Cruisin in Claxton

Team AJBW was in full force at the Cruisin' in the Country Century.  But there was one person missing at the "Fruitcake Capital of the World"...he will remain nameless, but his first initial is "A" and his last is "J".  Seems like the crew had a great time on the ride and Chris came through with his usual digital trickery creating a commemorative slideshow/web edit.  Check it out at the link below...these guys get it!
http://picasaweb.google.com/chris.scarff/ClaxtonCentury200902?authkey=Gv1sRgCIKRuJOI78yvcg#5404563936404030450  

The ACC Holds it Down!

The Augusta Cross Race was "Off the Chain" as the kids say.  Cyclocross racing has got to be one of the most exciting forms of competition to observe.  So exciting that I was getting ready to steal someone's bike and get out on the course myself.  But then I started to pay attention to the racer's facial expressions.  Two words can sum it up...Intense and Pain.  From start to finish these guys and gals were killing themselves in hopes of crossing the finish line first.  But once the suffering was over, everyone seemed to be all smiles.  I overheard several people giving lots positive feedback regarding the course, venue, crowd, scenery, volunteers, and everything else imaginable.  So big ups to Ross Douglas and the rest of the ACC crew as well as all the other volunteers.  We look forward to next year!

Dan Patterson and Mini-Me, pre-race walk through.

Cross Boss Ross, projectile regurgitation.

Nate questioning his dual race decision.

You've never heard of fresh water sharks?

Nate (right) with the newest AJBW recruit.

Check out more pics from the cross race on the AJBW Flickr Page.

Behold...The Date Bike!

If you've ever wanted to go for a ride, but your significant other wanted a date night...Odyssey BMX has the solution.  Do both!

Ironman 70.3, Success for Augusta!

Yeah it's kinda old news now, but from what I've been seeing, folks are still pretty stoked. And for good reason 'cause the Augusta IM70.3 went off without a hitch. I don't recall any negative feedback from any of the local participants and I've had some out-of-towners send emails thanking us for our support. Yeah I just patted AJBW on the back. But there would be no back patting without some help. So here's some shout outs.

Kim J - Put it down at the Expo all day Friday and Saturday, hooking up triathletes from all over the globe with the stuff they needed. Actually had it not been for her, we prolly wouldn't have even been at the Expo.

Brian B - Flew in from Hell Paso to get his hands dirty. The Meticulous Mechanic was on deck, assembling bikes, fixing up bikes for ill-prepared racers at check-in, and pumping tires on race day. Could not have pulled it off without this dude.

James B - Our Giant Bicycles sales rep made the trip from NC to help out at the expo and talk about the super sick, super duper new full carbon Giant Tri bikes.

Paul K, Bobby W, and Meg S - Aided Kim in managing over 3,000 AJBW expo booth visitors on Saturday!

Jason K - Helped us out at the store stalling customers as they waited for us to help them, answered the phone, etc.

Mark S - Expedited expo tear down and pack up with the team van!

So IM weekend was a long, hectic, chaotic, stressful, and exhausting undertaking, but it was also very rewarding. We got to meet some great people from all over the world and we got to make some miracles happen (well they were miracles for the people we were helping out). I'm very glad to get the first one under the belt as the anticipation of the unknown was almost paralyzing. Team AJBW stood strong, manned-up, and emerged victorious. Thanks to everyone who helped and congratulations to all the competitors. We look forward to next year!

Me re-installing a rear wheel correctly.


Brian changes the eleventy-billionth flat of race-day morning.


Nasty Nate repairing a valve extender for a 200mm aero wheel.

Rewards for long days...I highly recommend Hoptober Fest!

Canal Crown Race 4 - Grand Finale

I can not believe we pulled this thing off. There was a lot that could go wrong, but didn't. The trail was cleared for every race (merely minutes before the last race thanks to John P), only one race had to be postponed due to rain, no one sustained any major injuries, and everyone had an absolute blast. We started out with 10 people at the first race and the line up increased every Thursday. Race 4 had a total of 23 riders chomping at the bit to give it a go! Lots of familiar faces were seen as well as some new ones.

John Pilcher, Canal Crown Tree Massacre!

The expert class was dominated once again by hometown hotshot, J to the T! Dude is like a bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached. I'm still looking for evidence to prove he cut the course, bear with me guys...not really. Another repeat was in the number 2 spot. Matt Kogel was able to stay consistent and keep his usual 15-secondish gap over the race for 3rd. And the race for third is usually a good one until JT's riding buddy, Josh Jackson, makes his race debut to mix things up. He put on a good showing and beat out the usual 3rd place suspects. Another interesting thing that happened was the starting situation Dustin go into. I noticed as I was starting the Expert class his bike was upside down and it looked like he had a small pit crew dialing things in. Come to find out Phillip borrowed his bike and had the flat pedals on. Needless to say trying to get pedals off with a short wrench is on the difficult side. So D was up next, I gave him the 30 second warning, they're still struggling. 10 seconds, 5 seconds, and about the time I said go he was at the line clipping in, and taking off. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this may have effected his lap time in a negative manner. Nothing like some pre-race stress to get the heart rate up.

The Sport class is always a good race and this time it was no different. Brian Williams kept doing what he does and landed the 3 spot. He just barely knocked Jimmy C off the podium. Speaking of Jimmy C, I'm pretty sure there's nothing left of the stairs as he completely crushed them on the climb. I swear there were chunks of wood flying off his back tire. What made this race really unique was the fact there was a tie for first place between Kris "I only do the clockwise races" Fausnight and Bobby "I swear I'm not a sandbagger" Boham. Being that we've never had a tie we really didn't know what to do. We threw around some good, and not so good, ideas then somebody said let 'em chug for the win. Obviously there was no arm twisting necessary there. So they chose their poison from my cooler, we got the megaphone ready, and they proceeded to do their impression of a young man at Kappa Alpha rush week. Being that Kris's can was empty and Bobby had Miller Lite all over him, Kris got the win! Could you imagine if everything was settled that way?

Last, but certainly not least was my favorite, the beginner class. It's really good to see people step out of their comfort zone and give something new a try. Most of the beginner class is folks that have never raced and in some cases never ridden the trail. It's all in the name of fun, and fun was had. Jerry Murphy put it down once again and landed himself in third (must be that vintage dirt bike racing). There must be something in the water because Bob Kogel, Matt's dad, landed himself in second place as well. And then first place went to not only someone making their race debut, but also the youngest competitor. Josh Boham came out and cleaned house in the beginner class. Someone is definitely moving up to sport next year, maybe even expert if he keeps things up.

But the real highlight of the evening was not the racers with the fastest times or the ones with the best placing. This goes back to the idea of trying something new. My wife Kim had contemplated doing one of the CCTT's each time, but it never seemed to happen (probably because she was always helping set up or taking registration). While she was signing people up at race 4 she was going back and forth with the idea giving it a try. She pre-rode the course, she had all her gear with her, but the struggle continued. To back track a little we let the beginner and sport class go first this time. Kim was still torn, but it was too late to jump in as the group was finishing up. That is until Jeff G showed up. Jeff races the beginner class and was running behind schedule, or on time as we typically run the beginners last. So we told Jeff to hurry up, sign in, and run after the last expert racer goes off. So Kim signed him in, I gave him a number plate, and he was ready. Then like a phoenix rising through the flames, Kim throws down the pen, puts on her helmet, and says screw it I'm racing. At this point I was freaking out and trying to get her pumped up at the start. While my efforts may have been appreciated, as I look back I was probably doing more harm than good. Off she goes into what is becoming darkness. I know my wife well and I know she's not a fan of the woods at night. I'm hoping she makes it back out of the trail before the sun falls over the Canal Jungle. Almost 18.5 minutes later, Kim crosses the finish line, 1.5 minutes faster than her original goal. I asked her how it went and she said it was getting really dark, really quick and she was trying to keep the boogey man from getting her! She definitely earned a pat on the back for that one. I have a feeling Kim will be putting down the sign-up sheets and picking up her bike next year!

Kim Jordan gets out of the woods just in time!

I would like to take a second to thank everyone that helped keep the CCTT series going. Whether you raced, did some trail maintenance, or helped out at a race, your efforts are greatly appreciated ane we could not have done it without you. The series was even more fun than I expected, everyone else had more fun than I expected, and we're looking forward to putting it on next year. So start your training now!

Bryan Nuckols right behind team Rabobank on the run-up!

Another Chris Scarff Comic

Click the image for full size.

Performance is the Name of the Game.

Covington Comic by Chris Scarff

Click the images below for the full size image. Looks like these guys are having fun to me!

Canal Crown Time Trial Race #3

We had a record turnout for the CCTT3 on Thursday night! There were a few new riders in the Expert and Sport class, the beginner class increased substantially, and we had our first female competitor! Here are a few highlights from the evening. As usual JT dominated in the Expert class with a new Counter-Clockwise course record of 11 minutes & 4 seconds (I'm still waiting on some local racers to come out and give it a shot...yes you've been called out). I think we need to put some trail police out there to make sure he's not cutting the course! My boy dgaddis shook things up this time by putting down the stopwatch and picking up the bike. He was able to knock Brian and Ross off the Expert podium with his 3rd place finish. Best of all, he didn't puke doing it!
Dustin's boss, Mark M, came out for the race and ended up with first place in the Sport class. Not bad for not knowing the trail and pretty much being new to mtb'ing. Big Jim Culpepper made his race debut with a third place finish. Must have been that pre-race Red Bull! I swear you could feel the Earth shaking when he came down the stairs. Philip "J is for Genius" Roberson also made his debut and shattered his personal record! Becca Phelan represented things for the girls in the Sport class. She was able to beat out five other male racers times! On top of that, I think she wrecked like 3 times doing it!

Jimmy C blows up the trail with his aggressive riding style!!

The Beginner class was awesome as it more than doubled in participation. Matt Kogel's dad, Bob, was another person making their race debut. He shredded up the trail landing the number one spot! And right behind him was another first timer, Ethan St. Martin. The original plan was for Ethan to race my single speed. No gears, no shocks, nothing to mess up. Wrong. Ethan took a couple test laps and right before his start time realized the front tire was flat. Cross Boss Ross stepped up to the plate and sacrificed his bike and shoes. This was probably a blessing in disguise as Ethan had already over-done it on his test runs and was going to need all the help he could get. Surprisingly enough less than 15 minutes later he found himself in second place in the Beginner class. Must have been that Anthem X...

So there were lots of first timers, lots of familiar faces, and lots of fun. This whole thing is going even better than dg and I had thought. I can't believe there's only one race to go in the series. If you haven't made it out, mark your calendar for August 27. Come out, kick up some dirt, and have fun!

ESM after his first warm up lap...

ESM minutes before staging. Even the lil Victor boy was worried about him...

ESM, mid-race and mid-dehydration...

ESM minutes after his race...

AJBW Comic, No. 2 of...Until Chris gets bored doing 'em.

This is too good! Click the image to view in full size (in a new window).
Comic courtesy of Chris Scarff.

Canal Crown Race 2

For some reason I didn't blog on Race 1 of the AJBW/SORBA Canal Crown, so it's only right that I make it count for Race 2. Where do I start? Attendance was up a considerable amount as we went from 10 to 15 racers! The beginner class doubled and the sport and expert classes had a few extras as well. In typical fashion it was never a dull moment. As we were getting ready to start the pre-race meeting we hear CrossBoss say to Bare Nuckols, "Uh, there's a snake by your foot Bryan!" And sure enough merely one half of an inch away was a 4 foot black snake making his way through the trailhead, and Bryan's feet. Fortunately no one was harmed by this, apparently, non-venemous reptile. But Lowell D couldn't resist himself and switched into Nat Geo mode to wrangle him up. After a few pics with this creature of the wild the racing began.

LD, snake wrastler.

Race 2 had everyone going in a clockwise fashion with an uphill finish straight up the middle of the stairs...As in dgaddis and I piled up a bunch of branches on the left side of the trail (definitely the easiest path) to force racers into the center of the stairs (definitely more challenging). Being that JT won last time we let him start first. Roughly 11 minutes later he started up the stairs, got about three-quarters of the way up, and came unclipped resulting in the first fall of the evening. Being that JT's a dang good rider, I immediately thought, maybe making them ride up the stairs was a bad idea...nah, what was I thinking, this is no time to be soft, it's an MTB Race?! After watching everyone kill themselves trying to ride up the stairs a few of the racers figured out they didn't have to ride the whole way and started running their bikes up to the turnaround. But no one matched Ross and his cyclocross style dismount, to run up. We were still talking about it the next day in disbelief. He was like a giant gazelle fleeing a close encounter with a cheetah!

The Crossboss, part man, part gazelle, seconds before the run-up.

The expert and sport class racing continued, everyone was having fun, and the beginners were the last racers of the evening. One of them was barely familiar with the trail, the other doesn't own a bike and has never ridden the trail. This could have gone really bad, but thankfully both did really well and neither of them came back to the finish bloody or bruised. It seemed like they had a lot of fun, despite having no idea what they were getting into. And that's the whole idea behind this race series.
F-U-N!

So dgaddis did some math, got everyone's times, and the victors were given their spoils. Third and second place received their trophies/beer shot glasses. First place for each class received a custom made trophy by myself...OK, so I just added some spice to the same 50 cent trophy everyone else got. Everyone was stoked on their winnings and we all hung out for a little race re-cap. Ah, yet another good time!

Now that's a trophy for the mantle! Look at that commercial style head. Perfect pour!

Click here for the official Canal Crown web page with results and pics.

Shredding with Giant...Easy as 1, 2, 3

Thomas Bentley, AJBW Stunt Team Member, stopped in the other day to assemble his brand new mobile shredding device...the Giant Method Team.

One...

Two...

Three

More Digging than Riding

It was an 80% chance of rain on Monday, but I knew if I didn't take my bike to work with me, it wouldn't rain, and I wouldn't have a bike to ride. Somehow it all worked out and the rain held off. So Jeremy and I headed over to the Westview Trails for an evening session on the BMX bikes. Well that was brought to a screeching halt when we rolled up to the trails and assessed the conditions. Somehow we forgot about the seriously severe thunderstorm that swept through Sunday night. The place was a total wreck! Carpets (erosion control devices) were blown everywhere, there were piles of dirt at the base of every transition, and the place was basically unrideable. We left the bikes on the vehicles, grabbed the shovels, and started digging. We put in a good 2 hours of work shoveling, raking, shaping, and dialing in some beat up landings. Now if the rain will hold off for a few days we'll be shredding soon enough. Think again. Seems Mother Nature had different plans and dealt us the Joker. Hopefully all the rain we're having is a little more forgiving than Sunday's storm. If not, guess will be slinging some more dirt...
If you've ever spent more time working on a jump, trails, single track, ramp, or riding spot than actually riding your bike...welcome to the exclusive club of a select few. You're one of the unsung heroes behind the scenes keeping the scene alive. Pat yourself on the back because without you, chances are there wouldn't be much to ride. Keep digging, scraping, dialing, trimming, armoring, or whatever you want to call it, and then have something cold and gold...You've earned it! Here's to everyone keeping things running!

Jeremy breaking back and bringing the right line back to life

Landing of set #2 on the mainline post storm


Set #2 of the mainline after 45 minutes of work...Dialed.

Noses will dive...

The AJBW Comic Series, Number 1 of .....

Courtesy of Chris Scarff.

Canal Singletrack, Canal Crown Ready!

Well I think we got the Canal Singletrack pretty well dialed in for the Canal Crown. Kim, Dustin, Joe, and myself met up at the trail early Sunday morning for some last minute preparations. Thanks to SORBA-CSRA, we were able to borrow the trailer and use some of their arsenal. One wasp sting, multiple gallons of sweat poured, a broken DR mower, and 3 hours later, the stage is set for the TT series starting Thursday. All down trees are gone, the main trail is trimmed back, and the 6 foot tall grass along the ponds is cut. Now all we gotta do is hope we don't get another severe storm. I would like to give quick shout-out to all the people that have helped out over the past couple months with getting the Canal Singletrack race-ready: Ross Douglas, Dustin Gaddis, Jimmy Culpepper, John Pilcher, Lowell Dorn, Kim Jordan, and Joe Delrie. If there's anyone I forgot, please leave a comment on the post so I can give you your props.

Little did we know the 4 of us would be dragging that DR mower out of the woods. Much harder than I thought it would be...

It's here...Giant XTC 29er!

The time has finally come! Here's some pics of the all new Giant XTC 1 and XTC 2 29er. Our Giant rep is coming in to give us a clinic on what makes Giant's 29er better than the rest. Theses should be ready to ship in about 2-3 weeks. Stay tuned for the details...

Downtown Augusta in Dinosaur Jr Music Video

Check it out, name a street or landmark from the video (leave your answer in a comment), and win something...



FYI the nice guys from FBM BMX did the bike stunts for the band members.

Georgia on My Ride

This is sort of old news now, but news worthy nonetheless. New Belgium Brewery products are now being sold in Augusta! Not only does NBB make a fine brew, but they get extra support from me 'cause they love the bicycles. I mean they have a beer called "Fat Tire Ale" and just about everyone at headquartes rides a bike to work! We had the pleasure of attending the release party at the White's Building where we met some of the guys behind the company (see pic above) and imbibed in their fine craft. Great food was served, the beer was flowing like wine, and a bike from AJBW was to be raffled off at the end of the night. And that's where it gets interesting. The girl that ended up winning the raffle worked for AB Beverage. So she donated the bike to the Augusta Arts Council to be auctioned off as a fundraiser. The bike quickly went from $100 to $625 and then it came down to this...

Bobby Boham in a Fat Tire Chug Off from Drew Jordan on Vimeo.

Let the good times roll...

AJBW Tee Sighting

After hiking 14 miles of rugged wilderness, Ethan came across this as he crested the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park...

Winner Takes All!

And that's exactly what AJBW's Nate Zukas did at this weekend's Sumter MTB Metric Century. With a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes Nate took the win in his class and overall! I saw Nate that night with the coveted winner's pint glass and proceeded to fill it up with some cold Boddington's. Ahhh, the taste of victory. Congrats Nate!

Here's a link to some more info on the race
http://sorbacsra.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Ridepost&thread=1177&page=1

Fallen Tree Free

A lot of trees had fallen on the Canal trail due to the high winds and severe storms. Some of the trees were rideable (kinda), some not so much. To increase the overall flow of the trail Ross, Jimmy, and I decided to do some work. Equipped with a Stihl Chainsaw, work gloves, and lopers we made our way into the woods. There was a total of 5 trees across the trail and within 1.5 hours we were able to get the entire trail clear. No more cyclocrossing on the MTB trail! Another reward of our work party was the prehistoric looking turtle we walked up on in the middle of the trail. This guy was pretty big, had a crazy tail, and a gangsta attitude. Instead of hiding in his shell like most, big man decided to come at us mouth open and ready to snap.