1st Place OVERALL
Pro/Expert Men
CHRIS EATOUGH
TREK / VW / JBL

WHITE HAVEN CHALLENGE
August 26, 2001

There were more than triple the number of racers from last year's event who participated in the White Haven Challenge - mountainbikeRACER.com Mid-Atlantic Super Series #8. Joe Wychock and crew did a good job handling the larger crowd.

It seems that each venue has it's unique characteristics and this one was definitely unique. The start was on a smooth and very long flat fire road close to the center of town, then after what seemed like a mile of smooth sailing you turned right onto a two lane road, climbing for a short distance and left (still mild climbing) into the double track which turned into singletrack with a bit more climbing. The technical level was not Michaux like........ but still quite challenging. You had to watch your speed over some whoop-de-dos and be able to handle slick roots and rocks. The finish was coming right back in on the same fire road.

The tear-off system was used for results and the finish was a bit different as Beginner / Sport / Expert/Pros were each funneled into a finish chute that was single file. It seemed to work fairly well except that many a racer had to be slowed down as if they were entering a road construction site so that they didn't run over the volunteers who were collecting the number plate tear-offs.

Another different twist was the best raffle ever seen at a mountain bike race with great prizes (including a pair of skis) in lieu of Sport/Beginner prizes (they received medals). There were several numbers that were called (you had to be there to claim your prize) where the lucky ticket owner was not present and therefore missed out on some GREAT prizes. It kept everyone entertained while the awards ceremony was organized.

Chris Eatough - TREK / VW / JBL was the fastest overall racer of the day clocking in under 1 hour 20 minutes. He is training for the SOLO 24 hour Worlds (he is current World Champion) and last week did a five hour ride and THREE four hour rides! He also took at least two wrong turns and had to double back on course near the end of the race. Jason Moore - Moore's Reinhardt had a great day staying right on Mr. Eatough's wheel for most of the race and finishing up in second place. John MacInnis - SOBE / Headshok had another strong performance taking third while still in recovery from a very hard effort at Mt. Snow - Vermont.

Noreen Smith - Shirk's Bikes / K2 was the fastest women of the day and winner of the Expert Women's Vet/Master race. She tuned up for this event by riding French Creek State Park, Pa........looks like it turned out to be a good way to train for this event. Kristine Oesterling - Team Harrisburg won the Women's Senior 29under race after having her first ever flat while racing.

Ever fast Les Leach- Guy's Bicycle took first place Senior 19-26 and Ralph "Reuben" Kline - Gettysburg Bicycle took the number one spot in Senior 27-34. The Expert Junior Men's race was won by Chris Kuhl - Gettysburg Bicycle. Joey Thompson - Wooden Wheels placed second continuing a very strong showing shortly after moving up from the Sport Category.

The hottest competition of all age groups seems to be in the Expert Men 45+ class. Three talented racers have been duking it out throughout the series and all three are within striking distance of a series win. William Gentile - Wooden Wheels, Mark (Fuzzy) Nickerson - Wooden Wheels and Robert Sauer - Guy's Bicycle. William Gentile - Wooden Wheels took first honors in today's race. Going into this race Robert Sauer and William Gentile were tied for the series lead however when you drop two races........ all three are extremely close. Mr. Gentile is now officially in the lead.

Tom Dopkin - unattached continued his winning ways taking a second straight series win in the Sport Senior Men 19-26. John Van Horn - unattached won the Sport Senior Men 27-34 race with three minutes to spare. Mike Wade - unattached finished second. Jason Newcome - AMF Racing came in third after being in the lead group for most of the race until his chain broke less than a mile from the finish.

Caitlyn Tuel - Shirk's Bikes was the fastest Sport woman of the day and also took first place Sport Women 29under maintaining her lead as series champ with Jeanette Brevoort - Wooden Wheels coming in second. Lisa Vible - First State Velo Sport won Sport Women Vet/Master and continues her winning streak (she was first overall Sport Women at Iron Hill). Lynn Shaffer - Wooden Wheels took second (those hill repeats at Granogue with hubby Craig seem to be paying big dividends). Teammate Gwen Livingston - Wooden Wheels came in third.

Adam Beattie - First State Velo Sport riding strong as usual wrapped up his third first place super series win.

For the first time ever the invincible series leader Karl Faruzel - Metalurges/Chenango Point Cycles Sport Master 45-49 Men was defeated by John Thompson - Wooden Wheels. Karl had to borrow Don Morrison's Moots to ride for this race at the last minute and placed second.

John Thompson was camping for four days straight before the race and broke camp early Sunday morning in Williamsport, PA in order to get to White Haven. After John crashed going into the singletrack and was run over by a teammate (see race notes) - John and Karl went back and forth battling it out till the end.

SUBARU FALL CLASSIC

VIRTUAL TOUR

GUY'S BICYCLE
Super Series #9
SEPT 9, 2001

RAIN DATE:
September 16, 2001

START TIMES
Beginner - 9:00 am
1st Timers - 9:00 am
Sport - 11:00 am
Expert - 1:00 pm

Idlewood Enviornmental Center

DIRECTIONS:

From 95 North or South

Exit 46B (old exit 29B) (Rte 1 South)
Take Rte 1 south for a few miles and exit at OLD
Lincoln Highway (Service Road)
Make First Right....Follow signs for Neshaminy High School
Go to Stop and School will be Right in front of You
Parking Lot is at the Football Stadium

From 76 North or South

Take Route 1 north
Go past PA Turnpike and Neshaminy Mall.
Go up the hill and Exit onto the SERVICE ROAD
Make first right (Langhorne SPEED SHOP) and follow road around and under Rte 1
At stop, School will be in front of you

Course Description: An extremely technical 5 mile lap. Approximately 90% single track. Loose rock, roots, extremely technical downhill. 2 major climbs with 1 run-up. Extremely fast course.

Registration opens at 7:30 AM and closes 15 minutes prior to each event
If weather is severe check www.guysbicycles.com
Promoter reserves the right to combine classes
Race day registration only
Will include kids race.

Chris Yanavich - AMF Racing continued his domination of the Senior Men 27-34 class taking first place for the sixth time. Cedar Bikes had another good day with two first place finishers - Senior 19-26 (I'll fill his name in when I get the results) and Rob Wasch winning the Junior Men 12-18.

Jeff Waldie - Unattached earned another first place finish in the Beginner Men Veteran 35 - 44 class keeping his title as series leader.
George Bressler - Unattached remains undefeated in the five races that he has completed in the Beginner Men Master 45-49 class. In his interview he suggests renaming the race to "The Land of Ten Thousand Whoop-de-doos". Stan Kioziatik - Unattached earned another first place in the Beginner Men Master 50+.

Carrie Lauchman - unattached won her second series race in a row in the Junior Women 12-18 race. Series leader Katherine Morgan-Fiser - Jersey Action Riders toughed it out after falling and scraping up her elbow still placing second.