Bi-Annual Newsletter

Hey Folks, I’ve got some interesting stuff going on this spring and I wanted to try and get the word out. If you are in the Cumberland Valley, or if you love riding on trails that aren’t the neat and tidy, groomed variety, we’ve got some cool stuff for you to check out.

March 16-18: First of all we’ve got a cool weekend to prepare for the upcoming season. It’s called the MACDC, and we’ve got a bunch of great riding and classes over the course of the weekend. It’s family friendly and has options for the full schedule of classes or just to spend the weekend at the camp riding the stellar trails.
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=14283

March 24th: We’re putting on the Brian Fults Cancer Fundraising Ride. ALL the proceeds from this ride go to helping Brians fight against cancer. Ace riders Cheryl Sornson and Harlan Price will be on hand for a lap of Sundays race course to help give you some mountain biking tips!
https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15616

March 25th: The Tuscarora MTB Enduro is a 4 hour race with the potential to get your fill: riding a few laps or as many as you can get in! There’s plenty of passing room, but has enough challenge to keep you focused. It’s a beautiful new venue, and you’ll want to be there for the first Mid-Atlantic Super Series Endurance race of the season.
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=14762

April 3rd: This kicks off a Tuesday night local program that lasts from April through August. This is a not-for-profit program in conjunction with the Carlisle Family YMCA to help foster mountain biking in the Carlisle and Cumberland Valley area. The 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month are a youth mountain bike program called the Y-Riders. The 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month is a MTB Training Race series called the Y-Race Series. More info can be found at http://yriding.blogspot.com.

April 15th: I’m very happy to be putting on a new style of racing in Michaux this year. This race is called the Michaux Trail Cup and offers a wide variety of riding/racing opportunity. It’s not original but it’s a new format. The premise is that there are 4 different laps around a central hub that racers can choose from to fit their desires for the day. Everyone can race what they can race: meaning that if you want to do a 25 mile race, you can, and if you want to do a 100 mile race, you can. The 50 mile option is a Mid-Atlantic Super Series race that offers series points. There’s free camping on Saturday night, and as everyone finishes during the day, they can keep watching the other racers come through on their way to the end!
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=14764

I’m working on some cool stuff for the rest of the year, but this should take care of the first half of the riding and racing season! Spread the word and we’ll all have some fun this spring. Keep the rubber down and the spirits up!

Happy Trails,

Zach Adams
Fast Forward Racing Productions
IronCrossRace.com

Where we're at and what we've been doing

It's been a happenin' month for us: racing and riding are in full swing now. It's been a fairly relaxed winter riding wise for me personally. I get out when I want to or need to, but I haven't been making myself miserable in the weather.

We've been cross-training:


We've been putting on grassroots races:


We put in big hours during last weekends road camp:


And now, I'm in South Carolina with ace coach Mike Kuhn for a kick-ass training camp all week, to do climbs like Paris Mountain based around Greenville:


Here's what you should be checking out with us:

The Mid-Atlantic Cycling Development Camp on March 16-18 (it's wonderful preparation for the season, as well as some great guided riding around michaux's trails)

The Brian Fults Cancer Fundraising Ride on March 24th(a pre-ride of the Tuscarora MTB Enduro Course with Pro-Riders Cheryl Sornson and Harlan Price: all proceeds go to help out local rider Brian Fults with his fight against cancer)

The Michaux Trail Cup on April 15th (a newer format of racing much like 12 hour racing as well as a 50 miler in the MASS Series


Also, for locals (and non) we are doing some non-profit work through the Carlisle Family YMCA to give you a Bi-Weekly MTB Training Series and a Youth Mountain Biking Program from April to August. Spread the word and mark your calendars for this.

And looking ahead to the rest of the year, I've been asking you what kind of events you want to put on. I'm thinking about a 4 hour off-road tri, where you can do as many rotations as you want in the allotted time. Also looking into a Halloween 5k and Cyclocross Team Relay!

Keep the rubber down and the spirits up! Happy Trails.

Dirt and Roses MTB Race

Here's the skinny:

I like to put these things on. This event is meant to be a fun, relaxing holiday race. We tried this out last year as a road hill climb and it was a fun event. We raced and then rode together afterwards. I'm glad to refine it and bring it back as a mountain bike race! Come on out and have a good time.

Registration:




Course Description:

Mostly single-track, double-track, and open field. Short punchy climbs/run ups. Sweet smooth trails. Lots of log hopping. It'll be a short loop of around 3 miles in length. You know my courses have good flow, and it's something that will just be fun to race.

Venue:

New Frontiers (A carlisle family ymca day camp)
520 Stone Church Road Carlisle PA 17013

Park in the Lot (signs directing you in) and walk on over to the pavillion, we'll have reg and free coffee. Start, finish, and porta john will all be right there.

Date:

February 12, 2012

If it rains and is over 60 degress, we'll race. If it snows and is over 20 degrees, we'll race. If it's over 0 degrees we'll race. If there is a tornado warning we'll race. If there is lightning, we will delay the start 20 minutes. If it starts after you do; good luck. If for whatever reason, we can't do it (for example 2 feet of snow on the ground) the rain date will be ttwo weeks later.

Prizes:

Winners of each race get a bundle of roses to take home to their sweet heart (or just enjoy). Puppies all get a treat for finishing.

Categories:

Open Men
Open Women
Masters 45+
Open Single Speed
Junior

Anything else?:

Probably. Come race, it'll be fun.

Special Thanks to our Sponsors:

Pro Bikes
KHS Bicycles
Kenda Tires


2012 Results

Feedback from a Regular:

From our friend Sandie Reynolds after last weekends pre-ride of the Tuscarora course. It was a gnarly cold day with lots of ive crystals in the dirt. Below are some excerpts, but read the full article when you have time! It's linked below.



"Today I went mountain biking. I go mountain biking quite a lot, but today was different.
...
It certainly is not ‘trail system’ mountain biking of which we all so comfortably become accustomed to. It immediately made me think that these are the kind of trails that mountain biking originated on. Well before organized groups of mountain bikers built and maintained trail systems…this is how mountain biking must have been many years ago. There were no berms, no rock gardens with a clearly passable line, no hard packed easily passable trails, no dirt to be seen in the single track.
....
For a long time I’ve always thought that Zach and I had absolutely opposite ideas of what a ‘fun’ ride is. He thinks of climbing up Rhodedendron in the Long Pine Classic as ‘fun.’ It afforded me 3 asthma attacks without an inhaler in sight (short coming on my part.) Our difference in opinion of ‘fun’ is another reason why I wanted to pre ride the Tuscarora course before registering for the race. I wanted to see if his idea of fun would somehow miraculously mesh with my idea of fun, for once. I still can’t say that our ideas of what fun mountain biking is has meshed, but I can say now that I understand where his idea of fun comes from. It took me a long time to understand it, but now that I get it, I am grateful and humbled. Thank you Zach! Thank you for stepping outside of the realm of trail system mountain bike racing and getting down to the true grit of what mountain bike racing really can be. I know of no one else in this area that has the guts to do what he does. He endures a lot of shit from people who come to his races and bitch about the trails not being ‘clear’ or a climb not being rideable that you had to hike-a-bike. Well…that’s mountain biking, but maybe not what most would expect from an organized race. If you can’t clear a trail, then you’ve lost the battle between yourself and Mother Nature (in essence). Quite possibly you should venture off the beaten path of your regularly maintained trail system and get a load of what Mother Nature can dish out. That’ll tune up your skills in a jiff.
....."



Full Article

Michaux Trail Cup

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MASS Endurance Race #2

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Come on out for a fun filled mountain bike weekend early in the season. With camping and a central location this race will have the vibe of a 12 hour endurance race and be a great kick off to the 2012 Endurance season. With four different loops, racers have the option of doing anywhere from 25 to 100 miles of fire road, double track, and single track in Michaux state forest. You race what you feel like racing! Carpool out, pitch a tent, and get your ride on at this celebration of early season racing.



2012 Michaux Trail Cup
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Event Schedule:

Saturday
3pm- Camping opens
6pm- Packet Pickup
8pm- Campfire

Sunday
5:30am- Registration Opens (100 only)
6:45am- Racer Meeting
7am- 100 Mile Start
7:30am- Registration Opens (75/50 only)
8:45am- Racer Meeting
9am- 75 Mile Start
9:15am- 50 Mile Start
9:30am- Registration Opens (25 only)
10:45am- Racer Meeting
11am- 25 Mile Start
3pm- Food Garden Opens
4:00pm- RACE CUT-OFF (No New Laps Started)
5pm- Awards (Top 3-5 in all)


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Categories:

There are 4 categories for each distance-
1) Open Men
2) Open Women
3) Master Men 45+
4) Open Singlespeed

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Registration:

Please Pre-Reg Early! All the cool kids do it.



Pre Reg Cost
100 miler = $125
75 miler = $95
50 miler = $60
25 miler = $30

4-Person = $160 (combined, meaning $40/person for the grand puba treatment)

Day of Cost
100 miler = $150
75 miler = $115
50 miler = $75
25 miler = $40

4-Person = $190 (combined)

Registration is pretty simple really; you show up, sign a piece of paper, and walk away with your number and some goodies. Number plates go on the front of your bike. If you do day of reg, you will need to fill out a form and pay as well. Keep in mind that day of registration costs more money, so register online before the event.

Take note of our refund policy located in the menu bar at the top of the page. Don't wait until the last minute if you cannot attend.

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Prizelist

100 Miler= Top 5 Overall Shwag and Award
75 Miler= Top 5 Overall Shwag and Award
50 Miler= Top 3 per Category CA$H ($1200 Overall)
25 Miler= Top 5 Overall Shwag and Award


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Thanks to our Sponsors:

Pro Bikes

KHS Bicycles

Kenda Tires

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Team Attack:

Teams can take on the Michaux Trail Cup as a relay. You can sign up with your best buddies as a 4 person team. Racers start their laps at the aforementioned start times and cumulative times are scored in the competition. Racers can not be part of the individual competition.


For example, if Blake, Sandie, Scott, and I raced as an Open 4 person team we would go off as follows:
I would go off at 7am with the 100 milers (Because its the best lap)
Blake would go off at 9am with the 75 milers
Sandie would go off at 9:15am with the 50 milers
Scott would go off at 1pm with the 25 milers

1) Teams need to figure out which lap each person does and stick to that plan. Tell us your order at registration.
2) There's no weird transition areas.
3) We will time each person and add up those times. That way it keeps things streamline and scheduled so that we know where you are on the course. (I care about where you are on course, just to make sure you are accounted for and safe)
4) Team entry fees break down to a little more per person than if you did the same mileage individually, because you'll get more shwag. For example, a 25 mile individual will get an event shirt whereas a 4 person team member will get the shirt and either water bottles or socks. (a 100 Miler gets everything)
5) This is an option just for fun between you and your buddies. Don't get too serious about it.
6) If there is a tie once times are added up, it will be settled by an arm wrestling contest between team members. Best of four matches with any team members (can be same member for all matches or a new one for each).

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Length:

Course distances are not exactly 25/50/75/100 miles in length. Keep an eye on the website for updated course distances.

Note that if you set out to do a certain distance, you have to finish that distance to be scored. For example, I can't sign up for the hundred, do two laps, and get scored for the 50 after stopping. It's not fair to anybody considering the different start times and differences in courses.

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Course:



I'd love to make it all singletrack, but it would be so hard that none of us would have any fun at all! So the course includes its fair share of fire road and double-track to keep us sane and moving. We're shooting for an average pace of 10 mph for most racers, and an average finish time in the realm of 10 hours for the top 20-55% of the field. There will be over 10,000 feet of climbing on this course, so make sure you bring your climbing legs.

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What you get for your money:

-As much racing as you can physically or mentally handle
-Free Camping at Venue
-Post Race Food Garden (+ Bracelet for Admittance)
-Race Shwag (Various Items depending on chosen distance)
-First 75 racers to enter the race get some custom event socks by Defeet!
-Stocked Aide Station
-Pure Awesomeness

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Food:

We'll be having a good ole fashioned pig roast for everyone to chow down on after the race. There will also be the classic side dishes to enjoy.

We'll give you a bracelet in your shwag bag for entry into the food garden, so make sure you wear it to get in. Extra bracelets/food admittance can be purchased on bikereg or at the event for $15. You'd need this if you came along, want to eat, and aren't racing.

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Parking/Camping:

As always, try to carpool. We have room, but there's no need to waste gas. Sites next to the course are on a first come, first serve basis. There are two distinct parking lots: one up front (ideally for 50 and 25 milers) and one in back (ideally for 100 and 75 milers) where the better camping and race headquarters will be. Locals use this parking lot too, so be considerate. Please no fires at your camp site. Small RV's/Campers are okay, but be careful not to bottom out entering the parking lot.

Dogs are welcome to come camp with you. Make sure you have a way to keep them while you are racing, there's a fairly busy road on the other side of the parking lot (busy at least for out in the boonies).

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY TRASH AT THIS VENUE. LEAVE NO TRACE!

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Feed Zones/Tech Support:

Feeding at your camp is fine if you are along the course, but keep in mind that you are likely to only pass your site on one or two of the laps. An official feed zone will be located by the start/finish line and denoted by white/red signs. That's also where we will have a neutral aide station for all loops stocked with water, heed, limited coke, bananna's, pbj's, chips, pretzels, candy, and other snacks.

Our ruling on tech support is that you need to finish on the same bike you started. If you have parts or wheels at your car that you need during the race, that is fine. All your equipment switches must happen at the venue, and not while out on a loop. Racers can accept help or parts/tubes/etc from other racers on course. Racers may accept help from anyone while at the venue. No changing frames at all. I suggest carrying a spare derailleur hanger with you while on course. Bring plenty of spare tubes, and something to boot tires with while out on trail. Bringing spare tires/derailleurs to the race is not a bad idea.

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Mid-Atlantic Super Series:

The 50 mile race will be scored as part of the Mid-Atlantic Super Series for endurance points. Only the 50 mile race will be scored for MASS points.

Series Website
Series Rules

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Location:

Big Flat Parking Area in Michaux State Forest
Camp 18 Rd
Biglerville, PA 17307

Coordinates: 39.987395,-77.401865

Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Camp+18+Rd+Biglerville,+PA+17307&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.681389,66.972656&vpsrc=0&hnear=Camp+18+Rd,+Biglerville,+Adams,+Pennsylvania+17307&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A

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Note From the Promoter:

I reserve many rights. Mostly the right to change my mind an excessive amount of times and also the right to be wrong and make mistakes. And to mix up numbers and words. Sorry, that's just how it is.