Hardcore24

[TreeSaw]

Date: June 16-17
Event: Hardcore24
Location: Camp Cutler, Naples NY

AWESOME event! I just mailed in my registration -- solo female -- :help: Anyone else doing this one?

[greasey monkey]

Yep just signed up Solo male:crazy: See you there.

[splat]

Man I would love to do it , with school still being in session makes it hard to get away .

[TreeSaw]

Yep just signed up Solo male:crazy: See you there.

:thumb: Yeah, your more crazy than I am...you did it solo last year ;) Maybe we can share some pit space.

[douglas]

Some of the SMBA guys are trying to form a 4 man team...hopefully that will work out and I'll get to go.

[McGRP01]

T, I can't afford to race it, but I'm thinking about heading out to pit (ie; discretely drink) for the SMBA guys if they get their act together. :)

[Echo]

I'm hoping to field the same 4 person as last year and improve on our 3rd place finish.

[Sorgie]

I'm hoping to field the same 4 person as last year and improve on our 3rd place finish.

:wave: Reporting for duty.

[Echo]

:wave: Reporting for duty.
Sweet! Treesaw, do we get to have Sq-earl again this year?

[TreeSaw]

T, I can't afford to race it, but I'm thinking about heading out to pit (ie; discretely drink) for the SMBA guys if they get their act together. :)

:thumb: I might be able to use some pit assistance as well...Sq-Earl's planning on racing. He has 2 friends that are also interested in racing.

[TreeSaw]

Sweet! Treesaw, do we get to have Sq-earl again this year?

Yupper! He's got 2 fast guy ringers too if you need extras!

[TreeSaw]

Some of the SMBA guys are trying to form a 4 man team...hopefully that will work out and I'll get to go.

Let me know if that doesn't pan out...we've got a couple of friends interested in racing a fast 24 too.

[greasey monkey]

:thumb: Yeah, your more crazy than I am...you did it solo last year ;) Maybe we can share some pit space.

You would think I would have learned by now. Hopfully we can all pit closer this year it would be nice to see some friendly faces betwwen laps.

[Westy]

I've marked it on my calendar, will see how I'm feeling about things when the date is a little closer.

[TreeSaw]

I've marked it on my calendar, will see how I'm feeling about things when the date is a little closer.

Sweet!! I think you'll really like the course!

[splat]

dam !! how do I get out there and not get divorced .

[TreeSaw]

dam !! how do I get out there and not get divorced .

Well, it is Father's Day weekend...maybe you could work that angle :busted:

[mogulskr]

dam !! how do I get out there and not get divorced .

I'm trying to figure out the same thing...

Well, it is Father's Day weekend...maybe you could work that angle.

With this information...there is no way...:plthumbsdown:

[TreeSaw]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing...



With this information...there is no way...:plthumbsdown:

:( I thought it might help you out...if you're a father you should get to do something for yourself on father's day right?

[mogulskr]

:( I thought it might help you out...if you're a father you should get to do something for yourself on father's day right?

You would think, but I get 'don't you want to spend father's day with your sons'. Not that that is a bad thing, because I loved to hang out with them.:biggrin:

[TreeSaw]

You would think, but I get 'don't you want to spend father's day with your sons'. Not that that is a bad thing, because I loved to hang out with them.:biggrin:

Aaahhhh....sorry!

[douglas]

give me your thoughts on using a SS on this course

[Echo]

give me your thoughts on using a SS on this course
BAD IDEA

[TreeSaw]

give me your thoughts on using a SS on this course

LOL! Were you too drunk to remember our chat the other night?

[douglas]

LOL! Were you too drunk to remember our chat the other night?

me? huh? I just wanted to get some more opinions.

maybe its the why I forgot? something about 2 big climbs?? (hmm, but I like climbing the SS)

[TreeSaw]

me? huh? I just wanted to get some more opinions.

maybe its the why I forgot? something about 2 big climbs?? (hmm, but I like climbing the SS)

;) I think it would be fun for a lap...maybe even 2, but definitely not for 24 hours. Sq-Earl & I were talking about it last night too because he LOVES his SS (the poor Yeti barely gets used anymore) but he's planning on running gears. Actually, he rode the Cowan 1-9 last year too!

[Echo]

me? huh? I just wanted to get some more opinions.

maybe its the why I forgot? something about 2 big climbs?? (hmm, but I like climbing the SS)
There's a switchback climb towards the start of the lap that you could hammer on a SS. It's steep enough that it would hurt but you could do it.

At about the halfway point there's a WALL that's granny gear only and probably half the field walked it anyway so SS doesn't hurt you much there.

After the gnar downhill section there's a few little steep ups that might give you trouble on a SS.

Towards the end there's a grinder that is just the right grade to haul ass on a singlespeed.

All in all though that course would be absolutely BRUTAL on a singlespeed. The course has more climbing and is more technical than Dalton by a longshot.

[TreeSaw]

I got my confirmation yesterday :think: (I registered back in March)

[douglas]

so..........I finally got on a team. I am told it is a just for fun team, I'll see what I can do to change that.

by the way, who is in possession of the RM fast lap trophy?

[Echo]

I think Westy still has the fastest lap trophy, unless he shipped it to greasey monkey. I have the Ridemonkey cup in my garage, although I don't think I'm the current rightful owner. It will be up for grabs at the Hardcore!

[douglas]

is greasy monkey racing?

[TreeSaw]

is greasy monkey racing?

Yupper...solo male (he did it last year too).

[TreeSaw]

I think Westy still has the fastest lap trophy, unless he shipped it to greasey monkey. I have the Ridemonkey cup in my garage, although I don't think I'm the current rightful owner. It will be up for grabs at the Hardcore!

Sweet! Good ole monkey battle again this year!

[MMcG]

I think Doug should do it SS! We already know his is practically superhuman (compared to us regular Joes) so what might seem Brutal to many of us would probably = a very solid and fun to tackle challenge for Doug.

[Mike B.]

We're sending up prizes again but I'm also working on getting a team together. Not sure we'll be too competitive but should be a good time.

[douglas]

I think Doug should do it SS! We already know his is practically superhuman (compared to us regular Joes) so what might seem Brutal to many of us would probably = a very solid and fun to tackle challenge for Doug.

1)Thats crazy talk.

2)Goal #1: Get the team on the podium!! I can ride/race the SS anytime, at this race its about the team so I'll ride a bike more suited to the course.

[douglas]

Sweet! Good ole monkey battle again this year!


I am the only monkey on my team, so my team does not quailfy for "the battle"

[Echo]

1)Thats crazy talk.

2)Goal #1: Get the team on the podium!! I can ride/race the SS anytime, at this race its about the team so I'll ride a bike more suited to the course.
Better bring some ringers. The team that won 4 person male last year was FAST.

[douglas]

Better bring some ringers. The team that won 4 person male last year was FAST.

thats ok being we're not registering in that catagory!

[Echo]

Oh that's right you're one of those crazy duo bastids. Easiest category in the race, you should have no trouble winning that one :busted:

[douglas]

that was the original plan but my duo partner got herself injured and its an unkown if she'd be good to go by race time, so now I'm on a (2 male/2 female) 4 person

[Echo]

Nice!

[douglas]

:D well, I am certainly not disapointed to be doing less laps

[TreeSaw]

I am the only monkey on my team, so my team does not quailfy for "the battle"

AAAhhhhh....We're glad to have you there anyway!

[douglas]

couple ?'s

Whats the camp sites like/ barebones or do you get say a picnnic table or ??

And is there any local places to get dinner Friday night?

[TreeSaw]

couple ?'s

Whats the camp sites like/ barebones or do you get say a picnnic table or ??

And is there any local places to get dinner Friday night?

Barebones camping (in the middle of a field so bring your own shade). The town of Canandaigua isn't far away and there are plenty of places to eat there.

[Echo]

Definitely anyone who wants to eat/drink/be merry on Friday night let me know, I'll be there!

[douglas]

Monkey Village & Campground!

Somebody tell Splat we need the Monkey banner!!

[splat]

Monkey Village & Campground!

Somebody tell Splat we need the Monkey banner!!

Treesaw PM me your address

[Mike B.]

I'm out. Can't get any commitment from anyone and I'm not up for a solo. Maybe I'll still make the short trip to spectate and dish out some schwag.

[TreeSaw]

Treesaw PM me your address

You've got mail :D

[TreeSaw]

I'm out. Can't get any commitment from anyone and I'm not up for a solo. Maybe I'll still make the short trip to spectate and dish out some schwag.
Solo isn't that bad (I say that now...2 weeks before the race ;) ). I'd love to meet you if you do come up. Look for the crazy solo chick that's probably going to look half dead :imstupid:

[douglas]

Is there a charging station?

[Echo]

I'm pretty sure they had a charging station, but at any rate there is a building there with electricity, so you can charge your batteries.

[douglas]

sorry/more questions

porta potties?
showers?

[Echo]

sorry/more questions

porta potties?
showers?
There are showers. After every lap my GF met me at the shower with fresh clothes and a towel. It was friggin sweet. I was brand new.

There were supposedly porta-potties but I never found them.

[TreeSaw]

Is there a charging station?

Yes, Niterider is scheduled to be at this race.

[TreeSaw]

There are showers. After every lap my GF met me at the shower with fresh clothes and a towel. It was friggin sweet. I was brand new.

There were supposedly porta-potties but I never found them.

Yes, but there was that little shack/potty near the camping field! :bonk:

[Sorgie]

I rode Cutler yesterday with Instigator. It's a mess. Trees down everywhere, singletrack overgrown, the fields need mowing, derailleur ripping sticks every 20 feet. It doesn't look like it has seen much action since the race last year. It made for a great Sunday ride, but not for a race. Either they are changing the course this year or it will be a very busy week up there (I hope).

[TreeSaw]

I rode Cutler yesterday with Instigator. It's a mess. Trees down everywhere, singletrack overgrown, the fields need mowing, derailleur ripping sticks every 20 feet. It doesn't look like it has seen much action since the race last year. It made for a great Sunday ride, but not for a race. Either they are changing the course this year or it will be a very busy week up there (I hope).

:shocked: I heard that it's the same course so hopefully they will be getting a massive amount of work done this week!!!

[mogulskr]

Good Luck TreeSaw, Doug and any other monkies doing the Hardcore.

[splat]

Good Luck all!!!

tree saw I presume you got the banner.

[Westy]

Good luck and have fun folks.

[MtnBikerChk]

Represent Y'all!

[douglas]

Saturday night at the HardCore24 hr race in Naples, NY, one of the Park Ave teams racer, Ben Pritchard passed away.

Ben was 25 yrs old.

Two years ago Ben had open heart surgery to replace a valve in his heart. his doctor had cleared him to be riding again months ago. At around 8:30pm he went for his 3rd lap of the 24hr mountain bike race... Other riders said he was in the best of moods and cheered him on.

Ben was found slumped on the side of the trail on an uphill section by another rider. This rider was a cardiologist and immediately began performing CPR... The next rider, moments behind him, was and EMT. Both performed CPR and contacted help from 3 miles out into the woods. An ambulance was called and Ben was taken, unresponsive, to a Hospital about 25 minutes away.

Unfortunately, He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Upon confirmation of this, the race was ended early.

Ben was the manager of Park Ave Bike Shop in Rochester NY and was an avid photographer as well as a cyclist.

The hospital said that he had an annuerysm on his heart and died right there.

The only positive thought we have is that he died doing what he loved - riding bikes.

Its surreal. This photo was taken about 10 minutes before he was found. Everyone said he was in the best mood they had seen him in for several months. All smiles and ready to rock.

http://www.douglas1.com/images/ben.jpg

[douglas]

race report

I only knew one person on my team (Jen L.) so I had no idea what was in store/how competitive and fun my team would be...well if this was the goofball 24 I think we'd do great!

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/group.jpg

After setting up home base in the camping area (open field)...

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/camp.jpg


We went out for a preride - I didnt really like the course, lots of climbing, not very technical and at most 50% singletrack. (however, later I learned at race pace it was pretty fun!!)

I started seeing more & more people I knew, plenty of people from ridemonkey, the SMBA (saratoga mtn bike asoc.) crew, and others random people.

Out to a local joint for dinner, then to Wegmens(sp) for way too much more groceries. By the time we got back the camp ground was dark/everyone was already sleeping.

We were the only team in 2m/2F so we took a walk to find the the promoter to ask if we couldd move up to 5 person coed so we would have competition, he thought that was a good idea and he said he would see if the 4 person female would do the same (they also had no competitors)

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/walking.jpg

So I elected to take the # 1 spot, do the run and see if I could throw down a good lap.

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/doug.jpg

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/waiting.jpg

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/go.jpg

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/go2.jpg


The run sucked, runs are suppose to avoid bottlenecks but 20 ft into the run we have to go thru some singletrack and guess what? a bottleneck!

Lap# 1 hurt! 1/2 way thru the 1st climb I got a side stitch/cramp and had to slow down some/do forced breathing to try to get rid of it - didnt help much. I started pacing off a solo dude, then we finally made it to the downhill, I thought i was killing it but I was caught by 2 riders...then a little later by greasy monkey (another crazy solo'er).
So I make it to the bottom of the course, and you can see the finish but then you have to do another 2 mile loop that starts with a 2/3 of a mile climb. Oh looky, the 3 that passed me on the down are right ahead....click the poploc, stand and attack! I catch them, sit for 30 sec's, then attack again....and they are dropped! Then not once, but twice I drop my chain by trying to down shift while still cranking, and all 3 get me while I'm stopped!


http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/lap1.jpg

Now its Ian's turn - He was bummed no one commented on his super tacky kit


http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/lap2.jpg

and then Lauren who threw down a fast :55ish minute lap.

http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/lap3.jpg

And now Jen (this was her 1st race every)..but we didnt get a pic of her riding :hmm:

We have been styaing in 1st place by 15-20 minutes!!!

My 2nd lap was back to side stitches/cramp but not as bad as lap # 1but I felt like crap after that lap.

I check the standing before my 3rd lap, oh no...our lead on team#500 is down to 2 minutes - crap! I still decide to take the 1st (big) climb easier, and I was feeling much better...then on the white knuckle fire road section I flatted, ok quick change of the tube - grab my co2 and wtf - its empty!? ok, grab the other cartridge but its threaded and wont work!! ugh! F me! I asked the next guy for a pump/co2 and he says "take the one in my camel back, I have co2" - he waits a sec I start pumping and I tell him "Go Go! / thanks / you Rock!" The pump is pretty wimpy and after a million or so pumps I'm not even at 20lbs, whatever I run up "the wall" and catch 2 of the 3 that passed me while I was stopped - damn I hope that other guy wasnt team 500.

I get in, Ian takes off..and shortly after we start hearing the news about a rider down..then they started sending racers back. I hear talk about cpr & defib's, very upsetting news especially knowing so many of the racers...someone said it was Ben, see my previous post for the rest about that tragedy.

The race was officially called at 8:58pm, it was a sad night as the news came in, my team made pasta dinner for a bunch of people.

9:30am the next day they did awards/the raffle - we won, but it was such a bittersweet victory.

The swag was great, I left with 2 t-shirts, a saddle bag, a trophy, a jersey and grind pants (marked suggested reatil $135).



http://www.douglas1.com/images/hardcore/podium.jpg

[I Are Baboon]

Congrats on the bittersweet victory, Doug.


RIP, Ben.

[Echo]

Nice writeup Doug. I'll try one too.

I ended up doing rider support for this race, which is way more work than I expected. I did a 60 mile road ride in the morning and didn't get there in time for the start.

When I got there, I found the two monkey camps, ran into douglas, and located the solo pits of T-blazer and greasey monkey.

I had planned on taking lots of pictures, but between 3 solo riders and 2 teams, I was friggin' running around the whole time. Tweek came in from a lap with his rear disc rotor so trashed his wheel wouldn't even turn. Somehow he managed to do that without wrecking? Luckily T-blazer had the fancy Park Rotor Fork and I was able to true it up.

Next we were expecting Treesaw, and word was she was hungry. So I whipped up some oatmeal, and Sq-earl made a chicken salad sammich and we headed to the transition area. She was doing OK, her back was bothering her but otherwise she seemed to be making the best of things and doing good laps.

Did a quick tire pressure check and chain lube on greasey monkey's bike while he refilled his water bottles and wolfed down some food and Endurolytes. Then it was back to the team area, replaced Tweek's rear brake cable, ran a bunch of chains through the chain cleaner machine and lubed them up so they would be good for the night.

Unfortunately, the night laps never came, as we now know.

Overall everyone hauled major ass while the race was on. The fastest lap of the race was about 42 minutes by local maniac Steve Johnson. I think douglas and greasey monkey were within a few seconds of each other for the monkey fastest lap. Ito was turning 50-52 minute laps on his full rigid singlespeed 29er. Sq-earl and Sorgie were in the low 50's too I think, with Tweek in the mid-50's. Sorgie flatted on his first lap and still managed a good time. Instigator and Squid were also ripping out quick laps.

The course certainly seemed to be faster, which makes sense because it's been a really dry year.

I don't know who ended up with the Ridemonkey Cup or the RM Fastest Lap trophies... but the were there for the taking!

Doug's team got first, greasey monkey got first for his age group, Tweek/Sorgie/Sq-earl/Ito got 3rd in the most competetive category, Treesaw won the women's solo, lots of monkeys getting trophies!

Great job everyone, I had a lot of fun doing support, but next year I'm back to racing!

[douglas]

My fastest lap was my 1st, 49:53. Greasy got me with a 49:15. Too much time on my SS has made me a crappy shifter, I was saying "NOOOO!" as he passed while I was putting my chain on with about 1/2mile to finish - next year, my friend..next year

Ofcourse I was on a team, he was solo - so its not even fair to compare lap times

oh, and Treesaw came in 2nd in Solo female.

[MMcG]

doug - did you wish you went with a single speed set up instead of 1x9? Glad the Reba is working so well with the poplock for you. :thumb:

[douglas]

doug - did you wish you went with a single speed set up instead of 1x9? Glad the Reba is working so well with the poplock for you. :thumb:

no...you'd need a low gear for some of the climbs, but then several fast fireroad sections you'd so run out of gear, makes me think a SS would be slower...plus with so little mud no one was having mud related shifting issues, so no SS advantage there either

I bet I was riding rigid on 1/3 of that course!

[TreeSaw]

What a great race course and everyone handled the tragedy well. My heart goes out to everyone that knew Ben....everything I have heard about him speaks volumes about how much fun he had on a bike and I am personally glad that he was doing what he loved when his time came. I can only hope that fact eases his family & friend's pain.

I haven't downloaded my pics yet, but I will try to get to that tonight.
I definitely learned a bit about pre-race eating (I didn't eat enough and suddenly my tummy decided that solid food wasn't what it wanted in it after a chicken salad sandwich from Sq-Earl). I managed 3 laps before deciding to take an early rest, get my stomach and back under control and make up some laps in the cooler night time. I managed 2nd solo female. I really wish I had the opportunity to throw down some night laps on my competitor, but it wasn't meant to be.

I was impressed at how fast the riders were this year. It would tough to make myself go slow, but I really didn't want to burn out early so I tried my hardest to take my time and spin slowly. I thought the run sucked! I decided to start at the rear with a guy that I raced at the Churn (he remembered me...apparently, we did the same number of laps and he remembered that :thumb: ). The bottleneck was awful so we ended up walking the first bit which was fine by my knee. After that a slow jog to my bike while a bunch of friends cheered me on was awesome! I took my time on my first lap and turned a 1:28 with about a 3-4 minute run so I was quite surprised when I crossed the line and started my second lap a little slower. By the 2nd big climb my back started to ache on the right and I tried to adjust my riding position, but it wasn't something that some icy-hot & tylenol couldn't have assisted with over time. I was more concerned with not being able to keep solid foods in my stomach without a great deal of discomfort.

Echo was right there at the finish line filling up my water and bringing me food which was AWESOME!!! I really believe that support is one of the keys to being successful at this game and I was lucky enough to have supportive riders encouraging me on & off the course as well as friends taking care of my needs :D

I was quite impressed with my prize :thumb: I won a pair of these (MSPR $480) Bontrager Race Lite Disc TLR Tubeless Wheels (I really don't think they were the Race X Lites, but I will have to double check that tonight), a trophy and a C-dale saddlebag.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/musicace76/230088.jpg

Oh, thanks to Splat for the RM Banner....it was proudly flying at the campsite. I have both RM trophies...we weren't sure what to do with them so I brought them safely home to be awarded at the next event I guess.

[I Are Baboon]

TreeSaw, nice work on the 2nd place finish! :thumb: That's a hell of a 2nd place prize.

[greasey monkey]

My fastest lap was my 1st, 49:53. Greasy got me with a 49:15. Too much time on my SS has made me a crappy shifter, I was saying "NOOOO!" as he passed while I was putting my chain on with about 1/2mile to finish - next year, my friend..next year

Ofcourse I was on a team, he was solo - so its not even fair to compare lap times

oh, and Treesaw came in 2nd in Solo female.


To be honest I never even gave the fastest lap a thought I just wanted to put down a good first lap. We will see what next year brings.

[TreeSaw]

TreeSaw, nice work on the 2nd place finish! :thumb: That's a hell of a 2nd place prize.

That's what I was thinking too. I wish I had the opportunity to try to chase down my competition though.

[douglas]

Treesaw pic (http://www.allterrainphoto.com/gallery/2827919/1/164407495/Large) another (http://www.allterrainphoto.com/gallery/2827919/1/164411357/Large)

Greasy pic (http://www.allterrainphoto.com/gallery/2827919/1/164408036/Large) another (http://www.allterrainphoto.com/gallery/2827919/1/164401942/Large)

[Westy]

Nice work y'all. That is one sweet prize TreeSaw.

[MMcG]

those are nice wheels Treesaw! I think those level Bonty wheels come with DT Swiss hubs too - nice DT swiss hubs that are just rebadged at Bontys!

[mogulskr]

Good going Monkies!

[MtnBikerChk]

Nice job guys :)