November 2012

The November winds blew in the first race of the month!  Dennis Dischler, Heather Heinrich and Andrew Webster headed to Mt. Airy, MD to compete in Patapsco Cross - Race #5 of the Sportif Cross Cup.  The cold and blustery elements just added more adversity to a tough race.  It was a fun course with a several punchy climbs, hairpin turns and a sand pit.  Dennis finished 25/39 in Masters; Heather earned the top podium spot finishing first among a class of 13 in Women’s 1/2/3; and Web, not to be outdone, matched that taking first in a tough group of 45 racers in Men’s Cat 3/4.  Awesome way to start the month!

The next day, Wooden Wheels Racing showed up en masse to compete in the first annual Stoudts Cross Race on the grounds of the Stoudts Brewing Company in Adamstown, PA.  Upon hearing the team with the most registrants won a case of Stoudts Octoberfest, the team made an eleventh hour surge before registration closed to take the case…proving we aren’t only competitive on the course!  For many WW racers, it was the first cross race of the season…and for some, ever…and it didn’t disappoint.  Under (again) very cold and very windy conditions, the course was loaded with twists, turns, ups, downs, barriers, gravel, leaves, road, a log over, and a monster climb up Goat Hill – what more could a ‘cross racer hope for?!?  The approach to Goat Hill wasn’t more than a tacky dirt patch for the first class of racers, but soon turned into a six-inch deep mud bath by the time the women racers hit it.  Mud, sweat and gears!  Needless to say, it gathered the most hecklers waiting to witness the next Stoudts spa treatment.  Fortunately after the monster run-up, once at the top the downhill switchbacks gave racers the break they needed to re-oxygenate!  The WW racers proved their mettle and had a great finishes.  Emily White, our speedy junior, started the day off great with a win!  She’s cleaning up this season.  Next up, Men’s Cat 3/4 where Andrew Webster took 2^nd and Curtis Miller took 11^th in a big class of 38.  WW had a solid showing in the biggest class of the day, Men’s Cat 4: Jason Temple finishing 8^th, Rob DiSibio 11^th, and Justin Rogers 14^th out of a huge class of 72 – awesome finishes for a crew with only a few CX races under their belts.  Dennis Dischler closed out the men’s racing finishing 24^th (39) in Men’s Masters.  Finishing out the day of racing was the WW women: Heather Heinrich and Cati Scheifele finishing 3^rd and 6^th, respectively in a class of 13 in Cat 1/2/3…and competing in their first cross race Nancy DiSibio and Liz Jones finished 12^th and 15^th out of 28 in Women’s Cat 3/4.  The team celebrated its outstanding performances, and the case of beer won, at the post-race party the Stoudt folks put on in the beer hall.  All in all, a great day! 

The following weekend brought WW racers to Fair Hill, MD to compete in the First State Velo Sport Xross race.  Wooden Wheels was in da house with another large group ready to race!  It was the perfect fall day for a race.  The course was contained within the horse area of the Fair Hill fairground.  It was wide open grass areas with lots of small elevation changes, gradual climbing with lots of berms, bumps & things that just make you want to go fast.  It was another outstanding day of racing for WW!  Heather Heinrich finished a solid 13^th (21) in Cat 1/2/3.  Cati Scheifele fought for a podium spot finishing 2^nd (19) in Women’s Cat 3/4, followed by Kim Webster finishing 11^th.  Emily White rounded out the women racers competing in Juniors finishing 6^th.  Way to go ladies!  On the men’s side of race day, Andrew Webster continued his fabulous CX season finishing 10^th out of 56 in Cat 2/3/4!  Curtis Miller, competing in Masters finished a solid 14^th (29).  Rounding out the racing for the day, Jason Temple took a podium spot finishing 4^th in Cat 4, with Justin Rogers and Jeff Meyer also competing in the packed Cat finishing 14^th and 32^nd, respectively.

The next day, WW racers had to choose between two good racing options.  Heather Heinrich opted to head south to compete in the Schooley Mill Cross Race, in Highland, MD.  The site is an equestrian facility with obstacles unlike any other race along the Mid-Atlantic… “a horse of a course!”  Racers competed through wooded and winding technical sections, requiring several dismounts - including a horse-jump.  With the challenging barrier section strategically located right in front of the beer tent, the racers provided good entertainment for those working their biceps.  Heather upped her game and raced in Cat 1/2/3 finishing 10^th (11).  Five WW racers opted to head north to race the Crossasaurus Awesome, in Spring Mount, PA.  Kim Webster, the sole female WWRer finished a solid 14^th (30) in Cat 3/4 (it seems Kim is liking this ‘cross stuff!).  Andrew Webster raced Cat 1/2/3 and had a solid finish in 18^th place (27).  Our Cat 4 guys battled it out in a huge class of 74 also with solid finishes: Justin Rogers 15^th, Jason Temple 24^th and Earl Hunt 67^th.  Great way to represent!

Sunday November 18^th also split the WW racers between two fun courses.  Dennis Dischler and Curtis Miller headed north to race Kutztown Cross, in Kutztown, PA.  It was a cold day and the ground was covered in frost for the first racers up.  An interesting course…no run ups, no elevation, but tons and tons of twisty turns with two sets of barriers.  Competing in Masters 35+, Curtis battled it out for 11^th and Dennis finished 18^th in a tough Cat of 19.  To the south, the other WW continent was crushing it in Elkridge, MD at the Rockburn Cross.  A blustery day for a challenging course of road, dirt, switchbacks and barriers…but the WWR team rocked it with FOUR podiums and three solid finishes.  First, the women…our rockstar Junior racer, Emily White, took 2^nd (7)…and more awesome swag!  Stepping it up competing in Cat 1/2/3, Heather Heinrich took 4^th and Cati Scheifele battled it out for 9^th.  The other dynamic duo of Kim Webster and Liz Jones raced hard to get two WWR jerseys on the Cat 4 podium finishing 1^st and 5^th, respectively.  Rock on ladies!!!  For the guys, Andrew Webster – battling it out in Cat 1/2/3 – had a sprint finish taking 10^th (17); and Jason Temple – also stepping it up to Cat 3/4 - finished a solid 23^rd (59).  Another great day of racing in the books.

Ready to burn off the Thanksgiving eating bonanza, a WW contingent headed to Taneytown, MD to race in the 2012 MidAtlantic/MABRA Cyclocross Championships – the final race in the Sportif Cross Series at the Taneytown Memorial Park.  Andrew Webster, continuing his climb up the leader board, raced in Cat 1/2/3 with a solid 10^th place (22).  Heather Heinrich, continuing to challenge herself stepped up to race Cat 1/2 open and finished 8^th (10).  Cati Scheifele after maintaining the lead, got a flat & raced to the pit to grab her other bike and battled back to finish 6^th (9).  Kim Webster took another top podium spot in Cat 4 against 12 other racers.  Kim…I think you are getting the hang of this ‘cross race thing! 

So closes out another solid month of Cross racing!

October 2012

It’s October which means a month packed with ‘cross races!  Starting off the month was Town Hall ‘Cross, in Bethlehem, PA.  Cati Scheifele wore the Wooden Wheels skinsuit in the Womens Cat 1/2/3 race – her first in this class.  The course was packed with mud and had lots of hills, including the steep finale to the top of the course, dubbed “St. Luke’s Staircase.”  The Staircase was particularly slick and muddy, forcing most racers to dismount and run.  Calling the race “very low-key and big on fun” Cati finished a solid 10^th out of 16 – awesome!  Down in Sykesville, MD that day, Dennis Dischler and Heather Heinrich raced Psycho ‘Cross…a very fitting name as the race is on the grounds of a mental institution.  Constructed in the late 1800’s, the complex was home to the former Springfield Hospital Center, one of the state’s largest mental institutions. Abandoned since the 1960’s, the buildings sit vacant – except for the ghosts that remain.  The course was relatively short, with two steep climbs - which many riders dismounted for – followed by off-camber sections and some shorter climbs, a log over, and a set of barriers.  Heather and Dennis proved their psycho-ness finishing 1^st (4) and 32^nd (60).  Carrying on their crazy weekend, Dennis and Heather headed down to Hyattsville, MD on Sunday to race Hyattsville CX.  Unlike Saturday’s picture perfect racing weather, the drizzling rain & 50 degree cold temps meant a messy race was in store.  The course was a bike handler's dream: spirals and serpentines galore, plus an off-camber "w" section preceding a nice wooded area.  It proved to be a fast course as it was flat with only one small climb.  Heather and Dennis continued Saturday’s success by having great finishes: Heather 1^st (18) in Cat 3/4 and Dennis 29^th (75) in Master Men 3/4. 

 That same Sunday, five WWR ‘crossers competed in The Iron Cross ultracross race in Michaux State Forest, PA.  In cold, dreary conditions this 10^th annual event challenged riders to a 50K option or the traditional, 100K race which included of 6,500 feet of climbing across roads, fire-roads and double- and single-track trails.  This race has it all: the Lippencote Trail descent, which can be carnage or bliss depending on your skill on rocks; the infamous WigWam “run-up” where you feel every ounce you are carrying; the relentless 4-mile Hogshead dirt road climb where you climb and climb and…climb (then swear at the dudes who created the course); and lastly Larry’s Tavern where racers can fuel up with a few brews for the final descent to the finish.  This race is not for the faint of heart (or untrained!)…maybe it should be called Iron Will!  Andrew Webster, continuing his awesome cross race season won the 50k!  Truly an outstanding feat – awesome job! LOVE the jersey on the podium!  Opting for the longer distance (who doesn’t like more pain??) on the 100k side of the race, Will Neide, the team’s Iron Cross veteran, had a score to settle with this course and that he did.  He finished with his best IC performance leading the WWR team into the finish in 28^th place out of 108 total racers; followed by Rob DiSibio in 40^th; and Jason Temple – who battled three flats – in 78^th.  In the senior men’s class, Peter Borromao and Dave Jordan battled the elements together to finish 77^th and 78^th, respectively.  A fantastic way to start the first weekend of October racing!

 Sunday the 14^th brought Heather Heinrich and Justin Rogers to Cherry Hill, NJ, where they battled in the Cooper River ‘Cross.  Wedged between the Cooper River and Park Road, the course zig-zagged over itself what seemed 5 million times.  No real change in elevation, one set of steps that could be ridden, and one set of barriers…and a 15mph wind that seemed to increase as the day went on.  Despite disengaging the cable for her rear brakes, (who needs brakes?!?) Heather finished a solid 12^th (22) in Cat 1/2/3 – way to Cat up Heather!  Justin came to Cherry Hill ready to take on his first cross race.  Full of Justin-excitement, he finished an outstanding 25^th (76) in Cat 4.  The class will definitely have to watch out for Justin – he’s got the ‘cross fever! 

Sunday October 21^st brought WW cross racers to a crisp, chilly but sunny race day at the West Chester Cross Classic in West Chester, PA.  The “classic” course, designed by “angry Bob Reuther a local cross legend and long-time advocate of local cycling, was a 1.9 mile flowing course with natural run-ups, off camber sections and lots and lots of cornering.  Emily White, our outstanding Junior who is killing it this year, rode strong finishing 2^nd (scoring some sweet swag!) riding her first time with drop bars on her cross bike.  The WWR men also had solid finishes: Justin Rogers finishing 14^th (57) and Earl Hunt finishing 53^rd in their Cat 4 race; and Curtis Miller racing Cat 3/4 Masters finishing a solid 20^th (35).  Despite dropping her chain and having to battle back Cati Scheifele finished 6^th (12) in women’s Cat 1/2/3.  Another solid day of cross racing in the books for Wooden Wheels.

Ahhhh, the last weekend of the month…here comes FrankenStorm!  On Saturday, five WW racers took advantage of the calm before the storm and headed to Bridgeton, NJ for the Independence Cross.  This is the old Beacon Cross course with the "Amphitheater of Pain" with steps up to racers knees, a beach run, sandy corners, a few climbs, one set of barriers, and a newly added set of log-overs.  It was a fast, dry course with fire roads and twisty turns in the pine trees of Jersey.  It is a course where the right line was crucial, and if you missed it, you risked washing out or getting slowed down in the loose soft sand.  Andrew Webster had a stellar race with another 1st place win!  Great job, Web!  Heather Heinrich and Cati Scheifele finished 5^th and 6^th (18) in Cat 1/2/3/4 – solid!  Jason Temple, competing in his first non-ultracross race finished an outstanding 9^th (55) in Cat 4.  With storm Sandy approaching, some racers took a gamble on being faster than her and on Sunday headed to Jamesburg, NJ to race in Highland Park Cross.  Although it was dry with strong winds, you could feel Sandy on her way.  Set off the lake, Highland Park is a great venue with a course that weaves throughout the park with a set of barriers at the base of a climb, stretches of fast open sections for power and speed, and a couple slight grades that wear on you after multiple laps.  Oh and throw in a few roots and acorns and dusty corners that can flatten your tires and take you down in a heartbeat – fun course!  Fighting the winds and the course barriers, Heather Heinrich and Cati Scheifele turned in a solid performance in Cat 3/4.  Heather finished 10^th (42) and battling back after sliding out on a dusty turn, Cati finished 7^th.  Dennis Dischler battled it out in a big Cat 2/3/4 class pulling in a solid 50^th.  Due west that day, Andrew Webster headed to continue his rock star performance this season in Star Rock Cross, a new cyclocross venue in Washington Boro, PA.   Held on the rolling acreage of Star Rock Farms, the race included the typical barriers, and also a star-shaped field chicane, a sand pit and a wooded, rocky run-up.  Web didn’t disappoint, and WON Cat 3/4 out of a field of 12.  ROCK ON WEB!

Not quite ready to stop racing MTB, James Ambagis traveled to Blue Marsh on Sunday, October 14th to take on the 5th annual "Woods to Wonderful" MTB race.   This is a great low key race and never fails to have good competition and good prizes.   New to the race in 2012 was a four hour marathon race.   The course is mostly flat, fast, twisty singletrack, but there is one awesome climb on the backside of the old ski slope that had just about every competitor walking their bike, with the exception of local pro Ryan DeWald.   James chose the marathon race and finished 6th out of 9 racers.  

Wooden Wheels Women of Cyclocross Rock!

Black and Green

Black and Blue

 

This guy rocks too!



All pictures courtesy of Dennis Smith - www.dennisbike.com

September 2012

The first Saturday of the month brought the epic Shenandoah 100: 100 mile backcountry mountain bike race in Virginia's George Washington National forest on singletrack, doubletrack and fireroads – it is not for the weary…or the untrained!

The total elevation was 14,000 feet! There were 600+ riders for a sharp 6:30 a.m. start. Racers were on bikes of various shapes, sizes and varieties- tandems, singlespeeds, hardtails and every style and color under the sun. Although by the finish you couldn't see anyone's bikes as they were covered in mud!

The rain held off until about 7:30 a.m. and then the skies dumped on the Shenandoah Valley until about 1:00 p.m. and at times considered a torrential downpour. All of the racers were COVERED in mud coming through the finish line; for which the sun decided to finally break through! Despite these far, far from optimal conditions, our two racers had solid finishes, illustrating their months and months of training paid off!

Chris Edmonds came in 20th with a solid finish at 8:18. Brendan Reilly just beat his 10-hour goal at 9:59 and came in 104th. Pure awesomeness!!!! Rumor has it that Brendon is starting to train already for next year’s race. The third weekend of the month kicked off the first cyclocross race of the season: the Nittany Lion Cross was kicked off at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Breinigsville, PA. Nittany was dry, dusty, and very fast...good stuff for sure. Compared to last year’s stinky mud pit our racers were psyched.

WWR racers made a great statement for the first race of the year: Day 1, Andrew Webster finished 19 out of 107 Cat 2/3/4 racers; Cati Scheifele finished an awesome 7th out of 30 Cat 3/4; and our great junior racer Emily White, 14 years old, battled it out for 3rd out of 7th. Day two also proved to be a solid day of racing for WWR: Web finishing 20th and Dennis Dischler finishing 77th out of 88; Cati rocking 4th place and Heather Heinrich 11th out of 32 Cat 3/4 women; and Emily leading the pack of mostly 16 year olds to win her race! Awesome weekend of racing to kick off cross season! The following weekend brought great sun and great racing to the Charm City Cross UCI Race Weekend. The venue is the Druid Hill Park a beautiful, historic 745 acre urban park established in 1859 outside Baltimore, MD. Despite being in late September the summer heat remained for Day 1 and a few riders fell victim to heat exhaustion. The courses rolled fast with 3 dismounts per lap, including one set of barriers, a tree round-about with a barrier, a set of stairs, and a sand pit which could either be ridden or run. The courses favored good bike handlers and technical riders. WWR Day 1 racers rocked it: Lauri Webber taking 21st in Elite Women; Andrew Webster coming in 17th out of 110 racers in Cat 2/3/4; Heather Heinrich and Cati Scheifele finished 7th and 8th, respectively, in 39 Cat3/4 women racers; and our awesome junior racer Emily White placing 7th out of 10 under 19 racers! Day 2 the temps dropped a bit and the wind picked up, but still a beautiful day to race. It was a great venue with music, beer, bbq and great peeps. WWR racers again raced hard and it showed with Lauri taking 24th, Webb 14th, Cati 7th, Heather 18th and Emily 7th. Great weekend of racing!

The last weekend of September brought a tough two-day race weekend to our cross racers at the Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester in Massachusetts. It was definitely a character builder – Belguim weather style! Day 1 began with a light rain, preventing many from pre-riding and muddying bikes and gear. The rain subsided as the start of the women's 3/4 race began. But within seconds off the start, there was a crash on the asphalt, with several riders going down. As the group forged on, the course was slick with soft mud and a total of four laps were completed. WWR Cat3/4 racers Cati Scheifele and Heather Heinrich fought their way to great finishes at 15th and 29th, respectively, out of 87 racers. Our awesome junior Emily White placed a solid 13th out of 29! Day 2 started with steady rain, again thwarting many pre-riding efforts. The course was a little longer and included a ramp down to the beach, with about a 30 yard run in the sand, then up a step wooden staircase. The women's 3/4 race had a clean start, with the only crashes happening on the course which was cut down to three laps because of the dangerous conditions…allowing them to get to dry clothes faster! Cati survived an endo and a face full of mud to pull out a solid 14th out of 80 racers. Heather also proved her mettle by finishing 43rd despite two crashes, one leaving her saddle sideways requiring a pit fix and the other requiring removing the wheel to fix the brakes. I guess her bike mechanic lessons paid off! Emily again had another solid race finishing 13th out of 29 juniors.

That same last Saturday of the month Andrew Webster competed at the WhirlyBird 'Cross at Bensalem High School, in Bensalem, PA. This was race #5 of the MAC Series. Webb pulled off a great finish in the Men’s Cat 2/3/4 race finishing 11th out of 92. Awesome racing! That Sunday Webb and Dennis Dischler competed in the Winchester AppleCross-2012 in Winchester, VA. Webb continued his weekend of rockstar racing finishing 6th out of 76 in Men’s Cat ¾; and Dennis finished a solid 36th out of 66 in the Men’s Cat3/4 35-39 age group. What a superb weekend of cross racing to complete a great month of WWR racing!

August 2012

To some a relief but to many a bummer: this month signals the end of the mountain bike race season. First up, the Bear Creek Resort MASS Cross-country Finals in Macungie, PA. It isn’t a myth, this course beats you up! The course is loaded with rocks, tight switch backs, long climbs, and tight single track…and a lot of that all at once. Only the strong survive. Chris Edmonds competing in the packed Pro/Cat 1 men’s open class finished a strong 25th (37). Tim Fowley had a very solid race finishing 12th (27) as did Ryan Ashcroft 21st and Mike Bria 23rd. That same weekend racers were battling the mountains at Bear Creek, a WWR delegation headed north to the Dark Horse 40 endurance race in Stewart State Forest in New Windsor, NY. This exclusive race (only 400 racers accepted) is two 20 mile laps starting with a 3 mile gravel road climb to fast, twisty single track with plenty ‘o rocks, drop-offs, and steep short rocky climbs. It was a very hot, humid day, adding to the fun of the race. But who wouldn’t want to race when included in your race fee is a t-shirt, pint glass, bbq and Long Trail beer?!?!? Bring it! The team showed NYers how its done. Pete Borromeo had the spirit and finished 3rd, Rob DiSibio finished 4th and Dennis Dischler 11th out of 32. The gals loaded up the podium with WWR jerseys with Heather Heinrich taking 1st and Nancy Thompson DiSibio pulling in 2nd. If people didn’t know who WWR was before the race, the definitely knew after. The last race of the MASS mountain biking season was the Rattling Creek Endurance Marathon and Endurance Series Finals, in Lykens, PA. Not sure where the name originated, but if you ask any riders after this race, they would likely say its because your bones rattle the entire marathon course! Rocks, rocks and more rocks…makes French Creek look like a jogging trail! While battling the rocks, there are long climbs and very fast downhills. Chris Edmonds (after racing Bear Creek the previous weekend!) came through with an outstanding performance finishing 5th out of 45 racers in Men’s Open. Brendan Reilly also had a great race finishing 19th in the same category.

It was with great excitement that Wooden Wheels Bike Shop opened a companion location to its Newark store in the Concord Square Shopping Center in north Wilmington at 4327 Concord Pike. Wooden Wheels is Delaware's largest family owned bicycle shop providing the latest and best in BMX, Freestyle, Mountain, Road and Comfort-bicycles plus a large selection of accessories. Located across the street from one of the most popular trailheads to the Brandywine Creek State Park and the scenic roads and hills of Chester County, the location is ideal for cyclists of all disciplines. With friendly and knowledgeable staff and a great selection of bikes and accessories, the Wilmington shop is well needed addition to the North Wilmington community.

July 2012

When the opportunity presents itself, why not race? While visiting family in western New York, Rob DiSibio and Nancy Thompson DiSibio made a pit stop on the way back east to race the Raccoon Rally in Allegany State Park in Salamanca, NY. This cross-country race started with a 5 mile climb straight up on grassy double track, followed by flowing double and single track and twice down the narrow, rocky, rooty shoot to the finish. WWR showed western NY what mid-Atlantic riders could do: Nancy was 2nd in her Cat 1 class, and Rob 2nd in his Cat 2 class. WWR racking up more podiums! Next up for WWR was the Danzeisen and Quigley Summer Sizzler in Sewell, NJ. Each 6 mile lap is full of logs, stream crossings, soft trails and short-steep climbs…and is fast, very fast! Lots of WWR teammates came out looking to play in the Jersey Shore sand. Great finishes for the Cat 2 racers competing in their age classes: Andrew Webster 6th (18), Jason Temple 7th (18), Mike Bria 27th (29), Ryan Ashcroft 28th (29), Brian Urion 16th (18) and James Ambagis competing in the single speed class finishing 11th. Despite a nasty wreck taking time off her finish (and some finish off her bike), our newbie Liz Jones dug deep and pounded out a 3rd place (6) finish in Cat 3! Trish Reilly suffered a nasty wreck and had to be escorted out of the trail. After getting to know the ER staff at the local hospital, Trish came home with all bones intact, but a deeply bruised and bang-up body. A big shout out to Scott Racing rider Scott Dickey who selflessly stopped to help Trish after the wreck; sacrificing his own race to help an very injured rider…sportsmanship = class. Trish will be back after some R&R; she is a mountain biker, after all. Another gem of the east coast mountain bike racing season – the Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic, in Fair Hill, MD – includes cross-country and 50 mile endurance races. The volunteers that comprise the Trail Spinners mountain bike advocacy club put together one of the most organized, well-marked, best prizes (!) and most fun post-race festivities of the MASS season. The added bonus is that 100% of the proceeds go to building and maintaining trail systems in Delaware, Northern Maryland and Southeast Pennsylvania. Also, who doesn’t want to race a course that includes trails named Drunken Sailor and Crackhead Bob? The course is full of fast single track, very tight-twisty switchbacks, both long and short steep climbs and just enough rocks and roots to keep racers paying attention. WWR had outstanding finishes! First up, the cross-country racers included 2nd place podiums for Lauri Webber in Cat 1 (9) and Andrew Webster in Cat 2 (27). Also on the podium in 3rd was Rob DiSibio (41). Rounding out the great finishes were: Heather Heinrich in 6th (9), Jason Temple 5th (27), Brian Urion 36th (51) and Kirsten Wegner 5th (6). The endurance racers completed the 50 miles all under 6:10. Nancy Thompson DiSibio finished 8th (18), Brendan Reilly 13th (63), Tim Fowley 17th (31) and John Zerheusen 39th (63). Another fine race with great finishes, bbq and prizes from the podiums! Charge up those batteries! The last race of July was the Chester County Bicycles’ Midnight at Marsh Creek State Park, in Glenmoor, PA. The night owls came out to race around the lake and try to avoid the poison ivy beds. Good showing for WWR – Tim Fowley had his best place this season at 5th; Heather Heinrich came in at 4th, Trish Reilly at 7th, Mike Bria at 15th and Ryan Ashcroft at 17th. Way to stay awake and kill it WWR!

June 2012

This month brought a full calendar of mountain bike racing. First up was the perennial favorite the Bike Line Spring XC @ Fair Hill, in Fair Hill, MD. Each lap is approximately 7.5 miles of 75% singletrack with many fast flat to slightly rolling sections with several short climbs and an open sprint finish. Known as the fastest course in the MASS series, it is clearly the most popular cross country race bringing 610 racers this year – making passing on this tight course a real challenge. WWR was out in full force with 15 racers in all Categories. Our Cat 1/Pro racers Chris Edmonds finished 5th and Chris Denny 22nd out of 42 in the class. Other WWR Cat 1 racers also had outstanding finishes: Brendan Reilly 11th (26), Jeff Meyer 22nd (26), Lauri Webber 4th (9) and Heather Heinrich 6th (9). Fighting it out in very large Sport/Cat 2 classes were: Andrew Webster 4th (30), James Ambagis 14th (16), Jason Temple 14th (30), Mike Bria 53rd (57), Tim Fowley 28th (76), and Brian Urion 65th (76). Our Cat 3/Beginner women showed in full force: Liz Jones 6th (17), Kim Webber 12th (17) and Kirsten Wegner 8th (8). The outstanding performance gave WWR 3rd place in the Large Team Category! Another great race, bbq (with plenty of ice cold DogFish) and placing in the books. Next up was the re-tooled Andrew Mein’s Excellent Adventure at the private Granogue DuPont estate. This race is dedicated to Andrew Mein, a member of the Wooden Wheels mountain bike team, an ambassador to the sport of cycling, and a friend to all. Andrew was struck by a car in 1998 while commuting to his home after work. The course is a MASS series favorite for its exclusivity - the grounds only open to riding for this race -

and for its very technical trails full of rocks, roots, creek crossings, switchbacks and the infamous looonnnggg Koppenburg climb, of course always in the beating sun. This year the promoters, Velo Amis, decided to shake things up and rather than the traditional cross-country race, they put on multiple events to challenge every type of rider…and everyone’s light battery life.

Friday night was a Time Trial; WWR had racers on the first and second place women’s TT teams, Lauri Webber and Nancy Thompson DiSibio; and Heather Heinrich took 3rd in the solo TT class. Saturday’s race was a 12-hour bonanza! The toughest of the tough competed in the solo category…yes, 12 hours on your mountain bike on an unforgiving course.

For WWR, that was Will Neide who stood at 2nd place (7) on the podium in the single speed class (the 15 minute mid-race nap really paid off!!) and Eric Nefferdorf who took 6th (19) in the geared solo class. The team category proved tough as well – trying to balance the off-bike time between resting, staying warm and getting nutrition. The dynamic Duo Team of Chris Edmonds and Brendan Reilly rocked the podium at 2nd (7)! WWR participated in three different trio teams including racers Dennis Dischler, Jeff Meyer, Nancy Thompson DiSibio, Brian Urion and John Zerheusen – who finished in 4th, 6th and 10th places. The Stoopid 50 Marathon race, a 50 mile mountain bike race in Rothrock State Forest near State College PA, was next up on the calendar. This single loop course is a mix of forest roads and tight technical single track with a lot of climbing – obviating its Stoopid name. Chris Edmonds, again proving his mettle, finished 2nd out of 160 racers in the Men’s Open class – his 5th top-5 performance this year! He’s proven that there may be some logic in using your mountain bike on road training rides! Andrew Webster, Brendan Reilly and Dennis Dischler also pulled in great times finishing 39th, 52nd and 90th in the Men’s Open class, respectively. Heather Heinrich rolled her way to 12th (20) in the women’s field. Last up in June was the Guys Neshaminy Classic cross-country mountain bike race in Neshaminy, PA. Deceptively challenging, Neshaminy has a way of beating a biker up. The course, nestled behind Neshaminy High School, never seems to dry up; making the roots and rocks feel like riding ice. The Mexican Bowtie downhill rocky switchback never fails to be a challenge too. WWR women racers, Heather Heinrich and Trish Reilly represented in Cat 1 and finished 3rd and 9th. Way to finish out the month of great WWR finishes!

May 2012

First up in May was the Iron Hill Challenge, in Newark, DE. This is the first solo cross-country mountain bike race (for points) in the Mid-Atlantic Super Series (MASS); and includes a 4-hour endurance race. The rocky and rooty course, which never seems to dry out despite how dusty the rest of the world is, is highlighted by the 40-foot “mega-dip” which always draws a crowd of spectators chanting and heckling the racers to “DO IT,” “pedal-pedal-pedal” and “Awwww” as they swoosh down one side, finesse their gears

– if they aren’t in the hard-core single-speed class – and spin those cranks to hopefully keep from riding backwards up (down?!) the other side…some successful and some…well not so much. WWR had a solid turn out for this popular gem in east coast trail racing. Chris Edmonds took home first place in Men’s Expert class - AWESOME. Love the WWR jersey on the podium (especially the top spot!); way to start the MASS cross-country season!

Brendan Reilly, Heather Heinrich and Trish Reilly all competed in Cat 1/Expert and finished the tough course in 8th (out of 28), 4th (7) and 12th (13) places, respectively. The WWR sport class racers also battled the course (and mechanicals!) to finish well in their classes: Jason Temple 8th (29), Justin Rogers 8th (41), Rob DiSibio 17th (41), Tim Fowley 20th (50), Brian Urion 40th (50) and Walt Hayes 23rd (23).

Our newbie Liz Jones chose Iron Hill to be her first mountain bike race (after only owning a bike for 2 months!) and crossed the finish line 5th (10) sporting her own take-home prize of a bloodied leg – welcome to mountain biking Liz! Going the distance, WWR had three racers in the 4-hour endurance race. Jeff Meyer placed 18th and John Zerheusen 25th in the Men’s Open class of 32 racers. James Ambagis got the tough-guy award this race, competing in single-speed endurance race coming in 13th. All in all a great day for WWR: big team turn-out; fun and tasty post-race bbq; and a third place team finish in the Large Team Category!

No rest for the weary… bring on On the Rocks @ French Creek! The name sums up this race in Birdsboro, PA perfectly: do these rocky sections ever end?!?!?...ummmm, no, well yes, at a rooty slippery climb and technical, twisty single track. The rocks are relentless – which is one thing to ride and another to race. The race has cross-country and an endurance option, for those that love punishment. Lauri Webber took home 1st place out of 10 in Cat 1 – another first place for WWR!!! Heather Heinrich and Chris Edmonds rode great races in Cat 1 finishing 3rd (4) and 10th (34), respectively. This race’s tough guy award goes to Jeff Meyer who completed 5 laps in the Men’s Endurance class – taking home 26th (47) and likely blurred vision. Last up for May was the Wilmington Grand Prix; a weekend of road racing in downtown Wilmington, DE and the surrounding Brandywine Valley. The event kicked off Friday with the Monkey Hill Time Trial, a 3.2 mile course through Brandywine Park – made famous from the Tour DuPont – including the cobblestone climb up Monkey Hill. The team showed in full force to ring the cowbells and whoop it up for our racer Curtis Miller’s climb up the stones. It clearly worked as Curtis finished 5th (12) in his class! Saturday’s events included Pro/Am Criterium Races, which were the seventh stop on USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar. Curtis competed again, finishing a solid 9th (21) in his class. Because two races aren’t enough, Curtis took on the Gran Fondo, a 100-kilometer course featuring a timed climb and a hilly terrain. The third time is the charm as Curtis won King of the Mountain, topping the climb first out of 180 riders! Curtis is still sporting the crown around town. What a way to finish the racing weekend and month! Another highlight this month was the arrival of our Powerbar nutrition! We are really psyched to have Powerbar as a sponsor this year.

The Performance Energy Bars, Energy Blasts and Energy Gels are the team favorites and key to our training and racing nutrition. Also, their website has awesome information on how to keep ourselves (and all athletes) riding our strongest – no bonking!

April 2012

Wooden Wheels Racing demonstrated our broad skills and interests in tackling road, circuit, cross-country relay, cross-country solo and xterra races in April. First up for WWR, the Mid-Atlantic Super Series Mountain Bike Team Relay on the Oesterling Farm in Marysville, PA. Four-racer teams squared off in completing as many 3.5 mile laps as possible in four hours on a course full of roots, fast downhills, and twisty single-track…with little margin of error next to the creek!

Also to add to the fun, the first racer of every team had a half-mile (the runners thought it felt more like a 5k) trail run to get their bike to start the lap. Andrew Webster took one for the team and volunteered to run…confirming that mtnb shoes are definitely not made for running. Race rules required racer rotation after every lap, in the same order, so keeping warm, loose and hydrated between laps was critical. Dennis Dischler, Jason Temple, Andrew Webster and Rob DiSibio finished 14 laps – giving them a 25th place out of 45 teams. The second weekend of April was faced roadie style! Up north it was the Tour of Battenkill: America's largest one-day Pro/Am cycling race in the Battenkill Valley of Southern Washington County, NY. Racers competed over 62 miles with 3,950 feet of elevation gain (maximum gradient of 18%!) through rolling countryside, covered bridges and some dirt roads. This year the field was honored by 3-time Tour de France Champion Greg LeMond riding in the marathon course. Curtis Miller represented WWR in the Cat 4 race – finishing an outstanding 12th out of 107 in his class; way to rock the hills Curtis!

Also that day, to the west was the SoYoCo Circuit Race in Brogue, PA. The 15 mile course consisted of two 90 degree turns after a speedy downhill followed by a mile long false flat and then a solid, short but steep climb into the start/finish line. Compounding the difficulty were many patches of gravel and dirt along the roads. Andrew Webster, competing in Cat 4, finished 13th out of 31 racers – awesome job Webb. Justin Rogers, Rob DiSibio and Brendan Reilly – all competing in their first ever road race – finished 2nd, 7th and 11th out of 35 Cat 5 racers – way to go!! Next up, Brendan Reilly and Chris Edmonds packed up their mountain bikes and headed to Hagerstown, MD to complete in the Greenbrier Challenge - a national qualifier. Their course was 22.6 miles of fast, heavily wooded trails with narrow single and double tracks and one particularly steep climb. Brendan and Chris raced hard and fast in tight races finishing 4th and 5th in their Cat 1 age classes respectively.

Over at the Jersey shore that day, Mags Crilley completed in the NJ Devil Xterra, in Barnegat, NJ. This race included a ½ mile swim (in chilly lake temps!), 13 mile mountain bike and 3½ mile trail run. Mags showed her training diversity paid off by rocking the race finishing 1st in her age group and 6th overall female – with no visible blood, her usual trademark.

WWR hits the presses! The Newark Post did a great story on the shop and the team in the April 20th issue. Read it here… http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/article_3868e3fc-8a43-11e1-ad7f-001a4b cf887a.html. The picture with the article is our first MASS season Grassroots Championship podium shot – what a handsome group!!

March 2012

After a winter of indoor trainers, spin classes, icy trails, frigid road rides and countless urban rides through the parks, streets and cobblestones of Wilmington, Wooden Wheels racers are ready to put away the winter gear and punch into the race season.

First to kick it off was Will Neide who rocked a St. Patrick’s Day race: the AFC Sugar Hill cross-country mountain bike race in Patapsco, MD. The course Will faced was 23 miles with 3,000 feet of climbing – a major undertaking on a single speed! Will’s hard work training over the winter paid off with a 5th place out of 29 racers in the Men’s Single Speed class. Way to start the season, Will!

February 2012

The 2012 Wooden Wheels Racing kits have arrived! This is just what we needed to heat up the racing juices in these dark, dreary, cold winter days. The 2012 kits retain the traditional black, blue and yellow Wooden Wheels color scheme. Proudly displayed are the logos of our Sponsors: Wooden Wheels bike shop, PowerBar, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Tifosi, Cannondale and Specialized. We are excited to represent our sponsors and appreciate their support of our training and racing goals. This year Powerbar was added to our list of sponsors; and as great nutrition is key to successful training and racing, we are psyched to have their support. BRING ON THE RACING!

Wooden Wheels Racing

Wooden Wheels Racing is boasting a 29 member team for 2013.  Racers will be competing in Cat 1 through Cat 1 through Cat 5 in mountain, road and cyclocross races. We are proudly supported by our flagship sponsor Wooden Wheels Bike Shop, with locations in Newark and Wilmington, Delaware. We also are sponsored by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, PowerBar, Cannondale, Mavic and Tifosi. 

Check our our Archive links to the right for what we've been up to. 

WWR MASS Championship Trophies

2011 Mid-Atlantic Super Series Grassroots Championship