April 6, 2007

TSALI MTB RACE: WEEKEND RESULTS

Well, it was a rough day in the mudd at Tsali on Sunday the 1st of April. The trails that were hard-packed, insane fast on Saturday for the pre-ride transformed to slop, slippery insanity after a night of rain. Brandon Stone, Brandon Curtis represented the Mellow Mushroom & Dr. Brooke Henderson represented the BBC Women of Birmingham.

Brandon Curtis, riding a newly geared up Trek frame was positioned near the front (1st / 2nd) of the 20-29 Sport class until his brakes failed and he impacted a bridge railing about 6-8 miles into the 20 mile course. The bridge suffered severe damage as well as Brandon Curtis, but he finished with a strong 9th place. If you see him at the shop, ask to see his right leg.

Brandon Stone, still riding the rigid single speed (and also, needs everyone to pray that his new wheels come in this week) in the geared 30-39 Sport Class was 1st out of the gate and 2nd into the woods, and remained in 2nd for the first 3-4 miles until a stump jumped up and attacked his right shin. This unforseen incident cost him a few places. Then later on rider #604 crashed in front on Brandon resulting in a pile up and a partially taco-ed front wheel. Then "later later" on B. Stone also had brake failure and launched off a bridge where a railing once was inplace, but now lay in splinters on the ground. Unknown to B.Stone, B.Curtis was the man to thank for removing it and making the crash less painful. Then "later later later" on, after about 6 more crashes, Brandon Stone finished with a 12th place position.

Dr. Henderson had a perfect ride and strolled in for an easy 3rd place finish. After the race she remarked that it wasn t that bad and wondered why everyone was riding off the trails and impacting trees. she says that it is true that girls love dirt (or mudd in our case on sunday!).

Overall, the race in the mudd was a learning experience and here are some key points:

• you will not have breaks after the about 3 to 5 miles. No matter if you have disc or v-brakes
  
• don t wear glasses
  
• go ahead and plan on wrecking at least 10 times
  
• buy a bottle of saline solution to clean eyes out after the race before you drive home half blind

Also, we saw Todd Eubanks fo Gadsden before the race on Sunday Morning -- Not sure how he finished

Next SERC Race is in Athens, GA on the 16th ! Come Join the Fun !

January 8, 2007

Team Mellow Mushroom went 1and 2 yesterday in the biggest race of the year. I finished first and Tyler came in 2nd, we were the only riders out of the 30 or so in Open B to make the lead lap. Total domination, that's how we roll. We both rode the entire last lap with no rear brakes thanks to the ridiculous amount of mud and sand. No pics yet, just wanted to give you an update. Charlie was running in the front half of the pack in Open C before his clutch went out, leaving him stranded in the woods. This race is tri-sanctioned, it's known as the southeastern shootout, it's the only race of the year where all the series from Alabama-(SERA), Miss.(SETRA), andTenn-(Midsouth) come together to compete, so we didn't just go 1 and 2 in our series,we beat the top Open B guys in the tri-state area. MMR- Represent!

December, 4 2006

MMR had good showing this past Sunday, Wig won the 35 master with Marty coming in second and Curtis finishing 5th. Curtis also raced the 4/5 to give the shroom some much needed points, not sure on placing. We had another exciting 3/4 race, I nabbed the 4th spot(just didn't have what I needed to grab 3rd, Tony got 5th, and Matt, Marty, and Wig nabbed the 7th, 8th, and 9th spots.

MMR had a good showing but BBC rolled deep, which i think unfortunately may have given them enough leverage for that coveted Buick Skylark trophy. Click here to see photos. Wig with his Gene Simmons pose, Matt hops, skips, and jumps over the barriers, Curtis hammering away on the 26lb criss cross, Marty hammering through the mud, Tony making his way up the slippery run ups, and myslef getting a little air(notice the skill and poise as I am holding the water bottle with my teeth). With Wig unable to attend the State Championships will be a riding a little thin and will need some help, Terry?

November 20, 2006

Eric Bottomlee won the West Point, Tennessee Hare Scramble, Open Class B on Nov. 19th. Eric has moved up the rankings each week with stronger and faster rides each week. This week he dominated the Class B race winning by a commanding margin. Tyler also rode strong and finished on the podium. Eric and Tyler finished 21st and 27th, respectively, out of 124 riders.

August 28, 2006

What a summer! State MTB championships, 5 k road race champions, Ironman finishers, off road motor cycle podium finishes... you name it, the Shroomers have been everywhere racking up the results!

Still two more road races (LaGrange, GA and Buckhead, GA) yet to go this season and morale remains upbeat for a strong finish to the inaugural MMR season.

Consistent performances on the dirt from Matt Johnson and Marty Mitchell have kept Mellow Mushroom in the thick of the mountain bike competition all over the Southeast. A full tank of gas is the only thing holding Eric Bottomlee from taking a victory in off road motor cycling. Sloan Bryant and Chris Wade have racked up impressive performances on the road, while Mike Chaffin, Kent Garret and Darin Sims have rolled up their sleeves and provided yeoman efforts to keep the boys in black at the front. Patrick Wigley has worked himself back into shape, climbing his way up the triathlon ladder to win his age group in several local races.

And the best news, no one has tested positive for anything! Well, at least not for performance enhancing drugs, that is.

June 15, 2006

With the Saharan climate of early June, the Shroomers took for the hills and were able to post some impressive results both on the mountain trails and on the road.

Mellow Mushroom Racing placed in its first motor sport event with Eric Bottomlee fighting through a fuel shortage to take an unanticipated 5th place in Laurel, MS in his second S.E.R.A. event of the year. Eric posted the fastest lap time and seemed destined for glory until his tank ran dry. Eric and Tyler have guaranteed victory with their new secret weapon at the next race. Keep your eyes posted in Maplesville, AL but sources tell me that it may be a bigger refill can. Fortunately, the weather has taken care of our next biggest nemesis, the mud.

On the mountain bikes, Marty and Matt continue to produce results. Chico was able to join them for the Bump 'N Grind at Oak Mountain in Birmingham placing a solid 9th in the sport class. Marty had his best lap time of the year taking 7th just a minute and a half out of first place.

Last but certainly not least, Mike and Mike in the Mountains came up with one of the more impressive results as they attacked the Dahlonega Mountain Road Race in the latest Georgia Cup Series. Mike Poe took 12th place in the competitive category outclimbing over 70 riders to the finish line. Chaffin also was able to place in the top 25.

Busy week of racing ahead with the Tuscaloosa Death Crit, Homewood to-hell-with-fathers Crit and the Sylacauga this-race-should-be-ours Omnium all slated for this month. There is also this little multisport thing in Idaho that yours truly will be attending.

Until next time, eat more pizza and drink more beer.

May 7, 2006

The home course was not friendly enough for the boys of MMR. Despite good numbers and favorable conditions, the race slipped away to the youth of the sport. I think it's time for this kid to Cat up, damn it! Early attacks took a lot out of the legs of the dedicated troops of Mike, Alan, Chico and Marty. Darin, caught behind a crash, had to rally back to the main group only to find the purple train pulling from the station. Despite our losses, the final lap still had potential with Terry, Matt and Sloan in position to make a run. In fact things looked rather impressive with about 500 meters to go, a bit early in retrospect. I guess anyone could mistake "Terry, we're all here and I'm on back" with "Terry, we're all here, ATTACK!" Anyway, Sloan and Matt finished in the money and Terry hung on for fifteenth. His glory would come in one shining moment as he led the Cat 3/4 race for one lap. We lost Kent early to a crash but he gamely fought back and gutted out a strong finish in the Cat 3/4 race. Curtis got some good name recognition as he was singled out in the Master's race for a brief dance in the spotlight. It was good day for the Shroom despite not taking home the trophy. Besides, we finally got enough people to take the team photo again. Just wait until next time!

May 1, 2006

The Shroom crew had a strong April with impressive performances on all stages of the Tour de Georgia. Curtis was a presence at the finish line in Rome while Marty and Kent showed flashes of brilliance on the road from Augusta to Alpharetta. Terry turned in a very solid effort on the unforgiving Brass Town Bald climb, turning the heads of many of the weary climbers on the final ascent. Although not claiming any of the leader jerseys, MMR certainly made its presence known.

The end of the month found the road a bit tougher for the boys in purple. Due to previous team engagements, the crew was split between a crazy field at the Athens Twilight Criterium and the blustery Historic Roswell Criterium. On Saturday, Matt pushed the boys in front to the line but finished just outside of the cut, freeing himself up for a delightful evening of Athens nightlife off of the bike. Sunday, in Roswell, Sloan and Terry decided to change tactics to shake up the race. This year, they had Sloan go down on the pavement in front of Terry within a lazy 9-iron of the finish line. Marty, Kent and Curtis were able to avoid the wreckage but finished just outside the payouts.

The team hopes to regroup and put forth a strong effort at its home race, The Sunny King Criterium on May 6th followed by the Cheaha Challenge on Sunday, May 7th.

Ride Hard and Eat More Pizza!

April 10, 2006

Mellow Mushroom Racing traversed the Southeast this weekend covering three different racing venues.

A group of three trusty riders made the drive to Chattanooga to compete in the Racoon Mountain Roadrace. A fiesty pace up the final climb thinned the herd, leaving Mike an uphill sprint to a clandestine finish line. He held on to take 20th place out of over 70 riders. Strong efforts by Sloan Bryant and newly hired mountain assasin, Mike Chaffin, kept Poe in the hunt as disgarded riders from other teams lay strewn across the rocky Tennesee hillls, victims of the fast and furious ascents.

Meanwhile, Chico and Kent roadtripped to Gainsville to compete in the Cat 4 Georgia Cup series criterium. An unfavorable pre race position and mechanical failures proved too high of an obstacle for the boys to hurdle. Moral remained high though both finished out of the money. Kent's first race with MMR looked quite promising and he should have better luck with more team support on its way.

Curtis, Terry and Wig made a stop in Birmingham for the Powerman Duathlon. Despite the hypervigilant approach of race officials regarding drafting and blocking, the three came away with some impressive results. If they would just elminate the run part, the team certainly would have faired better.

Crit season is here, and the team will be able to focus their efforts on one of our real strengths, speed; or at least avoid our weaknesses, like hills, or time trials, or traveling or attendance. Anyway, come check us out!

March 13, 2006

The team just finished its spring training session in idyllic MyYorka, Alabama. The weather was undependable but conducive to the oft planned but poorly attended training regiment of a Phillis-run camp. The dormant kudzu and naked chirt rock mounds presented a fitting landscape for some sporadic, occasionally intense training. Director Sportif, T. Michael Phillis, was quite impressed with the overall conditioning of his squad, remarking "We are already at mid season mediocrity, and it is only March!" The fellas worked hard on chemistry and teamwork at a break out session involving several pitchers of both domestic and imported ales, washing down meat laden, parmesan crusted, carbohydrate loaded pizza. "Back off, man! We're athletes."

The proof of the team's labor surfaced in the three week Sumatanga training series. The boys rode hard, placing in the top ten in each of the races. Their efforts have started to earn themselves a reputation amongst the riders in the peloton. Once the uniforms come in, they hope to change that reputation from "The erratic riders with the shoe covers to, hopefully, "The erratic riders with cool uniforms."

Spring Break is coming up and the boys will be doing some independent work while at home, spending time with their families. All in preparation for a busy April of racing.

Until next time, train hard! (or at least look like you're trying)