Austin Rattler 100 Race Report
A Rattler will bite if provoked and to borrow a line from one of our favorite bands “It aint gonna suck itself”. It was a calm and cool morning, sun coming up, perfect day for a 100k race as Don and Gerad were waiting in line for their race packets and timing chips as some dudes from Chicago, IL. complemented us on our kits and asked what does OMW mean? Well I’m glad you asked …”Outta My Way with my 29 inch wheels and 16oz tall dog in my hand” I cheerfully replied, so if you see us on the trail and we’re coming in hot, you know what to do. We get our goody bags and then we start setting up our feed zone and talking to some of the other racers including local favorite Tristan Uhl, trying to get some tips from the fastest man in town. (I can’t tell you what he told me or I have to kill you). Don and Gerad get on the start line, midway back in a field of 500+ racers with Jimmy Hendrix playing the national anthem over the PA system. It’s go time! Nice, easy start with Don and Gerad riding together until we hit Fat Chucks climb then it’s enough of the fun and games and time to get on board the pain train. This year’s course was a 15.5 mile loop of mostly jeep road/double track with a couple sections of prime RHR single track which is where I was able to close small gaps and put a hurtin’ on the others. Out on the open jeep roads it was pace lines trying to conserve energy and survive. Fortunately we had Rob and Izzy out in an open field keeping it real with some tunes on 11, drinking beers (at 9am), yelling at all the racers and Izzy almost taking out one of the top pros with a chair. OMW-88 and Don’s better half, Maryanne. was in the pits making sure Don and Gerad had fresh water bottles and food. By lap 3, about 40 miles into the race, things start to get a little shaky, legs cramping, back, neck and arms aching. I have to do this hill again? What lap am I on? Finally, it’s a sprint finish and it’s all over. Too bad Michelob Ultra was the sponsor this year, because they’re handing out free beers but does anyone really drink that stuff? I sure as hell don’t. At the end of the day both Don and Gerad crush their 2012 results.
Gerad finishes 14th in his age group and 47th overall in a time of 4:23:03
Don finishes 30th in his age group and 241st overall in a time of 5:32:50
Another great day of racing our bikes all over the great state of Texas!!
OMW Bitches!
It has been a whirlwind of a season to this date. The 2013 Texas State Championship Series began in early February and as of this past weekend we are already 5 races into it. We did 4 weekends in a row before getting a weekend off. First, we went to Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, Tx. for race #1. The next weekend some of us went to Terlingua, Tx for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest and the rest went to race #2 in Waco, Tx. Next, we all showed up in Comfort, Tx. at Flat Rock Ranch for race #3, then we were off to Dripping Springs, Tx. and Flat Creek Crossing for race #4 (and to watch the domestic Pro’s begin the XCT Pro season). After our first weekend off in a month it was off to Abilene, Tx. for race #5. That was a lot of miles on the road but you know how we like to ride our bikes all over the great state of Texas!! And we like to have a good time doing it!! oh yeah! Any way, there’s only 9 more to go!! Lets take this to a whole nutha level!
OMW Singlespeeders are saving the day this season. Nick Carter has moved up to the Singlespeed Open Category this year and is taking some names and kicking some asses!!! Rob Remlinger and Gregg Colvin are riding in the front of the pack in Cat 2/3 Singlespeed as well! The rest of us are scattered about in our various categories about to come in hot for the mid season push to the front.
If you’ve never been out to Big Bend National and State Park for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest then start making plans for next year people! OMW just got back from another weekend of riding in the desert, partying with great people, and all around good times. This year saw a reduced crew but that just meant more for us! It was Dan, Lance, Jay, Gregg and Gerad cruisin down I-10 in the Green Manalishi toward our yearly pilgrimage. We broke down just outside of Fort Stockton and had to call in for some emergency mechanic magic. Thankfully they had all the parts!!! So we’re back up and running in less than 3 hours and will be setting up camp in the dark again this year. We roll into the campsite and get burgers grillin and our own zip code 78-OMW with the jammin cooler on 11 ! Then some guy in the campsite next to us comes down and asks us to “tone it down”…doesn’t he know who we are? We’ve been coming here for years people! Well we sent him right back up the hill with the assurance that we would not be obliging his request and to have a nice night.
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OMW was takin it to a whole nutha level, like we always do, when we decided we would do our first marathon race as a team out at the Fat Chucks Revenge Marathon Race at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, TX. Race # 3 of the 2012 TMBRA Mountain Bike Marathon Championship Series. We had a handful of marathoners and sprinkled in some half marathoners as well. Gerad, Jay, Rob and Gregg went the full 46 miles while Allen, Dan n’ Lance put in a solid half. Lance and Dan headed out late Friday and held down the fort until the rest of us can made it out Saturday morning just in time to roll up to the line. Gerad was the first one to the pits and to survey the damage of the day before. There he found the usual, strewn, crushed, and half full beer cans at the team site (or half empty depending on how you look at it). Whenever that happens I know someone got after it and is probably feeling it on the line. Our close personal friend and OMW Honorary Team member, Paul Uhl, was busy making last minute race preparations only after baking off all the Paul Uhl Pottery prizes for the lucky few. Before you know it we’re off and we do a nice little start loop that brings us back around and past the spectators then shoots us out into a little chunk of heaven called Rocky Hill Ranch. There were steep uphill sections and fast, flowy, singletrack through the pines and some short downhill sections. A lil somethin for everyone.
Since Dan and Lance decided to team up and make this marathon their bitch, Dan does the first lap and leaves Lance open to crush some tall dogs while he waits his turn and make COURTESY BEER hand-ups to Gerad, Jay, Rob and Gregg as they come around for their second lap. When Dan comes screaming thru after a hot loop, Lance proceeds to destroy his lap and seals the deal with 1st place Men’s Relay for the OMW tandem, “Pain Train”. No one else had a chance or even saw them coming! Our marathoners really took care of business with Rob in 7th place singlespeed, Jay 7th in mens 19-29, and Gerad in 10th place mens 30-39. Gregg made it around both loops on his singlespeed as well!!! Is that any good?! Hell’s yes it is!!
So that was our warm-up for the fast approaching 2013 State Championship series and upcoming Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest out in Terlingua, Tx. 02/14/13-02/16/13. So come join us for some cold beers, EPIC rides and some Steel Panther on 11… “Oh, mommas little girl got all sticky!”
OMW Bitches!
Happy Fall everyone!! I hope you all enjoyed your summer. Summer time is typically an off season for many of us, used as time to regroup between race series and to take care of other obligations. But just because I didn’t compete over the summer it doesn’t mean that other OMW teammates sat idle. 2012 Cat 2 State Champ Gerad Dambrosia and teammate Don Schwieters both competed in the Austin Rattler 100k (Leadville Trail 100 qualifier) at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, Tx. on 04/21/12. Both guys did well enough to qualify for the Official Leadville Trail 100 Race in the Colorado Rockies, otherwise known as The Race Across the Sky! Mr. Dambrosia also entered the Cranktastic Dirt Fest on 06/23/12 that was promoted by our friend Joseph Lao and won his Cat 1 age group. Is that any good? Hells yes!!
OMW Racing is proud to announce the addition of 2 new teammates. The OMW race team is lucky to snatch up both Nick Carter and Nick Elkins, both from Austin.
Nick Carter comes from Pocatello, Idaho, but grew up in Texas (then Seattle and back to Texas. Not sure if there was a stint in prison somewhere in there), with primarily a downhill riding background but has warmed up to XC racing in Texas by trying out some of the 2012 spring series races. He finished 18th overall in the 2012 State Championship Series in Cat 2 (in his first season of racing). He then went on to get 11th place at the USACycling National Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho 07/05/12. Nick is currently competing in the 2012 Texas Fall Cup. He will also be doing the 24 hours of Rocky Hill on 10/20/12-10/21/12, SOLO, while you’re bullshittin!
Nick Elkins is a local Austin boy, by way of Houston, who went to school at Texas State University and is already familiar with the local MTB racing scene. He finished 8th overall in the 2012 State Championship Series in Cat 2 (winning both the Warda and Austin races). Nick and his buddy, Rudy Guerrero, took 1st place in the team competition at the Reveille Peak 100 on 09/23/2012. Nick also finished in 3rd place Overall in the 2012 Spring Dirt Remedy Series (Mens B Group). Congratulations are in order for Nick and his lovely fiance, Toni, as they will forever be united in wedlock on Saturday, 10/20/12. Way to go Nick!!
Both Nicks are great guys who like to have a good time and ride their bikes all over and erywhere!! We look forward to having them join us this fall and throughout next year riding bikes all over this great state of Texas! I hope they know what they’ve gotten themselves into!! Shhhhhhh!
The Winter training season and the Spring 2013 TMBRA Texas State Championship race season aren’t too far away and we’re already getting excited. Ok, maybe not the whole winter training part but certainly the State Championship series and our yearly Winter training camp in Terlingua, Texas. That’s right, OMW Racing will be heading back to far west Texas and the Big Bend area for the 2013 Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest, February 14-16, 2013. Its an EPIC mountain bike festival. The Specialized Demo crew was there last year and so was the Austin Bike Zoo. 3 full days of riding great trails through the Big Bend National Park, Big Bend State Park, and the sweet Lajitas trails around the International airport. When we’re not riding, you can catch up with us at the Starlight Theater for Happy Half Hour (we will be there a bit longer than that of course).
OMW Racing is also working on putting a trip together to Palo Dura Canyon State Park for the Marathon series race on 11/17/12. All schedules for the Fall Cup Series races, Marathon Series races, and the upcoming 2013 State Championship series can be found on www.tmbra.org. Information regarding the 2013 Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest can be found at www.desertsportstx.com.
