BlAcKbUcK

Bob the Builder... He spent years down here in the Driftless building trails and being the voice of the local cycling community.

The work that he put in on the trail system here is top notch and his name

attached to one of the best sections of single track.

When his wife took a new job and they relocated to River Falls,, their was a void that 

was felt, But he found a new nitch as a builder working on the trails in his new home town.

This years race was going to feature a new section that he and a few of the trail gnomes had been working on for a while. 

Originally dubbed the state champ race but as Minnesota went away from USA cycling that title was removed. 

Last year this race was voted the best of the rest and this year was going to not let anyone down.

With a 60+ man field we all lined up pointed down the slight hill waiting for the words go.

Now I had no intention of taking the Hole Shot,, but as we round the field through all the tents and people I found my self up front and heading into the mean jeep road climb.

When we hit the bottom of the climb the Young Ginger Ripper came around an jumped off the front. 

I watched and did not chase waiting for the rest of the group to pull him back... Josh got a great jump and  hit the next section of double track,, 

The Chase was on a I latched on the group that formed.

Lap one is a blur,, we were all out sprinting for the 7 miles of fast flowing singletrack.

Overall for the race my average speed was on the plus side of 14 mph.. We were flying.

All was going well until the last section of the third lap... Bobs new section "Franks And Beans"

TMBimages.com

with the Chase still on and a group behind me I went to make a push over the rocks that were causing a fit at times in the group and got sideways.. I did not go down but slammed the wheel into one of the rocks and punctured..  I pulled off to look at the wheel and had three to four guys pass,, the tire did seal but was pretty soft. With out a c02 in my pocket I put my head down and 

pressed on for lap four,, I was able to keep a good pace but could feel the tire folding over if I leaned into much.

With a strong finish I crossed the line with a bit of air still in the tire..

The Baves went on to get second and put on quite a show.

The rest of the team did well also as the Team Hollywood Cycles continues to 

keep the hammer down. 

Now it is time get all ready for the SSUSA event this weekend.. 

Leaving on Thursday to get some extra riding on the Copper Harbor trail Network..

Going to be a crazy time,, and I am very lucky to not only be going but to also be riding 

this sexy new Bike..