Icycle 2009

What a weekend! Fun times were had by most who got lucky enough to escape to Fontana Village for the annual Icycle Mountain Bike Event. Here we had team members representing in the single speed XC race, womens expert XC race, Hard Ass Class Downhill (no suspension), and expert women downhill. Sporting our new wool jerseys from Pisgah Works, light and responsive I-9 wheels, and a tasty keg of Pisgah Brown Ale, we were ready to go and represented well.

Second place Single Speed - Adam Winton.

Beth Roberts celebrating 3rd place with 2nd place Kylie Krauss (Expert XC)
Thanks to Morewood Bikes for the steaming spiced wine! and for shuttling peeps all day.

First place Hard Ass Class Night time down hill- Justin Mitchell ,
here with 2nd place Ryan Taylor.

Thanks to Greg Dunn for running shuttles Friday night and for just being one of the most genuinely cool dudes you will ever know.
Thanks to Marshall Hance for bringing trout and brisket...
Thanks to the Greenville Crew for round house party, next year we won't be so far away. Thanks to BradO for some of these pics.

See ya next year.

Just a few weeks away..

It's almost time boys and girls. Get ready..

"You're the right kinda sinner to release my inner fantasy". Wow, I love her.

If anyone wants to play in the snow. The brew crew will be riding Kitsuma at 2:30 today, Pisgah Brewing Company at 5:30.

Jut

Pisgah Brew Crew Coming Thru.. on your left.

A wet and muddy Snake Creek Gap kicked of the 09 Race Season. Over 200 riders came out to take part in a race that is arguably one of the hardest 34 miles of single track that you will find to race in the southeast. The combination of time of year the race takes place (Jan, Feb, & Mar), the trail conditions you experience (snow, mud, cold temps), and the technical nature of the Pinhoti trail system make for a challenging experience.

I have raced the SCG for the past two years and it is always a great and usually humbling experience. This one was no different and the mud and rain made you earn every mile. Feeling better than I usually do come Jan 3rd I had a great time and finished without feeling like I had been in a bar fight. More than a few of the SCG races have ended with a feeling that I would be happy to sell my bike and take up a new sport but this one has left me looking forward to a new year of mountain bike racing and going fast.

As for the rest of the crew.. The Pisgah Brew Crew came out in style and kicked some ass. Beth Roberts pulled off a third place (4:29) finish despite wanting to bag it at the half way point due to a drivetrain that required pedaling backwards for every few pedal strokes forward. Marshall threw down a 3:15 which put him in 4th place for the money class. Not bad for his first look at the trail.. Bruce and I rode in at 3:57 putting us in fourth place amongst the 30 people riding with one gear. Shanna Powell kicked some serious ass in the ss class in her first long single speed ride on a rigid bike no less.

I can't wait to do this one again. The new wheels are on the way and I expect to take at least 10 minutes off my time just by by having some lighter and better wheels. Take away the mechanicals that added at least 5 minutes to my January time and there is 15 minutes that I stand to gain without the 2009 training plan that I am kicking off. Good times indeed and the SCG is starting to feel like a reunion of sorts with all the great people I get to see and ride with. Next time we will bring some Pisgah beer, step it up a level or two and stick around to raise some hell in Chattanooga post race.

See you on the trail..

Jut

The Holidaze is over, bring on 2009.

The Holidaze was a success. No one got hit by a car or got arrested. Good times were had by all and by the time we were done everyone had a good buzz and we donated about 200 cans of food to MANA Food Bank. Everyone had some good stories to tell and the scavenger hunt took people into strangers homes, bars once thought shady, and everything in between. Industry Nine hosted the post party and smoked pork, moonshine and a keg of Pisgah Pale was consumed amongst beautiful wheel sets. I don't have that many photos and but I can say that there were some amazing shots taken by those that were playing.

Everyone did a great job of figuring out the clues and some people covered some serious ground in going for the feats of strength.

Thanks to all that came out to play on a rainy day in December. We'll do it again soon.

Twas the day before the Holidaze...

I must confess I've been a little more naughty then nice lately. The holiday is in full swing as I can tell by the string of hangovers from holiday office parties and other xmas season related debauchery. Now that getting down with co-workers is behind me I can focus on the business of bikes and beer. As most of you are aware the Holidaze alleycat is tomorrow and come rain or shine we will be at Pritchard Park tomorrow at 1:00. Bring your cans of food and the items on the listed on last weeks blog post and be ready for further instructions and to ride pedal at least 10 miles around the city.

The race will end where Industry Nine wheels are born (21 Old County Home Road, Asheville NC 28806). So if you want to leave a car and ride to Pritchard Park you can save yourself the hassle of pedaling back downtown in the dark. If you will be joining us strictly for the post race party, show up at Industry Nine (look for the Open House Signs and ballons) around 4:00 and have a beer. The party should be happening at I9 till 7:30 then the kegs will move to another location (most likely the Crow's Nest).

We hope to see you tomorrow.

Jut Rut

The Holidaze is almost here..

The Holiday season is now upon us and Crow Nest Productions and the Pisgah Brew Crew are planning one hell of a good time. We are proud to announce the first annual Holidaze Alleycat - Scavenger Hunt.

Well WTF is an alleycat scavenger hunt you ask, please allow me to explain.We will converge on Pritchard Park at 1:00 on Saturday December 20th for an urban ride in which there will be a few mandatory checkpoints combined with a search for Asheville landmarks and other objectives, clues, and challenges along the route. If you take a shortest route possible you will ride approx. 7-9 miles so bring a bike or costume that can handle a few miles of pedaling.The ride will end at the home of our new sponsor Indusrty Nine where food and various drinks will be served. A keg or two of Pisgah Brewing’s finest will of course be in the house so get ready to party and dance into the night after riding your bike around the city for a few hours.The ride is meant to be fun but speed and knowledge of downtown Asheville will certainly help and prizes will be awarded for fastest time and most points as well as other awards. The entry will cost you 5 cans of food that will be donated to a local charity.

What will you need to bring?

A bicycle and light.
A messenger bag or backpack.
Bike Lock
Pen and paper.
Digital Camera or camera phone.
A few bucks for drinks along the way.
A map of the city might help if you don’t know your way around very well.
A cell phone.
5 cans of food.

How it’ll work:

Meet at 1pm by yourself or with a team of 2 to 3 people and be given:

1. Set of clues to look for, either pictures, information, or objects
2. Clue to get to the first mandatory checkpoint.

First three to get to each mandatory and complete the task receive X points. Each objective will have a point value on it as well. At first mandatory checkpoint, follow instructions from volunteer.

To simplify the directions... Show up, ride your bike and party.

Holiday Costumes encouraged. Check back in a few days more details.

Jut Rut

Halloween Derby

This Halloween AOB (Asheville On Bikes) organized another Pumpkin Pedaller, where people who not only like to ride bikes, but like to ride them in costume, joined together to bike around town and up the steepest hill in town. The Pisgah Brew Crew was out, missing a killer Halloween Party at the Brewery, but representing in Asheville.. on bikes. Winner of Double Dare, Matt Fusco, rockin’ it as Evel Knievel, with me as Denny M*F*N Stevenson, brought up the rear as the official safety team. Again this year, we "sprinted" up and down Bueacatcher to the creepy Helen's Bridge where the costume contest took place. Among others, Adam Winton took home a prize for his effort—
After serious dispersion and eventual regrouping, we descended upon the Wedge Brewery, for beers, good times, and dancing with the Fire Cracker Jazz band. Eventually our derby was underway, in a gravel lot to make things more interesting. With a nice crowd of spectators, we had a double elimination, culminating in a final round between Adam Winton and Marshall Hance. Eventually Marshall, who never held back from pushing the derby to the limits, was the last to put a foot down and won the title.