Boulder Endurance Race

The temperature was 26 degrees Fahrenheit when McKenna Holmes began to sing our national anthem. 178 racers were eager to start the 2010 Endurance Series at Boulder Park on a cold Saturday morning January 9, 2010. Trail steward Mark “bent trail biker” King invested many hours preparing the trail the week before and the day before the race. The club appreciates all the work that Mark has done at Boulder Park. Racers said that the first two laps were good and fast however, as the sun rose and the temperature grew warmer the trail became tackier. Tires were losing grip and bikes were feeling heavier with the extra weight of mud caked to the frame and tires. Experienced riders had their system in the pit area neatly arranged. Their average pit stops were less than two minutes. This was enough time to refuel, change layers and perform minor adjustments on their bike. Spectators enjoyed the warmth of free coffee and chocolate from Starbucks and the delicious smell of BBQ from Scott McCall. $5 for a manwich with chips and a drink, what a bargain! A BIG thank you to all the sponsors that provided gift cards for the 4 Hour Winners: Richardson Bike Mart, Dallas Bike Works, Plano Cycling & Fitness, Bicycles Plus, Bluebonnett Bicycles, Bonzai Cycle Werx, Colonel’s Bicycles, Mad Duck and Hammer Nutrition, Chamois Butt’r and The Butt Stuff for their free samples. Finally, thanks to the Bicycle Path for providing the really cool number plates. A special thank you to Trail LED for providing a replacement light to Victor “Cope” Dean after his light was stolen at the awards party. As many of you know Paul “Shadow” Johns is responsible for reviving Boulder Park after it was in a state of neglect and much needed work. Soon word spread about Boulder being a primo trail. The only negative comments heard in whispering voices were, “How tall is this Shadow dude?” Evidently a member known as “Mr. Six Foot Thirteen Inches” was still getting wacked with face slappers. That problem was quickly remedied. After Boulder Shadow built Oak Cliff Nature Preserve and it became a rival to Jack Sparkes Rowlett Creek Preserve in popularity. In its brief history OCNP has hosted three races. Then the rumor began that Shadow was working on another trail in the Cedar Hill area. With the success of Boulder and OCNP Shadow is now ready to host a race in Big Cedar on Saturday February 13, 2010. The pressure is on him to make this race live up to the poster slogan of : “The Greatest Mountain Bike Race Series In All The World”. Will Shadow include the downhill slalom? You’ll just have to wait and see. More event images can be seen here: www.shootric.net