2008 Post Race Communique
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WOW! What a Race!
After each event it is a Granny Gear tradition to take the staff out for a well-earned night of relaxation and fine food. We recap the stories from the race, our personal high-points and low points, the stand-out performances, the stand-out characters, etc. During last week's dinner, everyone remarked on the particularly good vibe that everyone brought to the race, in spite of (perhaps because of) the more challenging conditions. Even against the back-drop of many other other races we've run where so many teams have brought so much good energy, there seemed to be a new level of excitement and enthusiasm at Big Bear this year. Very cool.
On behalf of me and my staff, I want to thank everyone for coming out to race with Granny and for bringing such great energy. It really makes our day (or weekend) when we see so many folks having such a good time.
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 Suzuki will also be bringing this stage to The 14th Annual Suzuki 24 Hours of Moab.
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Suzuki Goes Off-the-Front
by Going Over-the-Top
Suzuki's awesome two-story stage was a huge hit, providing a bird's-eye view of the race start and pit-row venue and a centerpiece for the myriad of Suzuki sponsored activities. The pull-up competitions and Run Run Revolution as well as the 24 Minutes race were big hits with kids of all ages. Test-drives and the Midnight Safari were also very popular along with the 24-hour scavenger hunt and movie screenings of the Prince's Bride and National Lampoon's Vacation.
If the test drive piqued your interest or if you didn't get the chance to test drive but want to check out Suzuki's line top-quality cars and SUVs, check out the website: >>>suzukiauto.com
The view from above: Climbing up to the 2nd story lounge on the Suzuki stage provided an unprecedented view of the 1/4-mile, pit-row-styled camping venue. |
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Tinker Rules!
In his typically humble yet invincible style, David "Tinker" Juarez proved once again that he is among the greatest endurance mountain bikers of all time. Though his win did not come easy. Former #1 and #2 champions Steve Schwarz and Ernesto Marenchin kept the pressure on and the challenging, technical course, according to Tinker, "kicked my ass."
By the end of every lap, Tinker held the lead. The RealTime™ StoryBoard™ results tell the tale. |
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Marenchin's Pressure
As a former Big Bear champion in 2005 and runner-up in '06 and '07, Ernesto Marenchin can be counted on to be a contender and a threat to any new-comer and in this year's race, Marenchin proved his metal yet again, matching laps with Tinker Juarez right through to the end.
In Marenchin's podium interview, he acknowledged Juarez's unbeatable performance with obvious respect by saying, "well, Tinker is Tinker."
To Merenchin's credit, Tinker noted in his podium interview that, "This is the only 24 where I've had to race the entire race."
Ernesto Marenchin seen leading Tinker at one point> |
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All Hail The King and Queen!
Repeating their 2006 performances, husband and wife, Gunnar (a.k.a. Sam Hill) and Betsy Shogren bagged the fastest men's and fastest women's lap times re-taking the their thrones from Andy Wiedrich and Alexandria Fabbro, last year's King and Queen.
Betsy teamed up with well known WVMBA racer Cassie Smith, registering for a 4-person Women's Expert team (a-la John Stamstad) as Betsy Shogren, Cassie Smith, Elizabeth Shogren & Cassie Jo Smith.
Check it out! As a Duo-Pro team the iplayoutside.com/WVMBA Women would have finished 2nd place to Gunnar's Hipster Doofus & the Kessel Run. WTG ladies!
Cassie Smith with her race-face on> |
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The Overall Champs:
Kudos to Jason Cyr, Joey Riddle, Andy Wiedrich, and Chris McGill of The iPlayOutside/WVMBA Dream Team. The team, which formed up from a a free team auctioned by WVMBA in a fundraiser to help with Joey Riddle's medical bills from a severe digger last season, bagged 19 laps, making full use of home court advantage, and making West Virginia proud! WTG gents! Good to see you riding strong again, Joey! |
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Check Out Your Race Photos!
Race photos are posted! You can search by team# to find yours. Prints and digital files are available for purchase for very reasonable prices. Photos from the 24 Minutes Kids' Race are available too! >>>You Photos Here! |
The Race Against Childhood Brain Cancer
Corned Beef Mafia from Potomac, MD, raced this past weekend at Big Bear. They rode in honor of a friend's daughter with brain cancer and raised $15,000 for the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation.
Also, Custom Contracting / Cancer Awareness, captained by Benjie Klimas, was racing to help support Benjie and his wife as they care for their 10 month-old son, Sam, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Benjie and teammates Chris Phillips and Jonathan Martin, all local Big Bear riders, also worked tirelessly during the heavy rains prior to the race, doing trail work to improve the drainage of the course. For their efforts (and to give Benjie a well needed break) Granny comped the team, also Granny is sending the Klimas family a contribution to help with Sam's treatments. |
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Thanks for Recycling!
We are so pleased to see how thoroughly everyone took-on recycling during the race. Thank you for your efforts!
It is time for all of use to take a stand for living sustainably and recycling (along with reducing and reusing) is an important part of this.
Granny Gear is committed to providing recycling at all of our events from here on. Thanks again for doing your part.
>>>Watch The Story of Stuff |
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Next year's Dates:
You may have noticed that Big Bear is always the weekend before Fathers' Day and 2009 will be no different. Next year's dates are June 13th & 14th. Remember, the sooner you sign-up, the lower the price. We'll let you know when 2009 Registration opens.
Next year's Course:
The conditions at Big Bear were the muddiest ever, with soaking rains falling all day Wednesday and late into Wednesday night, before the race. But the course dried out beautifully and the vast majority of the course was super-rideable. Several areas got super muddy but these areas were few and far-between. The good news is that now that we have identified the worst areas at their worst, we will re-route or rebuild them, making the course even more bomber for future years. |
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Next: More Fun to Come
Killington is Calling...
Tough, New England singletrack and comfy condos await you at Killington Resort. The course is a blast. The condos are at off season rates. Few locations provide such a great combination of luxury and suffering!
Bag some more Series points or just go for more Granny-style fun.
>>>Register Here |
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Happy Trails!
Best wishes for a great rest-of-the-season. We hope you and your teammates can come join us at Killington, Landahl or Moab.
We'll see you then or see you next year!
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