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08-15-03, 12:38 PM
Did you guys hear about it? Mountain Biking has the story and pics, and I went to wtb.com to get the story to post it hear.
Team WTB/ Jericho Wins the 4-Man 24 Hours of Adrenalin National Championship
May 17/18 2003
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey California
Mark Weir and company once again dished out The Hurt in Laguna Seca at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin National Championship. In front of an estimated 6000 spectators and against 1600 racers the WTB crew staked their claim as Champions.
Being a tough team of downhillers, Weir decided to up the pain by making the team race single speeds. They were the only team to do so on the tough, hilly Laguna course.
As the competition soon learned, however, these were not your average single speed bikes. The result of a special Wurks program located deep in the Marin hills, these rigs were part of the T-ASS (Technically – Advanced Single Speed) research program.
Forget about the beer sodden, clichéd single speeds of the past. The teams prototype Jericho frames were dripping with the latest gear from the industry’s best companies. Fox Forx, TruVativ, Easton, Thomson and Hayes were all selected for their great performance. Of course, every bike featured WTB saddles, tires and Laserdisc rims. With 34x17 gearing these bikes were set up to haul.
Below the surface, however, insiders knew the single speed decision was rooted in the intense rivalry between Weir and teammate Glen “Hey look at me, I’m the 2003 Sea Otter Sponsored by SRAM Single speed Champ” Fant.
Lining up for the Le Mans style start, Glen was ready to prove himself. For the majority of the 18-mile lap eventual Solo winner Tinker Juarez (Siemens/Cannondale/AARP) and contender Chris Eatough were feeling Glen on their wheel. “I was feeling strong. The best 24hr racers were struggling to fight me off and visions of again winning gold in Laguna were filling my head” reminisced Fant.
Then disaster struck the young Champion. “I was grinding up some steep single track, weaving from side to side to keep my momentum. My bar-end snagged a shrub, enraging a bee snacking on some pollen. Before I could react the little guy stung me” mumbled Fant as he finished his first lap in 6th place overall.
After listening in disbelief, Weir hammered out of the pits. “I was waiting so long it became necessary to stretch again. By the time I was ready, all I wanted was to squash both Tinker and the bee responsible for crushing Glen’s spirit” said Weir.
Chasing after the leaders, Weir set his sights on Eatough. Surrounded by the pings of chains shifting under strain, Weir steadily ground past the other racers until Eatough was finally behind him. The only racer in front was Tinker, Weir’s nemesis.
Hammering behind the legendary racer, Weir looked for a chance to pass.
“Since Tinker had 26 more gears I knew my best chance would come on a DH section. When the stairs appeared in the distance I could see the XC star begin to sweat behind the dreads”. Railing down the stairs like, well, a Pro Downhiller Weir dropped Tinker and charged towards the finish.
Amazingly his lap time of 48.50 was the race’s fastest overall time despite his using WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4 tires. Tinker rolled through 3 minutes later, still shaking from the hairball descent.
Despite Mark’s strong performance, the WTB team faced a tough race. As night wore on it became clear that Yuri Hauswald wasn’t running at 100%. “Yuri has a strong background of poaching trails at night” explained team strategist Weir. “Unfortunately, his affection for Taco Bell Gorditas came back to haunt him.”
Instead of capitalizing on the noctural struggles of XC racers and roadies not used to night riding, Yuri found himself battling the urge to soil himself. “Dude, that was a rough tour of duty! I was percolating like a Folgers commercial and even the smallest efforts threatened to blow a gasket. All I could do was settle in at Glen’s pace and watch as Tinker faded into the distance” lamented Yuri from his blue plastic “tent.”
Between laps the riders hung out at their massive compound. The 30-person Mountain Hardware tent buzzed with activity throughout the night. With Josh from Jericho wrenching the bikes and the MTBR boys hanging out the team never slept. “The other teams were all serious about resting up. I couldn’t get any of our guys to sleep at all” remembers Weir. “We only stopped eating long enough to roam around, check results and heckle the other riders.”
And so it went for the duration of the damp, windy 36 degree night. Weir and Kirk Desmond hammered out consistent laps in the quest for the title. “Aside from Glen’s encounter with the Animal Kingdom, we were never passed once” exclaimed Kirk. Glen fought through the pain and localized swelling like a true Sea Otter Sponsored by SRAM “Champ” and refused to give up while Yuri suffered though his laps with a monkey called Dysentery on his back. One awed spectator described the four-some as “f*cking cyborgs! Those guys are machines.”
When the dust finally settled our boys finished with 26 laps, the most of any racer/team, and the National 4-Man championship. When asked if the lack of NORBA sanctioning reduced the glory, Weir responded “Events are judged by the competition they provide. I’ll take a strong field, televised OLN coverage and fantastic organization over the “official” option any day. Add in the excuse to avoid the Big Bear Nationals and the 24 Hous of Adrenalin event wins hands down.”
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Sherwood , Sales and Marketing
dsherwood@wtb.com
011.31.43.407.3524
Team WTB/ Jericho Wins the 4-Man 24 Hours of Adrenalin National Championship
May 17/18 2003
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey California
Mark Weir and company once again dished out The Hurt in Laguna Seca at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin National Championship. In front of an estimated 6000 spectators and against 1600 racers the WTB crew staked their claim as Champions.
Being a tough team of downhillers, Weir decided to up the pain by making the team race single speeds. They were the only team to do so on the tough, hilly Laguna course.
As the competition soon learned, however, these were not your average single speed bikes. The result of a special Wurks program located deep in the Marin hills, these rigs were part of the T-ASS (Technically – Advanced Single Speed) research program.
Forget about the beer sodden, clichéd single speeds of the past. The teams prototype Jericho frames were dripping with the latest gear from the industry’s best companies. Fox Forx, TruVativ, Easton, Thomson and Hayes were all selected for their great performance. Of course, every bike featured WTB saddles, tires and Laserdisc rims. With 34x17 gearing these bikes were set up to haul.
Below the surface, however, insiders knew the single speed decision was rooted in the intense rivalry between Weir and teammate Glen “Hey look at me, I’m the 2003 Sea Otter Sponsored by SRAM Single speed Champ” Fant.
Lining up for the Le Mans style start, Glen was ready to prove himself. For the majority of the 18-mile lap eventual Solo winner Tinker Juarez (Siemens/Cannondale/AARP) and contender Chris Eatough were feeling Glen on their wheel. “I was feeling strong. The best 24hr racers were struggling to fight me off and visions of again winning gold in Laguna were filling my head” reminisced Fant.
Then disaster struck the young Champion. “I was grinding up some steep single track, weaving from side to side to keep my momentum. My bar-end snagged a shrub, enraging a bee snacking on some pollen. Before I could react the little guy stung me” mumbled Fant as he finished his first lap in 6th place overall.
After listening in disbelief, Weir hammered out of the pits. “I was waiting so long it became necessary to stretch again. By the time I was ready, all I wanted was to squash both Tinker and the bee responsible for crushing Glen’s spirit” said Weir.
Chasing after the leaders, Weir set his sights on Eatough. Surrounded by the pings of chains shifting under strain, Weir steadily ground past the other racers until Eatough was finally behind him. The only racer in front was Tinker, Weir’s nemesis.
Hammering behind the legendary racer, Weir looked for a chance to pass.
“Since Tinker had 26 more gears I knew my best chance would come on a DH section. When the stairs appeared in the distance I could see the XC star begin to sweat behind the dreads”. Railing down the stairs like, well, a Pro Downhiller Weir dropped Tinker and charged towards the finish.
Amazingly his lap time of 48.50 was the race’s fastest overall time despite his using WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4 tires. Tinker rolled through 3 minutes later, still shaking from the hairball descent.
Despite Mark’s strong performance, the WTB team faced a tough race. As night wore on it became clear that Yuri Hauswald wasn’t running at 100%. “Yuri has a strong background of poaching trails at night” explained team strategist Weir. “Unfortunately, his affection for Taco Bell Gorditas came back to haunt him.”
Instead of capitalizing on the noctural struggles of XC racers and roadies not used to night riding, Yuri found himself battling the urge to soil himself. “Dude, that was a rough tour of duty! I was percolating like a Folgers commercial and even the smallest efforts threatened to blow a gasket. All I could do was settle in at Glen’s pace and watch as Tinker faded into the distance” lamented Yuri from his blue plastic “tent.”
Between laps the riders hung out at their massive compound. The 30-person Mountain Hardware tent buzzed with activity throughout the night. With Josh from Jericho wrenching the bikes and the MTBR boys hanging out the team never slept. “The other teams were all serious about resting up. I couldn’t get any of our guys to sleep at all” remembers Weir. “We only stopped eating long enough to roam around, check results and heckle the other riders.”
And so it went for the duration of the damp, windy 36 degree night. Weir and Kirk Desmond hammered out consistent laps in the quest for the title. “Aside from Glen’s encounter with the Animal Kingdom, we were never passed once” exclaimed Kirk. Glen fought through the pain and localized swelling like a true Sea Otter Sponsored by SRAM “Champ” and refused to give up while Yuri suffered though his laps with a monkey called Dysentery on his back. One awed spectator described the four-some as “f*cking cyborgs! Those guys are machines.”
When the dust finally settled our boys finished with 26 laps, the most of any racer/team, and the National 4-Man championship. When asked if the lack of NORBA sanctioning reduced the glory, Weir responded “Events are judged by the competition they provide. I’ll take a strong field, televised OLN coverage and fantastic organization over the “official” option any day. Add in the excuse to avoid the Big Bear Nationals and the 24 Hous of Adrenalin event wins hands down.”
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Sherwood , Sales and Marketing
dsherwood@wtb.com
011.31.43.407.3524