Updates from Darin

......last race of the season , coming soon. Time...

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:06:34 GMT

......last race of the season , coming soon. Time to start running again!

What STIMULATES you?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:14:47 GMT

So Obama’s great stimulus package has been out for a while and he has been in office for a couple of months now. So what’s in it for us mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts? Do you feel “stimulated”?

READ MORE

The road BACK

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:04:51 GMT

.......An hour later, and I now cannot get off the couch. The pain is intense but dissipates if I lie still and don’t attempt to stand. An hour passes and I am able, with help, to get into the van and head for medical treatment. One week earlier I was tapping out a rapid tempo during a very rainy charity ride for over 100 miles, now I’m reduced to a wincing shell of a human.......

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RAIN PRESS COVERAGE

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:06:43 GMT

Cyclists put mettle to the pedal during RAIN event

By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Bicyclists from around the state and the Midwest peddled through Terre Haute early Saturday morning at the start of a scheduled 160-mile ride to the Ohio state line.

Dozens of Terre Haute residents joined more than 1,200 cyclists from around the Midwest and beyond for the long trek across the Hoosier state.

“It’s a big test of yourself to see if you can do it,” said John Mullican, a member of the Terre Haute City Council and an avid cyclist who took part in the Ride Across INdiana (RAIN) event for a fifth time.

The ride, which is sponsored by the Bloomington Bicycle Club, runs mostly on historic U.S. 40 across the width of the Hoosier state.

Mullican, whose son Matt, 23, also rode Saturday, was part of a large group of Terre Haute-area cyclists representing the Indiana State University Foundation. The Foundation and the university were co-sponsors of this year’s event, according to an ISU media release. ISU President Dan Bradley and his wife Cheri were also scheduled to take part in the ride, according to the release.

“Cycling is something I love to do and this ride is a tremendous challenge,” Mullican said.

Riders came from several states to take part in the one-day ride. Vehicles carrying expensive-looking road bikes could be seen Friday afternoon in the parking lot of Terre Haute’s Drury Inn hotel. The vehicles had license plates from as far away as Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio.

“I ride a lot,” said Bruce Noah, 52, an avid cyclist from West Lafayette who participated in the ride. Noah just recently completed a long ride through hilly southern Indiana pedaling more than 100 miles each day. After Saturday’s ride, “I’ll probably take a couple of days off,” he said.

Riders had a maximum of 14 hours to complete the ride across Indiana, according to the Bloomington Bicycle Club Web site. Riders were expected to average at least 12 to 14 mph for more than 11 hours.

“It’s a big challenge,” said Darin Messer, assistant riding coach for the Indiana Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training, which had five riders from Indianapolis participating. The key to successfully making it across the state is to ride in packs with friends, he said. That allows riders to draft off of each other the same way NASCAR racers do, he said. “It’s windy out there.”

Messer helps train cyclists for big fundraising rides in Lake Tahoe and in Hawaii for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, he said. “This is my passion.”

Hundreds of out-of-town cyclists arrived in Terre Haute on Friday for the ride. Nearly all riders have family members along for support during the ride and transportation home at its conclusion.

“I’m pretty ambitious,” said Julie Ammon of Jasper, who was at the Drury Inn on Friday to register for the event with her husband. Ammon, 38, started riding about two years ago and has only ridden in one 100-mile event in the past, she said. Nevertheless, she felt the time was right to try for the bigger challenge of 160 miles.

“I just felt like I was ready,” Ammon said. Her first goal was to finish the race in less than 14 hours and her second goal was to finish in 11 hours, she said. “I think it’s going to be a challenge.”

For more information on RAIN, including past event finisher lists, see the Bloomington Bicycle Club Web site, www.bloomingtonbicycleclub.org.

VOTING IS OPEN

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:25:27 GMT

Evomo T-shirt Design

Contest 2009

Grand Prize Winner gets $400 in Cash and Prizes!

Your Winning Design to Debut at the Sea Otter Classic!

VOTING IS NOW OPEN!!

STOP BY AND VOTE FOR THE WINNING DESIGN!

GIVE ME A REASON TO RACE...

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:44:07 GMT

Ah, the good old days when racing was fun. Remember when races were made up of a bunch of the guys from the local trail that got together once or twice a year to put on a festival of fun all revolving around mountain bikes, trails, and maybe a little post ride refreshment? The fun days of racing may not be over yet!!

READ MORE...

GIVE ME A REASON TO RACE...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:53:31 GMT

33 of the GREATEST TRAILS

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:54:23 GMT

Bike Magazine has asked their readers to vote for the “Best” trails in 11 categories and they have listed them and 2 runner-ups for each. This totals 33 of the “Best” trails in North America. The categories vary from “Best trail” to “Best Climb” and everything in between. The winners came from all over, from east to west and north to south and………..Indiana. WHAT? Indiana? What mountains are in Indiana?

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I'LL TAKE THE STAIRS....

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:16:55 GMT

The "Bop to the Top" has now come and gone. The event was everything I thought it would be and a little more.

Here is a closer look at the lower right corner. This should explain a lot.

I'LL TAKE THE STAIRS...

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:31:49 GMT

The "Bop to the Top" has now come and gone. The event was everything I thought it would be and a little more.

Here is a closer look at the lower right corner. This should explain a lot.

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:48:29 GMT

.......The outward symptoms of this mutated gene cause normally mild mannered, level headed, working class people, to do some really crazy off the wall events, just to acquire the “event T-shirt” (or ETS for short). The events are such that “normal” people would not do these sort of things............

Read MORE...

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:12:37 GMT

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:47:09 GMT

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt".

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:05:40 GMT

Why Ride....

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:31:44 GMT

......at Brown County State Park you ask. Here is why......

TEAM WORK MAKES STATE A HANDLEBAR HEAVEN

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:35:47 GMT

REPRINTED FROM OUTDOOR INDIANA MAGAZINE. I MET THE AUTHOR WHILE RIDING RAIN IN 2007. HE WAS RIDING AND WRITING ABOUT RAIN, AND A REALLY NICE GUY.

TEAM WORK MAKES STATE A HANDLEBAR HEAVEN

By Marty Benson
Photography by John Maxwell
July/August 2008

Indianapolis’ Mike Hufhand travels the country selling medical devices for a living.

A few years ago he realized another sales job was necessary—for life, or at least the pursuit-of-happiness part of it, during his times at home.

As much as possible during his sojourns, he mountain biked. Every time he returned after an out-of-state trip that included time in the saddle, he was disappointed because of the few quality places to ride. His fellow in-state cyclists, a few of whom had made sporadic appeals to the DNR on the subject, shared that feeling.

Pondering that problem, Hufhand, now 44 years old, reflected on the differences between those states and his state.

“I knew we had places that would be good,” he said, “but also knew that any time I went to a place that had great trail access and a lot of trails, it was because they had a well organized group of mountain bikers.

“We weren’t organized. A group like the DNR is not going to work with a bunch of individuals, nor should they.”

Mountain bikers are generally a social lot, so the task of organizing wasn’t daunting.

“I don’t think you could find a nicer group of people,” said Dave Powers, a heating and air conditioning sales manager from Whiteland, who took up the sport in 2004. “Sometimes you don’t find that (when you start a new activity as an outsider).”

Sheer effort, plus the help of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), begat HMBA, the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association, in 2000. Both acronyms rhyme with “Simba.”

Left: Stewart sculpts the foundation, drainage and flow of a new park trail.

HMBA laid groundwork for alliances with landowner organizations, such as the DNR, while working to improve trails owned by other groups, such as those at Indianapolis’ Town Run.

In 2002, IMBA (imba.com) bestowed Indiana with a dubious distinction, saddling the state with the lowest of its grades for mountain biking. The report, according to Hufhand, was based on a number of factors such as trails access, quantity and quality. Coincidentally, that was the last time OI covered the sport in depth (May/June 2002).

Scraping the bottom of the barrel in anything wouldn’t normally be a positive, but it’s played a part in turning a frown into a grin on the faces of Hoosier mountain biking enthusiasts and others who now cross state lines to bicycle here.

“That (ranking) turned out to be a nice rallying cry for our group and for DNR,” Hufhand said. “Originally, neither group knew each other very well but by the time we got that rating, we did, and we were really ready to put things together.”

HMBA, seasoned at improving existing trails, approached the DNR for permission to start a new, high-quality project.

At the time, the only DNR opportunities to ride mountain bikes on trails, save for the pilot project at Roush Lake (then Huntington Lake) that was completed in 1995, were in state forests. Those trails were mostly makeshift roads. None were the type of purpose-built routes the cyclists sought.

John Bergman, assistant director of the DNR Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, who has been the DNR go-to for HMBA, said that DNR formed a mountain bike policy in ‘95, before he was involved with the subject, modeling it after the horse-trail policy. But that’s where progress stalled because of a lack of both cash and staff.

Enter the local club (hmba.org) which offered the somewhat skeptical DNR a gift.

“They said we’ll build you these multi-use trails at no charge,” Bergman said. “(They said they) had the expertise and the ability to do it.”

Right: Alex Harrington (left) of Nashville and Alex Stewart of Indianapolis shape a new trail to resist erosion, flow well and follow natural contours at Brown County State Park.

The know-how was based on attending several IMBA seminars around the country that Subaru stages, one of which was held at Harmonie State Park this April. This time DNR agreed.

“We offered up Brown County and Versailles (state parks) because we knew we had large tracts of land there that were relatively unused and had no trails systems,” Bergman said.

Some DNR types were wary.

“(Property managers) were reluctant to bring in another user group when they hadn’t had any experience with them,” Bergman said. “They said ‘we’re going to have all this erosion and all that kind of stuff’ and ‘I’m not quite sure about this.’

“They wanted to make sure the trails were going to be built right and that these people could do what they said.”

Once the DNR signed off on trail locations, armies of HMBA volunteers came with their hand tools.

“HMBA is an outstanding TEAM of people, and that’s the strength of our group...our people,” Hufhand said.

Success

The trust paid off. Now Versailles has nine miles of purpose-built trails mountain bikers can use. Brown County had 14 miles at OI’s print deadline, with more being built, thanks to a federal $150,000 Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant awarded to HMBA last year. The DNR has been pleased with the results, to put it mildly.

“It’s been wonderful. It’s been fantastic. I don’t know that there are enough adjectives to throw at it,” Bergman said.

The DNR tossed more tangible praise HMBA’s direction in March, presenting the group a State Parks and Reservoirs Partnership Award.

HMBA not only backed up its words, it delivered more than promised. Mountain bikers not only have helped build trails, but also offered help in other areas.

“They’ve created new sources for our Friends groups,” Bergman said, referring to the local support groups that adopt some state parks and regularly provide volunteer help.

Left: (Back to front) Alex Stewart (Indianapolis), Charles Shindler (Nashville) and Jonathan Juillerat (Brownsburg) test a section of hillside trail armored with native stone at Brown County State Park.

Not just for bikers

Although the mountain bikers had self-interest in mind when carving the trails at the two state parks, hikers have reaped rewards, too. Bergman said the purpose-built, multi-use facilities are the state’s highest-quality hiking trails.

“If you want to go and have the best hiking experience in Indiana right now, I’d say go and walk the mountain bike trails at Brown County State Park,” he said. “They are spectacular.”
That’s music to HMBA’s ears.

“We don’t build trails, we build experiences,” Hufhand said. “That’s what we base our trails plans upon.”

Hiking is not only an activity on the new trails, but also a prep tool. Alex Stewart, who is in charge of HMBA trails development, said he put about 150 miles on his boots over four months in Brown County, searching for routes that would direct cyclists to attractive places in the park. During one of those walks with Doug Baird, property manager of the 15,766-acre park, at his side, Stewart showed the DNR veteran a dry waterfall with about a 20-foot spill.

“He had not seen it before,” Stewart said. “He said, ‘Thanks for showing me my park.’”
Hufhand said hikers will also love the trail view at Hesitation Point, which he said is second to none in the state.

Stewart, a 38-year-old who runs a small real estate company in Indianapolis, said hikers and mountain bikers have much in common, despite an inaccurate picture often painted of the latter by the extreme-sports-loving media, which might spook some hikers.

“It’s not like we’re the Mountain Dew boys flying down a hill out of control,” Stewart said. “We are hikers on wheels. We’re no different than hikers. It’s an experience of being one with the forest, a Zen type of feeling, much like people get when cross country skiing.”

Bergman said the proper trails design helps protect those who prefer traveling afoot to on two wheels.

“You really can’t go very fast on a mountain bike unless you’re going downhill,” he said. “You have to worry about what’s around the next corner. Mountain bikers encourage hikers to use the trails. We haven’t heard any complaints (from hikers about bikers) that I know of.”

Right: A year-old Brown County State Park trail blends into the forest.

Conversion

These multi-purpose trails, built by mountain bikers, have won over some who had early reservations.

“Before I was exposed to mountain biking, I had no particular use for it, and no desire to have trails built in Brown County,” Baird said. “(I’ve found out that mountain bikers) seem more willing (than some other groups) to support their own activity by working to build and maintain what they have rather than expecting the park to provide facilities for them to use.”

Stewart said that’s part of the bikers’ philosophy.

“People adopt these trails as if they are their own,” he said. “As a comparison, it’s a lot like surfers or skiers. The trails are very important to the riders.”

Avid rider Brad Hill, a 46-year-old custom home builder and Carmel resident, said he’s a big fan of the new trails, particularly the new ones in state parks.

“They are head and shoulders above the old,” Hill said. “They are a totally different animal. They are technical (not difficult to ride, but difficult to ride fast), fun, well maintained and take minimal maintenance.”

Future plans

Work is underway at Harmonie State Park, with 12 to 15 miles expected to open in 2010. Other state parks that appear ready to move beyond the talking stage are Fort Harrison and O’Bannon Woods, each of which pose different sorts of challenges, as well as plenty of potential.

Bergman said the National Park Service still technically owns the Fort Harrison land, so it would have to approve any plans before work started. He said that site surveys have been done. Extensive work is planned if approved.

“We want to rebuild and redesign the whole trail system there,” Bergman said. “(The project) will probably go pretty quickly because we have a large corps of people here to do the work—if they got started this fall, they could probably have 3-4 miles ready by spring.”

Completion would add high-quality mountain biking to the immediate Indianapolis area, something Hufhand said is sorely lacking in most metro areas in the state.

Adding trails at O’Bannon Woods would address similar concerns near Louisville and tap into a property that has mountain biker mouths watering.

“O’Bannon has great potential because of the sheer amount of acreage,” Hufhand said. “When you add Harrison-Crawford State Forest (which abuts the park), there’s nothing else like it in Indiana. It’s got 500 feet of elevation, lots of rock and big boulders.”

Volunteers have not been as plentiful at O’Bannon, so HMBA has received permission to make the existing adventure trail more bike-able to spur interest.

Bergman said other possibilities are Charlestown State Park and the Trine State Recreation Area at Pokagon State Park. He said DNR appreciates the HMBA support but realizes that depending on volunteers, as reliable as they are, probably won’t meet future needs.

“If we really want to have a viable trails system in some of these properties like O’Bannon, if we want to have them in a hurry, we’re probably going to have to use some of our own financial resources,” he said.

The Vision

Indiana’s come eons from that F on its IMBA report card. Not only is it passing, it’s become, dare we say, a destination.

“I’ve read the message boards and I’ve heard some people say that right now we have the best mountain biking in the Midwest in Indiana,” Stewart said.

But, as a well-traveled rider himself he’s quick to qualify that statement.

“There are some things you can’t get here,” he said. “If you go to North Carolina, you get 2,000- to 3,000-foot elevation changes and you can’t get that here, but we’ve got something over them, too.”

That something is that the trails are designed for their end use, which is not as common as you might think.

“Our trails are purpose-built, aligned just right and maintained to give you the proper flow, which helps you get lost in the moment,” Stewart said. “A lot of other trails are old logging roads or hunting trails. They’re fun but they don’t take full advantage of all the interesting details.”

Brian Holzhausen, owner and director of the Do Indiana Off-road (DINO) mountain bike racing series, is a big fan of the workmanship of the new trails.

“It’s an art that they’ve mastered, to sculpt the contours, create a trail that flows very well, uses the elevation changes, is sustainable and won’t erode over time,” he said.

Although there will always be some advantages to riding out of state, Hufhand said he hopes that in 10 years, Indiana will offer enough opportunities to keep most Hoosier mountain bikers home while pursuing their brand of happiness.

“Rather than taking the time to drive all the way somewhere else, (mountain bikers) will be able to go to a place like Brown County, stay the entire weekend and have a first class mountain biking experience rather than spending so much time in the car.”

Left: Trail workers test the flow and function of a trail segment at Brown County State Park. The park's new purpose-built biking/hiking paths are among the state's highest quality trails.

DNR MOUNTAIN BIKING SITES	NO. OF MILES
Brown County State Park	14
Clark State Forest Horse Trails	1.8
Deam Lake/ Clark State Forest, 2 trails	4.2
Deam Lake State Recreation Area, Trail 3	1.9
Ferdinand/ Pike State Forest, 5 trails	8.8
Jackson-Washington State Forest, Horse Trail 2	7.5
Martin State Forest	6.8
Potato Creek State Park	6.7
Roush Lake	12
Salamonie Reservoir	13
Spring Mill State Park	3
Versailles State Park	9

FOR NON DNR PLACES TO RIDE IN INDIANA,
SEE HMBA.ORG

HMBA Summer Update....

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:17:35 GMT

This is what has been going on in the HMBA world this summer. It is reprinted from the HMBA website.....

by Paul Arlinghaus - HMBA Vice President

Well this summer is flying by. I apologize for not getting more updates out on all that is going on. I have had to travel more than usual this year for work and its hard for me to catch up when I am away from home during the week.

Anyway here is the "Cliff Notes" summer update.

First off a big thanks to all who have worked to keep our existing trails in top shape. It was a very hard winter and spring with big storms, flooding, and extreme freeze thaws. It is important, as we build new trails to keep our commitment to maintain the existing trails.

HMBA also has put on an number of great events. The women's clinic, was a big success despite the postponement due to heavy rain and flooding. The HMBA 106ery was a great time and a proved mountain bikers have no idea that a century is supposed to be just 100 miles.

Brian and his Dino series continue to do there part by hosting a great state wide race series and hosting a Kids adventure camp which exposes kids to mountain biking.

Lots of other great stuff from the annual meeting to time trials and trail/camp out events.

On the advocacy side, we are doing things only dreamed of 5 years ago.

The RTP grant project at Brown County State Park is approaching completion. The section from HP to the campgrounds has been dialed in and has been open for riding all year. Meanwhile Alex and his crew were building a world class expert and Intro section. These two sections still have some work to complete. The Intro trail needs some bridges and the expert trail has some hand benching and some major rock work projects.

Just to recap this RTP project was awarded in 2005. It took over a year to get construction approval and we are now over a year into construction. This highlights the long term vision that has been behind the exciting things that are happening now. With other projects on the horizon, it is important that we stay focused on completing the RTP project at BCSP. We still need some help with bridges, kiosk, and a shelter.

The one slight disappointment in 2008 was that we applied for but did not get another RTP grant. The project we proposed was to build a trail at BCSP from the camp grounds to Story. We lost many point for submitting another RTP grant at BCSP, but with all the effort being put into existing grants, we didn't have the time to apply for an RTP for a new project. In many respects, RTP grants are great, but they come with a lot of strings that eat up a lot of volunteer hours. So not getting this grant isn't the worst thing to happen, especially with the much easier funding we are getting from the State Trail Grant.

The State Trail Grant was a special grant for 2008 from the governor to get more trails on the ground in Indiana. In total 19 million was awarded to for trail projects. Much of this will go towards paved trails, but our success at BCSP lead to HMBA being awarded $250,000 to build mountain bike trails.

This funding will be used at Versailles, Harmonie, and O'Bannon Woods State Parks.

I am happy to announce that we received construction approval on Monday for these projects. This means the funding is available and construction can begin. While waiting for construction approval we have been busy. Alex has laid out the first trail at Versailles and is ready to start construction in the next few weeks.

As soon as his crew is up and running, he will head down to Harmonie State Park to finalize the trail design down there. Once that trail design is complete we would like to bring in an second professional trail building crew (IMBA trail solutions, Woody's crew, etc...) to get construction started at Harmonie at the same time trails are being built at Versailles.

The last piece of the State Grant project will be at O'Bannon Woods State Park. The potential for O'Bannon is off the charts and will make even BCSP seem like the kiddy trails. Due to the rough terrain there, trail layout will likely go into the fall, and as trail crews finish up at Versailles and Harmonie, we can start construction there.

As with the RTP grant at BCSP, the best way to maximize the bang for the buck is to supplement the professional crews with volunteer labor. So look for weekend trail work sessions.

As a result of the success at BCSP and Versailles, we have had a great year for advocating for mountain biking. The year started off with HMBA getting a partnership award from the DNR. We also hosted the DNR's State Trails Advisory Board meeting at Brown County State Park. HMBA also sent 4 board members to the IMBA world summit.

Even more trails are on the horizon. Fort Ben is hung up waiting for approval from the National Parks (Long story, but since it was an military base the park is still deeded to the feds). The hard part about getting access is the patience needed to get through all the hoops. But that is what we are good at. We made contacts with the National Parks Service at the IMBA world summit that are going to help us get the final approvals needed for Fort Ben.

Mean while there are new trails in the works in Lafayette and Kokomo. We also are continuing to knock on the doors for access to Southwestway and Eaglecreek.

Going forward, we have the Brown County Break Down Coming up. This is quickly growing into a regional event. It will show case the BCSP trail system, as well as old classics like Nebo, Combs road, and Hickory. With bike demos on Saturday, this will be weekend event.

There are far too many people who are making this all happen to mention them all, so just a big thanks to all who are helping to make this all possible.

Paul

planning for more adventures!!

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:11:07 GMT

planning for more adventures!!

Give a little back...(part III)

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:55:12 GMT

The weekend wasn’t over yet! On Sunday I was scheduled to assist with a Cub Scout “Bicycle Rodeo”. The event was held in conjunction with the monthly pack meeting. The organizers contacted me with a request for help. I put the word out on the street that I was in need of some volunteers to help teach some children about bicycles. The crew at HMBA came through and Sparky, Dean, Tania, Ian and Chuck all accepted the challenge and agreed to help out.

After much e-mailing and discussion I finally nailed down exactly what my responsibilities were. I would need to organize, set up, tear down, and staff the “Bicycle safety talk” and the “Skills area” of the meeting. With my fearless group of volunteers we set out to do exactly that!

I had a plan in my head, but as you may well have guessed, it was a small plan as my head cannot contain very much. Upon arrival I allowed the HMBA volunteers to operate the skills area as they wished. I did not feel it was fair for me to stick my nose into the area they were going to have to work and volunteer. They laid out a course and also planned to take each group for a short supervised ride (with some dirt trails as well).

I on the other hand had to hold the attention of 10 to 15 young boys for 20 minutes while I explained the finer points of bicycle safety. The topic covered everything from pre-ride bike inspections, to proper hydration, to traffic laws……etc. I had plenty of material, but no idea how to capture their attention for that long. I devised a plan including some physical activities for the boys and we talked a little about trails, advocacy, and racing.

I would like to take a moment to thank the volunteers who helped me out and made this a success. I hope that in the short time we talked with these young men, we planted a little seed that will grow into a cycling life style. I know it has started in one little man in my neighborhood, as I now see him and his family taking daily rides since the event. Thanks again and GREAT JOB!!

Give a little back...(part II)

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:29:36 GMT

Next on the list of weekend activities was the DINO “Spring Tune-Up” at my home trails Washington Township Park (April 19). This is a non-points race that does not count for year end awards in the DINO series. This is how it is described on the DINO website “This event is designed to be a warm-up for race season, or a low-pressure chance for new riders to decide if they are ready to race. It's a short race with no frills (no awards or series points). The 3-mile course contains a mix of wide, easy trail and narrow singletrack. There are some rather technical sections and a few hills. Intro riders will complete 1 lap; Beginners, Clydesdale, & Juniors 2; Sports 3, and Experts 4 laps.”

It is one of my favorite events since the pressure is off of all the riders, they tend to open up and have more fun. The trail is the most technical in the DINO line up with some areas prime for some great wheel taco-ing, frame breaking action. Its actually quite brutal for a cross country course.

Mother nature did not think it was such a fun event, as she proceeded to dump rain on the course overnight Friday and into Saturday morning. I awoke to strong gusty winds and intermittent rain and temps in the mid forties. My wife volunteer to help during the trail run on Sat. morning. She returned home with the bad news. The trails were ultra-slick and it was not improving much. With this news the K squared Racing team had an impromptu meeting of the executive team staff and decided that only I would race today due to the conditions outside. It was also decided that the rest of the team would not risk sickness and brave the climatic conditions so I would race unsupported. This is not really that big of a deal since the race is short and close to the house, but the other boys were rather disappointed they could not race.

Since my full suspension bike was broken (see previous blog), I was back on the big wheel. I finalized my preparations and headed to the race. I had prepared my water bottles with Motor Tabs and had filled my belly the night before with Fiber Wise pasta, so I felt good nutrition wise. The weather was the big worry. Still rainy and cold. The course was SLICK!! It was not the kind of wet that damages trails, it was the quarter inch of slick, slimy mud on top of a hard packed clay bottom. Imagine a brand new linoleum floor covered in baby oil and you are trying to run an obstacle course covered in broken glass and a few small land mines blindfolded while wearing in-line skates. That is kind of what the course was like. The course can break bones and bikes when it is dry, so it became a wild and very unpredictable trip.

I warmed up and downed the last of my pre-race food and drink and headed to the start line. When I arrived near the start line there was a scant 10 or so riders there. I checked my watch to make sure I was not an hour early or something. I took a really quick lap around the parking lot and I began to figure things out. One by one I saw the regular racers in jeans and sweatshirts waiting for the race start. It turns out that since it was not a points race and was SCARY slick and dangerous, all the smart people decided not to race. Since this did not apply to me, I returned to the starting line. A few more brave souls took on the challenge and the race began.

The course was everything I had heard and more. Its amazing how you can ride a trail a million times and when the conditions change it brings on all new challenges. I cautiously made my way around the course and avoided going down. Each corner and technical section contained the risk of serious bodily harm. I figured with conditions the way they were, why not have some fun. So I did, and it helped. By staying loose and relaxed it made handling the uber slick trails and technical features much easier. The bike tracked and rode well with a relaxed rider atop it. After only 2 laps (6 miles) the race was over. A 2^nd in the age group and 11^th overall.

Give a little back.........

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:30:11 GMT

The weekend of April 18-20 was a busy one for me and my family. It began with the Moore/Gray Goat Sport’s “Introduction to Racing Clinic” on Friday night. I still had my race bike in pieces on the floor of the garage at 5:00 pm on Friday night. I scrambled to get a complete bike put together. Things went well and when I was almost done, I broke a brake arm on the rear of the bike. Too late to fix it I began to ready the hard-tail 29” bike for the clinic and the race.

I finally arrived late to the clinic and tried to be useful by taking some photos and video of the riders as they learned some technical skills.

After the clinic we all gathered for another lap and some socializing prior to the close of the park. Thanks Griff and the entire Moore/Gray Goat Sport cycling team for putting this on.

HMBA on the MOVE...

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:59:52 GMT

By Robert Annis

Posted: April 14, 2008

As published in the Indianapolis Star

In a state that has no mountains, an increased interest in mountain biking has two local parks adding bike-specific trails.

Fort Harrison State Park in northeast Indianapolis is set to OK plans for a bike trail as early as this summer, and a bike trail at Southwestway Park, about 10 miles south of downtown, is set to be approved next month.

If the new trails get built, the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association would be one step closer to having a trail in each corner of the city, said Paul Arlinghaus, the association’s vice president.

Town Run Trail Park, located on on the far north side of Marion County, is currently the only mountain biking park in the city. It’s on the west side of White River immediately south of 96th Street, and offers nearly nine miles of singletrack dirt trails.

The mountain bike association donated labor and materials to build and maintain the park’s trails.

The club, which has more than 200 members, supplied more than 6,600 volunteer hours last year to build trails throughout Indiana.

Arlinghaus said the trails are designed to prevent erosion and damage to the landscape. They cost little to maintain, he said, and parks that charge entry fees often see increased revenue.

At Fort Harrison, the biking group has identified 3 to 4 miles for a potential trail. Property manager Doug Wickersham said trail building wouldn’t start until late summer or fall.

Mountain bike trails will be added to Southwestway Park’s master plan next month, said Don Colvin, Indy Parks’ resource development administrator, and work will begin this summer.

The parks department will work with the bike association to develop the trails, which could be completed by next spring.

“A sustainable trail requires much more then raking a path through the woods,” Arlinghaus said. “The majority of trail will be built using a technique called bench cutting, which excavates dirt to allow the trail to go along the contour of a hill and yet have more level tread for the hiker or biker to travel on.”

Southwestway Park Manager Merri Taylor said she’s fielded calls from people wanting to mountain bike, and she’s also received complaints from hikers and equestrians who aren’t happy about riders on the trails.

“They’re the younger guys who don’t know the proper etiquette,” Taylor said of the bike riders who cause problems. “They’ve ran hikers off the trails before.”

She thinks the bike trails would attract park visitors, and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association tend to police themselves.

“They close off areas that need time to rejuvenate and switch things around to keep the erosion down. Those guys are great and very knowledgeable, and as park manager, we’d love them to be on board to do this,” she added.

The mountain bikers have tried to develop trails at Eagle Creek Park on the west side of Indianapolis but Indy Parks Director Joe Wynns and other officials have denied them. The park is designated a nature preserve.

“The mountain bikers think we should ignore that, but my staff and I don’t feel that’s an appropriate use of the land,” Wynns said. “It’s a natural area, it’s been that way for years. … Every change of administration they go out there and make a presentation, and every time the answer is no.”

Arlinghaus said Central Indiana mountain bike riders have other options for now, singling out Brown County as a destination that attracts riders from outside the state.

“It all starts with the terrain,” Arlinghaus said. “You’ve got about 300 feet of elevation, long climbs and some incredible scenic views. People drive the roads of the park to see the woods — well we’re out there in the woods.”

The cost of EDUCATION....

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:56:04 GMT

The cost of a good education today is high and rising. I was “taken to school” this past weekend. I paid my tuition in PAIN.

It has been a long hard winter for me. I started out the winter with the best of intentions to train consistently so that I would be ready for the early spring races. As with most of my plans, they turned sour. About 2 months ago, the winter crud (illness and disease) entered my home via my children and the microbe incubator they call school. To make a long story short, my youngest ended up in the hospital for a few days, everyone was sick once and some in my house several times. And thus ended my training.

And back in the real world, the day had finally arrived for the first endurance race of the season. It was scheduled for March 2 in St. Joe State Park in Missouri. 307 mile drive from my home to the race. I had a place to stay about 150 miles from the race so I left and stayed the first night and prepared the bike and all the other “stuff” needed for a race trip.

I awoke at 4 am and tried my best to get things going to get on the road. I have taught my children to share, but they share all the wrong things. I was lucky enough to receive a little gastro-intestinal bug from the little disease factories (I love my children, I’m only joking). It had plagued me the last few days. It more or less sat in the background and only reared its ugly head when I tried to eat. Every time I was around food, I began to get a little queasy. This quickly made it hard to eat. For the last few days I have not eaten much.

I sat in the drivers seat for the next 3 hours. I arrived at the race site, and stood in line to register. The winds gusted as the sun tried to peek out. I was actually cold with a jacket on while standing around. I began to get ready. I donned my 2007 EVOMO threads, since it was predicted to be muddy and cold. I stuffed a gel and a bar down and tried to drink some water. Even the water, turned my stomach upside down. I tried to tough it out and get ready. I stuffed a couple of gels in the leg of my shorts and filled a backpack hydration system, since I had no support to hand off bottles. I filled one bottle and dropped in my favorite MOTOR TABS.

My goal for the race was three, eight mile laps. The cut-off for starting the third lap was three hours. This seemed possible. My, how naive I am in my assessment of the situation!

We began the race and I fell into the middle of the pack. If I can just hold this pace I’ll be fine. I had not pre-ridden the course and planned to use the first lap to familiarize myself with the course. The trail was all NEW. By new I mean that it has not been ridden in. Every inch of the trail was spongy. It sucked the momentum out every time you let up. There were a couple of slight long downhills that I actually pedaled down to maintain my speed. At the bottoms of the descents were sloppy crossings, filled with thin watery mud. As I continued my pace I tried to drink and eat regularly. Every time I took a sip of water my stomach did back flips. Now, even water was making me feel ill. As the sun rose, the course warmed up and by the end of the race we were nearing 80 degrees. My body has not been exposed to that warmth in about 4 months. The combination of energy sapping trails, poor base fitness, and the inability to take in calories finally overcame my mental fortitude. My body began to crack. The slight little hints of cramps would sneak out on the climbs. I began to “rest up” at the tops of climbs. Soon that was not enough. Full on leg cramps from my feet to my hip, locked in position. Now I began to walk some of the tougher climbs trying to work the cramps out. On the bike, I felt empty, hollow inside, nothing in there to give. My mind would give instructions, but my body would not respond. Descents became dangerous. My reactions were so slow. I pushed on.

The trail paralleled a paved bike and recreation path that lead back to the finish area. Occasionally I would see a recreational cyclist on a balloon tired cruiser, pleasantly pedaling their way through the park. My mind drifted to thoughts of riding back to the finish on the paved path and dropping out. It was a brief and fleeting thought, but it did cross my mind. NO DNF’s….EVER. I entered, I’m going to finish! I continued on, and the physical collapse continued.

This is the highlight of the race. I have NEVER raced with more kind and compassionate competition in my life! EVERY rider that past me looked at me and offered help, water, gels….etc. They were all genuinely willing to stop and help if needed. To the other riders in that race, I am in awe of your kindness and hope that I can be as compassionate and helpful as you are. You are models of what racing should and could be! Thank you!!

I finally finished my second lap. There was no chance of making the three hour limit. I limped back to the truck, with my tail tucked neatly between my legs. I sat on the back of the truck trying to choke down some recovery drink. I loaded things up and departed without reviewing the results. It’s not that I didn’t want too, it’s that I feared I would not physically be able to stand much longer.

When I checked the results on-line, the three most feared letters were waiting by my name, DNF. How sad. I had finished, but I may have exceeded the lap time cutoff. The attrition rate was staggering. 27% dropped out of the endurance race. 37% dropped from the men’s expert race. 24% dropped from the men’s sport class.

Two days later on Tuesday, the St. Louis area was hit with 5 to 12 inches of snow and temps in the upper teens. A 24 hour temperature drop of approximately 60 degrees.

Many lessons were learned that day. Unfortunately, I paid my tuition in PAIN.

Special thanks to all my sponsors:

More than one down....

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:00:37 GMT

WOW, that was eye opening. I took quite a beating this weekend. There is more to this story yet to come.

Marriage and the engineer....

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:09:05 GMT

An engineer was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary.

His wife was really angry.

She told him ' Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the
driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds AND IT
BETTER BE THERE!!

The next morning he got up early and left for work.

When his wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough
there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, and
brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand
new bathroom scale.

Updates from Darin

......last race of the season , coming soon. Time...

What STIMULATES you?

The road BACK

RAIN PRESS COVERAGE

Cyclists put mettle to the pedal during RAIN event

By Arthur E. FoulkesThe Tribune-Star

VOTING IS OPEN

Grand Prize Winner gets $400 in Cash and Prizes!

Your Winning Design to Debut at the Sea Otter Classic!

GIVE ME A REASON TO RACE...

GIVE ME A REASON TO RACE...

33 of the GREATEST TRAILS

I'LL TAKE THE STAIRS....

I'LL TAKE THE STAIRS...

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"...

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt"

Gene mutation and the "event T-shirt".

Why Ride....

TEAM WORK MAKES STATE A HANDLEBAR HEAVEN

TEAM WORK MAKES STATE A HANDLEBAR HEAVEN

By Marty BensonPhotography by John MaxwellJuly/August 2008

Success

Not just for bikers

Conversion

Future plans

The Vision

HMBA Summer Update....

This is what has been going on in the HMBA world this summer. It is reprinted from the HMBA website.....

planning for more adventures!!

Give a little back...(part III)

Give a little back...(part II)

Give a little back.........

HMBA on the MOVE...

The cost of EDUCATION....

More than one down....

Marriage and the engineer....

By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

By Marty Benson
Photography by John Maxwell
July/August 2008