Tag Archives: marlee dixon

Moab Rocks: Stage 1

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Canadians Geoff Kabush and Catherine Pendrel Take Stage 1 at Moab Rocks

Written by: Shannon Boffeli and Marlee Dixon

After a year hiatus, the Moab Rocks stage race made a triumphant return to the race schedule. Organizers made the switch from the usual October date to March with great success. This year the fields ballooned from just 70 to 80 riders to a fully sold-out 150 riders.

The full field was a buzz on the start line rolling out from downtown Moab and heading out Sand Flats road past the famed Slickrock trail before cresting the climb up to the Upper Porcupine Singletrack and descending the way back down to the finish. Riders were challenged by about 4,200 feet of climbing, almost all of which was in the first hour-long climb, and 27 miles of riding on one of the most iconic trails in all of Moab.

Taylor Lideen descending Porcupine Rim.

Open Men

Racers started at 8:30am with a mass start rolling through town and out Sand Flats road. The first selection started early with about 30 riders staying together past Slickrock trail. Slowly the pack thinned as they passed Lower Porcupine hitting the steepest slopes just after. Nick Gould (Ska Brewing/Zia Tacoria) and Payson McElveen (RideBiker) started to dial it up, pulling Geoff Kabush (Scott), Taylor Lideen (Pivot/Industry Nine/Infinit), Justin Lindine (Apex/NBX),  Chris Baddick (Boulder Cyclesport), and Ben Sonntag (Team Clif Bar).

This group of four took control of things up front with Kabush eventually putting some sunlight between himself and the three chasers just before the singletrack started.

Now on the Upper Porcupine descent Lideen took up lead chasing duties finally bridging the gap to Kabush who had to stop for a dropped chain. Shortly after, Chris Baddick flatted, ending his shot at a race win.

Once again the group of four descended the hard-pounding drops of Lower Porcupine. Almost in sight of the finish it was Lideen’s chance to drop his chain producing the final selection of the day as the three leaders stayed wheel-to-wheel until the finish line.

In the end Kabush crossed first followed by Sonntag and Lindine. Lideen regrouped to finish fourth.

Almost without exception all riders enjoyed the day riding classic Moab trails. As usual Porcupine Rim produced enough carnage to end some rider’s day and pushing everyone to their limit.

Stage 1 winner Geoff Kabush

Open Women

There was a fast group of female racers at the start line for Moab Rocks this year including Canadian and American Olympians Catherine Pendrel (Luna) and Lea Davison (Luna).

Once past the neutral roll out the women started to spread out with Pendrel, and Jena Greaser taking the lead.

Not far behind were a handful of strong women all racing close to each other pushing hard up the 15-mile climb.

The road includes some rolling sections at the beginning and not too far into it Marlee Dixon (Pivot/DNA Cycling) caught Pendrel and Greaser.

The three of them climbed together for most of the road with Dixon making a move to the front in the second half.  Pendrel caught up and rode with her and Jena right behind.

Once off the main road climb, Dixon tried to widen her gap on the singletrack, losing her chain twice, she was caught by Jena Greaser.

However, being unfamiliar with the course, Jena was off her bike and Dixon again moved into the lead.

Porcupine Rim is a technical, pedally descent going from smooth dirt to sand to gnarly rocks to drops.

Pendrel passed Jenna not too far into the descent and then five miles from the finish caught and passed Dixon as Dixon endo’ed over her bike.

Pendrel took the win; showing her strong technical skills and speed on the most technical stage of the race.

Stage 1 starts with a long road climb testing racers fitness then moves into a rocky, chundry descent where anything can happen.  For racers this is probably one of the most technical trails to race on.

For stage 1, Pendrel took the win, followed by Dixon and then Greaser.  For the 3 day overall, Pendrel is only racing one day so Dixon takes the overall followed by Jena Greaser and Maghalie Rochette (Luna) in 3rd.

Sparky Moir Sears (Pivot) finished fourth followed by Jenny Smith (Kenda/NoTubes) in fifth.

Tomorrow’s stage changes things up with more trail and a hefty dose of slickrock as riders tackle the Klondike Bluffs trail area with another 27 miles and just 2,800 feet of climbing.

Check in tomorrow for full coverage on MTB Race News.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Singletrack 6 MTB Stage Race – Fernie, BC

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Rotem Ishay and Kate Aardal Take the Early Lead at Singletrack 6

Written by: Marlee Dixon

Singletrack 6, a six-day stage race in British Columbia, started today in sunny downtown Fernie.  Known for having one of the biggest and most extensive single track trail networks, Fernie seems to have mountain bike trails everywhere.  It’s a small, friendly mountain town with a fun downtown and the gorgeous Canadian Rockies rising all around. Singletrack 6 includes two stages in Fernie followed by one stage in Cranbrook, one stage in Kimberley and two stages in Golden. The route for Singletrack 6 changes every year and this is the first year it has included Fernie.

Today’s ride rolled out at 8am from the downtown area behind a fire truck. Not long after the neutral start, all 300+ racers were pushing hard to get into position before the start of the first section of trail.

Once the singletrack started it didn’t stop; racers climbed Hyperventilation then descended the timed enduro descent Hyper-extension. Next it was on to other great trails including the new Kush and Kushier followed by the Coal Discovery trail, up Sidewinder, Eric’s trail and down Kids Stuff to the finish.

On and off rain on Friday made for some great conditions on course accompanied by a cool sunny morning made for ideal race conditions.  Only 20 miles of racing, you might think this race would be a breeze, but it’s not. The course is almost completely one-track with a whopping 4900’ of elevation gain. The ascents are challenging with some roots, steep punchy climbs and technical areas. The descents and winding areas are also steep in sections, with roots and technical features. Todays course was a great test of racer’s overall bike handling skills, fitness and strength with the fastest course time averaging ~10 mph.

For the pro men Rotem Ishay (Jamis Bikes) pulled away from the pro field before the first singletrack and rode alone the entire race despite a broken derailleur hanger.  He won the stage in a time of 1:59:38. In 2nd was Mattieu Belanger-Barrette (Pivot Cycles) in a time of 2:04:09 and in 3rd was Andreas Hartmann (Rocky Mountain Factory team).

For the women Kate Aardal (Ridleys Cycle), the 2014 and 2015 Singletrack 6 winner, won the first stage in a time of 2:23:41. She was in the lead from the start and won both the timed descent and the stage.  Right behind her was Sonya Looney (FreakShow/Defeet) in a time of 2:24:18 followed in 3rd by Kim Hurst (Niner NZ) 2:28:20.

Stage 1 of Singletrack 6 was a great introduction to the extensive, fun, and challenging riding that takes you up to stunning mountain vistas, descending through pitch-dark giant forests, on classic trails and cool new singletrack in a beautiful mountain setting.

Check back tomorrow for Stage 2 results, photos and report as racers head over to Fernie Mountain Resort and Mount Fernie Provincial Park for 21 miles of steep ascents and descents.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Mohican 100 (NUE) – Full Report & Results

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Christian Tanguy and Linda Shin Win in Loudonville

Written by: Marlee Dixon

The Mohican 100 is the third NUE (National Ultra Endurance) race in the series. Driving 22 hours from Breckenridge, I was excited when we finally arrived in the rural town of Loudonville, Ohio, for the race. It’s a beautiful little town full of rolling green fields, farms, and a small friendly town center. The race venue is a large campground filled with campsites, cabins, a pond and lake, a swimming pool and everything that would remind you of being at summer camp. We arrived Thursday evening to a quiet campground filled with humid air, hazy green rolling hills and abundant green vegetation. The quietness was short-lived and by the next day the campground had filled with some of the 700+ racers making it feel like summer camp for bike racers.

The Mohican 100 starts at 7:00am from downtown Loudonville. The course consists of over 60% singletrack and less than 40% road/double track. At the start, all 700+ racers in the 100-mile race and 100K race start together. It’s an immediate hill climb out of town that helps to spread out the racers then a few miles of road before the singletrack starts.

The first 20 miles or so are mostly all one track up and down through large forests. It’s fun, gorgeous riding unlike any riding I’ve done in the West; pedaling through spacious old forests with tall trees, ferns, and so much moisture in the air. The singletrack ascends and descends quickly with very few flat areas, crossing roads briefly only to connect with more singletrack. After aid station 1, there are some short road sections, up and down hills, past old white farms with bright green pastures. The course continues through private property single and double track, on to rolling back-roads until about mile 55 when you reach the 10-12 mile railroad-grade road. Then it’s back on a mixture of singletrack, roads and dirt double track.

For the men’s Open field 153 men lined up for the 100-mile event. The winner, Christian Tanguy (Rare Disease Cycling), said it was a larger pack of men out in the front throughout the race. By about mile 76, humidity/heat and other factors had left the front pack down to around five men. Not long after Tanguy made a push to break away up a steep climb, saw no one was with him and went for it. At one point he looked back and saw someone was fast approaching him from behind. It was Keck Baker (ChampsSys/Cannondale). Keck caught him but Tanguy was able to gain the lead again on one of the final singletrack ascents and claim his second win in a row at the Mohican 100.

For the women’s 100-mile race there were 20 women at the start. I had the lead from the start and remained in the lead until aid station 4 at mile 76 where I saw Brenda Simril (Motormile Racing) come in right behind me. I tried to push it to keep my lead but I had been struggling for a while at that point. Around mile 80, Linda Shin (Blacksmith Cycles) caught up to me and from there we rode together for a few miles. I was able to keep up with Linda, who was riding strong at that point, but I took a bad crash while trying to gain time on a loose descent and Linda pulled ahead. At that point I felt like I was in complete survival mode, knowing that Brenda was close behind. Less than a mile out of the finish, I had another bad crash, tearing up my shorts and getting a hematoma on my thigh, at which point, Brenda passed me. At this stage in the race, I was just so incredibly relieved to be finished. The Mohican 100 is a hard race full of short ascents and descents, some technical singletrack, steep climbs, and over 10,000 feet of climbing.

But on the long drive home, all I could think about was how to train to be faster and more prepared for next year. The race venue- a mini mountain bikers summer camp – was beautiful and convenient, the town and people were welcoming and friendly, the racecourse was one huge challenging loop full of awesome singletrack and beautiful back roads, the aid stations were fully stocked with well prepared and helpful volunteers and the after party was just what every race should be – a fun atmosphere with good food, great beer, laughter, and friendly company.

The Mohican 100 is part of the National Ultra Endurance Race Series. The NUE Series is dedicated to providing a level playing field for ALL, Professionals and Amateurs alike and consists of fourteen races across the US and one in Costa Rica. The winner in the men’s and women’s Open, men’s Single Speed and men’s Masters 50+ receive a final cash payout, free entry into the following year’s NUE races and an all-expense paid trip to race the  LaRuta de los Conquistadores stage race in November.

Results

Open Women

1 Linda Shin Blacksmith Cycle 8:59:35
2 brenda simril Motor Mile Racing 9:01:06
3 Marlee Dixon  Pivot/Epic Brewing 9:01:15
4 Simona Vincenciova Hammer Nutrition 9:34:01
5 Kathleen Lysakowski Cycle Lodge 10:02:34
6 Jennifer Malik Lady Gnar Shredders 10:03:42
7 Emily Korsch Team Noah Foundation 10:12:19
8 Jennifer Tillman Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 10:13:17
9 Christin Reuter Family Bike 10:24:53
10 Vickie Monahan Team ERRACE p/b DSO Manufacturing 10:41:11
11 Jill Martindale Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. 11:12:08
12 Jessica Tomazic Team Bicycle Hub 11:23:13
13 Kathleen Sheehan Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 11:30:30
14 Sarah Temby RBS Cycling Team 11:37:47
15 Heidi Coulter Lady Gnar Shedders 12:16:42
16 Dana Meske RBS Cycling Team/Vanderkitten 12:52:00
17 Anne Gray Pop-a-cap 12:57:55
18 Kathy Judson Joes’s bike shop racing team/gmsv 13:12:45

Open Men

1 Christian Tanguy Rare Disease Cycling 7:10:03
2 Keck Baker ChampSys/Cannondale p/b Battley Harley 7:11:05
3 Brian Schworm Think Green-Pedal the Planet p/b SWORD 7:13:40
4 Dylan Johnson Scott Pro mtb team 7:16:13
5 Anthony Grinnell Specialized Bicycles & Components, DirtyHarrys.net, Highland Training, SWORD Hydration 7:39:40
6 Dereck Treadwell Dr Naylor-PBMracing 7:42:49
7 Ronald Catlin RBS TREK CYClING 7:43:32
8 josh tostado santa cruz, swiftwick, shimano 7:48:18
9 John Petrylak Bike Factory Elite/Ergon/Industry Nine 7:50:03
10 Shawn Hall Piney Flats Bikes and Fitness 7:50:45
11 Jorden Wakeley Quiring Cycles 7:51:14
12 Michael Danish 8:01:39
13 Gordon Wadsworth Blue Ridge Cyclery 8:16:06
14 Joe Johnston 8:16:28
15 Dan Kotwicki RBS Cycling Team 8:17:11
16 Tim Carleton The 11 Inc / Pearl Izumi 8:18:08
17 Nathaniel Cornelius Think Green-Pedal the Planet 8:19:06
18 Brian Roggeveen Momentum Racing 8:20:29
19 Kelly Sugg RBS Cycling Team 8:20:52
20 Stewart Staton Plum Grove Cyclery 8:21:59
21 Scott Morman Stark Velo 8:23:14
22 Ian Stanford Ally’s Bar// Habitat 8:26:32
23 Andy Rhodes North mountain woodworks/ black dog bikes 8:31:51
24 A. Zane Wenzel Horst Engineering Cycling Team 8:36:50
25 Joe Fraas West Liberty Cycles/ Maxxis Tires 8:38:23
26 Tony Mellott Backroom Coffee Roasters/ Trek Store of Columbus 8:42:22
27 Joshua Martin Cliff Bar, Rotor USA, Podium Performace Training 8:43:37
28 Ryan Heerschap Cycle Craft/Bulldogs 8:44:12
29 John Proppe Lake Effect Racing 8:45:02
30 Cory Rimmer Nox Composites / Kona Bikes / Provision Sports 8:47:38
31 Chris Lane Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 8:49:57
32 brian mountjoy Think green Toyota sword pedal planet 8:50:26
33 Joe McDaniel Team Lake Effect 8:52:30
34 Lorenzo Serra Pawling Cycle & Sport 8:52:49
35 Ed Serrat Cycletherapy Racing 8:57:10
36 Emilio Brenes Jimenez Rincon de La Vieja Challenge Mixuac Team 8:57:47
37 scott warren Bicycle Depot 8:59:50
38 Robert Koblinsky Bspoke Athletics 9:04:45
39 Austin Francescone Trek Store Columbus 9:06:01
40 Tyler Trask Transition Rack/Mavic/Zeal Optics 9:07:38
41 Christopher Brechbill Got Chocolate Milk? 9:08:02
42 Tom Stritzinger 9:09:12
43 Ryan Burnette 9:11:28
44 Kevin Campbell Spokes-n-Skis 9:13:08
45 Evan Huff BikeReg.com 9:13:19
46 Colin Reuter crossresults.com 9:16:14
47 Greg Whitney Arrow Racing 9:17:23
48 Michael Gottfried Trek Store Cincinnati 9:18:49
49 Cary Fridrich JRA CYCLES 9:19:49
50 Jamie Knowlton 9:22:30
51 Matthew Kesecker CAMBO/Wolf Tooth Components/Hammer Nutrition/Blue Ridge Cyclery p/b Reynolds GM/Subaru 9:22:45
52 Michael Banks The Edge Outdoors 9:28:47
53 Thomas Novitsky RACING GREYHOUNDS 9:29:05
54 Jason Rassi Little Ades Team Goose Island 312 9:29:41
55 Bradley Smith Ride On Cycling Team 9:29:45
56 Keith Tarter 9:30:11
57 Brad Hawk Hammer Nutrition / Twin 6 / Bikenetic 9:32:42
58 Ken Krebs 9:33:32
59 Andrew Lysaght B2C2 p/b Boloco 9:34:46
60 Jack Iacoboni Jr LTD4 Life/ No Teeth 9:39:31
61 Charles Moore Orange Krush Cycling Club/ Cycletherapy 9:41:11
62 Dan Marshall XCMarathon.com 9:42:05
63 Mathieu Sertorio Triatlo Jovent 79 9:42:58
64 Jonathan Kloppenburg Spidermonkey Cycling 9:56:25
65 Christopher R. Chartier BikeFix 9:58:02
66 Jerico Slavin FAMBE 10:00:16
67 Chris Bryce Wolfpack/ Dark Horse 10:01:27
68 Alex Hashem 10:02:48
69 SAMUEL GEZAHEGN 10:02:51
70 Christopher Arndt Paradise Garage Racing 10:09:06
71 peyton randolph 10:09:40
72 Peter Bradshaw MAD ALCHEMY / VERGE RIDER COOPERATIVE 10:10:44
73 Philip Schiller Team E.R.P. 10:18:29
74 christopher seeley off camber cycling/ River’s Bend Cycles 10:19:38
75 Shane Pasley Rare Disease Cycling 10:20:03
76 Tyler Keuning Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. 10:24:19
77 Rob Hillyard Southtowns Line & Wiquor 10:24:41
78 Mike Loranty 10:24:42
79 Hunter Stoneking Portage Cyclery/Patriot Phoenix Foundation 10:26:09
80 Alex Tenelshof Village Bike & Fitness 10:28:11
81 Tres Riley Adventures for the Cure 10:28:29
82 Jason Sparks RACING GREYHOUNDS 10:32:20
83 Rodney Reed AOA 10:35:03
84 Mathieu Desrosiers 10:37:23
85 Todd Bowden Trek Cyclocross Collective, Aetna Expowheelmen 10:41:12
86 Ryan Sarka 10:44:51
87 Jon Nable Hup United 10:50:30
88 Grant Cunningham KCV Cycling – Racing for Riley 10:57:18
89 Ron Scherff Fat Head’s Brewery 11:04:01
90 Felbert Edrada J&R ski and cycle 11:05:47
91 Jay Morrison Grand Rapids Bicylce Company & Twin Six 11:11:53
92 Rob Mitzel Team E.R.P. 11:15:46
93 Allen Loy Paradise Garage Racing 11:16:56
94 paul karle Montgomery Cyclery/queen city wheels 11:17:21
95 Mike Tobin Ride 2 Recovery 11:18:07
96 Christopher Davis Stanky Creek Cycling 11:24:21
97 Brandon Render 11:50:18
98 Chris Karpowicz 765 Racing/ Hammer Nutrition 12:05:11
99 John Percassi J+D 12:22:44
100 Christopher Barkow Cheese Sammich 12:23:18
101 Lee Wittekind Marietta adventure company 12:23:49
102 Jason Ottinger Guardian Automotive 12:26:05
103 Mark Edwards Wheel Team 6 12:27:00
104 Brian Wahl Team Bicycle Hub 12:28:10
105 jeff mozer 12:41:01
106 Christopher Crofford 4-Play 12:41:43
107 Jaroslaw Kowal 12:52:37
108 Jim Gianoglio 12:55:27
109 Jason Clipse Wheel Team 6 12:55:34
110 Matt Simpson Wheel Team 6 12:55:34
111 Dennis Kavish Mountain Goat 12:57:17
112 Mark Shellhamer 13:15:40
113 chad doellman 13:25:54
114 Kurt Molter 13:26:35
115 shawn duffy Base TriFitness 14:04:08
116 Donald Wieburg Little Ade’s Team Goose Island 312 14:24:53
117 Scott Lang 14:25:18

Singlespeed

1 Bob Moss Farnsworth Bicycles/Crank Arm Brewing/Torrenti Cycles 8:07:49
2 peat henry Team Noah Foundation, 8:11:53
3 Will Crissman B2C2 p/b Boloco 8:14:41
4 Merwin Davis pathfinder of wv 8:24:30
5 James Litzinger Specialized Bicyles & Components, DirtyHarrys.net, Highland Training, SWORD Hydration. 8:25:16
6 Brian Patton US Military Endurance Sports 8:27:48
7 jason pruitt Peoples Brewing, Hodson Bay, CRC, LAS 8:28:55
8 trevor grant bicycle depot 8:39:52
9 Donald Powers Pro Bikes 8:42:50
10 Ernesto Marenchin Pivot Cycles, Twin 6, WAS Labs 8:44:08
11 Mike Bernhard Twin Six METAL 8:46:06
12 Igor Danko 8:54:18
13 Trever Kingsbury NCCS Derailed CoOp-Crankbrothers-Lazer-First Endurance-ProGold-DeFeet 8:59:35
14 Bob Sowga Paradise Garage Racing 9:01:22
15 Mike Cordaro Dirty Harry’s / Answer Products 9:05:55
16 Tim Anderson Faster Mustache 9:29:03
17 Joseph Stroz Stroz Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, P.C. 9:43:38
18 Duncan Sinclair Trestle Bridge Racing 9:50:03
19 Jon Dub-Nine Twin Six/ESI Grips/Carborocket/Tiremaniacs/TOGS 9:50:29
20 matthew hellmers Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 9:58:11
21 Chris Hays Toasted Head Racing 10:01:25
22 Stanley Skotnicki 10:24:40
23 Jeff Wass Team Dayton Cycling 12:03:05
24 Scott Dennis Pop-a-cap 12:18:56
25 David Spurlock Roll: 12:35:04

Master’s 50+ Men

1 Roger Masse Rare Disease Cycling 8:17:12
2 Jeff Clayton Super Sport Athletic Wear 8:28:28
3 Dave Jolin Stark Velo 8:37:28
4 Mark Donakowski RACING GREYHOUNDS 8:47:38
5 Tom Kruse Cycle Craft/Bulldogs 8:57:45
6 lee simril Motor Mile Racing 9:01:10
7 Chris Torrance RACING GREYHOUNDS 9:14:16
8 Terry Blanchet NAV – North American Velo 9:29:00
9 Alan Miner Banks Bikes 9:33:36
10 Jim Miller Kelly Benefits Strategies / LSV 9:36:45
11 anthony hergert Rescue Racing p/b Reality Bikes 9:42:53
12 Alain Simard 9:53:26
13 Roman Urbina La Ruta LandRover 10:22:44
14 Brent Harlos Peoples Brewery 10:23:04
15 David Grauer orthopro, Boulder Bone and Joint 10:50:11
16 Donald Newman 11:02:23
17 Tony Papandrea Team Truth 11:21:49
18 Rich Doubledee RedBike 11:50:18
19 Brian Parr TMR 11:58:42
20 Don Rice CCB Racing 11:59:44
21 Jeff Wrataric 13:02:48
22 Mark Sullivan Joe’s Bike Shop Race Team 13:12:45
23 Ralph Keller 13:33:04
24 Fernando Gurdièu Astuis 13:33:04
25 Mark Jones Orrville Cycling Club 14:02:47

Marlee Dixon’s True Grit Epic Race Blog 2015

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Looking back on my first race of the season, The True Grit Epic, I am psyched for mountain biking and racing this year.   The True Grit Epic, a 50 mile or 100 mile mountain bike race set in St. George, Utah, is  a challenging course with a little bit of everything – from tough climbs to fast and flowy descents to some technical sections.  It’s an early season race and for some people it’s one of the first times of the year we’re back riding our bikes on dirt.  After road riding, trainer rides, spin classes, etc, this race will get you excited about mountain biking again.

Even though my race didn't go well I enjoyed being in the desert of southern Utah and riding dirt with friends

Even though my race didn’t go well I enjoyed being in the desert of southern Utah and riding dirt with friends

Coming from the snowy cold Rockies to camping with friends in the warm desert to racing awesome trails to hanging out with my feet up in some elevated legs at the awards ceremony in downtown Santa Clara, this race has it all- a great atmosphere and a fun challenging course.  I’m looking forward to racing it again.

We had a blast on the Hurricane Rim trail Sunday after my stomach recovered from the True Grit effort

We had a blast on the Hurricane Rim trail Sunday after my stomach recovered from the True Grit effort