Fall has landed and some Groovy racing info...

The leaves are turning vibrant colors, it's raining a lot, and the temperature suddenly fell from the high 70's to a bone chilling 50's overnight...didn't seem like there was any transition to the season this month.
With the daylight getting shorter, so to is the race season. Last Sunday marked the Westbranch OMBC cross country race. Kalten and Jeff both competed in the rocky, wet 10 mile loop; Jeff and the experts doing a tiring 3 laps, Kalten and the novice group just succumbing to one circuit.

The race was a bit leaner on participants than I expected, but then again, it is cyclocross season now ;) ... Jeff in the red at the start...

Kalten in the same position in white racing the 18 and under class...

Gotta get some Groovy kit designed up for next season, just need to carve out some time somewhere. Hmmm...maybe a contest and let you folks walk away with something cool?

Back to the race...

The course was very slick, with multiple wooden bridge crossings causing some issues for almost all the racers. The course did improve throughout the day, as the sun and blue skies reigned with a gentle wind drying off the open sections.

I tried hard to ride around the course to get some photos and cheer everybody on as this was the first race I've attended this season that I did not help with. Just missed Jeff every time I got to a spectator point, but was able to catch Kalten flying the Groovy colors in a few spots...

All said and done, Jeff took home 3rd in the expert class (first single speed) and Kalten took second in the under 18 novice class (first single speed)...not bad for a day that did not dawn well for race conditions. In the end, whether you raced or not, there was a fine layer of mud over most of your exposed flesh, a nice way to blend in with the falling leaves and wet trail.

We finished up the day with a shop trip to Kasai for a little sushi. Jeff was a lot of fun to have along, as he was definitly expanding his horizons a bit with the menu :) Super competition, good friends and family, and a bit of raw fish make for a great day.

RACE TEAM UPDATE

Christi and I have been doing some soul searching on what we would like to do for sponsorship in the future. Groovy has always had a better international/national market than local as it's easier to find folks who are of like minded thinking when you draw from a larger group. We would like to be committed to the regional grass roots movement though, as I've always felt it was important to give back to and improve your community. So with that in mind, we are looking to expand our involvement in the coming years in two ways;

- continued sponsorship of the local race series, trail building, and advocacy

- expansion of the race team

If you are a regional racer and would like an opportunity to be an advocate for mountain biking and a representative of a small custom shop, I'd like to hear from you.

Who are we looking for? Simply put, I'd like folks that I'd call friends...folks that are of good spirit, who value honesty and cooperation, are enthusiastic about sharing their love of the sport, and are willing to be ambassadors not only for Groovy but for the local scene in general. So, if you think you fit the bill, enjoy a race family atmosphere with a fun vibe, drop me a email at rody@groovycycleworks.com and tell me a bit about yourself.

We are looking to add three racers to the Groovy family. The sponsorship package will include hardgoods, apparel, and an allowance for race entries. Details will be sent out once we see what the response looks like.

Anyhoo, thanks for hanging out with us this season. One more race to go, October 12 at Mohican Forest. Hope to see y'all all again out on the trails soon.

rody