Saturday, August 31, 2002 -- Oak Hill, WV
Concho Classic 12-hour MTB Relay Race (iPO Event Id#: 4798)
Story and photos by Don Parks

[Details] [Coverage]
[Results - Clock Time] [Results - Lap Time]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5] [Set 6] [Set 7] [Set 8] [2001 Coverage]

Up and at 'em with a 7am running start

A little bigger, and a whole lot better. ACE Adventure Center's second running of the Concho Classic had everything from the course to the weather dialed-in for a great day of 12-hour mountain bike relay racing.

Seven in the morning comes pretty early, but if you want to start and finish a 12+ hour race without riding in the dark, it is almost a necessity. And to get everyone's morning legs warmed up, the race began with a running lap around the mountain-top campground before mounting the bikes and hitting the trails.

Going at it full speed from the get-go were the men's expert/pro teams of Deliverance and Wamsley Cycles. But, Wamsley Cycles had the disadvantage of being a two-person team to Deliverance's three.

A race with a view

The first riders for both teams, Wamsley's Jeremy Rowand and Deliverance's David Wall clocked the fastest first lap times at just 52 minutes. The second lap put Deliverance in the lead as Bill Collie was able to get in just minutes ahead of Wamsley's Chris Phillips.

On the third lap, Rowand clocked a 51-minute lap, the day's fastest lap time. It was good enough to move Wamsley's into first overall but Deliverance's Phillip Prince didn't give up very much time.

Keeping it close was all Wall needed as he put his team back into first on the following lap. As the laps continued, the demand on two vs. three teammates began to show. It was still just a three minute advantage for Deliverance after seven laps, but they would never get any closer.

And the trails were sweet

In the end, Wamsley's kept it close enough that Deliverance reluctantly had to send out a final rider for a fourteenth lap. They could have waited to see if Wamsley's Rowand made it in before the 7pm last lap cutoff. But rather than allow the possibility of a last lap showdown, off they sent Collie. In the end it would be more than they needed as they completed 14 laps to Wamsley's 13.

If you think it was tough on these riders, doing 5, 6, and even 7 laps each, how about the solo effort of Ernest Mare. The Speedgoat.com rider finished at 7:08pm with twelve laps under his belt. Good enough for third overall!

The girls of Earth Fare take it to Concho

When it came to women testing their skills, the Ride On mixed duo of Marie Parker and Darin Evans used their balanced strength to finish 10 laps right at 7:00pm. The mixed duo Not Quite Right, with BrieAnne Mauser and Eric Cutlip, tried to make it interesting as they finished lap 10 at 7:02pm.

Even more kudos go out to team Earth Fare (Lauren Trull, Dee Dee Watson and Adrienne Brown) and team Babobs (Sherry Downing and Liz Hooper), the only two all women's teams.

One last shout-out has to go to Pam Minix. The solo female rider was able to record 8-laps with time to spare, pretty good show!

With the last rider finishing as the sun went down, it was time to retire to a nice dinner buffet provided by ACE. With a full stomach, it was on to the awards and the plans for next year's race strategies.

Team FIT's Kathy Stipetic hammers the rocks

Team FIT’s first mountain bike race experience was the 2nd Annual ACE Concho Classic in West Virginia. The Pittsburgh based adventure racing team anticipating having fun and doing well in the 12-hour Relay Race.

Shawn Loebach, the male part of the mixed sport team, who opted to be the first rider, ended up with a broken chain 7 miles into the first loop. After pushing the bike the last 3 miles to the start/finish line, he handed the baton to Kathy Stipetic, and worked on getting his chain repaired.

After making 6 loops through the steep, rocky, and challenging course Team Fit called it quits, satisfied with the results and the experience. The race was extremely well organized, surprisingly well stocked with food and drinks throughout the entire day, and ended with a great selection of prizes for all the top finishers.

The ACE Concho Classic was a truly awesome MTB racing experience for both team members, who look forward to racing again in next year's competition.