2014 National Championships

This past weekend Mary and I  touched in with a devoted segment of the cycling tribe.  New comers and old school vets alike came out for a shot at one of the coveted titles that were up for grabs at the US National cross country Championships.   Some came as part of summer adventure but most came to throw down and did so with a seriousness and focus that always accompanies the best version of anyone's  game.  There is Something about battling for the stars and bars jersey that gets folks fired up and makes for a very special event.   

The 2014 edition of the US XC Nationals brought us to the rocky mecca of eastern Pennsylvania - where there was plenty of oxygen in the air along with lots of real honest to goodness mountain biking to be had.  PA is a great place to ride bikes, a generalization for sure but one that we have found a lot of truth in no matter what style of riding you are looking for.  This area in particular - the Lehigh Valley - has a deep cycling history that is more known for it's affiliation with road and track cycling, however, there is clear bleed over into the love for off road cyclists as well, evident in the general awareness for cyclist and giving us the feeling that we were accepted on the roads of this community.   It felt like people were watching out for, like a good neighbor would, making it extra special to spend a week racing and training in this area.

Mary and I made the trip from the coast of Massachusetts with our van and camp trailer, ensuring the best and the worst of both sides of the motorized camping world.   The latter being exemplified as we slithered across the underbelly of New England on the dreaded route 95 complete with the standard Tapanzee Bridge chaos, but more importantly, we had an ideal race day set up once our rig was safely docked at the local campground. 

Running the team out of a rolling workshop is far preferable to the hand bag and hotel option and is a significant contributor to way that we have been able to find our own version of success in cycling.

Our version of a mobile yoga studio

Mary and I  took the opportunity to break out our Intense Cycles "Spider Comp" bikes for the Nationals weekend.  We have been test riding these bikes for a couple months in an effort to fulfill a critical need in the expansion of our racing efforts for a more trail oriented rides.   Mary and I took the opportunity to visit the impressive factory in Temecula, CA and meet the Intense family this spring and knew right away that these people were speaking our language.

Out of the box these bikes were set up more for all day fun and were not specifically tuned to be XC race bikes.   After some time in the saddle though we both felt that the ride quality was just too good to ignore and that even though we would need to outfit them specifically for XC, there was every sign that we could use them to our advantage.  The Gnarly Nationals course was indeed a great place to break them out.

As a long time mechanic I see our bikes as an ever changing work in progress.  Components, bits and pieces are added and come off with consideration down to the last bolt to make the most of each racing scenario.

We have placed a premium on riding the "right" equipment for the job at hand and placing this above all else has been a bonus as we step forward in with options to choose our weapons.  I really liked that The Spider Comps allowed us to partake successfully in several different styles of racing styles with a single frame and some purposeful converting.  

Mike's Intense Cycles Spider Comp in XC mode -  Notable XC build inclusions -  Rock Shox World Cup XX SID,  standard TruVativ seat post.  KENDA's 2.05 Honey Badgers. 

Mary's Intense Cycles Spider Comp in Super D mode...  Notable alterations- SRAM's Reverb Seat dropper. Rock Shox 140mm RockShox Revelation fork.  Kenda's  Honey badger 2.2 tires

Interesting facts -
 Stan's NoTubes Valor wheels felt like a massive advantage whether we were racing XC or Super D.  This carbon rim is just so smooth, light and fast!
Tires are Everything!!!  Above all else the most significant personality change came from swapping up from 2.05 to 2.2 Honey Badger. Nice! 

The versitility of the Spider and all of our partners' equiment allowed us to transform the bikes from XC to Super D and back again with just a couple of component changes.  Amazing to be able to compete so effectively in XC and Gravity events just by changing over a few key things!  And awesome to have our first experience on the dual suspension Intense Spider Comps!

The race weekend had elements of a homecoming reunion alongside the distinct edgyness of people cramming for some looming final exam.  It was really  great to take a moment to catch up with many of our favorite people knowing full well that  we were all really there equally to enjoy the experience while trying to rip one anothers legs off.    

Mary starting things off right with the Hole Shot in the XC. 

Mary and I were glad to have another successful National Champs weekend with 4 podium finishes in the 3 events we competed in… ( Cross Country, Super D and Short track ).   Mary's Number turned out to be 5 this weekend as she racked up some serious podium time by finishing 5th in all 3 events... RAD!

Still smiling on the last lap of the XC .

 I fought hard in the XC, but had some untimely mechanical issues that led to me having to sideline myself just shy of the final lap.  It was a disappointment to not finish things up at Nationals but looking back it was not all together unexpected with my choice to race without what some would consider proper prudence on the sharp rocks. 

It was a bit of consolation to find some success early the next morning in the hotly contested Super D.  

Racing into 4th place in what USAC says will be the final National Championsship Super D 

Mary looked to be having an incredible Super D run too but was taken down hard by a hidden rock right in front of my eyes.  In typical style she immediately came off the ground limited her losses and was rewarded with a surprise podium finish ! 

Mary up quickly and looking to getting back on track.  

I hate missing a shot but I really hate seeing people (especially Mary) go down.  

 Mary post race and happy to be only lightly bruised, posing with the rock that took her down

We both especially enjoyed the Super D, gravity style event! It was a lot of fun ripping down the Mountain with our best effort against the clock! 

We hunkered down in the venue for the day and caught up with the latest in all things bike until the start  of the Short track, the final event of the weekend.  The short track is typically a bit anti climatic after the XC but still a good chance to get in some incredible high intensity racing.

Both Mary and I were served less than ideal start positions that immediately called on us to make moves of preservation rather than speed.  Luckily we had safe races and the fast and furious pace ensured that we got our moneys worth as far as the workout goes.

Mary racing short track on her trusty Seven IMX 29er.

We made a return to our Seven Cycles Sola IMX 29er Hard tails for this race to make shorter work of the repeat climbs and the basic course lay out that rewarded climbing efficiency over all else.  No matter how far the technology of bikes goes it seems there will always be a place for outstandingly beautiful light weight hand made craftsmanship!   When the dust settled Mary found herself with another podium position and me a great workout, along with a renewed hope for all the racing that we have coming up this summer.   

Even in this being our 15th or so year at nationals Mary and I still look at every race as a work in progress and are stoked to have more time and racing on hand this year to try and get it "just right".  We remain excited to arrive at  our highest potentials as we continue on with a return more to the XC side of things with the soon upcoming back to back North American world cups.  From there we are planning  an ambitious return to Europe for the world cup finals.  the Eurobike  trade show and currently have our petitons in for our 13th(me) and 14th(mary) shot at the XC World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway...  

After the bulk of our XC efforts are completed for the season we are planning on staying over in Europe to take a hard look into some of the alternative events that crowd the calendar this fall across the continent.  Mary and I  are feeling the need to continue to diversify in an effort to stay up to date with all that is upcoming in the sport, even as we do all in our power to keep pertinent in the Olympic style that got us to where we are today.    

Competitive Mountain Biking seems to be in full bloom and the industry is gaining momentum in several important directions that will continue to transform the bikes and bike racing, becoming even more fun and exciting than what initially drew us in... We are stoked to be along for the ride!

Hope you are all making the time to get out and enjoy!
Mike and Mary

Huge THANKS to all the people and companies who have made this journey possible!!

Great to catch up with The Stan's NoTubes Crew at MTB Nats!  (L-R) Susan Haywood, Mary Mack, Rich Oneil, Nina Baum, Vicki Barclay, Mike Bush and Sarah Kaufman

STXC Podium: Erin, Chloe, Georgia, Lea and Mary

Me, Jonathan Gabor, Seamus Powell, Casey Williams, Jeff Lenosky (L-R)

Happy to eat fresh farm food!

Share this post