Of course I didn’t bother to keep a daily diary last week of the intervening week between Wisconsin and West Virginia, so I’ll try recreating the best parts for your reading enjoyment (or at least my writing enjoyment and you can just suffer through). We took off from Indianapolis with a destination of “someplace closer to Snowshoe.” We ended up in a hotel that we figured to be about two hours from the race venue – more on that later. In the morning I let sleeping beauty lie and headed down for the gratis breakfast spread and with the intent of taking a short spin on the bike. On entering the lobby I was greeted by the biggest hair I’ve seen since the late 80’s and next to it and it’s keeper a fellow who we’ll just call Jim Bob (as it is probably pretty darn close to his real name anyway). So, hoping for the best, I ask if they have a map of the area and suggestions for a place to ride. They look at me and then each other as if I’m speaking a foreign language (which, English may be just that for these two). Hairdo says to me, “Well, there’s Possum Lake just up north, but that’s about it if’n you want to go for a bike ride.” Jim Bob chimes in, “Yep, that there’d be about it.” “What about just riding from here?” I ask naively. “Oh, you don wanna do that. Them drivers around here ain’t real good.” Says my genetically homogeneous friend. “I guess they don’t care too much for cyclists around here.” “It ain’t so much that as they just don really pay no attention to drivin.” I figure the last thing I need at this point is a 400lb redneck more concerned about digging that last can from the case of Bud stuffed behind the seat in her Confederate flag decorated 1972 Ford pick-up than her general control of the truck, coming up on me from behind while I’m trying to get in an easy spin. So instead I go wake up Chris, say, “We’re leaving in 20 minutes.” and we head on out to Snowshoe.

Now, as I stated, we thought we were pretty close to the resort, just a little way up the interstate and then one road to the base of the mountain – just one turn, that’s all. Unfortunately was doing some light reading (FHM) and wasn’t paying much attention Chris’s driving, as I trusted it wasn’t going to be too difficult to reach our destination. As we’re pulling off an exit he says to me, “We need gas, and I don’t have any idea where we are.” It turns out he’d missed our exit by about 50 miles.

We’re finally headed the right direction and decide we need to make a stop for groceries since there is very little in the way of grocery stores at Snowshoe. Now, I know Chris was a little frustrated as it took me a bit longer in the store than him, but it was mostly due to our respective shopping methods. I walked around looking for fresh fruits and vegetables, good meat, fresh bread, etc. Chris went straight for the Chef Boyardee aisle and stocked up for the week. When I suggested some vegetables might be worthwhile he thought for a moment, decided I could be right, and grabbed some nutrient dense iceberg lettuce.

Got into Snowshoe and told the lady at the counter I was the team manager for the Bergwerks Mountain Bike Racing Team and although I didn’t expect Bill to arrive until late that evening I had instructions to get the key and begin moving our equipment in, blah, blah, blah. Worked like a charm. Next time I’m the team manager for the Trek Pro squad. The place we moved into ‘The Pedestal House’ was super sweet, with a great view and lots of room.

We got in a couple laps on the course and found that it went down for a little while then up for a while, then down a little more, and then finally back up for a long time. All the parts that went down were either full of roots and rocks or were fast gravel covered roads with numerous water bars. The ups were almost completely on dirt roads and pretty steep in parts. This was not my first choice for a course, as I prefer something where I can put down some big gear steady efforts, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Bill Gentile (of bergwerkUSA.com fame), Deb, and Austin showed up a bit later in the evening and we all settled in. Deb was awesome in providing us incredible dinners and breakfasts all week long. We were treated to lots of great cooking and even got to experience Bill’s special concoction, ‘Shipwreck.’ You’ll need to ask him for more details.

Over the next several days more riders joined us at the Bergwerks House while Chris went off to stay with John M. who took over the parenting responsibilities for a few days. Judd and Matt arrived Wednesday, Brent of BerwerksCanada on Thurs, my PA Pension Planners Teammates Zack and John on Friday, and Jed on Saturday. Kris stayed with us as well as her condo was a bit overcrowded from all the factory team riders from across the US.

In between our rides of the course we had the chance to watch some great racing. Chris E. had an awesome ride to take his first top-10 in a men’s pro XC event and Jeremiah rode a flat for the entire last lap to gain as many series points as possible. Nick W. continues to impress, John M. is still in the hunt for his permanent number plate, and Chris Scott of Shenandoah 100 and Wilderness 101 mtb race promotion even gave it a go. Kristine had a tough day and felt pretty bad throughout her race, flatted once, but still finished well. Crowd fav Sue Haywood had another great ride and continues her climb through professional mountain bike racing. Jimena Florit took the women’s race with an inspired ride and Roland beat on the men again (yay).

Went back to the pedestal house, had another dinner that couldn’t be beat, and didn’t get up until early the next morning when I moseyed on over to watch some of our mid-at. youngsters take part in the Jr. Olympic events. Cid I. and Kyle H. finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 15-16 age group race. Hung out a while and then watched the pro short-track where Dunlap dismantled the women’s field and Ryder and Seamus stuck it to Green when Green dropped his chain (unfortunately for him, no one was there to hand him a tool this race).

We went back to prepare for the Team PA Pension Planners assault on the course the next morning. Again the ridiculously early start meant trying to get everything together the night before and do as little as possible the next morning. The next morning came too soon, but at least Kris was there to make us some pancakes and eggs (payback for me cooking for her two days prior). Did a little warm-up on the trainer, wished the guys in the other races well and Team PPP headed off for the start line.

By this time we’d run into a number of other mid-at. riders who were in for the races – Duffmeister and Boy Orange in for the semi-pro event, Thais and her fancy new shorts in the women’s Jr X and a number of her compatriots from the Wissahickon crew were on hand for the various men’s events, Ransom W. and Rick Kline showed for the Ex. 30-34, joining Team PPP in the Ex. 25-29 were Pickle, and Mike Keefer, and Bill G. on his sexy carbon Bergwerks in his expert class. Just as last week Don M. and Tim M. had put the beat down on the gents in the Ex. older guys the day before. (Sorry to everyone I missed).

I got a little thrill as I was called to line at the start of our race due to some points from last weekend’s event. The gun went off and I couldn’t believe it, but I got my second decent start two weeks running. Almost immediately the course is into a short technical descent and then a hard power climb and I’m into the lead. Pickle comes flying by on the descent and holds me off just barely as we crest the first hard climb on the course. Again I have to bring him back after another technical section (he was absolutely flying) and we start the big climb in the company of two other Ex. 25-29ers. I drop my chain at the bottom and lose enough time that it takes almost the whole climb to get back on terms with the others. By the top I was back into second but then came a part a bit on the descent the next time through crashing 2 or 3 times and breaking off a bar end in the process. I just wasn’t smooth enough to get it done today on the descents and was lucky that I was climbing well enough to keep myself in a position to podium. Starting the climb the second lap with Dan, I knew I needed to put in an effort, as he’d probably pass me on the descent if I didn’t. Cresting the climb, I still had 2nd place in my sights, but again flubbed the descent just enough that he was gone for the rest of the race. I felt naked without my bar ends (okay, not really naked per se, just uncomfortable as I prefer to turn a big gear out of the saddle when I can on the climbs) and settled for the 3rd step on the podium. Behind me, Keefer was having a great day and came through the field to finish in 4th only a minute or so back. Pickle also rode the best I’ve ever seen him ride to take a top 10 finish and he managed that result with a flat tire along the way. My PPP teammates had solid rides with John coming 13th having also crashed and bent up a brake lever enough that he needed to stop and re-bend it so it would work and Zack crossing the line in 15th after pushing through a difficult last lap.

Chris K’s temporary mom didn’t wake him up early enough and his rush to the line left him with little breakfast and no warm-up but he was still able to pull off 23rd place in a very tough Jr X field (take note that the Jr. X winners are almost always as fast or faster than the semi-pros). Brandon O had an excellent ride to finish second in semi-pro after a disappointing result last week. Bill G. took 6th in the XC and finished 4th the day before in the downhill so I think he deserves the omnium prize, which I believe, is a bowl of shipwreck. Check out www.usacycling.org and go to the Norba/MTB page for all the results from WI and WV if you want ‘em.

Big, big, big thanks to Bill and bergwerkUSA.com for giving us a place to stay and Deb for some fantabulous cooking, Kris for giving us feed zone support, and PA Pension Planners, Buyphillips.com, CFA, Oatbar, Dogfish, Shimano, Boland Chiropractic and all the rest of our sponsors for helping us get to the races and continue our success.

BTW, two questions kept coming up over the past two weeks – one on the PA state championship race at the Oesterling Farm and the other on Oatbars. The race is on for Saturday, September 7 and as soon as I get my computer working our web site www.highspeedcycling.com will have detailed info, look for a race flyer at Fair Hill and other upcoming events too. We’re considering some special events including a team relay race (like at world’s) and maybe a short-track on Friday evening.
A number of people asked me about Oatbars, which are those bar samples Team PA Pension Planners has handed out at races this season. There seems to be quite a bit of interest in these awesome bars so here is the info again: Oatbars are available through several PA shops (Bushey’s for one at 717-774-7071). Oatbars are also available on-line and direct at www.highlifenutrition.com. If you’re a shop owner or you’d like to get the bars into the shop you frequent drop me an email and I’ll provide you the distributor information.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it,
Mike