Thursday, November 17, 2016

29th Annual Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge – 2016
Williamsburg, VA - October 29-30, 2016

Fantastic weather with lots of sun and temps around 80 degrees, after the morning chill burned off, made for a great weekend of racing at the 29th edition of the Tidewater MTB Challenge, which was once again the finals for the 2016 Virginia Off Road Series (VORS). This year’s event would showcase a bunch of Virginia’s National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Junior riders who would take top spots in many of the race divisions. The Nationwide Middle through High School series is single handedly changing the face of Mountain Bike racing at the local and national levels! USA’s MTB cycling future looks bright thanks to the hard work and dedication of race organizers, sponsors, volunteers, coaches, teams and junior racers in various states throughout the nation.
Of note for this year’s Tidewater Trifecta competition was the change that allowed your final race to be your “Regular Racing Class” versus Pro/Expert only! This change opened up the competition to more riders eliminating the Pro/Expert only feel of the past and could perhaps allow for deeper awards in the Tidewater Trifecta in the future!
The Marathon classes started the weekend events as both the Solo and Team categories got underway in the chilly Saturday morning air. Riders were hesitant to leave the warm glow of the fire pit when it was time to make their way to the starting line. In the Men’s Marathon Solo division Michael Danish would warm up quickly and turn 17 laps in 5:12:43 for the win followed by Nathan Kottkamp with 16 laps in 5:09:52 and Richard Serton with 16 Laps in 5:10:29.
Laura Maple would take the Solo Women’s division completing 11 laps in 4:32:00 and use this score toward her Trifecta tally. Evelyn Cooper, also competing in the Trifecta, and Melanie Whitlo completed 10 and 6 laps respectively for 2nd and 3rd.
The Marathon Team of NICA Varsity standout Edward Anderson and former Pro Women’s road cyclist Andrea Dvorak set the Tidewater 5 hour Team record with 18 laps at 5:05:11 giving each a great start to their respective Men’s and Women’s Trifecta bids. Wes Watkinson and Tyler Tetreault completed 17 laps in 5:01:30 followed by closely by 2014 winners Jeff Hellner and Scottie Pendleton with 17 laps in 5:04:57
The kids STXC short track races were moved to Saturday this year on the spectator friendly course which allows parents and friends to keep close tabs on their favorite young riders. The 6 and Under class saw Olivia Nevins grab a huge holeshot and hold the lead all though the singletrack only to be spun out on the downhill run to the finish line allowing Owen Tennant to pass for the victory. Carson Cave would follow for 3rd.
In the 14 & Under class Caleb Nevins would cruise to victory over Robert Berry and Camden Woodard completing 4 laps in 18:30 on the exciting Kids STXC course.
Next up was the highly competitive 10 & Under class which saw Landon May take his first victory at Tidewater Challenge ahead of Jewel Bartels and Conner Tennant.

The Adult STXC would once again make use of a “Joker Lane” which adds a bit of strategy to the mix and an additional passing opportunity for the riders. The Men’s STXC would see the 2014 Short Track National Champion (boys 13-14 years) Adam Croft take the victory again ahead of Ryan Cullen by one second with Edward Anderson adding a 3rd place finish to his Trifecta score. Andrea Dvorak held off Avanell Scales in a close battle for the Women’s STXC with Dvorak keeping a perfect score going for her Trifecta points. Melissa Cooper would round out the top 3 STXC women.

Sunday’s events began with Group 1, who compete on the full lap minus one tricky 45 seconds per lap section. In the Junior 18 & Under Open division Trace Saum would claim the top spot with a time of 55:33. In the Junior 14 and Under category Caleb Nevins would once again take the crown in impressive style distancing himself from the field by well over 3 minutes at finish. River Green would hold onto the number 2 slot ahead of Cooper Muench.
The Beginner Men saw Patrick Sommer take the win followed by Jeff Morris and Dan West in a field of 23 riders. Two young NICA racers would secure 2 of the top 3 spots in the Beginner Women’s division with Magnolia Lang out front followed by Ana Ward in 3rd. Amanda Mullen would split the two NICA team “Colonial Revolution” riders in 2nd place.

The Virginia State Single Speed Championship event was up next and crowned a new champ in Gordan Wadsworth, who also happens to be the 2014 National SS Champion. 2nd place went to Wes Watkinson who, like Wadsworth, was also racking up Trifecta points and would end up taking 3rd overall in the Trifecta. 3rd place went to Scottie Pendleton who was also gaining Trifecta points.

The Vet 35+ would see a repeat winner with Tidewater Challenge regular and announcer extraordinaire Michael Hosang taking the victory ahead of Michael Phillips in 2nd and Brandon Gibbons in 3rd.

The Master 45+ class was the largest cross country class of the weekend and saw Steve Nevins take the win ahead of Rob Suydam, who would switch from his usual single speed race to have a go in the 45+ class. Thomas Richeson would take 3rd and have to recover quickly to make the Senior 55+ race start in the next group.

There was a good turnout in the Sport Men category and some exciting racing which saw another NICA standout and “Colonial Revolution” rider James Allmon take the win after a close race with Tyler Tetreault. Alex Gilliam would follow in 3rd place.

Thomas Richeson would start his second race of the day but this time take the # 1 spot decisively over the rest of the field. Chris Berry would use his race to keep his consecutive days riding streak going by finishing 2nd followed by last year’s winner on a single speed Tony Watkinson in 3rd.
The Sport Women’s division was won by another young NICA Champion Autumn Bartels. Marion Palmieri, only 4 months postpartum, would take an impressive 2nd and become a fitness inspiration for new moms everywhere! Amanda LeClair would take the # 3 spot.

The Women’s 40+ class was won by recently retired and Tidewater regular Jean Troutman with Evelyn Cooper in tow who gained enough points to secure 3rd place in the Women’s Trifecta.

The Pro/Expert Women saw Andrea Dvorak taking the Tidewater Challenge Championship for her first time and putting an exclamation point on her perfect 1-1-1 Tidewater Trifecta tally. She joins Jeremiah Bishop as being the only 2 racers to complete a perfect Tidewater Trifecta Sweep! Avanell Scales, taking a break from her UCI CX Series, would not have the legs to stay with Dvorak in the Prolog +4 lap race but would still finish a strong 2nd with a faster average lap time than when she won in 2014. Laura Maple would take a 3rd place finish which would be enough for 2nd place money in the Women’s Trifecta!
All the young dudes, Carry the news, Boogaloo dudes, Carry the news!
Perhaps Pro/Expert defending Champion Keck Baker had these famous David Bowie/Mott the Hoople lyrics resonating in his head as he tried to shake off no less than 4 young dudes including Adam Croft, Edward Anderson, Ryan Cullen and Josh Craig all NICA racing regulars. Baker would power to the front to collect the 1st lap Priem and string the young dudes out just a bit, but sit up just enough to allow them to get back in! The many lead changes and attacks over the next couple of laps would cause Ryan Cullen and Josh Craig to lose touch with the top 3 of Baker, Croft and Anderson. The large enthusiastic crowd surrounding the moto section of the course, which offers some fantastic spectating options, was expecting Baker to eventually come out of the back singletrack alone sometime during the Prolog +6 lap race. It was not to be as the young dudes hung in and swapped pulls at the front gaining confidence of their chances at Tidewater glory! A slight mechanical around the halfway point would hinder Bakers ability to hold any sort of gap through the technical stuff, especially against the slick bike handling of Croft and Anderson. As the riders closed in on the finish the large crowd was excited to see the 3 riders, Croft, Anderson and Baker emerge together from the singletrack with only “Horse Shoe Hill”, “Little Pumpkin Jump” and the run up to the finish line remaining. For those who have followed Adam Croft’s racing career, which includes a Short Track National Championship in 2014, know he has the ability to finish strong and that’s just what he did as he out sprinted his competition to take his 1st Tidewater Challenge Championship. Edward Anderson would hold onto 2nd which would also give him the Men’s Tidewater Trifecta crown for 2016. Keck Baker rolled across in 3rd perhaps a little shell shocked by the young dudes! Gordan Wadsworth would come across in 4th giving him 2nd overall in the Trifecta with Ryan Cullen holding on for 5th in the Pro/Expert division. Thanks to Michael Hosang for a Great call of the Pro/Expert Men’s & Women’s races including his exciting call of the Finish as seen on FB!

Special Thanks to all our Fantastic Sponsors: York River Mechanical Contracting, Inc., Sports Williamsburg, Bikes Unlimited, BikeBeat, Red Barn Bikes, Village Bikes, East Coast Bicycles, Howard Hanna Realtor-Ted Evans, The Daily Grind at W&M, Conte’s Bike Shop, Scat Bikes, Hawley, Wave Riding Vehicles and Bartlett & Spirn Attorneys at Law.
Extra Special Thanks to Family, Friends, Volunteers, Land Owners and all the Racers that help make the event Special each Year!!!

Thursday, November 3, 2016

29th Annual Tidewater MTB Challenge Oct. 29-30, 2016

29th ANNUAL TIDEWATER MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE RESULTS
Williamsburg, VA October 29 & 30, 2016

CLASS: Trifecta - (Men)
Name Marathon Solo (X2) Marathon Team STXC S.S. Regular Race Points Place
Edward Anderson 1 3 Pro 2 6 1st
Gordan Wadsworth 4 1 Pro 4 9 2nd
Wes Watkinson 2 2 Pro 8 12 3rd
Josh Craig 4+4=8 Pro 7 15 4th
Scottie Pendleton 3 3 Pro 9 15 5th
Jeff Hellner 3 4 Pro 11 18 6th
Bruce Lowekamp 7+7=14 Vet 4 18 7th
Jeff Morris 13+13=26 Beg 2 28 8th
Joshua Cave 9 13 Vet 9 31 9th
Kyle Little 14+14=28 DNS DNF 10th

CLASS: Trifecta - (Women)
Name Marathon Solo (X2) Marathon Team STXC S.S. Regular Race Points Place
Andrea Dvorak 1 1 Pro 1 3 1st
Laura Maple 1+1=2 Pro 3 5 2nd
Evelyn Cooper 2=2=4 40+ 2 6 3rd
Melissa Cooper 3 5 Pro 4 12 4th

CLASS: MARATHON SOLO (MEN) / 5 HOUR SOLO Race
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 89 Michael Danish 17 laps
5:12:43
2
76 Nathan Kottkamp 16 laps
5:09:52
3 71 Richard Serton 16 laps
5:10:29
4 79 Josh Craig 16 laps
5:26:15
5 75 Jon Gaudio 15 laps
5:03:24
6 83 Garry Gappy 14 laps
5:03:33
7 78 Bruce Lowekamp 14 laps
5:16:07
8 77 Andre Oja 14 laps
5:21:14
9 87 Eric Horgan 13 laps
4:59:22
10 73 Dave Hardisky 13 laps
5:10:07
11 82 Michael Lipka 12 laps
4:40:00
12 68 Peter Haynes 12 laps
5:05:45
13 65 Jeff Morris 12 laps
5:14:14
14 74 Kyle Little 11 laps
3:56:00
15 69 Brian Kastelein 11 laps
4:12:00
16 85 Danna Liebler 11 laps
5:04:54
17 88 Bryan Findley 11 laps
5:13:44
18 90 Steven Prestyly 10 laps
3:31:00
19 91 Jon Markiewicz 10 laps
4:03:00
20 67 Eitenne Bochet 10 laps
4:50:00
21 84 Tom Yaquera 9 laps
4:27:00
22 86 Rui Zhang 9 laps
5:26:08
23 70 Anthony Haufler 8 laps
5:15:36
24 81 Eric Alger 4 laps
2:18:00
25 66 Anthony Groves DNS
26 72 Joe Fish DNS

CLASS: MARATHON SOLO (Women) / 5 HOUR SOLO Race
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 115 Laura Maple 11 laps
4:32:00
2
116 Evelyn Cooper 10 laps
4:43:00
3 114 Melanie Whitlo 6 laps
4:00:00




CLASS: MARATHON OPEN TEAM / 5HR 2 Person Team Race
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 47 Edward Anderson / Andrea Dvorak 18 laps
5:05:11
2 39 Wes Watkinson / Tyler Tetreault 17 laps
5:01:30
3 31 Jeff Hellner / Scottie Pendleton 17 laps
5:04:57
4 42 Adolfo Carrion / Keith Papanicolas 17 laps
5:08:10
5 41 Marco Demartin / John Kromis 16 laps
5:03:48
6 48 Christopher Rouzie / Wik Smith 16 laps
5:07:11
7 43 Sam Ghalayini / Michelle Tsai 16 laps
5:14:05
8 45 Jessica Lehman / Jerry Hadley 15 laps
5:02:27
9 37 Joshua Cave / Billy Miller 15 laps
5:03:34
10 50 Shaun Stripple / Robert Maye 15 laps
5:04:43
11 34 Steve Dye / Todd Smith 15 laps
5:11:42
12 35 Fran Lenahan / Andy Smith 15 laps
5:21:58
13 49 Irene Bierie / Jack Bierie 14 laps
5:10:13
14 46 Michael Carhart / Liz Schleeper 13 laps
5:23:00
15 36 Ed Morris / Beneline Williams 12 laps
5:04:37
16 51 Daniel West / Amanda Mullen 12 laps
5:05:54
17 44 Chris Little / Ryan Little 12 laps
5:20:06
18 40 Jill Williams / Ryan Kendall 11 laps
4:21:00
19 32 Paul Croft / Clair Walizer 10 laps
4:16:00
20 38 Dave Gaske / Oscar Gaske 10 laps
4:17:00
21 33 John Jadlinski / Marsha Jadlinski 10 laps
4:45:00

CLASS: STXC (Short Track) (Men) DISTANCE: 5 Laps + JOKER
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN Time
1 556 Adam Croft 22:19
2 555 Ryan Cullen 22:20
3 560 Edward Anderson 23:11
4 557 Gordan Wadsworth 23:44
5 565 Steve Nevins 23:45
6 561 Josh Craig 24:11
7 558 Clarke Tanner 25:14
8 564 Lester Brown III 25:18
9 554 Alex Gilliam 25:32
10 566 Daniel Hockenberger 27:26
11 552 Bernard Williamson 28:05
12 562 Billy Miller 28:57
13 553 Joshua Cave 30:30
14 551 Jeff Morris 32:30
15 563 Michael Nerino 36:39
16 559 Jason Dechant 42:55


CLASS: STXC (Short Track) (Women) DISTANCE: 5 Laps + JOKER
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 492 Andrea Dvorak 26:08
2 493 Avanell Scales 26:32
3 491 Melissa Cooper 30:43
4 494 Duffy Danish DNF



CLASS: Kids 6 AND UNDER DISTANCE: ~5 MINUTES
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 54 Owen Tennant 3:58
2 51 Olivia Nevins 4:00
3 49 Carson Cave 4:49
4 56 Lauren May 5:04
5 55 Elizabeth Stein 5:13
6 52 Reese Chittum 5:20
7 57 Ishbel Bristow 5:44
8 50 Jacob Hill 7:27
9 53 Canon Liesden 8:43

CLASS: Kids 10 AND UNDER DISTANCE: 2 Laps
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 81 Landon May 8:59
2 82 Jewel Bartels 9:20
3 78 Conner Tennant 10:23
4 74 Nolan Woddard 10:29
5 75 Ian Liebler 12:03
6 80 Coleman Hunt 12:43
7 73 Keller Walton 13:21
8 72 Raiden Liesfeld 14:18
9 79 Erin Kromis 14:28
10 76 Hanna Croft 15:07
11 77 Evan Williams 17:33




CLASS: Kids 14 AND UNDER DISTANCE: 4 Laps
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 256 Caleb Nevins 18:30
2 255 Robert Berry 20:29
3 258 Camden Woodard 21:56
4 257 Thomas Walton 23:52
5 260 Brayden Kromis 24:08
6 259 Nathan Liebler 24:28
7 254 Alejandro McFarland DNS




CLASS: MEN BEGINNER / 3 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 128 Patrick Sommer 57:30
2 108 Jeff Morris 58:00
3 110 Dan West 58:07
4 109 Eric Reeves 1:01:36
5 112 Ron Schaecher 1:02:45
6 127 Nicolas Casetta 1:03:17
7 123 Glen Flobart 1:03:30
8 116 Peter Walton 1:04:48
9 111 Chris Pride 1:09:14
10 113 Dustin Houchin 1:11:10
11 115 Robert Thompson 1:11:18
12 125 Randy Ward 1:13:53
13 129 Shawn Kirby 1:14:49
14 124 Brian Davis 1:15:41
15 114 Mike Soost 1:17:45
16 117 Ryan Little 1:19:53
17 118 Jason Dechant 1:20:22
18 119 Jason Mitchell 1:22:28
19 122 Anthony Wilkins 1:23:58
20 121 Charles Sexton 1:26:51
21 120 Ramon Vinas 1:26:52
22 107 Tyler Charles DNF
23 126 Julio Peralta DNF


CLASS: JUNIOR 18 & UNDER OPEN / 3 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 556 Trace Saum 55:33
2 558 Andrew Wible DNF




CLASS: JUNIOR 14 & UNDER / 2 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 316 Caleb Nevins 35:31
2 278 River Green 38:47
3 280 Cooper Muench 41:04
4 275 Robert Berry 41:25
5 284 Eric McKenna 41:35
6 282 Hunter Muench 43:09
7 276 Alejandro McFarland 43:58
8 279 Camden Woodard 47:43
9 283 Thomas Walton 52:50
10 285 David Dick 54:26
11 328 ? 1:13:38
12 322 Mickade Atchley 1:19:56
13 325 Ian Liebler DNF
14 326 Nathan Liebler DNF
15 317 Jack Koleszar DNS

CLASS: BEGINNER WOMEN / 2 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 117 Magnolia Lang 44:07
2 115 Amanda Mullen 46:18
3 118 Ana Ward 47:34
4 116 Annette Dusenbury 1:05:31
5 113 Ester King DNF
6 114 Andrea Catasus DNF

CLASS: SINGLE SPEED STATE CHAMPIONSHIP / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 473 Gordan Wadsworth VA SS Champ 1:02:43
2 477 Wes Watkinson 1:05:48
3 476 Scottie Pendelton 1:08:38
4 474 Jeff Hellner 1:11:07
5 479 Melissa Cooper 1:31:22
6 478 Danna Liebler 1:31:26
7 475 Ethan Lindbloom DNF
8 480 Rob Tripp DNF


CLASS: VET 35+ / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 651 Mike Hosang 1:03:57
2 649 Michael Phillips 1:08:29
3 647 Brandon Gibbons 1:10:48
4 648 Bruce Lowekamp 1:13:43
5 653 James Ezzell 1:16:11
6 650 Frank Palmieri 1:16:53
7 646 Jeff Swanson 1:19:57
8 654 David Wheeler 1:20:45
9 645 Joshua Cave 1:22:12
10 644 Chad Caden 1:23:58
11 642 Jevenal Herrea 1:36:39
12 643 Gregory Gibbons 1:40:49
13 652 Billy Miller DNF

CLASS: MASTERS 45+ / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 158 Steve Nevins 1:02:18
2 180 Rob Suydam 1:05:11
3 172 Thomas Richeson 1:06:20
4 170 Clarke Tanner 1:07:52
5 164 Ken Jefferson 1:09:14
6 175 Paul Panetta 1:09:20
7 167 Trae Duty 1:09:50
8 156 Steven Prestyly 1:10:14
9 166 William Gilmer 1:10:53
10 165 Terry Duquette 1:11:31
11 163 Miles Pettengell 1:11:50
12 168 Jay Cullen 1:11:56
13 159 Russell Nevins 1:13:44
14 177 Steve Tetreault 1:14:39
15 169 Dan Hockenberger 1:15:23
16 171 Brad Cole 1:18:52
17 178 David Satira 1:19:03
18 179 David Osman 1:27:14
19 181 Jeff Shakelford 1:27:44
20 173 Troy Edwards 1:31:26
21 176 Mark Broadwell 1:32:22
22 174 Mike Baker 1:37:36
23 162 Eddie Porter DNF
24 160 Jeff Nutter DNF
25 161 Shawn Powell DNF


CLASS: Age 55+ / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 612 Thomas Richeson 1:10:50
2 609 Chris Berry 1:20:14
3 610 Charles Futcher 1:22:18
4 618 Barry Herneisey 1:23:09
5 614 Tony Watkinson ?
6 608 Dave Olds 1:25:59
7 615 Mike McDonald 1:36:12
8 616 Frank Schmitz
9 617 Eric Alger
10 613 Jeff Gainer DNF
11 607 Paul Atkinson DNF
12 611 Ken Starkey DNF

CLASS: SPORT MEN OPEN / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 317 James Allmon 1:06:10
2 307 Tyler Tetreault 1:07:43
3 309 Alex Gilliam 1:08:59
4 305 Wick Smith 1:10:06
5 314 Adam Veneris 1:11:00
6 312 Michael Carhart 1:14:23
7 315 Ryan Scott 1:16:01
8 319 Sam Park 1:16:27
9 310 Stephen Moran 1:17:03
10 306 Bernard Williamson 1:17:41
11 304 Chris Rouzie 1:18:09
12 308 Reed Williams 1:21:18
13 316 Chris Liesfeld 1:21:33
14 318 Roger Jacklay 1:31:30
15 321 Joshua Campbell 1:32:23
16 313 Brandon McCormick 1:35:43
17 320 Matthew Pettygrove DNF
18 351 Kyle Little DNS

CLASS: SPORT WOMEN / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 790 Autumn Bartels 1:28:34
2 789 Marion Palmieri 1:31:17
3 788 Amanda LeClair 1:34:09



CLASS: WOMEN 40+ / 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 962 Jean Troutman 1:37:12
2 961 Evelyn Cooper 1:39:19


CLASS: PRO/EXPERT MEN / Prolog + 6 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 4 Adam Croft 1:37:45
2 14 Edward Anderson 1:37:46
3 1 Keck Baker 1:37:54
4 12 Gordan Wadsworth 1:39:10
5 7 Ryan Cullen 1:40:10
6 16 John Petrylak 1:42:24
7 17 Josh Craig 1:51:26
8 13 Wes Watkinson 1:55:01
9 19 Scottie Pendleton 1:56:41
10 21 John Witherspoon 1:57:21
11 18 Jeff Hellner 2:02:53
12 20 Charles Snyder DNF
13 22 Lester Brown DNF
14 15 Lucas Mariutti DNS

CLASS: PRO/EXPERT WOMEN / Prolog + 4 LAPS
FINISH RIDER # RIDER NAME TEAM/HOMETOWN TIME
1 66 Andrea Dvorak 1:15:06
2 67 Avanell Scales 1:19:33
3 68 Laura Maple 1:24:54
4 65 Mellisa Cooper 1:35:28





Wednesday, March 16, 2016

28th Annual Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge – Oct 24 & 25, 2015

28th Annual Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge – Oct 24 & 25, 2015 The year of the Mechanical! Once again great weather and course conditions greeted racers for both days of competition at this year’s Tidewater Challenge. The weekend started off with the 5 Hour Marathon events and saw the return of Joe Fish to the top step of the Men’s Solo podium completing 17 laps in under 5 hours! Joel Nankman and Wes Watkinson took 2nd and 3rd with 16 laps each in a little over 5 hours. On the women’s side it would be Jessica Nankman taking the Women’s Solo Victory in her first appearance at Tidewater with 13 laps in 5 hours. She was followed by Laura Maple with 12 laps and Evelyn Cooper with 9 laps. The Team Marathon saw Adolfo Carrion & Keith Papamcolas take the win with 17 laps in 5:07:54 ahead of Marco Demartin & John Kromis 17 laps in 5:15:10 and followed in third by Dean Katsaros & Andrew Moore with 16 laps at 5:15:04. The STXC was up next and included a “Joker Lane” this year adding extra strategy and excitement to the mix for racers and spectators. The Joker Lane was a slightly longer section off of the main STXC lap that all riders were required to take on 1 of their 5 laps! The short course runs about 5 minutes per lap and is mostly on the Motocross sections with all its lumps, jumps and berms but also includes some fast flat twisty sections. 2014 Junior Short Track National Champion Adam Croft would grab the Holeshot but be passed early by Steve Nevins who would hold the lead for almost 2 of the 5 lap race as Croft and Matt Bailey chose to dive into the Joker Lane early. Croft would charge back to the front with Bailey nipping at his heals until a miscue in one of the berm turns would put Bailey down hard and give Croft an easy cruise to the finish. Bailey would pick himself up in time to hold off Nevins for 2nd. Sunday's events start with the Kids races which includes ages 3, 6, 10, 14 and under short course races. Winners were Lillyan Felmey, Joey Koch, Caleb Nevins and Tyler Corliss respectively. Caleb Nevins got a vine wrapped tightly around his cassette causing a severe chain skip requiring a quick pit stop to clear it out without losing the lead. Minor Mechanical #1. The Group 1 racers use the full course less one section for safety reasons, which cuts off about 45 seconds per lap. The Beginner Men saw Westyn Wilhelm dominate their 3 lap race with a very fast time of 49:00. Time to move up Westin! John Koch took 2nd at 55:41 and Richard Mays took 3rd at 58:48. The Beginner Women’s division saw 11 year old Autumn Bartels (2014 9-10 National Champion) take the victory in 42:10 over Amanda Moller 44:02 and Veronica Salazar 44:56. Adam Veneris improved his time and position from last year to take the victory ahead of Craig Hamilton and James Allman in the highly competitive Junior 18 & Under Open class. The Junior 14 and Under Open was the only class other than the Pro/Experts to ride the Prolog section to allow them to have a full lap (minus the 45 second piece). 9 year old Caleb Nevins would take the victory at 22:47 over longtime rival and friend Tyler Corliss and Camden Woodard. Group 2 was up next and included the return of Matt Bailey to the Single Speed line up and another Championship to his mantle as he completed the 5 lap race in 1:17:18 followed by Ethan Lindbloom at 1:25:19 and Zachary Griffin at 1:26:21. Michael Hosang would again take the 35+ title at 1:03:30 ahead of Cameron Holland at 1:05:38. Hosang had already begun to pull away when Cameron’s rear tire went down forcing him to run his bike in the last few sections. Mechanical #2. Cam was able to hold onto 2nd place ahead of Michael Phillips by 10 seconds. Once again one of the largest divisions of the weekend was the Master 45+ class which saw 2014 Champion Steve Nevins engaged in a seesaw battle with Darren Cox for the 2015 crown. Nevins off to a fast start would hold the lead until a chain drop and jam, Mechanical ‪#‎3a‬, on a fast section on lap 2 of 4 would allow Cox to pass. Nevins would catch Cox’s wheel and hold it until Cox crashed in a sharp turn allowing Nevins to squeeze by and retake the lead for the rest of lap 3. Nevins would go down in a turn on lap 4 but quickly remount to maintain the lead with just a half lap to go. Nevins (who often jokes about being able to ride sections of the course with his eyes closed) would again make an uncharacteristic mistake clipping a tree and going down hard this time causing his hamstring to tighten up forcing him remount and spin slowly to avoid a lockup. Nevins would give Cox room to pass at the top of the next hill but then regain composer and once again grab Cox’s wheel setting the stage for a last half lap showdown. But alas the drama would end as Nevins would again drop his chain, Mechanical ‪#‎3b‬, in a root garden allowing Darren Cox to open up enough of a gap to hang on for the win. Their times of 1:02:39 and 1:03:23 were the fastest of all the 4 lap races. Tidewater regular Clarke Tanner would come through in 3rd at 1:07:21. Group 3 saw Evan Lang take the win in the Sport Men’s class at 1:06:18 followed just 12 seconds later by Joseph Hoskins with Chris Puzan taking 3rd with a time of 1:09:04. Tony Watkinson decided to race the Senior 55+ class instead of the Single Speed division that he has raced for years and it paid off with a win ahead of Tidewater sponsor Barry Herneisey of Bikes Unlimited in Williamsburg. Jon Markiewicz would come across in 3rd. Larysa Stein was the winner and only finisher of 2 racers in the Sport Women’s division this year. The Women’s 40+ class saw 2 new entries this year but lost 2 of the regulars. Becky Borkett completed 4 laps in 1:32:17 ahead of Beneline Williams at 1:36:13 and Jean Troutman at 1:46:43. The Pro/Expert Men and Women were the grand finale of the weekend and would not disappoint the large crowd that had stayed to watch the action. The Prolog would be used again this year to allow the riders more time to spread out and give the spectators more time to see the close action before the riders head to the back of the course for the first of 6 laps. The Pro/Expert women only had 2 competitors this year as the CX season would draw several of the top ladies out of the region for the weekend. This would open the door for Mason Hopkins to take her first Tidewater crown ahead of Jessica Nankman who would take the Women’s Trifecta Title! The Pro/Expert Men would see Adam Croft grab another holeshot for the weekend with Jeremiah Bishop and Keck Baker in tow and the trio would begin to gap the field early. Not far into the race Matt Bailey ripped his cleat out of his shoe, Mechanical #4, and was thinking his day was done when race director Steve Nevins saw what had happened and quickly ran through the woods looking for a replacement pair of size 43 shoes. The 1st person he came upon was York River Mechanical Contracting’s Jeff Hellner, Tidewater’s new title sponsor for 2015, who said “I have a size 44”. Nevins got the shoes and dashed back through the woods and got Matt back into the race in a NASCAR style pit stop! Meanwhile the trio of Croft, Bishop and Baker were trading places and putting on one of the best races in years at Tidewater. The previous days Marathon Solo winner Joe Fish was all by himself in no man’s land between the top 3 and NICA standout Taylor Clarke in 5th. By the third lap the unrelenting pace of the seasoned Pro’s Bishop and Baker started to show on Croft as he started to loose contact with the leaders. All of the sudden a very fresh looking Joe Fish, who was still throwing whips off the jumps even after riding 17 laps the previous day, started looking like he may be able to bridge up to Croft. Meanwhile Bailey, who was last after the cleat incident had been steadily making up ground and closing on Clarke in 5th place. Fish finally caught Croft and it looked like he would be able to pull away as Croft appeared to be struggling, but the young gun found another gear and stuck right on Fish’s wheel. So the drama was set for the closing lap with 3 pairs of racers battling for 1st, 3rd and 5th! Matt Bailey’s come from behind ride would end just 13 seconds shy of Taylor Clarke who would take 5th. Joe Fish and Adam Croft would take their battle for 3rd right to the line in a sprint finish with Fish just nipping Croft across the line which may be the ride of 2015 considering he had just completed his 23rd lap of the weekend! This finish would also give Joe Fish the Men’s Tidewater Trifecta Title ahead of Matt Bailey and Joel Nankman. Ryan Cullen would finish in the money with a 7th at his first Tidewater Pro/Expert race followed by Eric Sjoerdsmal in 8th also in the money. Of note is the fact that 3 of the top 7 riders (Croft, Clarke, Cullen) are High School age and have been racing each other for years in the Virginia High School and NICA Series! The future is here! Multi time Tidewater Challenge Champion Jeremiah Bishop and 2014 Champion Keck Baker had never been more than a few bike links apart the entire race as they were heading for another final lap showdown. The anticipation was high as everyone expected the duo to come out of the woods together with only “Horseshoe Hill”, “Jerry’s Jump” and the run up to the Finish Line left. Bishop had other ideas beside a sprint finish and launched an attack going full Ninja gaining a 10 second lead with less than a half mile to the line. It appeared that Bishop’s strategy had worked to perfection except for it was the year of the what…. Mechanical…..#5! On one of the final significant rooty climbs of the day Bishop’s chain would let loose allowing Baker to pass and cruise in for the win successfully defending his #1 plate for 2015! Bishop was able to to run/coast it in to the line for 2nd and his first defeat at Tidewater Challenge in years. Bishop taking the events with true professional sportsmanship and no excuses merely stated “hey it happens”! What excitement will October 29-30, 2016 hold for next year’s Tidewater Challenge? Hopefully all the excitement and drama without the Mechanicals! Thanks to Title Sponsor York River Mechanical Contracting, Inc. who really can do it all for your home or business and would literally give you the shoes off their feet if need be! Our Platinum sponsors include Sports Williamsburg, Bikes Unlimited, BikeBeat, The Daily Grind, Village Bicycles, Howard Hanna Ted Evans Realtor, Red Barn Bicycles, East Coast Bicycles and Conte’s Bike Shop. Gold Sponsors include Scat Bicycles, Hawley, Glide Bikes, FreeRider, Inc., Wave Riding Vehicles, North End Cyclery and Bartlett & Spirn Attorney’s at Law. *Special Thanks to Anne Nevins, Ralph and Joanne Strojny, Tammy Gomez, Todd Cooke, Ralph and “J” Will and of course the Tidewater Challenge course which waits patiently each year for the last 24 years for the party to begin!