Back 40 Bonanza

Dallas summed it up nicely after the race. The Back 40 is as good as it gets, as far as mtb racing is concerned. If you didn't like that race, then maybe you should start looking for a different sport. I have heard some people say that golf is fun. Or perhaps a spelling bee if it's the sweat and mud you object to. The course served up plenty of sweet, flowing singletrack. And enough short, steep climbs to make it really hurt by the end. Even the cramp fest that most of the 80 km racers seemed to endure wasn't enough to prevent everyone from smiling at the finish line. Then again, most of those who didn't finish were gone by the time I came in. And maybe those smiles were really the effects of facial cramping.

The FGBC wishes to extend a huge thank-you to our friends James, John, Kevin, Tim and the rest of the Tinker Creek gang for all the work they did in organizing such a stellar event. They have clearly raised the bar and demonstrated what a race should look like.

As for the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge, KK won the belt for "best ride." But the FGBC won the race. Only 1 of the 4 RRR entrants in the 80 km race finished--KK in 9th. For the FGBC, I finished 5th, while Jonny G tied with Dallas for 10th place. Craig was one of the many casualties of a broken chain. He did not finish. Johnny S was 4th in the 1 lap race. In the 2 lap race, Unger finished 28th in his post-retirement return to racing.

The challenge itself has all of a sudden become a bit of a mess, however. RRR has raised questions about Johnny S's status as a member of the FGBC. Which is odd since Johnny is as core an FGBCer as it gets. He's never missed a Spring Ride. He's the brains behind our signature race--Southern Cross, the sweetest cx race in MB. And we could go on and on. But his association with ABES suddenly has RRR all in a twitter. In this regard, it needs to be pointed out that ABES is not a racing club. They are a society of bicycle enthusiasts, as their name quite clearly suggests. Johnny explained all this at the Spring Ride after we initially expressed some confusion regarding the implications of the new developments in Altona vis-a-vis the FGBC. ABES members who participate in the races do so as members of MCA registered teams. ABES man Curt F, for example, races for Tinker Creek. It seems Johnny is being punished because he likes to ride with his friends in Altona. This agression will not stand, man. Meanwhile, RRR seems to have claimed Gilles C as a member. This despite the fact that he has been racing under the B&B banner since the beginning of the season. That seems more than a little suspect.

So the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge is henceforth suspended until we can get all of this all sorted out. We at the FGBC don't have any interest in the sort of finger pointing and mud-slinging that looks to be brewing. The discernment process will begin on Tuesday night at the klubhaus. It might be tense. You will want to be there. Should it all come to a spectacular end, at least we can say it was fun while it lasted.

Full results here.

Photos (the first two courtesy of the Back 40 crew):