Big Wheel Racing

(The 12 hour race in Külsheim)

I am a lucky man. A friend of mine, Ed, drove of from Italy to support
me during my solo ride at the 12 Stunden Rennen in Külsheim. The
difference between doing an event supported and unsupported is huge,
and anybody that actually has a friend volunteer their time to stand
in a transition area and hand you water bottles, goos, electrolyte
pills, etc. is really lucky.

Ed showed up at my house in the early morning and we jumped into my
van and made our way to Külsheim.The van was already packed with my
primary race bike and a “pit bike”. The race bike was an On One Inbred
singlespeed (32 x 19) fitted with an older Lefty DLR, Racing Ralphs
2.4×29 on Velocity Blunt rims, and fairly new Ergon GP1 grips. The pit
bike was a Kona Unit 2-9 but I did not need to ride it. During the
drive to the race we went over my nutrition plan, and actions at the
transition area. I dictated the nutrition plan and Ed pretty much gave
advice based on his greater racing experience which I was very
thankful for.

As we approached Külsheim we drove into an overcast, drizzly morning.
There was going to be some mud, that was a given. Probably some
chafing too. My motivation was sinking as Ed was messing with me,
telling me how bad it was going to suck and that I should just quit.
The drizzle seemed to stop as we approached the race site and I got my
starter package while Ed set up our gear at the tent that was housing
the German single speeders.

The the race started promptly at 0900. I was wearing the Big Wheel
racing bib with some baggies over it, a long sleeved Jersey, and off
we went. The course consisted of a mix of flat to mildly inclined
gravel roads, some fire roads, two singletrack sections, some trails
across grassy fields, two singletrack downhills, two gravel downhill
sections, and across a series of 5 tank berms in a Bundeswehr training
area. The conditions of the course varied from muddy and wet in the
early part of the day to drier when the sun finally broke through at
noon. The downhill singletrack sections were slippery mud that defied
traction till half way through the race where one section turned to dry soil
and the other turned to a fairly tacky moist singletrack section but
where braking remained rather iffy. The flat singletrack sections were
situated on higher terrain so they started to dry up and after several
laps they were ridden smooth and were tacky with decent grip. The
depressions between the tank berms were filled with water but having
ridden the course last year I knew fairly decent lines to ride on the
left edges that avoided the hub-deep puddles. It would be wrong not to
mention the 3 uphills, the first one came fairly soon after the first
singletrack downhill and was an uphill gravel road. The second hill
was more mellow and came after the second singletrack downhill, and
the third uphill followed a gravel downhill. The third uphill was a
long incline that went through a field and then grew steeper and
turned into a gravel forest road. Following this third hill was a
stretch that took you to the second gravel downhill which one could
bomb down and it led into the transition area. There was a muddy run
up in the transition area that led to a short steep muddy roll down
before you got to the scoring gate.

A lap was about 10.5km long and I was riding them in a 40 to 50 minute
time range. I believe I rode 14 laps but Ed counted 15 laps and I
finally stopped after 10 hours and 50 minutes of fairly non-stop
riding. After 3 laps I was walking up the first uphill and up the
second half of the third hill. The middle hill was doable, even on a
single speed.

My nutrition plan consisted of 3 Power Bar Gels per lap (I started the
race with the regular flavor and ended up hammering the Espresso
flavor with double the caffeine during the last few hours). Every lap
Ed would hand me a fresh water bottle, with either one scoop of
Perpetuem or SE (Sustained Energy), gel packs, and some Endurolytes.
The Power Gels contain electrolytes but I also consumed one or two
Endurolyte capsule per lap in the transition area. I did not cramp up,
although at times I felt some twinges in my thighs when I got out of
the saddle to really mash. Ed also provided me with a couple of Cokes
and chocolate cupcakes, but I could only drink about a half bottle and
eat half of a cup cake before I felt full. The Orange/Vanilla flavored
Perpetuem tasted like the dust in the bottom of a box of oatmeal with
a hint of ass, the Sustained Energy tasted like ass, but I got used to
it after a while. I would probably not use SE again if Perpetuem is
available.

Given the amount of gravel roads and flatter sections I really
appreciated the lockout on the Lefty DLR. The Lefty has a true
lock-out and it was really nice on the smooth trails and tracks to not
feel the fork bob. Unlocked, the fork allowed me to bomb the
downhills if they were not congested by slower riders. The Avid BB7s
(180mm) functioned extremely well, as did the Ergon GP1 grips. I am
lucky to still have the Ergon grips because I was on the verge of
throwing them away due to the difficulty in setting them up perfectly.
But I did manage it after several training rides and I must say I am
impressed. I had no numbness of the hands or tingling sensations. The
Schwalbe Racing Ralphs (2.4 x 29) were another issue. We have a
love/hate relationship now because they did not perform well in the
mud during the first half of the day. They packed up and essentially
turned into big brown slicks and the corresponding loss of control.
This was especially noticeable on the singletrack downhills when
having to slow down for slower riders. The Racing Ralphs are not mud
tires, but they held their own on the other sections of the course.
The last piece of gear that made an impression was the Big Wheel
racing bib made by Pactimo. Despite starting off in wet conditions and
then sweating for almost 11 hours the bib did not chafe. The padding
was nice on the tush and there was no butt-pad shaped welt that
sometimes happens with lesser quality biking shorts. The only down
side to a bib is the necessity of removing too much gear/jersey when
trying to take a dump.

I stopped after almost 11 hours in the saddle and must say that I felt
pretty good. There were no cramps or major physical issues and I did
not feel sore the next day. The brake pads were down to 66% but I kind
of expected that. It was a tremendous help that Ed provided. For my
next longer solo race I will surely try to enlist someone to support
me again and fine tune my nutrition plan.

Thank you Ed!!!
Marty

The team represented for the second consecutive year the Climb to Kaiser event in Clovis, CA. The California contingent is growing for BWR and news of this new venture will be coming soon.

Big Wheel Racing showed up in full force to represent at a new race in Gunnison, CO called the Gunnison Original Growler. The race was the brain child of mountain bike pro and hall of fame member Dave Wiens, the current 6 time champion of the Leadville 100.  Jeff, Jeni, and Matt all raced on the single speed bikes and Mike M showed up on his geared 29er.

The race proceeds will be used by Gunnison Trails to fund a new trail loop from Gunnison to Crested Butte that is expected to be a national trail destination. The race was very well organized and the route was nothing short of epic. Big Wheel Racing was proud to be in strong attendence at this innagural race event and we look forward to supporting trail organizations such as Gunnison Trails in future years. Way to go people!

In addition the BWR team recieved their new shipment of Ergon products the week prior and team members were eager to try out the new stuff. Ergon is the sponsoring team of Dave Wiens and also Iowa legend (and BWR friend) Jeff Kerkove, whom was also at the race.

Thanks for all of the support Jeff and we appreciate the relationship with Ergon and look forward to representing this company in future events.  We are very lucky to have such great sponsors!!

By Nate

Fool Hollow Lake in the town of Show Low Az hosted the Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival on May 31 / June 1. The even consists of a “long course” (aka half ironman distance) and an Olympic distance on Saturday, as well as an XTERRA off-road triathlon on Sunday. I elected to do the Long Course race on Saturday, and headed to the lake to bag a camping spot after work on Thursday.

The long course went off at 0630 Saturday morning in an extremely brisk lake (~61F?), and thanks to the combination of altitude and cold water I had a bit of a slow swim at 37:10 for the 1.2mi (2000m). After that long cold soak on the legs it took some time to get up to speed on the bike, but once finally loosened up the bike went smoothly, hammering out the 57.5mi in 2:42:04, which turned out to be 13th fastest bike split of the day. Heat and wind started to become a challenge on the in the last 14mi (which also contains the majority of the sustained climbing on the course). The combination of Perpetuem and nuun worked flawlessly on the bike as usual. An early mistake in T1 though I think set things in motion for a problem filled run, I took a couple ibuprofen after the swim to ward off the not uncommon post swim headache, having forgotten to bring tylenol. Unfortunately, what I failed to remember is ibuprofen will tear up my stomach in a hot run like we had. The result was an inability to absorb nutrition during the run, so after the initial 6 miles pace was decreasing continuously despite trying to keep up the fuel/hydration strategy that has worked well in the past. Consequently the run was a somewhat disappointing 2:04:12. A testament to the Hammer Nutrition and nuun combination on the bike that I had enough gas in the tank to complete the 13.1 mi run with effectively no nutrition and still salvage a 5:29:38 total time. Good enough for 30th overall and 4th in the 30-34 age group.

nuun is “gettin’ it done”

Big Wheel Racing had a large turnout for the Dawn til Dusk 12 hours race in Gallup New Mexico on April 12^th. In total there were 9 BWR team members racing in multiple classes plus one 13 year old future BWR team member.

It was a very cold 27 degree morning when the race started at 7am. This year the start was different than in past years. I order to reduce the congestion of the single track climbs that start the 13 mile ST loop, the organizers wisely choose to have us start on the road for 5 miles and enter the single track at the turn around point of the normal loop. This made for a nice warm up and allowed everyone to spread out before entering the single track. The day warmed up nicely to the upper 50’s so we could strip off all our cold weather gear.

As we were a lining up for the start , Trek pro racer Travis Brown was there on his Trek 69er single speed, so all us solo SS’ers where thinking “well there goes first place”. On the 3^rd lap here comes Travis flying around us. We thought geeze he can’t already be lapping us, could he… Turns out he was doing a Co-ed duo

Here is how the team faired:

Solo Male Single Speed 40+:
Jeff Hemperley - 1^st place with 9 laps in 11:08:41 (2^nd place overall Solo SS)
Lenny Goodell  - 3^rd place with 8 laps in 10:28:34 (4^th place overall Solo SS)
 Chris Hereford -  8^th place with 5 laps in 08:14:43

Solo Female Single Speed:
Jennifer Albright - 5^th place with 5 laps in 10:25:58

Solo Female:
Lisa Wishard - 7^th place with 6 laps in 10:53:15

Solo  Male 0-23:
Ayden Hibner-Hereford - 6^th place with 4 laps in 10:28:24 (He is only 13 years old!!)

Solo Male 25-24:
Nathan Berg - 17^th place with 4 laps in 08:39:26 (Spent lots of time taking pictures out on the race course, Thanks Nate!)

Solo Male 35-44:
Richard Capener - 8^th place with 8 laps in  10:53:50
Michael Mangan - 9^th place with 7 laps in  09:51:20

Duo Male 80+
Doug Young (with Lars Hansen) - 4^th place with 9 laps in 11:08:12

Full results are posted at:
http://www.dawntilduskrace.net/subpage.php?do=results

Team member comments:

Jeff Hemperley: Words cannot really explain a race, only the results of ones efforts. It was cold, it was rocky, it was burdensome.

Chris Hereford: This was my first long lapping race. I had heard many people talk about the logistics, but I had not see the planning, coordination, and layout of a pit area until yesterday. I was impressed! From Janella’s assisting, Lenny’s smoothness, to Jeff’s Quicky Mart. It was all amazing, and everyone worked together at the pit. I learned a lot this weekend. This was so different from leaving the car for a day with a  full camelback, and stopping 11 hours later. I wish I could’ve hung in there a little longer with Lenny, but it didn’t happen. Great riding Lisa, Jen, Rich, Nate, Doug, Lenny, and Jeff! Thanks for the support, and thanks for supporting Ayden, also.

Lenny Goodell: I finally got that elusive 8 lap at DtD and my first 24/12 hour race podium finish!! I had 3hrs and 10 mins left after my 7^th lap and was feeling good. I was thinking 9 laps, YEAAA!! My slowest lap (lap 7) was 1:25 so I had plenty of time. Then I started the climbs on the 8^th lap and my legs said 9 laps!, what the hell are you thinking!! My 8^th lap took 1:38, eating away all my buffer to complete a 9^th lap by 7pm.. Lonn Bate from Calgary who took 2^nd place in front of me would take longer pit stops then me and then pass me each lap, so I know he was waiting to see if I would go out for a 9^th and just pass me again… so 3^rd place was my destiny. Old men rock solo SS!! Only one 0-39 solo male SS beat the top 3 40+ solo male SS’ers!

Jennifer Albright: This was my first year racing D2D solo, and to start it off right I brought the singlespeed.  Based upon my performance at my last 2 endurance races, both 24 hour events, I was hoping for 4 solid laps.  I was pleased to get 5, and although the 5th lap was tough due to feet problems, I think the muscles were good for 6 - only the feet prevented it.  I had a good regime of Hammer products that kept me fueled and feeling good. All said and done, I had my best endurance race, both in how I felt and rode, and in the support and fun with my BWR teammates.  The highlight for me really was Ayden sticking with me on what was the last lap for both of us. 

Richard Capener: I felt good out at D2D. I could have pushed a little harder but didn’t know how I would hold up at race speed. The first couple of laps I would come in a eat something then head out into the climb and almost puke. So then I would load up and take it with me and eat once I got on top. Felt much better.

Michael Mangan: Over all, the race was fun with great folks and excellent weather. But, having two flats on lap 2 was really demotivating. The first was on the tight switchback on a climb that resulted in my tire being partially removed from the rim, but was easily fixed. The second flat, a side wall tear, was a problem since I had no more CO2. Luckily, someone gave me a CO2 cartridge and I was able to finish the lap and switch out bikes, but lots of time was lost. Feeling out of contention, my mindset had changed from “it’s a competitive event” to “it’s a training event: work on form, bike handling and endurance.”

Lisa Wishard: The women’s field was hugely competitive this year! Big names, big laps and the best weather yet (except, I saw 18 degrees at the start dude, not 27!!!) my freezing water bottles bear that out.

All of the pictures that Nate took are posted at:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/505live/sets/72157604517118269/ 
Check out the picture of Ayden finishing with Travis Brown on his wheel… what a shot!!

By Nate:

Well, it was 4 weeks ago so you’d think I’d get around to writing this one up. Spring Death Valley Double Century is in the books. I left Thursday 2/28 after work and made it to Flagstaff, then drove the remaining distance Friday arriving around 2-3PM local time (stayed at Stovepipe Wells). I spent my afternoon getting equipment and bottles all ready, then made the trip to Furnace Creek for check-in and packet pick-up. Was up at 0430 or so Saturday, had breakfast and got headed to Furnace Creek for the start, I was a little later than I’d planned but figured I’d be ok. Until I got there and found the rear tire flat on the bike. So, it was a mad dash to swap out the tire/tube from another wheel (I was committed to using the Zipps), and I barely made the 6:10 start group. After that, things were relatively uneventful. Road an easy tempo for the first ~40mi, but about then the day’s theme reared its ugly head. Wind. About 5 mi out from the Ashford Mill turn to head up to Jubilee and Salsbury passes we met a good stiff breeze out of the north. Wasn’t too concerned, hopping that when we came back we’d have a nice tailwind for the roughly 50 miles between Ashford Mill and the turn around at Stovepipe Wells.

I was a little overly ambitious in my gearing selection for the passes, having selected an 11-23 to optimize the long rolling portion than makes up about ~165 miles of the event. I paid for it as I started to have cramping problems at the top of the first trip up Salsbury pass (only 60 mi into the event). Miles 50 to 80 contain about 90% of all the vertical in the entire event. Unfortunately, once you start to have a cramping problem you can pretty much count on having to deal with it for the rest of the day. In my case, any time there was a steep little roller I couldn’t power over it b/c things would seize up.

After climbing up and over Jubilee and Salsbury and back to Ashford Mill, got to enjoy the tailwind. For about 10mi. Then it switched and was dead out of the south again like last year. Maybe even a little worse. And, unlike last year, it didn’t die at Furnace Creek. But, also unlike last year, I had somebody to work with most of the day, Kevin Marr, owner of Godspeed Tattoo. Kevin started in the 6am group, and I caught up about 5-8mi before Ashford Mill. He had a good tempo over the climbs, but I caught back up again the 2nd time at Ashford Mill. After that, pretty much road the 2nd 100mi together. It was great having the help in the wind, and somebody else w/ a good “do or die” attitude. We picked up another person just outside of Furnace Creek, who also started in the 6am group. That guy pretty much bolted at the Stovepipe Wells turn around, and Kevin went to chase him down. I didn’t have it to hammer over the hills, so I just worked to ensure I didn’t loose my entire 10min. Overall it turned into a long day, ~ 12:36 total time. About 20min slower than last year, but even the overall fastest time was nearly 30min slower than last year. Good enough for 5th overall out of about 150 who started the double. Of those 150, about 50 finished all 200, 50 quit at 150mi, and the remainder DNF’d.

Of course, no write-up is complete without pimping some of the products I found exceptionally useful. My nutrition strategy worked well, it consisted of mixing nuun electrolyte tablets with Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem. In addition, Endurolytes were used extensively once I started to have the cramping problems.

On Feb 16^th, Big Wheel Racing represented at Mas-o-Menos (MoM), the first race of the USAC Endurance Series in Terlingua, TX outside of the Big Bend National Park.  This series is sanctioned under the NORBA banner of the USAC and ties together a number of National Level events.  These culminate in the National Marathon Championships to be held on the 4th of July in Breckenridge, CO at the Firecracker 50 ( http://www.mavsports.com/?id=8 )

Doug “da Goat” Young rode the “Marathon” distance of 100K in which he was entered in the Expert Masters (50+) class.  Doug was able to finish in a time of 6:04 to place 14^th out of 29 overall competitors in his class.  Of those 29, only 18 ended up finishing the event, which was a testament to the rugged nature of the course located in the Chihuahuan Desert. 

Doug was only 6 mins out of the top ten and is focused to improve upon that finish next year, now that he has a feel for the overall course.  “I can’t say enough about this particular race.”  Doug commented, “The stark beauty of the desert combined with a fun, flowing, but challenging track, made this race a gem.  I’m definitely coming back next year to up the ante.”

Doug would like to acknowledge the support of Hammer products for keeping him rolling. Doug uses a combination of Perpetuem and HEED along with flasks of Hammer Gel to keep the cranks turning with power.  Hammer delivers, without a doubt.

Doug’s Ergon GC2 Grips provided comfort and relief from numbness caused by pressure at the base of the palms.  In addition they gave him a variety of hand positions and excellent leverage on the climbs.

Doug rides an Orbea Alma 29er available at High Desert Cycles in Rio Rancho, NM.  They kitted Doug up with a combo-set of tires, featuring the new Specialized Captain in the rear and a Fast Trak 29er tire up front.  “The grip was excellent for the conditions in the Chihuahuan Desert” Doug said, “and they really held up well.  When many other people were flatting I rode steady with no sidewall cuts or other issues. I truly believe that Specialized builds one of the best racing tires around.  Light but strong!”

Doug would also like to acknowledge the quality of Pactimo and Sock Guy clothing.  “I was warm, dry and comfortable throughout the race. “ Doug added.  “I can’t say enough about the race quality Chamois in the Pactimo bib shorts.  They really we’re comfortable throughout the event.  And my Team issued Sock Guy wool socks provided the padded comfort I like with the ability to keep my feet warm and dry”.

Doug will be throwing his hat into the 50+ Expert Masters classes at the New Mexico Off Road Series events this summer and will be targeting the Firecracker 50 as his premier summer effort.  Stay tuned for more excitement from the Big Wheel Racing Team.

Nate and Lisa saddled up for NM Brevet’s Radium Springs 200K on December 1st. The ride started at Leasburg Dam State Park and followed the Rio Grande north to Hatch, then over to Caballo Lake then up to Hillsboro. After climbing to Hillsboro the route returned south on NM26 and back to Hatch. Riders arriving the night before were welcomed with a steady rain and wind. Rain eased to a drizzle around 6am, and stopped entirely for the start at 7. Soon it was a mostly sunny day, however, very soon the wind started to pick up. By 8:30 wind was building to 15-20mph sustained, and gusts were far higher. Lisa decided the wind was becoming too great an issue and called it a day. A very wise choice, as Nate (who is in possession of about 2x more road huggin’ weight) had his hands full keeping it on the road descending into Hillsboro, and also received a full-body workout fight the 1/4ing head wind on the return south. The combination of Hammer Nutrition Perpetum for nutrition and nuun for electrolyte replacement and hydration worked extremely well (nuun tablets were extremely convenient, just a tube in a pocket and way easier than messy drink powders that would have blown away in the wind). A couple
Honey Stinger gels and a tasty ham and cheese sandwich in Hillsboro courtesy Liz rounded out the days feasting. Nate finished the route in 8:14, and was the first one back to Leasburg Dam with the next pair of finishers 45min back.

John and Liz organize the NM Brevet series and do a great job of taking care of all the folks on the course while providing encouragement and somehow finding the most scenic and challenging riding in the state. And, in this ride which was advertised as 200K, we got an extra 10% at no extra charge for a total of 135miles.

Leasburg Dam provided a great start/finish area, a nice clean campground with extremely friendly and accommodating staff. And, with showers at the campground, what more could you want??

Nate post ride and shower, in his trademark “ahh shucks, I just road 135mi” look.

I did a race Sunday Dec. 6th in the small town of Külsheim, Baden-Wurtenburg, Germany. Having just looked at the results, I only missed 3rd by 30 seconds. So, a 4th place finish. Would have liked to have done better, but given that we’ve moved and I’ve been teaching and going to school too many hours a week lately, I suppose that’s o.k.

Anyway, I wish that I’d realized that I was that close to 3rd place. I had thought there was considerably more distance than that and was more worried about losing my present position to the guy that I’d battled with for most of the race.

So, on the last lap, I turned on what gas I had and left him behind. I was at the line when he came through and he gave me trouble for turning on the gas and leaving him (i.e “Du hast gas geben!”).

It was probably the muddiest race that I’ve ever done. Other than that, conditions were good. Warmish, but not too much and it sprinkled every once in awhile.

One thing was kind of funny though. Many of the people that started with gears, ended with one gear due to the crazy amount of mud. At the award ceremony we had to laugh abot it.

The course was partially pavement, dirt (farm) roads and then about 25% singletrack. On the first lap about half way through the singletrack I heard something running and turned to the left in time to see a deer (think giant poodle sized animal) coming straight for my front wheel. It missed me by inches.

The rest of the race was uneventful other than battling with a guy named Markus for most of the race and the deep and very slimy mud.

I haven’t been on the team long enough to get my uniforms. So, I’m racing incognito in my Black Sheep Bikes jersey (given to my by a friend).

So, as the first Euro Member of the team, I had to do what I could to “represent”. Hopefully, before too long people will know me by the Red, Green & Yellow of the Big Wheel Racing logos. For now, everyone will have to settle with more pics here. As soon as the pics show up on the “official site”, I’ll be sure to drag a couple over here for you.

December 4–Kansas City received some long overdue rain on December 1, followed by a nice cold front with high winds and low temps to make for a tough day of cross racing on December 2. The 2nd race of the season for the Boss Cross Series moved to Parkville, MO and English Landing Park. A rolling course with multiple sand pits (some rideable (if you were lucky), some not), a one-lane bridge complete with indoor/outdoor carpeting and a trip up onto the park stage (no singing please) followed by a plywood ramp off the side made for lots of fun—then add in a howling wind coming off the river and temps in the low 30s, wind chills in the low 20s. Brrrrrr…..

Cat 4 saw 33 entries this week and despite nearly being knocked off the stage on lap 1, Big Wheel Racing’s Brad Davis managed an 8th place finish, followed quickly by some hot coffee and time to defrost in the car. Thanks to those who came out to support and cheer on the racers (lots of cowbell) and the usual BWR sponsors—Moots, BikeSource and Hammer Nutrition.

BWR had a good showing for the 3rd 12 Hours of Temecula series race on Saturday, November 17, 2007. Scott Sportsman and Jeni Turgeon rode duo singlespeed and Matt Turgeon rode solo singlespeed.

Scott and Jeni won first place duo singlespeed for the race and also won the 12 Hours of Temecula series for the year in the singlespeed team category!

The day was great and the weather was perfect for riding. Honey Stinger and Hammer products kept the team members well-fed and the team gear was perfect. Thanks to Avant Garb for the hoodies that kept us warm pre and post race!

Big Wheel Racing team members Jeff, Jeni and Matt rode in the 2nd Annual Durango Fall Blaze Century Ride in Durango, CO.  The ride is hosted by professional cyclists Tom and Kristin Danielson.  Tom races for the new Slipstream/Chipotle Team and Kristin races for Velo Bella, and together they host this charity ride to raise money for their alma mater, Ft. Lewis College.  The ride brought in over $22,000 for the college and will be used for scholarships. 

 The BWR team members rode together for the century, wearing our team clothing, and now getting to wear the team jackets and vests because of the cooler weather.  Our Maxxis tires worked well on the road pavement, and also some packed dirt roads that Tom threw into the great course for this year.  We all used our Honey Stinger products and really appreciate the support from them over the years.  Honey Stinger has been a supporter of Big Wheel Racing and also FooMTB, the local trail advocacy group that Matt & Jeni founded.  Their energy bars and honey gels are just really great tasting and packed full of the power needed for endurace events. 

Image from Adam Lisonbee. 

The Vapor Trail 125 is a grueling ultra-endurance mountain biking event in Salida, Colorado hosted by Absolute Bikes and organized by Tom Purvis and shop owner, Shawn Gillis.  Matt was fortunate enough to be invited to this, which required a resume of accomplishmenst in endurance racing. 

A total of 33 individuals lined up at the start, in downtown Salida at Midnight, Sept. 8, 2007.  18 would finish the course with the others dropping out at checkpoints along the way. 

Matt finished with the 5th fastest time over all, and also had the 1st fastest finishing time for singlespeeders.  

 Matt rode his Moots Mooto-x Singlespeed complete with the Kenda Small Block 8 tires. 

Honey Stinger Energy and also Protein Bars were a big part of Matt’s nutrition plan. 

Diet Power has kept the team members fit and trim all year, and we have truly enjoyed the support from Terry Dunkle.

In addition, Matt stopped by Santa Fe Brewing Company on the return trip and was rewarded with the team favorite - Santa Fe Pale Ale - thanks Ty and Brian!

The Vapor Trail 125 is one of the most grueling ultra-endurance challenges out there as it covers 125-miles of mountain bike trails, and rough primitive roads, with over 20,000-ft of climbing and at elevations between 9,000-ft to 12,000-ft.

A very detailed course description is located at the Vapor Trail website.

Jeff Hemperley raced on his singlespeed bike in the Escalante Days Cross-Country Mountain Bike Race in Dolores, Co.  Jeff captured 2nd place in the category and did very well representing Big Wheel Racing again in southwestern Colorado.  Way to go Jeff!

The Big Wheel Racing Team had great numbers at the 2007 edition of 24hrs of Sage in Gunnison, Co.  The 24 hour mountain bike race took place at Hartman Rocks on a 13-mile looped course, and the goal was to see how many times racers could complete the loop in a 24-hour period.  Big Wheel Racing team members Jen Albright, Jeff Hemperley, and Matt Turgeon all raced as solo racers on singlespeed bikes, and Lisa Wishard raced as a solo rider on her geared bike.  Lyn Alter and Jeni Turgeon raced as a duo in the women’s duo category.  198 entrants competed in this, the largest field ever for the 5th annual http://www.24hoursinthesage.com/.

The team did quite well, with Matt taking 1st place in the solo singlespeed category, and 3rd place overall.  Jeff took 8th place solo singlespeed, and Lisa and Jen took 6th and 9th places in the Women’s Solo Categories.  Way to go solo riders!

Jeni and Lyn raced in the duo category against teams comprised almost entirely of men.  They captured 2nd place in the women’s duo teams, and 10th place in all duos. 

Thanks to all the team supporters for this effort!  Big Wheel Racing had a great day and represented quite well.