Assault on Mt. Mitchell

First time assault = 27th out of 302 riders!!

Blue Ridge Adventures is not shy about promoting this race for what it is---extremely difficult, extremely demanding, and even dangerous...in other words, totally BRUTAL. Edge further reports:

ORAMM, what a weekend! Showed up to the race Sunday morning not knowing what the mountains had in store for me.

Needless to say, 6 hours, 62 miles, and 11,000 feet later I finished my first assault and all I gotta say is, "Man what a wild ride!"

After the dust settled and the beer was flowing, I checked the results to find out that I had finished 27th overall and 12th in open men. All in all a great event and I would suggest it to any mountain biker wanting to test their might or just get a great and up close look at the Pisgah National Forest---I will be back next year!

Dirty Spokes 12 Hours of Tribble Mill

Edge takes third in the 12 Hour solo...without even trying?

Welllll, not exactly. The day began with ideal racing conditions; sunny, dry, and remarkably, not too hot. Edge sat poised at the front of the line...


















...then shot out in front of over 200 other riders.

By the time he finished the parade lap, he took the corner with noone even close to riding his hub, and was first into the woods.

Hours went by, the eight mile trail was lapped
over and over, and despite varying problems with

heat and nausea, the day was strong.

UNTIL-- eight hours in, his rear, tubeless, 29er tire busted a seam while jumping out of the last taco stand and leaked tubeless goo all over the ground.

A final inspection in the Terrapin/Hostel Cyclist pit revealed he wouldn't be finishing off the last two and a half hours of the race, becoming instead, an official piece of the Hostel Cyclist cheering squad.


Well it turned out the Edge was far enough ahead when his tire popped, that he was able to sit down, have a beer, hang out for a couple hours...and still place third in his class.





















Many thanks to the Hostel Cyclist support crew, and his new hat.

F.A.T.S. = Awesome!

If you wanna beat the heat and mtb monotony, then grab your gear, Fun Edge, and head to the F.A.T.S. trails in Augusta. They're super!

You'll be amazed that even after two and a half hours of riding, you'll be coasting downhill the entire time, as if the trail system was designed by M.C. Escher!!

For maximum fun, don't forget to rub your mountain bike genie's belly for good luck,

bring along a former 24 hour single speed champion,

and ENJOY!!

**Don't worry if you don't have a Fun Edge. If we're there, we always bring extras. Awesome!

Cowbell Challenge

Ninth Place in the Pro Open

Cowbell....what can I say...HOT. I mean, heat I haven't felt this year thus far. Short of that, the event was spectacular! The in-town start in Davidson, NC was fun, and watching Jafer take off like a bullet out of a gun was impressive. Harlan, Andy, Shey and I all looked at each other like, "who's going to chase the Pro Roadie down the greenway??" I voted to lay back and not blow up, but stayed with the lead group to the farm.

Once there, the trails were fun, technical and fast. I could have done without all the field crossings come high noon, but all in all it was a good race. Throughout the 6 laps I saw more and more bodies laying trail side with the look of dehydration and defeat. I rode my race, fought through the same aspects as everyone else and came away with 9th place in the pro mens class, just happy to survive.

GSC #4, Heritage Park

Just a few short months ago, racing at Heritage was a freezing experience with sleet, winter hats, and teammates succumbing to hypothermia. This time around it was 150 degrees, or, as my grandma used to say (who would've been 101 this July), it was hotter than 40 ovens!

Three laps and 27 miles without enough water meant that eating a giant burrito later was the most rewarding event all day. See ya at the bovine challenge this weekend!

Day off + Coffee + MTB = Swell time!

The first step to enjoying a weekend off from racing is to begin the free day with an enormous cup of coffee!








Then, take your mountain bike
for a pleasure spin on miles of
uphill on the first hottest day of the year!

**Be sure to bring gears-- they increase morale on a ride that is almost exclusively uphill climbing for most of the day**

<--- Gears ------------ No gears --->





Find the elusive waterfalls 13 miles later, and say "hello!"


Go ahead and get in, the water can't be too cold, right?


Never stop smiling!


After your body recovers from the shock of going from 95 degrees to 20 below, grab a girl on your way out and tell her what a swell time you're having!

12 Hours of Tsali

12 Hour Solo Male - Second Place!

Jeremy was awake for 23 consecutive hours this past weekend, with 12 of them spent on a bike, pedalling over 100 miles. It took two days for the whites of his eyes to turn white again, and the same amount of time to answer the question on everyone's minds:

How'd he do?

Well straight from the Edge, here's how it went down:

"Ok, it was going to be the first dry race of the season and I was so excited--finally, a race against other riders and not against the elements. The rider turn-out was good and Gone Riding always sets up a great venue, so all I had to do was wait around till eleven for the start, then out the gate I was third in the run and fifth into the woods.

Once in the woods I led the race for three laps, until I made a crucial mistake and let second place (Geoff Bergmark) slip by me into first, thinking he was in the single speed catagory. Around lap five I was updated on Bergmark's progress while passing through the pits, so from that point on all I did was chase, chase, and chase some more..... I had let Bergmark outta my sight for 45 seconds and he managed to put 3-4 minutes on me by lap seven.

So by the time I came in from lap 11, I was a lap ahead of third place, a lap behind first, and with 15 minutes left before the 10:40 cutoff, I decided to call it a race. Took second place and a lil' pocket money with me back to Athens, GA that same night (morning!) to spend the rest of the weekend with friends, food, and good beer!"