Joe Meiser Tour Divide Video THE WHOLE THING!

Joe kicked up the compression a notch and now shares his ENTIRE 38+ minute Tour Divide slideshow/video with us. Pour a beer, get some snacks and enjoy. Thanks Joe!

Follow Joe on his blog.

Texas Heats Up This Winter

As many of us in the Endurance Mountain Bike race scene recover from the Holiday and/or dig out from ice and snow, folks down in Texas are turning up the XXC heat with a BUNCH of racing! Here is just a sample of the races Texans have to choose from in the coming months:

The 2010 Frozen Endurance Series

The 2010 Frozen Endurance series consists of three separate events. Each race offers a 4 and 6 hour category, with individual age/gender classes for each. Pre-registration is only $35 per racer for all classes/divisions. The total race field is limited to 300 racers per event.

January 9th, 2010 • Boulder Park, Dallas TX

February 13th, 2010 • Big Cedar, Dallas, TX

March 6th • Johnson Branch, Valley View TX

For more information on the Frozen Endurance Series check out www.DORBA.org.

2010 Hill Country Bicycle Works Marathon Championship Series:

This series has 5 races from November 2009 to February 2010,
and includes the following races:

Pain in the Plain
November 14th, 2009
Palo Duro Canyon, TX
For results visit TMBRA.org

Excruciation Exam 2010
January 2nd, 2010
Warda, TX

El Paso Puzzler
January 17th, 2010
El Paso, TX

Miles of DisComfort
January 30th, 2010
Comfort, TX

Holidaze Marathon at Camp Eagle
February 13th, 2010
Rocksprings, TX

The 85 mile E.E. marathon is fast approaching and combines the Bluff Creek and Rocky Hill bike ranches. It is also the longest running MTB marathon in Texas! Texas resident and racer Vance McMurry described this race to XXC as "excruciating." The race draws folks from all over Texas including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.

A legend is gone....

Sadly the legendary Mas O Menos race (covered extensively in XXC #1) will not happen in 2010. The M.o.M. website states that Desert Sports (the promoters) have finally been unable to secure satisfactory agreements with all of the landowners along the route. For more on this unfortunate event visit desertsportstx.com.

In a state as huge and as bad ass as Texas I bet there are a few more out there, so if you’re heading South this winter keep an eye on the DORBA and TMBRA sites. More than likely you will see more about a few of these races in XXC Season Two, Issue One.

Get Your Genghis On

Check out the Mongolia Bike Challenge... This stage race looks pretty freaking cool! 10 stages, 1,400 KM, and 14,000 meters of climbing. I seriously can’t imagine racing in a land so filled with history. To get an idea about the race check out the video from The Mongolia Bike Challenge web site, and the gallery of photos. I wonder if they would let me wield a big ol sword?? Doubt it.

Crocodile Trophy Video Feature

In XXC #5 we had a feature on the 2009 Crocodile Trophy. To see more, there is a 20+ minute video recap of this year’s race on the Belgian Sporza Videozone site. Very little of it is in English, but it's still a good watch. Plus there's kangaroos, so it must be good.

The ABRA HIlly Billy Roubaix

A while back I mentioned that the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association (ABRA) was going to be putting on a dirt/gravel road race in the Morgantown, WV area this summer. Well details are filtering in, and this is what I have so far... The race will be The Hilly Billy Roubaix, and take place June 26, 2010, and as far as the rest I'll let the ABRA e mail speak for itself:

"No whiners, pretty boys, drama queens or posers aloud! At this point the race
looks to be between 60 – 80 miles long, that depending on which route
we choose to make final. Look for this race to be a MEAN event, taking “roads” that
only we locals in West Virginia would ever call roads. Gravel, mud and
dirty required! More details soon as everything become finalized."

Go to bikereg.com to register. And keep an eye out on xxcmag.com and abraracing.com for more on this race as it develops.

For a list of some upcoming gravel grinder and eduro cross races, check out XXC Magazine #5.

WVMBA 2010 Ultra Schedule

2010 West Virginia Mountain Bike Assoc. Ultra Series Schedule:

#1 Sun., June 20th, Massanutten Hoo-Ha!, McGaheysville, VA

#2 Sun., June 27th, The Wayne Ultra, Marietta OH

#3 Sat., August 7th, Big Bear Lake, Bruceton MIlls, WV

#4 Sun., Sept., 5th, ACE Adventure MTB Ultra, Oak Hill, WV

#5 Sun., Sept., 19th Revenge of The Rattlesnake, Davis, WV

If you’re familiar with the WVMBA XC series, you know that their races are no joke. Even less funny, but more fun are their Ultra Races. 40 to 50 mile races that feel like 100! Last year I had the pleasure (I think) of racing the Wayne Ultra just one week after a 4th lap bonk at the Lumberjack 100. I finished, but left a little bit of blood, sweat, tears, dignity and breakfast out there somewhere.

If you want a half a century or so of rocks, roots, mud, steep climbs and gnarly descents that leave you spent but pumped up enough to bite the head off a live rooster (Ozzy Osbourne like) then THESE are your races. Check out WVMBA.com for more information.

A Mountain FeedBag Update...

You may or may not remember my review of the Epic Ride Research Mountain FeedBag in Issue #4 of XXC. The bags have been sold out for some time, and many folks seemed to have enquired about them without succes. Well today XXC found out why in the form of an e mail from ERR which I share below...

Hello from Epic Ride Research.

You’re receiving this email because you’ve expressed interest in Mountain FeedBag. As founder of this company I’d like to give you an update.

Late this summer, I took a sudden and unprecedented leave of absence from operating this company. An illness that had been in the background suddenly ramped up, leaving me unable to conduct business. Mountain FeedBag happened to be on an extended backorder at the time. Little did I know, inquiries about Mountain FeedBag continued to pour in during this time.

Please understand, I have been absolutely in love with (and dedicated to) this company since 2006. I treasure each and every customer (you!) and love hearing your stories, successes, and future plans of epic rides. I am eager to get back to business…. More than you can know!

Illness is fading, treatment is working. I am slowly getting back on my feet. My manufacturer is reorganizing to accommodate the next batch. Further, I am fazing out my day job in order to dedicate myself to Epic Ride Research’s product design and distribution.

Thank you for your patronage, your support of American-made products, your passion for pushing yourself to the limit, and most of all your patience as I get back to business.

I’ll be in contact with each of you individually about your inquiries and orders. I’m starting with the earliest inquiries and will continue down the list. I’ll talk with you soon!

Christa Olsson Epic Ride Research, LLC

Glad to see that Epic Ride Research is going to be going strong. They make a great product that really does allow endurance racers and riders to easily carry more food and supplies for the long rides. Get well to ERR founder Christa Olsson from XXC.