Race Report & Pics - Coconut Cup #1 Markham

Back-to-Back-to Back events means we got backed up on getting our reports are. But here we go with our report for Gone Riding's Coconut Cup Kickoff event at Markham Park!

After rains covered the area leading up to the weekend, Saturday rolled around with nothing but blue skies and crisp temperatures. Prepared by the always creative Markham Park Trail Builders, the course was typical Markham, meaning fast and relentless. Classic sections were perfectly interconnected with newer sections to create a blazing loop. This wasn't a roadie course though with the Gun Range and OBX (Named by Carlos Galvis...) sections thrown in to challenge event he most technically adept rider.

Eric G before the misfortunes

The weekend had a bonus Short Track event on Saturday afternoon. Boyco and I (Eric G) decided to give it a go with mild success. I really just wanted to get in there and shake things up. Actually glad I did because I found a maladjusted derailleur was causing me chain drops during the race. Ruined my result, but at least it didn't happen on race day. Boyco meanwhile made the most of it and ended up in 3rd in class after the 20 minute torture fest. Good enough start for the weekend!

Race day rolled around and Eric Norris would join us for his first mountain bike race fresh of a new addition to the family not 2 weeks earlier! Off we went and after a positive mid pack start in the XC2 30+ class, I was working up in the low teens when a perfectly placed rock catapulted me and my bike off the trail! It had been quite awhile since I'd been thrown like this. No warning or anything, I was just along for the ride so to speak. After I dusted myself off and did an injury check. Fortunately both rider and steed were unscathed and off I went in pursuit. I'd lost a few places but not too many. Fast forward to the end of lap 2 and I'd picked off some riders and was closing in on 12th place when I flatted!! I reached back to grab a CO2 only to realize I'd left at the pits during my preparation! I was near enough to the end of the lap where I figured I'd make a run for the pits. I took off with bike in hand and was suddenly saved by a trail fairy who magically placed a Co2 trailside. I'd also left my spare tube so it was my only hope that Stan's Sealant would work. Alas it was a bit of an odd puncture and the sealant wouldn't stop the leak. I limped my way back to the end of the lap with a deflating tire and called it a day.

Boyco receiving some brotherly assistance

Boyco was up in the always too fast XC2 19-29 class. Typically a small but extremely competitive class there were 10 riders at the line. A lead pack of 5 quickly took control and set off to destroy each other. Boyco hung on for a bit then settled into his own pace. A bit of mechanical trouble for other racers had him in 5th at the end of the lap, just under a minute up on the next rider. He managed to keep the pace up the next two laps to keep pulling away and claiming the last spot on the podium. After a rough start to the XC season, it came around for the start of the Coconut Cup. Combined with the Bonus Short Track round, he sits in 3rd for the young series.

Norris making his comeback!

Norris was next up in the White Wave in XC3 30+. A wonderful new born at home gave him an adventurous month leading up to the race. While the training was solid, the race legs were a bit lacking so he settled for a conservative start. A huge 38 person field meant that there would be bottlenecks at the start and sure enough he was in it early on. Getting caught up would cost him much time and positions unfortunately. After a bit of a shuffle at the end of lap 1 he'd worked up to 23rd, within 30 seconds of a few riders. The lack of race legs would come around on lap 2 and while he wouldn't lose any positions, he wasn't able gain any places at the finish. Coming through unscathed after a race layoff is always positive so we'll take it.

Finally the always amazing Elite class! This event doubles up as a FSC round and would be the 2nd of the series to be USAC sactioned which brought the Elite riders from all around. Series leader Bob McCarty was looking to defend his lead on home turf. Bent Cycling brough their duo of Howard Mose and Dwayne Algire. Super Cool Bike Shop came loaded with Shaun Smith and Martin Cox.  Even National Pro Drew Edsall would make the trip down south to play in some of his former Florida stomping grounds. The 24 Experts were off down the long start at a blistering pace. Early in it was apparent that the locals had an edge with 5 of the first 9 riders being from the area. First lap rolled around and a train of 9 came through all within the one minute of each other. The

McCarty takes the win!

fireworks started on lap two with Edsall throwing down the fastest lap, and whittling the group down to six. Lap three would wind up being the difference maker with 3 locals turning the screws even more to get away from the field. Doug DeWeese (Fastest lap of the day) & McCarty would come through together, with Allison Anjos just behind on his own. While McCarty and DeWeese are both part of the ID Angel/McCarty team, the race was still on! DeWeese has certainly stepped it up this season, even putting down the fastest lap of the day, but McCarty has been at this game long enough and kept the pace high enough to squeeze out about 10 second gap on his teammate and take his second win of the season. Anjos meanwhile held off a hard charging Shawn Smith who had closed the gap down to mere seconds, to claim 3rd on the day. This Elite class format by Gone Riding has brought out the best in Florida and every race it seems to be different riders stepping up. Nonetheless, McCarty has been Mr. Consistent, having placed no lower than 2nd in any of the five races so far.


Next up was the return of the legendary Hailes Trails for myself so I'll have a write up done ASAP. Then off to Alva for Coconut Cup #2. so come back soon for more stories! Enjoy the pictures below and like our Facebook page if you haven't already! We like to thank all our sponsors, especially Bike Tech who continues to help us every step of the way!

Always a good time with the Bike Tech Racers!

Post by Eclipse Racing Team.

Race Report & Pics: FSC 2013 #8 Alva

Aaand we're back! In the middle of 5 race weekends in a row, the Race Reports have been tough to come by, but we're back on a roll and here's the report for FSC #8 in Alva!

After a small showing of just myself (Eric G) at FSC #7 in Lakeland, Alex and Eric N joined up in Alva for the penultimate round, of the FSC. The weekend also doubled up as round 2 of the Coconut Cup, boosting the total participants with an influx of South Florida racers. The race loop was one of the fastest we've seen all season, with full gas, paper flat, winding, hard pack sections, ultra tight canopy singletrack and off camber roller coasters waiting for the racers. Top it off with a distance of just about 10 miles and racers were going to be in for a long day. Eric N and Alex were back after missing the last event. Eric was sporting his new Scott Scale 700 RC which gave him newfound prowess in the technical sections. Alex meanwhile was wearing his best Movember facial hair, going for a "Lemmy" look. 

Eric would be up in XC3 30+ against 27 racers. After a solid start in the low teens, Eric's handlebars decided his new bike was behaving too well and decided to spin free at the clamp, nearly throwing Eric over the bars. He scrambled to get his torx bolts tightened then got back to chasing. Unfortunately working under such conditions doesn't usually result in accurate work and the bars would come loose on him two more times in his first lap!! Ultimately he got the bar tightened down enough but the damage was done. He dropped down to just about last in his class. He set back on a furious chase to test his legs and continue testing the new bike. At the end of the reduced 2nd lap, he'd put down a personal flyer and made up about 5 positions, finishing 21st on the day.  

Alex was up next in the competitive XC3 40+ class. After the dust settled at the start, Alex was sitting in a train of about 8 riders in the mid teens all within a minute of each other much of the first lap. He too would suffer some misfortune with a rogue shrub wrapping itself into his rear wheel, all but practically locking up his drive train. While he struggled for a few minutes to free it up he set back off in chase. The class is truly competitive and after just a few moments he was down to the mid 20s. He managed to recover a few places but ultimately lost too much time with the mechanical to recover, and finished 22nd on the day. 

Earlier in the morning I was up with the XC2 30+ class. 18 racers lined up and off we went. It's been a tough year so far between DNFs and generally lacking form to compete in the new class, but things have been coming around lately. Through the fast flat start I was hanging in the paceline for the first time all season. As gaps started forming I was feeling lively enough and made a few passes to chase the pulling group. By the time we hit the singletrack I was connected to the tail end and actually in front of about 4 racers. As the first lap continued I settled into my own pace but still had the advantage on some chasers. This was the first time all year I could think about race strategy and I was loving it. Nearing the end of the first lap though I clipped my bars and took an absolute flyer, landing solidly on my right side and knocking the wind out of me. As I struggled to get out of the way of the chasers, it took me a few minutes to recompose myself. By the time I got rolling back up to speed I'd lost 2 spots and a lot of time. As I set off in chase, I saw one rider from my class at what I thought was in reach. Again, after a tough season, I was motivated to just be able to chase someone. The race time and pace is still a challenge to me though and found myself losing pace on the 2nd lap. Nearing about 10 minutes to go I was cramping and just trying to hold off the gap I had on whoever was left in my class. I managed to fight through and finish 15th on the day. I was happy with the result just on the fact that I was able to compete again. 

On to the Pro report! After dominating 4 of the fist 6 events, finishing 2nd in the other two, Bob McCarty had a healthy series lead in the overall standings. But after a season low 4th place in Lakeland, he surely was looking to get back to his winning ways. Fellow Pro-XCT racer Drew Edsall would be in attendance as well (Florida is usually his offseason home) looking to follow up on his commanding win at Lakeland. Pro/Expert regulars such as Martin Cox and Alex Meucci were in attendance as well and surely would make it an interesting day. At the start the men were all business and set off at a blazing pace. Coming off his NUE campaign, Edsall has a monster base and set off on a blistering lap, distancing himself at one of this "Home Turf" trails by just over a minute on the first lap. McCarty would lead a trio including Cox and Meucci in chase. He'd set off on his own in chase of Edsall, dispatching of his partners and closing the gap down to just about 30 seconds with half a lap to go. Edsall though would finish strong, outpacing McCarty and the others to take the win by nearly a minute. McCarty would take 2nd alone and Cox would round out the podium comfortably in 3rd. 

It was a great event and the Mudcutters Club that maintain the Alva trail did a fabulous job setting up the race course. We want to thank Bike Tech as always for the amazing support all season long. Our last stop for 2013 is at home for Round 3 of the Coconut Cup. Enjoy the pictures below and check back next week for our last update of the year!

2012 Pro XCT #1 Mellow Johnny's Classic Race Highlights

Here's a great highlight vid of the Mellow Johnny's Pro XCT Race by our good friend Steve Mace over at MTBMike.com

US PRO XCT 2012 kicks off today!

The Pro US racing season kicks off today in Texas for the Mellow Johnny's classic. Some of our Florida Pro's are out there showing them how we do it "down" here. Follow Drew Esdall, Ryan Woodall & Steve Mace among the action at CyclingDirt which usually has some pretty sweet coverage of US events http://www.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/248351-Mellow-Johnnys-Classic-PRO-XCT-1-2012

For those that wants to see what the course is like, here's a preview:

FSC #4 2011 - Alafia Race Report & Photos

Alex just before Rabbit Ears

Eric G here with our race report for race #4 of Gone Riding's Florida State Cup. With the first 3 races of the season bringing us smooth, flowing XC race friendly courses, it was time for a change. Tight trails, technical sections, fast drops, and the longest laps of the season greeted the racers at Alafia River State Park near Tampa, Florida. The key here is good positioning going into the first trail as the first few miles are mostly bench cut along the river and streams, which doesn't allow for much passing room. If you manage to start well you must then have the endurance to keep the race pace while successfully navigating over rooty climbs, white knuckle fast drops and swooping roller coasters topped off by the hardest section at the END of the lap.

Eric playing catchup

XC3 30-39 field was a large 33 riders and off we went. I spent too much time warming up and got to the line late and started in the 2nd row. Alex got a descent start in the high teens. I got to start LAST....That's right LAST going into the first trail...Unfortunately got my handlebar hooked at the whistle and turned right into the rider to my right. It was either fall or stop, so I stopped and watched the entire field ride off. My chain popped off the chainring also, so I got everything sorted out and took off with a sigh...it was going to be a long day. No disrespect to anyone in my class, but being way back there I just wanted to yell for everyone to get out of my way because I was clearly faster than them at least. But hey it's racing, so I passed when I could, but when there was a HUGE gap already 2 minutes in I knew any chance of a decent finish was gone. Alex was going ok but got caught up in an early pileup and lost a few spots. Sitting in 21st he managed to catch 2 riders from our class but couldn't manage to get around them. About midway through the lap a 40+ rider got in the mix and took a dive costing Alex some more spots while he got rolling again. By then I'd been rolling solo for sometime (turns out I was 25th..yaaaayyy...) and I saw Alex in the tough Roller Coaster Trail. As bad as I felt to chase my own teammate, I had to do it. I was closing down until I got distracted by riders coming behind me. I looked back and noticed they were in another class, but I took a tumble that knocked the wind out of me, and likely cost me the pass on Alex. Rest of the race was uneventful for both of us and we crossed 24th and 25th respectively. Pretty disappointing for both of us considering how much we like this trail.

Drew Edsall with the Pro win
( Photo courtesy of Spoken Chain Magazine)

The schedule was a little different this race, so when we arrived the Pro's had already started the first wave. These guys would be riding 3 laps (30 miles) of this course!!! After the first lap, teammates Drew Edsall (just off his 4th place at the Pisgah Stage Race) and Martin Cox had a small lead on 3rd place Allison Anjos. They stayed close together through the 2nd lap as well, with Edsall finally putting some time on Cox for the win. Anjos had a considerable slowdown on lap 3 (Mechanical?) but held on for 3rd place.

Next we get a 3 week break (Skipping FSC #5 Alachua) until our home race at Markham Park, which also kicks off the Coconut Cup series. It's been a tough start to the season, but hopefully we'll get some home turf advantage to turn our season around. Thanks for reading as always and enjoy some pics below!! Good luck to everyone in Alachua!!!