Darkhorse 40 video!

check out the badass video that came to us from "Weezey" from climb!

DarkHorse 40 8-1-2010 from Trailrider - Chris on Vimeo.

Darkhorse 40 Photo Evidence

go here and get your all pro photos from gt luke!

grab some photo evidence of the suffering and salvation dished out at the 40!!

8th annual Darkhorse 40 in the books!!

BEST 40 EVER!!!
so the 8th annual Darkhorse 40 is in the books and i have to say i think it may have been our best one yet. the weather was perfect, the course was awesome, the racers were awesome, the BBQ was killer.....etc

the course
we moved the start to the other side of the park this year and i think it really upped the ante. i wasn't sure at first but it really worked out well. George and I had been doing course recon ever since singlespeed-a-polooza was over. we went thru various option and finally settled on the course we ran sunday. i realized about 2 weeks ago how awesome the course was when i was out putting up arrows. i had George's daughter Sara's old school backpack filled with big yellow arrows that didn't quite fit in it, an industrial staple gun that weighed about 10 pounds, a pile of extra staples, a bow saw, spray paint and a couple pairs of clippers all bouncing around on my back. the temperature was just below 800 degrees and the fly's were apparently on a feeding frenzy. i was riding along with all the gear stopping to mark intersections and fill in were George hadn't yet put an arrow and i realized i was having a blast. ripping the singletrack. i ran out of arrows at about mile 14, ran out of water at mile 17, and still ripped the last of the course and rode back to the shop smiling!! just that awesome!

the racers
i think every year we get the best group of racers who come out for our event. we sold out early. people jumped at the chance to get in for the lower price and then even when it went up people jumped to get in before the 400 racer cap! awesome!
our philosophy has always been to give as much back as possible and i hope it came off that way. i believe it did. we want everyone to go home smiling. from the rocking fast pro's to the guys and gals finishing in the 6th hour!

we poured a lot of our blood, sweat, and souls into this years race and its nice to see all the supportive comments! thanks!!

i think i am still decompressing and haven't really let it all sink in yet.
the post event hangover.

thanks again and congrats to everyone who came out and gave it their all!!

Some things to keep in mind!

1- registration is full. THANKS!! we have started a wait list and riders will be added as room becomes available

2-the start location has changed!!!
new start area located at 400 ridge rd, Montgomery NY 12549
there will be no access from the Weed rd gate off rt 207!!!

3-course consists of 2 twenty mile laps! there will be 3 aid stations out on course and 1 of them you will see twice within 3 or so miles. there will be a neutral feed area available for you to drop bottles etc...

4-the race starts promptly at 9:00am!!!
packet pick up will close at 8:30!
plan accordingly!

5-the classes are pretty large. be considerate of your fellow racers. if you don't think you will finish in the top ten don't line up in the front row! let people pass! you will have 40 miles to race out there! be nice to one another and everyone will have a great race!

6-beer and bbq. if you are under 21 don't put us in a bad position! the rangers will be around and they can and will ask you for id! don't jeopardize everybody's good time and our future use of the park!! drink responsibly! eat like a pig! really eat up when your done! you deserve it!

7-results and awards will be posted in a timely fashion. remember there are a lot of racers out there and finish times can vary greatly. relax, chill out and have a beer and some chicken!!

8-have a fun time! that's what this is all about right! have fun out there and enjoy the day!

FULL!

Registration is full!

sneak peak and $$

little sneak peak of the 2010 shirt design!! thanks top chef!!

so prices went up yesterday! if you got in good deal, if not buck up and sign up!!!

course map!

course map officially released!!!
check it out!!

More Darkhorse 40 goodness!!

couple of updates from the weekend...

the course is set!
expect gps files and maps shortly!!

new parking/start/finish/bbq area
use 400 ridge rd, montgomery ny 12549
this will bring you to the new parking/start area!
you will not be using the rt207 entrance!

CASH!
$500 FIRST PLACE ELITE MEN!!!
$500 FIRST PLACE ELITE WOMEN!!!

that's it for now!

Darkhorse 40 updates!!

ok, so SSAP is in the books and we have shifted our focus to summer brews and the 40!
couple of items to keep in mind as you get ready for the greatest event in the known universe!

1. new categories! check bikereg as we have switched up the categories for this year a bit.

2. pre-reg only!!! no day of registration! go online and get hooked up!

3. register now! as of July 1st registration goes up to 75.00!!!!! save 20 bucks and reg now!

4. two twenty mile laps are back!!

5. new parking and start/finish area. details will be released soon! keep your eyes peeled!

6. cash prizes for all categories! that's right in these tough times we figure you would like to earn a few american dollars anyway you can!!

7. same aid station format. stocked with water, sports drink, food, etc.....

8. same great post race eats and drinks!!

that's about all i can think of for now. stayed tuned folks!!!! same bat time same bat channel!!!

SSAP lends a helping hand to our furry friends!

If you signed up for SSAP not only do we thank you but lots of furry little friends say thanks too!
$5.00 from every entry plus the proceeds from the I9 hubset and the Thomson voucher went to 3 animal charities!

Mid-Hudson Animal Aid

Walden Humane Society

Hudson Valley ASPCA

so not only did you get to take part in one of the most epic singlespeed events in the history of racing bicycles with one gear, but you also helped to save a whole bunch of furry creatures who will likely be adopted and find loving homes!!

we thank you!
the doggies and cats thank you!

right about now you should feel all warm and fuzzy about yourself! the best thing to do with that feeling is go on over to bikereg and sign up for the Darkhorse 40!!

Hera foundation big gear raffle!!

George and I have donated 2 entries into the darkhorse 40 to the Big Gear Raffle to benefit the Hera Foundation for ovarian cancer research. go and buy as many as you can!!!! you can win some great gear and possibly even free entry to the darkhorse 40!!!!!!!

help us support these gals and their fight against ovarian cancer!!

singlespeed-a-polooza 2010!

well folks SSAP 2010 is in the books!
after what seemed liked 2 straight weeks of beautiful weather mother nature decided to drop the temps and add a bit of moisture to the mix.
we spent Saturday afternoon prepping start/finish area, the beer stop, marshal locations, and putting the finishing touches on the course. it was a dust bowl!
well when we were wrapping up a little after 7 the temp started to drop and the skies looked a little ominous. i held out hope!

around 4:30 on sunday morning George turned on the basement light to let me know that it was raining and cold. we looked at weather.com just to confirm this. after a big cup of coffee it was time to get fired up! into the chilly morning rain we went.

george spent the pre-race hours shuttling racers from the upper parking area down to registration which was at the finish. logistically it seemed like a good idea but it turned out to be a bit far from the parking. sorry. lesson learned.

despite the conditions we were able to get the start off just about on time. little after 9. couple waves later and we had 250 racers in the woods! thankfully we only had one semi-serious injury for our dedicated team of emts to deal with. on weather days like this that is always a major concern!

the hotdogs went in and were being handled by our crack team of "dog boilers!!" the kegs got tapped and sampled! all was ready for when racers began to filter in. big thanks go to Koop, Joe and Richard for there work on the food!

in what seemed like the blink of an eye we had the top 2 racers come thru for their first lap! our man Monty and James Harmon were neck and neck!! it was on! not too far behind the top 2 women came thru and some awfully fast sport guys had gotten themselves into the mix.

little slower on the second lap as the condition "deteriorated". at least the rain stopped! apparently "major mike" was a "less than pleasant experience" on lap 2 for a number of riders!

1 hour fifty minutes and guess who comes across the finish line! Monty baby!! team darkhorse represent!!! awesome job. Harmon held on for second and Josh Wilcox rounded out the podium!
Nikki Theimann crushed in the open women with a time of 2:15 which would have put her solidly in the top 30 of the mens field!! awesome job!

in the sport ladies field Amanda Wisell showed that riding in the mud of Vermont can make you a fast little lady! she smoked the course despite the less the favorable conditions! Bike 29 representing on the big wheels!!

the most hotly contested battle has been the NY/NJ race for sport dominance! a little birdie told me that the NJ guys were pulling out all the stops and training like mad over the winter to keep the cup in Dirty Jersey! well they didn't disappoint! by just over a minute Ilya Cantor took the win! MTBNJ keeping the cup on Jersey soil!

also, the highly anticapated racing debut of "Thor the God of Thunder" was witnessed on sunday. some people believe his registration to be the reason that mother nature decided to provide such nasty conditions! conditions be damned thor donned cape and helmet and lined up with the elite men! apparently even the "nectar" of the gods, which was rumored to be a mixture of high grade tequila and cheap canned beer, couldn't help the "God of Thunder" in the stacked elite class! paced thru most of the race by team Darkhorse racer Sal "my sideburns beat up your honor student" Crochiola, Thor finished in a magnificent DFL in the elite open mens division. Thor could not be reached for coherent comment after the event.

all the results can be found here!!

pics can be found here

awards went off great with the pros taking home piles of cash. the custom trophies were a huge hit!! tons of schwag for the winners and non-winners alike!

SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU SECTION!!!!!!

thanks to all our racers!!! we appreciate you guys coming out to our little race party! especially in less than stellar conditions!

THANKS TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!!!!!
especially the lovely young ladies who do our scoring!!! we couldn't do it without you gals!!!!!
special thanks to the beer maven's Beth and Danelle!!!!!

THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSERS!!!

NINER BIKES!
WTB
CANE CREEK
THOMSON
SWIFTWICK
STANS
INDUSTRY NINE
ERGON

TERREPIN BREWING!!!!!!!!!!!!

course map

check it peeps!
the course is official!
there is a gps file and it will be posted on mtbnj.com
there should be some arrows out on the course by this weekend

SS course made official

on a brisk spring morning, half past dawn, the Darkhorse Trail crew featuring Mike "the axe man" Rave, George the Mayor, and Hawaiian Mike made a final push to solidify the SS course. a few hours, couple gallons of 2 stroke chainsaw fuel, and some frozen toes and fingers later and the course has been set!!!

all i can say is that this is quality stewart riding. some old stuff, some new stuff and some redux stuff.

here is a little teaser. "major Mike" returns with a bad-ass new reroute, we created a new trail called "cedar knob" which utilizes a very unique "feature". an old trail that had fallen out of service comes back into the fray, and the course passes thru one of stewarts older and more unique "structures".

when all is said and done the course comes in at 12.75 miles. yeah its a little short of the 14 we had hoped for but we went quality over quantity. so consider it a gift or a curse or whatever. its what you get!!

we are stoked and hope you are as well.

more details to follow shortly and a gps file will be posted as well.

Closed!

registration for SS-apolooza is closed! we have reached the 250 field limit. if you missed it well you suck..........no ok you don't really. send us an email at darkhorsecycles@frontiernet.net or call the shop and get added to the waitlist.

see you all there!!

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

less than 50 spots left! get in now or be disappointed when all the cool kids are racing there singlespeeds!!

trails are shaping up and the course has been nearly finalized but is still top secret!!! some new trails will emerge as well as some re-conditioned old favorites!!

get signed up!!!!!!

SS gets famous!!

Singlespeed-a-polooza gets famous!
mentioned in the "download" section of this months mountain bike magazine!!
hoo-rah! no wonder it hasn't returned any of my calls!

get yourself signed up now. rumor has it they have added extra flights at Stewart Airport to accommodate all the big wigs flying in!!

Get your a** to SS-APOLOOZA!!!!

SIGN UP! DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!

Happy 2010 suckas!!

happy belated new year! is it really 2010? yikes!
so both the darkhorse 40 and singlespeed-a-polooza are up on bikereg. if you haven't signed up do so now!!!
let's talk about Singlespeed-a-polooza for a minute....
apparently word is spreading like wild fire. these darn internets are a buzz with vibes on the race. a couple of singlespeed aficionados have called it out on their blogs as a must do event. looks like we will be seeing some out of state talent......
Niner bikes signed on as a sponsor. they did a little research and it seems that Chris may be making the trek east to witness it first hand!! so if you ride a niner, or plan on riding one and want to talk to THE MAN behind the brand you best sign up!!