Race Results

Race Commentary

Race Commentary

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Dawn Kaczor
this was a tough long race. i am really glad i got to pre-ride the course on
thursday nite with barry, hank and rich. i forgot how tough it was from last
year and pre-riding it helped alot for anticipation and pacing. i really had
fun in this race. the course was fast and it was technical. and there were
plenty of mud pits and rock gardens to deal with. i felt really good and
relaxed throughout the 28 miles. i paced myself well and didnt feel tired
until the very end at the steps and the sprint to the finish. i went out
from the start in 3rd place. then swapped positions a few times with another
vet woman. dropped her somewhere around the middle of the 2nd lap and didnt
see another woman until the descent to the stairs. coming thru the
singletrack i spotted another rage jersey ahead, it was abbie. we managed to
crawl and claw our way to the finish line battling it out thru the gravel
and sand pit with abbie pulling ahead a 1/2 second faster. boy that was fun.

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Joe Famely
Dropped right off the line, got passed by many. Wrist problems made the
technical descents painful, though still thrilling, so I decided to forego
the second lap. I did have fun buzzing through the wooded downhills with
Barry just before the stairs. Hoping to be better prepared for Bradbury, my
"home course".

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Abbie Briscoe
Despite 29 miles of mud, no brakes, bonking on the second lap, and asking
myself what the heck I was doing many times I thought this was a real fun
course. It had a fun mix of everything. some fast singletrack, rock gardens,
technical downhills, fireroads, and climbs. If only it was all dry it would
have been even more of a blast.

The course was alot of fun but i felt the people running it weren't enjoying
themselves and were disorganized. Your running a mt. bike racing event - who
forgets a bullhorn???? so instead they designate people with loud voices to
speak. One of which, a racer! Also on my first lap I passed people at every
checkpoint directing me where to go. only 2 or 3 were actually enthusiastic
about helping us riders out. my second lap there wasn't one person. everyone
had left the course. It bummed me out because I thought the race was over and
when I could have really used some sort of encouragement to keep going there
wasn't a single person. Even more importantly, what If someone was injured?
noone was at the checkpoints to get help. during registration I was behind
someone who wanted to move from sport back down to novice and they let them!
I thought this was against the rules? I didn't see any signs posted on the
roads as to where to park because two cruisers were parked in front of the only
sign indicating the parking lot.

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Paul Fleming
This was my third MTB race and I tried to apply lessons I learned from the
first:

1) Don't overcook the first lap and melt down on the second
2) Don't crash and break your bike

I started out at a moderate pace I thought was sustainable and my lap times
were roughly equal. The mud caused me difficulties with chainsuck which
required stopping for cleaning a few times to restore the use of my small
chainring. During one scrubbing in archery pond (which resulted in a bit of a
sheen on the pond) some old guy with a fly rod yelled at me and called me a
masshole. Sorry!

Managed to finish with only two minor crashes which resulted in leg cramps but
no damage to bike.

This event showed that my fitness could be better but, at 195 lb, I'm in a bit
of a quandery about whether to go on the Krispy Kreme regimen and work my way
up to CLydesdale class, or the Redbones low carb diet and get back to my
normal 180 lb. If I work hard, I think I can go one way or the other before
Bradbury Mountain.

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Rich Blair
ahh yes race day . the sun was shinning; it was a cool 70 degrees.the
legs felt great . The bike was in perfect working condition . then all of a
sudden ! the alarm clock went off and it was time to wake up . after clearing
my head , I looked outside to see it had rained , and was gloomy . after i
started drinking the coffee , i remembered that my bike had shifting problems
that i never fixed and my legs still hurt from Friday nights ride .
as me and Barry lined up we said good luck to each other .and all i could think
about ( why do i do this ?, why is the sky is blue , who made liquid soap and
why ?) then the started said go . I suddenly got this burst of energy.and had
found myself in first place , and thought "to think i spent the whole winter
training on the couch " my remote control thumb is in lance Armstrong shape .
then Barry went by me and said " nice f------ing start "!!! some competitors
passed me , but i knew what loomed ahead . A big muddy technical hill climb.as
we all hiked up the mountain . we were all in each other sites . as i heard
everyone panting ,I commented ." is everyone tired ? and Barry turned and
seen me behind him .then took off like r Kelly chasing a school bus .up the
hill he went running .after the big hill i got on the bike and started
riding . besides a few rocks that jumped out at me .my race was good .my
chain popped off just before the stairs . So i cranked down on my gears
and went down the stairs . went i got to the bottom and to the sand i found
myself in my highest gear and struggling to shift . but after that i made the
finish well.

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Hank Kells
This was a difficult race. I had drivetrain issues and a problem with
handling GU Packets that slowed me down. I have ordered GU Flasks for the
next race. I also endoed once on the technical downhill approach to the
stairs on my first lap. I was tempted to quit at the end of the first lap
but decided to soldier on and finish.

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Chris Smith
The course was in good condition for all the rain they got prior to the
race. A few rocks and slippery roots caught me off guard and I found my
self on the ground a few times. The stairs this year proved to be more
of a challenge for me than in past years as I failed to successfully
negotiate them on both attempts. I had a good race and am happy with my
result.

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Michelle Wilson
This week I'll be going to city hall to change my last name to what is most
deserving...Deadlast. The good news is that it didn't rain during the race.
The bad news is that I figured the trails would be slopy from the overnight
rain so I packed my singlespeed instead of worrying about having to replace
geared parts post race. Bear Brook is probably the most suited EFTA course for
a singlespeed anyway. The problem was one day of riding per week doesn't
prepare the body for pushing one gear 28 miles at race pace. Ugh, what was
I thinking? So unless you're a Berry, Smith, or a Green Machine bring gears.
The only time I got overly frustrated was on the second lap when my legs
would no longer allow me to run through the mud bogs (riding 'em was
impossible) so having to walk thru them I became the last victim for all
the mosquitos in the universe. The one underneath my helmet piercing deep
into grey matter got the last laugh. As soon as I could get back on the bike
I would have to ride as
fast as I possibly could to get them off me so I guess in a way they helped me
finish sooner. Unfortunely I didn't ride the stairs. The first time there was
too many riders around me so I didn't want to screw anybody up. Thanks to all
those people cheering me on though and thanks to Sally for the water refill.
On the second lap I was psyching myself up to do them but the cheering
squad was gone (don't blame 'em, it was nearly dark by then or maybe the
mosquitos carried them away) so I figured if there was no one to see me
fall why bother. Rain, rain go away, go away, Bradbury, Bradbury!

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Wil Malonson
I felt and rode much better this race. I was happy with my time but
dissappointed with my place. Seems like heavier competion this year. At
least I managed to stay in front of the expert women ;). Did they narrow
the stairs this year? I rode 'em anyways. Thanks to the cheering squad at
the bottom. The race was only two days ago but based on the above class
listed you can understand why I can't remember anymore about it. Tell me again
why my body is so sore? :)

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Dodd Lyles
What a muddy mess!
I had a good start and I was cranking on the long straight away but when I
hit the hill I died. I got half way up and I had to start pushing the bike.
I got passed by allot of people but I keep plugging along. I finally got
into a good rhythm and settled in for a long race. The first lap was
uneventful until I got to the steps. I was to far forward on the bike for
the first step so I bailed over the bars of the bike. I landed on my feet.
I grab my bike off the ground and I started the second lap. The second lap
was a mud fest. Everything that was ridable had turned into slug that stuck
to everything. I had some Chain suck , Leg suck and Brain suck. I was happy
to see the steps again. This time I hop off the bike and ran down the step.
I had a good race for the most part and it was good to see all the Ragers
doing so well.

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Anne Noga
My first race of the season. Could I have done any worse? I
realized too late in the race that my seatpost was too low and I
wasn't getting good leg drive. U was pedaling hard but the bike
didn't seem to move very far. The difference a quarter inch makes is
amazing! The best part of the race were the moments I shared riding
w/Jo Hodge and Tim O'Loughlin. Company is great motivator when you
at the back of the pack questioning whether or not you should just
punch out and be done with it all.

Better luck @Bradbury. Bring on those never ending hill climbs!

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Hans Fernsebner
As we all know, it was very muddy, slow, hard and tiring this year. Second
half of course was in excellent shape and a lot of fun. A lot of time could
be made up here if you went for it. Good luck to all at Bradbury.

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Brian McInnis
I love to race,but this one was not my favorite.
I really felt great till I lost my chain.

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Brian Wade
Bear Brook was a great place to race, great single track and nice wide open
double track with lots of technical, obstructions to add some challenges to the
race.
My race however got off to a bad start, Being Novice, ( My 2nd race ever) I
learned alot about the sprint off the line. I hadn't made sure that all the
sand was out of my cleat and I could not get my left foot into my pedal. It
made for a terrible start trying to fight with getting in right at the
beginning. It was a good pace after that.
I as most I am sure had the usual chain suck problems and some problems with a
broken chain that didn't want to stay in gear, or on at all. The frustration
of race day taught me alot about the sport though. To keep up on upkeep of my
bike and to learn how to work on it myself and keep it in race condition so
not to have these same problems in the future.
The great people that race are what make it, we all like the competition but
the love of the sport that we all share make is so much fun. The people who
make these races happen and the people that show others their devotion to the
sport should be commended.

Also the stairs made for a great post finish point. What a great ride down
them. I cannot wait to race there again next year!!!

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Korena Larsen

Think of mud with the consistency of peanut butter. Many sections of this race
felt like I was riding through peanut butter. The race was still fun, muddy,
some technical sections. My brakes started to fail on me during the last 6
miles. I guess I need to learn how to maintain my disc brakes.

The super woman of the group was Joe. She injured her left rotator cuff and
pushed her bike through several miles of mud and gunk with one hand to the
finish line. No DNF for Joe.

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Andy Sherman
I wanted to make sure that I rode my own race at Bear Brook and didn't
get sucked into someone else's pace, etc. That worked out well and I
had a good time out on the course with a smooth ride, no mechanicals
and pretty steady technical riding throughough. Of course, there were
more than a few hog wallows or whatever those mudholes were (Bradbury
preview, no doubt) which had to be walked. I really like Bear Brook,
with its combination of fast fire-road and some interesting technical
stuff. Plus, other than the first climbs on the loop, the climbing is
pretty moderate. Thanks, Rage cheering section, for inspiration and
motivation right at a critical point - finishing the first lap and
trying to do the stairs and the turn on the soft stuff!

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Tristram Langford
Well... it didn't rain!! The roots were slick from a prior soaking but overall
BB was a bunch of fun. I missed this race last year but compared with 2002
things have really gotten rutted out making racing a little more interesting. A
very fast course for the conditions and well worth the trip given how close BB
is to Boston.

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Joanne Hodge
I wasn't challenging for a place at any point in the race but was quite
enjoying the course despite the mud. All I wanted to do was ride the stairs
this year after walking them previously. Sadly before I got my chance to give
them a go I had a bad crash which injured my shoulder, I could only manage to
ride the fireroads one handed so had to walk most of the rest of the course.
Many thanks to Korena and Susan for their help and nursing after the race.

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Whitney Brown
I thoroughly enjoyed the dreary, cool temps at Bear Brook last Sunday-
-perfect race weather! (The mud and 28 miles were a bit out of
control, though). I have a laundry list of reasons for why I had a
terrible race: too fast a start; had to pull over twice for loose
wheel; fell over twice because I couldn't unclip from left pedal; had
to pull over for left pedal adjustment; had to pull over to take off
long-sleeve shirt; had to pull over for GU; and, finally, ran out of
water 1/2 way through 2nd lap. Despite all this, I thank the Sport
girl who caught up to me out there on the 2nd lap and gave me the
incentive to "turn my jets on" and get competitive. We toggled back
and forth through most of the last lap, with me finally pulling ahead
of her in the technical section. I looked back after the stairs and
she wasn't there. Huh? Looked again, and she was right on my a**!
It hurt so bad, but for the last mile I rode as hard as I could and
beat her. YEAH! P.S. Does anyone have an extra Women's Large
jersey???

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Barry Petzold
Another muddy day at the races...WHEEEEEEEEEEE! Well,
Im off to a good star this year. Got bumped to sport
from this race. I think im pretty psyced about it.
Lets see what I think about it after bradbury...

This was by far a more fun course than the wahoo. The
mud bogging was great. I think about 1/2 my gears
were not working after the first 5 min of the race.

Hey rich, nice job taking the holeshot at the
beginning. I didnt think a bike could go from 0 to 20
in 2 seconds.

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Dan Hurwitz
What a great course! Good level of technical. Enough climbs to make it
interesting, but not too killer. And thanks to my Eggbeater pedals and
the toe spikes on my shoes, the mud was not much of a problem. Midway
through the race, I was feeling really great, passing a lot of people,
not getting passed much, and feeling like I was maintaining a really
good pace for me, but not so fast where I was going to bonk. (Maintained
my heart rate at a steady 160 to 165.) I said to myself that no matter
how I finished, this was a good race.

Then I fell. Hard. Coming down the ridge above the steps, near the end
of the race. Hit a wet root, fell on my left side. At first I thought
I bruised my heart or something and was going to die. Then I thought I
broke all my ribs and wished I would die just to end the pain. Then I
realized I probably just had the wind knocked out of me. A rider behind
asked if I was OK. "I don't know yet" I answered. But after several
minutes, I got up, walked a bit further down, then started riding again.

I quickly caught up with a guy. Then a girl behind us started shouting
"C'mon you guys, pedal. I have some girls on my ass." I was just about
to ask the guy in front to let us by when we got to the big steps. We
all dismounted and ran down the steps. I immediately passed the guy in
front. The girl behind tried to pass me, but I started to hammer and
dropped her. Knowing it was only about 1.4 miles of easy dirt road to
the finish, I kept hammering. There was no holding back now - this was
a sprint to the finish and the pain in my ribs would have to wait. I
passed several more guys, the last was another Novice Master about 10
feet from the finish line. It felt really good.

Now its Thursday. I've taken a lot of Advil this week and finally rode
today for the first time since the race, on my road bike. My ribs are
still sore, but getting better every day. Can't wait until Bradbury
Mountain next week.

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Leo Devellian
I was happy that it stayed dry on Sunday for Bear Brook. Heading into the
race, I figured I'd be a little sketchy on the technical sections (hadn't
been on the bike much at all). Turns out, all that bike handling stuff
must be ingrained from years past. At Bear Brook, my bike flowed through the
technical sections as if I had been riding all winter. I surprised myself
by climbing the steep rooty hill on both laps. The bike also flowed fluid
and fast on the descents. The only downside were that my legs felt a bit
sluggish on the fire roads. Luckily, I rode with Tristram (or I should say
directly behind him) during the long flatish sections on the 2nd lap. I
felt guilty he was doing all the work but to be honest he was flying and I
was barely hanging-on. That guy has a huge motor. I'll try to return the
favor later this year, if I'm able. All in all, Bear Brook was another fun
early season race and got me psyched for more.

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Francis Blesso
Bear Brook was my first expert race. I didn't quite prepare well enough
which was became apparent when I found two left shoes in my gear bag. Jake
lent me his right sneaker so I didn't have to wear my big hiking boots and
Susan leant me her right flat pedal which was huge because with my egg
beaters, I'd be practically pedaling on a cylinder. I missed the start by
about two minutes, but was able to catch a few people by the end of the
first lap. I rode with Will and Brian for a while, and then ran out of
juice at the beginning of the second lap. Having one flat and one clipped
in pedal turned out to be very workable. My lack of shape hurt me much more
than pedaling on one flat and starting late. Hopefully I'll be better
prepared physically for Bradbury. I ended up beating a few people, so I'm
happy I didn't get DFL. Thanks Jake and Susan for keeping me from having a
miserable race.

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Joe Stein
Bear Brook is always one of my favorite courses since it offers a little bit
of everything. It was also the first course I've ever raced on, two years ago.
I started out strong and fell into a steady pace, at least I thought I did
until Dodd passed me five miles in! Where's the love? Felt good for most of
the race and went down the first round of stairs without a
hitch. For most of the second lap I paced behind a guy until his chain broke,
which seemed to happen to alot of racers that day. And then the chain suck
started coming and never seemed to stop. I managed to tighten up my chain by
making use of my big ring which helped, but wore me down. I started to loose
steam near the middle of the last lap, but still made it down the stairs
thanks to the supportive onlookers. Three miles to go my left leg cramped and
I had to walk it out for a bit before finishing. A tough race, but great
time all-in-all.

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Tim O'Loughlin
Had a pretty average race with the exception of extreme chain suck and no
use of the middle ring after mile 4 or so. Jo kept me company half the race
and then Anne....rage chicks rule.... Really tried to hammer over the last
4 miles in the big ring and thought I succeeded when I was posted as first
in clydes. That is until my bubble busted with a reposting a half hour
later with me in 2nd. Glad to have the week off so I can rehab my
drivetrain. See you at the Pinnacle!