Faces of Races

The 2008 Ohiopyle Falls Festival

2011-08-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

Summary of post

Spencer and two hundred other boaters go over the Ohiopyle Falls in one of the biggest whitewater events in the USA. Nobody dies.

A terrifying fall

Going over an 18 foot waterfall at the Falls Race in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is as good an excuse as any for peeing in your pants. Why would anyone in their right mind want to do it? The frothing, churning waters at the bottom of the drop look rabidly angry. There's a punishing hydraulic that sucks you in and whirls you around and around under the water. There's also an undercut that could trap and hold you underwater... indefinitely...

Somebody's gotta do it

The only time boaters can legally go over the Falls is

during this annual event. At least eight safety and rescue crew (mostly volunteers) must be on standby, and EMTs ready. Spence ran into a kayaking buddy, Alan, who had been completely trashed going over the Falls a little while earlier. Alan is an experienced kayaker, but somehow lost his line, went over the horseshoe (bad) instead of the tongue (ideal) part of the Falls, and was pummeled underwater for nearly 2 minutes. The nasty contusion on his foot was the only physical evidence of his traumatizing encounter with the Force of Nature - the emotional and psychological effects would run far deeper. "This was the first time in my life that I have been truly afraid"... "I was flailed around like a rag doll, my face was literally on the bottom of the river".

Listening to Alan's harrowing experience did nothing to help Spencer's nerves.

But, somebody's gotta do it (right?).

Blow-by-blow account of the Falls run

Spence waits in line with other boaters at the put-in point. He's only doing the practice runs, not taking part in the race (competition).

There are a few Class III rapids before the 18 foot Class V drop. It's a nice warm-up for Spence.

He approaches the Falls carefully, taking his time to select the best line. The 'tongue' gives the greatest clearance, and he needs to direct his kayak on it. He looks tiny compared with the HUGE waterfall.

He "boofs" off the Falls perfectly...

He all but disappears into the frothing waters below...

Paddling ferociously, he fights his way out of the inhuman pull of the hydraulic. He made it!

Winding down at the carpark with Dad...

The Falls don't look quite as threatening from further downstream, where the waters are calm.

To top it off Spence and I did the very popular (with boaters and rafters) 'Loop' in our awesome NRS tandem inflatable Bandit kayak. This 24 lb bad boy has been all the way across the world with us - we paddled the Kilim Mangroves, Langkawi, Malaysia with it, and also the Gopeng River (with Nomad Adventure, a great outdoor adventure company based in Selangor).

P.S. Hey it would be great if you could click on any ad here and I'll get 1 cent per click, from the advertisers. Thanks!

Ninth Annual Subaru 24 Hour Champion Challenge 2008

2011-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Summary of post

Thrills and spills... guts and glory... pushing and breaking the limits of human endurance in a 24-hour mountain bike relay race at Seven Springs Resort, PA.

(The pic above taken by Mark Dempster)

The Race

Over 300 men and women, in teams, duo or solo, tested their mettle mountain-biking repeatedly on a punishing 12-mile course this past Labor Day weekend. The aim was to complete as many laps as possible within 24 hours, which meant riding in the night. That's right - d-a-r-k. The course has a tight, twisty single-track through the woods, some extremely technical barely walkable 'rock garden' sections and a long, steep, uphill, heart-attack-inducing climb.

Why do it?

Spencer Clark (Team Buffalo Riders I): "It's the Woodstock of Mtn Biking, man".

Mark Dempster (Team Buffalo Riders II): "This is my Christmas!"

Joe Ruggery (Veteran Cyclist, Solo): 24 Hours for Tom (a fundraiser).

Grace: "Dunno... I think I'll go pick some blackberries".

From the viewpoint of a non-mountain-biker, I'll say this: The 24 Hour Race is one huge party. It's hard not to get caught up in the festivities that celebrate the riders, the teams and their supporters. I immersed myself in the friendly camraderie, took in and took photos of everyone and everything, and had an awesome time.

Five star accommodations

A small metropolis came up overnight on the grounds of the Seven Spring Resort. Seven Springs is actually a ski resort that dabbles in hosting other outdoor activities such as this mountain bike race when there's no snow on the slopes.

Pre-Race

Our two teams (Buffalo Riders I & II) were extremely well set up.

There was food.

There was a bike repair station.

There was our massage therapist Jessica.

There was Stacy, our mascot.

There was even a special emergency response team for assistance putting in contact lenses.

The Beginning

At the starting line, the tension and excitement were palpable, could almost taste it. Go! (The racers run a lap around the lake before getting to their bikes.)

During the Race

Ariana and Courtney got busy advertising Jessica's massage therapy services.

Throughout the race, many people sought Jessica's healing touch.

Even Stacy did ("The only part of me that doesn't hurt is my head... oh wait... I don't have one")

I managed to get a couple of shots at the crazy downhill and insane uphill sections (Had to walk and walk to get to these sections).

Saw Spencer off on the night rides too.

In all, most of our racers got in between 3 - 4 laps during the 24 hours (that's 36 - 48 miles). Several crashed at the 'rock gardens', and Spencer had to stop every once in a while to puke during his third (night) lap (food poisoning), but no serious casualties were reported.

What a great way to spend the weekend. See you all next year!

Check out the rest of my photos HERE!

P.S. Hey, it would be great if you could click on any ad here and I'll get 1 cent per click, from the advertisers. Thanks!

14th Jackie Kallal Triathlon 2010 Race Report

2010-06-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

The 14th Jackie Kallal Tri held Saturday 12 June 2010 (yesterday) was a resounding success with a record 137 racers of all ages and walks of life. Forecasted thunderstorms were a no show, instead racers enjoyed a sweltering hot day with temps in the 80s.

There were already hundreds of people milling around Yellow Creek State Park when we rolled in at 8.10 am. Registration was from 7.30 - 8.30 am, so there was ample time for Ben B. to sign up and hand over his forty bucks to Habitat for Humanity. Spencer had pre-registered, so all he needed to do was pick up his race packet, which contained a t-shirt, swim cap, bunch of goodies and race info. Donuts and other breakfast foods (generously donated by various local sponsors) were provided for the racers - Ben grabbed one. Mmmm.

After being branded by a friendly volunteer, we headed over to
the Transition Area by the beach.

The Transition is where frenzied action takes place during the swim-bike and bike-run legs. Spencer found a spot reasonably close to the bike start point and laid down his stuff on a tarp next to his bike. Ben set up next to him. The list of stuff follows: Bike, bike shoes, helmet (compulsory), sunglasses, heart rate monitor, water, recovery drink, gel packs, wet suit, goggles, socks, towel, bandanna, tire pump, spare tube, tool set, running shoes.

Everyone gathered by the beach for a short speech, prayer and singing of the National Anthem. Then the racers arranged themselves by cap color in orderly lines.

Ben and Spencer who were in the 30-34 and 35-39 men's age group, respectively, had saucy green swim caps. They were in the first wave. 'Ready...GO!' The first wave plunged into the 1/2 mile swim with a flurry of ferocious splashes.

Next up, a couple minutes later were the purples, and last were the yellow capped racers. Not long after the last yellow paddled out, the first swimmer, Rebecca, finished her swim leg and sprinted off to the Transition. Go girl! After a bit, the first green-capped mortals beached themselves and took off for the Transition. Spencer was 14th out of the water, and I followed him on the sidelines as he huffed to the Transition for the bike leg. The bike leg is a 9.5 mile closed road bike course that dishes out some killer climbs for the racers' pleasure. He struggled getting his wetsuit off and bike shirt on backwards (oops), put on his socks and bike shoes, helmet, and he was on his way. This was where early birds who snagged transition spots closest to the bike finish point had a wee advantage - racers have to run their bikes to the bike start point, so the closer the better.

I hung around the Transition waiting for Spencer to return, saw Ben off, and took a bunch of photos. Now Ben is a tri-virgin, and swimming isn't really his thing, so I was glad to see that he had gotten his most difficult leg out of the way and could now look forward to having an increasingly wonderful first triathlon. I saw the last swimmer jog into the Transition, change and crank out on her bike. It wasn't long after that that the first cyclist barrelled in. Those in teams had to rack their bikes before their team mate could start on the 3.5 mile running leg.

I saw a bunch of runners off, then made my way to the Finish Line to welcome Spencer and Ben. Ben had made good time on his bike and even better on his run (he does marathons for breakfast). He crossed the finish with a guttural roar, 3rd in his category and 17th overall. Yay Ben! Spencer cruised in shortly after, finishing 7th in his group and 37th overall. Woohoo! It was wonderful watching all the racers cross the finish line. One racer jogged across the finish with his two kids, one tucked under his right arm. Another raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the line - joy shining through the weariness on her face. I wondered what each racers' stories were. Why they raced, how they'd trained, how they felt about all this.

There was a generous spread of baked goods, fruit and warm Gatorade at the Pavilion that racers replenished their expended calories with.

The atmosphere was cosy and friendly and the camraderie was pretty amazing among the racers and everyone there. Families, friends, supporters, volunteers, cheered as the prize winners were called out. The oldest and youngest racer, received a special gift, as with the racer who came all the way from Wisconsin. The prize winners looked happy, everyone looked happy.

In the spirit of the Jackie Kallal Triathlon, I believe everyone who came that day, went home a winner.

For the race results, CLICK HERE (then click on the 'Yellow Creek Triathlon' to download the Word doc).
For some 500 photos of the race, CLICK HERE .

If I get some time I might put together a video of the race, so check back in the next month or so to see if you have a starring role ;) . In the meantime check out my video of the bike-kayak-run Yough Xtreme Adventure Race 2010 to whet your appetite.

Peace

P.S. If this article put a smile on your face or tugged on your heart strings, and you would like to appreciate my time and effort writing it and posting the photos, it would be great if you could click on any ad here and I'll get a few cents per click from the advertisers. Thanks heaps!

Yellow Creek SP Mountain Bike Race Series: #3 May 2010

2010-05-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

In the biggest turn out so far, 27 racers blasted out of the starting blocks for the third race of the season for the bad@ss 10.5 mile YC Grassroots Racing Series 2010. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping...
an all round happy-mood-inducing day.

Even Mr Frog our mascot approved.

Track conditions were a tad slick thanks to heavy rain the day before, which created some wonderful opportunities to wallow in lovely lil' mud-pits.

First to emerge unscatched was Shane G. who snagged the first of 10 prizes up for grabs in the mens category. Anthony C. of the Buffalo Riders cruised in a little later for 2nd spot, with Ben S. (sp?) hot on his heels. In the womens category, Taylor E. of the Buffalo Riders placed fourth in her first mountain bike outing since The Macey.

Notorious (yet innocent-looking), The Macey has been banned from race tracks all over PA and was last seen plotting another gate-crash at the YC SP.

That's it for this race report. Thanks Friends of YC for organizing yet another orrrrsum race and the Sponsors too, especially Indiana Cycles for filling our bellies with tasty hot grub post race. See you at next month's race June 26, 2010!

Official race results will be posted on Ride YC soon. Race format and times also on RideYC.
For some race photos click here (Check back soon for more photos and possibly, the race video!)
For the inaugural race report and race map click here.

Peace.

p.s. Hey it would be great if you could click on any ad here and I"ll get a few cents per click from the advertisers. Thanks!

TeamSOG Yough Xtreme Adventure Race 2010 Race Report & Results

2010-04-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Think you could ride 25+ miles of mountain bike trails with relentless kick@ss climbs and hairy downhills? Could you paddle 9 miles of whitewater with up to class III rapids? Is 20 miles of running/hiking a 'walk in the park' for you? Does a 140' rappel sound like a good time?

How about doing ALL the above in hypothermia-inducing rain, chilled to the bone, with cramping muscles? And do all that in under 10 hours...

If this still sounds like fun, then you probably are one of those 138 folks who did (or attempted!) the 12th Annual Yough Xtreme Adventure Race yesterday (24 April 2010). This multisport event set in the wild and gorgeous
Laurel Highlands, and masterfully produced by Doug Crytzer and his team at American Adventure Sports, is one that gets better every year. This race is killer.

I didn't race it though. I'm merely an observer. I observed my husband as he put down 140 bones for race fees (solo category). I observed him as he excitedly packed for the race from a long list of compulsory items, e.g., ACE bandage, 50' throw rope, helmet. At race check-in on Friday, I looked on as he carefully marked the checkpoints on his map and strategized which trails/routes he would take. On race day, I watched as he gritted his teeth and determinedly slogged from one checkpoint to the next, to the next, and to the next. It was hard to watch at times - like when he would come in drenched and shivering, and I couldn't give him a towel, because this was an 'unsupported' race.

Here are the race maps - one's a pic and the other's a 'moving progress map':

At 8 am sharp, Doug flagged off the racers for a lung-busting 1.4 mile run from the bridge up Great Gorge Trail to the Ohioyple SP Campground Contact Station (a 400 ft elevation gain, gulp). There teams collected their punch cards that would be punched at each checkpoint, and guarded with their lives for the duration of the race. Returning to the transition area, the running shoes were swapped out for bike shoes and the biking began. The first team blazed in at 20 minutes, and the last team ambled in at about 9.15am. Spencer came in at a slow jog at 8.30 am. After watching the last team ride out on their bikes, I took a little nap. It had started raining at 9 am, and kept on until about noon. Good sleeping weather ;).

Transition to CP1: Mtn bike up to the gate where Gas Well Rd intersects Sugarloaf Rd, via either Baughman Tr (1.5 mi steep climb, more direct) or Sugarloaf Tr (2 mi 'scenic rte' and 'the fastest route'). A slippery ride in the rain, with a sprinkling of hail near the top. Brrr.

CP1 to CP2: Mtn bike to Ramcat Launch Area. Spencer had planned to take Gas Well Rd but couldn't find it, so ended up taking Fire Tower Rd instead. He made decent time, and flew down the mountain, coming up on CP2 at 10.30 am. At this point some folks were dropping out of the race, it was just too much.

CP2 to CP3: Kayak inflatable down the Yough from Ramcat to the Middle Yough boater takeout (9 mi). I've paddled this and it took me 4 hours that time. Spencer pulled in at 12.45 pm, placing 4th in solo. He used his own inflatable tandem 'Bandit' NRS kayak this time. Other racers had kayaks waiting for them at Ramcat, and Spencer did too, thanks to Dad who inflated his kayak for him. Thanks Dad!

CP3 to CP4: Run 1/4 mi to the pavilion at Wilderness Voyageurs. The rappel was scrapped because of the rain (safety considerations).CP4 to Transition: Run a couple feet to the Transition area. Spencer had a PB sammich and salt & vinegar chips for lunch. He'd been sucking in Power Gu's all morning so it was nice to sit down and have a bite to eat. He'd also laid out a fresh pair of socks to change into, but kept on his sodden Salomon XT Wings 'because these are quick dry la'. His 15 minute lunch was 'leisurely' but only because he had dental surgery two days prior and needed to be careful chewin. Mum, Dad, Ariana, Carver and I supported Spencer by helping him eat his lunch too.

Transition to CP5: Run back to Ramcat along the Yough Tr (Rails-to-Trails, 9 mi). Running isn't Spencer's forte, although he runs 5 miles to work every day. All of us family cycled alongside him as he doggedly jogged on. A couple of teams passed us, ladies even hee hee :o . He reached his bike at Ramcat at 3 pm.

CP5 to CP6: Bike up Fire Tower Rd (oh the torture) to the Sugarloaf Snowmobile & Mountainbike Area. I drove to Fire Tower Rd to try take some pics of exhausted racers riding up the mother-of-a-hill there, and found Spencer dismounted, pushing his bike and out of gas. Half the folks coming up the hill were pushing too. It must have been killer, after 7 hours of non-stop balls-to-walls go go go.

CP6 to CP7: Collect the Open Course map & punch card, collect O-points marked on the map, and return to CP6/7 to punch out. There were four O-points giving 4, 4, 6 & 7 points, respectively. All these involved uphill exertions of 0.5 to 1.5 miles. Spencer was shivering as he sat down on the grass, poring over the map and trying to figure out which O-points to hit. At this point having a team mate to brainstorm with would probably have been helpful because he somewhat misread the map and thought he couldn't take Lytle Rd, which set the stage for some bushwhacking. He started out 4 pm for O-point#2 but couldn't find it, then decided to try for O-point#1 and nailed 7 points. By that time it was 5 pm, and he had to get off the O-course.

CP7 to CP8: Back to Wilderness Voyageurs FINISH. Spencer punched out at CP7 and headed back down to the finish (Baughman Tr) 12 minutes before the cut-off time of 6 pm.

Spencer finished well, 47 points total and 3rd place solo. Good jorb!

Here's the elevation change vs distance chart. Spencer climbed 6746 ft that day.

I took a bunch of photos throughout the race, and videoed the awards ceremony and managed to get most of the winners down here (sorry if I mangled any names folks!). The official race results will probably be out soon but here's what I got from my video:

Unofficial Race Results
Solo
1st: Steve Wendell (51 pt)
2nd: ?? (sorry...)
3rd: Spencer Clark (47 pt, 5.48pm)
4th: Doug Hershey (44 pt, 5.48pm)
5th: Steve & Ben (44 pt, 5.25 pm)

2 person male
1st: Paul Morris & Patrick (48 pt, 5.19 pm)
2nd: Happy Valley Hooligans Jason Contino & Nate Geist (44 pt, 4.55 pm)
3rd: Andy & John (44 pt, 5.36 pm)
4th: Matthew Immekus & Mark Sullivan (40 pt, 3.35pm)
5th Team 'Old & Young' John & ? (32 pt, 3.52pm).

2 person coed
1st: Bob Riley & Veronica
2nd: James McCogan & Megan Donovan (47 pt, 5.52 pm)
3rd: ?, 4th: 44 pt ?
5th Melissa Weaver & Jeffrey Soles (40 pt, 5.21 pm)

3 person male
1st: Simon Shercliff, Marc Shercliff and Etienne de Gonneville (51 pt, 5.54pm)
2nd: ?;
3rd: Steve, Doug & Steve (32 pt, 5.22 pm)
4th Team Weeble Neeble William, Kevin Holt, Michael White (32 pt, 5pm)

4 person USARA coed
1st: Adventures for the Cure Michael Berry, Bill, Laura & Dave
2nd: Cumberland Trail Connection's Dave, Kevin Hauser, Tony & Bonnie. (61 pt, 5.08pm)
3rd: Michael, David, Amy & Tyler Daniels.

3 person coed
1st: Team Trakkers Michael Stiller, Kathy Smith & Greg (61 pt, 4.40 pm)
2nd: Berlin Bikes Ben Moore, Ernie & Vickie Monahan (61 pt, 4.43 pm)
3rd: A List ATP Scott, Martha, Brian Rice (61 pt 4.55 pm)
4th Gold ARA Bruce Wong, Luther, Ali Bronson (61 pt 5.47 pm)
5th: Adventure Racing Maryland Kathy, Greg and Joel (57 pt, 5.35 pm)

That about wraps up this race report for now. Thanks SOG knives for sponsoring this awesome race and AAS for putting together yet another challenging and amazing race!

Check out some of my photos of the race: Yough Xtreme 2010 Race Pics.
And here is the Yough Xtreme 2010 Race Video

Quote of the day: Doug Crytzer, "That's what separates the elite teams, and you can all get there believe me - keep racing, be passionate about what you're doing - and they don't make a lot of mistakes... and sometimes they get lucky.. you know what I'm saying..." :)

Peace.

p.s. hey it would be awesome if you could click on any ad here and I'll get 1 or 2 cents per click from the advertisers. Thanks heaps!

28th Annual Frog Hollow Canoe Kayak Trip 10 April 2010

2010-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Frog Hollow Paddle, held annually since the 80's, is not any ole paddle. It's what sets the boys apart from the men... or should I say 'men apart from the boys' ;) .

The 14 mile paddle down Buffalo Creek, PA - by tradition a 'male only' event - is a hallowed rite of passage celebrating all things manly/manliness in general, and also marks the start of trout season.

A record 115 men and boys participated this year. A hearty breakfast of Brian's amazing sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches was
the first order of business.

Around 10 am, a battalion of kayaks and canoes put in for what was to be a 6 hour slog. These brave warriors had wisely anticipated the length of the voyage. Thusly, their vessels were loaded with coolers filled with sustenance, i.e., beer. The water level was a keel-scraping, water-wading, toe-freezing 1.6 ft.

Mile after mile, they persevered. Then, at about midway through the journey, they came to The Chute.

The Chute has claimed many a victim in the past, and this year would be no different (pic below: a casualty of the voyage)

The survivors rallied, and pressed on with perseverance...For at the end of their voyage, a sumptous feast, and their women, awaits!

Here are the rest of the pics: Frog Hollow 2010 Pics
Watch the 2006 Frog Hollow Video
Check back soon for the this year's video!

Peace

p.s. Hey it would be awesome if you could click on any link here and I'll get 1 to 2 cents per click, from the advertisers. Thanks heaps!

Yellow Creek State Park Monthly Mountain Bike Race Series 2010

2010-03-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

The ubiquitous Buffalo Riders were out in full G-4 Force at the Inaugural Yellow Creek State Park Mountain Bike Race, on the morning of 27 March 2010.

The temperature was a cringe-inducing 30 degrees F... Registration at was at 9.30 am, and 10.30 am saw 16 brave riders at the start line. Among the ranks of these stout-hearted were Anthony C., Pat K., Ben E. and Spencer Clark, supported by Lindsey C. the Buffalo Riders photog. I on the other hand was sound asleep in my nice warm bed :).

The Shotgun Start 10.30 am was the beginning of a kick-@ass 10.5 mile loop wasting no time setting the pace for the race with a dizzifying 100 foot climb.

At the top, the trail opens up into a grassy plateau that all too quickly channels into a tight single track with zig-zaggy switchbacks in a gorgeous pine forest setting. Then there are some
technical up and downhills, with a few stretches along gravel road, followed by a couple of huge hills that defeated Spencer 'Crazy Legs' single speed rideability. Mile 5 joins the scenic lakeside trail, then goes up some double track and finally rejoins the single track heading back to the finish. The trail can be a slippery mud-fest when it rains, but on this day it ranked low on the mud-fest factor.

The results: The Buffalo Riders snagged 4th, 5th and 6th place. (A.C., S.C. and P.K, respectively). The top guy was 1 hr 5 min, S.C. was 1 hr 16 min. Casualty: one - Mark L. wiped out and suffered a concussion, was picked up by the safety rider. He is doing fine - brain buckets are a GOOD THING...

That's it for this race report. Thanks Friends of YC for a great job organizing the race, and to the Sponsors for helping get this race off to an awesome start. See you at the next race Sun April 25, 2010!

More on the YC Monthly
The YC Monthly is a grass roots mountain bike race series that takes place on the last Saturday of every month at Yellow Creek State Park from March 2010 to November 2010.
Format:
- 10:30am Shotgun Start
- 3 divisions: Male, Female, Youth
- Riders complete one 10 mile loop
- $10.00 donation per race
- A portion ($2 of your $10) of the proceeds benefit the 'Friends of Yellow Creek', the remaining $8 goes into the pool. Top half finishers get paid!

Check out the Yellow Creek Mountain Biking Website - Click here!
To view some race photos posted on the YellowCreek Grassroots Racing Group on Facebook, Click Here.

Peace..

p.s. Hey it would be awesome if you could click on any ad here, and I'll get 1 to 2 cents per click, from the advertisers. Thanks!

Shenandoah Skyline Drive Cycling 30 April - 2 May

2010-03-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, the Buffalo Riders are planning a 105 mile ride along the spectacular scenic Skyline Drive at Shenandoah National Park end of this month. The plan is to overnight Friday at Waynesboro, Va near the Rockfish Gap (South entrance to the Park), ride 60 gruelling mountainous miles to Skyland Resort on Saturday, then ride the remainder to Front Royal (North entrance) and drive home on Sunday...

I get to be the support vehicle driver and leave the hard work of pedal-pushing to the dudes.

What a way to spend a weekend... I'll update with ride report after...

Celtic Cross Cyclocross Race March 21 2010

2010-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

A ridiculously summery-like day set the scenario for the perpetually-postponed-ever-anticipated Celtic Cross Cyclocross Race held at the Frick Slagheaps yesterday. There was a decent turnout of about 40 winter-paled bodies, including two representatives of the 'Buffalo Riders', a relatively obscure but cool bunch of spandex-donning dudes from north of Pittsburgh.

Ready.. set.. GO!

And off they went for an hour's worth of torturous physical exertion repeating a 1 mile loop that involved the following:

Scrabbling up an 82 degree Cliff....

...Then falling off the adjacent Cliff II....

...and also wading through the 30 foot D' Spa Mud Pit. Sorry folks, all I have to offer is this photo of an unnamed victim that depicts the aftermath of the Pit....

Check out MORE PHOTOS of the Celtic Cross Cyclocross Faces of Racers and be astounded at the rockin VIDEO of this event!

Peace...

P.S. Hey it would be awesome if you could click on any ad on this page - I get 1 to 2 cents for each click. Thanks!