Dont ask me why I have never done it in 22 years of racing. But I have not before last weekend tried my hand of the Fort Custer Stampede. In spite of it being one of my favorite places to ride. Just never thought about it. But fueled with the confidence from words of encouragement from team Ultra Endurance Superstar Dennis Murphy I decided that this was my year. Also the team is trying to do more M.M.B.A. C.P.S. races this year!
So the race starts out in a big open field then immediately funnels into narrow single track. I got a great holeshot! Going into the narrows I was in 2nd place. After about a quarter mile, it was obvious that the guy in front had no business being out front. The pace slowed WAY down and I took an opportunity to get by.
I had a quick rush of exitement only to realize that I was now the rabbit with 19 miles to go! I held on wondering if the pace would cause me to blow up for a couple of miles. Then we were working through the wave ahead of us and we came to a switchback uphill section. Almost to the top, I was taken surprise by a left hand off camber uphill turn with roots that stopped my momentum dead! I didnt go down but the dab with enough for 2 other riders to get past. (crap)
So the 3 of us rode the rest of the lap with no changes in position, just working our way through the slower riders we were encountering on the way.
Going into the second lap I was stoked at the position that i was in and the fact that i now had a general layout of the course in my head. About a quarter of the way into lap 2 I lost my amigos in a single track section that they were able to get ahead of a slower rider that I wasnt. Never saw them again. Until about 3 miles from the end I saw one of the 2 guys off on the side of the trail(apparently having a technical). Then with daylight ahead on the last couple of gravely climbs there was a new player behind me that i hadnt seen before. The last mile or so was flat and a big ring pedal as fast as you can stretch to the finish and this guy wasn’t going to let me coast. After pushing as hard as i could to the finish, I was able to hold him off with my back reminding me that Im a A.A.R.P. qualifier!! Much to my amazement I had top honors! So the other guy that passed me either wasn’t in my class or I got past him and didn’t realize it. But i got to experience my first podium stand. It was nice!!

Other notable finishers were;
Single Speed Spin machine (Texas) Tom Stolz 3rd. Place
Jeremy (Krusher) Karel 3rd. Place
Matt (the Rocket) Remelts 5th. Place
and last but by no means least
Marnie (the talker) Tencate 4th. Place

Even though it is still early spring, everyone seems to be in mid-season form with the unbelievable warm weather we have been having.  Having the chance to pre-ride the course several times leading up to the race, I knew the course would be fast but I wasn’t really prepared for how fast the times would be.  Yankee Springs in notorious for being like the wild west with a lot of roots, loose rocks and SAND.  However, the cool temps and wet weather a few days before the race seemed to make the course feel like carpet.

My start time was 10 seconds behind teammate and close friend Gabe Niehof.  Gabe is a super-strong single speeder and my plan was to try and catch him and do all I could to hold his wheel for as long as possible.  It’s funny how the more races I do, the less nervous I get.  When the starter said, “Go!”, my breathing was easy and my legs felt good.  I went off harder than expected because the whole time I could see Gabe up ahead.  The first few miles up to the guard rail flew by.  When I finally caught up to Gabe, we were stuck behind a few people.  He would say, “Passing on left!” and I would shout out, “One more”.  It was awesome to have a teammate by my side who I could trust in and out of corners.  However, after the pine section, Gabe lost his chain and I had to let him go.  My legs felt great and I used the racers in front of me as rabbits and simply tried to catch one, ride their wheel for a short time and then pass.  This happened throughout the first lap.  Upon finishing the first lap, I couldn’t believe my time – under 48 minutes.  I started to panic a bit as I have never ridden the course that fast.  I put down a few Gu’s and settled in for the second lap.  This lap was a bit different as I didn’t have anyone to chase or ride with.  It’s easy to get a little complacent or let off the pedals when you’re going through the woods alone.  However, I tried to ride consistently and ended up coming through the shoots at 1:36:13, which was good enough for first place in Expert 29 and Under.

A huge thank you goes to the volunteers for setting up this race.  A record number of racers turned out and they ended up getting treated to a first class race.  Our own team rider, Dennis Murphy did an amazing job with the fine details of this race.  A big thanks also goes out to Nancy Curtis, Tim Curtis, Martin Hall, Cathy Plite and Tricia Anderson who helped throughout the morning.

Although Gabe and Danielle ended up having to walk out with mechanicals, a good time was had by all as we enjoyed some great food and beverages at our new Founders team tent afterwards.  Next up, Fort Custer!!  This is sure to be an awesome race with a  bit more cross-country strategy involved.  It seems as though our team is dialed and will continue to represent our sponsors well with podium finishes.

First Place!

Founders Alger Finishing Times:

Earl Hillaker   1:32:28

Jeremy Karel   1:36:13

Jeff Jacobi   1:37:54

Scott Tencate   1:41:03

Matt Remelts   1:41:24

Scott Thenikl   1:47:48

Shawn Crowley   1:49:33

Ralf Scharnowski   1:50:32

Rick Plite   1:51:23

Paul Popielarz   1:55:19

Marnie Tencate 1:58:35

Brad Bacon   54:32

Ernie Stafford   56:47

The Fusion Cycling Team held the 32nd annual Fisk Knob Time Trial last weekend on Sunday, April 15th.

Shawn Crowley with matching helmet and tats. photo Jack Kunnen

The Fisk Knob TT course is a “T” shaped out-and-back course with notable elevation change.

Three brave souls from the Founders-Alger team (Dennis, Earl, Shawn) ventured out to this dirt-free, niche road race. We had no skinsuits, disc wheels or teardrop helmets but we did have  several great Cannondale road bikes.

We were excited to hear that earnings from this year’s race were being donated to Livestrong.

Earl "I don't need no stinking aero suit" Hillager. photo Jack Kunnen

Morning thunderstorms receded by the time of the race’s start and left us with significant head and cross winds for most of the course.

Dennis Murphy. photo Jack Kunnen

The results speak for themselves:

Rider Name, Category, Avg Speed, Ride Time, Place In category
Earl Hillaker, 25 to 29, 22.37, 0:46:23.64, 10th of 15
Shawn Crowley, 30 to 34, 21.41, 0:48:28.96, 10th of 13
Dennis Murphy, 50 to 54, 17.75, 0:58:29.28, 14th of 15

Clearly, skinsuits will be needed for next year for us to move up in the category standings. We’ll also have to stay off of Yankee Spring TT training the day before the race.

Headquarters had Imperial Stout on tap after the race for post-ride recovery. Yum. There’s been a rumor circulating that Imperial Stout has greater therapeutic qualities than Hammer Nutrition’s Recoverite.