Considering mountain bike stage racing is the coolest thing ever, it was no surprise that the 2008 edition of the VisitPA Stage Race and Festival Weekend was amazing!

As usual, I wasn’t racing, but I had a bird’s eye view of most of the action, by way of running back and forth with my camera all day long. (Just like I did to get my 2006 VisitPA weekend race report.)

Here’s what I saw during this Fourth of July weekend:

Day 1: Friday (Night ITT)

At roughly 2:00 PM, the campers started rolling in to the parking lots (i.e. hay fields,) greeted by VisitPA’s Rob Lichtenwalner. Rob must have been prepping for Saturday’s enduro race, because he was probably directing traffic for about six hours straight.

Things were going smoothly. Except for the cars sliding on the slick mud, and the water main break on the course, that is. Yes, there was a water main break on the farm just as the weekend was getting underway! Luckily the local authorities were able to get their equipment in and out, making the needed repairs without hassle. Then a little hay spread over the mud had everyone driving with ease.

But the mud would be back later…

After everyone set up camp and took care of getting registered, picking up their timing chips, eating dinner, and pre-riding the course, it was about 9:15 PM and plenty dark for a Night Time Trial. This is something you don’t see every day! Starting at dusk, riders depart in 30 second intervals to conquer five miles of singletrack with just the lights on their helmets!

In roughly two hours, everyone had finished, and the results (via Runner’s High) were posted that night! Harlan Price (Indy Fab) took the win, edging out defending champ Ryan Leech (Visit PA) by roughly 30 seconds.

After that, it was time to get some sleep! Saturday morning would bring more racing…

Day 2: Saturday (XC and Endurance Races)

As soon as the sun came up, while most racers were still fast asleep, members of the VisitPA crew (and even local racers such as Kyle Hammaker and Zach Adams) were out switching up the course markings and tape in preparation for the day’s big XC races. After a couple hours of prep, the course was ready - just in time to send off the runners at 9 AM (yes, even if you don’t bike, you can partake in the festivities!)

But 10 AM was the big race - the 6 Hour Enduro! A number of competitors, including VisitPA’s Rob Lichtenwalner and Mike Hebe, lined up for the monster event. Rob set a blazing pace from the gun, but Hebe was close behind the whole time. Both racers kept riding hard despite both suffering some serious crashes, and each put in a whopping eight laps by the end of the six hours. (Rob took the victory once again, but Hebe was a close second. Two podium spots for VisitPA!)

After the enduro riders had already put in over hour hours, the Expert/Pro XC field lined up for their 2:30 start time. And there some big names - Harlan Price, Ryan Leech, Ray Adams, Wes Schempf, Mike Yozell, Kyle Hammaker, and Aaron Snyder, to name a few, were all up front.

All these guys sped off the line and up the first climb, vying for the chance to lead going into the singletrack. Marysville native Kyle Hammaker took the lead, with Ryan on his tail. But right behind them were Yozell, Harlan, Ray, Wes, and Aaron.

Kyle could only set the pace so long, and on lap two Ryan and Harlan were trading first and second position. As fast as Ryan was, Harlan had the legs this weekend and took first place, with Ryan coming in about three minutes back. Third place was claimed by Aaron Snyder, who had an amazing ride and finished less than a minute behind Ryan.

Another amazing ride came from Mike Yozell, who beat Kyle Hammaker by about 1.5 seconds in a sprint to the line, to take fourth!

Wes came in right afterwards, putting three VisitPA riders in the top six!

In the women’s field, Michelle Stopper could not be stopped (or even contained) as she rode to victory, with about seven minutes between her and second place!

All those VisitPA victories made for a great showing at the Saturday night awards, although everyone 21+ was a winner that night thanks to the free beer on tap!

After tapping the kegs, participants moved on to activities such as trials riding, bike polo, and dual slalom tricycle racing! With live music, no less. Once it got too dark to do the slalom course safely (assuming it was somewhat safe in daylight,) out came the lighted Frisbees! Two groups formed on either side of the yard and proceeded the chuck the Frisbees to (or maybe “at”) each other. You could barely see the people beside you, let alone the group across the yard!

As Harlan put it, “we… threw lighted Frisbee’s into the darkness at people you couldn’t see. It was fun and dangerous, which is probably why it was fun.”

Day 3: Sunday (Hill Climb and Short Track XC)

For those able to get out of bed in the morning, Sunday brought a slew of bike racing activities for tired racers. At 9 AM, the day started with a nice short three mile race. Except that the three miles were all uphill on steep, muddy, rocky terrain, which was neither nice nor short.

I got to ride on the back of one of the “pace four-wheelers” which gave me a prime view of the lead riders. The race started with a fun bunch sprint through the woods, crossed the highway, and then began the monster ascent to the top of the ridge. As usual, the riders’ powerful legs almost matched the four-wheeler’s motor, but we made it up there in front, and I captured most of the race on video (I think.)

It was none other than Harlan Price attacking half way up the climb, and no one could touch him. He held his small gap the whole way to the finish! Kyle came in second just eight seconds back, with Aaron on his tail at another nine seconds back.

Then came the wave of VisitPA riders, including Ryan, Mike, Rob, and Ray, taking fourth through seventh places to rack up the team points.

Next up was the annual slow race, a short downhill race where the object is to go as slow as possible without falling off your bike. After numerous trackstands and a few elbows and shoulders, Austin claimed the win yet again.

But speeds picked up to record highs in Sunday afternoon’s ST XC. The entire VisitPA squad was out in full force, ready to put their team tactics to use against adversaries Harlan, Kyle, and Aaron. VisitPA was setting a good pace and keeping things under control, but things broke apart on the last couple laps, and once again Harlan Price was victorious!

That was the end of racing for the weekend, but one event remained - the Huffy toss! While waiting for the awards ceremony, a crowd gathered to take part in this test of might. What happens here is that you pick up a deceptively heavy Huffy bicycle and toss it as far as possible.

Many strategies and a variety of techniques were used, but I think the average throw ended up being about five feet. (It’s harder than it looks! The bike is about 50 pounds and it’s very awkward to throw it!) The winning throw was a good toss with a careful technique that got the Huffy to actually bounce along once it hit, yielding a decisive victory that was rewarded with a box of Marysville Twinkies!

After that excitement, awards and prizes were handed out, and there was a huge schwag toss. (Or was that Saturday? Who knows…) It was a good time, but it had to end sometime, and the crowds of participants and spectators drove home happy.

Want to get in on the action?

Get the scoop on upcoming events at High Speed Cycling, and stay up-to-date on the team at the VisitPA team blog.

If it was not for all the camping, fishing, barbecuing, live music, and free beer, it would have been just like any other bike race! This was the third year for the VisitPA Mountain Bike Stage Race Weekend, and undoubtedly the best yet. Despite the torrential downpours and flooding the week before the race, hundreds of riders and their families came out to enjoy the festivities on the farm.

These festivities consisted of a Friday Night Time Trial, a Saturday XC Race, and a Hill Climb and Short Track XC Racing on Sunday. As if that was not enough, some riders chose to compete against the clock in Saturday’s Enduro XC Race, seeing who could do the most laps in six hours!

For the more laid-back crowd, there was camping, fishing, a nature hike, a slow race, a kid’s race, live music, and plenty of free beer to keep everyone happy.

Despite all the fun and distractions, the racers put in some serious effort out on the twisty, six-mile course. Although there were very few rocks, there were enough sharp turns and logs to hop to keep the racers on their toes. The Visit PA MTB Team was a strong favorite for some podium finishes, but they faced stiff competition from other teams like Bear Naked/Cannondale, Trek, and Wild Blues.

The first racer for Friday’s ITT set off on the course as darkness set in. Racers then started at 30 second intervals and raced about five miles in the dark. At the end of the night, it was VisitPA’s own Ryan Leech and Ray Adams posting the two fastest times. Wes Schempf, aboard his singlespeed, captured the fourth place spot.

With five expert racers at the line, VisitPA was poised to claim more podium spots in Saturday’s Cross-Country Race. Flyin’ Ryan Leech and X-Ray Adams had good starts and moved to the front of the pack, where they were joined by Trek’s Kyle Hammaker and Cannondale’s Brandon Draugelis, with SSWES Schempf and Wild Blues’ Aaron Snyder not far behind.

Hammaker pulled away early but Leech kept him in his sights, managing to pass him later. Going into the last lap, Leech had a short lead on Hammaker. Leech was looking strong but Hammaker managed to pull away and secure the win. Leech came in second about a minute behind, followed by Adams, who out-sprinted Draugelis at the line. Other notable VisitPA performances include SSWES finishing in seventh and Michelle Schneider taking fourth in the elite women?s race.

After spending the day racing in the hot sun, racers were treated to some live music, free beer, and a bonfire Saturday night. Then it was time to rest, as racing resumed Sunday morning at 9 AM!

Sunday’s first race was the Mass-start Hill Climb. This race started out on dirt and paved roads but quickly switched to a steep, rocky singletrack ascent through the woods. Since this race ventured outside of the main venue, Sutliff Hummer provided a Hummer H1 to use as the pace car!

When the gun sounded, the elite riders attacked with blazing speed, almost catching the Hummer as it slowed for some sharp turns! At the first incline, VisitPA?s Zack Blaser launched a solo attack and immediately put a gap between him and the pack. This caused some other riders to chase and use up their energy, which allowed Ray Adams to slowly make his way to the front on the singletrack and secure the first place spot!

With three races under their belts, it was not time to rest, but time for a fourth race! The Short Track XC brought riders back to the farm for a short and fast course full of excitement. After 30 minutes of intense racing, Ryan Leech pulled off the win with Ray Adams coming in second and Kyle Hammaker a close third.

With all those top finishes, Ray Adams claimed the Overall GC Win, with Ryan Leech up there in second. Michelle Schneider also had a top five finish, coming in fourth overall for the weekend in her category.

The weekend was almost over, but it just would not be complete without the last event: the Huffy toss! While waiting for the awards ceremony, some riders tested their ability to see who could toss an old Huffy the farthest. Everyone had fun and the Huffy was broken by the end!

After the awards, everyone left with smiles on their faces and nothing but good things to say about the event! The timing was perfect because as soon as the farm was clear, the skies opened up for the first time since the past Wednesday!

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For more information on the race, visit: HighSpeedCycling.com and the Mid Atlantic Super Series.