QUIRING CYCLES Professional mountain bike team

We've Moved

2011-03-10T13:00:00.005-05:00

The new Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team (formerly known as Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles) is very excited for the 2011 race season.

First though, a HUGE thanks to Mr. Larry Bell and Bell's Brewery for their great sponsorship and support over the past 10 years. They will not be on board as a sponsor for 2011, however their product will still be consumed by us after many races!! :o)

As the team moves forward there is much excitement. The 2011 title sponsor is Quiring Cycles. Scott's support has been amazing and the team is so thrilled to be riding on his handbuilt bikes! Other team sponsors for this year are listed on the "new" team blog, www.quiringcyclesteam.tumblr.com . Please follow us as we fly our new kits bold colors, attack the climbs, hit the mud, and navigate our way through what is sure to be another exciting year!

Sincerely,

Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team

ICEMAN 2010

2010-11-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

THE BIGGEST WIN IN ICEMAN HISTORY NOV. 6th 2010 BRIAN MATTER WINS ICEMAN

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

SUE STEPHENS 6th PRO W
ERIN VICARY 11th PRO W
STEVE DEMPSEY 18th PRO M
Scott and Christina 11th Tandem

The Sunset on the Season Party was awesome. Thank you Bells Brewery, the Orbitsuns, the Brothers Brzuchanski, Scott Quiring, Stans No Tubes, Louis Garneau, OAKLEY and Cyclingdirt.org

BELL'S MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM presents: The 9th Annual SUNSET ON THE SEASON PARTY!

2010-10-23T13:52:00.003-04:00

Come one! Come all!

Let's celebrate another year of racing & good times... Speed & Alcohol!

Video by: the Brzuchanski Bros.
Music by: The Orbitsuns

Song Title: Speed and Alcohol
Starring: Sue Stephens, Erin Vicary, John Meyers, and The Orbitsuns

Y'all Know The Drill...

2010-10-11T15:59:00.009-04:00

Click For More Info On Each Of These Bell's Brands

Update On Jason's Recovery

2010-09-01T21:45:00.006-04:00

Today was a rough day for Jason but it ended on a positive note! When I spoke to him earlier via texts he said pain wise it was his worst day yet. I checked in on him again later today & he said they had upped his dosages again & got the pain in check but he wasn't sure now if they would be sending him home from the hospital today. Well, about an hour ago I received a call from Kathy Lummis & Jason did indeed get to go home today :o)! Kathy said "It's so good to have us all back together in our home again! I'm so happy." She also stated again how much it means to her & Jason to know so many people care. To know that people are wishing Jason well day in and day out since the accident is very heart warming & has lifted their spirits to get through this difficult time. People are still trying to spread the word about the type of vehicle that struck Jason. Once again that vehicle is a 1999-2000 Ford F250, F350, or Excursion that has a broken passenger side mirror . People are also asking what they can do to help Jason & his family through this recovery... there has been a fund set up at PAYPAL : jason.lummis@charter.net

Thanks again to everyone... I was very happy to report Jason is HOME :o)!!!

-Erin

Stony Creek XC

2010-09-01T10:40:00.011-04:00

Stony Creek Metro Park...'Stony Baloney'.... 'Stoner Creek'... the wonderful park we off road cyclists have the opportunity to race at what seems like every other weekend throughout the season. There's the Stony Creek TT, Stony Creek Marathon, Stony Creek XC, 6/12 hrs of Stony Creek, Stony Creek Cyclocross... Out of the 5 races I've done in the last month & a half 2 have been there....lol. I'm not complaining because I really like Stony...this is just an observation I've made. The only time I ride there really is for races so it's funny to me how well I've gotten to know the course over the years just from that.
So, without a pre-ride or a warm-up I took to the line this past Sunday to battle it out @ Stony once again along side 4 other expert/elite women in Tailwind's final XC race of the season. I didn't do a proper warm up because the race was going to be 2.5 hrs & I didn't know if I'd be able to even finish trying to ride at 'race pace' for that long. My plan was to pray that no one started terribly hard & just get warmed up while I was racing to conserve energy and that's kinda what happened :o). Melissa Mabry (Precision MTB.com) took the lead at the start, with Marne Smiley (Scott Bikes/Ollett Coaching), myself, Dana Baurhenn (Wolverine/ACFstores.com), & Heather Patterson (Dark Horse Racing) following behind in a group. Melissa stayed on the front for at least the first 10 minutes & then I jumped up front to take a turn. I think everyone was still together at this point but I'm not sure how long that lasted as eventually behind me I heard Marne ask to 'get by' someone & the next time I checked it was just Marne & I. And that's how it stayed until the beginning of the 4th and final lap. Marne & I had an absolute BALL ripping around that trail in unison. I don't think either of us were trying to break our necks because we were just having too much fun riding together. I for one was pleased that I was actually able to ride with her... something I wasn't counting on at all because I know she's getting fast for her upcoming cyclocross season. SO round and round Stony we rode together until the beginning of last lap when Marne laid it down RIGHT in front of me going into a loose, 90 degree right turn coming off the two track heading back into the single track. I slammed on the brakes with my front tire barely making contact & managed to stay completely upright. Marne popped up, shook it off, checked her handlebars, & put her chain back on. She said she was alright & ready to go so I scooted in front of her, looked back to make sure she was ready & we were off again. After a couple minutes I didn't hear her behind me anymore (& afterwards I found out that her chain fell off again right away so she had to stop.). So I was missing my buddy but reminded myself it was a RACE...lol... & I should press on before someone caught me lollygagging. Being my final lap I decided it would be a good time to test what I had left in the tank after riding 2hrs. I ended up having more left than I would've thought & started catching & passing some of the Expert men. I was so pleased with everything at that point... the fun trail, racing with my friend, feeling strong,etc that NOTHING could've wiped the smile off my face. From what I can tell looking at photos Andrea Tucker (www.tuckerbikes.com) & Hans Nyberg (www.tenmilemedia.smugmug.com) took... looks like I may have been grinning ear to ear pretty much the whole race.

And the smile just got bigger the closer I got to the finish line until I finally crossed it for the win :o)!

Of course my teammate & friend Jason Lummis was not far from my mind during the race & he served as inspiration for sure. I noticed there was quite a bit of Bell's flair going on @ Stony in his honor. People wearing Bell's jerseys in lieu of their team kit, buttons, etc. .. really nice to see the support for Jason! One racer in particular, an expert/elite woman (whom shall remain nameless because I'm sure she didn't do it expecting to get a shout out), approached me after awards while I was by myself & on the phone. She handed me the cash filled envelope she received from being on the podium & whispered that she was giving it to me to pass on to Jason & his family. I was so touched my eyes welled up with tears (as they are right now typing this), I said thank you & hugged her. So yeah... thank you again to everyone who has shown support in one way or another for Jason. Our little bike racing community in Michigan... we have something very special here ;o).

-Erin

Update On Jason

2010-08-29T19:16:00.004-04:00

He's going to be fine :o). He is out of ICU & in a regular room now. He is still heavily medicated for pain and it will be a long road to complete recovery but the bottom line is he's definitely going to make it there eventually! He is doing better than expected & getting better each day. Anyone that knows him, knows he's pretty darn tough & very determined. Both are qualities that will prove to be important in the months ahead. Amazingly Jason has has already managed to take some short, slow walks down the hospital halls & to the restroom with the assistance of a walker! Also he has to wear a special brace (wearing it in the picture) to keep his spine in place for a few months while his fractured lower back heals.

I'm not sure yet on how much longer he will have to remain in the hospital. I believe Jason said he could find out tomorrow when he may leave.

Thank goodness he has a lot of friends & a wonderful family to help him through this tough time. Him & his wife Kathy have definitely been touched by everyones support and really appreciate it.

I'll leave you with Kathy's own words...
"THANKS EVERYONE for all the support, thoughts & prayers! We R truly blessed it has been breath taking & heart warming knowing so many people care! Jason is going to be fine we R SO LUCKY & know it will be a long recovery, but we all know Jason he is a strong one & WILL be back in the saddle soon. God Bless each one of you for touching our hearts & making this very difficult situation so much easier! LOVE U ALL !!!"

Teammate Jason Lummis Severely Injured In Hit & Run

2010-08-27T10:35:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday August 25th, our teammate Jason Lummis was riding his 20 mile commute by bike from his job at Great Lakes Cycling & Fitness in Ann Arbor to his home in Pinckney when he was struck by a vehicle around 9:00 pm & severely injured. The vehicle has been estimated to have impacted Jason at a rate of 50- 60 mph. The driver never stopped when they struck Jason & sent him into a ditch where he laid bleeding & critically injured until two motorcyclist found him. 911 was called & Jason was taken to UofM Hospital & has remained in the ICU to treat his injuries. He lost a lot of blood because of a vein punctured through his left gluteus muscle. That wound is 1" wide but of unmeasurable depth. He sustained many other injuries & fractures of the hip, pelvis, lower lumbar, & sacrum.

Today Jason will be getting a brace that goes from the neck to his upper hip area to stabilize his spine. It may still be too early to tell but so far it appears that his fractures could possibly be able to heal in time without any need for surgery. I spoke with his wife Kathy this morning and she says that the out pouring of support from everyone has been a huge uplift to Jasons spirit. We all appreciate everyones kind words, thoughts, & prayers for Jason & his family. It is helping!

Besides helping Jason we need to find him justice! We all hope the person that drove away after hitting him will come forward on their own and admit what they have done. The search will continue until they find this person and the vehicle. The police are looking for a FORD F250, F-350, or EXCURSION with a BROKEN PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR. PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT. Especially in the DEXTER-PINCKNEY AREA. Anyone with information about the crash or the driver of the vehicle that stuck Lummis should call the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department tip line at 734-973-7711.

Please follow our Team Facebook Page for updates on Jason's condition & the investigation.

Thank You!

A Weekend of Time Trials

2010-08-25T16:01:00.008-04:00

First off was the Maybury TT on Saturday in Northville. At one time I used to live 10 minutes from Maybury & rode there all the time. Having the advantage of knowing the trail helped me for sure in the twisty single track. If you get into the zone there that trail can have amazing flow but if you don't you can end up working a lot harder than need be. Besides the fun single track they added a few more miles of other stuff like pavement, a stretch of gravel rd, & some long grass sections. The turn out for the expert/elite women's group was a bigger than average... 9 ladies! Good to see :o)! The results say 8 but that's only because we lost my friend & former teammate, Andrea Balding (Dark Horse racing), after the first lap to a DNF (bad crash). I think I was fourth to start so I had 3 ladies to chase down & 5 stay in front of. I caught everyone in the first half of the first lap & then just tried to keep a steady pace & not get gobbled up by the competition that started behind, namely Tara Jansen (Farm Team). At certain points on the course you could see other racers & a couple times I saw Dana Baurhenn (Wolverine/ACFstores.com) somewhere not too far behind me but then eventually lost sight of her. At the end of my first lap I was chugging along down a wide grassy section when I spotted a group of 20 people standing on the trail in front of me. I rode through the group & exited with a growling dog nipping at my feet. My first instinct was to 'fight' but I like dogs so instead of feeding it the cleat on my shoe I decided to try 'flight' first. Thankfully that worked as the dog finally gave up the chase. With my heart rate pegged I headed into my second lap. It was for the most part exactly the same as the first... minus the dog and add some rain. I ended up finished in an hour & a half feeling good & never getting passed by my competition. After finishing I cooled down a bit, talked to friends, & got cleaned up. I still hadn't checked results to see how I finished when my friend Brian came over to me & said "Erin you won!". I hadn't had winning ANYWHERE on my radar so I was pretty taken back. #1.Staying Upright & #2.Having Fun were my only goals so needless to say the unexpected bonus of winning left me tickled pink :o). I celebrated with an Oberon, collected my winnings, & then went home to clean up my bike & recoup for the Fort Custer Time Trial the next morning.
Sunday I woke up feeling like I had been in a wreck but I managed to come around enough to prepare a to-go breakfast , throw my stuff in the car, & head out. I wanted to get there early so I had time for a nice long warm up but it turned out I almost didn't even make it to the race. Cruising by myself down 94 West, coffee flowing, radio cranked, starting to wake up... I got a flat tire :o(. I called Lummis & luckily (for me) he was running late & driving behind me about 10 minutes back so he agreed to stop & get me :o)! After that we were running REAL late! When we finally arrived we basically had only enough time to grab our #'s at registration, throw on our kits, & GO! I had preregistered earlier in the week so I started first amongst the ladies along side Erin Disterheft (Team Billy's). Erin & I were always good competition for each other in the past. Knowing what kind of shape she was likely in & knowing what kind of mess I've been coming back from I wished her luck & said "goodbye" before the clock even started. Winning the race at Maybury the day before didn't mean somehow I magically got fast again...lol. I know there is MUCH work to be done still so I let Erin D. go at the start & focused on staying ahead of the other 5 ladies. With no warm up & initially being so sore from the day prior I was surprised at how good I actually felt!!! The trail was in awesome shape & just an absolute rip roaring blast to ride on my 29er. Again I had the same goals... #1. Stay upright & #2. Have Fun! Both were accomplished in about an hour & ten, managing to stay ahead of the competition again for the entire race. After finishing I went for a cool down spin in the park. My friend Andy found me & informed me I got 2nd place! Another big surprise! Again I was shocked & very happy.

Jason Lummis ended up 10 seconds off the podium in 6th & John Meyers in 8th. After awards and Zack Lummis's 'kids race' we all piled into the mini van & headed to Bell's Eccentric cafe for lunch in the beer garden. Eventually Lummis got me back to my car & I sent them on their way. I can honestly say I almost enjoyed sitting there staring at the corn on the side of the expressway waiting for my tire to get fixed. I had such a great weekend it was actually kind of nice to sit there & reflect on it for awhile :o).

Thanks to everyone who has given me words of encouragement about returning to racing.
I'm so thankful to be healthy enough to be back at it again!

And one more thing... A HUGE congratulations goes out to Sue Stephens on accomplishing her 2010 season goal of winning the Ontario Cup Series. She raced all season against some of the best names in Canadian mountain biking and came out on top! Congrats Sue! We're very proud of you!

:o)
Erin

Summer Fun

2010-07-02T12:33:00.007-04:00

I'm not quite sure where to begin on this post. That's probably due to the fact that my last blog entry pertaining to riding was for the '08 edition of the Peak2Peak race . It's been a while since I've had anything to speak of in the realm of riding or racing because I had been injured for so long. It took forever & a day ( about a year & a half) to finally heal up enough that I felt normal... let alone well enough to throw my leg over a bike. I'm happy (<-- HUGE understatement) to say that I've been back in the saddle & riding consistently since the begining of June. Now, when I say I've been 'riding', I'm not talking about hill repeats or vo2 intervals. Hell no! Not yet at least ;o). I'm talking about cranking out pure enjoyment on the bike, in the woods, flying through the trees... just for the fun of it. That is exactly what Sue & I did the other day at Maybury.

Erin doing the fallen-tree-limbo.

Sue is cleared for take off!

We even scoped out S.E. Michigan's cycling expressway: Hines Dr.

Afterwards we chatted for hours over some cold one's. What a blast we had! I love my Bell's Boys and now having Sue on the team.... it just ROCKS! I can't wait until the day we get to line up together at a race. Until then though, these fun rides together will most definitely suffice ;o).

Cheers to riding with friends :o)!

Happy 4th of July! Have Fun & Be Safe!

:o)

Erin

2010 Team bike--- JASON LUMMIS

2010-06-03T07:10:00.005-04:00

2010 Bells Brewery/ Quiring Cycles Team Frame is an aluminum BB30 29er frame. The bike rolls on STANS ZTR RACE rims with a ZTR rear hub and a lefty front hub, Drivetrain is supplied by SRAM with the SRAM XX 2x10 42/29 with a 11-32, suspension is taken care by CANNONDALE LEFTY CARBON SL Tires are Barro race from Geax. the bike weighs in at just under 20.5lbs.
The great folks @ GREAT CYCLING and FITNESS of Ann Arbor MI

What a crazy year year I have ahead of me after 4 years of mostly rigid bike racing with mechanical Vbrakes,. This year with the help of my great sponsors I have a front suspension/disc brake bike that weighs just as much as my previous years rigid Vbrake bikes !
--JL

More Good News From MyPOV360.com

2010-05-26T15:07:00.009-04:00

MyPOV360.com is an Official Sponsor of the Bell’s Brewery/Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team

MyPOV360.com, a new online retailer of point-of-view wearable action cameras and accessories is excited to announce their title as the Official Point of View Camera sponsor for the Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team.

05.25.2010 – Boyne City, Mich., (May 25, 2010) – MyPOV360.com, a new online retailer of point-of-view wearable action cameras and accessories is excited to announce their title as the Official Point of View Camera sponsor for the Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team.

MyPOV360.com offers an excellent selection of wearable video action cameras, perfect for any mode of bicycling, including the: Drift Innovation X170, GoPro Camera HD Helmet Hero, Contour HD, and more. All video cameras have bike-specific mounting options for a bike helmet, handlebars, or bike seat post, to provide hands-free video for many shooting angles.

The Drift X170 (above) is the camera the Bell's/Quiring Team will be using.

The Bell’s Brewery/Quiring Professional Mountain Bike Team is based out of Michigan and is claimed to be the Midwest’s best mountain bike team. Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery is famed for being the oldest craft-brewer east of Boulder, Colorado. Quiring Cycles of Charlotte, Michigan is a customized-fit high quality bike builder specializing in 29ers. Team members include: Scott Quiring, Jason Lummis, John Meyers, Steve Dempsey, Sue Stephens, Erin Vicary and Jason Jones.

“MyPOV360.com is thrilled to sponsor the Bells Brewery/Quiring Team,” said John Rounds, MYPOV360.com founder. “They are a high-profile, professional riding organization with great connections in the Midwest cycling community. ”

To welcome friends, fans and family of the team, MyPOV360.com is offering a promo code for $30 off any order over $150, plus free UPS ground shipping anywhere in the continental US. Sign up at http://www.mypov360.com/bells-brewery-quiring-team-promo/ to receive this exclusive promo code.

The team is excited to share video footage of their rides. To get all the latest updates and videos from the team please visit: http://www.bellsmtbteam.blogspot.com/. For more information about Drift and MyPOV360.com please visit: www.mypov360.com.

About MyPOV360.com
MyPOV360.com is an online retailer of the hottest point-of-view wearable video sports cameras and accessories for video and photography enthusiasts. Not only the go-to website for simple and easy to use hands-free video products, MyPOV360.com also provides the online shopper with valuable market information from the online video community to determine the best wearable camera for each individual lifestyle, purpose and budget. The MyPOV360.com experience is about finding the perfect camera and accessories to “Capture the World From Your Point of View.”

Drift Innovation · GoPro · VHoldR · Liquid Image Video Swim Mask Explorer

Right now GoPro and Drift are on sale. Deep discount.

$229 for GoproHD
$169 for Drift X170

Then promo code is another $30 off that plus free ground shipping in USA

So anybody who has been thinking about a POV camera this is one of the best promotions of the year.

MyPOV360.com Is On Board with Bell's/Quiring Pro MTB Team

2010-05-14T11:05:00.017-04:00

MyPOV360.com is now the official Point Of View camera sponsor for
the Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles Professional Mountain Bike Team!
This means lots of 'helmet cam' fun this year. We'll be shooting &
editing, for your viewing pleasure, footage from rides & races we're at.

Also MyPOV360.com is offering $20 OFF the Drift X170
plus FREE SHIPPING to friends, fans, & family of our team.
This offer is valid today through 06/30/10. Just use the special code
'bellsmtb' (lowercase) to receive this limited time offer.

Bring on the sunshine for the Brighton Rec Stage Race this weekend!
It should be a great weekend of racing!

Have FUN and GOOD LUCK to all the racers :o).

2010 Oberon Mini Keg Design

2010-04-22T09:28:00.004-04:00

2010 Oberon Mini Keg design inspired by Salvador Dali's "Persistence Of Time" .
Out sometime in May.

Sue's 'Small Bike'

2010-04-14T08:07:00.003-04:00

I’ll start by saying thanks to Scott Quiring, Jason Lummis and the rest of the Bell’s team for ramping things up so I can have my bike for my first race of 2010. I’d also like to thank Oscar at Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness for taking time to set up the finer details on the bike. I haven’t really had a chance to ride the finished product yet other than a quick burst around the parking lot but it feels really quick and light. Needless to say I’m pretty excited about how my ‘small bike’ turned out! It sure is pretty! ;o)

Here is a quick run down of how it’s spec’d:

Full SRAM XX
Stan’s No-Tubes ZTR Race 29’er wheelset.
GEAX Barro Race 29 x 2.0
Truvativ World Cup flat bar, stem and seat post
Crank Bros. Candy 4ti
ESI grips

Total weight with pedals 20.8 lbs

Cheers,
Sue

2010-03-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

The sun is back!
Oberon was officially released March 29th for 2010.
Enjoy!

Planet Bikes Super Commuter

2010-03-19T15:59:00.001-04:00

Planet Bikes on line article:

4. Supercommuter - Jason Lummis, Pinckney, MI

A super commuter rides through every season, in all types of weather, day and night. Choosing the simplicity, health and pleasure of bicycling, a super commuter simply prefers to ride a bike to the grocery store, to work, to a concert or the cafe. Planet Bike’s winter Super Commuter is thirty-nine year old Jason Lummis who embodies the very essence of a super commuter.

A long time resident of Pinckney, MI, Jason commutes year round to his job at Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness in neighboring Ann Arbor. He averages 45 miles round trip, half of those miles being ridden after work in the darkness of night. The rolling hills and modest plowing of the rural roads make for an interesting winter commute. The scenery can’t be beat though as Jason travels past the Pinckney State Recreation Area daily.

Jason was hooked on two wheel riding at a young age. In his teen years, he latched onto a bmx bike and an 80cc dirt bike. He eventually fell for mountain biking, becoming an avid racer in the Midwest. Jason routinely finishes on the podium in cross country and 100 mile ultra-endurance races throughout the Great Lakes region.

A good portion of Jason’s life revolves around bikes. He works in a bike shop, rides 10,000 miles a year, and races on the weekends. When he is not working or riding, he is still promoting cycling. He’s an IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) member who helps maintain local mountain bike trails in the Ann Arbor area. Jason also manages the Bells Beer/Quiring Cycles mountain bike team, one of the fastest (and friendliest) mountain bike teams in the Midwest.

According to Jason, the toughest part about such a long daily commute is “the extra time I spend away from my family.” Jason counters this extra time by substituting his commute as race training. This savvy substitution allows Jason, his wife, three year old son and two dogs the time they need to go camping, hiking, or canoeing in the beautiful Michigan wilderness.

With such a long commute, Jason has dialed in the equipment it takes to be comfortable in all conditions. His custom Quiring Cycles steel 29er is the perfect rig for the job. Jason prefers the simplicity and low maintenance of a single speed drivetrain for the winter and a 1 x 9 for the summer. He also makes note of clothing choices for different conditions in a journal so he’s always sure to be properly dressed.

If you would like to nominate a Super Commuter, please contact us at info@planetbike.com.

North American Hand Made Bicycle Show

2010-02-26T08:55:00.002-05:00

Team Bike Sponsor and teammate Scott Quiring of Quiring Cycles is attending the NAHBS this weekend in Virginia. He has built Titanium, Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminum frames for the show, including a 2010 Bells Brewery Team bike.

Here are some diplay art Scott will have@ NAHBS. Photos by Andrea Tucker

Winter Training Rides

2010-02-24T18:43:00.002-05:00

This one was kindly dug out of the Brzuchanski Bros archives in order to fill the void that has been our blog this February. Thanks Joe & Brian :o)! The video was filmed in 2006 & stars current Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles teammates Jason Lummis & Scott Quiring as well as former teammates Joe Brzuchanski & Mike Simonson. We hope everyone's been training hard so far in 2010...

2010 OFFICIAL TEAM JERSEY !

2010-01-11T07:33:00.005-05:00

THE OFFICIAL 2010 BELLS BREWERY / QUIRING CYCLES PROFESSIONAL MTB TEAM JERSEY DESIGN IS DONE. Jersey will be for sale at the end of March/ 1st week of April from the Bells Brewery General. They also have 2009 jerseys still available, as well as socks and wrist bands. If you do not find it on the website just give them a call.

The 2010 jersey design was created by our team mate Erin Vicary. She did an awesome job again by creating another original design. The team THANKS Erin for her abilities on and off the bike, we hope she finds her way back on the bike in 2010 after some serious injury causing her to miss 2009.

click photo for larger image

Coming soon the 2010 Quiring Cycles Team Frames. Aluminum Dedaci tubing with a BB30 bottom bracket and POWERED BY SRAM XX. All this coming together with another custom paint job By Scott Quiring !

ps. HOPSLAM is out and taste awesome.

2010.....10 yrs of Beer, Bikes and Racing !

2009-12-10T09:19:00.008-05:00

for 2010 we have a new Sponsor, the Bells Brewery/Quiring Cycles Professional MTB Team will now be POWERED BY SRAM.

We also have added 2 new teammates for the 2010 season:

Please welcome Steve Dempsey and Sue Stephens to the Bells squad !

Steve the fellow in the middle has been working his arse off and getting faster every week. He had some great podiums last year in MI and finished 13th at Iceman in 2009.

Sue Stephens has been putting it down in MI for the last few seasons, making the drive over from near Windsor Canada. Sue finished 2nd at the 2008 Iceman while controlling the podiums here in MI and has had great finishes in the Canadian cup. Check her blog out for more insight into this crazy racer mom from Canada....
We look forward to our continued sponsorships with BELLS BREWERY, QUIRING CYCLES, STANS NO TUBES, GEAX TIRES, LOUIS GARNEAU and OAKLEY EYEWEAR.

Go Ahead & Give It A Whirl...

2009-11-25T08:47:00.004-05:00

Sunday morning I met Sue Stephens & Co. out @Pontiac Lake Rec Area so she could do a lap on my Quiring 29er. I went for a quick hike ('quick' cuz she's fast-as-hell) while she rode & before I knew it she was done... girl was grinning ear2ear when I saw her :o)! That's usually a good sign right?...LOL! After wards in the parking lot Sue & I tried to chat but she was mobbed by a couple dudes she whizzed past earlier on the 29er. They must have asked her 30 questions "How'd ya get so fast?!" "How much do you ride?!" etc. It was pretty cute. Anyways, after the "autograph session" we did get a chance to shoot the breeze & while we were talking I happened to notice the folding chairs that were set out by her friend Pak's truck. The chairs said Tim Hortons on them & with that whole crew being from Canada I couldn't help but make a joke about it. Well, little did I know just how cool (Pak &) the chair was until he showed me: built in soft cooler under the seat, folds up small, has a shoulder strap, the whole chair weighs about a 1/2 lb, & it's black- my favorite color. He just gave it to me! LOL! Pretty sweet aye?! Hopefully next year I won't need it at any of the bike races 'cuz I don't plan on doing much spectating in the '10 season ;o)! Anyhow, back to my whole point of this blog entry... Sue really enjoyed the 29er experience & did a little write up about it on her blog.
Check it out @ http://suestephensmtb.blogspot.com/2009/11/29er-at-pontiac.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

:o)
Erin

ICEMAN 2009

2009-11-10T20:41:00.004-05:00

The race was perfect 60 deg sunny day.
Mike Anderson finished 5th (top MI racer) Joberon 15th, Lummis 62nd (after a horrible wreck 500' off the start line).
John Meyers won his age group again =0) and also won his age group the next day at the CX race.

----- pic by Sue Stephens
The party was incredible fun thanks to Jim Parks and the rest of the Bells Brewery family for giving us the chance to celebrate in style. Jim also brought up the 8ft tall Oberon bottle for the beer tent at the Iceman finish line.
Another year of great times racing bikes, enjoying custom brews and custom bikes. Many wins, podiums and great efforts where made by all the team mates ! 2010 will be the 10th year for the Bells Brewery sponsored team, we look forward to making it the best.

Mike Anderson 5th place:

2009 Iceman

5th place. Not as good as last year, but a good result still. Them fisher boys brought some "A" game this year, pretty fun to race with them guys. Carl Decker wins the style award, for the best 2 wheel drifts through the turns and just being a badass, guys gots some skills on a bike.
heres a race report:

The start was just like any other paved road mountain bike start, kind of scary and pretty fast. Decided to pull so i didn't get taken out in the chaos. It was a pretty long train of guys until about Smith Lake Rd about 5 miles in or so. But then the gaps started to form, had to be kind of attentive and stay at the front. Can't really remember who was pulling through that first section of single track, might of been Sam Shultz or JHK, but right after that JHK grabbed the reigns and it was fast as hell for about 20 minutes. 6 of us were gone and the race was set. JHK, Shultz, Tristan, Matter, Decker and myself. A few miles before Williamsburg road JHK put in big attack, I got on his wheel immediately and hung on for dear life, it all came back together at some fresh single track section. Seemed like everyone took some pulls for a little while, right when we got on the VASA JHK had another go, but it was the same deal, this race was coming down to the last hill. There was some more attacks in between there and the end but no one could get away, not really much point in trying. Right when we got to the last wood chip climb the final surge came, not a good time for some chain suck, and thats just what i got. I got off and ran and tried to get my bike back working. I had my chain back on at the top but those guys were long gone in front of me. I got around Tristan but ran out of time to catch Decker. I think I might have been able get Decker, but those other guys were gone.

I'm pretty happy with my race, its always cool to get to race with the big dogs, and really cool to hang in there the whole race. Would have been nice not to get that chain suck, i hate front derailleurs... I'll be back for blood next year, and maybe with a single chain ring too. The crowds at the end were awesome, really cool finishing like that. Thanks to everyone who was cheering along the course, all the people is what makes this race so cool.
MA.

BELL'S MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM presents: The 8th Annual SUNSET ON THE SEASON PARTY!

2009-10-21T11:21:00.006-04:00

HEY THERE BOOZE HOUNDS !

Come join us at the Loading Dock after the Iceman awards starting @ 8:30 pm (21yrs old and over $5 cover) SWAG, FUN and a great Beer selection

Video by: the Brzuchanski Bros.
Music by: The Orbitsuns
Starring: JOBERON, ERACER and the Bells Brewery/Quiring Cycles MTB team

HERE IS THE BEER LIST FOR THE PARTY !
1. Bell’s Best Brown Ale 1 ½ Barrel

2. Bell’s Amber Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

3. Bell’s Oberon Ale 1 ½ Barrel

4. Two-Hearted Ale 2 ½ Barrels

5. Bell’s Christmas Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

6. Bell’s Oarsman Ale 1 ½ Barrel

7. Bell’s Poolside Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

8. Bell’s Winter White Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

9. Bell’s Double Cream Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

10. Bell’s Pale Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Tall

11. Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 1 ¼ Barrel Short

Mike Anderson reports !

2009-10-19T07:57:00.003-04:00

Mike Anderson checks in after the Boyne "State" championship race and the Peak to Peak races:

Boyne "State Championships" and Peak to Peak wrap up

After another disappointing Chequamegon I was eager to get back to the races. The Boyne Mountain Michigan State Champions was the next race on the schedule. There was a pretty descent field for a soggy day at Boyne Mountain, I took the lead early and never looked back, and came away with the Brent Walk state championship. Boyne is great course and we need to have more races there.

START of Peak to Peak

Manderson vs Simonster !

The Crystal Mountain Peak to Peak XC was next, this was a fun event last year and was great training before Iceman. it went down the same as last year with Derek Graham, the Simonster and me at the front. We swapped pulls through the insane lap traffic for a few laps until Derek and I got caught up with a lapper, throwing both of us to the deck. I jumped back on and bridged to the Simonster. We swapped pulls for another lap until the Simonster stayed true to his name and put in a good surge at the bottom of the climb. I let him go knowing i could close it by the top. The gap was about 10 seconds at the top going into the single track downhill. But there were still a few stubborn lappers in the way, this dude just would not let me by, and basically ended my race for me, kind of a bummer...
This is a fun race, but they have to change something to fix the lap traffic.

It was nice to have my Steel Quiring machine back and working, thanks Scott!
See ya at Iceman!
Mike

Get Ready To Get Rowdy... Again!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-13T10:09:00.004-04:00

Join us (post Iceman race) November 7th for the 8th Annual Sunset On The Season Party!

The Fat Tire 2009

2009-09-23T10:34:00.012-04:00

I tell ya, these point to point races are truly special. The more I experience
them the more I realize how unique they are. Whether you're racing
B-Matter( www.b-matter.blogspot.com ) style for 1st or shooting for 501st, it's
impossible to finish without some great battle stories. I thoroughly enjoy blog
surfing the week after such events.

Erin and I set sail on Thursday morning for the long HAUL up to Hayward. Before we hit Chi-town we made a pit stop in K-zoo for lunch and stocked up on post race recovery beverages.
THANK YOU Bell's Brewery!

Not long after slogging through the big city traffic I received a surprise phone call from a old friend. Geri Lynn was back from some world travel and returned to her hometown of Hayward. Chequamegonville! The race weekend had now turned into a fun reunion as well. She and her family took great care of us and we can not thank them enough for their hospitality.

Friday, after a great nights sleep and a lazy lakefront morning, we packed up
for a little Fat Tire recon. Erin, who's still healing up, enjoyed a hike on some
of the sweet CAMBA trails while Geri and I rolled the first 10 miles or so.
Check out my new Quiring point-2-point assault weapon!

Memories from my first Chequam last year and nerves for this year started to
form as I bumbled along through Rosies Field, ripped up and down the Birkie and cruised along the dirt roads and trails towards Hwy00. The course was dry and hella-fast. The pre ride was followed by a quick clean up, race packet pickup and dinner at The Waterfront www.explorewisconsin.com/thewaterfront . Geri's family owns and operates this fine establishment. Try it next time you're in town. Be sure to ask for the twice baked potato's.

I awoke Saturday morning to a perfect morning on the lake. After breakfast I rode the 7 miles into town for a nice peaceful warm-up. I arrived to find swarms of eager cyclists. It's an incredible sight. I continued to roll around wondering if there'd be a spot for me at the start. I managed to squeeze in 3 rows back from the 4 wheelers. Similar to last year, some of the heavy hitters arrive fashionably late and roll up to the front next to the rumbling ATV's. Everyone nervous and white knuckled, the rollout parade through downtown Hayward began. I would guess I was in the 20's until we made the right turn towards Rosies and everyone hit the gas. We were roaring up the highway at 30+ with the Fat Tires-a-hummin'. I went from the 20's to the 40's and maybe even 50 riders back. I was struggling with the pace. There's fine line at this point. I may have had a little more juice to propel past a dozen riders or so but was it safe? It's insane! I held on and hoped for the best as we made the left into Rosies Field 40 back or so. Through the field and onto the Birkie it was full gas. I'd pass then get passed. It's war out there at this point and once again I don't remember much until we hit HWY00. I was with a group of around 20 that seemed to shrink with every passing mile. I could sense the Firetower Climb ahead and started to work my way forward in the group. I was in a good position at the base of the climb and immediately started to distance myself from other riders. Up ahead I spotted Mike Simonson(Fisher 29er Crew) and worked hard to bridge. Coming down the backside of Firetower it was myself, Mike and few others. A solid group that pushed each other to the end. In the final mile Simonson attacked hard and took the 3 others with him as I struggled. I rode smooth keeping them in my sights but couldn't get back onboard. Mike rolled in for that 15th spot with the other 4 riders grabbing 16th...17th...18th...19th and, finally, me just cracking the top 20 with 20th place.

I would say my performance was similar to last years Chequamegon (www.cheqfattire.com). I can't complain. I was, however, hoping to better my result which is only natural I suppose. I didn't do it though and that means I must try again. Since I managed to crack the top 20, it's a done deal. If a rider makes the top 20 here they are automatically registered for the following year. No hassle, no lotto. Which means I can start planning my trip to the north woods of Wisco immediately.

Thanks for reading. Have a great fall everyone!
And, I hope you enjoyed our Fat Tire "race" photos.

Joberon

Summer's Still Alive

2009-09-10T12:47:00.007-04:00

I can tell summer is coming to a end as my Oberon stock is shrinking. Say it
ain't so! The good news, however, is the added inventory of those other tasty
Bell's flavors. Oktoberfest, Two Hearted, Best Brown and, in a few months time,
HOP SLAMMMMmmmmmm. I love beer. In addition to polishing off my final few summer
brews I've managed to pack the last month with lots of racing. Since my rear
rotor meltdown at Big M I've scored a lackluster 24th at Ore to Shore, a
meltdown at the Pontiac lake XC, a head cold at the first annual Milford Crit,
tree collision at the Fort Custer TT, podium spot in the Tailwinds Michigan USAC
MTB Finale and a couple sprints for 3rd place at some local Labor Day weekend
road race action.

(photo credits to BroBriberon Brzuchanski)

Lots of fun was had. Especially during the past few weeks as
I've been rolling on my brand new custom Quiring steel 29er. Thanks to Scott
Quiring, Bell's Brewery, Keith Riege and Paint Creek Bicycles, Stan's, Oakley,
Crank Brothers, Garneau, Geax and Aberdeen I've been slicing and dicing the
trails all around Michigan and even giving the CXers a run on the dirt roads of
Oakland County. This thing is light, quick and, my favorite part, sexy. I love
mountain biking.

Hopefully everyone is feeling good and ready to charge into some late summer
action. Be careful not to overdo it though as we have lots to do this fall. You
may want to dig out some groovy duds and dust off those dancin' shoes as there's
another massive bash in the works following that bike race in November. Party
plans are in the works, band has confirmed and, rumor has it, the bar has added
another pile of draft lines for our Bell's sampling pleasure. I don't know about
you but I'm pumped! Add to that all the special guests, celebrities and host of
heavy hitters rumored to be racing to TC this year. Ohhhh yeah! Stay tuned for
details.

This weekend I'm planning on heading to the Addison Oaks XC. One of THE most
entertaining trails around and a final tune up for my 2nd run at Chequamegon.
Dun dun dun! Chequamegon is on the horizon. Last year I was 14th. More
importantly, I beat Lummis. He and I haven't spoken in weeks. Nerves are high.
Lot's of tension. Covert training. It's on my friends! I'll give you a report as
soon as we return.

Have fun everyone. Thanks for reading.

Joberon

Tailwind USAC series Final race Stony Creek XC

2009-08-31T06:30:00.003-04:00

Stop #9 of the Michigan USAC series:
Jason Lummis and Joberon raced this past sunday. The field was a little smaller than normal for the final race of the series. Jason finished 2nd with a last mile catch and pass of Greg Kuhn while Joberon rode steady and nabbed the 4th place stop ! Congrats to Christian Tanguy for winning the series again and also to Greg Kuhn for his continued improvement finishing 2nd in the series.

RESULTS

Stony XC Podium:

USAC MI series overall: Christian Tanguy 1st, Greg Kuhn 2nd and Jason Lummis 3rd
(best 6 of 9 races)

Erin's 29er Built

2009-08-25T11:26:00.011-04:00

I wanted in on the big wheeled fun that the boys have been having so this year Scott Quiring made me a custom 29er bike frame to fit my girly 5'6" frame. White Brothers made me a custom 65mm travel fork to compliment the "mini" geometry of the bike Scott built. The end result being a top tube stand over height that's just perfect.

I haven't been able to ride it yet (neck problems- long story...no riding most of the year for me) so I still don't know exactly what I'm missing. I do know that it's so pretty that it's actually driving me kinda nuts just staring at it all the time...LOL. Hopefully I'll be able to at least take it on the dirt roads to tool around a bit soon.

Girls riding 29er's is becoming more & more common. Heather Irmiger, the U.S. Womens 2009 XC & Marathon National Champ, rode to victory on a 29er on both occasions. Willow Koerber just came in 2nd & then won in the 2 most recent national XC races on her 29er. And I know I've seen Katie Compton aboard one this year. Might be something to these big wheels ;o).

If I don't get to truly test it out & race it this year there's always next year right?! YES!!! Always next year...

:o)
Erin

Tailwinds USAC series #8 Fort Custer Time Trial

2009-08-24T07:35:00.003-04:00

John Meyers, Joberon and Jason Lummis attended the 3nd to last USAC series race by tailwinds.net..... Race day temps where cool with an overcast sky..

Jason finished 2nd, John 8th and Joberon after a wicked crash 13th.....

Jason Lummis:
Nice day for a fast lap of the many trails of Fort Custer ! I needed to have a good race to stay in the hunt for 1 of the top 3 spots in the USAC series. Christian Tanguy has been unstoppable this year except for one bad flat at BIG M. I gave it a go for the W on sunday but only managed a 2nd by a few secs to 3rd/4th...I didn't make time to pre ride the course and found myself going to fast into the corners and braking a lot.1 log climb caught me off guard as you had to exit it via a skinny rail or drop 5ft to a flat, I made the skinny ;).....I felt strong the whole ride and I am looking forward to the Stony Creek XC this sunday as the XC season comes to an end here in MI....Chequamegon and Iceman are my last 2 MTB races, while I try to find parts to build up my CX frame so I can have a proper CX race bike for next months CX season openers !
I also won the 1st race in the Jolly Pumpkin CX series last wednesday night ! Great fun on a week night !
--JL

PLRA XC stop#7 of the Tailwind USAC series Pontiac Lk Rec area

2009-08-16T19:08:00.001-04:00

PLRA podium via cell phony:
Greg Kuhn takes his 1st Elite win, Dave Walker (ohio) 2nd, Jason Lummis 3rd, Mark Parmelee 4th and the aint that old Hermitman 5th

A 90 degree humid day and 3 laps of PLRA.....Luckily the Lake ius close by !

ORE TO SHORE 09

2009-08-11T12:41:00.016-04:00

Mike Anderson in the news: ARTICLE

JASON LUMMIS Garmin 305 data from the race: GARMIN

Good Luck Knuckles!

Mike Anderson 2nd, Jason Lummis 6th, John Meyers 11th, and Joberon 24th.

Scott Quiring (along w/Ken Blakey-Shell) got 1st place in the Men's Tandem division.
BRIAN MATTER WON !

John, Greg 'Kuhncappie-Chappy' Kuhn (5th place), & Joe catch'n their breath after the race:
photo from Land Lueck:
The competition was huge this year sans the Simonster and Jesse Lalonde. Wisco had at least 6 guys who could win it and Minn. studs Doug Swanson/ Jeff Hall made this stop #1 of the Midwest Triple Crown a fast/furious day....

Mike Phillips grabbed the hole shot from the start and the pace was fast. Jason Lummis took a quick flyer to see if anyone was willing to go, but no. Mike Anderson jumped on the first dirt on the RxR tracks and gapped the field, to be chased down quickly. Up and over the luge climb and the lead group was about 10-15 until the pace slowed and it grew to about 40 into Ispheming. The Eppens ramped it up and Tristan Schouten kept the pace high. Jason Lummis grabbed the better line on the old sandy RxR bed and pushed the pace again. Mike Anderson jumped off the front and Brian Matter bridged........The race changed shortly after this as the 1st chase group missed a turn leaving Lummis, the Eppens and another wisco rider Ted Hanes going the correct way (white chaulk lines and well marked course, guess you gotta think while racing)...... Soon it was just Lummis and Ted trading pulls for the 20 miles. Jason was having a rear tire issue with about 18 miles to go, it was losing air slowly, With about 13 to go a group containing Hall, Swanson, Marko, Mike P and MICHIGAN Greg Khun roilled up to Jason and Ted. Jeff caught a stick is rear deraillure and stopped. Jason stopped shortly after to air up his flat rear tire, jumped back on and chased for the next 8 miles. Jason caught Jeff Hall, then Ted and finally Marko as they neared the finish line for 6th.......more to come soon !

Mike Anderson report:
The 2009 Ore to Shore was a pretty eventful and exciting weekend. Rolled into town friday afternoon and was going to follow the usual pre-race plan of riding the last 10 miles or so of the course. Got saddled up and headed out on my dialed in Quiring rocket ship. I made it about 5 miles or so onto the course when my rear derailuer destroyed it self along with my one piece steel hanger, rendering my bike unrideable and my frame unuseable. I was pretty bummed as I walked out the woods, I called up Lummis and told him my deal. Lucky for me he had his spare Quiring on stand by, so after a couple hours of swapping parts we came up with a soild ride that was pretty close to my same position. I was pretty confident with the bike after a little ride on it, steel rigid forks and v-brakes make for one fast machine.

Onto the race...

Did a solid warm up with the crew and it was race time. On the start line I saw my seatpost had slipped down a little, I adjusted it up and cranked it down, not thinking anything of it. Typical O2S start as we hammered down the pavement and onto the dirt, I took the nice smooth line along the railroad tracks and no one followed me. Ended up with a solid gap letting me ride nice and easy until the luge climb, lead the group up the climb and let someone else take over at the top, but no one wanted to pull. We rode really easy through Ishpeming with a huge group. Lummis lifted the pace before the power line hills and strung out the group, I took over at the hills and kept the pace nice and high. Ended up with a gap, Brian Matter bridged across and the race was set. Before misery hill i noticed my seatpost was slipping down, by the time we got onto the pavement it was down about 4 inches. I didnt have a wrench and wasnt sure if i should stop and get one and let Brian go. I either could try to hang onto Brian for the rest of race and probably get 2nd pretty easily. Or stop adjust it and have to race the other guys for 2nd place. I decided to tough it out and try to ride it the rest of the way. I told Brian what my plan was and said he had a 25 mile TT to do if he wanted to win. After about 25 miles of mostly standing up my legs were pretty sore, but I was able to hang on for 2nd place, 2 seconds behind Brian. I think he would have been pretty tough to beat even if i didnt have any problems. He led the last half of the race and we were still 5 minutes up on 3rd place.

The race turned out pretty good considering all the problems, and was happy with the result. 3rd place last year, 2nd place this year. A huge thanks to Lummis for letting me race his bike, I would have been done for without him. Thanks to all the sponsors for the great equipment. Next up a journey into foreign country for some WORS racing and then Chequemegon.

Post race report:

Everybody LOVES Free Beer Tickets!

The Party @ Up Front and Company was a blast the band rocked the racers drank and free swag was given out ! Thank you Bells Brewery for always making these huge events even more special. BIG THANK you to Larry Bell, Jim Parks and Jason Reicherts for always being supportive of our team...
More appreciation for sponsoring help:
STANS NO TUBES the best wheels for 29ers
OAKLEY keeping our vision clear as we rip thru the dirt
CRANKBROTHERS pedals, skewers and headsets
GEAX tires roll fast and grip well
LOUIS GARNEAU great clothing, helmets and shoes
Alferd E Bikes shop support
ABERDEEN BIKE shop support

JOBERON BI-MONTHLY Report

2009-08-09T07:14:00.001-04:00

Some Summer Racing

What a way to kick off the summer MTB season. 6 big laps around Stoney Creek Metropark's MTB trails. 60 miles of racing in the end and over 4 hours of saddle time. As always I was concerned my legs would cramp. My goal was to watch my fluid and calorie intake closer than I have in the past. Thankfully it helped in the end as I didn't really have issues until the last lap. And the leg cramps were minor in comparison to previous years. I didn't have to stop once and was able to push it all the way to the finish. The cooler temps this time around helped a bit too.

My teammate Jason took the hole shot and rode right through the finish chute by mistake. Hilarious! He was quickly back on track and leading us all out. We exited the first bit of single track and Jason was gapping us already. He flew down the first lose descent and I was following 10 second back. Shortly after Christian Tanguy(Fraser) caught me and I hopped on his wheel. He ended up bringing me, Greg Kuhn(Fraser) and Randy Laprarie(Macomb) back up to Jason. Christian make a strong move taking Randy with him as Greg, Jason and I chased. I somehow managed to hang on to the hard chargin Greg and Jason duo as they brought a fatiguing Randy back. Christian was long gone leaving us to race for 2nd. The pace was high for the first few laps eventually dropping Randy and leaving me to fight for survival. Greg and Jason traded pulls until the 4th or 5th lap when I poked my head into the wind in a attempt to contribute all I could. On the final lap we had a bit of a bobble with some lapped traffic and Greg attacked hard. By the time Jason and I could react he was gone and rolled in for that 2nd spot. Jason and I worked together to keep a roaring Robert Herriman(American Cycle and Fit) from catching us. Jason 3rd and I took the 4th spot and made the podium. I was pretty stoked. On a sad note, our cooler was stolen which housed my turkey on whole wheat and, sit down for this, a sixer of Oberon. I still haven't recovered from this malicious attack.

Next up was Big M. I was invited to crash for the weekend at my friend Randy's super secret training and hunting lodge(I'm not at liberty to disclose the location). It was perfect peaceful backwoods race prep. Saturday morning we downed some super secret go fast breakfast and headed out to the North Country Trail. Randy took me on a kick ass tour of some of the best single track Michigan has to offer. During I discovered the trails were dialed but my bike was not. My carbon fiber crank arm was lose and moving in unwanted directions. We continued with our ride anyway and returned to base camp a few hours later. We did our best to fix the problem but it turns out things had gone pear shaped. The carbon fiber had stretched around the spindle. At that point we decided it was time for dinner and that I'd be racing a bum bike. We brewed up a covert Bell's/Quiring Team original pre race meal which was enjoyed while watching Le Tour. Brought to us via satellite. After a good nights rest we were up and eating one of those go fast breakfasts again. I loaded the car, filled bottles and rolled out to the race. It was a beautiful morning. After a short warm up we were at the line ready for 5 laps of all our war. The race started super fast with Greg Kuhn(Fraser) at the head of affairs. Followed by Christian "The Flying Frenchman" Tanguy(Fraser), Mark Parmelee(Cycletherapy), myself, Jason and a host of others. As soon as we hit the hills Christian made a move with only Jason reacting. I stayed with the others. Christian took another jab losing Jason. The Frenchman disappeared as Greg reeled in my teammate. Those two were throwing down as the rest followed. At the end of lap one Jason and Greg gapped my group on the big sandpit of a downhill. It was then I noticed my rear brake was lacking...brakes and functioning poorly. I survived and hopped on Mark Parmelee's wheel. The chase to Greg and Jason was on. On lap two as we hit the hills we started to bring them back. I was hanging on best I could until the catch was made. Then, another surge and I blew up. I did my best to recover and limit my losses. I hit the sandy downhill again and nearly went into the trees. This continued for a couple more laps. I was going backwards. Couldn't put the power down and certainly couldn't rip the downhills. On my fourth lap my rear rotor blew to pieces. Again putting me into the woods. I survived, stopped and checked the damage. I had to bend the remnants of the rotor away from the spokes. Initially I thought my ride was over but Randy spotted me and forced me to ride on. Which I did and I managed to finish with a front brake only. Naturally not what I had hoped for at Big M but it was fun ride in the end. And I got one heck of a lap and a half interval in. Thanks Randy for your hospitality and I'd also like to thank Jason Bowne(Cross Country Cycle) and his family for the water bottle hand ups.

Thanks for reading. See you at the next one.

Joberon

2009 MID SUMMER NIGHTS BEER PARTY

2009-07-31T07:36:00.001-04:00

Yes folks---- Bells Brewery along with the Up Front and Company, Marquette MI will be hosting the 3rd annual Ore to Shore After party. Bells Brewery swag, jerseys and a few other items will be given out at the festivities. A select number of entrants to the Up Front and company will receive a Party T-shirt.

Joberon will be hosting a dance contest @ 11pm, bring your best break dancing moves. Brian Matter the challenge has been set !

Live BAND: Lubriphonic

Race #6 in The tailwinds USAC series BIG M

2009-07-22T08:21:00.006-04:00

Joberon and Jason Lummis made the trip up to the Manistee national forest race this past weekend. Big M XC ski area is located west of Wellston and east of Manistee MI. 17 Elite racers showed up to the start line for a beautiful day of racing !
The race was fast and furious with just over 5 miles per lap, lap times averaged around 22.5 minutes for each of the 5 laps.
Joberon had some brakes issues, his rear rotor came apart mid race and finished 13th with just a front brake on this up and down course. Joe never quit and that is what we appreciate the most about Joe.
Jason finished 3rd and moved up to the lead in the series overall.

Joberons rotor after the race:

RESULTS

SERIES STANDINGS

Photographers:
ANDREA TUCKER http://www.tuckerbikes.com/
HANS NYBERG http://www.tenmilemedia.smugmug.com/

BTR Kalamazoo Circuit Race

2009-07-18T07:14:00.002-04:00

J.Meyers BTR Kalamazoo Circuit Race recap!
I Hit the road for two races over this past weekend. Race #1 Placed 4th. in the Masters 45+ in the field sprint. Race #2 finished 2nd. in Cat. 3's. A little Air time for the team with a solo break for the final 30 + minutes of the race! A single rider bridged up with about 10 minutes to go and the two of us kept the 4 man chase group and field from bridging to us......I was extremely happy with a second place in the Cat. 3's! Went down later in the evening and spent some race money at Bell's Cafe'!!!! Next stop Ore to Shore!!!!

TAILWIND USAC series stop #5 Stony Creek Marathon Race

2009-06-28T15:16:00.003-04:00

Jason Lummis and Joberon attended the 5th stop in the Tailwind.net USAC series..... Jason 3rd and Joberon 4th for the day.....Jason had a nice crash 5 miles into the 60 mile race (photo of the hole after the race below)

JOBERON checks IN

2009-06-24T17:57:00.001-04:00

Spring Into Summer

With summer finally and officially kicking off I thought it was time for a spring report. After a long winter I started getting the itch to race in April. I didn't have quite the winter full of riding and training that I have in the past and knew I'd be a bit behind. I was really hoping to enjoy the events I selected with no pressure and focus on gaining fitness.

I kicked off the season with a point to point event in Ontario. I traveled up with Mike and Michelle Simonson(Gary Fisher) the day prior to the Paris Ancaster. After a short pre ride we had a great Italian meal thanks to Mike's internet research. From there it was a visit to the hotel hot tub then a good nights rest. The race for me was pretty uneventful. Nothing fancy. No preferred starts, no bottle feeds and no race specific bike set up. Just point and shoot. After the crazy mass start and a long rail trail section I managed to work my way up within the top 50. As soon as we hit the decisive right hander onto a loose climb my chain jammed between my cassette and spokes. It took minutes to fix as I watched the masses go by. I wasn't too fussed as I pressed on. Eventually I worked myself over and found a group that was my speed. I attacked through the infamous mudslides and was able to leave the group and pick off a few others on my way to 55th and a super muddy Quiring 29er MTB.

A week later it was the kickoff of the Tailwind(www.tailwind.net) USAC-MTB Michigan State Championship Series. The venue, Pontiac Lake. This one was a TT format with two 10 mile laps. Conditions were wet and muddy which isn't unusual in April. Besides a hard crash on lap one due to a tree root and a pedal I had a solid ride and snuck my way on the podium with my teammates Jason and Mike. 5th for me, 3rd for Lummis and the win to Mike. Go Team!

Next on the docket was the classic Fort Custer Stampede(www.mmba.org). I started feeling like a bike racer again as I had a solid 1st lap. Lap 2 I faded but recovered quickly and worked to keep the laps consistent. Which I did until the last lap leg cramps set in. I ended in 5th not too far back and departed happily to the post race action at the Bell's Brewery Beer Garden. Heaven on earth.

The next race turned out to be the greatest of my spring campaign. A family van road trip out to Boston to meet my new Niece Zofia. She was born on May 14th and we rolled Clark W. Griswold style and arrived mid day Friday. In between Zofia's feedings and diaper changes I cruised the city and chased down commuters and couriers on my MTB. Once I'd raised enough hell I'd return to hang with the family and eat the best pizza ever, The Upper Crust(www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com). Check it out if you find yourself in Beantown.

Eventually the family truckster returned, the pizza was digested and the next thing I knew I was lining up at Bloomer Park.Race #2 in the USAC State Series. I had a good start but found myself quite uncomfortable. Perhaps that’s why I chose to slide out on wet grass and take a breather. That's all it took for me to lose sight of the front runners for good. I rode out a couple laps with Jamie Parker(Specialized) and Cory Stange(Cyclefit) which kept me motivated. The last couple laps were solid enough that I was able to separate myself from my companions to roll in for 6th. With a sizeable time gap to the guys in front of me I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Much work to be done.

The last weekend in May was the 3rd stop for the Tailwind crew. The Brighton Stage Race. Two days, three races. Saturday a TT and short track and the XC on Sunday. Our powerhouse teammate Mike Anderson came down to test his new Quiring rig. Jason was available for the full weekend as was I. Things looked positive for Bell's/Quiring. The TT went excellent with all three of us in the top 5. Mike whaled on everyone and after one stage looked to have the event locked up. Crazy! With Mike and Jason in the top 3 they were sitting pretty. I was, at the very least, looking to maintain my position after the short track. After a great start and some friendly teammates I was able to form a gap. Eventually Lummis got ants in his pants and bridged. Bam! Joe and Jason off the front. Sweet! At some point during lap two Anderson launched from the chasers leaving them all in his wake. He bridged. Even sweeter. Mike, Jason and Joe off the front and opening the gap. Mike pulled Jason and I along and eventually I popped. I was able to stay strong and keep the chasers at bay to make it a Bell's 1-2-3! Very cool. Coming into Sunday's XC Mike and Jason had 1st and 2nd scooped up. I was one second out of 3rd behind Mark Parmelee(Cycletherapy). Anderson took the whole shot and I sat second wheel. Towards the end of lap one I was struggling to stay with our teammate. This was a long race and I needed to be smart. Mike was long gone and left Jason and I to contend with both Jamie Parker(Specialized) and Mark. Shortly before starting our final lap Mark crashed slowing up Jamie and I and off went Jason. Jamie and I worked to get back into our rhythm not seeing Mark nor Jason again until the finish. On the final lap Jamie was having a bike issue and I took of in pursuit of that 3rd spot. Mission accomplished. A Bell's/Quiring 1-2-3 overall. Go team!

Ruby Campground was stop number four. I was 50/50 on attending all week. With poor sleep and lousy legs I had nearly pulled the plug. I rode the day prior and couldn't get out of my own way. Ruby is not my style of a course. I was concerned I'd feel the same come race day which would be torture on that trail. So...while I was driving to Ruby Sunday morning I was hoping for a miracle. Sometimes, you know how it is, you can have no legs one day and great the next. This would not be the case on this day. I felt just as I did the day prior. After the first bit of single track I was going backwards. We hit the first river crossing and I searched for a booze cruise. I did not want to continue. But somehow I fought off those demons and pressed on. I noticed that my first lap was only 24 minutes. A quick bit of math and I new I'd be done in around 2hrs. So that's what I did. I rode my bike for a couple hours on Sunday. I even landed a podium spot for 5th place due to Cory Stange's late race misfortune. A flat.

So that's my spring as I recall. Thanks a lot for reading. Next stop is the Stony Creek Marathon this weekend. This is a true summer opener. I'm sure it'll be HOT as per usual. Me, the heat and the endurance specialists. Should be a fun. It's on Saturday so you know what that means. Post party time!!!

Happy summer everyone!

Joberon

LUMBERJACK 100 ---- 2009 edition

2009-06-22T20:33:00.004-04:00

Jason Lummis and John Meyers attended the 5th annual 100 mile race in the Manistee National Forest near Wellston MI. After 7:28 minutes Jason and John finished 8th and 9th places..

RESULTS

THE START OF THE 100 MILE RACE: FROM GREG KUHN

THE START OF THE OUTER LOOP 1ST LAP: GREG KUHN VIDEO

MORE 2009 Team Frames from QUIRING CYCLES

2009-06-12T06:52:00.003-04:00

Jason's 2009 QUIRING CYCLES Cyclocross frame made from steel:

Joe and Erin's 2009 QUIRING CYCLES 29er frames made of steel:

Tailwinds race #3 USAC series BRIGHTON STAGE RACE

2009-05-31T19:47:00.004-04:00

BELLS Brewery MTB 1 2 3.......Mike Anderson, Jason Lummis and Joe Brzuchanski participated in The Brighton Stage race this past weekend. Day 1 saturday was a Time Trial in the am and then a Short Track in the afternoon. Day 2 was a 40 mile XC.
After day 1 Mike was leading with Jason in 2nd and Joberon in a tight battle for 3rd sitting in 4th. Day 2 the team rode away with the race as Mike won, Jason 2nd and Joberon 3rd....

RESULTS

Podium via cell phone:

Video of XC race by Jan Mack:

TAILWINDS USAC SERIES RACE #2: BLOOMER PARK XC

2009-05-25T01:15:00.008-04:00

Jason Lummis and Joberon attended the 2nd stop for the tailwinds series. Jason finished 4th and Joe 6th. The course was great and the resurrection of the stair climb made the race even better.

RESULTS: TAILWIND.NET

Video of the start from Tom Lining (luv2mtb.com)

Relaxing at the start =): Photo Tom Lining (luv2mtb.con)

JOBERON:luv2mtb.com

Lummis:luv2mtb.com

Race report:
Bloomer Park XC 5 laps of fun ! Due to water on the course a week ago this race was rescheduled for this past Sunday. A few nice changes to a course, I have raced at probably 15 times, made the maze of twisty single track to dbl track transitions a little fresher. Great job Art and Bloomer crew, as well as Robert from tailwinds for a different course. The stair climb section made the race (I have not raced the stair climb at this course for what seems like 7yrs) !
I jumped the whistle at the start and sat up for a sec so everyone could catch back up, =0), ooops. The race was on as I sat 2nd wheel to Kuhn, down the sled hill and back up. Great race as Tanguy reeled us in then dropped us on his home course. Lapped traffic was not fun on this twisty course and I lost 10-15 secs to Kuhn a few times. Crashed into a lapper and had to get off the bike to re-tighten my front skewer. Battled with a Stange bro and Parmelee for 2.5 laps and just miissed out on 2nd by a less than 20secs and 3rd by 2secs. I had a few chances to try something for 3rd but just never really pulled the trigger and the sprint was weak as lapped traffic was present to th end. Thanks ERIN for water bottles on the silver platter, you did a great job as we sailed thru the Start/finish.
Next race: BRIGHTON STAGE RACE

FORT CUSTER XC

2009-05-06T13:37:00.004-04:00

FORT CUSTER XC RACE MMBA SERIES STOP #2:
John Meyers and Joe Brzuchanski attended the race.....JM Finished 3rd and Joberon 5th

RESULTS

JOHN MEYERS:

JM race report:
Fort Custer 2009 is in the books! Had a solid race and finished 3rd Elite. Our matched finishing time was 2:24:22. John Cowan took a couple pulls on the flats to the start/finish and gave me a few minutes of relief each lap but 99% of the laps 2-4 I was able ride steady tempo and firm pressure....nice to have John on my wheel for company!! Tough Luck to Joberon who finished fifth with a missed turn in first lap! Thanks to Larry Bell Joe, Erin and John had a few brews after the race at the pub to celebrate the great day!!!!!! Next stop Tour of Kensington in Ann Arbor....let's see I can race 1 -2's, 35+, or 45+??????

JOBERON: clean cut

Mike Andersons 29er frame

2009-05-01T07:23:00.001-04:00

2009 Bells Brewery/ Quiring Cycle MTB team paint scheme....

PLRA TT ---TAILWIND USAC SERIES RACE #1

2009-04-26T19:58:00.004-04:00

1st race of the MI USAC series by Tailwinds.net :

Mike Anderson, Joe Brzuchanski and Jason Lummis attended the race. Mike won with a time of 1:17 and change for the 2 lap 20 mile TT. Jason Lummis 3rd with a 1:20 and Joberon 5th for a Bells Team flooding of the podium....

RESULTS

Mike--Jason and Joe

Jason Lummis at the finish..

2 races down---- JM checks in........

2009-04-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

Race season has started!
Race #1
I was a bit hesitant to start the race season with a 3 to 4 hour grave road race this year but I went a head and decided to kick start. The new spring classic in Michigan is the Barry-Roubaix! I finished 5th. Elite! Awesome race! There were 40 starters in the elite class. First lap split was about 1hour 36 minutes. Finishing time 3:21:34.
This is the new Michigan spring classic! Great race Rick Plite!
Race #2
Yankee springs finished 5th. Elite!!! 27 starters in the Elite class! This was my second time on trail this year. Had some Rear derailleur chain problems....off the bike three times maybe loss of 60 seconds! Time for some bike maintenance. Next stop Fort Custer May 3rd. Thanks to all the great sponsors! The bikes, beers, wheels, and the shades are awesome!

THE START OF BARRY ROUBIAX !

JOHN MEYERS Yankee Springs TT

OBERON 2009 It is HERE !!!!!!!!

2009-03-30T19:04:00.001-04:00

OAKLEY ------

2009-03-26T21:56:00.003-04:00

John Meyers and his twin Brother John Meyers sporting the 2009 Oakley team eye race wear !

John 1st

John 2nd

ICEMAN 2009 Registration is TONIGHT @ 7pm.....

2009-02-27T15:19:00.005-05:00

DO NOT MISS OUT ! The race is just half the fun..........

ICEMAN REGISTRATION blew up...postponed to Monday March 2nd 7pm...Good Luck all...

STAY TUNED THE SITE BLEW UP AGAIN !!!!!

MAIL IN ENTRIES POSTED MARKED BY THE 7th Of March <<<<<<<>

2008 Iceman Promo from Masher Media:

2009 JERSEY -- see below--

2009-01-07T08:29:00.003-05:00

Erin Vicary created the 2009 jersey which will be available sometime in March.

Louis Garneau is creating the jerseys for us this year, as well as providing us with MTB shoes and Helmets.

2009 SKINSUIT

2009 JERSEY

We welcome back Louis Garneau (jersey 2007) and Geax Tires (2007) and a New sponsor from Kzoo MI Alferd E. Bike has been added to our list.

Big THANKS to our SPONSORS for another year of support for our love of Bikes, beer and racing:

BELLS BEER

QUIRING CYCLES

STANS NO TUBES

CRANKBROTHERS

ABERDEEN BIKE

OAKLEY EYEWEAR

OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

HOPSLAM is just around the corner

....mmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Merry XMAS Ya'll

2008-12-14T22:22:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Help send Brian Matter To EURO CROSS CAMP

2008-12-03T07:02:00.005-05:00

THE ONLY MIDWEST TRIPLE CROWN WINNER !

Please help send Brian Matter to Euro cross camp for the CX World Championships trainning and qualifying. http://www.b-matter.blogspot.com/ . Brian has a Paypal account link set up on his blogger to help fund his CX racing journey to Europe (brimatter@hotmail.com ). Brian grew up here in MI (Pinckney) and cut his cycling teeth at the Poto. Brian has finished at all the USPG and UCI races here in the states and wants to take his form to Europe.

Brian at the recent Jingle cross in Iowa (check out Brians Blog for race reports and happenings)

Brian at the line of The Boyne Fall race 1999 (Nice stacked field for the Elite start)

ICEMAN 2008 Jason Lummis edition

2008-11-15T06:20:00.006-05:00

Lummis report:

The 2008 Iceman was another great event. The weather was perfect and the course fast. The competition was fierce and strong.
I came into this race ready to have fun and ride strong. My parents, brother/sister inlaw and wife/son all came up for the BIG race. Kathy, Zack and I drove up Friday afternoon to meet up with the Simonster, Stewy, Doyle, Randy and Cruise for a preride of the course. It was a really nice and the course was fast. A good relaxing preride was done and off to check into the hotel, then dinner and then a quick Iceman # pickup and back to the hotel for a early night.

Race day : My son Zack likes to get up early, try 5:30am, while my race was at 2:30pm. Z and I hung around till the Omellete Shoppe opened at 7:30 am. We then hung out around the hotel pool till about noon and headed out to Kalkaska so Zack would nap in the van as we drove around for awhile.

Kalkaska--- We parked at the school around 1pm, I dressed and used my steel bike for a warm up bike as it was still sleeting on and off. Stewy calls me as I am heading out (SS)"My FS Anthem shock isn't holding air", (JL) " Man I told you not to bring that FS bike back to MICHIGAN", (SS) " Can I ride your steel Quiring", (JL) " Yeah sure, 1 gear 34/15, and you will be spun out and 23 mph on the flats, Oh yeah and your like 7" shorter than me"........ And then I just kept riding the course backwards to get a warm up. Check the clock ooops, I am going to cut this close. I got back with about 25 minutes to start (sorry Stewy), Scott had to remove the fenders on the bike and adjust the seat height. A quick change into my race gear and to the line in about 3rd or 4th row. I had set my STANS Crow and Raven on my 355 ZTR rims to 25 psi which was perfect for the pre ride and the cousre at hand. I notice the large selection of Road Pro's and Cat 1/2 guys in the field, this is going to be a hard start. GOOOOOOOOO and the choas begins. I get pinched in in the middle, literally fight my way to the outside and start moving up. Since the course is very OPEN, the the use of the weeds and straightening out corners is the best way to get around racers. The fact that if your not moving forward, you WILL be going backwards, is a struggle for most and a battle for all. If the racer if front of you is pedaling then stay on his wheel if he stops for a second and you don't pass him you will be passed by others quickly. In the first 10 minutes there is no sitting in, just to the wall speed, energy and aggression. I hooked onto Joberon as he was blasting thru the field, I bounced a few guys as they tried to get on Joe's wheel but I was there. We came to the single track connector between to sections of 2 track. Problem 1 a rider over extended his abilities and now was gaping us from the lead group. The trail opened up and we where around the slower racer chasing some very fast guys ahead. A few hard pulls by a couple guys (notably Joe's buddy Sven putting a huge pull to bring us back in the race), as we catch the group we hit a sandy uphill where I choose the wrong line and was off the bike chasing again. A few guys came off the lead group as they where 25-30 secs up the trail. John Doyle, Jake R. and I seem to be at the front of the second group most the time, with Doyle animating the pace consistently. I put a few hard efforts in to try and shake things up some, especially on the 2 track to dirt road transitions (WWMSD?). We had a group 0f 6 or so at Williamsburg and we picked up Stu from Canada shortly after the crossing. Stu would get to the front and we would slow down, Doyle would go around him and then repeat. The canadian was thinking he was the strongest, but he was not. The race was coming to an end quickly, I was feeling great. I was at the front as we caught Travis Brown and as we hit the hill with about 6 to go. Chris Peasario put a little effort to pick it up, as he was being annoyed by the canadian. Back together we rolled towards the finish with Doyle at point. I was staying in the front 3 at all times as we hit the final single track and the short steep climb, Sam Shultz was at the top trying to get his chain on. I knew we had been racing for 9th, but now 8th opened up. Doyle stayed on the front and I was on his wheel as the group started to splinter. We filed thru the last single track then up a hill, Doyle in front, me then Chris P., just hanging on. And that was how we finished, we all kicked to the line at 1:30. For my fastest Iceman and another 9th place. The field keeps getting stronger and my placing stays the same. Great Job to My teammates, Anderson rocked it, Erin rocked, JM won it, Joberon worked it, JAJ survived it and Q built it. Big thanks to our sponsors BELLS BREWERY, QUIRING CYCLES, STANS NO TUBES, CRANKBROTHERS, OAKLEY, ABERDEEN BIKE for all the support in our racing en devours.

---JL

Video of the 2nd group rolling towards the front group (Sven is on the front)

Hitting Williamsburg with Doyle and Jack

My son zack and I

( is that Uncle Fester in the background?)

Nana, Zack and Papa (aka Superfans)

ICEMAN 08 Mike Anderson edition 3rd place overall

2008-11-13T06:18:00.011-05:00

The Anderson report:

Finish video:

After a lot of anticipation the 2008 iceman is in the books. This race has always been one of my favorites, and I look forward to it every year. I decided to drive over Saturday morning, being our start was at 2:30 in the afternoon. After a solid warmup and a few sprints with the Simonster, i was ready to go. The start was a little chaotic, with the underpowered roadies diving for the front line. I was about 3rd row right next to Sam Shultz. After a couple inside lines on the first couple turns I'm sitting top 5 and feeling comfortable. B-matter said you know your feeling good when the start of Iceman feels slow, I was ready for battle. I continued to follow wheels for the first 5 miles, the lead group was way bigger than last year and had me questioning if we were going fast. After Smith Lake road I took a little dig to test the waters, Bishop reels it back in. Back to following wheels, the group started to shrink one rider at a time. A few miles before Willamsburg Rd. Andy Shultz puts in a little move. The gap got pretty big, about 30 seconds. Simonster didn't like it and called B-matter and me out to chase. No Response. Right before a little technical downhill, I put in a acceleration and string out the group through Willamsburg Rd. Andy came back pretty fast and I was waiting for the counter attack. Nothing. Bishop pulls through and kept it pretty fast, I take a look behind me and see Sam Shultz and the Simonster gaped off, but they clawed back on. Weaknesses are starting to show. We hit the hills, and the legs still fell good. On the climb before Anitas hill, Bishop, Matter, and Marko roll away from the group. I wait for Andy and Colin Cares to jump across, but they do nothing. I jump across and tell Bishop we need to jam on it, we needed to accelerate hard to split the train, but we didn't go hard enough. When I pull through I some how ended up getting a good gap, and come to my first regret of the 2008 Iceman. I had the gap and didn't put in the effort to make it stick, I needed to fly up Anitas Hill, but I stayed within myself and B-matter closed the gap. Back to following wheels. Some how the group is still together, as we come into the last woodchip hill Bishop and B-matter jam on it. Andy Shultz and Colin Cares seperate me from the front of the race, I try to make a pass before the single track, but Colin shuts the door. My second regret of the 2008 Iceman, poor positioning on the last hill. Colin and Andy let the race roll away. When we spill out onto a open section, I make the pass and put down whats left. Round the last turn to see Bishop take the win and B-matter close behind. 3rd place.
Oh so close, this was one of the better races this year and I was happy with how I road, the power was there, the experience was not. Congrats to Brian, he always rides the smartest race, follow his wheel and your guaranteed to be in for a good finish. This was great way to start off with BELLS, I look forward to next season. Thanks everyone at BELLS for accepting me to the BELLs squad.
thanks
Mike

Mike hitting Williamsburg rd.

ICEMAN 08 John Meyers Edition

2008-11-12T18:27:00.002-05:00

Iceman 08' Race report.

1st place Expert Men 40-45

This year was my 15th time racing the iceman! Were have all the years gone? The first year was clear back in 92' when Kinetics Systems racer Peter Noverr won.This years race I had hoped to repeat with a win but was feeling a little tired and weak? I was able to get a great start fast thru the first few miles until my front tire slid out on a simple lightly twisty flat section? I remember rolling thru in my warm-up and sliding a little but did not think anything of it. I hit really hard...bike and body! When I got up I could feel my right side but not thinking about anything else but getting back on to start the chase. When I got back to my bike I found that my stem had twisted which required a couple minutes to re-align. It took about 12 miles to pass hundreds of riders and bridge back to the leaders...somehow I was able to keep track of how many had gone by. The last 10 miles or so consisted of the three of us working and trading pulls. When we reached the last mile or so things were slowing down a bit so I decided that remaining in the front and controlling a higher speed was my best option and also not knowing how the new changed finish was going to play out. With about 1k. to go there was on attack by 2nd. place finisher Jeff Wittbrodt. I chased and tagged his rear wheel. He and I surged back and forth thru the sections of single track and I finally was able to punch it past him in the last section of the single track to get back to the front for the win. Just as so as I finished and gave a congrats to Jeff I felt the pain on my right side surging. The evening at the awards and the Sunset party was over the top.... The best part of the weekend was finishing and winning the prized jersey for my son Jozef so he could wear to school on monday for show and tell. He really wanted me to win so he could show off to the class....a very big deal! As I found out later that day from his teacher at confrences that Joe was the hit of the Day. Monday I also went in for X-rays and found out that I have three cracked ribs! Ouch! Was hoping to return to Waterford for the State Cx race in December but that may have to wait a year. A big thank you to Larry Bell, Scott Quiring, Jim Parks ( great time hanging after the race), Kelley Kronberg (Oakley rep.), Robert Kennedy (#1 mechanic), Clif Bar, Stans and all of my Teammates you guys Rock and Roll!.....It's been an awesome year!!!! How many wins? How many podium finishes? How many National titles? I lost track! Looking forward to even bigger things in 09'John.

ICEMAN 08 continued the Joberon edition

2008-11-12T06:44:00.004-05:00

JOBERON RACE REPORT:

ICEMAN

It's cold. My ears are ringing. Legs sore. The Taco Bell I ate on the way home isn't sitting well. Sounds like post Iceman depression. With the pro race staring at 2:30 on Saturday it seems it's all over in the blink of an eye. Next thing you know you're back at work asking, "what just happened". The 2008 Iceman has come and gone and marks the end of another fun season. It was a supercharged rip roarin' finale that I'll never forget. This year was extra special as my parents and lots of friends made the trip up for their first Iceman experience. My good friend and training buddy Sven even made it over from Germany for a crack at race. This was my 3rd shot at the Pro Class and I had worked hard in hopes of finally having a good race. In the end it was probably my best ride of the 3 attempts but not my best race, or legs, this season. Physically I believe I was ready but my mind really got the best of me leading up to this Midwest cycling superbowl. I started towards the back of the group and had to delicately work my way forward. It's total mayhem during the start. Nothing quite like it. As hard as it is it's really quite a rush. I managed to get myself positioned pretty well within the first couple of miles. Unfortunately the trail narrowed not allowing riders to pass. A gap formed and off went a lead group. Eventually the trail opened up with the leaders still in sight. I charged to the front of my group and tried to chase. I made a fair attempt but realized the legs just weren't there for such a effort. Moments later the chase group reeled me in and we chased together. We were gaining on the front runners but slowly. Suddenly a rider comes flying by on the left side and it was none other than my buddy Sven. We jumped on his wheel and within a minute we were back with the leaders. It was awesome! The lead group must have been 25-30 strong at that point. It didn't last long however as the pace was lifted and the climbs were cracking guys. Myself included. Off in the distance I could see the heads of state drifting away. The group I was in was packed with powerhouses. We were hammering away as we entered some downhill single track. Teammate Jason drilled it Lummis style on the decent and immediately formed a gap. Sweet! I stayed put in the group which eventually swelled to 10 or so. We reached the Williamsburg Road party crossing and I felt so so in the group. I tested myself on a few climbs and felt I was climbing as well as everyone around me but I didn't have enough to try to get away. I ended up riding within myself noticing guys starting to pop off the group with 5 to go. Not long after I made a small attack on a downhill that separated myself, TJ Woodruff(Gear Grinder/BMC) and Derek Graham(Bissell). TJ ended up leading us all the way into the finish single track and eventually to the line giving me 19th for the second year in a row. Not the result I was hoping for but certainly respectable considering the talent that surrounded me this year. The field was stacked with talented riders and it really came down to who was feeling it that day. I congratulate all who finished. Especially my team. Great job to you all. After the race, thanks to my family and friends, we were able to get all riders, bikes, gear and party supplies where they needed to be. My head was spinning. Due to the time crunch we weren't able to make the awards. Bummer. We cleaned up, wolfed down a couple pizzas and headed over to prepare for the 2008 Bell's MTB Team Sunset On The Season Party. This year we moved the madness over to The Loading Dock which ended up working out great. It was still super packed but wasn't too bad and the tight fit really helped me stay upright. My bro set up and started spinning some tunes around 9PM which got us all ramped up for the main event...The Orbitsuns. The band showed up shortly after 10 and fired up about a half an hour later. Heart rates were high as these guys jammed the tunes. They didn't take a single break and had everyone on their feet dancing well into the night. They did not disappoint. I had a blast and enjoyed seeing everyone there. Thank you to all who came out and A BIG THANKS to Bell's Brewery, The Loading Dock and The Orbitsuns for one helluva night. My only question is, can we make it bigger and better next year??? Also, special thank you to our sponsors; Quiring Cycles, Bells Brewery, Aberdeen Bike and Fitness, Oakley, Stans No Tubes, Clif, Crank Bros, Paint Creek Bicycles and Pearl Izumi. I'm already looking forward to 2009. Climb on everyone. And, of course, HAUL ASS! Joberon

Joberon in the pack at Williamsburgh

Sven leading the pack before Williamsburgh Rd

Jason and Sven post race...

ICEMAN COMETH

2008-11-09T16:35:00.009-05:00

ICEMAN 08 is in the books.... Mike Anderson 3rd < Erin Vicary 5th < Jason Lummis 9th < Joberon 19th < John Meyers 1st age group < Jason Jones 18th 40+ Single Geared class

Results

GPS of Jason's Race

Photos from the Biz of the Cycletherapy Mtb Team

Mike Anderson 3rd Place Overall Pro Open Men

Erin Vicary 5th Place Womens Pro Open

Guest Super Stud Scott Stewart Raced for the Bells Team at Iceman & Rolled in at 25th on Jason Lummis' Steel 29er set up single geared 34x15. It was a little to small of a gear for the Pro class and Scott did great spinning his way on a bike that was built for a 6'3" person and not Scott.

A Few party Pics As well

More to come in the following days !

Send any photos to bellsbrewery_quiringcycles@charter.net we give credit to all...... Any good race or party stories let us hear about them !

BELLS BREWERY 7th ANNUAL SUNSET ON THE SEASON PARTY

2008-11-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

GET READY TO HAUL ASS !

Come join us at the Loading Dock after the Iceman awards starting @ 8:30 pm (21yrs old and over $5 cover) SWAG, FUN and a great Beer selection

Video by: the Brzuchanski Bros.
Music by: The Orbitsuns
Starring: JOBERON, ERACER and the Bells Brewery/Quiring Cycles MTB team

STANS NO TUBES RAVEN CX 35c tires

2008-10-26T17:57:00.008-04:00

Jason Lummis:
Stans No Tubes just sent us some of the New RAVEN 29er tires. Basically they are the No Tubes Crows with more of a side knob !!!!! We also received some of the 35c tubeless ready Raven CX tires. So all you CX nuts take note. You don't have to buy super expense tires that require you to glue them onto your wheels anymore. this tire at 330grams is light and tubeless. I can't wait to try them out next weekend at the http://www.tailwind.net/ CX races in Ann Arbor Nov.1 and 2nd.

It took me about 6 minutes to install the CX tires on my ZTR 29er wheels. I pulled my tubeless valve stem out, mounted 1 side of the raven installed a 23c tube and installed the tire. Inflated it to about 40 psi (until the tire bead locked to the side wall). Deflated the tube removed one side of the tire from the rim and removed the tube. Installed the tubeless valve stem added 1 scoop of Stans No Tube liquid, re-installed tire and inflated to 30 psi. Did the No Tubes spin and shake and I was done. @ http://www.notubes.com/ thereare plenty of videos to help you install the yellow tape and valve stem to make just about any rim tubeless.

The CX tire I was using tubeless = heavy

The new RAVEN 35c CX tire

23-45 psi 330gram all weather CX tire

Mounted to a ZTR 355 Stans No Tubes 29er wheel

Another view of the tire mounted

Next will be the new Raven 29er mounted to the front and a Crow on the Rear for the Iceman.

GET READY TO GET ROWDY !

2008-10-21T21:11:00.000-04:00

Come join the Bells Team for an end of the season celebration !
IT IS ON !
November 8th after the Awards.
BAND: THE ORBITSUNS

Peak to Peak another win for the Team

2008-10-21T20:09:00.004-04:00

ERIN, JOBERON and the newest Addition to the BELLS BREWERY/QUIRING CYCLES MTB Team Mike Anderson ( Alpena Michigan) attended the 2nd running of the Peak to Peak Mountain Bike Classic at Crystal Mountain Resort Thompsonville MI.

Erin took the Big "W" in the womens Open class
Mike Anderson battled The Simonster for a hard earned 2nd place
Joberon finished 7th after a last lap mishap with a lapped rider.

Erin Vicary checks in with the following report:

Last weekend was the 3rd annual Peak2Peak race at Crystal Mtn Ski Resort in Thompsonville MI. We enjoyed it so much last year, Joe & I made sure it was on the 2008 race calender! And thank goodness it was because once again it was a blast. Sunny skies, a fun race, good friends, & good beer with a back drop of perfectly peaked fall colors. Friday Joe & I met Keith (Paint Creek Bicycles) & drove up together. Destination: “Deer Camp” in Harrietta, MI (aka our good friend Randy’s hunting cabin). That evening, Randy, Keith & I sat at the kitchen table talking, sipping wine & eating Mrs. Brzuchanski’s homemade chocolate chip cookies while Joe entertained us with his bike maintenance. After he was done I pathetically poked around at my rear brake that had been rubbing for some time, hoping someone would come to my rescue (thanks Keith!) & fix it because I hadn’t had any luck lately. With my Quiring machine now running flawlessly, all that was left to do was get a good nights sleep .Saturday morning proved to be a stellar day for racing. The air was crisp & bitter cold for our warm up, but then the sun came out right before the start. It warmed up just enough that it required a quick wardrobe change & then I was ready to line up.Lining up behind & starting with the Elite men, were 8 Elite women. Five of which on any given day are capable of winning a mtb race here in Michigan. Besides Iceman, it was the deepest, most talented (MI) field I’ve had the pleasure of racing against. Pretty exciting. Stiff competition slated for three 11 mile laps. Perfect.The start was EXTREMELY fast this year! Last year was a slower kind of roll out to the trail. This year it was an all out hammer from the word “go!”. Following behind the tail end of the elite men’s field I redlined 1 minute into the race so I let up a bit & watched a few ladies get a wheel or two ahead. About twenty seconds later the men had completely dropped us all & our lead group of four ladies (Laura, Danielle, Susan, & myself) was decided so we settled in. Each took turns pulling for a while. Turns happened by accident really because going around some sandy spots & sharp corners people went down a couple times leaving the next woman behind in the front...lol. Laura Webb (Hagerty) did a lot of work on lap one & after a while I was starting to wonder if I should move up just when she asked if someone would. So I got in front to do some work. Not very long after that the two track made a kind of “Z” that had lots sand in the corners. I took good lines through it & I believe this is where I made a tiny gap. I wondered at that point what to do with it. Do I attack hard so early again st such a strong group? I decided not to & just kept riding the same steady pace. The races terrain was mostly flat but kept interesting by twists & turns (some slightly banked), sand pits, & the occasional incline or decent. The entire race you were either surrounded by or tunneling through brightly colored trees that were raining leaves. It was spectacular. After a while I looked back & didn’t see anyone behind still so I kept on riding the same pace because I figured it was working. Finally the 1st lap was coming to an end but not before I climbed the back of the ski hill which then shot down back into the woods for a fun downhill, & finally a wicked fast decent across the ski hill to the lap chute/start/finish. 1 down 2 to go. At some point toward the middle/end of the 2nd lap I hooked up with some expert men that came up on me. I rode with them until the finish, struggling at times but managed to hang in. I was pretty taken back when I came through the finish for the win! Very very happy! Especially considering the respect I have for my competition that day... to come out on top felt really good! We celebrated back at deer camp & then went for another awesome trail ride but this time we were on quads... much MUCH easier than pedaling ;o)! Next up Iceman! I hope to see everybody at the after party .
:o)! -Erin

Mike Anderson reports in :

That was a fun race, a perfect Iceman fitness check. Simonster takes the whole shot, i take the lead into the single track, set the pace nice and high, simonster comes by and keeps it fast. We hit the hills and its Simonster, Derek Graham, and me. swap pulls for lap, hit the hills again, simonster gets about 15 second gap. I wait for derek to react, he doesnt respond so i jump across. Simonster and I put the hammer down, were catching a lot of lap traffic, I take a pull before the hills. Simonster roles away in the hills, I try to rip the descent to maybe catch back up, but to much traffic. role in 30 seconds back. Excellent race, fun course, straight up good time.

Anderson

LOWER HURON CX

2008-10-21T19:11:00.000-04:00

Jason Lummis attended the CX race in Belleville sunday. He finished 11th out 17 Elite CX racers.

photos by Terr Ritter Full Potential Trainning systems

Jasons report:

First CX race of the year is in the books, Performance wise it lacked some of the finer points of CX racing. I blew the start with a missed pedal and was lazy about moving up thru the field. The lack of running (non existing) in my preparation for the CX season left my hamstrings burning from the Barrier to Hill run up combo (sick and fun). I need to commit to the race alot more and remember that 1:00 is long but can be longer if not accelerating hard out of every corner. One good note was that I didn't have any mishaps with the barriers. My Dad and son Zack where what Matter would call "Super Fans" all day cheering me on as I humbly finished towards the rear of the race. Next race Vets Park CX Ann Arbor, it is a Saturday/Sunday event. Hopefully I can do both races, but I usually work Saturdays. Then The Big Event ICEMAN COMETH the following Saturday with a great Party that Joberon has gone overboard with the band for.

Ride hard and have fun

---Lummis

Cannonsburg KISS cross #4

2008-10-21T07:05:00.002-04:00

"Q" 6th. J.Meyers 7th.

John Meyers and Scott Quiring raced rough-sandy west side cyclocross race this past Sunday in Grand Rapids at Cannonsburg Ski Area. The "A" race had 23 riders roll off and on too a rough and twisty....twisty course. Once again a great hole-shot and up to the first turn and a specialized rider shot past on the feather lite 14 - 15 pound bike....and thru the first lap and second I was able to maintain 3rd. The Bissel Bro.'s were just up the course also but with the fever crud from Friday and Saturday's founders to bell's 4 1/2 hour xc ride the legs and body was just not 100% I know Dan Jansen and the Farmer were feeling the post ride party with the tasty two-hearted that were consumed at Bell's on Saturday night. Scotty "Q" I am back was on the scene as well and it was great fun rolling with or trying to chase him thru the twisty maze of a course. So is Scott due to make an appearance at the Iceman?

Scott Quiring hits the run up behind John.

John Meyers

Kisscross #3

2008-10-09T08:42:00.002-04:00

John Meyers race report below:

brief report from the west side.

I raced in another fast west side cyclocross race this past Sunday. The "A" race had about 16 riders roll off and on too a much more technical course than the previous Fremont race. I thought things were going great in the first lap having got away with the Howard Bro.'s for the first half a lap until the ill effects of not having pre-ridden the course allowed two gaps to form. At the water crossing and the grassy/muddy off camber section. So once again the balance of the 7 lap race was all about chasing the Bissel team. At the end of lap four my 24hr.national champion teammate Nate bridged up to me after I was having more difficulty clipping in after the water crossing / mud in cleats? I found out later that riding around was the faster option! Laps 4 - 7 were just as fast as the first three with Nate setting a strong tempo with his single speed pre-iceman gearing set-up. Thanks Nate! Look out iceman single speeders "The Farmer" is on great form and will be plowing everyone under on November 8th.

Results ->
http://www.kisscross.com/results/2008/caledonia_100408.htm

October 19th - Race #4Cannonsburg Ski Area, Grand Rapids - Map

Hosted By: Founders/Alger Racing

Track Star !

SUPER FAST

Freemont CX KISS CROSS #2

2008-09-30T06:50:00.007-04:00

John Meyers and Scott "I am back" Quiring attended the 2nd stop of the westside Kiss Cross series in Freemont MI. Scott battled the Bissel teammates for 4th as John held on for a well earned 5th.

Race Report by John Meyers:

CycloCross racing is in full swing on the west side of the state. Scott "Q" Quiring and John Meyers returned to the cyclocross action at the second stop of the Kisscross race series at branston park, fremont, mi. Scott broke out his cross bike to give things a whirl. He stated that he has been training a little and has not done any intervals yet? Scott finished 4th. overall in the "A" race and his teammate John finished 5th overall. The race was fast with the long section of asphalt leading into the start finish. Team Bissell controlled the race from the gun with Scott and John in the mix from the 3 second count down start. Scott was able to hang with young Bissell pro's for the first 5 laps of the 8 lap race. He easily rolled in for fourth place. John had a couple crashes....not use to the cx tires (just put them on that morning) and used the race as his first cx ride of the year and finished a strong 5th. ahead of a Bissell teammate.

Results -> http://www.kisscross.com/results/2008/fremont_092708.htm

Next Kisscross race -> October 4th - Race #3Caledonia Lakeside Park, Caledonia - Map

Hosted by: TNR and Caledonia Cycling Club

The Tony Torrance interview

2008-09-23T15:39:00.007-04:00

Tony Torrance works for Pearl Izumi in the Design and Development Dept. Tony is an ex MICHIGAN resident, Michigan Tech graduate and past team mate of the Bells Team.

We asked Tony a few quick questions and he gladly took time from his busy schedule.

Tony with 2008 Olympic gold Medalist Sabine Spitz of Germany

1. You work for the _Design and Development department _ at Pearl Izumi ?
Excactly I help design and create shoes for PI.

2. Our team loves the P.R.O. MTB by Pearl Izumi, what have you done to the 08 shoe to make it better for 09 ?
For spring 09 we used our one piece upper technology and Direct vent from our Octane SL rd shoe for the P.R.O. mtb shoe. It's making the shoe about 40 grams lighter plus it fits better and looks super hot!

3. How has the riding been in Colorado ?
The riding in CO makes all the hard work to get out here worth it. This weekend we rode in Breckenridge. It was 65 degrees, sunny and aspens were changing colors. it doesn't get much better than that.

4. How is/was Interbike or Eurobike?
Eurobike was crazy. I met with Sabine Spitz and Jan Frodeno. The both won gold medals in our shoes. I even got to party with Jan Ulrich. That's three more names I get to drop on a daily basis. I leave for interbike tomorrow morning. That place is always crazy.

5. Can you comment on the PI CX shoe rumor?
Superlight, gore-tex (waterproof), thinsulate insulation, toe spikes, built in gaitor, felt insole. it'll make your feet sweet in all weather. All of that at it fits great. we'll be showing it at interbike. They're available through Pearlizumi.com or your local retailer can get them through QBP or Pearl Izumi.

6. What tires are you running @ ICEMAN this year ?
I'm going to use a 1.75in 29er tire... Brand is confidential.

7. Can Tom make the top 20 @ ICEMAN in the Pro class ?
He's been training super hard. He's hired Ex-Olympian Ann Trombly as his coach... Watch your back.

8. Will you make the BELLS SUNSET ON THE SEASON PARTY @ The Loading Dock ?
Absolutely.

The 2009 CX race shoe !

The 2009 P.R.O MTB shoe !

CHEQUAMEGON FAT TIRE

2008-09-15T08:19:00.010-04:00

2008 Chequamegon Fat Tire is done, Jonathan Page won. Great weather, course,competiton and friends. We await the 2009 edition.

Team results:
JOBERON 14th
Jason Lummis 15th
John Meyers 26th
Erin Vicary 5th
Jason Aric Jones 475th
Scott Quiring 3 Hoplslams and 12 pints (Scott was the ultimate teammate handing out feeds at Seal Tower)

Garmin data from Lummis:http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/email/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=122202&unitSystemPkValue=2&episodePk.pkValue=6768529

photos by: http://www.skinnyski.com/

The mass roll out !

Lummis and Michigan racer Ron Sanborn at the start

Jason hanging on to the leaders

Joberon getting ready to make his move.

Jason's last sight of the leaders as they head up the first of four inclines to the top of Sealy Tower.

Erin Vicary on her way to 5th place overall, on the only flat part to the top of sealy.

John Meyers making it to the top of sealy.

Great weekend, Chicago traffic sucks.

Up next CX race season starts this weekend with Tailwinds DBL UCI CX races, Iceman (in 1.5 months).

JOEBRON CONTINUES:

2008-09-09T21:47:00.003-04:00

Joe on his way to a 2nd place at the Stony creek XC:
Photo by the Biz: http://www.cycletherapyracing.com

Joberon Race Notes Cont.

So Erin and I rolled out of beautiful Windham NY with bandages on my knee, ice on my thumb and a few medals hanging from the rear view. A successful outing for sure and great start to our trip. Next up was US MTB Nats at Mt. Snow in Vermont. But first, we were off to Boston. My sis Mary and her hubby Garett live there. It ended up being a great pit stop. Our hosts set us up nicely in their sweet downtown condo. We had a great time touring Boston with Mary(www.marylynnburke.com) and Garett. Both by foot and by bike. We hit up a few different eateries sampling some great pizza, brew and, of course, the clam chowda. We also made a late night appearance at the aquarium to visit the fat lazy seals. We started our trip up to Mt. Snow around lunchtime on Tuesday. We arrived with enough time to sneak in a pre ride of the race course. Like a smack to the face, I was reminded quickly just how tough this course is. There were a couple of mods to the course this time making many of the climbs much steeper. The downhill's were...the downhill's. Good o'l white knuckle stuff. We took it as easy as possible on our pre ride then set off for some dinner and R&R at a local motel. Wednesday came and we had more pre riding, eating and poolside chillin' on the menu. I busted out two, probably to hard, laps of the course. I felt pretty good. Riding solid and feeling strong I felt much more confident than the day prior. Then, just as planned, we had some lunch and hit the pool. Thursday came and I could feel the nerves starting to develop. Early Friday morning it was game on. Thursday I went out and hit the course again. After one fairly brisk lap I decided that was enough. I spent the rest of the day and my nervous energy tinkering with my bike. That evening we moved all our things into a sweet mountain/course-side condo. That's when the rest of the crew showed up. Our teammate John along with Mike and Michelle Simonson(Trek Midwest) arrived after a long haul from Michigan. Our good friend Kelli Emmett(Giant) even made a appearance for our pasta feed dinner. It was fun and helped keep my mind relaxed. Friday morning came quick and I had slept fair. I prepared my break quietly trying not to awake the crew. Eventually we were all up drinking coffee, chatting and watching some TV. Then the time came to suit up and warm up. So listen to what happened next. Mr. Semi Pro mountain biker dude walks outside with bike in tow to the car. I top off the tires, put on the helmet and throw down a few sweet looking yoga style stretches for good measure. Here we go. I hop on the machine, lose my balance and tip over into the bushes. No one saw this ridiculous moment in my cycling career. I quickly stood up, brushed off the top soil and pine needles and headed out to race. Mt. Snow. Nationals. Yeah, I'm so cool;) Not! There were around 70 guys at the start. I was standing somewhere in the middle when the start whistle was blown to begin our 4laps of fun. It seemed the leaders were halfway up the first climb by the time I hit the base. The climb starts fairly mild, for Mt. Snow, with a not so steep gravel road. The new section has riders turning to go up a slick with morning dew grassy wall. I was already thinking "granny gear". I just wasn't able to put the power down. The legs and back weren't on my side this day as I tried and tried to work my way forward. The looks on my friends faces kind of said it all as I rolled through the feed zone to start lap 2. I was riding and surviving. I've had these days here in there over the past couple seasons and just accepted it. I never gave up. I certainly didn't stop pedaling or trying to chase. It wasn't my day but there were many others in the same boat. I saw one dude puking. It is a grueling and relentless course. It just keep hitting you no matter if you're going up or down. I ended up finishing 38th and a mountain of minutes off the lead pace. Next up was the short track on Sunday. Saturday morning was spent supporting and cheering on Erin and John in their Expert races. The afternoon brought out the pro's and we had a blast hiking to the crazy spots on the course to spectate. That evening we all went out for some Mexican grub and cervesas to celebrate a job well done. Sundays short track warm up went pretty smooth. The balance was there and I kept the bike upright. I packed in to the on deck circle with about 40 others when they started the call ups. Eventually they released the masses and elbows were flying as riders tried to find a good spot on the start grid. Mine, unfortunately, was towards the back. Bang! We were off and I was immediately gasping. By the time I reached the first corner the leaders were on the other side of the course heading the opposite direction. Work to be done. For the first 3 laps I felt like I was holding my breath. Gasping once or twice as I sped through the start/finish. Eventually I had worked my way into the top 20. I was suffering. I was afraid to look at the clock. But I did. 9 minutes! Damn! Only 9 minutes had passed. I took a breather and went back to work. I was actually working my way up towards the leaders. Next thing I knew I was in the top 10. The last lap had me in a battle for the 7th spot which I missed going into the finish giving me 8th on the day. I was pleased and could only wonder how things would have went had I started up front. After a hour or so I started to feel recovered. From there Erin and I loaded up and began the long drive back home. We made it safely and avoided the bushes.

Thanks for Reading.

Joberon

Ore to Shore 2008

2008-08-12T19:44:00.005-04:00

Jason Lummis 8th

Joberon 11th

John Meyers 18th

Erin Vicary 7th

Scott Quiring 1st male tandem with Ken Blakey-Shell

Jason Jones 7th Single Gear Soft Rock

Results

Joe is that a HOPSLAM your holding ?

Heart surgery Survivor and still racing JAJ ---

Here is a great way to say good job today !

Dads #1 -- I hope this was what he meant !

Joberon Checks in !

2008-08-12T19:43:00.001-04:00

Joberon's Race Notes:
Since my last update I've managed to get a few races in. Some poor, fair and good results to take away from it all. It started in mid July when Erin and I hit the road for some east coast racing action. A NMBS in New York and the US MTB Nationals in Vermont. Then it was back home for some local race action then up to the UP for the seasons first big P2P(point to point). Here's a little review. First up was a all new venue on the national MTB circuit. Windham Mountain New York. Not too far from Albany this venue is nestled in the beautiful Catskill Mountains and would prove to be a great warm up for MTB Nats. Besides lots of ski resort climbing I wasn't sure what to expect. This would also be my first true test with the Semi Pro's. We arrived a couple days early to allow for some pre riding. After one lap around this sub 5 mile course we were all smiles. Yes there was lots of climbing but it was broken up into smaller bits with super fun traverses and down hill's in between. Lots of sweet bridges and flowing single track and everything was ride able. It was difficult to control myself as I wanted to keep riding laps. I'm on vacation, the weather was perfect, I was in the mountains and the course is SWEET. And I had to stop riding? Racing is a funny thang. Anyway, my XC race was on Saturday morning. After a nice warm-up I was lining it up for my first NMBS Semi Pro race. I wasn't to nervous as I decided to just ride my own race. I started conservative. I was going for consistent lap times and hopefully a strong finish. I felt good for this race. I enjoyed it from start to finish as I was able to pick riders off with each passing lap. 4 total. On the last lap I tried to lift the pace and, to my surprise, it worked. I felt great. I was catching guys on both the climbs and the down hill's and was nearing the top 10 when...you guessed it, FLAT. My rear tire was leaking after hitting a sharp rock...or something. It was a mess. I was hoping the Stans would seal it. I tried a couple times with no luck. I ended up pulling the wheel off, removing the valve, replacing the tube, blah blah blah. I lost a lot of time. But, I got back up and rolling, rode hard, passed a few riders and cruised in for a finish in the 20's. Flats suck but I had fun. And I'm on vacation dammit! 2 beers to celebrate thank you. Next up was the Short Track. I was positioned mid pack at the start line and knew I'd have to jam it when the gun sounded. After a couple of laps of major suffering I was 3rd wheel. I was happy with the progress but had NO idea if I could survive to the end. After another lap or two there was a lead group of 7 or so and the games began. Someone would attack then things would slow. Testing each riding with every surge eventually we cracked a couple guys. With about two to go a rider launched and only one person could respond. Unfortunately it wasn't me. I fought with two others to the end and rolled in for 5th and a spot on a NMBS podium. I was pumped. To celebrate my visit to the podium I thought it would be fun to try out this Super D business. It was my understanding that it was XC racer friendly. Haha. The Stupid D, as I now call it, was the very last event of the weekend starting after the Short Track. I was feeling happy and confident as me, my skinsuit and 22lb hard tail loaded the chairlift. Joining me for the ride up was a dude in full body armor and a DH bike. Hint hint. After speaking to a few of these Super D specialists they had me convinced that this was a course that favored the cross country rider as it was long and had some "climbing". The start was interesting. Both the bike and rider have their own start line. The riders were about 100ft behind their machines and had to run to them at the sound of the gun. So here I am. Atop a mountain, running to my bike and riding as fast as I can. Downhill. Off we go and I find myself getting boxed out by the front runners. The start was fast and furious and I quickly forgot about the massive amount of vertical that was head. Negative vertical. Next thing you know I'm sitting in 3rd or 4th. Game on! "This ain't so bad" I thought. Suddenly things got a touch steeper, a touch faster and a touch rougher. Jagged rocks and debris everywhere. I came into a corner way to hot and almost lost it. The top 5 guys gapped me at this point and, like a total moron, I CHASED THEM. I regained contact somehow and that's when it happened. The freakin' bottom dropped out. I was already doing at least 25mph when the trail got so steep I nearly pee'd my...skinsuit. Naturally I'm ALL OVER the brakes. Total panic mode. At the bottom of this steep section, yup, a 90 degree turn. Needless to say I went flying. Up and over the handlebars landing in a flying Superman-like position. Hands and knees first. Honestly, I knew I was pretty banged up at that moment but wasn't to fussed. I was happy just knowing I made it. I was in way over my head for sure. "XC racer friendly". Yeah, right. I took a few moments to assess both myself and my bike. My left knee was pretty banged up and bleeding and I thought my thumb was possibly broken or badly sprained. Somehow I managed to make it down the rest of the way and even finish my "race". In the end I was 11th out of 13 I believe. The two guys behind me? DNF's with mechanical. Erin was nervously awaiting my arrival. She looked at me with that "you idiot" kind of look and took me over to the medical center where the friendly Windham staff put me back together. Thankfully I was OK. Lots of ice, bandages and sports tape and I was able to salvage my racing/riding holiday. Race review to be continued. Next up...Mt. Snow. Maybe some photos too. Thanks for reading.
Joberon

NATIONAL 24 HOUR CHAMPS 30+

2008-08-05T22:50:00.004-04:00

THE MICHIGAN MASTERS: l-r
NEIL SCHARPHORN
DAN JANSEN
NATE VERSLUIS
JOHN MEYERS

GREAT JOB GUYS: RESULTS

John Meyers:

Brief National Championship Report!

National Champion!

Wausau Wisconsion

Finally the stars aligned for the four teammates on August 01-02, 2008 and they were awarded the National Champion Jersey for winning the Masters 30+, 24 Hour Race.

This was a collective effort by all and it could not have been accomplished if we had not work so flawlessly!

The race started at 10:07 a.m. It was decided the night before that with my running and xterra background would benefit the team most for the crazy lemans start. Race start and off for about 1/2 mile run or so and on to our bikes....lots of disorder....bikes bodies everywhere. I made in in about 15th or so not bad. By the end of the first lap I was somewhere around 6th. That first lap was my fastest lap and the fastest for all 30+ team laps. The race continued along with each of us having to basically race a timetrial every 3 hours. I completed 6 laps on the course with my lap times increase into the night. The last two laps were slower due to my overall upper body fatigue from the rocky, rootie course. When all was said and done we had complete 23 laps on the course and had a lap on the second place team!

I am so very grateful the Dan Jansen, Nate Versluis, and Neil Sharphorn were there as my teammates for this special day. Thanks Guys! We will have a special toast at Founders and at Bells in the near Future! And once again NASTROVIA!!!! (to your good health)

http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=3764

http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/nm_class.php?display_fastest_laps_flag=1&class=TH

http://www.xtrphoto.com/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=481357&g2_page=2

USAC National Championships

2008-07-23T20:14:00.003-04:00

John Meyers, Erin Vicary and JOBERON attended the National Championships in Vermont over the past weekend.

John Meyers:
Race Report:

2008 Mountain Bike Nationals Mt. Snow, Vermont.

I raced this past Saturday morning at Nationals and placed 11th. of about 40 - 45 riders. The placing was not what I had set as my top five goal. I believe that with training and schedule that I had put together had me on target for that week. To pull off a big win at nationals this year it was going to require that I dial in the bike as well as the course. So when we arrived on thur. evening Mike and I threw our riding gear on and checked are tire psi and we were off for what we hoped would be a good solid lap on the course and if time permitted we would do two. We finished the first and then cut off the start climb out and went back out for a second lap. The rough downhill denture rattling section was 90% dry and dusty. I felt much better on this lap. Early the next morning back up and out for two more laps.. These laps were intended to be easy but sometimes the pace and heart rate is just not controllable when you are going up. Two laps done and ready for some work on the bike. The small 22 tooth appeared to be giving the problems with the chain suck and jambed chain clear back to the Lumberjack chain break.....off to find a new chain ring. I found one and took Mike's advice in removing a link also. So late that night not remembering to lubricate my chain I begin the process and notice a problem with my chain....damm it's bent! I should not be messing around at 10:30 p.m. the night before my race but better than during the race.
Race day started great! About a 45 minute warm-up to see how the previous evenings thunderstorms affected the course...things were greasy but not so bad. The climbing up the start hill would be important because of the grass and possibly only one lane.
As I was waiting for our wave #6 to take off I had just enough time to reflect and say a quick prayer for success and we were off. Off the front line I went and damm I did not get the hole shoot....instead my left foot would not clip in....damm I was getting caught in the middle of the field....damm I charge up part of the first hill and just get my foot clipped in. As we came over the top I think I made it back into about 4 or 5...feeling a little better I held my ground until we got to the down single track section.....It was 100% crazy, yelling, bitching with riders being lapped from the waves ahead off us.....lot's of crashes and angry aggressive riders behind wanting behind....struggling with this I let numerous go by.....big mistake.....I lost contact with the race and the top five goal that I had established. Mr. nice guy was the wrong mode to be in during the race. The second and third laps were much of the same except on the second lap I did have some chain suck and jambed into my chain stay....off the bike to careful free things up. A few riders went by and I had to play chase. The additional two times down the technical down hill were much less negative and not so congested. I kept things moving but somewhere in the third lap I new that I was not were I needed to be no matter how hard I went to chase down more riders I would finish out side of the podium.
I did finish but discouraged and frustrated. Over the past few days I have processed things that I will not do before a key race in the future.....
1. No extended 3 1/2 group rides 72 hours before Nat.'s with the final 40 minutes time trialing home to beat a thunderstorm.
1a. The taper down takes place many days before and it's better to be under trained than over trained and tired.
2. two laps on the race course 48 hours before race time. one is enough.
3. two laps on the race course 24 hours before race time. one is enough.
4. Repair and replace parts on a bike less than 24 hours.
5. Replace a chain on race bike less than 10 hours.
6. No new cleats put on shoes with out 7 - 10 days worth of wear.
7. Stay in the front or one or two places back at the most.
8. No more Mr. Nice Guy in the single track.....So what if someone wants to get by....tough to bad....wait your turn bro!
9. Rest....Rest....Rest and more Rest!
10. There's always next year.

Overall it was a great experience and had a great time with Mike, Mitch, Joe and Erin. We will have to do it again soon.

Next race is Nationals #2 August 1-2 in Wisconsin. I will be participating on a powerhouse four man team that Dan Jansen has formed. We will be heading to wisco next friday! Just maybe the stars will align for us on that day and we can drape ourselves with a coveted national jersey.

John

Stony Creek Marathon XC

2008-06-29T09:42:00.007-04:00

Erin, Joe and Jason attended the Tailwind USAC series race #4. With overnight rain and humidity this was going to be a grueling race. The men raced 6 laps and the women 5. Jason finished 4th while Joe held on for 7th and Erin battled leg cramps to hold onto 2nd place.

Jason finishing up the race in just over 4 hours.

PIC credit: the BIZ

Jason:

My Dad, son and myself headed over to Rochester for the marathon race.

I had a good result at the Stony race (4th). I felt strong for most of the race even giving the first lap a long leadout to shake the race up from the gun. The conditions where sloppy at first then they turned gooey. The continous heavy rains for the past week left the 2 Tracks with standing water while the single track was nice and tacky.

The Simonster, Randy and Christian where all leadout for most the first lap by myself. Mike paced the rest of the lap, until Christian punched it thru the feed area (start/finish). I held on for a short time then dropped my pace so I could sustain the remainding 5 Laps. I passed randy as he was tightening his bars, knowing he would kill himself to catch back up. I paced along until randy came up and he was off fast and furious. As we rolled into the last little climb at the end of 2 Randy punches it up the climb and gets a small gap thru the Start/finish area. I slowly reel him in about 4 miles later. I sit on until the last 2 track section and move to the front to keep pace for awhile. As we roll into the last little climb at the end of the lap I start to accelerate to counter randys know attack spot. My pedal comes off the crank as I pull up, I stopped and messed with it, but couldn't tighten it to far without a 8mm. I ran up the hill and 1leg pedaled to where my dad was waiting to hand up a bottle. Luckly someone had a long 8mm allen key so I could re-install my pedal. Mean while i lost 3 places and about 5 minutes of time. I caught my teammate Joe and tried to pace him back thru the 4th Lap as we passed JP side lined with a mechanical. I lost Joe in the lapped traffic in the single track, as I made a effort to find out a time gap to 3rd. To far up and no one coming from behind I cruised the last lap with the hints of leg cramps shooting through the quads.

Iced Oberons made the day complete !

JL

JOBERON:

This was my 3rd crack at the Tailwind USAC Stony Creek Marathon. This years addition had added challenges thanks to lots of rain and humidity. It was slick and thick out there. Elite men were to complete 6 nearly 10 challenging miles of single track and open two track. Lining up with a strong field, including a handful of endurance specialists, I was ready to suffer. The start had me rollin' in the top 5 with my teammate Jason leading it out. I was feeling OK as we went through short early portions of single track and puddle filled two track. As we approached the first lengthy "Rollercoaster" portion of the course I knew the race was about to begin. It was slippery and quite treacherous at times. I was hanging in there for a while still in the top 5 but kept losing ground in corners. As the trail opened up I'd chase back. Eventually I paid the price and came off the bike as I slid off a wet tree root. Just enough time to get passed by one or two guys. I quickly got going again and tried to chase back on. Me chasing in conditions that already have me struggling isn't a pretty picture let me tell ya. A few more bobbles later and I was free to let it fly back on the two track. One of the race favorites, Greg Kuhn(FrasierBikes), was popping in and out of sight in front of me. Working to reel him in I slid out on a sharp right hander causing me to enjoy more time on the ground. I was up quickly and back at it. I fought back up to Greg in the 2nd lap only to lose him again as we closed in on lap 3. Lap 3 had me chasing Greg again and caught by a flying Jamie Parker(Specialized). Going in to lap 4 Jamie had some unfortunate mechanical problems and was forced to abandon. Coincidently my teammate Jason was also sidelined with a mechanical issue which he resolved thankfully. He caught me and immediately went by and set a solid pace. I hung in there for a while but was starting to tire and cramp. I knew things would only go downhill for the remaining 2 laps. I tried to keep up with my teammate staying in a really small gear hoping to avoid further cramping. He was still out of the saddle on climbs and looking comfortable. I survived until the Rollercoaster section and once again was dropped. I was super tense due to previous crashes and fear of the dreaded leg cramps. I went into lap 5 already a minute or two down on Jason and with another stock pile of fluids thanks to friends Michelle Simonson, Keith Reige, Zack and Mr. Lummis. Unfortunately, as hard as I tried this time around, muscle cramps would not be avoided. Both laps 5 and 6 were complete misery. I stopped, walked, stretched, drank, ate and massaged. Nothing worked. Going into lap 6 I stopped for a few minutes to refuel. My hamstrings totally locked up and you could see my muscles contracting. Creepy. After some deep breaths and something to drink I pressed on. I was determined to finish. Little did I know I was in 5th place! I pedaled on in the best gear possible up the first little climb. That's when my buddy Robert Herriman(American Cycle&Fit/Wolverines) rolled by smooth as can be and said "just pedal on lightly". And that I did. Except now I was in 6th place. Bah! I continued on with lots of stops and walks along the way. Chatting with some friendly folks and fellow sufferers I was happy to know it would be over soon. As I was closing in on the final couple miles I was passed by Cycle Therapy's Mark Parmelee. I just stood hillside and watched him ride off in the sunset putting me in 7th. That's how my race would wrap up. Lots of cheers, beers and friends at the finish. Yup, it was totally worth it. Congrats to all who finished this difficult event.

Joberon

ERIN VICARY:

Upon arriving at Stony Creek I found that in addition to the competition that shows up on a regular basis, the ladies field would also consist of a couple of local CX gals, one of which was Ann Schwartz (Flying Rhino’s) & also an endurance specialist Danielle Musto (Kenda/Titus). AWESOME! The 11 of us lined up & chatted for a few waiting for the Elite & Expert mens waves to take off. Some where during those few minutes I must’ve given my body the ok to abandon my “Steady Eddie” strategy and adopt a new one: Ride as hard as I can for as long as I can,cramp up, & fizzle out in the end. When race promoter Robert Linden said “Go!” I WENT! Ha! I took the hole shot & lead us out into the trail. After a few miles I looked back to see who was hang’n on: Kerry Collins (Team Giant MI) & Danielle were glued to my wheel. I excitedly exclaimed “Nice little group we have here! Aye?!” HA! I was feeling good & having other faces in the mix just added to the fun! Along we went hammering on our merry way down the two-track (about half the course was fairly flat two-track). Eventually the three of us slipped into the sloppy, winding single track section called ‘the Pines’. I believe it was here Danielle lost contact with Kerry & I. I kept it on the gas & honestly I’m not sure where I dropped Kerry?! I assume it was in the Pines because I highly doubt it would’ve happened on the two track. Anyway, all alone now with 10 people chasing me, heart rate pegged & still feeling strong, I started reeling in the Expert men. It went on like this until I came through the lap chute for a bottle feed ( :o) Thanks Mitch-a-palooza Simonson!) heading out on lap 3. Uh oh! I had 30 more miles to go...Yikes! I felt good though & had a few minutes lead, but still decided to back it down some. On lap 3, still alone, I passed some more expert men & at one point crashed. While lifting up & over a thin,wet sapling lying across the trail, it’s bark scrubbed clean off making it slick as ice, my front wheel didn’t make it over & instead rode it down length wise. Shaken but not broken, I jumped up got going. I must’ve been overdue for a mishap! All along I made sure to drink all fluids on board, slurp down my Clif Shots, & take in extra electrolyte. Going out onto lap four while reaching in my pocket to grab the electrolyte pills I pulled out my hand & lost them all on the ground. No matter I thought... I’m fine! I guess I was due for a second mishap (getting them out of the way before Nat’s hopefully...LOL). CRAMPS! About three miles before the finish of lap four (almost 40 miles in) I felt the onset of muscle cramps. In a matter of minutes I had cramped so bad my hamstrings, calves, & quads had completely seized up. As I was coasting, spinning, (punching my quads) & stretching trying to recover I heard a rider surging up behind me. It was Kerry. Dang it! & the timing of it all! Now on my wheel & approaching the chute to our final lap there was no covering up just how bad I felt. Actually it was so obvious I was hurting someone even asked “Erin, you alright?” . And silly me, I murmured “No.” And with that Kerry quickly propelled herself past me & out of sight. Starting lap 5 I wondered if I would even finish. Pretty crazy how fast things can change. I forged on spinning the pedals around with as little effort & pressure as it took to keep moving forward. I walked up a couple hills & even stopped to stretch. As all this was going on I had not forgotten that somewhere behind lurked (most likely) Danielle. Every once in a while I’d look back expecting to see a glimpse of her red jersey. About half way through the last (5th) lap I did! In the ‘Roller Coaster’ section of single track I saw her gaining on me fast. I knew it was now or never. I gave it everything I had RIGHT THEN hoping my legs wouldn’t fail me in the effort to escape a looming 3rd place. I felt like a wounded animal being hunted through the woods...trying to scurrying out of sight so she might give up. On the two track I latched onto the wheel of the 2nd place Elite man, Greg Kuhn(who happened to be lapping me at the time), and held on for a minute to gain momentum. I was fading fast & the finish line wasn’t coming soon enough. For the fifth & final time I dumped out of the single track, crossed a field, went back into a very small stretch of single track which wrapped us back towards the finish line.It was in that last tiny bit of single track that the 3rd Place Elite man passed me, Randy Laprarie, & told me Danielle was RIGHT behind me. OMG! I had nothing left! Heading towards the finish line people yelled “Sprint Erin! She’s right behind you!” . I could do nothing but softly spin across that bumpy grass. I kept looking back and she was gaining on me like I was standing still... because I basically was. BUT I made it! I made it across the finish line before she caught me! In 2nd Place! Not as good as first 1st,6 seconds better than a 3rd, & WAAAAAY better than a DNF! Up Next: East Coast Road Trip-NMBS#5 @ Windham Mt & Nat’s @ Mt Snow

:o)Erin

TK LAWLESS TT

2008-06-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

TK lawless, TT, Elite 3rd.

Started the day with a nice 60 minute road ride to warm-up. I was able to get a later (5th.) start time which helps in TT's like lawless. I started great thru the low muddy section in the first mile or so and then into the second mile were I caught my 30 second rider....keeping the pace up high for the next several miles I was able to catch the next rider 1 minute 30 second rider about about mile seven, as I passed Jason he mentioned that there was still one rider up the trail. Onward I pressed with hopes of catching and potentially securing a win? Over the next two miles I thought I caught a glimpse of this rider but just as I was blasting down thru a few rougher stone sections I caught my rear tire and could sense that I was going flat...yep...about 1/4 mile later I was off the bike trying to throw some air in the tire...no luck..damm...time to start running and then the thought crossed my mind that maybe Robert would let me re-start. So I made it into the start finish and he agreed that the race was not a usac sanctioned race and that he would let me go again....Tube in rear tire...back to the start line as the sweeper I was off again...feeling great thru the first 8 miles passing carefully over the section were I flatted in my first attempt...up and into the whoop te dos.....I could hear thunder and heavy winds...damm....this is going to suck but I thought no I am lucky to have gotten a second chance and not a DNF....as I rolled thru the last 2 - 3 miles things got very slick and slow...I put it into safe mode on the steep grassy off camber turns and was happy to finish the day in 3rd. ELITE.....Thank your Robert for the second roll around T.K. I had hoped to repeat a win which I took ten years earlier in 1998 on the same course. I finished up and spun down to Bristol, Ind. another 1 1/2 hours. The afternoon was spent working on the cottage (Birch lake) that I am selling and moving stuff up to the Cabin / cottage that sits on the North shore bluff...Much cheaper to afford and Lot's of cool factor
since it was built by the WPA in the 1930's.

J.

LUMBERJACK 100

2008-06-18T12:53:00.013-04:00

The Start of the Lumberjack 100, Jason Lummis off to the right with an early jump :>)

The mud section after the water sections.

John Meyers hoofing in the top 3 on the first climb at the start....

John in the top 3 back on the bike.

Jason hoofing it in the top 10 with fuzzy and Christian Tanguy

Long day in the saddle 8hrs 16 minutes for Jason 13th overall.

Jason and John raced the lumerjack 100 this past saturday, start time 7am. The weather was perfect and the racing friends where ready for a long day in the saddle. Jason jumped to the back of the leadout vehicle for a 30mph warm for the 2 mile road leadout section before the trail. Everyone joined him a mile later as they entered the BIG M parking lot. John Meyers moved with the leaders as the hit the first hill. AND the rest was a long day.

Race reports soon, results link below.

RESULTS

John Meyers:

LJ100 report:
Break#1 and Break#2

BREAK #1:
This first break took place as Jason peeled away with the van and the balance chased, as we approached the turn in to the parking lot the trek SIMONSTER decides to spool it up a bit, I remained in his slip stream as we rolled off the payment and up to the first climb, his teammate and eventual winner jump-up as we hit the low loose steep section, I was feeling great and climbing is FAV of mine so all is good, somewhere in the next ten feet Harlen shoots across in front of me and bobbles, damm, time to jump and run...back on and over the top in 3rd..yeah....basically the first lap consisted of the 7 - 8 rider break, we hit the swamp with no clue and all rode until the very last section and than ran helter skelter looking for the trail, the Simonster lead the way(pre-rode the day before) and we all made it thru the first lap...I move up and was sitting in 6th. damm! feeling great!

Second lap was good kept a nice temp with the concern to keep my heart rate down in the 160's so that I could maintain what I was consuming and no blow-up for the following two laps, at about 8 miles to go in the lap I roll up on the Simonster...strange...I am not having a peak day just a good day but what's up with Mike? hey the 14,000 feet will wear you down, so no problem, I am 100% rolling with Mike, stay positive, keep Mike positive, great, all is good, so at about 2 miles to go in the lap we roll up to the final climb in the lap and I shift down and go for granny....mistake jambed chain....off the bike try and free it up...no go...shift back to middle ring looks like things are o.k. jump on pedal BREAK#@2...DAMM!...day is over no I decide the start finish is close enough to run in and make a repair or grab a new chain, I make into the start finish with may riders going by, chain fixed back on the course, lap 3 was all about raging back and trying to catch the riders that went by, in the lap 3 I grabbed up Greg Kuhn and Garth Prosser(former sobe cannondale teammate) and told them we must push on, half way into the lap I roll up on Jason, I tell him get on board let's all roll this together, Jason was at a low point looking for a CocaCola for a boost, Jason pulled it back together and finished in fine form, we kept her going for the fourth lap, Garth did 90% of the the tempo work, we stopped for some delicious CocaCola at the outer loop aid station...a little caffeine to get thru the final 13 miles, Garth did a great job, great tempo and in we came to the finish in 9th and 10th geared!!! We finished the afternoon with some fine catered food at the start finish and off to the awards for a little celebrating.....A big, big, big, big THANK YOU goes out to the man Scott Quiring for great accommodations at Camp David on Hamlin lake and the spot on crewing in the transitions!!!! Additionally to Lummis for the driving up to the race and drive to camp David....damm how did we make with all the road closers and deep wash outs? Also to the great sponsors for providing the best equipment and beer to do what we love best....Race our Bikes!!!

J.

Notes: Lot's of water over the road and trail, passing over a a dead skunk discharging at 60 mph....ouch....burn....windows down please Jason, #139 = a free hot shower, icey cold bells beer, custom lite ti-carbon Quiring 29ers are a NUE 100 miler secret!
and free Hot showers!

Jason:

At long last my Lumberjack race----- Going into this race I was thinking I really was going to make an effort to stay focused the whole way. There is usually a 30 mile section of a hundred race that I lose concentration and let the fatigue and pain take over. I might just want to lay down for good or just go home during this time. I usually come around and start to have fun, by the end I just want a cool Bells Brew and some good food.

This year I jumped to the back of the leadout van for a nice little 25-30mph wind up/ warm up for the start of the 2 mile paved road roll out. It was fun to look back as Shualck, Simonster, Eatough and 30 other fast guys sprinting to catch me. This set me up for a nice roll in to the parking lot in the top 10 feeling relaxed. We hit the first climb as I dismounted with everyone except the top 2. I moved up thru the pack and just missed the lead group at the top. I eventually passed a few guys and was 30 secs back from the lead group that was being pushed by The Simonster. Dropped my water bottle, stopped and retrieved it, as jumped back on the seat it slips forward and down. With 4 miles left to where Q is waiting for me with a feed bottle I decide to ride to him and work on my post with an extra hand. Has i got going again the second group caught me for the beginning of the outer loop, which is flat and with a slight down grade. I pushed through and around the second group to no mans land again, 2-3 minutes down from the riders ahead. I kept this pace for the next 40 miles. Then Garth caught me and dropped me. I caught him at the beginning of the 3rd lap outer loop and dropped him. Then it hit me --I had been drinking and eating well, I just believe the mental fatigue set in and I lost all motivation to push hard. Then my teammate towing 2 guys catches me and rides easily away as I want to just lie down. I pushed on into the final lap, as I hear The Farmer yell out from behind on the inner loop I feel like I need to push the pace and get him from pacing off me. Nate catches me just before the Aid station and I say "see you soon", as I stop for a few last lap Cokes. I catch Nate in swap and run up to him. We then ride for awhile together thru the flat sections, but Nate drops off with leg cramps on the hills. As we hit 15 or so to go I feel some sugar rushes from the Coke and up the pace into a gradual climb that rolls into a grinder of a climb. I get a small gap on nate as I weave between a few lapped racers and as we hit the long grinder I jump to drop Nate. Probably 10' later while in the Big ring out of the saddle my left pedal strikes a stump throwing me to the ground. I just remember coming to on the ground with 2 guys standing over, I guess I came to standing throwing punches from what Nate said. Nate also said I was laid out for 10 secs. My rear wheel was blown out of the drops and all I wanted to do was finish. Nate wanted me to hangout for awhile, but the race was still on and I didn't have anything broken. I thought there was just a mile left as I tore off, but actually 10 where still ahead. The Farmer rolled up laughing asking if I was OK ! I was except for a stiffening neck and sore ribs. Nate was a real good person with his concern, but he had a huge 40/26 ss gear and the trail kept going up. I spun my way to a nice gap over Nate and even scored some Chiropractic work after the race to stretch things out nicely to heal. 13th overall and about 16 minutes slower than I planned. Oberons, Two hearted and Big Porch tasted great after the after race shower booting.

The ribs are still sore, so I put the White Bros fork on for Stoner Creek Marathon.

---LUMMIS

Brighton State rec Area Stage race

2008-06-10T21:02:00.004-04:00

The start of the mens Elite XC

Joe, Erin and John attended the Brighton Stage race, while Jason Lummis could only attend the sundays XC portion of the race weekend.
John Meyers competed in the Expert 40-44 class to help qualify for the USAC MTB Nationals and won the weekends stage race.
Erin Vicary easily won the womens Open class.
Joberon finished 5th for the weekends stage race in the Mens Open class
Jason finished 3rd in sundays XC Elite race (work kept him from the stage race format).

Joberon:

Ugh!! That was a tough weekend. I'm always pushing for more people and competition to show up at the MTB races. Well, it seems I'm getting my wish. In addition, the quality of the field just keeps improving. To crack a top 5 is no small task. The Tailwind USAC Brighton Stage Race consisted of a Time Trial and grueling Short Track on Saturday. Sunday the weekend is topped off with a Cross Country race. Besides mass quantities of suffering it's really a swell weekend and venue. I was very pleased with how things went for me on Saturday. I managed 4th in the Time Trial on a trail that doesn't really suit me. Very tight and twisty. First place, Christian Tanguy(American Cycle & Fit), had a sizeable gap on the field but many of us were left in a close battle leading up to the afternoon Short Track event. The few hours between races went by quickly. After a bit of rest and some great food prepared by Erin's parents we found ourselves lining up once again for more pain. The Short Track took place within the large grassy picnic area of the park. The entire 20 minutes of racing was on power zapping energy sucking grass. The event was a drag race. I was able to hold on to the leaders for about a lap and a half(of 8). Eventually I popped and was dangling out it the wind. Bill Clikeman(American Cycle & Fit) reeled me in and immediately passed. I did everything I could to stay on his wheel. I was hoping I could recover and go around but he hammered out the remaining laps dragging me to the finish in 5th. Not bad. I ended up losing a small bit of time on a few but putting time into others. In the end, it was still a close battle for the overall spots. SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! Bring on the heat! High temps and some close competitive racing were on the menu. After some pretty good legs on Saturday I was feeling confident going into the XC. My on form teammate Jason Lummis was in attendance with some peppy legs to lend a hand for the overall. He says he started "slow" but I think it's the fastest I've ever seen him go! I think he was showing off for his Dad and cute as a button son Zack. Jason lead us into the first greasy wet lap. On his wheel was a hard charging Dylan Lanspeary(A-Bikes.com) then me. I was stoked with my position and felt fairly comfortable. I was braking a lot going into the sloppy corners which started to create gaps. I'd chase back on only to fall back off the lead two in the next slick right hander. Half a lap later Christian flew by me and I found myself in no mans land again. As I started the second 8mile lap(of 5) a strong group of chasers caught me. After one lap in the heat we all looked as if we'd been racing for hours. Team Specialized rider Michael Wissink was in our group and started crunching numbers. He said, "we have 4 more laps. We're going to be out here for 3hrs." He was right! I had done one lap, felt like I was going backwards and was just informed I/we have another 2.5hrs of racing left. Ugh! over the next lap or two Randy Laprairie(Macomb Bike) would attack. Then Jamie Parker(Specialized). I had nothing. The moves were made and I couldn't react. I could only watch as they rode away. Leaving me alone with Jamie's teammate Michael. Who, by the way, was ahead of me in the overall. I went through many moments of suffering and frustration. Late in the 3rd lap I started to regain my composure. I accepted the fact that there would be not attacking and I had, what felt like, no power. I just found the most comfy gear possible and worked on trying to get the sufferfest over with ASAP. Thankfully my parents and friend Ginny were there for feeds. Keeping fed and hydrated were so important this day. Somehow I started to put a little space between myself and Michael going into the 4th lap. I felt like I was riding like a slug. In the end everyone was due to the heat. I started lapping Expert riders and could see they were suffering. I was passing riders quickly and realized I wasn't going too poorly. One more cold drink feed from Mom and I was finally off on my last lap. Avoiding incident I was able to finish fairly strong and even put a little time into Michael to take 6th in the XC and 5th overall in the stage race. A great weekend of racing for the Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles Team. We all made the podium and even had two wins. Congrats to everyone how raced. It was a heated slugfest out there. Thanks again to our parents who really helped us out this weekend. See you at the next one. In the meantime, I'll be busy recovering.
Joberon

Erin Vicary:

Living only an hour from the Brighton Rec Stage Race venue, along with having a 12:00 start, afforded Joe & I the luxury of sleeping in & cooking up a great breakfast at home. Combine that with our (parents & friends) cheering section, some kick’n coffee & a good warm up - we were set up to succeed. To kick off the weekend on Saturday we had the TT on the Torn Shirt Trail. Torn Shirt is a very twisted, overgrown, narrow, 6 mile single track loop with some steep, rooty, digger climbs. Almost never did it allow for sitting still on the saddle. I was constantly moving, shifting, & leaning to get around corners or up & over obstacles. Quite fun! At the TT start each racer was sent into the woods in 30 second increments. I happened to be starting 30 seconds after Kerry Collins (Team Giant Michigan), my main competition that showed for the stage race. It took about a mile and a half before I closed the gap between us. Then continuing on I grew a 1min40 lead through to the finish. I suspected I might need a time cushion because next up on the day was an entirely grass, 95% flat Short Track course more suited to my closest competitors strengths. Whether my foresight was based in psychic ability or just plain old realism, i don’t know, but my prediction for ST (unfortunately) came true. After trading pulls the first two laps, Kerry made an attack & bridged up to some expert men on the course with us. I tried to answer & found I did not have the legs to follow. I started to shut down a bit due to the hard start, direct sun, 95 degree temps, & very high humidity. I soon realized survival mode had kicked in & my parents, who came out to watch, were going to see their daughter unravel into a pile of goo. I swear I could have fried an egg on my head when I finally crossed the finish line in 2nd about 1min10 back from 1st. Do the math...& I still had a 30 second lead overall to start Sunday’s cross country race. It stormed very hard Saturday night leaving the 8 mile Murray Lake XC trail loop pretty greasy & wet for the XC race. That morning I decided strategy, with my 30 second lead & my bodies horrible reaction to the previous days ST race, I was just going to play defense on the first of the four laps to see how I felt. Kerry took the hole shot (be my guest) & lead the string of us ladies out & into the single track. After a mile the noises behind me faded & I knew it was just her and I alone at the front. Kerry’s game plan became apparent at the first sign of an open straight away: Out of the saddle, hammer, & try to drop me. I answered her attack as soon as it happened & she didn’t gain an inch. We continued along on the winding trail finding it damp & very slick in the corners. Now, not nearly as flowy as it had been in my pre ride. The air in the woods was not moving at all. The humidity & temperature seemed to rise with every pedal stroke, but at least the trees provided some shade. Then ahead I saw another straight away, gradual climb... get ready I told myself. She attacked again & I followed without hesitation. I knew for certain then that I was racing with my good set of legs :o) & got very excited! Still I knew it would be a long one so I stayed patient. One more attack answered from Kerry, same exact scenario as the first two. Then with a few miles remaining in the first lap she dropped her chain, I went around, & never saw her again. When I popped out of the woods, heading for the lap chute, I heard Joe’s parents cheering & saw our friend Ginny holding an ice cold bottle for me! 1 lap down, 3 to go! The 2nd lap I concentrated on catching the expert men that started in the waves ahead. I managed to catch around 10 or so which kept it interesting. The third & fourth lap weren’t as arduous as I thought they might be because I kept the fluids coming & the trail was drying out fast making for a really fun ride! I kept an honest, steady pace through to the finish line & felt GREAT about my ride, finishing almost 5 min ahead of 2nd place! Thanks to Joe’s parents, my parents (& their friends Donna & Michael), Ginny, & everyone else that cheered us on all weekend! It really helped! Congrats to my awesome teammates on their great results! I’m very proud of you guys :o)! Next up- Stony Creek Marathon!

:o)Erin

Hanson Hills Rec Area XC race.

2008-06-02T21:15:00.005-04:00

John, Joeberon and Jason attended Fun promotions XC race at Hanson Hills in Grayling MI. Jason placed 3rd, Joe 6th and John 7th in the Elite Open class.

JOBERON;

Hanson wasn't on my list of races but I was in search of some fun and a test track for the new aluminum Quiring 29er. With the help of Keith and Paint Creek Bicycles the new ride was finally finished up Friday night. Don Cameron and Michael Wissink of Specialized were making the drive up to the race Sunday and were nice enough to let me join them. Car pooling is the way to fly nowadays. I was feeling a bit tired but was able to get my heart rate up quite high during the warm up. Pretty good sign for me. The bike felt great but I needed a little more trail time to dial her in. Three 10+ mile laps on a sweet course should do the trick. The Elite field wasn't huge, around a dozen, but it was stacked. Mike Anderson (RBS) and Randy Laprairie (Macomb Cycle) are back in town after lots of hard core training and racing success with the Lees-McRae College powerhouses. In addition we had CX superstar "The Wiss" joining us and a host of other strong guys. My teammate John took the hole shot. Rippin' along behind him was our teammate Jason. Then Anderson, Lapraire and me. Shortly before the first climb Lapraire jammed it and went around John. Anderson followed his move. It was john, Lummis and me just behind breathing hard. We weren't far behind the two leaders when we hit the top. A gap had formed behind us and John buried it keeping Randy and Mike in sight. They were going full on trying to drop us. Eventually Jason went to the front keeping the pace high and keeping the leaders in our sights. The gap was growing a bit but slowly. Jason was riding strong. I thought I'd go around eventually to assist but he kept the pressure on trying to catch those guys. I was starting to feel it late in the first lap, clipped a pedal and bobbled. This created a small gap between Jason and I. I lost sight of him going into a new section of downhill towards the end. Unfortunately I was only looking for Jason rather than a trail/race marker and blew past a (marked)turn. Took me over half a minute before I realized I screwed up. I turned around and got back on track. During this time Wissink (Specialized) and Ron Sanborn (Mclaine Cycle) had gone by and were long gone. Due to the efforts on lap 1 I didn't have it in me to chase at that time. I settled into the last long climb trying to recover a bit. Starting lap 2 I noticed John wasn't far behind. Thankfully!! I was feeling pretty bummed about my mistake and unmotivated. John helped me get my s**t together forcing me to work and hold onto his wheel. Closing in on the 3rd and final lap I started feeling like a bike racer again and began the chase. Eventually I could see I was closing in on Wissink and Sanborn. It was too late however as they were battling hard for the 4th spot. I actually got to see Michael's attack atop the final climb. Pretty cool! In the end I rolled in for 6th 30 or 40 seconds behind them. A pretty sloppy race for me but a fun time on a great course. The bike is awesome! You have to see this thang. Feel free to take it for a test spin too. I'll be out at the Tailwind USAC event this weekend at Brighton. Stop on by. Rumor has it the Sea Otter Semi-Pro Men's Short Track Champion will be in attendance. As well as Team Specialized, Wolverines, American Cycle and Fitness. Any others? Will Team Giant be testing their early season CX form?? This is a great venue and great weekend. Both a TT and ST on Saturday and a super fast XC course on Sunday. Come on out and get crazy!
--Joberon

Jason Lummis:
Hanson hills XC race was on my schedule of to do races. It has some similar feel to the Lumberjack and is a really fun course. I have been getting about 12- 15 hours a week of riding (10 of those are my daily commute to work and home) and throw in a Thursday Night Potto World Championships every week and that is about all I can fit in with work/family obligations. So I have been very happy with my results so far this year.
I meet Dan K at a park and ride on US23 at 6am sunday for the drive up to Grayling (2:45 minutes later with gas fill up). I felt fine as we pre rode 70% of the course, as that was all the time I had for a warm up. My team mates John and Joe where ready to race hard from the gun as John grabed the lead from the word ready ( :>) ). The young guns Mike Anderson and Randy L. jumped to the front over John just before the first climb and got a quick gap. John didn't have it that day and tried to keep us close as the leaders pulled a way slowly. I felt the need to try and close the gap myself and went around John with Joe to close the gap. A little late and no extra jump I couldn't quite make up anymore ground on the 2 ahead. I heard Joe bobble on a climb and he was just falling off my pace as we where coming towards the end of the 1st of 3 laps. I almost missed a turn at the end that I had not pre rode, but was able to find the turn, unfortunately Joe didn't see the turn and lost some time at that point. As I crested the first climb of the course on Lap 2 I could see Ron and The Wiz about 30-40 secs back, I pushed hard thru the 2nd lap and didn't see them again. The 3rd lap was a total shut down where I just hammered the climbs and cruised the trail keeping smooth and flowing. I finished 3rd a couple minutes down from 1st and 2nd and a minute up on 4th and 5th, with an easy 3rd lap I was happy with my efforts and results. Next race Lumberjack ! Maybe Sunday's Brighton XC, I have to work saturday and can't do the whole stage race.
Great race to Mike and Randy glad to see they are improving from last year, looks as if college life in Banner Elk is making them into some strong racers/riders. I hope the keep following thru with their goals.
--- Lummis

2008 XTERRA LAST STAND TRIATHLON/DUATHLON

2008-05-22T21:34:00.004-04:00

John Meyers raced the Duatholon at Fort Custer this Past weekend winning the Overall for the Duatholon. 2008 XTERRA LAST STAND TRIATHLON/DUATHLON
SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008
1 862 John Meyers 44 M 1 run 10:38 trans. 0:55 bike 1 47:45 trans.1:00 2 29:28 overall finish time = 1:29:43
FIRST overall duathalon

Johns race report:

I returned to compete in the Xterra national race series at Fort Custer http://eliteendeavors.com/race_lastStand.htm,

My day started out a little rough with about 60 min. bike warm-up and a 5 min. run. During the run I stepped into a gopher hole and twisted my bad left ankle...ouch. Not sure if I was going to be able to compete I decide to shake it off and go to the start line. The foot race started and I was able to finish first and then into the transition to the bike. The first transition went fairly smoothly and jumping onto my new race rig I was excited...off down the trail and onto the course everything seemed good but a few bike issues (my fault "Q")occurred; chain suck middle ring up first climb damm! big ringed the balance, seat post slipped, first time; riding the bike, with lefty fork, disc brakes....back into transition I laced up my shoes and off for another run (4 - miles) the ankle felt bad and I had to watch every stick, rock and hole but was able to stay and take the WIN for the team. All and all I felt good and had a lot of fun on my new race rig.

A bid thank you goes out to Scotty "Q" for designing and building the custom ti-carbon frame.....Get well son bro we need you out there...Lumberjack and O2S are just around the corner so the new Lefty front end is going to smooth things out.
Again thanks to all of our great sponsors...Jason thanks for hooking me up with the Cannodale Lefty it is sweet!
John

HAPPY 44th John Meyers !

2008-05-06T21:10:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!!!

Fort Custer XC

2008-05-06T06:46:00.006-04:00

The team headed over towards Kazoo for the Fort Custer XC and a little luv at the Eccentric Cafe for Lunch afterwards.

Erin Vicary took the BIG W in the womens Open class, while Jason Lummis held on for a 2nd Place in the Mens Open. Local Star John (44 isn't that old) Meyers kept it together for a 4th place finish in the Mens Open as well. Joberon helped the team out with feedzone excellence and support after being sick all week. We owe Joe a huge thanks for the team support and his family for coming out and cheering us on.

Race reports soon !

Results

JOBERONs Report:

The Fort :

Looks like the Greenbrier Maryland marathon may have been a bit much for my already worn out system. The Monday following, after 3hrs of sleep, I awoke to those pesky sensations. Scratchy throat, a few sneezes and to few hours of sleep. What does that spell? C.O.L.D. A nasty head cold that had me completely grounded by mid week. I did everything in my power to recover in hopes of enjoying some Fort Custer hot laps with my pals on Sunday. Friday night I even tried my good buddy Marco's home remedy. Keep reading for the secret recipe. Saturday morning rolled around and I was determined to get out and ride. I was actually feeling a bit better. Had the secret ingredients from Marco's Bavarian ancestors really worked!? After a quick bite to eat I suited up and headed outwith Erin. 2 plus hours later we returned and I was feeling quite knackered. I still hadn't ruled out racing. Yeah, pretty stupid. But Custer is a riot. I knew the conditions would be great out there as it had rained a bit. I was willing to race just to ride 4 laps out there.Saturday evening we had a delicious dinner and I hit the sack hoping to awake Sunday morning feeling recovered and ready for launch.Unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. I was still feeling a bitachy, tired and very congested. I packed my stuff anyway and we started the drive to Augusta. 2 and a half hours and a bit of pouting later we arrived at the park. The weather was perfecto. This would be the first race of the season that wouldn't have us riding through mud and muck.Arriving at the race venue somehow gave me a "I'm feeling better" kinda feelin'. I decided to suit up and see how I felt. I cruised out onto the trail and found it to be just as I had suspected. Perfectly...FAST. A bit tacky and groomed as if it had been paved. This would be a nice change after racing through a war zone at Greenbrier the week prior. A different kind of fast and furious fun. I hit the first climb, however,and realized anything involving me and a bike would be nothing but a pile of goo and puss. I didn't want to gross out my racing buddies. So,I pulled the plug and just rode out a nice easy lap. Fun but not like rolling with my teammates and friends at warp speed. All was not lost however as I had the privilege of doing hand ups for the team. I handn't done this in a while and was a bit nervous. I nearly blew in a call to Elite Team Support Feed Specialist Michelle Simonson. I managed to...manage though and all went well. I was quite proud standing on the sidelines watching my teammates at the front of the race mixing it up and, in the end, all making the podium. I'm glad I was still able to contribute in some capacity helping bring my teammates and friends to the line with groovy results. Results that...resulted in celebrating. We packed up after the race and all headed over to the Bell's Brewery bier garden. The friendly staff helped bring us back online with some wonderful grub and icy cold Oberon's in the sun. Doesn't get much better. Fun was had by all. Including Bell's Brewery first timer, my beautiful and sweet as Oberon little nephew, Emery. 4 weeks in and he's already showing he's got good taste. Welcome to the team little buddy. Good health, good racing and good times everyone. I hope to see you at the next one. Let me know if you need a hand up:) Oh! That super secret Batzner Bavarian Recipe. I almost forgot. Now, this isn't for everyone.In fact, it may only be something for the true hard men. You know,mountain bikers. Mountain bikers on beer teams. The Bell's Brewery Beer Team to be exact. Roadies, use at your own risk. You to Founders ;) Ha!! Step 1: A good hearty meal. For example, blood sausage and/or bratwurst.Step 2: A boiling hot shower/bath. Your azz had better be as red as a tomato when you're done. Step 3: Multiple layers of clothing. You need to be Sweatin' To The Oldies at this point. Step 4: Select your favorite Bell's flavor from the fridge. For this process Joberon suggests a Bell's Porter. Step 5: Pour brewski into pot or microwave safe bowl.Step 6: A couple of minutes in the micro or ~5 minutes on the stovetop. You want the brew-HA nice and warm. NOT BOILING. Step 7: Carefully pour the contents into your favorite Bell's pint glass and drink. Not too slow. Joberon suggested good healthy frat party gulps to get your melting carcass in to bed. Step 8: CAREFULLY Hopp(crawl) into bed andcover up. Step 9: The final step. Wake up 5-10lbs below your race weight and ready to rock and roll. Enjoy!

Joberon

BMX track ?

Lummis report 2nd place:

2nd place Elite ---- better than 3rd but still not as cool as Joberon's and Erin's BIG Ws. I'll keep trying and having fun in the process.

The race went well and the trail was fast. Maybe they need to lay off excessive grooming of a trail. I like to back country ski this course is like a fresh groomed skate ski track. John and I lined up against 11 others in the Elite class, while Joberon rested from his flu.

Any way I somehow managed the hole shot into the open field with the head wind, oh yeah. I kept my pace fast and accelerated into the little hills before the first set of tight single track. I looked back and things seemed strung out as I hit the entrance to the quick tight section. I ended up clipping my bar end on a small tree and stacked it in front of everyone. Blocking the trail with my mishap. I jumped up fast and ran over the log pile still on the front. We hit the first hill and just before the next Christian and Stu drove past me. John and the Farmer where back a few seconds. I just kept my pace letting Christian and Stu go. I could see Stu just head and Christian was gone. John and Nate caught on and I paced the rest of the 1st lap. Nate came thru at the end of the lap and John rejoined us. Into the headwind Nate motions me to the front and Stu is about 20secs up and in site. I feel like and catch him but I am also not wanting to drop John. I keep a steady pace for the next few miles and we hit the hills again and the 2 yo-yo off me again. I decide to close the gap on Stu and hopefully John can join up with us soon. I catch Stu and let him know I have No intentions on working unless John comes up. At the lake there is a steep little down hill with landscape rocks on it, Stu takes the wrong line into hit and endos down the hill. He jumped up I asked if he was OK and he seemed ok. I kept up my pace and told the next volunteers to makes sure he come through soon. I was just pacing myself along thru the end of the 3rd lap and into the 4th and final lap. As I was existing the Open starting field I could see Stu pushing hard from behind. I didn't panic, figuring he would have to use alot of energy chasing me down. He finally caught up to me at the water station about half way thru the lap. He could of sat on me, but he went straight to the front and pushed hard. I was ready and stuck to his wheel easily. I kept looking for a chance to try and attack him, but he wasn't going to let me go by. So I waited until just after the boat launch along the 2 track to the finish and jumped. Stu wasn't happy and I told him not to stop trying and we raced it to the line for a 2 sec time gap with 2nd place for me.

We headed down to the Eccentric Cafe after the race for some killer food and a few pints from the taps. Great weather and great group of people. I just wish my wife and son had been there.......... Lumberjack I am actually looking forward to it this year, O2S I need to improve, Chequamegon top 20 !?! The Iceman top 8? and as many local races I can get to this summer.

We have socks and wrist bands for sale:

1 pair socks and 1 wrist band $20 + $2 SHIPPING

email: jason.lummis@gmail.com

Joe and Erin take the show on the Road............

2008-05-01T06:36:00.008-04:00

Joe and Erin Headed down to The Green Brier AMBC in Maryland this past weekend. Erin won her Expert class while Joe battled it out with the Semi-Pro class for a hard earned 12th. Race report and Pics below.

Great job guys and not a bad way to break in the new team kits.....

Joberon:

Greenbrier Challenge AMBC, Boonsboro, MD. Erin and I, along with the Simonsters(Trek Midwest), made the marathon journey to Maryland this past weekend for the Greenbrier Challenge. In an effort to qualify for Nationals and improve our technical ridingskills for Mt. Snow in July we decided the long drive was justified. In the end we were in the car about 15 hours and on the bike 3. Including Saturdays pre ride and Sundays race. Yeah, not a good balance I agree.We do, however, think the trip was worth it. The course was fantastic and the event was run really well. The turn out was large and the competition was stiff. Saturday night brought torrential downpours to this lush very hilly region. This was only going to make an alreadytechnical course twice the challenge for race day. With me taking my first crack at the Semi-Pro's and Erin rollin' Expert we didn't start racing until 2PM. My hope was that this would allow for the course to dry up a bit. As we were preparing for our event we could see that wasn't the case. Beginner and Sport riders were coming off the trailsoaking wet and covered from head to toe in mud. A good test for sweet new Quiring bikes and slick new team kits I suppose. I rolled up to the line after a nice warm up with Mike and Erin. In front of my Semi-Pro group were the Pro men. I was surrounded by fierce, lean and mean looking athletes. I wasn't sure what to expect besides pain. A minute after the Pro men launched our group was off and immediately up a longclimb. Long for a Michigander anyway. The start was very fast and the pressure was on the entire first lap of four. I held my own on the climb then things started to get interesting. The entire 5 mile loop is quite technical. Which is one thing going up. But when you're screaming down a hill...it's an entirely different story. Rocks, roots, logs, muck. This course has it all. I struggled a bit but kept it upright not allowing too many passes. I survived the first lap and had a couple riders in my sights going into lap two. I was hovering around the top 10. I was trying to find some sort of rhythm and not blow up. On a course like this that can be quite a task. For all of lap two I tried to stay within reach of the couple Semi-Pro's ahead. There was basically zero recovery on this course therefore I didn't feel I had the power to chase. I could only hold my pace and hope for the best. Lap three I felt a little more fluid and smooth. I was able to catch a few riders but still didn't have the legs to really dig. Rounding the start/finish for the fourth and final lap the fatigue was setting in. Every section of trail worked me over. Especially due to the rain and wet conditions. I didn't panic. Just put it in cruise control not redlining even once. I cleaned the last rocky down hill better than I had in the laps prior and rolled across the line in 12th. I wanted to crack the top ten but it wasn't meant to be. Overall I'm satisfied with my performance and ability to ride the tricky stuff. It really makes MTB racin' around here feel like a road race. Erin ended up having a fantastic race winning her class and having the 2nd fastest Expert Woman time on the day. Way to go Erin! Way to go Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycles MTB Squad. Another successful racing weekend down the hatch. See you at the next one.

Joberon

ERIN: ERACERS NEW RIDE !

1st Place @ Greenbrier Challenge AMBC Race April 27th,2008

We started the 8 hour drive to Frederick,MD at 8am Saturday morning. On the Ohio turnpike, we bridged up to & continued caravanning with the Simonsters the rest of the way to Maryland. The drive went well, as did the 2 lap pre ride, because the darkening sky’s held out until we were done with both. Later that evening, Mike, Mitch, Joe & I got cleaned up & went to a local steak house for dinner. In the midst of conversation, I happened to notice water streaming from the ceiling in a few spots...hmmm. I looked out the window to find it raining as hard as rain can possibly fall. Instantly my mind started flashing images of how the trail would look for the race. Like little glimpses into the future, I saw everything I’d seen earlier but it was all wet & covered in mud. Normally I would’ve started to freak out a bit, but not this time... ‘cuz I’ve got the new machine with me! My beautiful Quiring equipped w/(amongst other wonderful amenities) DISC BRAKES! Disc brakes you say? What’s all the excitement?! I’ve never had them until now & I after this weekend I will never be without them again! Sunday morning was centered around coffee, food, & killing time until our 2pm race start. Joe & I ate a leisurely “...down on the farm” breakfast & afterwards enjoyed the headache that is U-Scan at the local grosh. Then before we knew it, it was check out, load up, drive, arrive, packet pickup, chill, people watch, prepare bottles, dress, warm-up... ahhhh yes... The Race: The Fun! I’ve only done it a handful of times, but I love racing against unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar places. Outside the bubble of the Michigan scene there is much to see! The Greenbrier terrain was awesome! It was just as I’d envisioned the night before... VERY WET & VERY MUDDY. It’s about a 5.5 mile course & if I had to guess I’d say there was 65-70% climbing & 35-30% downhill. Not much of anything in between really. Thank goodness for my super light ZTR RACE wheels from Stan’s notubes.com. Those long climbs wouldn't have gone as well as they did if those wheels weren't as light air. Both ways, up & down, were quite technical. The trail absolutely littered with rocks, slick water bars & logs, a river crossing, & even some roots thrown in for good measure. Then there was the mud pits, the puddles, & the small river that had formed on the last downhill section. It kind of highlighted the best line to take so it actually helped! Being so used to the trails at home, all hard packed & highway-like, it all appeared quite treacherous... but in a fun way. I managed to only bobble a couple times & most of the time I just ate it all up. Lots of people were slowed down or sidelined with mechanical. The only issue I had was some crummy shifting on the last lap due to massive mud.... no biggy.As far as the competition within the experience, in the Women's Expert Master 30-39 class I never saw any of them after the start & finished 3+ minutes ahead of 2nd Place. Afterwards we cleaned the bikes,dunked ourselves in the lake, did the podium, grabbed a medal, & @ 6:00pm Sunday night the next race began.... the race to get home for work in the morning :oP. Good times!

:o)Erin

BLoomer XC USAC Tailwind Series #2

2008-04-28T06:37:00.006-04:00

Jason Lummis attended the 2nd stop of the tailwind.net USAC series at Bloomer Park Rochester Mi. 16 racers lined up at the start of the Elite/Open class for a great day of racing, cool and sunny.

Jasons report:

My first race of the 2008 race season is under my belt (skin suit). I had missed the 1st race of the year at Pontiac Lk due some nagging back pain. Our new team kits arrived this past Thursday from Pearl Izumi and they are awesome.

The race: It started out fast as usual with a slight down hill to first set of single track. I missed my pedal, which is odd since using CRANK Brothers over the last few seasons I had not done that before. I made way to 5th or 6th wheel and entered the tight and twisty single track behind a new face in the Elite class. Khuncapi grabbed the whole shot and Neil S. was right behind him, Brent and Dylan where just ahead of me. After the single track opened up I was able to get around the racer in front of me, he started way to fast and was fading with in the first few miles. We made it to the big downhill switch backs and I almost lost it because of not pre riding and the trail changed directions from previous years at the bottom. It was a fun change and I started closing the gap to the racers ahead. I closed the gap on the RR bed flat along the river. I sat on for a few and tried an attack on the little hill before the sled hill (which was cut out) and tried to keep the pace high. Coming around the infield by the start/finish Christian tanguy came by and Dylan grabbed his wheel leaving myself and Brent in the dust. We caught Kuhncapi and then dropped Brent in the same spot The flying Frenchman dropped me. Kuhncapi and I slowly reeled in Neil and dropped him as well on the 4th lap of 5. I had a small scare on lap 3 with a stick jabbing my rear wheel and the hissing sound of a flat. My Stans liquid quickly sealed the hole and I lost about 10psi, the tire held for the rest of the 2.5 laps. Christian was gone and Dylan had a gap that wasn't getting smaller. On the last lap Kuhncapi was fading and I jumped about 1 mile from the finish and held him off. Greg is a good friend and I really have fun racing with him, he and I have had a few good battles for position in races over the years.

results:

Christian T. 1st

Dylan 2nd

Lummis 3rd

Kuhncapi 4th

Neil 5th

Yankee Springs TT Top 10 for John Meyers

2008-04-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

Great TT result for the team 7th. place elite. The warm-up started off with an easy spin from Richland Michigan with a couple jumps to try and get my motor started. I rushed around the start an offed my top and ipod to Ken my buddy at the Trek trailer...always great to check in. So I started in 2nd. position. As I approached the start line just before 10:00 I noticed that things had changed??? I shot up the hill were everyone was and found that the start had been moved and we were going to race in reverse....wow! Great! Level the playing field. I had a great time but just could not get comfortable on the bike??? A recent bike fit again revealed a few changes to the stem and seat height which I made on Friday. The changes did not work and made me feel cramped and restricted on the bike? So this was my second off-road ride of the year and feel very good about it! No complaints! Looking at adjusting the schedule slightly so that I can go out to Nationals (Masters Expert) in July with Joe and Erin. The season is very L O N G and the slow roll up is the best way to stay motivated in December for the Cyclocross State Championships and Nationals. Last year was a great year for me with a total of 27 races completed and 20+ top five finishes so this year will be very similar and the slow roll-up and lot's of motivation in December is most important!!!! Good Luck Jason, Erin and Joe this weekend!!! Take care and have fun!!!!
J.Meyers

JOBERON TAKES 1st WIN of 2008

2008-04-13T13:38:00.006-04:00

JOBERON on the TOP step

Graduation Day My very first MTB ride was with my good buddy Larry at Pontiac Lake. I believe it was early spring as well as it was quite muddy that day. I recall spraying our bikes off at my parents afterwards and grinning ear to ear the rest of the afternoon. From that day on I never looked back. I immediately entered the Cameron-Clark-Farnsworth-Collins-Luczynski-Dunn-Bowes PLRA School of Big Ring Jammin'. Well, 10 years later I'm happy to say I finally graduated. The Tailwind/USAC MTB Michigan State Championship Series kicked off this past Sunday with a 2 lap Time Trial at Pontiac Lake. I awoke to cold, snowy and wet conditions. I must admit my motivation wasn't the greatest. I pressed on and kept thinking of what my brother said to me the night before, "It's going to be cold and snowy tomorrow. You will do great. You've been riding in the crap all winter." I rode out from the apartment with full winter layering. It was quiet as the snow covered my glasses and helmet. It seemed as if I was just out on another winter base training ride. As I closed in on the park I started to hear the familiar sounds of a race. The music and announcements over the PA and the chatter of fellow racers preparing for battle caused reality to set in. I quickly registered and continued with a light warm up. The next thing I knew I was lined up for the first race of the season. With the crazy conditions and over a dozen Elite riders showing up I really wasn't expecting much of a result. I rolled out from the line pretty conservatively trying to stay relaxed and upright. There would be no Big Ring Jammin' on this day as it was slick and quite muddy is spots. This was also my 2nd trail ride since Iceman and only my 2nd ride on the Quiring steel 29er race rig since the 2007 season finale. To my surprise I was picking off riders within a few minutes. I caught Dylan Lanspeary(A-Bikes) who is riding really well and knew if I could stay near him I'd be doing pretty well. That was the case going into lap two. We'd also caught Bill Clikeman(AC&F/WSC) who eventually found his wings on the 2nd lap and rode away from me. Dylan had some unfortunate chain trouble and disappeared behind me. I picked up the pace as I closed in on the finish and spotted Bill again. I just tried to ride smart, avoiding crashes and keeping Bill in my sights knowing he started a minute or so in front of me. A few minutes after I had finished I heard I'd posted the fastest lap time. Then, after a short cool down with Bill, I'd heard I won. I won! Finally. A much better result than last years season opener at PLRA. Funny thing is my lap times were nearly the same. In the mud! Another good day on my Quiring 29er. The Stans wheels worked flawlessly with a big o'l Geax up front and a Karma on the rear. It's so nice to be riding the Quiring and racing again. Spring is here everyone! Good luck and have a super fun and safe season. I'm looking forward to hanging out and sharing some Oberon's with you in the coming months. I got things started off with a 6 pack of the beauties following Sunday's race. See you at the races!Joberon

Joe Brzuchanski aka JOBERON BEERCHAMPSKI takes the 1st win of the 2008 MTB seasion here in Michigan. report coming soon !

Erin Vicary continues here top podium ways with a hard fought 2nd place........................

Winter is over the racing Begins !!!!!!!!

2008-04-10T21:06:00.004-04:00

Here is two of the first 2008 team interviews: Erin Vicary & Jason Jones

ERIN:

How was your winter ?
Great, though I'm not convinced it's over yet.
Living in a state shaped like a mitten, I guess I should expect to be pummeled by snow for at least half the year.

Thanks to a 4 week cycling hiatus right after Iceman (a 2 week adventure in Brazil, sandwiched between two weeks of doing whatever at home) I came into training raring to go. And then it snowed. And snowed. And snowed. It snowed so much that I found it difficult to make riding outside effective training this winter.
In years past I did most of my winter riding outdoors. This year I was on the trainer for what seemed like most of it...yuck! The height of my skills work was a four hour stint at Rays Mtn Bike park in Cleveland. Fun, but yikes... that's all?! Despite what might sound like a bunch of setbacks, I feel strong & quite confident that I'm prepared as best as can be for the upcoming season.
Hopefully my form & handling will continue to improve steadily this spring as I finally get out on the trails. I just can't wait to shed the layered-load-of-laundry look I've been sporting all winter, slip into something more comfortable like the new Bell's/Quiring Kit, & RIDE!

What are your goals for 2008 ?

Two top three's at national races: 1 NMBS + National Championships
Win 1 AMBC race
Repeat as MI USAC Expert/Elite Women XC Series Champion
Improve results for Triple Crown races

Favorite race event and why ?
My favorite race event isn't a particular race course, it's a format I guess.
I like the stage races.
I love XC, but I also really enjoy the bonus of it's flat out fast cousins: time trial & short track.

Favorite Bells Flavor?
Oberon

Best thing about your Quiring bike ?
Can't wait to find out... the frame's being built up as I type!

Pizza or Burritto ?
Buritto

Coffee or tea ?
COFFEE! Freshly ground & French pressed.

JASON:

How was your winter ?
Interesting. I was doing winter biking and xc skiing up until the end of February. Then, in March, I had a 7 hour open-heart surgery to repair a birth defect in my heart. They stopped my heart for 19 minutes, but thanks to all that mountain biking, it started up again.

What are your goals for 2008 ? Racing or life !

My riding was taking a slow spiral down the past few years because of my heart. Due to my recovery from surgery, I can't ride again until the first week in June. While that sucks, I am psyched to see what I can do on the bike with a healthy, fully-functional heart.

Favorite race event and why ?

Probably Iceman in Traverse City. I like the terrain and the team Sunset on the Season Party the night of the race always rocks.

Favorite Bells Flavor ?

It depends on the season, but I am a big wheat beer guy and like Belgian Wits and German Hefes, so Winter White does it for me.

Best thing about your Quiring bike ?

Q knows 29ers. Before Q sponsored the Team, I had Seven Cycles build me a 29er. When I got it, I was disappointed. It climbed like a pig. It turns out that, despite their reputation, Seven didn't know how to handle the tight 29er trade-offs in geometry between ring clearance and tire clearance. Instead of bending the chainstays right, they just lenghtened them to accomodate clearance. When Q looked at what I'd been riding, he commented that the 'stays were way longer than they need to be. He tweaked the geometry on the new Ti 29er he built me. What a difference! It felt like I was on a jet compared to the Seven. Knowledge and skill trump marketing every time.

Pizza or Burritto ?

Tofu.

Coffee or tea ?

Peet's Major Dickason's Blend in the morning, Green Chai tea at 3pm.

The Goodness has Arrived !

2008-03-24T21:18:00.004-04:00

2008 Jerseys have been delayed until the end of the month. Socks are available thru the general store

A FEW FROM MR. QUIRING :

Joe and Erin>s EASTON Elite frames

John's Titanium Carbon frame

Team socks

2008-03-04T08:26:00.004-05:00

These 3/4 crew light weight merino wool crew socks will be available in the few weeks from the Bells Brewery General Store . The socks are made by Sock Guy and come in 2 sizes L/XL and S/M. They will also be available thru the MTB team at select events through out the summer !!!!

2008 Team Jersey design !

2008-02-04T14:39:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks the 2008 version of the Bells Brewery/Quiring Cycles MTB Team official Jersey ! Pearl Izumi has created our 2008 team kits, as well as the official Team shoe. Jersey's will be in by the release date of OBERON this spring !

Official 2008 sponsors:

Bells Brewery

Quiring Cycles

STANS No TUBES

Oakley

CLIFF

Crank Brothers

Shop sponsors:

ABERDEEN BIKE

PAINT CREEK BIKES

2008 Team roster:

ERIN VICARY

JOE BRZUCHANSKI

JOHN MEYERS

JASON LUMMIS

SCOTT QUIRING

JASON JONES

P.R.O MOUNTAIN

Cash for Chaos

2008-01-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

JASON LUMMIS INTERVIEW

Jason Lummis has a little blurb @ the Michigan Scene blogspot. Cool site that focus' on the Michigan Road, Cx and MTB racing scene.

HAPPY B-Day ERIN !!!! Dirty 30 and still rocking it like a 18yr old.

NEW YEAR = NEW TEAMMATE

2008-01-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

OUT OF THE DARK AND INTO THE SUN
Top Michigan Mountain Biker to Race for Bell’s in ‘08

January 1, 2008

They say a good woman is hard to find. The Bell’s Brewery/Quiring Cycles Midwest Mountain Bike Team knows this. For several years, the Team had been searching for the right Pro/Elite Michigan-based women to add to its impressive stable of racers. Alas, we were coming up empty-handed in our search. But, our lack of fortune was to change last August, on a hot day in Marquette, Michigan.

The Team was basking in the glory of its victory at the 2007 Ore-to-Shore point-to-point mountain bike race – drinking a variety of fine Bell’s products at the finish line and watching the leading female racers arrive, when we saw her. Erin Vicary, one of the top racers for the all women’s Dark Horse Brewing Race Team, was coming down the chute. A fast female racer who liked good craft beer? It was like we were dreaming – witness to some utopian vision that could only be a mirage. Then it happened. Erin, parched from her effort which saw her achieve a top 10 finish, reached up, snatched a Bell’s Pale Ale out of one of our Team member’s hands and downed a big swig. She took the hand-up as effortlessly and naturally as most racers would grab energy drink at an aid-station. We had found our women.

After a long “silly season” of negotiations leading up to Erin’s signing of her new six-figure* contract with the Team, we welcome her to the madness that will be 2008.

* Sorry, the Bell’s Team does not disclose decimal places.

For those of you who are statisticians, we provide you with the following race information on Erin from 2007:

CHICKASAW TRACE CLASSIC (Columbia, TN) - 3/25/07
Expert/Pro Women-7th Place
PONTIAC LAKE TIME TRIAL - 4/15/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
YANKEE SPRINGS TIME TRIAL - 4/22/07
Expert/Elite Women-2nd Place
FORT CUSTER STAMPEDE CROSS COUNTRY - 5/6/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
BRIGHTON RECREATION AREA STAGE RACE - 5/19/07
Expert/Elite Women-Stage Champion
HANSON HILLS CROSS COUNTRY - 6/3/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
BLOOMER CROSS COUNTRY - 6/10/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
STONY CREEK MARATHON - 6/30/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
USAC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Mt. Snow, VT) - 7/20-22/07
Expert Women 25-29 Cross Country-4th Place
Open Women Short Track-5 Place
BIG M CROSS COUNTRY - 8/5/07
Expert/Elite Women-3rd Place
ORE TO SHORE - 8/11/07
Hard Rock Women 25-29-1st Place
Hard Rock Women Overall-6th Place
PONTIAC LAKE CROSS COUNTRY - 8/26/07
Expert/Elite Women-1st Place
STONY CREEK CROSS COUNTRY - 9/9/07
Expert/Elite Women-2nd Place
PEAK-TO-PEAK CROSS COUNTRY – 10/20/07
Elite Women-1st Place
ICEMAN COMETH CROSS COUNRTY – 11/10/07
PRO/EXPERT WOMEN-11th Place

USAC MI Women Elite Champion 2007

Teammates Mike Simonson, John Meyers, Joe Bruszchanski, Jason Lummis, Scott Quiring and Jason Jones Welcome Erin to the team. Not only is she a fast racer, she is an outstanding person, that brings a great personality to any race or ride.

Look for the 2008 jersey design in the next few weeks.

AND YES HOPLSLAM IS HERE !

Raffle winners

2007-12-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

We had over 100 post cards sent in. Mostly from the home state fans and a few out of staters as well. Only 2 disqualified Non post cards where sent in. The Hell Riders delivered the winners: Jersey will be sent out this week !

Large LS jersey: Jim Hills of Traverse City MI

Medium LS jersey: Michael Seamen of Mt. Pleasant MI

Medium SS jersey: Jeff Bonsalli (sp) of Lincoln Nebraska

Small ss jersey: The Jode of Commerce MI

Congrats all --- jerseys are on the way this week !

Stay tuned as we announce the 2008 Team and have a preview of the 2008 jersey design !

Until then keep the Big wheels turning and just a reminder Hopslam comes out in January !

Check out the Bells Brewery website as they have reworked the whole site and it is really great. The General Store has been moved to the front of the Eccentric Cafe complex and is really cool with the walk in coolers.

Now onto base miles and suffering through another MI winter. It is never too cold to ride, layers and wind/rain blockers are the key. Keep a log of what works at what temperatures for quick references or reminders on what to or not wear.

Beers to another great year !

Michigan CX State Championships --- 2 Gold Medals

2007-12-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

John Meyers and Jason Lummis raced the Masters 35+ at the State CX Championships.
John won the Masters race as well has the State title for the 40-44 yr olds and Jason Lummis finished 2nd behind John in the race, won the 35-39 yr old State Title and finished 3rd in the Tailwinds USAC CX series Master 35+....

Check out the State Championships video by Mashers Media:

Photos : www.mattmccluskey.com

JERSEY RAFFLE !

2007-11-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

DUE to Manager error:

The jerseys never made it to the Sunset on the season Party after Iceman

WE ARE RAFFLING OFF for free:

4 Bells Brewey/ Quiring Cycles Team jerseys

2 short sleeve (sizes small and medium)

2 long sleeve (sizes medium and large)

shipping is free to US residents (please be prepared to pay shipping if outside US). The above sizes and styles are all that are available. No whinning or crying about it -- These are FREE. If you want choices go to http://www.bellsbeer.com/ and buy the size you need.

Here is what you have to do to enter the raffle:

Send a post card (something from your area or region) No letters

Include name -address (ship to) and phone # with

Size of jersey needed (first picked gets 1st size, sorry NO XL or bigger).

We have intrusted the raffle to a local biker gang for fairness and security reasons :>).

so please address all Post cards to:

HELLRIDERS MTBC

PO BOX 666

HELL MI 48169

Entries must be post marked by 12/01/2007 and the drawing will be 12/10/2007. All rules and regulations will be enforced by the HRMTBC and their affiliates.

any questions post a comment !