Inaugural NMBO Into the Record Books

Town of DavidsonA little rain, a lot of mud, fierce competition and loads of racing and riding, the first National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest truly had something for everyone. From the Friday NiteRider Short Track Race on Friday, to the main event on Saturday, to the Time Trials and the Beast on Sunday, NMBO competitors clocked a lot of miles on their way to the finish lines.

Check out the stories on VeloNews and Cycling News, then hop over to Cyclepix to check out some awesome race photos by Ron Richardson and purchase a few for posterity!

 

And the Oktoberfest Grand Champions are ....

First Place: Jafer Beizer (Kudzu.com U23 Team) rode to a strong finish in the 8 Hour Endurance Race, and had podium finishes in both Time Trials and the Beast.

 

Second Place: Michael Nixon (SoBe/Cannondale) decided on the spot on Thursday to compete in every event, had a podium finish in the Time Trials and finished first overall in the Beast.

 

Third Place: Chris Baker (Bicycle Sport/Shannon Ridge Winery) rode toe-to-toe with guys half his age and competed in every event with strong finishes.

 

Get the Official Results at Buttar.com!

Friday NiteRider Short Track Races

The rain held off long enough to get in some great short-track racing...Congrats to Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) on the first place finish in the Friday NiteRider Short Track Races, sponsored by NiteRider Technical Lighting Systems. He was joined on the podium by Diego Garavito (Bicycle Sport) and Nat Ross (Gary Fisher/Subaru).

Oktoberfest 8-Hour Endurance RaceOktoberfest 8-Hour Men's champions

A little rain at the crack of dawn never stopped endurance competitors! The featured event, the Oktoberfest 8-hour Endurance race kicked off at noon, with an impressive starting lineup that included Oktoberfest partner Tinker Juarez (Monavie/Cannondale), Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW), Nat Ross (Gary Fisher/Subaru), Harlan Price (FT / IF pb Lionette's), and Ernesto Marenchin (Speedgoat.com), balanced by a number of bikers competing in their very first endurance race on an 8.2 mile course.  From the word "GO" a really tight race was on, and Nat Ross, hitting the course for the ODI, "Grip and Rip" whole shot win, also grabbed all five of the Specialized “King of the Mountain" climbs in the first lap.  Nat, Harlan,Tinker Ernesto and Jeremiah stayed close in the early laps, and after a few more hours Jeremiah and Harlan were riding each other’s wheels, trading first and second for the rest of the day.  As the course faded into darkness and the hours counted down to the final lap, a mere 8 seconds separated the two.  At the end, Bishop crossed the line just 12 seconds ahead of Harlan Price. The top five finishes are:

    1. Jeremiah Bishop  (Trek/VW)   14 laps
    2. Harlan Price (FT / IF pb Lionette's)    14 laps
    3. Tinker Juarez (MonaVie Cannondale)   13 laps
    4. Ernesto Marenchin (Speedgoat.com)   13 laps
    5. Nat Ross (Gary Fisher/Subaru)           12 laps

Oktoberfest 8-Hour Women's championsIn the women’s race, Pua Sawicki (Team Mata) looked to be impossible to beat—with some of the top finishes of the year before coming out to Oktoberfest. At the start Pua‘s race pace matched the men’s and she looked ready to go for the whole shot over the men. In fact, she was the female winner of the ODI "Grip and Rip" first female on the course, and the Specialized "Queen of the Mountain". Her husband Ron, reported that the course was really slippery on the first lap due to all the late night rain and earlier morning mist, and Pua fell in the single track section of the course.  She came back strong and fast, finishing well ahead of the rest of the women’s field and most of the men’s field. Pua’s family, coming in from Hawaii, was there cheering her on as for the first time they watched her compete in mountain biking. Denelle Grant (Bike Factory Racing) and Blakely Sapsford (Guy’s Racing) rounded out the top three in the women’s field.

Terror Time Trials

The deep blue skies North Carolina is famous for returned bright and early on Sunday, as the racers prepared for Time Trials.  Racers set off in one minute intervals to cover four miles of existing, flowing single track in the fastest time possible. The top three finishers in the Men's Open category were Jafer Beizer (Kudzu.com U23), Noel Kirila (Bicycle Sport) and Michael Nixon (SoBe/Cannondale). Kristofer Karwisch, Scott Griffith and Brian Maxwell took the top three places in Men's Sport, while Andrew Good (Cool Breeze Cyclery) and Jack Crouch (Bicycle Sport) finished first in Single Speed and Master's, respectively.

 

Those who tamed the Beast

The final event of the inaugural National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest was known as the “Beast” for good reason… three-quarters of a mile of running, biking, and obstacles. The modified cyclocross style race resembled “old-fashioned” cyclo-cross, challenging the skills of experienced and newbie riders alike as they raced for 30 minutes plus 1 lap. Michael Nixon managed to cross the line ahead of Jafer Beizer for the overall first and second place finishes, followed by Rich Tsui (Cool Breeze Cyclery) in third. Special congrats to Cathie Docherty (Dirt Divas) for taming the Beast in the Women's Sport category.

Cheering on the Kids

Some future stars of mountain biking, as young as age 2, got in on the action in the Kids Kompetition, sponsored by the great folks at Cool Breeze Cyclery. They may be small but they are mighty, and mighty happy to be out on their bikes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks and more thanks!

NMBO couldn't have happened without the help of a lot of great volunteers and supporters. Huge thanks to Mark Sullivan of the Cycle Path for his tireless efforts in building and maintaining the Fisher Farm Park trails. Also to the mountain bike team of Bicycle Sport, who spent many hours with shovels, rakes, pick axes and weedeaters to ensure that the full 8.2 miles of of the course was ready by race day. Rhonda and Stephen Janes, Jacqueline Pittman, Al Martine, Brian Rooney, Rose Juarez, Perry Lee, and most especially Anna Cain--thank you all for making it possible. You all are the best!

 

Between now and next October .. we'll see you on the trails!

 

Tinker, Taylor, Terri and Connie

 

 

 

Questions, ideas, suggestions? Contact us at organizers@NationalMtbOktoberfest.org