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