Sunday, May 30, 1999 -- Richwood
Richwood ATB Ballyhoo n Hullabuloo
Story and photos by Marty Lamp

[Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [Pic Set 2] [Overall Results] [Results by Class]

The Ballyhoo was good to Gunnar Shogren

Nestled up on top of Kennison Mountain, inside the Cranberry Back Country, the 2nd Annual Ballyhoo n' Hullabuloo lived up to it's infamous reputation. Although the 9 mile loop kept racers on gravel roads half the time, technical singletrack with lots of roots and softball size boulders was the name of the game.

Experts were required to do 3 laps, with sport classes riding two laps, and beginner classes only having to spin through one.

The course started with a short quarter mile uphill on a gravel road, and then down a bombing gravel downhill for two miles before turning left into the Cranberry Wilderness Area. Once in the shade of countless pines, the trail wound steeply uphill until a rolling, technical plateau was gained. The elevation of the course dropped slowly until riders found another forest road taking them down farther, only leading to a steady 3-4 mile climb on a gravel road back to the start! The first lap, for the multilap racers only, had an early left turn into the woods creating a shortened initial lap.

Smooth as (Mark) Glass...

Finally getting a chance to race in West Virginia, Gunnar Shogren(2:12:30) led the majority of the race, and took the checkered flag for the overall win. Although Shogren grabbed the lead on the first uphill in the woods, Ben Klimas(2:17:00) and Dave Fleming(2:19:00) would pass Shogren in the rolling section. He picked up a stick in the rear wheel that required a dismount, giving Klimas and Fleming their chance; but before the three would exit the trees on the first lap, Shogren took back the lead, never to lose it again. Klimas and Fleming finished 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively.

Joe Wharton(1:43:00) was the first 2 lapper to finish the race, taking the win for the Men's Sport Vet class, and Michael Prince(1:44:00) was only a minute behind to capture the Men's Sport class win. In the Clydesdale class, it was Adam Klimas(2:21:00) chugging along to a first place finish.

Rob Voorhees keeping his spin tight

In the one lap race, Nick Walker(1:07:00) edged out Kevin Davis(1:08:00) and Doug Wayne(1:09:00) to take first place in the Men's Beginner class. Hat's off to the two Women's Beginner riders Angie Brennan(1:17:00) and Regina Carrico(1:23:00) for being the only two women out there.

Afterwards, great food and plenty of drinks were in full stock. The top three expert finishers took home cash, and pretty much everyone else had their pick at the prize table. If you happen to be wondering what a "Hullabuloo" is, make sure to check it out next year, and you can be sure WVOutside will be there!