GPS Tracks 
| Results | ||
Years ago I can remember racing 24 hours solo at Big Bear, a campground in Hazelton, WV not to far from Morgantown. The trails that were featured on the 24 hour course were fast, hilly, and required a moderate level of bike handling skills to feel comfortable on the variety of singletrack and doubletrack that was offered. Following the demise of the 24 Hours of Big Bear spawned the Big Bear 2 x 12, a relay race where duo teams competed on a 12 mile course completing either 4 or 6 laps depending on skill level. The course itself was almost identical to the 24 hour race so during the event's first year I was eager to try out the race format with fellow 24 soloist Ernesto Marenchin. That first year Ernesto and I took the win thanks to the hundreds of miles that each of us spent racing there ultra-endurance style. Since then the 2 x 12 had seen some pretty stiff competition in each of the succeeding years and this year was no different. I teamed up with Drew Bobb, a crazy fast youngster from Boiling Springs who can ride the rocks of Michaux better than most who are familiar with the territory. Given my experience and Drew's fearless riding style I knew we would be in contention for a podium spot on race day.
As the race kicked off I found myself taking the holeshot and was able to keep the lead for the majority of the first lap, until I was passed by a local WV speedster in the final 1/2 mile of lap 1. I kept the gap small as I passed the baton to Drew who would be put up against some heavy hitters in his longest distance race to date. On the second lap Drew crushed it and we found ourselves in a tight race for 3rd while the top two positions still remained fairly close. I went off again for the third lap feeling even faster than the first and was able to gain a small lead over the 4th place team and slightly bridge the gap to 2nd. Drew continued to push himself well beyond his comfort zone as the race progressed and turned out consistent lap times keeping us in podium contention. On our last two laps we remained in 4th place just a few minutes behind 3rd and over 10 minutes ahead of the next team! At the end of the day not only were we one of the top teams, but Drew finished up with some more impressive bragging rights as the youngest competitor in the open men's division at 15 years of age! After racing in the 2 x 12 this year, the event remains one of my regional favorites and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year.
As the race kicked off I found myself taking the holeshot and was able to keep the lead for the majority of the first lap, until I was passed by a local WV speedster in the final 1/2 mile of lap 1. I kept the gap small as I passed the baton to Drew who would be put up against some heavy hitters in his longest distance race to date. On the second lap Drew crushed it and we found ourselves in a tight race for 3rd while the top two positions still remained fairly close. I went off again for the third lap feeling even faster than the first and was able to gain a small lead over the 4th place team and slightly bridge the gap to 2nd. Drew continued to push himself well beyond his comfort zone as the race progressed and turned out consistent lap times keeping us in podium contention. On our last two laps we remained in 4th place just a few minutes behind 3rd and over 10 minutes ahead of the next team! At the end of the day not only were we one of the top teams, but Drew finished up with some more impressive bragging rights as the youngest competitor in the open men's division at 15 years of age! After racing in the 2 x 12 this year, the event remains one of my regional favorites and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year.
RSS Feed
