2013 WIndrock Round 1 Race Report By GoJamMedia

Winter time is typically the time for either the dust to collect on your downhill gear, train in prep for the coming season, or hit the slopes with the board or skis. Hogwash! How about a two race series in one of the nastiest sets of trails in the SE? Why you ask? Why-a-not? In Windrock, TN there’s a core group of riders that come together almost every weekend and this would be the bunch that would answer the previous question with, “Because we can!” With a focus on keeping it “Grass Roots”, the trail of choice for round one would be Snakerock Trail with a slight twist making use of a section of Bedrock. Now Snakerock is probably the most tame trail that Windrock has to offer stretching about a mile over 959 feet of elevation, but it really never lets up. It constantly keeps you on your toes never giving you a second to relax…….. it really is what Downhill is supposed to be like.

Leading up the race the entire Southeast region went through three days of constant rain followed up by a about a half day of snow. Most expected trail conditions to be nothing but a mix of peanut butter and soup, but surprising other than the short stint on Bedrock into the natural drain of the valley, it was just about perfect. Not too dry with about 85 to 90% of the trail tacky like you want it. Mornings were a tad on the chilly side, it is Winter, but no signs of powder to be found, clear blue skys and temps in the mid to upper forty for two day’s worth of riding is really the perfect formula for an awesome race weekend.

Staying true to the concept of keeping it real, the crew decided to keep it to just two classes for the 30 riders that showed up. Not a big turnout you say, no matter, that was EXACTLY what the crew wanted. Low key, Grass Roots and lots of fun. Lining up was totally up to the riders, though most of the Open (Pro) class did choose to wait til the end of the pack. 29 Amateurs would lay down the best they could. In the end it was 3. Chris Fisher, 2. Jerry Mailloux and 1. Wes Childers. The Open class would come down to a battle two east coasters and one surprise west coaster attending school in KY. Kyle Grau (EC), JD Swaguen (WC), and Jay Fesperman (EC). Kyle ended up just missing Jay Fesperman's time by 0.7 sec and it would be JD taking the top spot by an impressive 13.2 sec over Fesperman (suffering from a crash on Bedrock) with a time of 3:33.60. There is no doubt for the final race in the Windrock Winter Series, the east coasters will be anxious to take the crown back from JD Swaguen.

Alex Ohman on his first event, “Our first event went really well. We had some beautiful weather with some world class competition and the racers laid down some FAST times. The weekend started out a little on the muddy side, but you can’t ask for a better race day than what we got. Everybody’s out here smiling and I don’t see anybody with anything less than a grin on their face. I couldn’t be happier!”

Next up for Alex Ohman and the crew? Back in a month for the last race of the series on February 17. And if you are going to come, bring your balls and your fitness as racers are in store for a treat…… a full run from the top of the world to the bottom, down Windmill trail. 1500+ feet of elevation, 2-ish miles of track, equals about a 10 minute ride (it’s not yet on Strava). A LONG RACE COURSE for sure!

Thanks to Clealan Watts for the shuttle, Alex Ohman for putting the effort forth to see this event come to life with some support the boys at the Trials Training Center (TTC) and lastly the event sponsors, Billy Goat Bikes and Red House Bikes. See you back in a month for the second and last race in the series on Feb 17.

Open: Results

1. JD Swanguen 3.33.60
2. Jay Fesperman 3.46.80
3. Kyle Grau 3.47.50
4. Eric Vest 4.01.10
5. Josh Patton 4.07.20
6. Sally Wilkinson 4.28.10
7. Colonel Clealan 4.28.40

Amateur: Results

1. Wes Childers 4.16.60
2. Jerry Mailloux 4.20.10
3. Chris Fisher 4.21.60
4. Geoff Boone 4.32.10
5. Brett Zook 4.40.70
6. Craig Fitzgerald 4.50.30
7. Wendell Hatton 4.51.90
8. Zach Miller 4.53.40
9. Troy Roberts 4.55.40
10. Andy Riche 4.55.60
11. Nathan Hoff 4.57.10
12. Michael Kane 4.59.20
13. Tom Robertson 5.07.00
14. Randy Simpson 5.11.40
15. Dave Raymond 5.29.20
16. Jeff Pane 5.33.70
17. Shawn Tyra 6.11.90
18. Phil Marsh 6.49.00
19. Enrique Gaona 7.13.20
20. Dave Fopp DNF
21. Zack Slaybaugh DNF
22. Ace Savarese DNF

2013 GoJamMedia Introduction

Go JaM On it!

2012 was a big year! It seems personal interests grew beyond expectations and resulted in lots of new friends, lots of great relationships, and one new venture. What venture you might ask? Well, one of those newly formed friendships lead to two guys each with similar skills and interests to the formation of GoJaMMedia.

Now, who or what is GoJaMMedia? That’s simple, just a mix of some words and letters. Ok, so you take the word “Go”, the letter J from “Jay Schultz”, the letter A from “And”, the letter M from “Matt DeLorme”, Media…. Slap them all together and Wala! = GoJaMMedia!

Matt DeLorme, of Frederick, Maryland comes to GoJaMMedia with five years shooting the MTB racing scene for the best Gravity rag in the world, Decline Magazine (www.declinemagazine.com) and two years shooting for one of the best online MTB news sites on the web, VitalMTB (www.vitalmtbcom).

Asked about the new venture, Matt stated, “2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for my career as a professional photographer. The formation of GoJAMMedia is an exciting new venture for me. I am thrilled to be working with a good friend, and talented photographer to provide a better photographic media product. The ability to bounce creative ideas of each other is in my mind what will be a huge part of this ventures success. I'm looking forward to providing the best possible coverage of east coast action sports!”

The other half of GoJaMMedia, Jay Schultz of Mauldin, South Carolina, has been handling all things Press and
Media related for Team BGB-Mountain Khakis in 2011 and 2012. His long passion for photography stems from a past life spent on the motorsports circuit as photographer from 1997 to 2007. After a few of life changes and moves up and down the east coast, going fast on two wheels has become focus of his time and energy.

Jay Schultz on GoJaMMedia, “There were definitely some bumps in the road in 2012, but that’s a part of personal growth. If you aren’t learning something about yourself, others, and what you love to do, they there’s something systemically wrong. With two guys with almost exactly the same M.O. (Modus Operandi) in terms interest, one placed in the SE and one placed in the NE, we’ve got an equation that works great for the both of us. I am SO stoked!”

Although out of context (or not on the MTB scene), GoJaMMedia was formed while the fastest sportscars in the world where pounding the pavement at Road Atlanta. Neither of the crew is leaving their roots, whether MTB racing for Matt or a return those via Motorsports for Jay….. that’s the beauty of where this pair is going, a combination of the two. From covering every UCI WC round to the American LeMans Series keep an eye out for Matt or Jay. As always, don’t be shy, stop by and say Hi! See you out there!

Website: http://www.gojammedia.com
Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/GoJamMedia
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GoJaMMedia
VitalMTB: http://www.vitalmtb.com/community/gojammedia,19973/all
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/gojammedia

Mikey Sylvestri Wins The 2013 Nevada State DH Championships

DRD’s Mikey Sylvestri won, for the second year in a row, the Nevada State Downhill Championships this past weekend at Bootleg Canyon, in Boulder City, Nevada.  On the rough, moon-like terrain of Bootleg Canyon, Mikey demolished the competition by nearly 5 seconds!
 
Mikey said, “I had a great time this weekend out in Bootleg!  I’m pretty pumped on my win there!  I felt strong and I knew all of the lines well, so I knew I was going to be competitive.  My qualifier went pretty smooth, & I knew I had it in me to finish on top for finals.  I’m just happy to start the season off with a win and focus on what’s ahead!”
 
Recently signing with the DRD Professional Race Team, Mikey has already shown that he’s a force to be reckoned with this season!

DVO Welcomes its Newest Member of the Team

Valencia, Ca 01/21/2013 DVO Suspension is pleased to announce Troy Jungheim as the latest addition to the DVO crew. He will be responsible for European sales of Aftermarket and OE as well as event support across Europe. With 20+ years of industry experience Troy will add some Euro flavour to the DVO team.

Troy was born in the USA but spent his first 17 years travelling through Europe with his family and has learned to adapt to many different cultures and challenges. During the younger years he raced BMX for Kuwahara and Mongoose so bikes have always been in his blood. At 18 he joined the military and served in Desert Storm as well as drug enforcement Ops in S. America. In 1992 he got back into the bike scene pretty heavy in So Cal and worked his way up from shop floor to become a top notch sales person. His first Industry job gave him the motivation to learn every aspect of the business. He has held positions in Big Brand named companies like Bell Helmets, Marin Bikes, Fox clothing, Ritchey, Syncros, 661, Sunline and Royal clothing handling outside sales, inside sales, sales manager, marketing, warranty tech, and event coordinator. Good with a wrench and he knows how to huck it. In 1999 an opportunity came about to take him back to Europe where he felt most at home and he has been there ever since. In his time travelling he has been to 57 different countries and speaks multiple languages. This has given him a unique outlook and allowed him to really get to know the different markets in Europe. Still just as passionate about bikes as the first days of riding he spends his rideable season shredding some of the best trails in Europe.

Troy will add a presence to the DVO team that you could not get unless you live the life of a nomad. Communication and customer service are key elements in being on the front line to launch the DVO brand across Europe.

“I am very happy to join such a solid crew of industry veterans. It will be a pleasure working with likeminded people who know a thing or two about bikes! My first few days after joining the DVO team I knew I felt right at home. I have a great deal that I can learn from them all and I hope that I can teach them a thing or two that I have learned along my journey in this amazing industry. I live for biking and like nothing more than a sweet 45 minute descent in the Alpes with a super tuned machine. DVO is my calling and I am very proud to be part of the team.”….Troy Jungheim

Let’s ride!

X-Fusion Title Sponsor of Ashland Mountain Challenge

X-Fusion proudly announces today its title sponsorship of the Ashland Mountain Challenge Mountain Bike Enduro for 2013. The Ashland Mountain Challenge (AMC) is in its 4th year, with prior history as the 12 Mile Super D. This year, the AMC will be organized as a true Enduro style event, and racers will be competing in more stages and riding more trails than previous years.
 
“Our goal is to grow with the current explosion of Enduro racing, as well as provide racers with more time on their bike and a better overall experience”, says Bill Roussel , AMC Race Director. Bill also added, “Having X-Fusion as our title sponsor this year is very special to me. This is a suspension company that I have been testing with for the last 3 years and I continue to be blown away by their commitment to performance, quality and reliability.”
 
The 2013 event will encompass both the Eastern and Western ridges of Mt. Ashland. Racers from the Pro and Cat 1 categories will race on one ridge, while the Cat 2 riders start their race simultaneously on the other ridge. Once finished, racers will then be shuttled to the next leg/ridge. There will be climbs involved to get to each stage, but not timed. Only the descents will be timed, which will have small burst type climbs and other physical challenges. This format promises to reward racers that are skilled, fit and on bikes that can handle technical terrain while being efficient around the mountain.
 
Adds X-Fusion Marketing Manger John Hauer: “X-Fusion has spent a ton of saddle time ripping down the Ashland trails and has held a close relationship with Bill Roussel of Ashland Mountain Adventures. When the opportunity to support such a unique event at what we feel is one of the most ideal venues in North America for Enduro racing, we had to jump on it.”
 
Event Date: Saturday June 22nd, 2013
 
To register go to www.ashlandmountainadventures.com and click on the race page Starting March 1st, 2013.
 
Event Sponsors: X-Fusion, e*thirteen by The hive, Ashland Mountain Adventures, Kali, WTB, Smith Optics, Clif Bar, Specialized, Decline, Ibis, ProGold Lubricants, Standing Stone Brewing Co., HWY 68 Hillbillies.