When we arrived it was raining, and snow was all over the ground. The course looked cool but the thoughts going through my head were those of bitter cold, slick and ugly. As we were getting ready and warming up on the paved trails. One of guys in my class passed by muddy and wet from a pass through the start finish area. Why were we there? It was cold, wet and ugly. I thought Soldier Hollow would postpone the race. After warming up the sun came out and started drying the course.
The race started, the course was in awesome condition. The first lap I had in my mind to try and stay on the grass so I would not get bogged down. It worked very well. The second lap I was thinking I would do the same but as I was riding I found the trail was perfect, dry and fast. All in all the course was fun and exciting. I was able to ride and see a lot of the team. Thanks to the Mad Dog ladies for letting me ride with them most of the race. They pushed me and set a good pace. The race was awesome!
-- Greg Johnson
More pics form the race
Team Points
Upcoming Events
Monday – Family Ride leaving from the Orem Mad Dog Cycles store at 6 pm. We will ride to Provo canyon with a dinner stop at Bajio at Riverwoods. Discount coupons for all riders to make your meals at Bajio a better deal. Should be a lot of fun.
Wednesday – The Weekly Race Series is at Sundance. A great time to get some race pace training on a great course. $10 for your season race plate and $12 for each race.
Thursday – Group Ride will be up Provo Canyon, BST and the Burn Trail. Meet at the Orem Mad Dog Cycles store at 5:30pm. From there we will decide where to park in the canyon.
Wednesday – The Weekly Race Series is at Sundance. A great time to get some race pace training on a great course. $10 for your season race plate and $12 for each race.
Thursday – Group Ride will be up Provo Canyon, BST and the Burn Trail. Meet at the Orem Mad Dog Cycles store at 5:30pm. From there we will decide where to park in the canyon.
Sundance Spin
I look forward to the Sundance Race every year for a number of reasons. One - it's the Mad Dog team's home court, so to speak. Many of us have ridden it extensively throughout the years and that sort of intimate knowledge of a course brings confidence to rider. Two - We are usually in our new kits just before or at this race. 2010 was no exception and some of the team riders and I spent Friday afternoon sorting everyone's gear so we'd be ready to go. The kits looked great and seeing so many team riders out on course was exciting. Finally, the course and the event itself really feel like we are really into mountain bike season. The early season races are nice to get you thinking about it, 5-mile pass helps you realize your fitness needs to be improved, but Sundance is when you start remembering what great single-track is like and how elevation feels on your lungs. Ouch!
So the team showed up in force on Saturday and there were many podium finishes by Mad Dog riders. We won the race with a total of 153 points, which puts us back into 2nd place on the team standings. We still have alot of work to do to catch UMB, but if we can have showings like Sundance we could make it an interesting season for the team competition.
We had a little mud to contend with, a few mechanicals, but overall everyone raced well and then we spent time together eating and talking about our experiences during the race. It was a beautiful day. The camaraderie of our team and the support of it's members and their families is what makes it great. While I wouldn't say we are unique in this way, I certainly do think our team has a very close knit feel to it and this makes the shared experiences that much more special. Thanks to all those who came race and supported the team on Saturday. I hope we can have many more races like that this season.
-- Keith Payne
More pics form the race
Team Points
So the team showed up in force on Saturday and there were many podium finishes by Mad Dog riders. We won the race with a total of 153 points, which puts us back into 2nd place on the team standings. We still have alot of work to do to catch UMB, but if we can have showings like Sundance we could make it an interesting season for the team competition.
We had a little mud to contend with, a few mechanicals, but overall everyone raced well and then we spent time together eating and talking about our experiences during the race. It was a beautiful day. The camaraderie of our team and the support of it's members and their families is what makes it great. While I wouldn't say we are unique in this way, I certainly do think our team has a very close knit feel to it and this makes the shared experiences that much more special. Thanks to all those who came race and supported the team on Saturday. I hope we can have many more races like that this season.
-- Keith Payne
More pics form the race
Team Points
Busy Week
May 13 - Guided Ride, weather permitting. Meet at the Orem Mad Dog Cycles at 5:30pm. We will car pool to the mouth of Provo Canyon and explore the trails.
May 15 - Mad Dog Cycles is sponsoring the ICUP race at Sundance Resort. This event is a favorite among racers and great to watch from the chair-lift.
May 17 - Family Ride. Meet at the Orem Mad Dog Cycles at 6:00pm.
Check back for up to date details.
May 15 - Mad Dog Cycles is sponsoring the ICUP race at Sundance Resort. This event is a favorite among racers and great to watch from the chair-lift.
May 17 - Family Ride. Meet at the Orem Mad Dog Cycles at 6:00pm.
Check back for up to date details.
5 Mile Pass
At first I couldn't believe how the weather turned out. Driving to the race it was pouring rain. I thought this race was going to be like the last years, 5 miles of mud. I was pretty upset. I wanted to do the full course. When I made it to the course the sun was shining and not a spot of rain. The course was dry with a coating of dust. I was more excited than ever and had a feeling that this was going to be a good race. At the starting line everyone was dressed for cold weather. I felt good and my legs felt pretty good as well. I ate a Powerbar then we all headed off. I had a good start but not the best, since this course has plenty of room to pass it didn’t matter. I passed a few racers and had a blast doing all the climbs and down-hills. This was a relatively rolling course, we were all a rockin' it! I was so happy to be racing! When I got to "the wall", I had to get off and hike like. After the brutal hike, it was good to be on the bike again. Seven Mile Wash was great fun! The rest of the climbs were steep, I cleaned them all. I finished 6th place in the Beginner 30-39 age group. I thought I did better than most other races in the past year and left with a smile on my face.
-- Dan Barlow
-- Dan Barlow
