2WT Road Trip to Ray’s Indoor Bike Park was a smash success!

4 01 2009

8 of us left early Sunday morning the 28th and braved treacherous conditions to head to Clevend, Ohio for 2 days of fun at Ray’s Indoor Bike Park.  For 6 of the group it was the first time to Ray’s, and it didn’t disappoint.  Over 100,000 square feet of space filled with every kind of riding challenge kept us busy both days.  WE HAD A BLAST, AND WE ARE GOING BACK!  Stay posted for dates in February and late March / early April.

Here are some highlight pics from the trip.





Road trip to Ray’s indoor mountain bike park – December 28 and 29, 2008

12 12 2008
Railing a berm at Ray's

Railing a berm at Ray's

By request, I’ve moved the date for the Ray’s trip to Christmas break.  I’ve also reduced the cost of the trip!  Here are the details:
 
Depart at 7 AM Sunday December 28th.  Arrive at Ray’s around 2:30 PM for a full afternoon and evening of riding (they are open till 10 PM).
Ride Monday December 29 from 9 AM till mid-day.  Depart Ray’s around 2 PM or so and return to TC around 9:30 PM.
 
Cost will be a maximum of $70 for transportation, lodging, and pizza at the park Saturday night.  Park entrance fees are $39 for the 2 days so the GRAND TOTAL will be around $109
Cost will go down as more attend, but fluctuate a little based on hotel room occupancy.
All bikes will travel inside – protected from the weather (either in the van or in an enclosed trailer)
Lodging is at a Holiday Inn near the park, with free shuttle to and from Ray’s.
I have room for 10 in my vehicle, and need a minimum of 6 to go.  There is a lot of interest so please RSVP ASAP to secure your spot.  $30 deposit will be required by December 22.  RSVP at tcbigadventures@gmail.com
 
I will offer instruction if it is desired.  Please let me know.

Some of the expert level challenges at Ray's
Ray’s indoor mountain bike park is an absolutely amazing place.  Over 100,000 square feet of old World War II factory building filled with every kind of challenge for bikers: from an entire room designed specifically to help beginners progress, all the way to monster jumps and a foam pit where the experts practice their backflips – Ray’s has it, and everything in between (including an indoor cross country loop that goes up into the rafters over other parts of the park)!  This is the premier indoor bike park in the world for mountain bike riders.  Check out www.raysmtb.com for more info and some photos.





The quest to ride indoors begins!

25 11 2008

The white stuff is on the ground and looks like it will stay for awhile. Turnout was great all season, and we didn’t miss a Tuesday until last week. I had a blast. I hope you did too.

Many have expressed interest in continuing to ride this winter. I am actively looking for a building that we can use to ride indoors. If any of you know of an empty warehouse style building or garage that might be a possibility please let me know. Get in touch with me if you know of any one who may be beneficial to contact as I search for a building. I will keep this group informed if I am successful.

Regards!

Jonathan





2008 Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race – A spectator’s view

9 11 2008

After threats of nasty weather it actually turned out to be a great day for the Iceman Cometh mountain bike race.  Temps around 40, and just a light mist of rain occassionally.  I chose to watch from a dual sport motorcycle which gave me the ability to access many points where the race course crosses 2 tracks or power lines. 

I caught the Slush Cup racers in the morning and saw many friends out having a great time.  2 Wheel Tuesday riders Clay and Max were looking good!  In the expert classes I watched for awhile at about the 2 miles to-go point.  With so many racers it was work to pick out those that I knew 🙂   It appeared that the first single speed racer had a dominant lead, as well as the first tandem bike.

I wanted to catch the pro racers in multiple spots so I headed out to Kalkaska before the start.  I caught them in the woods about 3 minutes into the race, then had to hustle to stay in front of them as I paralleled the race on dirt roads and 2 tracks.  I  took some footage of the lead group at each spot, and it was pretty cool to see the race develop. 

I’ve posted the vids up on youtube.  Here’s one where the course crosses Sand Lake Road about 5 minutes before Williamsburg Road.  A solo rider has a 23 second break here, I think it is Brian Matter, but am not sure.  I was amazed that 10 minutes later the break was absorbed.

I dumped the moto in deep sand close to The Wall and got behind the lead group so I hustled to “Icebreaker Hill” about 2 miles out from the finish.  A large contingent of local cyclists were hanging out and waiting for the pros.  After the lead moto passed we were amazed to see the lead group STILL INTACT with less than 2 miles to go!  My camera was full so I didn’t get footage – bummer 😦 

Oh, to be able to jump on the moto and follow them in to see how the last 2 miles played out!  I bet it was a wild finish.  I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the race.