Sunday, June 18, 2006

SOME PICS FROM SUGAR MOUNTAIN

Yea! I can post pictures again. Here are some pics from Sugar. Pic 1 is one of the pro ladies descending, Aaron is climbing on his single speed, the pro women's podium & a pic of my brothers Ski Castle.














Wednesday, June 14, 2006

SHOWDOWN AT SUGAR MOUNTAIN

Destination Sugar Mountain Boone, NC for the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series Race #2

We spent the weekend at my brother's house on Sugar Mountain. The plan was to go down on Friday, pre-ride the course, register, then race in the sport class on Saturday. On the way down we talked to our team mate Skippy. He used one word to describe the course: "brutal" . Uh Oh....Skippy used to race downhill...for him to say something was brutal, it had to be bad.

We arrived Friday afternoon. After hearing the descriptions of the course provided by Skip & our other teammate, Aaron, I decided not to race. Plus the registration deadline had passed so NORBA was tacking on a $10.00 late fee and an additional $5 to purchase a one-day NORBA license....so let's do the math. $48 registration + $10.00 late fee +$5 license = $63..hmmm. I could race two West VA races or 2 derailer races for that money...and not have the fear of dying on the course!

Now that the pressure of racing was off my back, I could relax & just have fun watching the races all weekend. We watched the semi-pros race on Friday, then got to see the pros on Saturday. Skippy & Aaron raced on Sunday.

The course was a 6.6 mile loop. The racers started out by climbing all the way up to the top of the mountain. I don't remember the exact amount of vertical feet climbed..but it was a bunch. Just when you thought the climbing was over, you were faced w/ another steep section. Once the climbing was over, you got go descend. Some of these descents were treacherous, lots of roots, rocks, steep grades, 2 foot drops...gnarly!

We watched the pros on Saturday...these guys & girls were awesome. They made the tough sections look like the Virginia Creeper trail. They rode very smooth through the most treacherous sections. I guess that's why they get paid to ride! Two Virginia racers podiumed. Sue Haywood from Harrisonburg took 5th in the pro women's cross country race & took 1st in the Super D (they race the downhill section of the Cross country course) Jeremiah Bishop, also from Harrisionburg took 3rd in the men's cross country.

Team El Toreo also had a podium finish thanks to Skip Huffman who raced single speed. He placed 4th. Way to go Skippy! Aaron also competed in the Single Speed division. He got a 6th place finish...Not too shabby for having not raced in 7 years! Anyway..we had a great time. Thanks to my bro for hooking us up w/ the house. I've got pics but have tried for 3 days to get them pulled in but have not had any luck. Once I figure that out, I'll edit them in.