Wednesday Evening Mountain Bike Rides Cranking!

This past Wednesday we rode Talpa Traverse with a great group. We rode together most of the way and helped pick cactus spines out of at least one rider! Some really strong girls and women riding with the group...yeah Haley, Tierra, McKenna, Linda, Page, and Cat! This coming week we will not have our usual mtn bike ride as we will be doing our TSV Hill Climb. See you there!

Weekly Rides Getting Bigger!

Our Tuesday Evening Road Rides are already growing...9 strong riders showed up last week for a ride up the Ski Valley road. Uphill with quite a headwind made me dig deeper than I intended to stay in Shawn Howard's draft! The descent was a blast and we very narrowly avoided a HUGE rainstorm. Good timing. Thanks Beth for organizing these rides! If you have a road bike, come out an ride with us.

July 4th Short Track

What you’ve all been waiting for…results form the first ever July 4th Short Track Mountain Bike Fun Race in TSV!!!! Many competitors thought our timing was off as they agreed that it was possibly the longest 20 minutes of their lives. We had tons of spectators and the Taos News sports guy even showed up. Great turnout for the 4th of July…it will only get bigger and better! If you missed the first one, don’t worry, the next TSV short track is on Wednesday August 13 at 6:00pm! Thanks to Doug at Taos Cyclery and Crossroads Pizza for kicking in some prizes.

Mini-Race (all under 8 years old)
This race was great with some really small riders getting in on the fun!!! Nalia dominated the field from the start to win it and represent the girls with style and class. Look out for the Smith family out of Albuquerque as those boys were tough.
1st Nalia Kast
2nd Harrison Smith
3rd Wyatt Smith
4th Jett Smith
5th Berkeley Kast


Juniors 12 and under
Peter was in front from the beginning with some really strong, consistent riding. He held onto his lead as Caleb and Bo fought it out for 2nd and 3rd. Nick and Ezra did amazingly well in their first race EVER!
1st Peter Hunt
2nd Caleb Kast
3rd Boden Franklin
4th Nick
5th Ezra Tredwin


B Race
Bob Franklin took the early lead before succumbing to Tim’s steady surging pace (Tim made it up the big hill nearly every lap). Joe, who doesn’t even own a mountain bike, rode with guts and took second place. Bailey, the token junior kid in the race, rode smooth and strong throughout the race. Tom was hammering but had to take a break at the top of the hill to puke (oh yeah…that’s short track racing). Haley rode super strong for the first two thirds of the race before having a small technical challenge involving her camelback and the wheel of her bike but she didn’t give up! Page showed great strength in her first race and kept her pace till the finish.
Women
1st Haley Dallas
2nd Page Mastor




Men
1st Tim Gallegos
2nd Joe Floch
3rd Bob Franklin
4th Bailey Corry
5th Tom Mastor

A Race
The A Race was a Macky showcase as the closest competitor was Doug who races expert (Macky races Pro). Some called it unfair but what better way to see up close what the pace is like for a Pro! Doug fought hard and was able to hold off all the charging juniors who were fighting it out in his dust. Brendan maintained a smooth, controlled pace and didn’t let the Pit Bull catch him. This was Brendan’s first mountain bike race. The Pit Bull surged from behind to take fourth place while Duke was literally nipping at his heels the entire race. Robbie had the race under control but suffered from mechanical difficulties that cost him a lot of time. AC mixed it up with the boys for much of the race and was showing them her smooth riding style until she, too, faced mechanical difficulties. Stacey persevered and rode strong and steady for the entire race.
Women
1st AC Franklin
2nd Stacy McClurg

Men
1st Macky Franklin
2nd Doug Pickett
3rd Brendan Curran
4th Caleb Maher
5th Duke Jackson
6th Robbie deBurlo

CREATIVE WAYS TO WEAR YOUR TEAM F.I.TAOS SHORTS!

Very nice.

Practice Short Track Entertainment!

We had 18 Team members do the "test race" on the very new short track course in TSV. We all rode the lap several times to ride in the course and learn the corners. The climb on the long course proved to be short but steep and loose. There is one fun single track section and some fast descents. We a bunch of Team members show up to just ride and/or cheer everyone on or just to see what "short track" is all about. Racers included Haley and Forest Rach, Sebastian and Tom Mastor, Sacha Wilde, Nick, Scott Warren (fastest rider of the evening), Lewis Gaffney (second fastest on a borrowed single speed), Bailey Corry, Robbie deBurlo, Caleb Maher, Duke and Jean Marie Jackson, Ted Schupbach, Bob, Boden, and AC Franklin, and Victoria Henry. Shawn Howard and Carlos McGarity rode up to the Ski Valley. Spectators and non-racers included John and Peter Hunt, Tim and Erin Gaffney, Joe Floch, Cat Legere, Greg Rach, Monica Mastor, Dennis Hedges, and Susie and Sean. It was great to see so many Team members out for an evening in TSV!

I witnessed something I have never seen in a "race" context...half of one field (the juniors) decided to take a break on the deck, remove their helmets, sit down, and chat! They were keeping things in perspective, for sure. The Junior 12 and under race had 5 riders who rode for 15 minutes plus one lap while the A/B race (which will be separated for the real thing) had 12 riders who went for 20 minutes plus 2 laps.

Let me tell you, this is definitely going to be fun to race or to watch! It is truly an event where all ages and abilities can ride (the slower you are, the fewer laps you end up doing!).

The first "real" short track will take place on Friday July 4th.

“Juniors” 12 and under: 9:30am (15 minutes + 1 lap)
“B” Race: 10:00am (20 minutes + 1 lap)
“A” Race: 10:30am (20 minutes + 2 laps)

Awards (men’s and women’s divisions) and unofficial results after the “A” race.

$5 per rider (free to Team F.I.Taos members)

See you there!

Juniors ride like Pros in Durango Mountain Bike Camp

Eleven Team F.I.Taos Juniors (the more advanced teens) spent the past week in Durango. The week began Monday with a ride from Garcia Park to the top of South Boundary (and, of course, back down). Duke started the week out with a spectacular crash (he had to get a new helmet), reminding us that the week was going to be fun.

Sean, Susie, and Macky took the group (along with tons of gear) to Durango on Tuesday and, after an entertaining drive, set up camp at the Junction Creek Camp Ground. That afternoon we rode the Log Chutes trails. This ride began with a nice climb on a dirt road (well, some of us thought it was nice), turned into a really fun single track section filled with sound effects (thanks William and Lewis), and finished with some crazy hike-a-bike down some downhill sections that Dan Weinman would have liked. Burgers and a campfire wrapped up the day.

Wednesday began with a 5:45am wake up so we could get to Phil's World near Cortez, CO and ride before it was too hot. Another new trail for all of us and within 10 minutes of riding,
everyone agreed that it was worth waking up so early (that says a lot about the riding, considering these are teenagers we're talking about). It was smooth, winding, fast, and fun single track. We rode the entire "big loop" which included, among others, Lemon Head and Stinky Springs (great trail names, huh?). Some really, really fun downhilll sections! Carolina and McKenna improved dramatically on this ride (and throughout the week) as they started ripping through the turns. There were, of course, a few crashes but nothing too major (tell Tegan that). We drove all the way back to Durango and had a picnic lunch by the raging Animas River, followed by some chill time at camp. The group headed to the Durango Rec Center to swim (and shower) before going to our traditional dinner at Nini's Taqueria in Downtown Durango. After ice cream, there was a hotly contested spontaneous pull up competition that Chubby nearly dominated with his one-armed technique...but due to interference, the Pit Bull won.

Thursday was a leisurely morning in camp before we headed up to the Lower Hermosa Creek area. We rode Jones Creek to the Pinkerton Trail and almost to Mitchell Lakes. Jones Creek was a long, gradual climb (over 4 miles up) with cows, big drop offs to one side, and some incredible swarms of mosquitoes that only landed on you if you stopped. Bailey decided to roll part way down one steep hill but changed his mind and grabbed some rose bushes to stop himself. Once we were up on the ridge, the views were amazing and the riding changed. Up there the trail rolled along the ridge with some short, steep sections both up and down. Lewis actually got tired (this is a very rare occurrence). Tegan broke a spoke (cool!) but luckily her wheels survived the entire descent. Speaking of the descent, there is only one word for it, "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Sean almost got us dinner on the way down (cow standing in trail, Sean coming fast around the corner, Sean-cow impact narrowly avoided). After a late lunch at almost 5:00, we took another trip to the Rec Center (including timed racing down the water slide) before going back to camp for the last night. We said goodbye to Haley (not only does she ride great, but she is also a theater star and had places to go, people to see). Camp fire, late dinner, singing "a cappella" (thanks to Tucker, Robbie, William, Lewie, and pretty much everyone else but just not as loudly as them) and stories.

The last morning we had Susie's famous chocolate chip pancakes, packed up, and went to Big Canyon for our last photo shoot. There is a really cool bank turn on rock that is fun to ride and looks great in photos. I never saw Robbie "turtle" or "cow" the entire trip but he must have since it was his first week really riding with clipless pedals (pretty amazing). We got back to Taos at 3:30 (only 30 minutes late!) and unloaded the van. Imagine a van that 11 teenagers have lived out of while camping and riding for a week. It was both scary and impressive.

What an amazing trip! This was our 3rd year doing this trip and this time we rode trails that most of us had never ridden. Each day we rode hard and laughed harder. These kids are riding so well as their skills, endurance, and mental focus just keeps improving. Thanks!

TP to TA Road Race

The Team had some quality racing at the TP to TA road race on Saturday June 14. The weather was perfect and the blue skies and green meadows and trees made for a beautiful setting.
We were able to provide some good cheering for our racers (by the Franklins, Susie, Caleb, and Nick) and Dan Cassidy was a course volunteer.

Lewis Gaffney finished 2nd in the Juniors and Cats. 4 and 5 race. He rode a smart race and had fun doing it. Also in the same race, Isaiah Tyree (after a small crash caused him to lose contact with the lead group) finished 5th and Joe Floch finished 6th, both racing for the first time ever!

Sean Cassily and Bob Crouch each rode well in the Master’s race. This was the biggest field out there and had some tough competition. They each rode much of the course solo in some wind as the group splintered right away.

Macky Franklin raced with the big boys in the A race. He was able to stay in the breakaway front group of 5 until almost the very end! Macky finished 5th in a very strong field of experienced road racers.

Caleb (aka The Pit Bull) wanted to race as he had picked up a Team road bike the evening before. Due to the fact that he had never even been on a road bike, the Team Managers invited him to come to the race and cheer on the Team. He rode around with Susie and started to learn the ins and outs of road riding skills. Yes, he "turtled" twice and learned that you definitely want to stay upright as much as possible on the road.

Yeah, not a huge Team F.I.Taos turnout but those who raced did great!