The Mt Nittany Wheelworks Blog

Gore to race NUE series

Joe Gore has accepted an invitation from the National Ultra-Endurance (NUE) MTB Series to compete in their eight-race series in 2008. Heading into its third year, the National Ultra-Endurance MTB Series features a schedule of 100-mile races held across the United States.

"We are pleased that Joe has accepted our invitation to come out and race at our events," said NUE Series Director Ryan O'Dell, "These are the kinds of events where everyone is welcome, all ages and abilities. Having Joe means we can generate additional exposure and attract sponsors that will help us further build our unique brand of racing."

In 2007, Gore raced the Shenandoah Mountain 100, which was the NUE Series finale. Riding for Mt Nittany Wheelworks, he finished well behind Jeff Schalk (Trek / Volkswagen East Factory) and Harlan Price (Independent Fabrication). He also failed to finish at the Wilderness 101.

"The great experience I had last year was a big part of my decision to commit to the whole series," said Gore, "I had a great time and felt very comfortable. It really gets you connected with why we all chose to ride bikes. The races are fun, healthy and very competitive and the racers, staff and sponsors for these events are truly great people. I can't wait for the first race in April."

Gore rode Paris-Brest-Paris in 2007, and despite minimal training in Fall 2007 he has been repeatedly quoted as "focusing on recovery" for the coming NUE series.

A source close to Gore told Cyclingnews that Gore was fully committed to the NUE Series regardless of the outcome of his spring training. "He's commited to his sponsors and the NUE Series will be his primary competitive forum for 2008. Whether he trains or not, it doesn't change his competitive focus for the year. The NUE series is an opportunity for Joe to keep himself in race form and to continue to provide value to his sponsors who have stood by him."

In addition to attracting many local and regional grassroots racers, the NUE series' growing profile is drawing over time more elite level racers, many of whom are subjected to anti-doping testing out of competition and at other competitions.

When asked if there were any plans to add anti-doping testing for the NUE series, co-organizer, Garth Prosser said to Cyclingnews, "No, we don't have that kind of money. And frankly, if Joe is doping, it sure as hell isn't helping!"

The 2008 NUE Series will open April 19 in Tennessee with the Cohutta 100 and will wrap up on September 6 in California with the Tahoe-Sierra 100. See the full NUE series schedule here.

The 2007 series was won by Chris Eatough (Trek / VW), who is expected to defend his title in 2008 although he could not be reached for confirmation.

Its that time of year...

To carry one of these:
A group of us went out to Cooper's Gap yesterday and were able to link together about 15 miles with almost no road. The roads themselves would have been an icy death, but the trails were in great shape. The only downside was that the ice, snow and freeze-thaw cycles (No not those kids) have left a ton of debris on the trails.
So seriously, get yourself a folding saw for this time of year and consider it cross training. You can pick up a decent one by either Felco or Corona for about $25. I would recommend something with a 7 to 8" blade, as that will let you get through most reasonable blow downs and still fit in a hydration bag. It has the added benefit of keeping you warm on a group ride. If the log is too big for your saw, post it here and let the folks with Chainsaws take care of it later.
If you are concerned about sanitizing the trail, fret not. Just about anything you could remove with your saw would be more of an annoyance than a new trail feature. Branches or trees under 8" in diameter will tend to bounce or shift when ridden over and most likely will cause the trail tread to widen or shift. Early removal helps maintain the current trail character.   

Another happy customer

A few years ago when we picked up Chariot Carriers for the shop, one of our tongue in cheek sales pitches was that " you can even ski with it".  It was mostly tongue in cheek simply because we figured we barely get enough snow around here to justify adult skis, let alone the a trailer option. Well, this year we have sold two of the kits and heres the first proud parent report:
Went up to Williamsport last weekend for our first ski outing. Alexandra enjoyed the trip.  After three hours harnessed into the chariot in ~ 30 degree weather, she got out with a big smile (below). Whether that was due to the fact that the ride was over or it was just that much fun, I am not sure, but I certainly prefer to think it was the latter.   She did let out a lot of laughs along the way and she slept right through a little crash I took. 

The skis on the chariot do work smoothly and I was impressed at how well I could keep gliding.  I am looking forward to doing it again, if only the weather would cooperate.
So heres to Ben, Louisa and Alexandra and Marc and his daughter (sorry, I can't remember her name!) for braving the elements in style!