the 35 mile loop around the mountains, we had another 15 miles of the typical Coyote Classic trails, just as the start of loop 1. After a couple miles of this second loop, I started watching the mileage count on my computer, and thinking about the finish line. I finished at 6 hours 45 minutes according to my computer. I was thinking a sub-6 hour day, but it took a little longer. I had not seen another SS all day, and I was later told than one did not show. Michael came in soon after me, grinning as usual. The other SS came in at least an hour behind. I think I came in 9^th overall. Overall, I enjoyed the race. It’s a great early season test, and a good equipment test ride too.

  How did Ayden do? Well, there was a time cutoff at the city park food stop that he didn’t clear. He was the only junior, and at 14, the smallest racer, and there were seven adult racers behind him that didn’t make the cut also.

 Chris

The team met in Temecula, CA for a 12-hour race in January!  Jeni worked the pit for the team and Andrew Carney won the men’s 12-hour Solo Expert category.  Scott and Emily Sportsman raced in the Co-ed Duo category and took 2nd place while riding their singlespeed bikes!  Awesome effort by those two and it was Emily’s first race for the team, as was the case for Andrew.  Matt Turgeon took third place in the men’s Solo Singlespeed category.

Great showing by the team and special thanks to our sponsor:  High Desert Bicycles!