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September 2007 Team Santa Fe Activities
RACES:
Frazier Mountain Madness Mountain Bike Race (Hill Climb and Cross Country)
Taos Ski Valley, NM
Sept. 22-23, 2007
Results Hill Climb Sept. 22:
Gary Johnson 1st Place Expert men 50+, NA
Den Werenko 1st Place Expert Women 50+, NA
Results Cross Country Sept. 23:
Helen Morell 1st Place Sport Women 40-49, 2:27:13
Angie Cline 2nd Place Sport Women 40-49, 3:03:12
Gary Johnson 1st Place Expert men 50+, 3:06:56
Den Werenko 1st Place Expert Women 50+, 3:27:37
By Deb Werenko
This event included two races: a Hill Climb on Saturday September 22, 2007 and
a Cross Country Race Sunday September 23, 2007. Two team Santa Fe Team
members participated in the Saturday Hill Climb: Gary Johnson and Deb
Werenko. Gary was 1st in the Expert Men 50+ age category and Deb was 2nd in
the Expert Women Category. There were 18 participants in Saturday's event, the
weather was crisp and cool, and the course was a mostly two track road which
winds its way up to the top of Frazier Mountain. The course started on ski area
property and ended up on private land. The race organizers obtained permission
from Roger Patiison owner of the land. It is well worth the effort to do the hill
climb in order to access Frazier Mountain, for the gorgeous views if nothing else.
Also participants were allowed to go across Mr. Pattison's land after the race to
ride up Gold Hill if they wanted to.
Gary Johnson and Deb Werenko at the finish
Sunday's cross country event had 49 participants, with four Team Santa Fe
participants. Gary Johnson, Deb Werenko, Helen Morell and Angie Cline. Gary
took 1st in the expert men 50+, out of 2, and Deb was 1st in the expert women out
of two as well. Helen was 2nd sport women and Angie was 5th sport women.
Race day dawned with a warm rain which turned into wispy fog during the race
keeping it cool and a little surreal. The cross country course started on two track
but the downhill parts of the upper loops were fabulous single track. As experts
we did 3 upper loops and then back down the two track to the ski area base.
Again well worth the effort to get to the best single track in the ski valley.
Frazier Mountain Madness Mountain Bike Race (Hill Climb and Cross Country)
By Helen Morell
Start of the Frazier Mountain Madness Mountain Bike Race
There was a good turnout for this race considering the hard rain and cooler
temperatures. The course started as a relentless climb up to 11,500 feet. The
single-track at the top was awesome and breathtaking...literally! The fog and
drizzle made visibility difficult and it felt like winter for the first time this year. The
down hill back to the ski resort was mostly double track and rocky which ended
with a short climb back to the start. The race organizers were very supportive
and the course was well maintained. We were lucky that it did not snow!
High Desert Screamer Mountain Bike Race
Gallup, New Mexico
September 29, 2007
Helen Morell 4th Place Overall Sport Women, 1:57:13
Angie Cline 8th Place Overall Sport Women, 2:05:56
Deb Werenko 2nd Place Overall Expert Women, 3:32:13
By Helen Morell
SINGLETRACK HEAVEN! What a fantastic race course. The sport route was a
complete loop around the High Desert Trail system, 19.5 miles. The climbs were
short and sweet and the rest was fast, fast, fast. The experts rode 30 miles and
did and additional loop around the 3rd mesa. The race was part of the annual
Squash Blossom Festival and continued throughout the weekend with foot races
on Sunday. Gallup has developed a world class trail system. I am looking forward
to the Dawn till Dusk 12 hour race there next spring.
High Desert Screamer Mountain Bike Race
By Deb Werenko
There were three Team Santa Fe members, in this race of 144 total participants.
Deb Werenko, Helen Morell, and Angie Cline. Deb was 2nd in the expert woman's
class (out of two), Helen 4th in sport women and Angie 8th in sport women (out of
12). The course is a fast, fun, largely single-track course just on the outskirts of
Gallup, NM. It is run on the same course as the Dawn to Dusk in the spring, but
starts and ends at the opposite end, with a loop for the beginners tacked on. The
day was just about perfect except for the 40 mph+/- headwind that blasted us
from the west, making for a fast return on each of 2 x 12 mile loops for the
experts, and very sketchy at the far west end of the loop where the three of us
got to know the exact same scrubby bush as the wind buffeted us off our bikes
and into it. There is a deceiving amount of climbing that this rolling course throws
at you as you wind in and out of beautiful sandstone mesas, and simply striking if
not breathtaking views. The course is also sprinkled with creatures cut from iron
placed in silhouette at strategic points along the trail (bobcat, crows, and hare). It
was well worth the drive and the wind to participate in this event and I highly
recommend the course as a destination hike or bike on your way through this
part of the country.
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