Mount Bacelor XC Series Results

Some late race results just in Layla and Rodney raced the Mount Bachelor XC Series Race#1. Layla placed first in the elite women's race and Rod came in 5th in the open men's division. ‪#‎slipperysasquatch

The Muddy Mess- Winter Short Track #5

I got a Fat bike about month ago and had planned on riding it the last race of Short track about 3 weeks ago. With the freeze/ thaw cycle we are in and with the rain we got Saturday night I knew the course was going to be very slick. I knew it wasn't going to be the fastest - I was planning on it being fun. The bike is pretty much stock except for a carbon flat bar and switched to a Surly 4.8 Bud on the front tire. With the 4" of soupy mud the fat bike may not have been the best choice. The front tire was throwing so much mud into my face I had mud in both eyes only 1/2 way through lap 1. That being said it was still fun and definitely got some looks!

For the series I ended up in 8th in Clydesdale and the team finished in 12th place in the team competition. After the race I gave out a ton of Mountain Khakis Freebies! Not much time to write as much as I'd like because I've got mud to clean out of my ears, nose, eyes, and ....... (sorry TMI?). And replacing drive trains! Here's some pics from last weekend provided by the wife.



Before: Jon spontaneously starts dancing the Chicken dance- I have no idea why!



Jon and Mike on the starting line



Mike Slipping and sliding on the Fat Bike



Jon Ripping one of the few dry'ish berms



Mike holding on for dear life



Jon through the rocks - Where's the hecklers?



BRAAAPPPP!



After: A Muddy mess!
 

 

Curtis

 

NCCX end of season Bash

The final races for the North Carolina Cyclocross series were held on January 17 and 18 at the Biltmore Estate, a preview of the National that will be held next year. The end of season party/ fund raiser was held at The Millroom in Asheville, NC. Mountain Khakis and Slippery Sasquatch racing combined our efforts and donated items to be used in a raffle to benefit the Western North Carolina chapter Trips for Kids. The event gathered not only cross racers but cycling enthusiasts from around the area and raised $1000. Trips for kids provides mountain bike outings for kids who normally wouldn’t be exposed to the sport. Trips for Kids also teaches kids about perseverance, responsibility, achievement, sportsmanship and environmental awareness through the simple act of riding a bike in the woods.

Prize pack included: Slippery Sasquatch T-shirt, Mountain Khakis T-shirt, hat, koozie, and a $75 Gift card.



Lots of donations

Josh Miller was the lucky winner!

 

Race Report - Short Track - 1-25-15 "First Race of the New Year"

Going into this race, I'm really not sure if I was more excited or nervous.  It has been a few months since the summer series wrapped up, and with a 9 month old at home my ride time has been drastically cut down.  Yet as soon as registration opened I jumped on booking the entire series.

Sunday morning the nerves calmed and I was ready.  This was my first time racing at the Short Track and all I can say is WOW.  The number of people in attendance, both racers and hecklers was pretty impressive.  I quickly made friends with some of the fellow racers and got ready.

Going into the first lap I knew I wanted to jump to the front right off the start.  I had a pretty good jump and started into the trail either in 4th or 5th place.  Into the first couple berms I realized I was a good bit faster than those directly ahead of me.  As we were all yelling in frustration for a pass, he wasn't having it.  Oh well no worries I'll pass him on the uphill out.  So I lightly pedal and coast around the course until we get to my spot to make my move.

The glorious gravel road appeared and that's when I realized where these races are lost.  The slow rider ahead of me bolted off like he just stole an S-Works Camber.   I could not catch him on the up hill.  At this time I'm sitting in what I think is 4th or 5th place and I know 1 and 2 are out of my reach.  So I buckle down only to continue the same dance lap after lap.  I go much slower through the course than I ever should, only to get schooled on the uphill lap after lap.

I hear them yelling one more lap, and I know it's game on.  Yet the uphill wins again and I can't catch the seemingly slower rider.  I cross the finish line, take a deep breath and spin out for a minute.  A few minutes later I check the boards and see I was in 5th which wasn't too bad for my first time at Short Track.

Fast forward to the current week, and I've been placing the treadmill on an incline level of 15 (maxed out) doing 3 and a half minute sprints trying to prep.  Overall it was a great experience and I cannot wait to finish off the series and hopefully conquer my demon, which is the hill.

Biltmore Estate, Thats a wrap!

It's been a long season which all started 5 months ago at the Cycle Smart Cross camp in Columbia, SC. Which, by the way, was AWESOME and I highly recommend! I learned a lot from Adam and Jacob over those 2 days but I also met a ton of passionate cross racers. These same people were the ones cheering for me (seemed to be at every corner) at the races. The cheers and relationships have fueled my season and have pushed me to go further.

During the season my goal was to race, to race as much as possible. Early in the season I decided to double up on some of the NCCX races and race the Master's and the Open 4/5's. Although this pretty much killed me the rest of day, I think it was a good move early in the season.


The run-up from the bottom

The run-up from the top

Coming into the last race of the season had a lot of mixed emotions. I was exhausted and worn out from traveling and racing every weekend. But I also knew that if I didn't go to Biltmore I'd regret it. The course was very difficult and very different from last year's flat, straight, and bumpy roadie course. Be careful what you ask for because this year had a lot of climbing, more tech, and some very fast sections. The first 1/2 of the course was climbing and technical. The second 1/2 was all power, strategy and race tactics.

Saturday I had a great start and had a few guys to race. They would drop me on the climbs and I'd claw my way back on the power sections of the course. So going into the last lap I tried to keep those guys within eyesight. I was able to pass 1 of the racers on the technical descent. Then I passed another at the start of the power section. The course doubled back on itself and could see I another racer with a pretty good gap. So, trying to stay away from the 2 racers behind me and wanting catch the guy in front, I put my head down and mashed. I was closing in on him and got within 50 feet at the barriers. From the barriers I followed him on to the pavement and got on his wheel just before we made the last turn to the up hill finish line. He went wide through the corner and I pushed the bike to the inside and hammered as I passed. I got far enough in front that he couldn't sit on my wheel and I pulled away. I finished just behind teammate Bob.



The cold front moving through



Look at that Big Blue Sky





Bob finishing strong on Saturday



Sunday the course changed to more climbing. The course changes consisted of a long uphill section of single track just after the brutal run-up, I mean walk-up! Funny, for me Sunday was a repeat of Saturday including out sprinting the same guy at the same corner. After the race the announcer gave me a free NCCX T-Shirt for my effort. Pretty cool since I've never won anything at a bike race before. I then found the guy I raced both days for the finish line and we talked a bit. Super nice guy visiting Asheville from Ohio.




Love this pic of Bob and me- We finished both days in this same position

 

After shot- we're both very tired!



Crossing the finish line on day 2- No wins but I had a very successful season

After the race we headed over to a nearby restaurant to celebrate a great Cross season- 37 races for Bob, Layla and myself. All in all I think it was a successful Cross season for the team as well as myself. It was a long season and I'm definitely looking forward to a break but I'm going to miss my cyclocross family! Already looking forward to next year.

Queen City Cross- The mother of all Cross races!

During the weeks leading up to our home cross race here in CLT, I was really looking forward to racing first thing in the morning then hanging out and cheering on friends, teammates and fellow racers the rest of the day.  However, when the weatherman said it was going to rain all night Saturday and Sunday I was pretty disappointed.  I was hoping for a sunny beautiful day to hang with friends. Despite the rain, this race turned out to be better than I had hoped.

 

With the parking issue in mind, I got to Veterans very early on race day- 2 hours before my race was to start.  I warmed up in a light drizzle.  The course was in good shape with a few muddy slick spots.  It was a really tough course with a lot of elevation loaded near the finish line.  The race started and I had a great start, passed a few people and was in the front 30ish people.  The park must have just been mowed because there were rooster tails of dead dry grass being thrown over my head by the racers in front of me.  For me, the highlight of the race came at an unexpected point.  I followed someone into the twisting turns into the steep run-up.  He tried running up the right side, I took the left.  I passed him at about 4 steps into the run-up.  Got to the top, jumped back on the bike, clipped in as fast as I could and coasted down the off-camber side hill- NO Brakes!  Then immediately back up another hill and passed another racer on the way up that hill.  As I made the second pass the racer commented, "great job!".  I finished the race, cooled down and changed into our freshly printed Slippery Sasquatch team T-shirts.

The spectators and fellow racers were encouraging.  During my race there was someone cheering for me by name it seemed like every other turn.  It was AWESOME!  My wife and son were also there cheering me on and pushing me to keep pedaling.

 

 

 

 

 



During the 3's the sky opened up and it began to pour.  The course went from wet to soaking! That's when the fun started. The crowd was out of control. There was a big crowd with great heckling, creepy baby hands, megaphones, beer hand-ups, and loads of crazy half-drunk fans. The crowd started chanting "SLIDE SLIDE SLIDE SLIDE....." eventually the racers gave in and started giving the crowd what they wanted, sliding down the muddy embankment.  But no one could top, the now local legend, Ben. He took sliding to a whole new level- sliding every chance he got. Eventually wearing a 4" round hole into his skinsuit.

 

 



weldonweaver.com

 

 

 

Brian got the lucky job of pinning Ben's Skinsuit back together in order to avoid being taken to jail for indecent exposure.



Here's a great shot from Michael Hernandez's website of our new Slippery Sasquatch t-shirt, Thanks Michael!  Contact SS on our facebook page if you are interested in getting one of these t-shirt yourself.

Spartan Cross- Why am I doing this?

I've been pretty tired the week leading up to Spartan Cross. The wife was out of town and I've been playing Mr. Mom for the week and haven't had a decent nights sleep for quiet a while. So along comes Sunday Morning and I wake up at 6:53 and I'm meeting Justin and Jason at the shop at 7:30 which is about 30 minutes away.

I quickly throw on my bibs, some shorts, and a t-shirt all while brushing my teeth. Run out the door load the bike, bottles, pump, gear bag, and a extra large cup of coffee. As I'm loading the gear into the truck the thought crosses my mind "Why I'm I doing this? After all, I really needed some rest, the bed was so warm, I'm late, and I don't feel prepared at all to race today. I head out anyways.

I get to the shop and load up my stuff and grab some coffee and pastries from Starbucks and head to Spartanburg. We get to the race, register, and start warming up. It's a fun course with a lot of off camber sections, flowy single track, and a long stretch of flat pavement. AWESOME!

I do my warm up lap and head over to the starting line. The race was going pretty well except for the run up stairs. A guy falls just before the barriers, I go over the barriers just behind him. I basically sit on his wheel until........... I hear Ben yelling "Go Mike! Granted I was very happy to just sit on this guys wheel until the finishing pavement and out sprint him. But when Ben said "Go Mike", I did just that. I over took him just before an off camber section and took off as best as I could. I finished that lap with the bell ringing for the final lap.

I stayed on the power and didn't let up. As I got to the top of the hill I could see Justin a good ways ahead of me. I pushed harder, I thought I might be able to surprise him on the finishing paved dragstrip. Unfortunately I didn't see him again until after the race. We hung out and cheered on some guys from the shop in the Cat 3's race. Then we headed home after we found a decent Mexican restaurant and ate too much!

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Mountain Khakis - SQUATCH APPROVED!

Slippery Sasquatch would like to welcome their newest sponsor - Mountain Khakis. The team is proud to represent such an awesome company. They make really great products for an active lifestyle. Stay tuned to find out how you can get some awesome Mountain Khaki's swag. Visit their site here.

Green River Games Oskar Blues Enduro

This past weekend was the second annual Green River Games. I was lucky enough to get a spot in the Oskar Blues Enduro race on Saturday, but had no idea what I was in for. First off, the Green River Gorge in Saluda, NC is an amazing place. The kind of place that is so scenic and beautiful that it makes you look up in the sky and give a nod - kinda like saying good job big guy, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this place. One thing that really gets your attention right away driving down into the gorge is how steep the terrain is.

Jonnynails Jr. at the top of Green River Gorge

These trails were a complete mystery to me as not very many people have ridden them and access to them just became available last year thanks to the folks who put on this great race. I believe they started as hiking trails and due to the nature of the terrain they are steep, burley, and raw. Besides being steep some of it was pretty exposed - the kinda place you don't wanna make a mistake or you go down the mountain for a ways. Due to some rain and the trails being really natural and not ridden much or "bedded in" we were in for a really slick ride as well. Unfortunately I was going in mostly riding the trails here blind, except for stage 3. I had never done the climb to the top and never got to ride stage 1 or 2. My main thought was just go have fun and learn it for next year. 

The alarm goes off at 5:30am on race day - those of you that know me are getting a good laugh right now as I'm the farthest thing from a morning person. We load up the family and get the whole crew down into the start/finish area. I'm really nervous because I don't know what to expect out of the first two stages. The race promoter doesn't make me feel any better as he talks about all of the dangers on course. Glad to find a few faces I knew - a couple guys from Faster Mustache, a few of the young pinners from the mountains, and some boys from Greenville.

The "OG's" pre-race. Cecil went on to a top 20

It's finally race time. We got sent off in one minute intervals and I'm at the very back of the group. I was told that I had 90 minutes to get to the top of Stage one. I was assured this would be plenty of time. Turned the Garmin on just to track everything so I know what's up. The funny thing is that I thought we would be riding the road out until it was time to climb up the mountain. This wasn't the case, straight into technical single track next to the Green River for the ride out and up. 

photo credit Jay Schultz GoJamMedia

It's not crazy techy, but for the "easy" part of the day it's taxing. Roots, rocks, creek crossings, skinny log bridges, exposure, hike a bikes, and it's super slick and muddy. It was a great trail, I mean this is a mountain bike race after all. The only thing is, there were zero easy miles and you had to power up a lot of stuff. It was tiring for someone who doesn't get as many chances as he would like to ride in the mountains. So I climb, climb, and keep climbing. An hour goes by and I'm still chugging. I pass by the hike into the Green River Narrows - you know the section with the ropes to get down? Yeah that one. I've only gone 4 miles in an hour!!! Map says 2 more miles to go and I've got 25 minutes. Things are not looking good. 

Finally down the mountain I get to go - all that climbing and I can finally enjoy some of it. It took a second to really get used to how lose it was. I was trying to push the pace, but not knowing the trail was tough. I had to shut things down really quickly a couple times - once near the top for a log pile that looked like an easy jump from far away, but as you got close there was no way. Again for a 90 degree off camber turn. There was a lot of high speed stuff, but then all of a sudden a tight turn. Rear tire sliding everywhere and the front getting way looser then I like it to. I see a little drop coming up so I wheelie off the end of it so that both tires land at the same time. A branch hits me in the face just as I'm going off it and I close my eyes for a second. Next thing I know the trail is going in the opposite direction then what I thought it was. I really tried hard to muscle it and stuff it in the corner, but it's to late. Funny thing is, I thought the Rhododendrems would stop me, but instead I punch right thru them like a hot knife through butter. Now I'm sliding down a really steep mountainside face first. Luckily I spot a small tree and hook my arm around it. Whew, glad that ride is over. Check myself out and I seem to be ok - a little bell ringing from hitting my head and my knee doesn't feel great, but nothing that appears major. To bad for me, my bike went twice as far down this super sketchy and steep mountainside. After 30 minutes or more I finally get my bike back up to the trail - I had to be careful not to fall again down the hill! I straighten some things out on the bike, but it's not to terrible. Now I gingerly make my way down the remaining trail. When I get to the bottom I had a choice to make - climb back up the climb again, show up late for stage 2, get a time penalty, and ride with probably no confidence, but get to know the trails. Or head back in on the trail you rode out on and DNF. I really hate to DNF, but it seemed like the thing to do as the bike wasn't shifting well due to a bent derailuer hanger, something was up with the rear brake, and I just scared myself _hitless!

Green River Games Enduro = 1, Jon = 0

I really enjoyed what I did get to ride (well over 2 hours - thanks garmin for making a bomber mount, still don't know how it stayed on my bike??) and I'll for sure be back next year. Thanks to the folks who put on the Green River Games! Next year I'll be pre-riding the course for sure, but something tells me I'll be up there well before then to ride! Keep the rubber side down Y'all!