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

Cara Dimmerling - Jama Bikes
1st Place Sport Women 35+

Fell Mtn Singletrack
Challenge
June 9, 2002
by Bill Deputy

There was a record turnout for Joe Tierney and crew's (Lackawanna Cycling Club) Mid-Atlantic Super Series #5 - The Fell Mtn Singletrack Challenge. Over 400 racers showed up as the series continues to break records and prove that grassroots mtn bike racing is alive and well in the North East. This race featured beautiful singletrack that when dry is difficult due to roots and rocks. Thanks to recent rains there was a bit of mud and most of the course took on Michaux like intensity as every root and even large flat rocks were like ice.

Only those with an extreme level of fitness combined with technical prowess were able to traverse the course with confidence. The Lackawanna Bike Club with Joe Tierney at the helm did a fantastic job as usual organizing the event and making sure things ran smoothly from start to finish.

1st place overall Chris Eatough - TREK/VW/JBL overwhelmed the competition with a gap of 8 1/2 minutes over second place! The 24hr Solo World Champion is in top form as he will be competing in two national events plus the 24hrs of Snowshoe within the next three weeks. He pre-rode the course on Sat. and guessed his racing speed to within 2 seconds of what it actually was for his fastest lap......... an amazing 39:58 - he told Robert Duppstadt - MILLENNIUM TIMING that his fastest lap would be about 40 minutes considering the slick conditions.

Mike Kuhn - PA PENSION PLANNERS took another second place showing his excellent fitness level and bike handling skills. 3rd Place David DuVall - TREK/VW/JBL despite his Clydesdale appearance (this guy is huge but all muscle) took a very respectable position from the start and held the intensity for the whole race. At one point while taking pics I witnessed the true character of this talented athlete........ a slower racer hit a tree with his shoulder trying to get out of the pro's way on David's last lap.......... David just made it by but still took time to turn around and ask, "you OK buddy?" Always a gentlemen and a wonderful spokesman for the sport.

Les Leach - WISSAHICKON did the impossible. With NO GEARS and NO SUSPENSION............. and that means NO FRONT SHOCKS he finished 4th overall............ think about that for a minute. An incredible performance on a very tough course with very tough competitors.

Kristine Oesterling - TREK/VW/JBL started slow after a heavy week of training (you'll notice in the pictures that she in the back of the pack on the first lap) but still managed to win 1st place overall Women. Her guardian angel was looking out for her as she did a face plant with no hands out barely missing a group of rocks. Instead of a TKO (technical knockout) she jumped up and still held off the whole of the women's field. Theresa Richardson - BIKE DOCTOR had a good day coming in second with the up and coming Thais Da Silva - WISSAHICKON bringing home a 3rd place for RUFIT Training and Racing.

Karen Henry - TEAM HARRISBURG showed again why a steady diet of goats milk keeps you young and fit taking second overall Women and 1st Place 35+ Expert Women only one minute and 10 seconds back from Kristine! Lauri Webber - WOODEN WHEELS placed second after fighting her way back from a very bad start. She ran over a staple in the first mile on the first lap and had to fix her flat with a hand pump putting her close to 10 minutes behind her group. Noreen Smith - SHIRKS/K2 came in third.

Rueben Cline - GETTYSBURG CYCLE battled it out with Brad Patches from Brattleboro Vermont till the bitter end holding on to first place with just 37 seconds to spare in the Expert Sen. 30-34 race. Robert Campos - BRYON LAKE SCHWINN took third with Scott Henry - TEAM HARRISBURG finishing a respectable fourth.

Troy Kimbult - WESTWOOD VELO contained a complete sweep of the Expert Men's 35-39 Category by FIRST STATE VELO SPORT taking first with a whopping 3 1/2 minute lead. FSVS dominated 2nd to 4th places with Blair Saunders, Rick Mihills and Rob Gallucid.

1st Place Expert Men 45+ Tim Messersmith - FIRST CAPITAL VELO had yet another amazing run. This guy is running at top ten in the country speed (he finished 7th place at Big Bear 2002) HE WOULD HAVE PLACED 9TH IN THE SENIOR 19-29 category at Fell Mtn!!! I figured on his third lap (since I wasn't racing I'd be fresh enough to keep up with him to see just how fast he went. I'm going to blame it on over inflated tires not holding the line because after about 200 yards..........he was no longer in sight and I thought I was in pretty decent shape this year. Kirk Mikeska - WOODEN WHEELS took second and Rich Cordero - GUY'S BICYCLES a close third.

Bryan Boeckmann - SOBE/HEADSHOK won first place Junior Men with a time of 2:48 with Brandon Draugelis coming in second.

The most popular race of the year (Fair Hill Classic- in Maryland (just 10 minutes from Newark, DE) is coming up July 14 (rain date Aug. 11th). There will be a 6 hour endurance race and a kid's race and an elaborate timing system with video backup this year. The Delaware Trail Spinners have gone all out and have arranged hay rides to transport spectators to pre-selected locations on the course. There should be over 700 racers this year enjoying the fast, rolling singletrack of Fair Hill - we'll see you there!!

“That was tough.” Those were the words spoken from an expert class racer after the Fell Mountain Singletrack Challenge, the 5th race of the Mid-Atlantic Racing Series, held in Merli Sarnoski Park in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. The day was bright, sunny, and dry, but the riders came out wet, muddy, and looking spent. Fell Mountain didn’t fall short on those single track features that die-hard mountain bikers favor most. Touted for being a technical course, “tough” may have been an understatement for some that raced on June 9. The turns were sharp and the rocks and roots were slick. Technical took on new meaning.

From a couple days of heavy rain early in the week, the course was oozing with several mountain springs that not only made for puddles of mud, but long, downhill streams of mud that were a blast to plow through. Low lying areas were thick with muck that was dragged up and over the rocks. When most think technical, they think rocks, sharp turns, trees, and log jumps. Wanna really talk technical? Let’s talk mud, then couple it with the traditional thinking of technical and you got yourself a course for only the toughest. Extra effort was the only way to get through many sections of gooey mud, then over rocks and roots. Smooth, flat rock, normally a gem to ride on, is a challenge for even the mightiest of riders when slick. When your tires normally bite in and pull you up and over, you are now faced with a slimy coating of slick summer ice. Put the ice on some downward, sloping rocks and you have some tough track. Did we mention climbing on slick rocks and roots? You bet – tough technical courses aren’t tough enough unless there’s at least one grueling climb to hurt you and this one had a huge tree just about at chest level when you hit the top. Ouch.

But the tough sections ended with some very fun stuff. They didn’t mention anything about stream crossings in the race details, but riders were greeted with at least two of them. The forty-footer had an alternate straight-across and through some rocky sections. But some saw a better line. They headed straight down the center of the stream because it was the best route. There were smooth, fast, and gradual down hills to gain time and some doubletrack to catch a breath. Walls of rock followed sections of the trail. It was hard not to take an eye off the trail to sneak-a-peak at the awesome view as you came out of the woods from atop the mountain. At least six chipmunks were seen early in the morning scurrying through the woods to get away from the trail to clear the way for the riders. Fell Mountain is a nature lover’s delight.

An extra incentive for being tough on the course came in the way of $75 bucks to the overall fastest male/female in each class – those six racers certainly earned that moola on this course. The awards ceremonies included a swag toss, numerous raffle prizes and mention of a found wedding ring and a camelback. “Good wood!” was the comment to one of the blue medal winners as he held up his unique trophy of slab wood to hold the medal. Don Morrison took a moment before the expert/sports award presentations to stress the importance of joining a local bike club and helping out with trail maintenance. The trails don’t just happen – they take hours of building and maintaining and it seems fitting for the racers, who enjoy the trails the most, to be a part of a local club and volunteer some trail work time. Don received a cheering round of applause.

And of course the day would not have happened without the hard work of the Lackawanna Bicycle Club. It takes a good bit of pre-planning, trail work and setup for the race, along with manpower to make these races happen and these folks made it all come together for another great day of racing. Thanks for the race, and thanks for toughening us up yet a little more.