Bear Springs Trap MTB Race - Maupin, OR

Amazing course, and amazing weather. Great day for mountain bike racing!

This year, the race was postponed one month due to excessive snowpack from our productive winter. Two weeks prior to the race, the promotors had to use a snow mobile to get around the course. Fortunately, due to warmer weather and much hand labor, the snow melted from the course just in time, and those areas that it hadn't quite disappeared were shallow enough to navigate. With that snow melt came an accompanying new race challenge... high water! Portions of the course that were formerly rideable were submerged and required some soggy foot hike-a-bike. The promotors had placed some "stepping stone" wood rounds for people to walk on, but they floated away. (Walking on them was like stepping on a turtle's back.) A great way to cool off the feet on this hot race day!

Chris Brandt was looking forward to having a good race for once and was called up to the front row at the start. This enabled him to get a great start position heading into the first narrow off-road section and help with staying ahead when the pack got strung out. Things were looking good after the first half hour until he broke a pedal on a big rock and was forced to (yet again) drop out. This course is way too rough to survive 2 more hours pedalling with one foot clipped in, not to mention the risk of damaging a knee. So, instead, he went back to the car, grabbed the camera, and worked his way backwards on the course to take pictures.

Bear Springs is notorious for poor course markings. Though things were improved this year, Miriam managed to take a wrong turn and wandered around about 15 minutes before finding the course again. Rather than dropping out, she made the best of it and got a good training ride in, completing the race in 8th place. Balancing a full course load at the University of Oregon, as well as working 25-30 hours a week leaves little time to ride her bike during the week. Finishing an epic mountain bike race in 2:45 is quite an accomplishment, considering that she is rarely able to get 2-3 hours of training time in during the week, if that. Seeing as she graduates after this term, look out for her. She's really gonna be FAST once she actually has time to ride!

Carl Gurney showed us once again how tough of a man he is, riding his rigid forked singlespeed bike through the rough bumps to finish highest within the team and 6th on the day. What is his secret? The beard?

Mike Adams and Mike Ripley battled it out on their Specialized Epics in the Expert category. Mike A. seemed to be having the upper hand until he burped the air out of his tire and was forced to make a repair. Ripley didn't let a few weeks off the bike keep him from putting the hammer down and used his long legs to advantage during the high water hike-a-bike sections. Unfortunately that loss of fitness crept up on him and Adams got the upper hand in the end.

Justin Heide broke his racing legs in for the season and managed to break a smile late in the suffering. Must not have been too bad!

Results:

Carl Gurney: 6th - Singlespeed
Miriam Gillow-Wiles: 8th - Sport Women

Mike Adams: 8th - Expert Men 40+

Mike Ripley: 10th - Expert Men 40+

Justin Heide: 25th - Sport Men

Chris Brandt: dnf - Pro

Coming up next... 12 hours of Weaverville. Chris, Mike, and Mike are each racing solo... for 12 hours!?! Should be fun! Who will have the wildest story??? The most cramps??? Flat tires??? Stay tuned...