May 27/04 1:45 am - Burlington Dirtjumps Maintenance Day, Life$tyle$ of the Rich & Famou$ 24 Hour Race

Posted by Editoress on 05/27/04
 

Burlington Dirtjumps Maintenance Day
Debbie, www.burlingtondirtjumps.com

Well our first day was a rain out.....

The track is just about there regarding our resurfacing..... but we still
need some help.

We are having a maintenance day on May 30th 10 am to 2pm and we really need your help - please bring shovels to help smooth out the lips and jumps.

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

Any questions - please drop Terry an email at terry@burlingtondirtjumps.com


Life$tyle$ of the Rich & Famou$ 24 Hour Race May 22/23
Courtesy WOW

A true Epic in every sense of the word. We designed what we felt was the best race course in the 5 year history of this event - a 12 km course with 840' of climbing per lap. Throw in the best field of competitors we have ever had, add a lightning storm and rain of biblical proportions and it was one memorable race.

Cloudy conditions were on hand for the race start. Heavy rain had been forecast for Friday night, but instead only a light drizzle had fallen. Course conditions on the buff single track at Mansfield were close to ideal. 22 teams and 16 solo riders set out into the thick forest. Competition among the men's teams was especially fierce with 8 teams being within one lap of each other through the afternoon. In the women's team competition the Fly Gurlz club took an early lead with No Boys Allowed just a few minutes behind. The mixed teams saw 6x's 4y's establishing an early lead that they would never relinquish for the entire event.

The men's solo competition was especially fierce with David Dermont and John van Arragon locked together for the entire afternoon. Just behind was Anton Varabei, looking to keep contact with the two leaders. In the women solo race, Roxanne White rode very steady and had a one lap lead by the 6 hour mark.

Things changed substantially at 6:30pm. Rain started to fall and sounds of distant thunder could be heard. The ridge on the other side of the valley started to disappear into the cloud and the lightning got closer. By 7pm the race was halted because of the proximity of the lightning. Just as well, because the rain became a monsoon. Rivers of water cascaded down the hill. Meanwhile the racers simply retreated to their cozy cabins or enjoyed Joan's Killer Brownies in front of the fire place in the chalet.

Due to the torrential rain the main road, above the chalet, had become badly rutted. A decision was made to remove it from the race course. This shortened the course to 11km. After the re-route, everyone gathered again at 9pm for Start #2. The 2 hour break seem to re-energize the field and the competition got even more serious. Fog and mist continued through the night which made for some very eerie lights in the trees.

The cloudy dawn saw fog and some drizzle, but no let up to the racing, especially in the men's team competition. Numb & Numb'r was in a real dogfight with Missing Links 2. Although a lap down at the lightning break, Missing Links 2 would not give up, and worked very hard to eat away at Numb & Numb'r's lead. However, a couple of sub 40 minute laps in the morning gave Numb & Numb'r one more lap to cushion their lead. In the mixed team event 6x's 4y's had an insurmountable lead and cruised in 4 laps up on Wilderness Trail Ryders 1. The women's competition saw a consistent Fly Gurlz hold a two lap lead at the finish. Dermont and White held substantial leads at the end to claim the men's and women's solo titles.

We were impressed by the great individual and team rides that took place. Especially impressive were the 3 teams of unicyclists that took part. It was absolutely amazing to see these balance gifted riders do good lap times with a couple of laps even under 1 hour.

Many thanks to the Mansfield Outdoor Centre for hosting the race and cooking such great food. Thanks also to St. John Ambulance for being on hand for the entire event. Same to Jim Best of Best Bike Works for being the on site wrench. Special thanks to Hammer Gel and KHS Canada for their support. Extra special thanks to the members of the MAMBO Kings MTB Club for volunteering their services for numerous tasks.

A couple of hundred photos are now posted on the W.O.W. web site (www.wowmtb.com) and some video clips will be posted shortly. Our next event is the Pine River Ramble Enduro & Tour on July 18. See you then at another unique W.O.W. event.