Sunday, August 23, 1998 -- Little Beaver State Park
Little Beaver Mountain Bike Classic

No MTB race is complete without a Kids Race!

[More Pictures] [Results]

They told us this one was going to be a good one, and they didn't disappoint. The first year for the Little Beaver Mountain Bike Classic promised fun for the whole family, a course with a lot of great singletrack, and no "long grueling climbs". Does that mean an easy course? Of course not. Each roughly six mile loop consisted of plenty of grueling short climbs and more than enough rock strewn singletrack to give anyone a workout. But it was a beautiful day for a bike ride on the scenic trails of Little Beaver State Park.

Bryan Sterns made a great effort after breaking a chain early

The racers, depending on their skill level, were sent out to do either one, two or three laps to get their fill of either 10, 20, or 30K of riding. The fastest racer in the single circuit group was Bryce Chamblin (1:04:06) racing in the Beginner Mens class. Cam Lewis took 2nd, just over a minute back, at 1:05:19.

The Sport classes, getting the extra fun of a second lap, were led to the finish by Chris Caul (1:47:15) who took the lead early and never looked back. The battle for second was not decided as quickly. On their second trip through the very technical Mike's Trail section, Sean Sabol, Jushua Perdue and Bradley McGraw were racing in 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively. However, over the final miles their race, it appears that McGraw surged ahead while Sabol was fading. In the end it was McGraw 2nd (1:50:15), Perdue 3rd (1:50:41) and Sabol 4th (1:52:22).

Jeremy Shuck wasn't slowed by this log crossing

The female champion for the day (since no females raced expert) was Erin Garvin with 20K time of 2:12:51. Did we mention that Erin just returned from biking the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail? Well, it just so happens that she and one of her traveling companions, were the first women to complete the entire trail on bicycle.

What about the big dogs who attacked the course for 3 laps of the best Little Beaver had to offer? By the time we caught up with them, in the middle of the second lap on Mike's Trail, Mike Bowen was in the lead and he stayed there to the finish with a time of 2:30:41. Chasing the whole way was Jeremy Shuck who finished 2nd overall in a time of 2:31:56. Finishing 3rd and 4th overall, and 1st and 2nd in Expert Veteran, were Mike Boyes (2:33:04) and Bryan Sterns (2:34:12) who was slowed by a broken chain early. Rounding out the top five was Ryan Hobbs (2:34:17) who took 1st in the Junior Expert class.

Mike Bowen mastered Mike's Trail and the field of expert riders

Thanks go out to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors who made the event such a pleasant experience for everyone. Some of those who made it all possible are Bryant Hydraulics, Cannondale, Cliff Bars, Diamondback, Elliott's Bestway, Daniel L. Foley DDS MS, Thomas W. Jarrett DDS MS, Fox, Glenwood Pro Home Center, GT, H3O, J&B Importers, J&L Electric, KHS, David McCormack DDS, Outdoorsman Sporting Goods, Pedals & Spokes, Power Ade, Power Bar, Thule, and Triple S Welding.