BIG M --- MI USAC series

Joberon and Jason Lummis attended Tailwind.nets USAC series race in the Manistee national Forest near Wellston MI. Joberon had a great race with a 2nd place finish while Jason finished 7th.


JOE----
Big M
Well married life hasn't slowed down the Flying Frenchman. With my teammate Mike sitting the Big M event out Christian Tanguy of American Cycle and Fitness/WSC had no one to play with. I tried hard to keep him company for half a lap but paid dearly. Breathing through my eyeballs I was forced to ease up the pace and return to the sandbox with the others. While trying to regain my composure I looked back to see Michael Wissink(Specialized) chasing me down. We had a small gap that was short lived and eventually we were over a half dozen strong cruising the hills of Big M in search of 2nd place. With the openness of the course and some new riders in the mix I chose to play is safe as I knew the 5th and final lap would be a barn burner. Coming into the final lap I lost contact with the group on the large sandy downhill. With some work I was able to reach the guys before the fireworks had started. Greg Kuhn(KLM), who was super aggressive all day, made a big move that started the fun. He and Michael had a gap that my teammate Jason was working to bridge. Just as we got within striking distance Michael counter attacked and was off and running. I stomped on the pedals and chased him down and got around him before the sandy descent to the finish. From there I just had to keep it upright. The Quiring 29er and those big o'l Stans wheels got me through the beach like conditions for that 2nd spot. Next rumble will be Ore to Shore. I'm really looking forward to trying out my sweet bike in this seasons first big point to point event. See you all up there. If not at the race you can be sure to find me at the Bell's Midsummers Night Beer Party. Who's thirsty??? Joberon--



Jason----

Big M. Great venue, bad day for me. Well not bad day, but just didn't have the legs to hang till the end. I was pushing hard from the start felt like poo and fell back to the end of the train. Worked my way back to the front by the end of the 2nd lap and tried to take a turn pushing the pace a few times. 6 guys rolling around a 6mile lap for 5 laps together gets old, especially with 2 racers doing nothing but hanging on (cmon this is your local series step and show your wheels). Kuhncapi pulled the ole' I am done and pulled over on the last lap forcing me to the front of our 6 pack racing for 2nd. Knowing my teammate Joe was waiting for the move I kept the pace rolling. Kuhncapi attacked taking Wiz with him, Joberon came around and closed the gap. I chased as long as I could catching them as Wiz jumped. I was done and rolled in for 7th, Either everyone is getting faster or the 10 or less hrs a week I train is not making me any faster, oh well the middle of the season drags on and Ore to Shore is in a couple days. I have 2 days of hiking with my wife and son before 1 crazy day of party planning in Marquette for the O2S--- Great race prep probably not but well see how things shake out, top 30 will be fine since I know my fitness is lacking.

Mid Summers Night Beer Party !!!!

For all you racers and beer fans (21 yrs old and up) attending this years Ore to Shore Bells Brewery is throwing a Party after the awards show @ Upfront and Company, 102 E. Main St. Marquette, MI 49855. There will be VIP passes and swag Galore (Bells Team Caps, Garneau, Oakley, jerseys and much more).............

Festivities to start around 9pm or shortly after awards show !

Come on up to the 1st stop of the Midwests Triple Crown of point to point races and enjoy Marquette MI.

US National MTB Championships

Mike Simonson made the trip out east to Vermont for the 1 day national championships. Mike races in the Pro class and placed a great 23rd in the XC and a awesome 13th in the STXC.

Mikes report:

Vermont was quite an experience. Rain in the forecast turned an already tough course into a really tough course. We don't have stuff like this to ride in Michigan. Covering Boyne with a half inch of mud and sharp 24" diameter rocks might get you in the ball park. I started the XC race with about 60 other pro's from all around the country including Ryan Trebon, Adam Craig, JHK, Jeremiah Bishop and a host of other insanely fast pro's. My call up was surprisingly right in the middle. We took off and by the time I got around the first corner, I looked up the mountain and Trebon was already half way up it!! Oh well, I continued to work hard on the first climb and worked my way up into the low teens. I was with Carl Dekker and Eric Tonkin up the first climb. Sure enough, as soon as the trail started going back down the mountain, about 20 guys went blowing by me... BAHH!! Frustrating to say the least. The race kind of went like this most of the way. I'd pass 5 guys on the climbs, then two would blow by on the decent. On the 4th lap, I managed to hold off the trailers on the downhill and nobody passed me. Maybe they were tired, or maybe I was just starting to get the hang of how to ride the downhills. I rolled in at 23rd spot. 3 spots shy of my top twenty goal. The STXC was more my style. Pure fitness and power. I think the STXC tells a person more about where their fitness level is on the National level. The XC course combines fitness with more downhill agility. None the less, they are both tough. I got called up dead last in the back row! It's always a mystery on how the call ups are negotiated. Ya never know where you're going to get called up at. They yelled go and before I got across the line, Ryan Trebon was about 1/4 of the way around the course! I immediately went to work, passing 4 or 5 guys at a time. I was hammering the pedals every chance I could get. Near the final laps, I was starting close in on Barry Wicks. I was thinking, holy crap... Barry Wicks is right there!! When it was all said and done, I just narrowly missed getting pulled and ended up 13th. I'm sure I could have bettered my spot 5 places if I had a good call up. It's cool and all to go and race the national series, but I really don't want to get too caught up in it. It really takes a lot of support and experience to do well at a race venue like Mount Snow. I would need to travel out there for a whole week to pre-ride the course to the point where I could rip those downhills fast enough to compete in the top ten. I think I have the fitness to be in the top ten, but my mud mountain course skills need some work. Seeing that I only get 3 weeks of vacation a year, it makes more sense to try and do well at a lot of races where the courses aren't such a huge factor. Maybe next year I'll focus on the 100 mile series in the spring and summer, and the Midwest Triple Crown peppered with some CX in the fall. I was one of the only pro men on a 29er for the XC race. It was nice having the big wheels to roll over all those rocks and roots, and the extra traction on the climbs was appreciated. Riser bars and nice comfy grips (Ergons) are a must. The Quiring bike worked great! I had it set up rigid with Stans Crow tires for the STXC. That bike was so fast in the short track, it was almost like cheating. If Ryan Trebon had been on my bike, I think he could have lapped the entire field. People really dug the Bells Brewery jersey's too. Bells is known all over the country. Thanks again to all the sponsors.

RUBY MI USAC MTB SERIES

Bells Racers Simonster and Joberon had some fun this weekend @ Ruby Campground. The trail is a tight, twisty and fun course. With the added dbl water crossing every lap the racing was always changing........ The Simonster took his great form and made the race a quick tune up before heads out to Vermont for a National Series Race. Mike beat out all competitors for the win, gapping ACF rider Christian Tanguy at the end. Joberon maintained his top 3 overall in the MI USAC series from Tailwind Enterprises with a 5th place finish at Ruby.

Race reports:

Simonster:

I wasn't sure if this race was going to be a good idea the week before the US National Championships, but I couldn't resist knowing there was a MTB race going on only 1 hr from my door step with perfect weather in the forecast. I knew Christian (ACAF) was going to be tough as he's a maniac in the tight single track, but I was up for the challenge on Michigan's toughest single track course. I took the hole shot and Christian was right on my heels. I wanted to see how far I could push myself, so I upped the pace higher and higher on each lap, but there was no shaking Christian. I could get small gaps here and there, in which Christian would easily close down whenever the trail got tight. I eventually was able to drop him about 500 yards from the finish to take the win. It was another close one. I felt strong on the bike the entire race and never really blew up which is a good sign that my form is right on the money for next weekend! Who says 29ers are built only for fire road courses. The Quiring bike performed flawlessly in the tightest of the tight single track.
Thanks again to all our sponsors!

Next big races... USA XC Championships, Wilderness101, Ore to Shore, Shenandoah 100, Chequamegon, ICEMAN!!!

JOBERON:

I wasn't too confident going into the Ruby XC. It's super technical and isn't a course that suits me. I was on the fence about doing the race all week. I ended up going and having a pretty good time. 5th place on a race course that normally isn't my bag is cool with me. I figure if I want to improve my skills, what better way than to throw myself into some the most twisty techy stuff around.The start went well as I was 3rd wheel and hanging onto Christian's(American Cycle & Fitness) wheel. My teammate Mike was leading the charge and eventually was off the front taking Christian with him. After lap 1(of 5) Greg(KLM) and I were together working for that 3rd spot. After an early race crash,Kyle(Cyclefit) made an incredible comeback and joined Greg and I for the 3rd lap festivities. A couple of bobbles later by yours truly and a small gap was formed. I tried hard to chase back during lap 4 and tuckered myself out. Lap 5 I was just surviving and managed to hang on for 5th. The good news is that I was feeling good following a single track wizard like Greg around. In the end it was the tired legs that got me. The Quiring 29er and the Stan's setup ripped through that course like a diesel powered combine. Great job to all who raced.

Thanks for reading

.Joberon

Team Cycling Caps

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