Lake Ahquabi State Park - The Mullet Fall Classic

Accounting Records for The Mullet...

2011-10-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to be up front with the accounting of what is involved in organizing and paying for an event such as The Mullet Fall Classic. I want to thank CITA for the excellent help and teaming up with me on the food/party side of the equation. Without them, things would not have been as good as they were.

I made the decision to take on last year's growth pains by adding some elements to the race in hopes of improving the experience for everyone. That meant additional expenses (online registration, chip timing, toilet rental) which would require using left over cash from the 2010 race coupled with the race entry fee income for 2011 to host the event. My goal was not to make money (last year or this), so giving back the 2010 proceeds to enhance this year's event seemed appropriate to do.

In spite of knowing the costs involved, I strove to keep entry fee prices down for everyone, rather than raising the cost to cover the chip timing and online registration transaction fees (about $9 per racer). The carry over cash balance from the 2010 race allowed me to do this for the 2011 race. By providing the pre-registration discount entry fee for everyone who registered online, I was happy that 123 racers were able to take advantage of using Raceregister.net and keep their entry fees as low as possible.

Here are the numbers.

Cash Balance and Income

Carry Over Cash Balance from 2010 Race Entry Fees: $1,100
Online Registration Fees for 123 racers from RaceRegister.net: $2736
Day of Race Registration Fees for 32 Day of Race Entry Fees: $1,174
Sponsor Cash: $700

Total Income & Cash Balance: $5710

Expenses

T-Shirts: $850
Online Transaction Fees: $308.80
Insurance: $500
Toilet Rental: $127.20
Prize Money: $1800
Motel for Timers: $122.08
Bike Number Plates and Marking Chalk: $372.09
Marking Supplies from Wal-Mart: $53.29
Resource Revival Award Medals: $329.73
Nebraska Cycling Association Fee for Timing: $708
Nancy Stirek Chip Timing Services: $266.90
Water: $48.
Office Supplies (paper, ink, printing): $17.39
Gas Expense for trail work and set up days: $78

Total Expenses: $5581.48

Income & Cash Balance: $5710
Less Expenses: - $5581.48

Ending Balance: $128.52 (goes to CITA along with a cash contribution of my own)

155 Record Turnout at The Mullet Fall Classic!

2011-10-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all on an excellent race, great food, fun and a whopping year end to IMBCS mountain bike racing party. All proceeds are going to CITA. A huge thanks to CITA for the spread, trail work, volunteer help and general being there.

Thanks to the fraternity boys from Simpson's chapter of Lamda Chi for keeping the road traffic stopped while we crossed the roads. Thanks to Matt McCutchan, Tom Anderson (and his family!!), Jed Gammell, Rob Versteegh and Oakley, Sterling Heise and Rasmussen Bike Shop, Troy Pearson, Al Boone, Ron Cooney, Pete Parvi, Scott Sumpter, Tara Starr, Alexa Brown, Josh Shipman and the Lake Ahquabi staff, Courtney Hilton and family for the on site chili cooking, Nancy Stirek, Craig Harding, Justin Hankins, and all of those who helped put things together food, trail and volunteer wise for the 2011 Mullet. I apologize if I have forgotten shout outs to individual names, but a big thanks to everyone who pitched in on any level from trail work, to food, to organizing, to donations, suggestions, etc... .

I saw a lot of smiles and a lot of healthy attitudes out there this year. Chip timing worked great. Portable toilets worked. Weather was fantastic. Fellowship was abundant. Prize money was won. T-shirts were snarfed up. Schwag was gobbled up. And food was over the top mixed with the Beer Garden.

Still a few growing pains to iron out, but I felt this year was a step in the right direction to tackling the growth. More water needed. A better check-in line system to avoid bottle necks (more volunteers and more than one person handing out the chips perhaps?). But I'm already brainstorming for the future.

Over and out.

Link to Mullet Race Results...

2011-10-10T05:07:00.001-07:00

The link to see all results for The Mullet Fall Classic is here. You can view overall, by division, etc... .

Pre-Ride of course Garmin information.

2011-10-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rick Blackford who used his Garmin on Sunday for a couple of pre-ride laps of the course (riding his singlespeed no less).

Here's the link.

Thank You to CITA and all the Trail Work Volunteers!!!

2011-10-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

We had 18 folks lend a helping hand yesterday in the beautiful fall weather out at Lake Ahquabi. Sunny conditions with temperatures in the 70's made it perfect for pre-riding the course, marking it, doing some rock and dirt fill, unclogging 2 culverts, some chainsaw dead fall removal work, blowing and raking leaves, removing walnuts on the trail, and of course - to tip and sip a few beers while visiting.

Thank you to all who came out to pitch in as it really helped me in getting the course ready. And even more important, continued to show the DNR our commitment to the trails such as Banner Pits and now Lake Ahquabi. That's very important for the present - due to the State Park budget cuts - as well as the future for our continued use of Lake Ahquabi.

The weather also brought out quite a few riders to come and ride the route as well. I am going to go out this morning before work and do a lap, mark a few more corners in the Mickey Mouse Ear loops on the north side and see just what it is we accomplished yesterday as a collective group.

According to the GPS and computer information, the 1st lap will be 6.8 miles, and all subsequent laps are 6.7 miles. It is riding very fast thanks to the dry ground and grooming that has been done. Rick Blackford turned in a 30 minute lap on his SS. Lap counts listed over on the right column are correct and will afford the XC race to meet the IMBCS suggested finishing times for the winners.

Thanks to everyone for the excellent help!!

Free T-Shirt if you register by noon this Friday!!!

2011-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that all who register online by noon this Friday (CST), September 30th will receive a free Mullet t-shirt!

Don't miss this deal...

Online Registration is up and running!!!

2011-09-20T05:32:00.001-07:00

You can now begin registering online for The Mullet Fall Classic/IMBCS #10 at Raceregister.net. Direct link to the event is here.

Due to the use of electronic chip timing this year, we are using online
registration at Raceregister.net for The Mullet Fall Classic.

Everyone who registers online receives an entry fee discount over what one will have to pay on the day of race. It's free and easy to create an account at Raceregister.net and all those who have raced in any Nebraska Psycowpath race are already set to go for registration.

The 10 IMBCS winners from 2010 will also need to register online, however I have unique coupon codes for each of you which you will be receiving shortly from me so that your entry fee to register at Raceregister.net is waived.

Those 10 are:

> Ben Dalbey
> Deana Kerschen
> John Newell
> Neal Groteluschen
> Jim Logan
> Karmen Woelber
> Kyle Sedore
> Cam Kirkpatrick
> Jason Alread
> Julie Kirkpatrick

Bruce Brown

Categories for The Mullet Fall Classic...

2011-09-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Marathon Open (as many # of laps as possible in the 11:45 a.m. - 3 p.m. time frame)

Men
Women
Add: Tandem Bike Category
---------------
Elite/Pro/Expert - Cat 1 (4 laps)

Men Open
Men Masters 35+
Women Open (3 laps)
---------------
Comp & Singlespeed - Cat 2 (3 laps)

Singlespeed Open
Comp Open
---------------
Sport - Cat 2 (2 laps)

Men Open
Men 35+
Men 45+
Women Open
Juniors Boys 18 & Under
Junior Girls 18 & Under
---------------
Beginners - Cat 3 (1 lap)

Men Open
Women Open
Junior Open (18 & Under)
---------------

This is based on the IMBCS 2011 Rules. Let me know if there are any mistakes in the category divisions. Remember that the Comp is a new category for Cat 2 male racers this year by adding an additional lap.

Race plans for October 9th...

2011-08-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

Good news - the route will be less brutal this year!! 2 major climbs are removed, and the lap distance as well as the # of laps for the IMBCS XC race categories are all a bit shorter this year. Marathon Junkies have the option to race in the Marathon Open for cash prizes and get the full monty.

I have done some grooming on the trails and the DNR has done some mowing, but the connector sections at Lake Ahquabi need to be addressed. We'll hit those with the CITA trail work day on Sunday, September 18th from 1-5 pm. Come on out with some work clothes, your bike and some beverages to help groom it and get the route in tip top shape.

Some updates...

*Based on feedback and the difficulty we had in timing so many racers last year, there will be electronic chip timing this year. I have arranged for the electronic chip timing system from Nebraska Cycling that is used in the Nebraska Psycowpath mountain bike races to handle the increased number of racers at The Mullet. The chip is attached to your bike's fork and is removed at the end of the race. Online registration will be a part of that new process at Raceregister.net Why? It takes so much time to enter the racer's data into the software and assign a number plate and chip that we can't do it all on the morning of the race. Entry fees will be discounted for all those that register online and we urge you to do that. That's a no-brainer if you are coming to do the race anyway. Sign up online for the discount and save some cash!! Online registration will be up and running on September 20th and close the evening before the race at 9 pm on October 8th.

*Based on the Beach Shelter restrooms being closed for the season on race day, we will have 2 porta potties available for everyone's needs. So I'm going with the best. Karla from PiPi's will be providing the facilities this year. Look at her stuff...

*The route will change a bit from last year as I have removed 2 of the long and steep climbs as well as a bit of distance so that things are not as brutal. In addition, winning finish times will be close to the IMBCS XC suggested finishing times for each category.

*Plans are to have a post race party with a CITA fund raiser which may include a cookout, music, beverages, home made goodies, etc... . Add the post race party to your travel plans. ;-]

*In addition to the Expert (CAT 1), Comp/Singlespeed (CAT 2), Sport (CAT 2), Beginner (CAT 3) classes, there will be an open Marathon Class again this year. The Marathon riders will be turning as many full laps as one can cram into the time allotment and the winners for the Marathon will be racing for cash prizes.

*A prize will be awarded to the racer sporting the best real grown hair Mullet (no wigs and hair growing on the back of your neck doesn't count).

All information is over on the right side of the page and may be updated or changed as plans continue to form for this event.

2011 IMBCS Race #10 at Lake Ahquabi...

2011-03-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

This year, the Mullet Classic will be held at Lake Ahquabi on Sunday, October 9th. The format will be similar, with the caveat that lap count numbers have yet to be determined with the addition of the Comp Class. And the marathon junkies can look for a beefed up Marathon Class with cash prizes.

Timing issues have been worked out and will be new, efficient and immediate this year.

Between now and October, some trail work will be done and things quickened up over the new connector sections to remove a little bit of brutality out of the loop.

2010 Race Results!!!

2010-10-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

CAT 1 Expert Women:

1st Lisa Vetterlein = 2:41:45
2nd Julie Kirkpatrick = 3:00:48
3rd Sally Logan = 3:07:27
4th Maria Ruhtenberg 3:39:52

CAT 1 Expert Men:

1st Cam Kirkpatrick = 2:42:56
2nd Jed Gammell = 2:53:29
3rd Jay Chesterman = 2:53:295
4th Tony Nichols = 2:58:33
5th Rob Versteegh = 3:10:10
DNF Kaleb Himli
DNF Rick Blackford

CAT 1 Expert Masters Men 35+:

1st Tom Anderson = 3:16:23
2nd Brian Pottorff = 3:18:52
3rd Jason Alread = 3:19:53
4th Chad Vandelune = 3:20:04
5th Eddie Karow = 3:24:54
6th James Hopewn = 3:26:33
DNF Pete Basso
DNF David Fish

Marathon Solo:

1st Jerome Rewerts = 3:09:20
2nd Brad Bergman = 3:10:54
3rd Jubil Young = 3:36:58
4th David Mable = 3:39:55
5th Andrew Zeiner = 3:42:00
6th Jason Dal = 3:46:37
7th Scott Sumpter = 3:50:27
DNF Kurt Hantelmann
DNF Ryan French

Marathon Tag Team:

1st Sheri Robinson/Steven Robinson = 3:42:17
2nd Mark West and Bike World Team = 3:57:00
3rd Dee Mable and Kim Hopkins = 3:59:00

Tandem:

Kim West & Sue Cook = 2:49:20

CAT 2 Singlespeed:

1st William Fanter = 1:48:12
2nd Kyle Sedore = 1:50:48
3rd Adam Prosise = 1:52:06
4th Ryan Williams = 1:58:15
5th TJ Davis = 2:06:20
6th Courtney Wilton = 2:06:50
7th Taylor Webb = 2:12:01
8th Perry Leysons = 2:20:49

CAT 2 Sport Open Women:

1st Joann Schmidt = 2:24:39
2nd Amy Hanrahan = 2:37:00
3rd Jessica Plunkett = 2:39:58
4th Cheryl Dralle = 2:45:51
5th Karmen Woelber = 2:48:22
6th Elaine Kay = 3:00:45
7th Nancy Leysens = 3:26:41
8th Michelle Pohlmeyer = 3:26:45
DNF Katherine Fanter

CAT 2 Sport Open Men:

1st John Newell = 1:48:00
2nd Tyler Rushing = 1:50:50
3rd Ryan Van Houweling = 1:54:50
4th Tyler Heibel = 1:55:49
5th Andy Bush = 2:01:42
6th Gabe Geiger = 2:02:52
7th Nick Larson = 2:13:33
8th Nick Woolley = 2:55:05
DNF Jackson Philby
DNF Tony Pearce
DNF Jay Cox
DNF Pablo Kollmar
DNF Stephen Schmitt

CAT 2 Sport Masters Men 35+:

1st John Conlan = 2:07:25
2nd Michael Cullut = 2:12:07
3rd Hugh Ekberg = 2:16:46
4th Wade Thompson = 2:18:49
5th Robert Moural = 2:21:27
6th Joe Zuniga = 2:21:50
7th Kurt Benson = 2:22:05
8th Anthony Hess = 2:24:03
9th Rick Bachman = 2:27:49
DNF Neal Groteluschen
DNF Jason Plunkett
DNF Doug Ecklund
DNF Mark Wiltse
DNF Chris Cornelison

CAT 2 Sport Masters Men 45+:

1st Ken Sherman = 1:54:50
2nd Tony Hibbs = 2:02:53
3rd Jim Logan = 2:07:29
4th Tom Laughend = 2:16:45
5th Jeff Lorenzen = 2:17:35
6th David Ertl = 2:22:32
7th Jeff Farrell = 2:23:35
8th Alan Boone = 2:24:04
9th Tome Davis = 2:26:21
10th Sterling Heise = 2:33:10
11th Brad Kramer = 2:38:48
12th Brad Kruse = 2:46:46
DNF Brian Duffy
DNF Joe Schmidt

CAT 3 Beginner Junior:

1st Place Jocoa Kerschen = 1:09:03

CAT 3 Beginner Women:

1st Sara Brock = 48:10
2nd Mary Adams = 50:01
3rd Deann Wiltse = 51:14
4th Deana Kerschen = 51:15
5th Angie Boyens = 53:55
6th Corrine Wyma = 54:00
7th Heather Myer-Davis = 58:56
8th Julie Sedore = 59:56
9th Julie Goodman = 1:02:39
10th Julie D. Hoffman = 1:06:40
11th Jane Colligan = 1:07:54
12th Sandy Dunivan = 1:16:10
13th Parady Boatwright = 1:22

CAT 3 Beginner Men:

1st David Storm = 1:22
2nd Jason Uhlenatte = 1:24:34
3rd Jeff Gibson = 1:27:46
4th Matt Zepeda = 1:28:01
5th Ben Dalbey = 1:34:12
6th Bryce Gilbert = 1:39:16
7th Kyle Robinson = 1:40:35
8th Garrett Shetterly = 1:41:09
9th Shawn Baker = 1:44:30
10th Steve Dalbey = 1:46:00
11th Garrett Miller = 1:53:21
12th Doug Smith = 2:11:35
13th Rich Fish = 2:38:26
DNF Thomas Cameron
DNF Inigo Ibarra
DNF Tobin Bennett
DNF Erick Holm
DNF Craig Carman
DNF Luke Wyma
NR Eric Larson
NR Donnie Stratton
NR Tom Mertz

Course is marked...

2010-10-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

Still a bit of work to do today and tomorrow (Friday/Saturday) before Sunday's race. I'll put in 2 small bridges and try and fill the sinkhole on the far west side of the lake. It's very deep and looks like several loads of earth are needed. It might be easier to just cover it with a sheet of plywood for Sunday's race.

Trail Work Day: Sunday, October 3rd at 9 a.m.

2010-10-02T05:43:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is a trail work day at Lake Ahquabi from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.!!!

Meet at the beach shelter parking lot and lend a hand to help get the trails and connector sections primed for next weekend's race. The past week of sunshine has started to turn the trails from a muddy mess into something worth riding. The upcoming week's forecast is for more of the exact same weather (sunshine and dry), so a few hours of work by everyone tomorrow should really help get things in good shape for the race on the 10th.

See you there.

New trail is cut...

2010-09-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

I borrowed the CITA trailer with the DR brush mower and cut the new connector trails on Friday, Saturday and today (Sunday). Still some clearing and shaping to be done on the new sections, but as a one man operation I can only get to it a bit at a time (might need some possible wood slats for a temporary bridge section). 7 days of sunshine coming up which should dry things out and give me an idea on the low swamp area on the northeast side of the lake where I cut the new trail.

If anyone has any time to do some trail work - let me know. I'll put you to work. Otherwise, look for a trail work day next Sunday (October 3rd) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to dial everything in so it is race ready for the 10th.

Get out and ride, but make sure you are tubeless or with Slime in the tubes. Lots of thorns and critters (small sapling roots) out there.

Trails are mowed and open!

2010-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

The DNR was able to get out the last week of August and mow the trails as well as remove the fallen trees and limbs. There is still a bit of culvert and sinkhole work to be done, but the trail is now available for riding.

Things are shaping up for the race this October. We will use the Beach Shelter area for parking/registration/start/finish.

Race is Postponed!!!

2010-07-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Due to the weather and current trail conditions, the August 15th date will not work. A rescheduled date is underway to being selected for some time in October (looking at the 10th, 16th, etc...) to make it a nice fall classic mountain bike race.

Look for some announced trail work days in August/September to remove the downed trees, fill in gulleys, work on washed out areas, work on sinkholes and get the trails back into riding shape.

Mud is not looking good...

2010-07-21T05:21:00.001-07:00

Way too much mud tbanks to historic rains this summer. So much so, that weeks of drying are going to be needed to heal the trails at Lake Ahquabi. I'm going to inspect the entire loop today/tomorrow to determine what to do.

The Mullet Classic is the new name!

2010-07-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's official. The race has taken on a new name for the 40 miler this year. Name choice was not my doing, but since the MOB Team is no longer, gone is the title of "MOB the Quab" and the boys at BikeIowa.com team members came up with the new name - The Mullet Classic - as the choice and the race is developing behind the scenes at this very moment. If anyone shows up sporting a mullet, they will be asked to take their 6 pack and pickup truck over to the beach area parking lot and go fishing for whatever guys with mullets fish for these days. ;-]

If the rain would only stop, some final details of lap lengths could be ironed out. 20" in May/June and so far 5 days of rain in the first week of July. Muddy mess as of now.

Suffice it to say, CAT 1's will be taking on 40 miles instead of the 37.5 miles they faced last year. So will the new "OPEN" category which is comprised of riders that are doing the event not as a race, but just for the 40 miles. CAT 2 distance is yet to be determined (it could be 20 or 30 as last year was 22.5) and CAT 3's will see less. It all depends on lap length, but we'll have 40 miles for the CAT 1's and OPEN (the non-racing category).

A week of sunshine? Say it isn't so....

2010-06-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Lake Ahquabi (along with many other trails in the Des Moines Metro) certainly will enjoy the week of sunshine and lower/dry temps this week. I have not been able to do any work out at Ahquabi this month due to the amount of rainfall and soggy conditions. 13.98 inches recorded in Indianola for the month of June. That's a lot of liquid for clay soil to absorb.

I'm hoping July brings the more traditional drying period leading into August to get things in shape. It will be a jungle due to the rain requiring lots of mowing, trimming and work. Look for some work dates to be scheduled if anyone is interested in helping me out to prepare things for August 15th.

2010 Race....

2010-04-24T07:03:00.001-07:00

This year looks like it is shaping up for a spectacular event at Lake Ahquabi. The Lodge is reserved for our registration, post-race celebration, start/finish line area, parking, etc... on Sunday, August 15th.

BikeIowa.com will be involved in promoting and sponsoring the race as we work together to increase participation in the event. That process is underway and I will report back once things start to develop.

In the meantime, rest assured that the route will be very scenic, hilly and in good condition come August 15th.

IMBCS #7 Race Results...

2009-08-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who came out to Lake Ahquabi State Park for the "Mob the Quab" XC race. We had a total of 61 racers this year (up from 41 last year) which was some nice growth to see. The rain stayed away for us and didn't hit until 6:04 p.m. (after everyone was long gone and I was deep in the back woods removing the course markings). Racing temperatures ranged from 84 degrees at the start to near 90 at the finish with a nice breeze and some clouds to keep us from getting overheated. All in all, a great day for racing.

A special thanks to Paul Varnum for doing the timing, my son Zach for counting laps and helping with registration, my wife Tara Starr and friend Gayla Tighe for being course marshals and my duaghter Alexa and her friend Jordan for helping with registration and being course marshals. Thanks to Nick Woolley who helped me with course marking and take down and to Al Boone for doing all the chainsaw work. And I am giving Kyle Sedore the new Kyle Picasso Graffiti Artist Award for his excellent trail art spray can painting on the west side of the lake to mark one intersection for me. Last, but not least, a big thanks to the entire staff at Lake Ahquabi State Park.

My sincere apologies to Tom Anderson who was listed by mistake in the Expert Men's Open. He should have been in the Expert Men's 35+ category where he won 3rd Place. I also apologize for forgetting Dave & Dee Mable's marvelous ride on their tandem. They indeed won their category and were a pleasure to visit with and have at the race. Thank you Sally Logan for reminding me not to forget them at the prize table!!!

Overall Results are listed as: Overall Place/Racer's Name/Category Placing/Finishing Time

CAT 1 - EXPERT OVERALL RESULTS

1st Cam Kirkpatrick (1st Men’s Open) – 2:18:58
2nd Aaron Robnett (2nd Men’s Open) – 2:26:56
3rd Jed Gammell (3rd Men’s Open) – 2:27:07
4th Nate Kullbom (4th Men’s Open) – 2:28:18
5th Kent Carlson (5th Men’s Open) – 2:38:02
6th Nathan Cline (6th Men’s Open) – 2:45:00
7th Jeff Burnett (1st Men’s 35+) – 2:46:25
8th Brad Patty (2nd Men’s 35+) – 2:48:28
9th Robin Williams (1st Women’s Open) – 2:48:48
10th Christopher Maharry (7th Men’s Open) – 2:53:33
11th Tom Anderson(3rd 35+) – 2:56:58
12th Matt Scotton (4th 35+) – 3:04:00

CAT 2 – SPORT & SS OVERALL RESULTS

1st John Newell (1st Men’s 45+) – 1:31:30
2nd Adam Blake (1st SS) – 1:33:31
3rd Rick Blackford (1st Men’s Open) – 1:34:40
4th Kyle Sedore (2nd SS) – 1:36:11
5th John Peters (1st Men’s 35+) – 1:37:10
6th Jason Plunkett (2nd Men’s 35+) – 1:37:26
7th Jim Logan (2nd Men’s 45+) – 1:37:41
8th John Alread (3rd SS) – 1:38:45
9th Tyler Rushing (2nd Men’s Open) – 1:40:20
10th Jim White (3rd Men’s 35+) – 1:42:15
11th Brian Gibson (3rd Men’s Open) – 1:42:25
12th Nick Sobodnski (4th Men’s Open) – 1:43:20
13th Keith Snoop (5th Men’s Open) – 1:43:40
14th Kurt Benson (6th Men’s Open) – 1:43:55
15th Ryan Williams (7th Men’s Open) – 1:44:40
16th Bruce Brown (8th Men’s Open) – 1:45:46
17th Kurt Hantelmann (9th Men’s Open) – 1:47:15
18th David Fish (3rd Men’s 45+) – 1:47:21
19th Adam Thompson (10th Men’s Open) – 1:47:45
20th Bruce Reese (4th SS) – 1:48:20
21st Matt Piepel (11th Men’s Open) – 1:49:22
22nd Julie Vardaman (1st Women’s Open) – 1:55:20
23rd Scott Sumpter (5th SS) – 1:57:39
24th Taylor Webb (6th SS) – 1:59:21
25th Keely Shannon (2nd Women’s Open) – 1:59:21
26th Brian D. Benson (4th Men’s 35+) – 2:00:14
27th Jacob Naumann (5th Men’s 35+) – 2:01:25
28th Sally Logan (3rd Women’s Open) – 2:01:37
29th Kristin Reese (4th Women’s Open) – 2:03:39
30th Tony Hibbs (4th Men’s 45+) – 2:06:00
31st Jim Pratt (5th Men’s 45+) – 2:07:17
32nd Hugh Ekberg (6th Men’s 35+) – 2:10:55
33rd Nick Woolley (7th Men’s 35+) – 2:16:46
34th Mike Lebeda (8th Men’s 35+) – 2:18:56
35th Sterling Heise (6th Men’s 45+) – 2:21:30
DNF Jordan Johnson (DNF Men’s Open)

TANDEM OVERALL

1st Dave & Dee Mable (1st Tandem) – 2:26:42

CAT 3 BEGINNER OVERALL RESULTS

1st William Stone (1st Men’s) – 34:55
2nd Karolyn Zeller (1st Women’s) – 39:55
3rd Deb Wood (2nd Women’s) – 40:51
4th Zach Danek (2nd Men’s) – 42:53
5th Maria Ruhtenberg (3rd Women’s) – 46:10
6th Brent Ouellette (3rd Men’s) – 46:53
7th Jessica Savage (4th Women’s) – 47:08
8th Jeff Reiland (4th Men’s) – 47:45
9th Wendi Herrick (5th Women’s) – 55:25
DNF – Jay Van Wyk
DNF – Andrew Gettler

Category Results:

CAT 1 - EXPERT MEN’S OPEN RESULTS

1st Cam Kirkpatrick – 2:18:58
2nd Aaron Robnett – 2:26:56
3rd Jed Gammell – 2:27:07
4th Nate Kullbom – 2:28:18
5th Kent Carlson – 2:38:02
6th Nathan Cline – 2:45:00
7th Christopher Maharry – 2:53:33

CAT 1 - EXPERT MEN’S 35+ RESULTS

1st Jeff Burnett – 2:46:25
2nd Brad Patty – 2:48:28
3rd Tom Anderson – 2:56:58
4th Matt Scotton – 3:04:00

CAT 1 - EXPERT WOMEN’S OPEN RESULTS

1st Robin Williams – 2:48:48

TANDEM OVERALL

1st Dave & Dee Mable – 2:26:42

CAT 2 – SPORT MEN’S OPEN RESULTS

1st Rick Blackford – 1:34:40
2nd Tyler Rushing – 1:40:20
3rd Brian Gibson – 1:42:25
4th Nick Sobodnski – 1:43:20
5th Keith Snoop – 1:43:40
6th Kurt Benson – 1:43:55
7th Ryan Williams – 1:44:40
8th Bruce Brown – 1:45:46
9th Kurt Hantelmann – 1:47:15
10th Adam Thompson – 1:47:45
11th Matt Piepel – 1:49:22
DNF Jordan Johnson

CAT 2 – SPORT MEN’S 35+ RESULTS

1st John Peters – 1:37:10
2nd Jason Plunkett – 1:37:26
3rd Jim White – 1:42:15
4th Brian D. Benson – 2:00:14
5th Jacob Naumann – 2:01:25
6th Hugh Ekberg – 2:10:55
7th Nick Woolley – 2:16:46
8th Mike Lebeda – 2:18:56

CAT 2 – SPORT MEN’S 45+ RESULTS

1st John Newell – 1:31:30
2nd Jim Logan – 1:37:41
3rd David Fish – 1:47:21
4th Tony Hibbs – 2:06:00
5th Jim Pratt – 2:07:17
6th Sterling Heise – 2:21:30

CAT 2 – SPORT WOMEN’S OPEN RESULTS

1st Julie Vardaman – 1:55:20
2nd Keely Shannon – 1:59:21
3rd Sally Logan – 2:01:37
4th Kristin Reese – 2:03:39

SINGLESPEED OPEN RESULTS

1st Adam Blake – 1:33:31
2nd Kyle Sedore – 1:36:11
3rd John Alread – 1:38:45
4th Bruce Reese – 1:48:20
5th Scott Sumpter – 1:57:39
6th Taylor Webb – 1:59:21

CAT 3 BEGINNER MEN RESULTS

1st William Stone – 34:55
2nd Zach Danek – 42:53
3rd Brent Ouellette – 46:53
4th Jeff Reiland – 47:45
DNF – Jay Van Wyk
DNF – Andrew Gettler

CAT 3 BEGINNER WOMEN RESULTS

1st Karolyn Zeller – 39:55
2nd Deb Wood – 40:51
3rd Maria Ruhtenberg – 46:10
4th Jessica Savage – 47:08
5th Wendi Herrick – 55:25

The Race is on!!!

2009-08-09T05:01:00.001-07:00

The Trail is groomed. The Trail is marked. The yellow jackets are toast. The Lodge is open for registration business at 9 am. Head on out to Lake Ahquabi today for the race.

Mass start at 12 noon for all classes.

Reminder: Bring your favorite racing beverages and plenty of it as it is going to be warm - 90 to 92 during the race.

See you there.

Taking on the Yellow Jackets!!

2009-08-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

Since I uncovered a ground nest of aggressive yellow jackets in a section we will be riding over, tonight's main agenda is to snuff 'em out once they go night-night. I've consulted two professionals on the best way I can do this myself to keep costs at a minimum.

Dressed in protective clothing from head to toe, I will - along with my assistant (that would be my wife, Tara, also dressed in protective clothing) - pour the solution in the nest entrance, immediately cover the hole with a plastic tarp and cover it with dirt. Or, we might skip the tarp and dirt and just dump a bucket of sand from the beach over the hole after pouring in the solution. I was told the yellow jackets can dig out of the sand, but they cannot dig back in - which is kind of cool. After that, we'll run like heck away from the nest area in case there are multiple holes that I have not yet found or identified and drive home. Sunday morning all the critters should be labeled R.I.P. in their mass grave.

For those pre-riding on Saturday, please BEE-aware that as you ride through the maze where you curve around to head through the gate to climb the old paved road (this is at the edge of the beach house parking lot) - the yellow jacket nest is in the ground to your left side at the edge of the tall weeds just as you make that crest of that curve around the tall weeds. I would suggest, moving to the right on that curve for Saturday's pre-riding as I can't kill the yellow jackets until they are all in their nest tonight after it gets dark. If I cannot get them wiped out, I will obviously adjust that section of the course on Sunday morning before the race.

By the way, yellow jackets love bright clothing. So BEE-aware!!

Trail is mowed, marked and ready!!!

2009-08-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm finishing up most of the marking today (Friday after lunch). I added about 1/2 - 3/4's of a mile to the course so it measures 7+ miles. It's very scenic, fast and fun. The final marking touches won't be until Saturday late afternoon/early evening as I don't want the beach crowd to pull my flags, stakes and tape. I will, however, have chalk arrows on the grass so pre-riding will be self-explanatory on Friday and Saturday.

The course needed rain and today is not disappointing me as rain is coming down. It should soften up the hard ruts and provide enough tackiness to make things perfect for Sunday.

Come out and race!

Comments on the # of laps for this year...

2009-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

I just rode 2 laps today of what I think will be the route for this year's race. Things are in very good shape out there as opposed to last year which had all the spring rain turning Lake Ahquabi into a flood disaster zone. I will be doing some trimming the next two weeks to open up some sight lines on corners from some of the growth, but it really is in good shape from all the work I did last year. The DNR will be removing about 6 felled trees and I will do some work with a shovel on a couple of washed out areas.

This year I have rented the Lake Ahquabi Lodge that sits high up on the hill and overlooks the lake. It's a nice place for a post race event (be it food, drink, etc...). My plan is to have the start of the race by the lake shore directly down the hill from the Lodge. The finish line will be to turn up the hill on everyone's last lap and do the dramatic climb straight up the hill from the lake to the lodge as the cowbells are ringing. This will remove one of the problems from last year's finish line by the beach house shelter which was not very safe for finish line sprints on the off camber grass with the corner. This year will be much safer as well as much more difficult to finish with a steep climb. The DNR staff has already mowed a nice straight path in the meadow for our final hill climb.

Please feel free to comment on the number of laps you think are appropriate. Several complained last year about all the climbing and the length of the race. I'm happy to trim off the # of laps if that would please everyone. Last year, beginners did 1 lap, Sport/Singlespeed 3 and Experts 5. Finish times for the winners were 32 minutes for Male and 36 minutes for Female Cat 3's, 1:27 for Cat 2 Male and 1:52 for Cat 2 Female; 1:18 for Singlespeed; 2:05 for Cat 1. We could easily cut it down a lap for Cat 2 and Cat 1, but I'll go with the consensus. I'm Joe Average in terms of the Sport Class and it takes me about 1:33 - 1:38 to complete 3 laps. If a 90 minute duration for the Cat 2 winner is too much, we could cut it down to 60 minutes. And if a 2 hour duration for Cat 1's is too much, we could cut it down 90 minutes. Either way, it's a fun course to just open up the throttle and fly.

Post a comment and let me know your preference of the number or laps or an ideal finish time for the winner in each class so we can base the number of laps off of that.

Mob the Quab repeats on the 2009 IMBCS XC race schedule...

2009-01-29T05:34:00.000-08:00

It is official. I will be hosting the Mob the Quab XC race at Lake Ahquabi again this year as part of the 2009 IMBCS XC race calendar.

The 2009 Iowa Mountain Biking Championship Series schedule:

IMBCS #1 - April 19 - Sylvan Island, Moline, IL
IMBCS #2 - May 3 - Camp Ingawanis, near Waverly, IA
IMBCS #3 - May 31 - Banner Lakes, Summerset State Park, Indianola, IA
IMBCS #4 - June 7 - Morehead Pioneer Park, Ida Grove, IA
IMBCS #5 - June 21 - Sycamore Trail TT, Des Moines, IA
IMBCS #6 - July 19 - Scott County Park, Eldridge, IA
IMBCS #7 - August 9 - Lake Ahquabi State Park, Indianola, IA
IMBCS #8 - August 23 - Seven Oaks Ski Area, Boone, IA
IMBCS #9 - September 13 - Science Center TT, Des Moines, IA
IMBCS #10 - September 26 - Lake Manawa State Park, Council Bluffs, IA
IMBCS #11 - October 4 - Sugarbottom Rec Area, North Liberty, IA

Full season looks like this for the Psycowpath Series:

Sat, Apr 4th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Maskenthine XC Classic
Sat, May 2nd, 2009 - Psycowpath - Swanson
Sat, May 9th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Platte River
Sat, May 23rd, 2009 - Psycowpath - Lewis and Clark
Sat, Jun 20th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Ponca
Sat, Aug 15th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Tranquility
Sat, Sep 12th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Branched Oak
Sat, Sep 26th, 2009 - Psycowpath - Manawa

Race Results and Photos

2008-08-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

IMBCS #7 - Lake Ahquabi State Park - Indianola, IA
Sunday, August 10, 2008

Expert Open/ Team /Time

1 Cam Kirkpatrick / Rasmussen Bike Shop / Orbea / 2:05:16
2 Jay Chesterman / Powerade / Independent Fabrication / 2:17:10
3 Matt Gersib / Monkey Wrench / Salsa / 2:24:08
4 Chris Hansen / Bikes 2 You / 2:29:54

Expert Master/ Team /Time

1 Greg Shimonek / Midwest Cycling Community / 2:14:40
2 Chad VandeLune / All Nine Yards / 2:23:37
3 Brad Patty / MOB Racing / 2:34:29
4 Landon Beachy / Bike Tech / 2:51:01
5 Kim West / All Nine Yards / 2:58:46

Single Speed/ Team /Time

1 Kent Carlson / Rasmussen Bike Shop / 1:18:32
2 Kyle Sedore / Mercy / Specialized / 1:28:43
3 Aarin Rabhett / Team Monkey Taco / 1:35:00
4 Taylor Webb / Mercy / Specialized / 1:41:46

Sport Open/ Team /Time

1 Nathan Kullbom / 1:27:19
2 Adam Blake / DQYDJ / 1:27:59
3 Brad Bergman / 1:28:20
4 Neil Groteuschon / 1:29:20
5 Keith Snoop / HBA Racing / 1:32:08
6 Bruce Brown / MOB Racing /1:38:30
7 Andy Percy / 1:47:12
8 Matt Piepec / MOB Racing / 1:50:28

Sport Masters 35+/ Team /Time

1 Andre Lima / Coroas Do Cerrado / 1:32:37
2 WM Huntberger / D.I.C.E. / 1:33:55
3 Scott Sumpter / MOB Racing / 1:38:17
4 Steve Fuller / Rasmussen Bike Shop / 1:41:47
5 Doug Faber / DNF

Sport Masters 45+/ Team /Time

1 Randy Crist /Velo Veloce / 1:28:52
2 Jim Logan / Rasmussen Bike Shop / 1:32:25
3 Phil Curran / DICE / 1:34:00
4 Jim Pratt / Coloe Biotics / 1:50:58
5 Paul Varnum / MOB Racing / 1:54:51
6 Sterling Hiese / Rasmussen Bike Shop / 2:03:48
7 Dan Rekemeyer / DNF
8 Al Boone / DNF

Sport Women Open/ Team /Time

1 Kim Hopkins / All Nine Yards / 1:52:40
2 Kristin Reese / All Nine Yards / 1:58:53

Sport Junior

William Rekemeyer - withdrew before start

Beginner Men/ Team /Time

1 Rick Blackford / Rasmussen Bike Shop / 32:48
2 Kurt Benson / 33:05
3 Bryce Gilbert / 35:12

Beginner Women/ Team /Time

1 Julie Vardaman / 36:52
2 Elaine Kay / 42:28

Various Views...

Thanks to All!!

2008-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

First things first:

Thanks to all who made the drive to Lake Ahquabi State Park south of Indianola. It was nice to see new faces and faces of racers that we don't normally see at all of the IMBCS races in Iowa. Having enjoyed racing in events put on by many others in the IMBCS for the past 3 seasons I felt it was my turn to give something back and host an event. Now I know what it is you all go through to get an event up and running and my respect has grown for those who host.

In my energy drained state of mind and body after the race, I forgot to mention a couple of people yesterday during the awards ceremony. MOB Racing associated folks, namely. Christy Varnum and Travis Jass did a great job of dealing with my Word Document home-made timing sheets, cork board/thumb tack results board, Wal-Mart special stop watches and getting all of the data entered as each racer buzzed between the trees, around the beach shelter and off into the woods. Thanks Christy and Travis for your excellent work at the timing table. My bad for not mentioning you yesterday. I apologize.

Nick Woolley of MOB Racing came down on Saturday to spend a few hours doing final trail grooming and course marking with my son and I along with a college student of mine named Erik Lickiss. Thanks Nick for driving down from Webster City to use a rake, a hoe, a staple gun and help with the final grooming. And thank you Erik for helping us out on the trail and holding cars in the parking lot during the race as racers came screaming down the old paved road to the finish line.

I neglected to take any photographs for this Blog as I was milling around. Again, my bad as I found it hard to do everything. I should have assigned that task to one of the volunteers. I think the photographer from the Indianola Record Herald will have some shots available to all eventually. You saw him out on the course in a couple of locations shooting us. How many of us had our tongues hanging out at the top of the train track tie climb where he was positioned during one lap?

Reflections...

Here I sit the day after my first attempt at hosting a mountain bike race feeling totally spent from the energy required during the final week to bring everything to fruition. I haven't hiked that much in years as I made my way around the course day after day clearing brush, raking, trimming branches, marking the course and double checking everything. I learned a lot in the process, but my main goals for the event were to provide a fast and fun race venue that was a little different in our series to add some variety and to develop a good relationship with the park manager to make sure I did everything correctly the first time around in case of hosting future events at Lake Ahquabi. Hopefully, both goals were met.

Paul and Christy Varnum, Chris Hansen, my wife and I spent a few hours taking down all the course marking stakes, signs, tape and packing up all of the food and equipment after the awards ceremony. Thank you Paul, Christy and Chris.

I spent Monday riding the course and making sure that all markings and all orange arrows were removed from the grass and gravel. The chalk marks on the pavement will wash away with a rain or two. Outside of the slight trail mark we wore into the grass sections we had to cross, there is literally no trace that we were ever there. That's good in terms of holding future events at Lake Ahquabi. The entire trail was so littered with limbs, branches, fallen trees, honeysuckle, twigs, big chunks of mud, etc... that 2 months ago I didn't see how I was going to be able to get it in shape. Raking my yard will now seem like a breeze after doing 6.75 miles of trail a few times this summer. ;-) I will mention that the section after the train track tie climb was filled with logs crossing the trail that had been there for at least a couple of years as those trails are no longer maintained by the DNR. I really was planning on them being a part of the race, but I think the DNR felt it was better to remove them from the trail for maintenance and liability reasons. Oh well, it made that section even faster and the climbs and descents were hard enough without them being filled with logs.

I learned a lot by hosting an event for my firs time. In an effort to improve, I would welcome any comments and criticism or opinions on how to make it better for next year. While the race is still fresh in your minds, please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts on what you liked or disliked or offer any suggestions on improvement for next time around. I would appreciate that as I am still learning.

Thanks again to all the racers and all of my volunteers for a successful MOB the Quab!

Time to catch up on some sleep and recovery.

Bruce Brown

Group Ride to test the course...

2008-08-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

A few of us are getting together to pre-ride the race loop on Thursday, August 7th. Everyone is invited to join us, so feel free to show up.

Details: Thursday 5:30 pm (arrive in the 5:15 - 5:30'ish time range) and we'll take a loop or two. Meet at the beach shelter.

Directions: 65/69 south out of Des Moines and through Indianola. 5 miles south of Indianola, turn right on G-58 and go one mile west right into the main entrance of the state park. Follow the signs down to the beach.

Update: Here's a photograph that I took, courtesy of Paul Varnum's camera, of Paul taking a breather while we watch the DNR crew remove a couple of fallen trees from the course on Thursday night during our pre-ride:

Race Lap Distance...

2008-08-04T05:32:00.001-07:00

Many people asked me yesterday at the Seven Oaks race about the lap counts and distance at Lake Ahquabi for the this coming weekend.

I'm going to drag my tired legs and backside from Boone out to Lake Ahquabi today to ride the new re-routed and DNR approved race loop to get an accurate measurement of one lap. Some parts of the route I had submitted were removed and others were added, so I need to measure this new distance. Edit: measure and logged in at 6.75 miles for one lap. Shorter than the 8 - 10 mile options we could have had with ideal trail conditions and no flooding this year, but you have to take what mother nature will give you: 6.75 it is.

It's looking like a small group ride is developing for Thursday after work for any of you who are interested in riding the race course. I will post details of that here and on the IORCA Yahoo Group for IMBCS. I think that would be a beneficial exercise for me to get some feedback from others on the appropriate number of laps to do for each race class in an ideal weather situation as well as how to adjust those laps in case we have another heat wave next weekend. Currently, the extended forecast has the high temp on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 80 - 83, so we should have ideal conditions if that holds.

Race Route Clearance...

2008-07-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

I met with Josh, the head ranger out at Lake Ahquabi State Park today, for final clearance on the August 10th race route and to talk about all of the details.

We drove the intended course in a 4 wheel drive ATV to make sure the route was the best for both the public and the riders safety. The course is in good shape in spite of all the rain we've had. There are still about 3 or 4 mud bogs, but they can be ridden through on a bike. He showed me a neat way to avoid the campground area, the Sunday line-up at the dump station and still maintain the distance of the loop. Actually, this new way adds some more distance and more scenic trail along the lake. It means we will have to cross a paved road in the state park two times instead of the one I was planning on, but I think the additional trail will be worth it. I will have volunteers at both crossings to hold traffic as bikers cross the paved road.

The DNR crew is going to mow the growth on one section of loop that will take us by an additional pond and allow the entire race loop to have no 2 way bike traffic at any point. Sweet. We found a couple of trees that need to be removed with chainsaws on the backwood trails that are not maintained. Josh promised the DNR crew will make a sweep through the race route on Friday, August 8th to cut and clear out anything that needs to be trimmed. Perfect!!! I'll do some trimming of things myself in the next week as the rain has made things grow like wildfire at the park. Vegetation is bursting forth in such conditions.

I have to get out and measure the total loop with these new sections to have an exact mileage so we can determine the number of laps. The route is shaping up to be an excellent race course that will challenge all. I will do most of the course marking on Friday, August 8th and Saturday, August 9th for those interested in pre-riding. Final markings will be done on Sunday morning before the race.

Trail Work...

2008-07-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have done a few loops to see what the current condition of the trail is like out at Ahquabi following the ice storm damage from December, the removal of the Honeysuckle by the DNR and all of the spring thunderstorms.

As you can see, there are a lot of downed limbs, branches, and debris on the trail:

The DNR has been around the main loop with chainsaws, but the backwoods trails need some chainsaw work.

Here's a corner that was in need of a good raking to remove the loose debris:

I've completed cleaning one of the backwoods loops with my rake which took about 4 days of trail work to complete. I was able to move all of the fallen trees from the trail except for one which will need a chainsaw to remove. I will now start the other backwoods loop before moving back to the main trail to remove fallen debris and to rake up most of the loose stuff.

The forest canopy can get quite thick and low at certain points on the trail. There are a lot of low hanging branches that I am trimming back so nobody loses an eye or gets their face scratched out on the race course. Here's a shot from early last fall to show the canopy:

And here is a sample of the amount of leaves on the doubletrack in the fall that I am currently raking to get the trail to dry out and make the surface super-fast: