10th Annual Darkhorse 40 in the books!!!

so, the 10th annual Darkhorse 40 is over......

first of all thanks to everybody who signed up so early and came out to play in the wicked humidity! thanks for staying thru the monsoon! hey, at least we got the racing in before the skies opened up!!

thanks to all of our volunteers!

thanks to the EMT's who unfortunately had a very busy day... we never like to see them get any work at all. we would be happy to have them lay around with their feet up but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. a speedy recovery to all those that left a little something extra out there on the trail.

right about the time the hangover wears off from Singlespeed-apolooza, does it ever wear off.....we start prepping for the 40. lots of blood, sweat and tears go into putting out the best possible race experience we can. we hope that it shows. the 40 never goes off without a few hitches here or there. just the nature of the business i suppose... but overall we hope everybody had a good time!

a decade has passed...holy crap...since the Mayor and I cooked up a plan to throw a little race at Stewart. something a little different, something that we would want to race. we figured we would get a 100 people to show up and that would be that.....well after 10 years look at what it has become. never would we have expected our little race party to become this... THANK YOU!! who knew so many of you were just as twisted as we are!!! you are all as much to blame, i mean responsible for the growth and success of the 40! Thanks again!

what does the future hold? hard to believe that we are looking back at a decade of racing. i honestly don't know. as we do every year we will take some time off and reflect and see what we could have done differently, what we want to add, want we need to tweak.

so stay tuned!!!

again THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yours in a ugly orange shirt,
Hawaiian Mike

Darkhorse 40 update

couple things....

the BBQ is back!
we will be featuring burgers, dogs, and grilled chicken. veggie burgers will be available.
we will have a tossed salad and some sort of side salad.
fresh sliced watermelon, and the ever popular ice-pop freezer!!!!

long trail has signed on as the beer sponsor and we have ordered the kegs!!
we will have a wine bar this year as well featuring local wines from the Brotherhood winery!!

VERY IMPORTANT!!!
-in order to get a plate at the BBQ you must have a wrist band.
-all entrants will receive one in their race packet. DO NOT LOSE THIS!!!
-if you would like a wrist band for a spectator or family member etc they can be purchased in advance.
-NO BUYING WRIST BANDS DAY OF!! THE DEC DOES NOT ALLOW US TO SELL ANYTHING DAY OF!
-you must contact the shop and get a wrist band from them in advance.
--WRIST BAND PRICING--
-$10.00 for adults
-$5.00 for children under 12

-PROCEEDS FROM THE WRISTBANDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE EMT'S WHO VOLUNTEER TO HELP KEEP YOUR RACING EXPERIENCE SAFE!!

thanks again and we will keep you posted with updates!!

Darkhorse 40 updates

July is upon us! seems like we just finished up SSAP.
the waitlist has been closed now for a while. registrations are locked and loaded. numbers have been assigned and all the paperwork is in order. if you have to cancel at this point we can't do much for ya. sorry about that. again thanks for registering early and supporting our event!!

we have got a lot of cool stuff coming your way this year. same great stuff as in years past but with a little extra spin for the 10th annual! can't believe we are on number 10.

the course will most likely be the same as last year barring any kind of trail damage we need to avoid. the Darkhorse crew will be hard at work for the next month ensuring that the trails are clean and in excellent riding order come race day. if you see us out working stop and say hi.

i will post up a  map and GPS file soon.

thats all for now. more info soon!!

SSAP video evidence!

big thanks to our new pal Manny for putting this together!!!

SSAP 2012

the 4th annual Singlespeed-a-polooza is in the books!
many thanks to all who came out to play in the woods. after a couple of monsoon years the weather gods smiled on us and it was a gorgeous day. little chilly in the am, like at 4am, when we got up....but it got really nice later.
i am still decompressing. it takes a few days to get back to normal, or at least whatever normal is for me...
so many good people, good vibes, and good times!!

again we can't thank you enough for coming out and joining in our little race party!
now we turn out attention to the 40........the 10th 40....holy crap.....

SSAP map and gps file!

oh no! a map!! click to make big!

that's right folks. the DH crew has been sampling what the forest of stewart has to offer and come up with a course... much deliberation and beverage liberation was used to make sure that this course is sweeter than a jewel encrusted unicorn with a horn filled with PBR!

some details....
4 mile prolog.
11.75 mile laps

4 mile prolog + 11.75 mile lap + 11.75 mile lap = oh so much singlespeedy goodness!!

gps file located here....


so get out and check it!
race day is coming quick.
check back here for more details as they become available

2012!

holy crap! 2012...really...
so we have like 12 more months till the apocolypse! yikes, and bummer...i guess...
well looks like we better make some great bike race while we still can.
yeah its finally a little cold out and you probably aren't thinking about racing bikes yet but you should be. you slackers! get on the rollers and get some suffering in!
before you know it hardman season will be upon us. cobbled roads, rain, belguim, frites, and.......for those of us on this side of the pond Singlespeed-a-polooza! lose the gears, harden the F up and get ready... its coming soon.
4th annual, who would have thunk it. seemed like such a ridiculous idea and well, it still is a little ridiculous......

after that well its time to prepare for the real deal...... the 10th Annual Darkhorse 40!
holy smokes, yeah its been 10 years. we got some special stuff up our sleeve for this year. don't ask what cause we ain't telling! its gonna be super sweet uber awesomeness and all that and then some....trust me!

so check back often, call the shop and harass the boys, or search the interwebs, the answer is out there. when you find it you will know....or maybe you won't but either way it will kill some time till race season!

Thanks for making the 9th annual Darkhorse 40 a blast!

thanks to all the racers who came out yesterday and made the 9th annual 40 a huge success!!
we appreciate all the kind words and hope you had as much fun racing as we had hosting!!

special thanks to all our volunteers and the EMT's!!

hope to see everybody again next year!

Jamis Bikes

Jamis Bikes signed on early as a title sponsor to this years Darkhorse 40.
they will be at the race Sunday with there 26' trailer filled with a very special treat for Darkhorse racers.......

they will be presenting to you, ahead of interbike, a sneak peak at the 2012 line-up!!!

you will, with the exception of some select dealers, be the first people to lay eyes on these rigs!!

lots of cool new stuff will be on hand.. 29'r full suspension, 650b steel hardtails, 650b full suspension, ton's of carbon goodness, etc...

stop by the trailer and check em out!

2011 darkhorse 40 updates!!

OH YEAH!

Some Darkhorse 40 update!!

-race sold out fast and early this year. there was a waitlist and a few people made it in off that.
-if you are still on the waitlist, sorry but you didn't get in.
-all the $5 waitlist fees will be donated to the Walden Humane Society!! yeah cats and dogs!
-there is ABSOLUTELY NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION! we are at full capacity
-remember next year to jump on this as soon as you see it on bikereg. it will sell out fast!

-for directions to the start/parking/bbq etc use:
400 Ridge rd
Montgomery NY 12549
-ridge rd is just off Rt 17k
-if you pass the Darkhorse Cycles Headquarter you have gone to far!!

-course will be marked 1 week prior to the race as per DEC regulations
-GPS link has been sent out to all registrants and can be found HERE
-course is not the same as last year. some new stuff, some old, some classic stewart!

-this is a Ladies and Gentleman's race! act accordingly! there is nothing worth getting hurt or hurting someone else over out there!
-check yourself! if you think you are being stupid chances are good that you are! and that you should check yourself so that we do not have to!
-keep it safe! keep it fun!


-famous Johnnies BBQ is back! no one will go hungry i assure you!
-the ice pop wagon will also be back!
-post race refreshments are being worked out and still top secret! you won't be disappointed!
-the "sirens" of stewart will be out on course dispensing hopped refreshment to riders!!
-YES there is a beer stop-- do not stop if you are under 21!!!
-YES there are kegs at the BBQ! do not drink if you are under 21
-do not put us in that position!!!! be responsible!

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES!!

Darkhorse 40 updates

hello all! couple of updates...

race is full...has been for a while now.

there is a waitlist. it is on bikereg. it cost $5

all of the waitlist proceeds will be donated to the local humane society!!!

get on the list and well....wait....we'll see what happens.

other things to note..

1- Jamis has signed on as the official title sponsor!! awesome! check out some of their cool stuff in the expo area

2- same great BBQ guys as last year. working on some twists but should be awesome!

3- new course design! nothing to reveal yet but working on a new course. we have lost race access to a couple trails due to DEC regulations. shouldn't be a big issue. details will be released shortly!


that's about it for now.
check back soon for updates!!

SSAP 2011!

SSAP 2011 is in the books!!

thanks for coming out despite the less than awesome conditions! it was an epic day for sure!!

i may write a report and post it up once i can wrap my brain around it all...

SSAP map

the 2011 course in all its glory!!

SSAP is coming up quick!!

SSAP will be here before we know it! are you ready?

here are a few things you should be aware of.....

1- SSAP is sold out. it sold out fast! if you are registered you rock, if not.....well...

2- there is a wait list. there are many on it. if you aren't you can email we will add you to it

3- the wait list is long. probability of getting in......well have you won the lotto lately?

4- the course is near finalization. we are working with the conditions etc... it will be awesome!

5- there will be sweet sweet kegs of beer from a very special brewery. top secret for now!

6- there will be hotdogs, chips, etc for post race feasting! if you are vegan, vegetarian, have an aversion to hot dogs etc....we apologize and ask that you plan accordingly. there will be plenty of beer!

7- cash for the elites, prizes for everyone else!

8- conditions at Stewart yesterday were sweet! but its snowing now...so use good judgment if you are out riding the trails!

9- whatever gear you have on your bike and whatever tires you have are the perfect choice!
if you don't think so stop into Darkhorse and let Mike and George sell you the perfect gear and tire choice!!


that's about all i can think of for now. let us know if you have any questions.

get those singlespeeds ready!!

SSAP 2011

its coming soon!

Darkkhorse 2011!!!!

2011 is here!
so it's time to sign up for some awesome Darkhorse Racing events!!!
go to bikereg!

SSAP 2011

DH40 2011

event reg is live!!

remember that with the Mayan apocalypse coming in 2012 you better get your racing in now!!

check back often for updates and other shenanigans!!

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!