Big Wheel Racing

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!!

The Moab Rim Ride, an informal endurance mountain bike event, began a little after 6am at the Colorado River, just outside of Moab. I missed the starting roll out but was able to catch the pack and tuck in with a little effort just before everyone turned onto the old highway and began climbing away from town. As the incline increased, the pack began to spread out. After the climb we hit the first dirt road, Bar M loop, and quickly entered a new single track trail Rockin’ A. This was on slick rock and was a bit of a challenge to follow. Another challenge was getting used to the bike while carrying more weight than usual. Immediately after Rockin’ A, the course entered another new trail, Circle O. This one was easy to follow and was also on slick rock. The next trail, after a small section of dirt road was Sovereign. It started a little sandy, but soon became hard pack intermixed with in-bedded rock. This had some technical sections and a few steep climbs that became hike-a-bikes. Last year there was nasty mud on this trail. After Sovereign, the course passed under Highway 191 and joined dirt roads for several miles eventually turning onto a technical climb on a jeep road called 7 Mile Rim. Just before the end I took a wrong turn and nearly ended up a the Uranium Arch. Returning to 7 Mile Rim required a climb, but not too much time or energy was lost. The end of 7 Mile Rim has a nice descent on slick rock with multiple discontinuities on the sheets of rock where you get to fly over some small drops while passing jeeps. With a short section of a sandy dirt road, the course returned to slick rock, this time with some amazing mounds followed by a really steep slick rock descent that ends at top of Wipeout Hill, a jeep rock climb that I walked down. At the base of Wipeout Hill the course followed a dirt road that, in places, the sand was too deep to ride. Before the sand became unbearable, the course transitioned onto slick rock that was sparsely marked with rock cairns undulating up and down eventually dumping us out on highway 313.

On 313 we had 5 miles of riding into a headwind with a couple of gradual climbs. While on the road, it was a good time to really hydrate and refuel. Between the wind, getting tired and trying to multitask I managed to drop a bottle and latter electrolytes. Retrieving them wasn’t a problem, but I was began to feel like a bumbling fool, which isn’t the mental state you want when heading to the more technical portions of the course. Turning off the highway onto the dirt Gemini Bridge Road was a time to rest, although while bombing down it high speed. After 4 miles of a fast descent, it forked off to Metal Masher and the work load began to increase. Getting to the point referred to as “the widow maker” had the riders wondering how to get down this ~10 foot rock drop. Basically you drop your bike over the edge, then scoot yourself over edge and hope for a descent landing. After widow maker, Metal Masher seemed to just keep progressively climbing while getting more technical. Eventually, Metal Masher began to descend. Somewhere in the descent I managed to crash in a transition from rock to sand. Other than being a little shaken, I wasn’t hurt and the bike wasn’t damaged. Finishing Metal Masher was the point where I mentally knew that I could finish the course, although it is only a little past the half way point.

After Metal Masher, the course rejoins Gemini Bridges briefly, then turns onto Bull Canyon. If you’re paying attention to the course markings (blue ribbons) it is clear that the course goes left and begin a descent to Gold Bar. This is where I was flaking out and ended up going down two different dirt roads , both of which end at canyon overlooks. Scenic, cool views, but not on the course. After back tracking, I eventually found my errors and rode on to Gold Bar Rim. Now the course started to get very difficult – very steep, ledgy, jeep traffic, an occasional cyclist coming from the opposite direction. After slow progress, we turned onto Golden Spike and then on to Gold Bar Singletrack, where it is REALLY exposed! Imagine a portion of trail about 2 feet wide with a 400 foot drop on one side. I walked my bike there. When this ended, the course joined Poison Spider. There are parts of Poison Spider that are really fun and challenging but there is also a lot of sand!

Since I was camped at the bottom of Poison Spider, after riding that trail but before heading down Potash Road to the finish, I stopped to let Isabelle (my dog) out of the camper. Derrick, a rider from Utah that had been riding with me for the last 15 mile also stopped. After that brief break, Derrick and I rode a 2 person pace-line down Potash Road to the finish. Derrick and I finished the ride just before dark, logging nearly 13 hours of saddle time over nearly 100 miles and finishing tied for 10th.

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.

It rained, it snowed, it froze, the sun shone and through it all Big Wheel Racing rode. And rode, and rode and even rode two team members right onto the podium!  As well, 3 other BWR riders and teams gained top 10 finishes in their class. Collectively Big Wheel Racing rode 82 laps:

Jen Albright: 7 (2nd Place Female Solo Single Speed)
Lisa Wishard: 10 (6th place Female Solo)
Jeff Hemperley: 15 (2nd Place Male Solo Single Speed)
Scott Sportsman: 3
John Mazzola: 13 (8th place Male Solo)
Mike Mangan: 11
Donny Cole: 6
Nate Berg and Rich Capener: 17 (6th place Male Duo).

At approximately 16 miles and 1,200 feet of climbing per lap that is over 1,300 miles and nearly 100K of climbing! A Big Wheel weekend to be sure. We could not have done this without the amazing help of our crew, and sponsors. Nuun, Hammer and Honey Stinger products kept us hydrated and fed. Boy those Honey Stinger ‘Peanut Butta’ protein bars hit the spot at 3 a.m. and Nuun, warm or cold, kept us cranking. Along with our Hammer Perpeteum mixes–some of us run it as liquid and some of us as paste–either formula sure helped to keep us going. Our Maxxis and Kenda tires proved worthy in the mud, the ruts and when things finally did dry out were smokin’ fast on the course.  Our Ergon grips kept us in the right positions and kept us from the dreaded tingly fingers. High Desert Cycles came through with many accessories used throughout the race from water bottles, to saddles, to fork pump nozzles these guys have hooked us up! And, a big toast was raised, around the post race feast, to Santa Fe Brewing for supplying the ever excellent recovery drinks! And a few spines were realigned at Gonstead Family Chiropractic of Albuquerque in order to get us ready for the next collective glimpse of the team in April at the Dawn ’til’ Dusk race in Gallup, NM. Until then, keep the rubber side down. Team Big Wheel.

Team Big Wheel Racing is preparing to make its presense felt at one of the country’s Premier early season Endurance Events. In its 9th year the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is one of the largest 24 Hour events in North America. The race will take place starting at noon on Saturday Feb 16th in Oracle, AZ outside of Tucson and won’t finsh until Sunday at noon. There’ll be lots of crankin’ going on.

The Big Wheel Team Roster will include:

Jen Albright - Solo SS Female

Lisa Wishard – Solo Female

Jeff Hemperley - Solo SS Male

Scott Sportsman - Solo SS Male

Mike Mangan - Solo Male

Donnie Cole - Solo Male

John Mazzola - Solo Male

Nate Berg & Rich Capener – Open Duo

(Team Name: Big Wheel Racing - B100 addition)

Starting at noon on Saturday, Feb 16th, you can follow the real time tracking of the lap results at the following site: 

http://liveresults.epicrides.com/

Here’s to wishing the entire Big Wheel Team much success.  Stay tuned here for insight into all of the action. Gonna be a great time in the Ol’ Pueblo for sure.

January 6, 2008–Here we are 6 days into the new year and recovery from the holidays is just getting started, but it is time to take out the cross bike for one more race to wrap up the season. The Grote Prijs race is the traditional year end race in Kansas City (at least for the past 3-4 years). Last year this race was brutally cold, this year was to be different–temps in the low 50s!! Great, but for the fact that all the snow/ice that had been around was now pure mud–this race turned into an epic mudfest and was generally an all around great way to finish the season with some classic cyclocross racing conditions (note I said generally, more on that below).

In typical fashion for me I got to the start line late, but snuck into the third row behind a couple of folks I planned to try to grab a wheel from (approx. 38-40 riders)—the start takes you down a long straight pea-gravel straightaway and into a big parking lot for an uphill paved sprint then into the grass (mud). I was in the top 12 by the time we hit the grass and within the first lap pulled into 6-7th and up to 4th-5th by lap 2. By this time we were pretty well covered in mud and the field had spread out pretty widely with a group of two guys chasing me while I tried to reel in the top guys, but was unable to do so. The final couple of laps turned into a cat-mouse game with the two guys chasing me–they would reel me in and then I would pull away–I tried to use some of the super long/thick mud bogs as a chance to really put the hammer down and pedal through to pick up some time from them and it seemed to work. I backed off a tad on the final lap figuring if they caught me that they’d be gassed and I would then be able to put in an attack and would be more rested. The plan worked to perfection (almost) as we were neck in neck entering the final obstacles and all three jumped on our bikes for the pea-gravel/pavement finish stretch.

Thats when the wheels came off……my bike which had been flawless (despite all the mud) suddenly didn’t want to shift. Once it did, the rear cassette decided it didn’t know what gear it wanted to be in and I suddenly found myself behind two guys sprinting away as my bike started pumping out skipping noises and generally letting me get about 40% of my power (what was left of it) to the road. Needless to say, I lost the sprint before it started. Final placing “should have been” around 6th or 7th, but in fine form and tradition (started at last year’s GP race) the race officials once again placed lapped riders directly behind the podium finishers in the final standings. This blows my mind as they did it last year as well and despite complaints this year they did it again so go figure….Not sure what my “official” placing was, but my real finish was around 7th–right about what seems to have been the norm for me the past few races.

Here’s to a successful season supported by our great sponsors and hoping for a successful 2008/09 campaign that hopefully includes Big Wheel Racing team members racing at the National Championships!!

Posted by Doug Young

I thought I’d take this opportunity in the relative off season to introduce the bike I’ll be racing for the Big Wheel Team on smoother terrain.  I have been piloting a Ti Seven Sola 26er HT for buff single track courses, but last fall I began to think about getting back on a 29er.  I had in the past ridden a Ti Airborne B29 with a White Bros fork.  Unfortunately, in the early days of the 29er revolution the bike was relatively heavy at 24-25lbs and steered like a truck.  That drove me to the Seven Sola.  A world class racing frame no doubt and at 22lbs one of most responsive mt. bikes I have ever ridden. 

I had heard that the newer 29er forks had greater offsets designed to improve their steering response and that there was now a few frame options that would rival the Sola in weight.  So I began looking for my next race chassis.  I decided to go with the lightest 29er frame on the market; an Orbea Alma 29er (available at High Desert Bicycles).  I had never ridden a carbon frame and I had some concerns, but I decided to take the plunge.

To keep this short and to the point, the build came in at 22.6lbs as you see it here.  The few rides I’ve done so far have exhibited a nice neutral type of handling that for the most part feels like riding a 26er.  Yes, there’s still the tendency to go wide on the apex of turns that you have to correct for in your line, but the small steering inputs required to maneuver in tight technical sections is as reactive as any of my other race bikes.  The days of a 29er feeling like steering a John Deere Tractor are gone.

The carbon frame (and perhaps it is the parallelogram design of the Orbea) feels soft but responsive.  It’s definitely not as harsh a ride as an aluminum frame, but I’m not ready to say it’s as smooth as a Ti ride.  Some where in between.  However, the acceleration snap is there.  Obviously with the 29er wheels, not as sharp as the Sola, but pretty responsive none the less.

The build includes Bontrager Race X Lite Cranks with their XXX Lite stem and bar.  The transmission is controlled by SRAM XO grip shifts and derailleur’s.  Also on tap are Avid’s Juicy Ultimate brakes.  I’ve matched these to a set of Stan’s Aluminum Rotors and Kool Stop Organic brake pads. 

This combination really woke me up.  Not so much because it’s a really light weight setup, but more because of the nice soft braking modulation of organic pads on an aluminum rotor.  The modulation on this setup is awesome.  I can’t say enough about this; it really does feel smooth without being grabby.  Perfect for giving you that minor adjustment through the technical descents.

The bike is presently fitted with Fox’s new F29er fork which feels great.  The compression damping is spot on and with the lockout you can really hammer well on it.  Unfortunately for Fox, I’m planning to replace this fork with a Rock Shox Reba 29er Race.  Why?  All the major forks today have great dampening systems, but Rock Shox is the only company offering a remote lock out.  I have come to really appreciate their Pop-Lock on my other bikes and how it allows you to lock and release without having to take your hands off the bars.  It makes me wonder why the other brands haven’t followed suit.  Oh well, their loss in my book.

I’d also like to acknowledge with a special thanks to Matt Turgeon for his insight into wheel selection.  I fitted the bike with a set of American Classic MTB 29er wheels and I couldn’t be happier.  These turned out to be some of the lightest wheels around.  And they feel smooth over the rough stuff.  These replaced a set of high dollar Reynolds Carbon Fiber wheels and they seem to have a smoother feel to them.  Then again, it may be my brain not worrying as much about blowing up a rim on a rock.  I guess I’m not ready to trust carbon in a wheel set.

I combined these with the Specialized S-works Captain rear tire and a Specialized Fast Trak up front.  I have a similar combination on the Sola with a Roll-X rear with Fast Trak front tire.  I’ve had a couple rides on the Captain/Fast Trak combination and I can say without a doubt that they are great together.  The blocky rear tread design of the Captain grabs well on the loose granite conditions of Albuquerque’s South Foothills trails.  The tight knob pattern of the Fast Trak with its nice side ribs allows the front tire to track effortlessly, roll smoothly, but bite well into the tightest turns.  I never feel like I’m going to push the front end out.

At this point all I need to do is fit a set of Ergon GC2 Grips on my bars and it will be ready to rumble.  Mas-o-Menos here I come.     

Polar Bear Sprint Triathlon was held Dec 8th, with Nate in attendance for his first sprint tri in nearly 3 years. With distances of 7km (4mi) run, 30km (19mi) bike, and 400m (1/4mi) swim this was exactly the opposite type of racing to the 135mi brevet the previous weekend. A finish time of 1:26:02 was good enough to get 2nd in the 30-34 age group, and 4th overall out of 60 male finishers. Wind on the bike proved to be the primary challange, after running a steady 30min 7k Nate made up ground in the wind with a 46min 30K bike. Kona Cola nuun provided the hydration with that little extra kick from a small amount of caffiene. The Zipp 404 wheels proved once again why they are the choice of so many riders for everything from sprints to Ironman, handling the cross winds well while just being plain wicked fast. High Desert Bicycles in Rio Rancho just happens to have a demo set of 404’s, so you can try before you buy….

With great pleasure Big Wheel Racing would like to announce that High Desert Bicycles & Specialized Bikes have teamed up to provide sponsorship for our team. We are truly thankful for the opportunity to work with High Desert Bicycles of Rio Rancho, NM which is by far the top shop in central New Mexico. With a line up that includes America’s top bike company, Specialized Bike, and their innovative products, High Desert also provide bicycles from Spanish cycling giant Orbea, and American mountain biking companies Yeti and Titus.

Here is part of the now full line up of women’s bikes from Specialized, the carbon fiber Safire!

Since a good majority of the BWR team likes to singlespeed, this bike caught the attention of several team members!

Drool at the Specialized roadie bling!

The women are a huge part of BWR’s team, as we currently have 6 strong female riders. We are always trying to grow the number of women on the team, and now thanks to High Desert and Specialized our teamates can ride in style!

Since we are Big Wheel enthusiasts, no post would be complete without a 29er!

Rich can hardly contain his excitement!

You can even buy a full team kit from High Desert’s road team, which are our new partners in crime!

Nate and Donnie talking with one of the store’s owners, John Kibodeaux.

High Desert Bicycles chose to sponsor Big Wheel Racing because, according to John, they wanted to support the local mountain bike and endurance racing scene. We are very appreciative of this support and we will strive to do our best to represent the shop. We can only hope that we can display a level of generosity back to the shop in equal to the faith they have shown in us. Thanks High Desert and Specialized!

If you visit, the shop, please tell them that you saw this post on the Big Wheel Racing website.

Big Wheel Racing’s newest sponsor is Albuquerque Costmetic Dentistry’s Dr. James Slaman. Dr. Slaman goes way back with team member, Jeni Turgeon. He fixed her two front teeth that were knocked out after a bicycling face plant a few years ago. Jeni’s teeth now look good as new, thanks to Dr. Slaman. Jeni now has two really great reasons to call Dr. Slaman her favorite dentist of all time!

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!