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SolVista SuckerPunch!

C

cshewmake7

Chimp
Aug 7, 2007
71
1
Centennial, CO
The guys at SolVista have come up with a pretty interesting race format for the “SuckerPunch Endurance Challenge.”

Details from the web site:

Racers begin with a mass start, and must complete a lap on each of the bike park's 10 trails in no particular order. Racers must cross a check-point on every trail, where they will have their number plate "punched" for that trail. The first to turn in a completed punch card wins!

When: Sunday, August 14th 2011
Where: SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch
Who: All ages and skill levels


http://suckerpunchbikerace.com/
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,661
7,336
Colorado
Hare scramble style. We used to do that for fun on our local trail network and it was awesome. In an all-mountain formant it is especially fun if the trails are so fast and long going down, that it really offsets the climbers advantage.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
10,564
7,673
Exit, CO
B

ballr

Monkey
Apr 7, 2002
165
0
colorado
Suckerpunch news!

Just confirmed we'll have a ton of prizes from SRAM and Fox Racing to give away. I'm talking suspension, drivetrains, controls from SRAM and threads, helmets,and protective gear from Fox! And Granby Ranch is kicking in another $1000 for the pro purse. So excited to be working with companies that give back to the sport. Extreme fun less than two weeks away! You signed up yet? Enter here: www.suckerpunchbikerace.com

Hit me up with any questions on format, etc. here and I'll try and answer as quickly as possible.
 
Ithnu

Ithnu

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
961
0
Denver
UGH, injuries damn you!

I couldn't even walk to watch Crankwox, I'm missing the MSC Snowmass race this weekend and it looks bleek for me to be healed for this race.

But I like the idea. The SV guys always come up with new things to surprise people. It keeps racing fun with these type of different races.

Great job guys.
 
mtg

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
Ithnu: what happened? When did you get broken off?

Sol Vista has really been coming through on the races with real prizes. It's pretty sweet flaunting my first place water bottles from MSC, but winning a fork, brakes or drivetrain would be way better. Hopefully my current schedule of retarded-busy will slow down soon so I can actually make these Sol Vista races.
 
Ithnu

Ithnu

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
961
0
Denver
mtg said:
Ithnu: what happened? When did you get broken off?
Click to expand...
The day AFTER the Keysonte race I got a flat on...

Keystone's Cowboy Up Rock Garden Clean vs. Crash on Vimeo

The shots are an hour apart, I got my wheel pointing in the wrong direction and OTB I went. My leg went directly into a rock, cracked my helmet and I thought I cracked my femur. X-rays are clean but the bruising/muscle damage is deep. Its been 1.5 weeks and I'm still limping. Not bikes for another week or 2.

I may be ok to come up and watch the Sucker Punch, but I can't even go spectate Snowmass right now.
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
ballr said:
Suckerpunch news!

Just confirmed we'll have a ton of prizes from SRAM and Fox Racing to give away. I'm talking suspension, drivetrains, controls from SRAM and threads, helmets,and protective gear from Fox! And Granby Ranch is kicking in another $1000 for the pro purse.
Click to expand...
wow, thats awesome for all the racers. :thumb:
 
Ithnu

Ithnu

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
961
0
Denver
I'm still injuried, I rode a bike for the first time in 3 weeks yesterday...down my street and my leg still hurt.

You guys need to do this next year too, it sounds like a blast. But I'll see ya at the MSC race.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
10,564
7,673
Exit, CO
Showed up to SolVista this morning at the crack of 10:15am, my gal and I were just gonna do some riding and hangout watching the race, not racing the race. In season's past I'd have ridden SolVista over a dozen times by mid-August, but this year I've been up ONCE. While chit-chatting with the registration person (a friend of mine) ballr shows up and gives me and my girlfriend the business, and winds up cajoling us both into entering... and holy carp I'm glad I did.

Funnest. Race. Ever.

Mass start down hairball, rutted, loose, gravelly, awful fire-road thing with super wide switchbacks, off-camber turns, terrible uphill corners = the winningest sh!t ever. Was looking like I was mid- to back-of-the-pack at some point in the melee when 4 dudes went careening off sidewards into the giggle weeds... managed to pedal past those guys and wound up getting on the 2nd full chair of guys in our class. Each chair would hold 3 dudes, with your bike on the rack of the chair in front of you, this fact became CRUCIAL to your event startegy very quickly, for as long as you rolled up to the chairlift and there was room on the next chair, you were in. Penalties were assessed if you didn't properly rack your bike and carried it with you.

On that first ride up I starting planning my strategery, figuring I'd get all the difficult trails out of the way first. It was paying off, I was pacing the top 3 guys for a while, consistently getting to the bottom just as they would load the chair ahead of me. Made the call to start ticking off the green runs, which were by FAR the longest/slowest trails on the mountain. While keeping track of the fellas in my class, I could see me slipping in rank, as far back as 8th at one point I believe.

The strategy MOSTLY paid off, with the shorter blues that I ride ALL THE TIME with my gal left at the end, I knew I could pin those things pretty fast no matter how tired I got. One major slip I made was when I had "caught" one of the top 3 guys, and was riding up the same chair as him. I opted to stick to my plan of ticking off greens at this point, he rocked either a blue or a black and was able to gain a chair or two on me straight away. Like I said, counting chairs and getting ahead of someone was a good advantage, it essentially gained you 30-45 seconds for each chair you were ahead by. This extra time could be used to get after that green run you HAD to do, and still get back to the lift in time to pace the guy(s) ahead of you.

I didn't hit the wall until the very last trail, run 11 of the day, down my favorite combo: Cheeze-it to Ashy Larry. Just battered, I was running over rocks and taking bad lines like I had blinders on. Bad juju, but once I hit the Larry section it was smooth sailing. Pinned to the bottom, turned in my punch card in a solid 4th place. Stoked!

That's me just to the lookers right of the box, throwing horns:


My gal raced as well, she's been DHing for a couple years but has never raced a bike. Ever. Not XC, not DH, nothing. She's a competitive marathon runner though, so she figured what the h3ll she'd give it a shot. I finally was able to gain a full lap on her about run 9 or 10, so I finished just before she headed up for her last run of the day. She'd saved her favorite for last, Silky Johnson. I grabbed my bike back up and hopped on the lift with her, she was PUMPED on the race. Super happy for her, she rode hard all afternoon and had a big ol' smile the whole time. She requested that I just let her finish it out on her own, so I waited up top for a couple minutes and then cruised down.

She went 2 out of 2 amateur women, which is a drag but she also held her own, finishing on the same lap as the other gal, an experienced Cat 1 racer. Not bad for her first time! This is her on the 2nd step of the box:



Did I mention the prizes? SolVista is keeping it real(er) with support from their partners SRAM and Fox Racing. ballr posted up earlier about what all was in the mix, friggin' reDONKulous stuff. I walked with a set of Avid Elixer 9's for my 4th, and the girl got an XO crank for going 2nd place. There was some prizes left over, which got chucked to the crowd and was kind of a free-for-all grab-it-if-you-can sort of deal, and we nabbed a set of SRAM lock-on grips. This was good, because the girl had just destroyed a grip in a crash the day before. Perfect.

I stole this next bit from my girlfriend's blog, she said it so perfectly I figured why type the same stuff? Keep in mind, this is from a first-time racer amateur woman who just raced down every track at SolVista, including the Pro tracks from both 2009 and 2010 National Championships.

Shoutouts
Every single minute of this race was so stinking fun I cannot even explain it. There was not a second that I wanted to quit or had second thoughts it! I cannot thank Matt T (ballr), Kim (reg gal) and Evan (Full Trucker) enough for encouraging me to race, I never would have had this awesome experience without your prodding, I owe you!

Matt (ballr), Moga, and Steve (dhrace507) from Momentum Trail Concepts, the group that runs the SolVista Bike Park, are extraordinary people. Everything they do is for the love of the sport and to encourage new riders to check it out, intermediate riders to push their limits and advanced riders to keep taking it to the next level. They have done huge things for the sport in Colorado. I have never met three people more psyched to see people excited about riding bikes than to actually be riding bikes themselves. Thank you guys for everything you've done to get me (and so many others) out on the trails and improving my skills.

Parents, fans, and spectators, although there weren't a ton of you, passing through the chute to the lift to thumbs ups, cheers, and encouragement was what kept each and every one of us going! You all are just as important to a race as the particpants!

I would also like to thank the lift operators, bike patrol and volunteers. You were all so friendly and encouraging each time I passed by. It kicked-ass. And a special thanks to the man at the bottom of the lift handing out water. You were a life saver!​

Can't wait for next year!
 
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Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
10,564
7,673
Exit, CO
sbabuser said:
Results? That looks like John Lewis on top of the box in photo 1. Who else?
Click to expand...
Old Guy 35+ Results
1. John Lewis
2. Andrew Heine
3. Nice fella who's name I don't remember
4. Me
5-???. Some other guys (Josh Swanke, Steve-O Mojo with the ugliest knee in the world, Paully, Ron Cousineau, Blackie, and a few other guys)

Pro Dude Results
1. Phil Wheeler
2. ?? I forgot
3. Trevor Trinkino


Working on getting full results, will post again when I have them.

:D
 
cecil

cecil

Turbo Monkey
Jun 3, 2008
2,064
2,345
with the voices in my head
Full Trucker said:
Old Guy 35+ Results
1. John Lewis
2. Andrew Heine
3. Nice fella who's name I don't remember
4. Me
5-???. Some other guys (Josh Swanke, Steve-O Mojo with the ugliest knee in the world, Paully, Ron Cousineau, Blackie, and a few other guys)

Pro Dude Results
1. Phil Wheeler
2. ?? I forgot
3. Trevor Trinkino


Working on getting full results, will post again when I have them.



:D
Click to expand...
#3 ken gillern he is a buddy of mine great dude
 
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