Sunday, August 26, 2001 -- Holly River State Park - Hacker Valley, WV
Holly River Revenge - WVMBA Point Series #12 (iPO Event Id#: 2635)
Story and photos by Don Parks

[Details] [Coverage]
[Overall Results] [Results by Class]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5] [Set 6] [Set 7] [Set 8]
[1999 Coverage] [2000 Coverage]

Finding a little speed at
Holly River State Park

For the most part, the thunderstorms that raged across the region missed the Holly River State Park. The mountain bikes thundered through a great mix of terrain as the worst rains held off until the awards, that were luckily held in a nice big shelter.

Getting an early start on a 23 mile course were the experts. They began the racing with the a long gravel uphill for 3.2 miles on the Pickens Road. Leading the way to the top was TJ Platt and Jeremiah Bishop. But soon after they turned onto the single track, POW!, Platt's tire blew. "I heard it and it sounded like a gun shot," said Benjie Klimas who was quickly making the pass.

Moving into the top three spots where Bishop, Clay Evans, and Klimas, respectively. Throughout the race they maintained their positions as the gaps between them steadily grew. Bishop finished at 1:49:15, Evans at 1:54:34 and Klimas at 1:59:00. Meanwhile, Platt continued to be plagued by a tire that did not want to stay on the rim. At least three flats later he somehow managed to make it to the finish in fourth place at 2:08:59.

Scenic single track winds along the Holly River

First place among the female experts was Cassie Smith with a time of 2:23:59. Not far back was Missy Showman at 2:26:30 while Mandi Riddle (2:46:19) rounded out the top three.

The sport and beginner classes started roughly a half-hour after the experts. These classes had the benefit on not doing the extra prologue loop given to the experts. The result was an 18 mile course for the sport class. The beginners turned off early on the course and took a long treacherous downhill to get to the finish after just under 11 miles.

Joseph Stone turned in the fastest time for the 18 mile course with a time of 1:35:52 with no one close behind. The next two to cross the finish line were Steven Hill (1:40:07) and Steven Barbe (1:42:59).

For the sport women it was Amy Vance rolling in for the win at 2:27:06. Battling to the finish for second place was Molly McMahon and Courtney Dudley with McMahon winning the duel at 2:32:41, just 13 seconds ahead of Dudley.

Fat tire fun coming right at you

The beginners were led to the finish by Michael Haid with a winning time of 54:26. Filling up the rest of the spots on the podium where Tim Andrew (55:49) in second and Scott Austin (58:19) in third. This trio recorded the only three sub one-hour times for the beginner course.

For the ladies who took the the short course, it was Abby Johnson leading the field with a 1:12:06 finish time. Taking second and third were Michele Cobb (1:20:45) and Brie Anne Mauser (1:27:10), respectively.

After finishing, most all the racers snuck back to the shelter just before the rain started coming down in buckets. However, spirits were high as the folks at Fat Tire Cycles had an impressive prize table waiting for all the class winners. Not to mention one fantastic meal complete lasagna (both with meat and vegetarian), salad, fresh baked bread, and an assortment of deserts [the carrot cake was my personal favorite]. And, there was plenty enough for even the biggest appetites to get seconds or even thirds. You won't want to miss this party, and some great racing, next year!