Merry New Year
September 16-20th is SSWC09
The 2009 singlespeed world championships will be held in Durango, Colorado from September 16-20th. The date has been changed from the previous, August 6-9th to accommodate the world. The race itself will be saturday the 19th, with the Tour of Durango on Sunday the 20th. It will be an action packed week, with group rides beginning on wednesday evening the 16th and follwing up with am/pm rides until the race on saturday. The race is being organized by DEVO head coach Chad Cheeney, Jon Bailey, Dave Hagen, Russ Zimermann, Travis Brown, Ben Cooper and Steve Fassbinder. The group will be working closely with the Tour of Durango organizers, Gaige Sippy and Mary Monroe to make sure sweetness happens.
FLC Cyclist Awarded Scholarship
Fort Lewis Cyclist, Teal Stetson-Lee was awarded with The Kuck Memorial Scholarship today in honor of her hard work on and off the bike. Teal has worked her way to a 3.9 grade point average, while managing to make time to train. Read the full story here.
Bend, Oregon for 2009-10
Cyclocross nationals will be headed to Bend, Oregon for the next two Decembers. Those Oregonians know how to throw a race. Check out OBRA to check on who’s running the show.
Tad Elliott Interview
DEVO Alumni Tad Elliott is now a professional ski racer. After winning the U-23 US championship on the bike this summer, he signed on the Saab/Subaru Factory Ski Team to compete in the SUper Tour this winter. Good Luck Tad!
Q: What is your favorite sport at the moment? ………………………………..Skate or Classic?
A:My favorite right now would have to be Skate. You can ski faster and it is easier to hit jumps and do tricks.
Q: What are the similarities in how your pro ski team operates in comparison with your pro mtb experiences?
A: Both the ski team and the MTB team operate in very similar ways. They both have team managers and in skiing we have a ski tech instead of a bike mechanic. He waxes our skis and makes sure they are in perfect condition before every race. Both teams have a team car and a trailer. The both really cater to the athletes to make sure that you are able to race your best on that given day.
Q: After a full season of racing under your belt, how have you made the transition to race the skis? Did you take some sort of a break, and did you really rest?
A: After the full season of bike racing I went straight into nordic trainin that next day. I then got sick the following morning and had to take a week off, which I spent on the cough really resting. What I should have done was really take a week long break and tube the river and hang out with friends.
Q: Who do you look up to on the pro nordic circuit? And can you describe the circuit a little?
A: I really look up to Andrey Golovko. He is a member of the same team as me and has gone to two Olympics. He has the best a attitude toward racing and he nordic skis because he truely loves to. He also makes up ways to have the most fun he can at the races. He is a proffesional road bike racer in Kazakhstan. So how can you not respect that.
The Nordic Circuit has National races called Super Tours. There are about eight through out the year and these are the races that my team primarily focuses on. They are all over the country and have a ranking system to see how you do in the overall series. There are also National Championships, and a National Ranking List (NRl) series that is like the Mountain States Cup races to complement the Super Tours.
Q: What are your goals for this nordic season? US Championships, Worlds?
A: My Goals really are to have fun and keep racing light. I ski the fastest when I am having fun and enjoying what I am doing.
Q: What is the coolest ski race you have competed in?
A: The coolest race by far was this local race I did in Falun Sweden. It was a pretty podunk ski race, but they had world class ski trails, an announcer, people handing you hot tea and food right after you finished, and the prizes were amazing. I won a ten pound box of crackers. Ski racing in Europe is huge and even the local races they go all out.
Q: What is your best trick on your skiis?
A: My best trick is a Switch 360.
Valmont Bike Park
Boulder, Colorado is in the process of amazingness. Check out their plans above and check more at www.valmontbikepark.com. Rumor has Durango in the process of the very same thing.
Robins Race
Collegiate Cyclist Sweeps Season
Lees Mcrae College student athlete, Carla Swart recently became the first collegiate cyclist to win all 4 championship disciplines in one season. She began the winning streak this spring with a win on the road in Fort Collins, then winning the omnium as well as the sprint during late summer on the track in Colorado Springs, then her home turf in North Carolina on the mountain bike, winning the cross country and short track, and then this past weekend in Kansas City on the cross bike. Thats a dominant division 1 season.
Mountain Goat
“This is a project I finished last summer. 1992 Mountain Goat Whiskeytown FS. The design was a college senior thesis from a Mountain Goat employee, which got horrible reviews. High pivot placement induced tons of pedal bob in the rear end. I took it for a spin and it was indeed like riding on one of those coin-op pony rides you see outside Wal-Mart. But what’s not to love? This was a team bike from that year raced by local Durangoan Linda Meyers. XTR M900, Nuke Proof, Grafton, and Rock Shox Mag 20 with matching team paint. There are likely less than 50 of these bikes in the world… I know of two: This one, and the one in the First Flight Bikes Museum. Very rare, and very cool.”
Local Bike restorerer Mike Wilk
Summer Dreams
Durango Crowns Three in KC
Durango Wheel Club members Walt Axthelm and Martha Iverson, and Specialized legend Ned Overend all won their respective age group titles this past weekend in Kansas City during the US National Championships. Earning the stars and bars, Martha won her group by eight minutes, Walt by two and Ned by thirty seconds. DEVO friend Robin Guillaume also placed on the podium, 3rd in the U-29 B men. With a mid week snow storm, followed by warm weather, the course changed drastically from day to day.
The FLC women’s team took to the warm air early saturday morning to compete for the Collegiate Title. Moments before their start, an amazing cold-air wind blast dropped the temperature by 25 degrees in a matter of seconds. Lees McRae took the top spot for the women with Teal Stetson-Lee in 4th, Sarah Sturm in 8th, and Sabina Krashaaur in 13th. The mens race followed with Ben Sontag in 2nd after a sweet almost ending. Greg Carpenter followed in 8th and Jessee Dekrey in 13th. The FLC men won their collegiate race, but for the 3rd year in a row, the overall omnium points ended in a tie, with the tie-breaker going to Lees McRae, 2nd place again!
Other results; Robin Guillaume 9th in singlespeed, Richard Bagienski 14th in master men, Joe Burtoni 43rd in 35-39 master, Jon McManus 65th in 35-39, Tino Sanora 47th in 40-44, Dave Hagen 60th in 40-44, Travis Oliger in 75th in 40-44, Terrina Tofoya 20th in B women, Grant Berry 10th in 30-34 men, Ryan Bartel 12th in 30-34 men, Will Curry 43rd in U-23 men, and Steve Lamont 37th in 45-49.
In the elite mens race, Todd Wells finished off the podium for the first time at a US Chapionships race and placed 6th followed by former Durangoan, Matt Shriver in 7th. Ryan Trebone rode away from the field to take the title, it was his second after being crashed out of last years race. Other Durango fellas in the race were Troy Wells 12th, Brandan Shafer in 60th and DEVO Coach Chad Cheeney in 70th. The elite women’s race went off without a local lady at the start. Katie Compton took a dominant win with Fort Collins superstar Georgia Gould in second. Cyclocross Nationals continues the tradition next year with heavy rumors of the venue being in Bend, Oregon. We’ll see.
Kansas City Cross Photos
All these are by Chad Cheeney
Bike Saftey
Jeff Norman Benefit
Local mountain bike legend, Jeff Norman will be at the Smuggier Brewpub on Thursday the 11th, 5pm. The goal of the evening is to raise money to help with Jeff’s medical bills. Contact info: michellemontague@hotmail.com. Jeff was a fast racer in the 80’s and was the owner of Durango’s Stonehouse Bakery, which was a popular atb hangout during the time.
Durango Sends Crossers to Nationals in KC
USA Cycling’s Cyclocross National Championships are taking place this weekend in Kansas City, MO, and Durango will be well represented at the sweet event. The FLC Cycling Team will be sending its squad to take part in the Collegiate Championships on sunday morning. The team placed second last year to rival Lees McRae of North Carolina. This years squad; Ben Sontaag, Rotem Ishay, Dustin Wanstrath, Jesse Dekray, Cody Wilderman, Greg Carpeter, Chad Wells, and Mike Stevens for the men and Stephanie Swan, Teal Stetson-Lee, Sabina Kraashur(DEVO Coach,) Sarah Strum and Tina Dominic for the ladies. The team will be supported by Coaches Dave Hagen, Ruthie Matthes, Rick Crawford and Mike Engelman, and mechanics, Jon Bailey, Chad Cheeney, Whitney Jones and Will Curry. Dang, thats a serious crew.
Competing in the Elite race on sunday will be; Todd Wells, Troy Wells, Matt Shriver, Brendan Shafer, Grant Berry, Joey Thompson, Ryan Bartel and Chad Cheeney for the men and Shannon Gibson will be representing Durango for the women. Robin Guillaume will be racing the B category on Thursday morning. Robin has a good shot at taking the title after placing 4th in last years race. Walt Axthlem has a good shot at the title as well in the 60+ category along with Martha Iverson, who is a former age group world champion on the road. Other Durango crossers making the trip are; Jack McManus, Richard Baginski, Joe Burtoni, Terrina Tofoya and Steve Lamont. Good Luck to all.