Non-Race #3 - If You Host It, They Will Come

Greetings Loyal Team Seagal Fan! As I sit here snapping the wrists of my ear drums by listening to DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's classic song "Summertime," I reflect on how warm, sunny summer days are supposed to be enjoyed - doing the thing you truly love with cool people. Thusly, this is how we here at Team Seagal Headquarters decided that Sunday, June 15th should be spent.

So with some simple intarweb word-of-mouth, we spread teh word of our latest Non-Race. The Challenge: clear as much of Chubb as you can. Sure, we all say "I can clear this section!" But does that necessarily translate into "I will clear section?" That's what we aimed to figure out, and before the day was finished, we found out what we may or may not
clear, and also made some new friends. Today wasn't necessarily about snapping wrists or destroying our t'aints with long hard miles, but rather having fun while trying to reach your goal. (You'll have to forgive me, as I don't remember everyone's name. My mind is a vast wasteland of snapped neurons.)

We weren't too sure how many people would show up, so we were pleasantly surprised with a badass turn-out of at least 20 people. (None of us ever actually got a headcount. Duh.) One thing is for sure, Furby showed up! He was feeling a little shaky to begin the ride out (silly Cat 1 racer so focused on being a roadie badass, he forgot all about the trail!) but got noticeably more confident as the ride progressed, despite mismatched shifters.


Pretty healthy group waiting to start out:


We had 12 sections selected, guaranteed to challenge even the most seasoned french fry. I mean, rider.

Mikey T. makes it looks easy on the first section:


A rare El Cavano sighting!


Christine impresses the guys by destroying the first double switchback:


Resident Clydesdale extraordinare Mason Storm proves his climbing prowess through the second double switchback:


Lil' Buddy on his way to clear that gnarly rock-ledge switchback by going through the chute and on up to victory:


Furby sums up Steven Seagal's entire range of emotions with one face:


John Twist holds his own:


There's a reason they call him The Mountain Goat:


Your's truly, Casey Ryback, clearing this hill for the first time on the SS:


Thrasher, AKA "Gun Show" bombing the staircase (pay no attention to old Karate master in background:)


Dudeman X shows us that it ain't no thang:


Cockpuncher gettin' awesome:


Christian Stitz (overall winnar) gives everyone a lesson in how to climb the staircase - there IS a video of this in case you need proof, and it will be posted eventually:



Mikey T (along with yours truly, not pictured) come awfully close to victory:


Gino grinds up the double switchback to the picnic bench:


Descending the rest of the trail proved that riding a mountain bike is fun. Especially when you don't encounter equestrians, or their fecal matter. By the time our huge pain train arrived at the West Tyson Shelter, we had developed a massive appetite, one that could only be satiated with PBR and Brats. And Steven Seagal's own brew:


Lil' Buddy proudly shows that there are cookies named after him (what a grin!)




Much merriment was had, much PBR was drank, and we all reveled in how even though that was the longest 6 mile ride evar, it was also one of the most satisfying. The scoring was as such: if you clear a section on your first try, you get a blue hash mark on the back of your spoke card. If you clean it on your second try, you get a black hash mark. He/she with the most blue marks wins. Christian Stitz, now the reigning Staircase Champion, had 10 blue hash marks. 2nd place was a tie between with Lil' Buddy and Mike Tieber both having 9 marks.

I have a lot more photos (over 110 total) on Webshots. You don't need to register to view the photos. Lil' Buddy, could you email me that group photo you took at the staircase - whymustibike@hotmail.com

Thanks to everyone for showing up, we all had a blast! Stay tuned for the next Non-Race at Matson Hill... Go here for the upcoming Non-Race schedule. Please tell your n00b friends all about these events - this is about the social aspect of mountain biking just as much as it is about the riding itself. One of the best ways to see this great sport grow is to encourage newer riders to get involved so that they can develop the passion that we all share already. We want to see more people out riding!

-C. Ryback