Great Escape and Single Speed State Championships

Saturday was the Great Escape Mtn bike race and the Single Speed State Championships in St. Cloud. Jay, the Chucker, and I headed up early so Jay and I could take the SS's out and play in the dirt!

Custom MUSS

Short n Sweet - the race was hell for the first lap. I got into the single track in the top 50% of the mixed Single Speeders, creating the perfect atmosphere for crabby boys following me down the trail. The track was tight, and I wound up getting crashed out 4 times by some uber aggressive boys. Once the boys, the ornery geared ladies, and the clydesdales blew by this citizen single speeder (in a sport race), the course was finally fun. Twists and turns undulated beneath a blanket of fall leaves. I think I was the only one who noticed the pink leaves that covered the ground in the 3rd or 4th section of the course, and that's no prob with me. It reminds me that I'm out there to have fun.

I rode my best pace for the entirety of the race and it paid off - I finished 2nd in the State Championships - taking home a sweet granite trophy with a 40-tooth chain ring wedged in the top!Thanks for the pic, Ray!

Jay rocked a sweet 2nd place in the men's race, completely on top of his game! Kaveh, the Killer, Rahimi finished not far behind in 11th!

Hollywood/Silver Cycling as a whole rode amazingly!

Top Comp Finishers:
Jake Richards - 3rd (Juniors 12-19)
Tim "Chucker" Norrie - 2nd (Men 30-39)

Top Expert Finishers:
Sam Oftedahl - 3rd (19-34)
Eric Oftedahl - 7th (19-34)
Matt Muyers - 2nd (35+)
Hollywood Henderson - 8th (35+)

Cheq 2007

True to our style, Hwood and I hit the road with Timmer, Fat Tire bound. Jay was the perfect host to ferry TImmer and I into our first attempt at Chequamegon madness - Timmer doing the full 40, and me single speed'n it in the Short & Fat.

We left town early on Friday morning, crank'n the ipod and jammin' the whole way. Once I find Jay's camera, I'll U-Tube our homage to Wayne's World.....

Jay and Timmer hit the trail off OO, and I b-lined it to Telemark for a quick nap while they rode. The temps were in the low 50's at best, so I cuddled up and crashed out in the back seat until the Dan Swanson and Dan's brother (that's for you Vegas) showed up and started makin' noise. When J & T returned, we headed to the local pub to warm up and fill our bellies. Once done, we headed back to Telemark - Jay and I did an out n' back of the Ojibwe trail. Crankin' down the trail, we startled a small black bear, walking out onto the trail! I won't lie - it scared me quite a bit, but we finished our ride w/o incident.

The next day we were all amped to ride. The temps were down in the low 30's and my body just didn't want to move. I got a really good start position, but the 3 mile roll out caused me to lose position huge, redlining on the single speed as the big gears powered down the hill. One thing I've learned to love about the single speed - beatin' them all up the hills. No granny gearin' it for me. The pony and I had a blast, reaching a new level of understanding with each other, cruising loosely down the bumpy downhills and flying up climb after climb.
I finished in 1:19.59 - 20 minutes faster than my goal time, earning me 2nd place in the Women's Single Speed category!!!

Timmer didn't have such a great finish - DNF'ing after a pair of guys crashed in front of him in Rosey's field, taking him out and banging him up pretty bad. I still giggle at the thought of Jay shouting "I broke Timmer" after the race.

Jay rode an amazing race as well, taking 63rd, and finishing in 2:24. I was so proud of him, especially since we've barely ridden off road all year. Sam & Eric Oftedahl and Jake Richards all rode great as well.
All in all, it was a fabulous time! Thanks to the amazing Praman's for putting us up for the night - Mary & Dave - You're the best : )

Ridin' into the fall,
Kristy Kreme

Calling all Javelin Riders....

Yep, it's that time again....Interbike, Las Vegas!!! That's right - one whole week of desert, sun, Elvis, bright lites and bikes. You can bet it all that 612 will be strongly represented in Sin City!

While we're there, we plan on giving Javelin a huge thanks for all the bikes that have been coming out of Hollywood Cycles! Since Jay's their only MN dealer, we're gathering up some sweet shots of local people and their Jav's. They can be race shots....

Fun Shots....Whatever the pic, let me know! Bike love!

Kristy Kreme