Sunday, April 16, 2000 -- Pine Grove Furnace State Park, PA
Ironmasters Classic
Story and photos by Matt Marcus
[Details]
[Coverage]
Results:
[Exp]
[by Class]
[Sport]
[by Class]
[Beg]
[by Class]
Pictures:
[Set 1]
[Set 2]
[Set 3]
[Set 4]
[Set 5]
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This race has a great course and the 2000 edition was unanimously
agreed to be the best and, most difficult, of the past ten
years. The race began on a 1.5 mile gradual climb up pavement
leading into a flat smooth dirt road, which quickly gave way to the
legendary rock double-track. This rolled for several miles along
Piney Mountain Ridge parallel to the dirt road before the beginners
were, mercifully, routed off onto their very own brutal 15-mile
loop. Sport and expert continued on, crossing the dirt road twice
before the first major descent "flat tire downhill".
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The race started (pretty much on time) at 10 AM, leaving several hapless
participants chasing down their "wave". Expert men, Vet expert, Women
Junior and Master experts, Sport A, Sport B, Vet sport, Master sport,
Junior sport A, Junior sport B, Women sport vet/master, Women sport
SR. The list goes on. By the time the last wave of beginners left the
starting line I was anxiously looking at my watch... 10:40!!! I was
going to have to hustle over to Grave Ridge to catch the leaders.
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The trail crossed a swollen creek and started climbing, away from the
voices, but towards a ridgeline. Fifteen minutes later, sweating
profusely I came to an intersection...no course markings!!! The noises
were still off in the distance but back toward the road. The course
had to be around here somewhere! If I turned back now I would surely
miss the leaders so I turned right and hiked onward at a brisk rate.
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To make a long story short I ascertained I was at the bottom of Flat Tire Downhill. I had managed to walk all the way around Grave Ridge and it was a short hike out a logging road to Rt. 233, two miles away from my car. By the time I walked back down the road to where the race crossed the first time I was about half an hour behind the leaders. I managed to hitch a ride back to my car and started back towards the second road crossing hoping I could catch the leaders there.
"Jeremiah came through here about five minutes ago". The course
marshals were on top of it - I wasn't. I drove on to the finish
vainly attempting to catch Jeremiah before the finish line but, like a
true pro, he beat me back up the mountain.
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"I was having problems with my co2 cartridges. I lost about 15 minutes". Chris is fresh off the World Cup circuit in Mexico and is heading to Europe for the next three rounds in pursuit of an Olympic berth riding for Great Britain. Even losing time Chris finished fifth.
After Eatough flatted, Bishop still had company, his new roommate and K2/Newsun teammate Eric Keim. Bishop felt he was slightly stronger on the climb up Dead Woman's Hollow and kept looking back to see what kind of a gap he could establish. He had a minute by the top and never saw anyone after that and, other than unintentionally coming off his bike twice, didn't have any problems.
Keim held on for second and "old man" James Futty took third. Junior Team Devo rider Justin Thompson registered as an Expert and took fourth in front of Eatough.
Sue Haywood described her win in the Women's Expert class
as,"... just a Sunday ride in the woods, this is my kind of
course". The Trek East Coast/ West Virginia Tourism rider was riding
with her teammate Katie Compton, Team Headshok's Charmian
Breon and Susan George, Team Harrisburg's Kristine
Oesterling and former Vet World Champion Carol Waters at
the start of the race and into the first singletrack. It was there
she pulled away to duke it out for the rest of the race with the
vet wave that started before the women.
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Sounded like a classic race. Too bad I missed it...well except for the start and the finish. I did have a nice hike and I can highly recommend the trails for riding.
For the race to go on again it is going to have to find a new promoter. After ten years the M.O.R.E. (Michaux Off-Road Enthusiasts) are gracefully bowing out. The loose band of cyclists and motorcyclists cite burnout and the fact that none of them race anymore. Race promoter Withers spends more time now with his family and telemark skiing and golfing and he isn't worried about the fate of the event. "Hey, things are different now. It's never going to be like it was in the good old days."