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SEVEN DC RACE AT ORE 2 SHORE
Drivers Club relied on quality over
quantity for the annual pilgrimage to the Upper Peninsula for
the eighth annual Ore 2 Shore Mountain Bike Epic.
What was at one time considered the
red headed stepchild to the big brothers of the Midwest
Triple Crown (Cheq 40 and Iceman) Ore 2 Shore has developed a
cult like status among the mountain bike community. The
2007 edition elevated its status by conspiring with
Mother
Nature to layout the most challenging course yet. With
a scant three inches of rain since May to moisten the course and
fill the Carp River, the traditional sandy route was transformed
into 28 and 48 mile beaches.
Five DC cyclists raced in the Soft Rock 28
mile race, and two competed in the 48 mile Hard Rock.
Following their Soft Rock championship of 2006
the DC tandem team took the logical next step and moved up the
Hard Rock. Expectations were high for the tandem team as a
preferred start was awarded and they were issued bib # 55.
Unfortunately due to a brutal early crash, poor sand
riding, a stoker losing his MoJo, and late mechanical problems
the pair could only manage 174th place out of 530.
The grim news
 from
the Hard
Rock was overshadowed by two stellar performances in the Soft
Rock. Second time O2S racer Dan Allemand and newcomer
Heather the Feather Tobin stole the headlines for the DC.
Allemand dropped his time by almost an hour and half over last
year, despite the more difficult conditions, coming in at
2:28.09 for 488th place out of 830. Riding her her first
race ever Tobin parlayed supreme sand technique and tactics to
achieve the highest age group place of any DC finishing 8th in
the 20-24 age group. Her time was 2:22.46.
Last years
highest place single Soft Rock rider Jim Strouf had mechanical
problems throughout the race breaking two chains and finishing
the demanding course with only three gears. This caused
Jim to be 18 minutes slower than last year with a time of
2:04.56, 241st place. Lost
in the pandemonium surrounding Allemand and Tobin, John Delfrate
had a strong performance finishing close behind Strouf in 261st
place. His time of 2:07.09 was only 4 minutes slower than
the previous year on a much more demanding course.
Having missed two crucial weeks of training
prior to the race, one of last years sub 2 hour riders Mike
Zoerner succumbed to the sand and posted a time of 2:23.57 for
453rd place.
Next year's O2S will have the added bonus
of landed on Dan Allemand's birthday. Anyone
interested in doing a mountain bike race 2400 of your closest
friends contact Chris Hannes and Mark your calendars for August
9th 2008.
CLICK HERE FOR ACTION PHOTOS OF
O2S 2007 |
