Yes, it’s been ages since I’ve posted any updates here, but hey, I’ve been busy. And it hasn’t exactly been downhilling weather.
To see what I’m up to now, head on over to pumptrackproject.com I’m jazzed about being able to take my love of biking and do something for a community that lives on a lot less than most of us can fathom.
Also, don’t forget to register for the 2nd annual Mayhem Enduro! Last year was mint!
Over the past year I’ve come to some grim conclusions. I’ve had to face up to the fact that despite what we make of it, Ohio will never look like this…
Not even close. If I had to choose a picture that exemplifies Ohio, then it would be something more like this:
When I moved back, I already knew this, but I figured life is what we make of it! I want to keep doing stuff like this:
I had a lot of enthusiasm when I first moved back!
We put in a quite a bit of effort, built some fun new trails, ran some races. But in the end, let’s face it, when you show up at one of Ohio’s downhill spots with a full on downhill bike, you kinda have to put one of these on…
In the end, downhillers stuck in Ohio are all just a bunch of mis-led crazy nuts in the back of a pickup truck.
By this point, you’re either depressed, or you think I’m just mumbling away pointlessly…
…which is true. So what did I decide to do? If you can’t beat em, join em. I bought a 29er hardtail. Perhaps the first bike I’ve ever owned that was actually well suited to Ohio. BORING you say. Not this bike! It’s almost as awesome as kittens trained as ninjas…
…and cooler than this…
…but not quite as cool as this…
I’ll post up some pics and a ride review in the future.
So what is the future of Ohio Downhill? It will go on as it always has…a rag tag handful of fun loving guys bouncing around some small hills with trails kept open with good hard graft. I’ll join you a few times a year if I get free weekend…
The planets finally aligned for AOA. After 11 dreary years there was no rain in sight for their big annual fundraising event. This year the Mayhem would be all new, a first-of-its-kind-for-Ohio multi-stage Enduro. For a gravity addict such as myself, this was not something to be missed (in contrast to the previous 40 mile mud slogs). The master artist for this event was Heath Boedecker and his canvas was the Wilds near Zanesville, OH. Decidious jungle has mostly reclaimed the undulated stripmine wasteland terrain of the Wilds, but Heath and the AOA crew did some hard graft over the winter and turned this average XC trail into five unique and slightly downward traversing sections containing some fantastic suprises – real expert options and technical tests that were intended to up the fun factor but also sort the wobbly lycra-clad thunder thighs from those stylishly skilled slackers.
See what I mean? (Photo credit: Joe Clark)
Indeed, this was the main question after our recon ride on Saturday – who will this event favor? It wasn’t nearly as downhill as some of us expected, these were definitely XC sections and those with protein diets and strict training regimes were definitely going to put major time into the average joes. But then there were occasional bits of gnarly nougat that would take you and your 22 lbs hardtail XC knife and dump you in the middle of a Blackhawk Down gunfight. OK, I might be exaggerating, but what do you say to a gap jump in the middle of a rock garden with trees 6 inches from each handlebar plug? Or step-up to boulder to step-down with a tree riddled landing? Or steep, loose off-camber to g-out? Or the various double jumps, some 5 feet high and 16 feet long? You say go around if you don’t have the skills. I say pin it ya fairy!
Yours truly. (Photo Credit: All Mountain Imaging)
Of course, anyone with a brain would have realized that the podium would be topped by those who had both fitness and skills in equal measures. These guys are few and far between, but they pretty much annihilated the field. Guys like single-speeder Adam Mallett, my own teammate Jeff Cochran, and the hands down winner Tom Herman who had the timers double checking their stopwatches. Then there was Josh Clark, that insane bike handler from the hill country who did his fair share of damage on the XC crowd. The all-arounders did well too, like Nick Devore, Jim Crowley, and myself. It took some discipline to get myself into some semblance of moderate physical condition, but in combination with the blinding speed and effortless control of my Banshee Prime 29er (shameless plug), lead to some solid times on the more skill oriented sections. Jeff Cochran held up our team on the pedally sections and we walked away with a load of swag and some really good-looking 2nd place plaques. In the end, fitness was not enough to win it, your team had to have a balance of power and finesse. Exactly as an Enduro should be.
Mike Colona on the slightly-tweaked Wilds “XC” trails. (Photo Credit: All Mountain Imaging)
I really can’t say enough about this event. The folks were friendly, the trails were a blast, camping on-sight, an awesome cook-out with cold beverages afterwards, and prizes for miles. There was a great core of volunteers running it – this wasn’t no side show. And the racing experience was really fun. I always get nerves before racing, but as soon as we were off, they disappeared and you could actually enjoy the riding. It wasn’t over in 3 and 1/2 minutes like a donwhill race and it wasn’t 1 and 1/2 hours of suffering like a XC race. Enduro distills XC racing to just the fun parts. And you could make mistakes and your team mates had you covered. We made a fair share…Blanton tangled with a tree and smashed his head and shin, Jeff taco’d a wheel in the same spot, I went off the trail at mach 3 and threw a stage away, and Dave…well he was the only one that stayed on his bike, which would have saved our team had we all blown up on the same stage. Cletus and the Slackjaws will definintely be back next year!
Sheer joy.
Special thanks to 331 Racing who teamed up with AOA to make it all happen. Results can be found on their website (click results tab at bottom).
With Ohio’s first Enduro race about one month away, you might be contemplating what is the best machine for an Enduro race. And even if you’re not, I’m still going to tell you. Mostly because I just happen to be one of the few riders lucky enough to be riding a prototype Banshee Prime 29er trail bike, and I want to brag about it a little bit.
What we have here is a 29er designed for the aggressive rider. It’s got 130mm out back damped by a Fox DHX Air shock and a 140 mm Fox 34 up front sitting at 67.5 deg. 720mm wide carbon bars sit on a short 60 mm stem for a very DH oriented cockpit. Fast rolling but hard cornering 2.4 Maxxis Ardents with the EXO casing are mounted ghetto tubeless for less rotating weight. 180mm rotor XTR brakes from e-bay handle the stopping. And the Enduro racers best friend – a Rockshox Reverb dropper post.
The hard-knocks build does come with a price, mainly more weight. The prototype frame (think non-butted tubes, etc.) also weighs 700g more than the production frame will weigh. Add in the heavy dropper post and I’m coming in at 34 lbs. But all that disappears when the bike is pointed down.
The Ride: Since I’m a tall gangly fellow, I opted for the XL frame size (and a short stem). This sucker is a bit of a limo, with a wheelbase of over 48″. That’s longer than my DH bike. Combined with the 29er wheelsize, it took a few rides to come to terms with what essentially felt like a semi-truck. But on the third ride, something clicked. I anticipated the turns a bit more and started leaning this thing over a bit further, and wow. This thing blows away my 26″ trail bike in the corners.
Point it downhill and the wonders keep on coming. The long wheelbase, lateral stiffness, slack angles, and inherent stability and grip of the big 29 x 2.4 tires translates into lots of speed and lots of control. I’m talking downhill bike levels on moderate slopes. Only when things turn rocky or steep does it start to feel like a trail bike again. Oh, and it jumps too. Better than my DH bike. Just don’t plan to throw any massive whips, because it’s a 29er and it doesn’t like that kind of thing.
Point it uphill and you can feel the weight, but apart from that it’s no slouch. It pedals great and has good acceleration. It’s only on the flat and tight single track that the size of this bike starts to wear on you a bit. It doesn’t like going slow. But we aren’t talking slow, we’re talking Enduro – and what we’ve arrived at is a bike that descends singletrack trails with all the capability of a DH bike. It pedals, jumps, and corners well and offers incredible high speed control…everything you want for your timed stages. And it gets to the top just fine for the next stage.
I had never ridden a 29er before this bike, but I’m converted. The trade-offs are worth it in my opinion, and the Prime has got the geometry and toughness to take everything I can throw at it. There is no doubt I’m faster on this bike. 29ers…they are 3 faster!
This may not be a downhill race, but it might well be the future of gravity racing in Ohio. 331 Racing and AOA are putting on a multi-stage enduro race at The Wilds on May 20. AOA, lead by frontman Heath Boedecker, have been hard at work putting together five mostly downhill sections that will test bike handling skills and fitness equally. This is a team event and will emphasize fun over competition, and seeing as climbing sections aren’t timed, we can all chill out and chat in between pinning the timed singletrack sections.
Click here for a link to 331 Racing’s website where you can find out more details and register.
Enduro racing is already huge in Europe, despite being relatively new to the states. Good to see that Ohio is keeping up with the times!
Fortune has not smiled on the mountain bikers who like to use the trails at Mohican Wilderness. Two weeks ago much of the hillside to the East of Tree Frog’s canopy tour was logged, and you know what kind of mess logging leaves behind. From what I understand, both the XC and DH trails were affected. While the Rock trail was spared, Powerline and Trail 3 were in bad shape.
Thankfully, we have a couple of good folks in our corner. Word from the internetz is that Powerline has already been cleaned up. And even better, Kent Schaffer from Kim’s Bikes in Loudonville has been talking with the land owner to see what’s next for the trails at the Wilderness. You can catch up with the latest in this thread on OMBA’s forum.
I don’t know the official status of whether the trails are open or not at the moment. Regardless, we should not do any trail work without the consent of the land owner. If you do want to help restore the trails, it seems the best point of contact right now is Kent (kent@kimsbikes.net). Hopefully there will be an official trail maintenance day scheduled for this spring.
Hopefully this beloved spot, which most consider Ohio’s best downhill trails, can be restored or better yet improved to benefit everyone. Your support would be greatly appreciated!
World Cup Downhill is awesome. Watching it live on Red Bull with 10 cameras is awesome. Having a free fantasy league to compete against your friends is awesome.
If you create a team, go to “Enter New League”. The PIN for the Ohio Downhill league is 411. Join up!
I’m trying to think if I know of any other Ohioian who has raced a World Cup qualifier, and apart from Rae Gandolf, I can’t. If you consider downhilling a niche sport, then women’s downhill is an even more exclusive niche. Indeed, God has wired very, very few women to go fast down mountains on bikes. Rae is one of the few.
Rae Gandolf not in her home state of Ohio.
How did an outdoor enthusiast like yourself land in Zanesville, Ohio?
Vet school brought me to Ohio, then I did a residency at the Wilds. During the residency, I got into mountain biking and met local MTB sensei Heath Boedeker out on the Wilds trails.
What’s your day job?
I work as a contract veterinarian, currently at an animal shelter and periodically doing odd jobs in zoo and wildlife medicine.
Rae sleeping on the job. (That is 800 lbs of pure awesome right there!)
How long have you been riding? How did you get into downhill?
I started actually mountain biking in 2001. Heath brought me to Snowshoe to check out the last NORBA race there in 2005, since a friend was riding short track. We happened to catch the pro women DH and I was blown away. The seed of addiction had been officially planted, and I talked Heath into trying DH with me in 2006. I got my first DH specific bike in 2009.
The ratio of male to female humans is something like 51:49. But in downhill it’s about 99:1. Do you think it takes a special kind of…rare…woman to enjoy this sport?
I think it just takes the desire to do it and that little bit of unique crazy that we all share in common. Maybe the little bit of crazy is more common in men, but I constantly hear men call women crazy, so that can’t be it! I suppose that female fear suppressing adrenaline junkies who don’t mind sweating and bruising and occasionally breaking aren’t super common.
Signature braided action!
In your career you’ve had to overcome some pretty tough injuries, but you seem to come back stronger. Can you tell us about that?
In retrospect, I realize that I was pushing to get better too hard and too fast to make up for lost time since I found the sport relatively late in life. In doing so, I actually delayed my progress by being injured probably at least half the time I’ve been downhilling! But each injury made me more determined to do whatever I could during that time to be ready to come back- ie when it was a broken knee (that was the worst), I worked on my upper body strength. I learned a lot about injuries, surgery, physical therapy, and recovery, and I think my medical background helped me to get through it quite a bit. That said, it took the whole 2009 season to recover from 2008. It was mentally pretty tough at times and I’d just about had it when finally I started to see some months of being injury free.
For the life of me I can't figure out why Rae has had so many injuries!?
What do you consider your greatest biking accomplishments?
I’d say completing La Ruta (a nearly 300 mile in 3 days race across Costa Rica) was a big one, particularly since I hadn’t even been riding for 2 years. For downhill, my biggest accomplishment was probably the participating in the Windham World Cup this year. I figured I’d be sh*tting myself practicing with those guys, but I actually had big fun and conquered a 30 foot double and felt like I sort of belonged there- even though I had back luck for my qualifying run and didn’t make the main race.
La Ruta is no cake walk. Few have the drive to do something this crazy.
This year you took a shot at your first World Cup. What’s the difference competing at that level?
The most notable differences to me were that firstly, all the lines wearing in were good ones! Secondly, there were some big features, and you are pretty much expected to hit them. Other than that, it really wasn’t that much different from the Pro GRTs I’ve done or Nationals in Sol Vista- since in those I’m practicing with some of the best riders around. It’s both intimidating and inspiring at the same time. There was actually more time to practice at the world cup and I when I asked someone if I could follow them through something, I could do so with more confidence that they weren’t gonna lead me to disaster! (I made the mistake of following someone random before at the US Open!).
Qualifying at the Windham World Cup.
You’ve ridden all around the world, what has been your best riding experience?
This is tough. My initial reaction is the Big Mtn Adventures tour we took in Europe this year- that one wins for incredibly scenic and fun trails in amazing countries. For overall experience, I have to say the SantaCruz Hellride back in 2006 where I did an insanely tough ride following Marla Streb all around Downieville California and won a Nomad for finishing. Although the ride was largely grueling, SantaCruz Bikes made me feel like a superstar and Marla commented on my ability to ride downhill and encouraged me. The Nomad was the bike that got me into downhill. For super warm and awesome bike fuzzies, I have to say that some of the riding I’ve done at Ray’s in our very own Cleveland Ohio is on top!- Namely those couple times of year when I get to ride in a lady train with a bunch of chicks who shred. It’s crazy how we feed off each other and do some of our best riding that way.
Rae and some rocket scientist. If you're over 30, then you should know who!
I always like to ask the people I interview what ideas they have to improve and grow the sport in our area. What are your thoughts?
I think that Shaums March has the right idea with the International Mountain Bike Instruction Certification (IMIC). Using what I’ve learned though clinics I’ve taken and now the instruction certification I received has been so rewarding. I think that if more and more people start to see MTB instruction as a mainstay, like it is in tennis and other sports, it would help it to expand the sport everywhere. Riders come out of lessons inspired and motivated. It’s also a great way to help spread the word about how and why to get involved with local trails and clubs. We also need more beginner trails- thats what I hear from people all the time. The problem is that those of us most excited about mountain biking want to build trails that excite us. Perhaps that’s a place to get our park partners more involved in helping to build, since those trails are easier to create.
UPDATE: We forgot to add that Rae now offers a coaching clinic, check it out at: www.ridewithrae.com
Rae's riding style is solid and fast. She carries good speed where others back off.
What do you think would attract more women to mountain biking? Any advice to give to the fairer sex?
Personally, I had something inside compelling me to mountain bike before I even knew what it was about. For people who don’t have that, I think more miles of beginner friendly trails would attract more women- where they can check it out without worrying that they won’t make it through the trail and they can enjoy being outside and riding without worrying about the terrain every second. My advice would be #1- Don’t feel bad to walk your bike, everyone does it! #2 Don’t be afraid to fall- everyone falls! And often it doesn’t even hurt-it’s just fun and funny and makes you feel like a kid again, so laugh and hope that someone else saw it so they can get a good chuckle, too. #3 Stick with it for a few month and even if you can just ride every 2 weeks you will improve exponentially and it will be a lot more fun.
Proof that Rae does live and race in Ohio!
Finally, most of the downhill world got to experience Heath’s marriage proposal to you, can you tell us that story? And what was running through you mind at the time!
I’ll start by saying that Heath isn’t very good at surprising me but he sure got me on this one! I thought we were going to watch the men’s qualifying at the Windam World Cup but for some reason Heath was walking me toward this Waffle Hut. I got annoyed because he wouldn’t tell me what he was doing. Then I got really annoyed when he told me he got me an interview with Rob Warner- it was my immediate reaction because I wasn’t prepared at all for it and I didn’t want to sounds like an idiot! So I almost refused, but then quickly realized it was such a lucky opportunity I couldn’t possibly pass up. They beckoned us into the hut and Rob Warner asked my name, immediately breaking the ice with his response “Like the wizard!” Then he asked some questions and I’m pretty sure I sounded like an idiot. But next, he held the mic over to Heath – that’s when my mind started spinning- Heath sweetly pointed out that I threatened to leave him if I ever got faster than him and that I was gaining on him so he decided to propose. I’ve never been so dumbfounded and speechless and I think most people who heard it remember only the first part of my response, which was “You’ve got to be sh*tting me!.” Rob and his crew seemed to like that response a great deal. If you keep listening, you hear me say “Yah”(as in yes!). Then there’s the ring and people from across the world are blowing up our phones and facebook! Crazy! Just like I imagined when I was a little girl.
LOOK AT THE RING!
And here’s some space to give a shout out to your sponsors. (Authors note: I’d personally like to thank Sierra Nevada since I have more than once partaken in their generous support!)
Yah, we’ve much appreciated their support for our local MTB team for several years now. It’s fun to be able to promote and share such a great company and beer with people who appreciate it. I can’t say enough good things about KENDA, either. Their tires hold up and have treated me really well. I’ve been a Nevegal fan for years and my trial with the King of Traction mud tires ignited a passion when they made the sloppy conditions at Blue Mountain super fun!
Last but most, I wouldn’t have made it this far without HWB Cycling. I’ve been lucky to have a gifted mechanic (and MTB dealer) and skilled, supportive rider at my side.
After the race Vance, Harry, and Gus were mucking about jumping the creek gap and the double before it…backwards. Now you might say that any downhill course where you can jump the doubles backwards is not a downhill course at all. Call our tracks at the Knob what you want, but all I know is everyone was smiles ear to ear this weekend! How can you not have fun when you mix bikes, dirt, gravity, and a stopwatch – regardless of gradient!
World Cup hopeful Rae Gandolf powers out of the start on her carbon Nomad. Trail bikes and hardtails were the weapon of choice. credit: Jennifer Colonna
331 and Teva really put on a nice show, the course was immaculately taped, EZ-ups abounded, doughnuts, Monster, t-shirts, podium plaques, tunes thumpin, and some great prizes too – like those hot new Teva Links shoes! Big thanks to Logan Robertson who snapped the action and had it on a flat screen at the top for everyone to see on the day. Check out his gallery .
The Youth class pounded the steep stuff just like everyone else: Zach Johnson (1st), Zak Desmarais (2nd), and Palmer Metcalf (3rd) credit: Jennifer Colonna
A bit disappointing that we only had 25 riders, but on other hand it’s starting to feel a whole lot like family down there, a tight knit community of riders who talk a bit of smack for fun but deep down know we’ve got each other’s backs. It’s never a burden to push up when you’re with friends.
Pro class podium filled with National Champs contenders: Gus Michaels left, Harrison Reynolds center, and Vance Nonno right. No need to tell you who won, just look at their expressions! credit: Jennifer Colonna
The course used the jumpy Intermediate line but branched on to the steepish Advanced line in the woods. A little shower made things slick but not slow, but that dried up in about 30 minutes. It was running fast, even dusty in the woods. The S-turns on the steep section had riders hunting for the right line and trying not to get pushed wide while navigating the rocky graveyard corner. More than a few blew up here, and if that didn’t get you the new finish section was even more dodgy!
We all made a new friend in Angi Weston, our regional Kona rep who came out and shocked the boys with some insanely smooth aggressive riding (which we learned has been honed on the Pacific Northwests finest Super D courses). She was loving our little track! And thanks for the Tanuki stickers - the little guy has got all his bits on display and couldn't care less!
Vance Nonno - no berm, use rocks instead. credit: Shawn Metcalf
Harry goes inside on the graveyard corner. credit: Shawn Metcalf
Gus floats. credit: Jeff Cochran
331 workhorse Mike C enjoys fruits of labor. credit: Jeff Cochran
I'm down with the hip hop. credit: Shawn Metcalf
We even had our own drunken cheering section of lads no one had ever met before!
Cheers to Nigel who kept the start hut chilled. A broken fibula kept him on the sidelines today. credit: Jennifer Colonna
Click here for results, in case you missed them.
See you at the Knob next year for more great grassroots action – maybe even with dual slalom!
Fantastic day on the hill, smiles for miles and not a frown around! We’ll have a full report (with no rhyming, promise) with pictures from Logan coming this week, but for now, here are the results:
