Wednesday, July 29, 2009
WE LOVE SRAM!!
Ok ok, so we don't get to ride it yet but we do get to drool over it. Brand new SRAM XX just arrived for the sample bikes for Fuji's 2010 sales meetings that are happening next week. Team Captain Jude Vilain was given the privilege of assembling the 2010 Fuji SLM LTD that is looking to be spec'd with full XX. Everything from the Avid brakes down to the RockShox fork (with hydraulic lock out and uni-directional carbon lay up. Although the individual pictures don't do the parts justice and Fuji said no to letting me post photos of the complete bike until after the meetings, I can tell you that it tipped the scale at 19.1 lbs in a 19" frame with out cutting the steer tube or seat mast (oops, did I say seat mast?). Thanks to SRAM for the tease and needless to say, we can't wait to outfit the race bikes with the new 2x10 system.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Fair Hill Race Reports
Below are race reports submitted by Dylan and Andrew Alesio from the Fair Hill race on Sunday July 12th.
Andrew:
4th out of 28th open elite racers.
At the start line I did not pick any special spot because it was on a long fire road to the single track, so I just sat in mid-pack and picked my way up to the front. As it went into the first section of single track, I was still about six racers back from the lead. I decided to try to capitalize on the next fire road where I pushed myself to the lead. Now it was time to do what I love to do, and that was to pick up the pace so that only the strong could hold on. With in minutes I made a small train of racers that consisted of me in the lead, Brandon Draugelis on my tail, then Christopher Beck and Dylan on the back of the train playing it cool. I felt great, riding super smooth and fast. At every turn, root, hill, dip, whatever it may have been, I try to ride it faster then anyone else. I sprinted out of every turn, and held the pace up so that no one could have slacked for a second. This pace was so intense I could barely reach for my hydro-pack hose let alone my water bottle. I held this pace up for about 22 miles, when suddenly, it was like a light switch from on to off and nothing in between. I run out of fuel. I knew that I packed a little light on the fuel and I really paid for it. As Brandon, Chris, and Dylan passed me I tried to keep up with them, but it was not going to happen. Now, the suffering began and all I had to do was finish the last four miles. Let me tell you that those last four miles were not as fun when I was going half the speed. I finished in 4th knowing what I need to work out as far as fuel requirements so that I could race better. It is a simple concept that the hotter the flame the more fuel it needs to burn.
Andrew:
3rd out of 28+ riders in the open elite.
The start line was packed with almost a 30 man field and I started off to the side in the grass rather that the gravel tracks. I found myself near the front and started to reserve power on the long flat gravel road. Dust filled the air as riders made there moves around me. I held my place just to see who was around. When the single track approached I turned the heat on and jumped into 3rd or so. Once things got going, Andrew took the lead and applied pressure. In order to keep up I had to constantly sprint out of the turns, attack every hill at max effort, and pull several G's in the turns. With in 20 minutes there were only four battling the front line with Andrew leading, follow by Brandon Draugelis, Christopher Beck, and me. Only the strong could keep up that day. It took me many twisty turns of refinement to be able to flow as good as Andrew through the turns and not lose any speed. It was so intense that with every reach for the camel back nozzle I would lose several feet and when it came time to drink from the bottle I lost even more. The train of four stayed tight to Andrew's wheel and were shocked at the pace he was pushing. I provoked the break up as I tried to pass Christopher Beck on the fire road as Andrew started to weaken. Christopher held me off and attacked on the upcoming hill pulling away with Brandon. As they pulled away I felt my tank drain and had to reduce pace for the final 4 miles. Andrew blew his fuel fuse and found a place in 4th. Christopher and Brandon had a close sprint finish and 2 minutes 51 seconds late I finished 3rd and just over a minute Andrew finished 4th.
Andrew:
4th out of 28th open elite racers.
At the start line I did not pick any special spot because it was on a long fire road to the single track, so I just sat in mid-pack and picked my way up to the front. As it went into the first section of single track, I was still about six racers back from the lead. I decided to try to capitalize on the next fire road where I pushed myself to the lead. Now it was time to do what I love to do, and that was to pick up the pace so that only the strong could hold on. With in minutes I made a small train of racers that consisted of me in the lead, Brandon Draugelis on my tail, then Christopher Beck and Dylan on the back of the train playing it cool. I felt great, riding super smooth and fast. At every turn, root, hill, dip, whatever it may have been, I try to ride it faster then anyone else. I sprinted out of every turn, and held the pace up so that no one could have slacked for a second. This pace was so intense I could barely reach for my hydro-pack hose let alone my water bottle. I held this pace up for about 22 miles, when suddenly, it was like a light switch from on to off and nothing in between. I run out of fuel. I knew that I packed a little light on the fuel and I really paid for it. As Brandon, Chris, and Dylan passed me I tried to keep up with them, but it was not going to happen. Now, the suffering began and all I had to do was finish the last four miles. Let me tell you that those last four miles were not as fun when I was going half the speed. I finished in 4th knowing what I need to work out as far as fuel requirements so that I could race better. It is a simple concept that the hotter the flame the more fuel it needs to burn.
Andrew:
3rd out of 28+ riders in the open elite.
The start line was packed with almost a 30 man field and I started off to the side in the grass rather that the gravel tracks. I found myself near the front and started to reserve power on the long flat gravel road. Dust filled the air as riders made there moves around me. I held my place just to see who was around. When the single track approached I turned the heat on and jumped into 3rd or so. Once things got going, Andrew took the lead and applied pressure. In order to keep up I had to constantly sprint out of the turns, attack every hill at max effort, and pull several G's in the turns. With in 20 minutes there were only four battling the front line with Andrew leading, follow by Brandon Draugelis, Christopher Beck, and me. Only the strong could keep up that day. It took me many twisty turns of refinement to be able to flow as good as Andrew through the turns and not lose any speed. It was so intense that with every reach for the camel back nozzle I would lose several feet and when it came time to drink from the bottle I lost even more. The train of four stayed tight to Andrew's wheel and were shocked at the pace he was pushing. I provoked the break up as I tried to pass Christopher Beck on the fire road as Andrew started to weaken. Christopher held me off and attacked on the upcoming hill pulling away with Brandon. As they pulled away I felt my tank drain and had to reduce pace for the final 4 miles. Andrew blew his fuel fuse and found a place in 4th. Christopher and Brandon had a close sprint finish and 2 minutes 51 seconds late I finished 3rd and just over a minute Andrew finished 4th.
Monday, July 13, 2009
NJ State Championships
Sunday was the H2H Bulldog Romp that also serves as the NJ State Championships for NJ residents. Proud Jersey boy, Chris Dietrich was attempting to successfully defend his title that he won in the Beginner class in 2007 and the Sport class in 2008. 2009 was to be in the Expert class. A challenge Chris has been looking forward to and all season. I will ruin the surprise and let you know that Chris finished 12th out of 16 racers and 7th in the State. He has written a race report that is posted below. We consider this a good result from Chris who has exceeded expectations and done very well his first year racing in the Expert class.
Today was the NJ State Championships at Kittatiny Valley State Park in Andover, NJ. I finished 12 out of 16 racers and 7th in the state championship. I had a really good race today as we raced for 28 miles. I felt really good all day today and I am noticing the work that I have been putting in is helping me. The conditions today were great. I thought that the course would be not so good as we had a lot of rain on Saturday night. The course was pretty much as fast as when I pre-rode on Saturday. My tire of choice today was the WTB Nano Raptor. I thought with its tight tread pattern and it being a wider tire than my normal Wolverine tire which is a 1.95 that it would be extremely fast on the course. The Nano Raptor flies on hardpack! It was the perfect tire for this course today. Well I will be back at it this week training hard as always. The next race will be the D&Q Summer Sizzler in Sewell, NJ on the 25th of July. -Chris Dietrich
Today was the NJ State Championships at Kittatiny Valley State Park in Andover, NJ. I finished 12 out of 16 racers and 7th in the state championship. I had a really good race today as we raced for 28 miles. I felt really good all day today and I am noticing the work that I have been putting in is helping me. The conditions today were great. I thought that the course would be not so good as we had a lot of rain on Saturday night. The course was pretty much as fast as when I pre-rode on Saturday. My tire of choice today was the WTB Nano Raptor. I thought with its tight tread pattern and it being a wider tire than my normal Wolverine tire which is a 1.95 that it would be extremely fast on the course. The Nano Raptor flies on hardpack! It was the perfect tire for this course today. Well I will be back at it this week training hard as always. The next race will be the D&Q Summer Sizzler in Sewell, NJ on the 25th of July. -Chris Dietrich
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Lewis Morris Challenge, July 5th
Race report from Dylan:
5th out of 13 pro racers.
Like Andrew, I found myself in the second row of racers at the start. After your tradition mass start with elbows flying and bars knocking, I found myself leading for a short period of time until Andrew took my place atop the tight pack of five racers that had pulled away from the pack. The five racers stayed together most of the time until Aaron took off up a rooty climb jut after the halfway point. Andrew took off trying to catch him and Vegan Rob stayed on his wheel. I would have liked to stay with them, but when I reached for the needed energy I knew I would bonk if I tried to keep that pace and was concerned about finishing. Andrew did a great job nailing down 3rd despite a late technical and I was able to hold on to 5th place. All in all I could have felt better physically, but feel that I was mentally prepared and still pushed hard to finish.
5th out of 13 pro racers.
Like Andrew, I found myself in the second row of racers at the start. After your tradition mass start with elbows flying and bars knocking, I found myself leading for a short period of time until Andrew took my place atop the tight pack of five racers that had pulled away from the pack. The five racers stayed together most of the time until Aaron took off up a rooty climb jut after the halfway point. Andrew took off trying to catch him and Vegan Rob stayed on his wheel. I would have liked to stay with them, but when I reached for the needed energy I knew I would bonk if I tried to keep that pace and was concerned about finishing. Andrew did a great job nailing down 3rd despite a late technical and I was able to hold on to 5th place. All in all I could have felt better physically, but feel that I was mentally prepared and still pushed hard to finish.
Lewis Morris Challenge, July 5th
Race reports from the Alesio brothers have just come in and here they are! Enjoy!
3rd out 13 Pro racers at the Lewis Morris Challenge
So my brother and I got to the starting line a little late to get on the front line, so we were forced to the second line back from the front. This would certainly change things a little for us, as I have been consistently leading every race the last month or more. As it starts I saw Dylan make some good passes and get in to the lead, while I was stuck behind. I got to the first climb and took my spot in the lead with a train attach to me. For half of the race I was leading the train of Aaron Snyder, Rob Lichtenwalner, Dylan and Mike "Motorboat", but I had no clue what to expect the rest of the race. Aaron and Rob made a few attack attempts, but I was able to hold them off. Just after the halfway point, Aaron became Euro Aaron and launched an attack no body in the Pro class could contest on this day. The race changed quite a bit as Aaron lead and a gap formed between us. Robby Boy and I gave chase as best we could creating another gap separating us from Dylan and Mike. Rob and I rode together the rest of the race, taking turns on the last lap as we were both suffering pretty badly. As we approached the end of the race, I was preparing for a sprint finish, that never came. The long race had taken its tole on my bike and any force on the pedals would cause my chain to skip all over the place. Turns out, I bent a couple teeth on my big ring at some point. Without the possibility of sprint finish, I was forced to settle for 3rd place. Overall, the course was fast and fun, with plenty of climbing.
Capping it all off, we had the best of the best professional Water-Boy, Jude, handing out our bottles. I highly recommend this race to everyone next year.
3rd out 13 Pro racers at the Lewis Morris Challenge
So my brother and I got to the starting line a little late to get on the front line, so we were forced to the second line back from the front. This would certainly change things a little for us, as I have been consistently leading every race the last month or more. As it starts I saw Dylan make some good passes and get in to the lead, while I was stuck behind. I got to the first climb and took my spot in the lead with a train attach to me. For half of the race I was leading the train of Aaron Snyder, Rob Lichtenwalner, Dylan and Mike "Motorboat", but I had no clue what to expect the rest of the race. Aaron and Rob made a few attack attempts, but I was able to hold them off. Just after the halfway point, Aaron became Euro Aaron and launched an attack no body in the Pro class could contest on this day. The race changed quite a bit as Aaron lead and a gap formed between us. Robby Boy and I gave chase as best we could creating another gap separating us from Dylan and Mike. Rob and I rode together the rest of the race, taking turns on the last lap as we were both suffering pretty badly. As we approached the end of the race, I was preparing for a sprint finish, that never came. The long race had taken its tole on my bike and any force on the pedals would cause my chain to skip all over the place. Turns out, I bent a couple teeth on my big ring at some point. Without the possibility of sprint finish, I was forced to settle for 3rd place. Overall, the course was fast and fun, with plenty of climbing.
Capping it all off, we had the best of the best professional Water-Boy, Jude, handing out our bottles. I highly recommend this race to everyone next year.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Lewis Morris Challenge, July 5th
We had a great weekend at the Lewis Morris Challenge in Mendham, NJ. Race report will be posted as they are recieved.
Here is Chris Dietrich's report:
Today was the Lewis Morris Challenge in Mendham, NJ which is part of the Campmor series. I finished 18th out of 19 racers today. Not a great result, but I went out there and gave it everything I had. I am definitely feeling it as I am writing this. The weather and the course were perfect. The conditions were dry which has been rare this year. There was a good turnout of racers today which is a great sign for this young series and for cross country racing in general. I know that I am gaining fitness and it will pay off eventually. I am going to continue to work hard and look forward to racing next Sunday at the Bulldog Rump which is also the NJ State Championships. I hope to see you there next week.
Managers Note: Chris is the 2 time defending NJ State Champion looking for his 3 State Title this year. We wish him luck!
Here is Chris Dietrich's report:
Today was the Lewis Morris Challenge in Mendham, NJ which is part of the Campmor series. I finished 18th out of 19 racers today. Not a great result, but I went out there and gave it everything I had. I am definitely feeling it as I am writing this. The weather and the course were perfect. The conditions were dry which has been rare this year. There was a good turnout of racers today which is a great sign for this young series and for cross country racing in general. I know that I am gaining fitness and it will pay off eventually. I am going to continue to work hard and look forward to racing next Sunday at the Bulldog Rump which is also the NJ State Championships. I hope to see you there next week.
Managers Note: Chris is the 2 time defending NJ State Champion looking for his 3 State Title this year. We wish him luck!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
King of Spring MTB Race @ Spring Mountain
This subject is a very important one to your author, Greg. My parents hosted the Spring Mountain Challenge Race through the better part the 90's. Hell, I left the last Spring Mountain Challenge in an ambulance after crashing in the dual slalom race. I got to see the likes of Floyd Landis and Jay de Jesus tear up the course and have a ton of fun doing it. Another guy I used to watch race at Spring Mountain was Randy Bergey. Randy is the father of Gunnar Bergey the 16 year old who is currently tearing up the JR circuit and the promoter of the Kind of Spring Race that was just announced for August 2nd 2009. The Kind of Spring was just added to Bike Reg and can be found here: http://bit.ly/10b6AY
Fuji MTB will be there in full force for both the organized pre-ride on Saturday August 1st and the race on Sunday August 2nd. We hope to see a TON of people out for both days as well as at the campground on Saturday night!
Fuji MTB will be there in full force for both the organized pre-ride on Saturday August 1st and the race on Sunday August 2nd. We hope to see a TON of people out for both days as well as at the campground on Saturday night!
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