Big News

Since the Mellow Classic we have been hard at work to make good on Lance's promise for another event. We wanted to get you all some news on our progress. We have made an application to host a National Calender event at the Ranch on the weekend of May 29-30 2010. We will move forward with a formal announcement and details on registration once we have the final confirmation from USA Cycling. Suffice it to say we are looking forward to a putting on an even bigger and better event. Thank you to all of you for your support and enthusiasm. We'll continue to use the blog and our twitter to keep the flow of information

Results

Results are here and all we can say is wow. So many people put in so much hard work. Hopefully it showed and we can make version 2.0 eeven better. Hard to believe 8 weeks ago it was just an idea on Twitter.

In addition to great volunteers and vendors that were great partners with us. So many vendors and riders were so gracious and complimetary. We'll check back with more links and good stuff.

Friday/Saturday Post

We did our best rain dance and it still hit us. We arrived at 7:30am Friday morning to find the trails wet but passable. The problem was that the rain got harder and then kept coming until 1:30pm, stopped and then re-started later in the afternoon.

As it is now the course is very wet but the forecast is favorable. Come out later Saturday and check-in on www.twitter.com/mellowclassic for the latest deatils. Most of all be thankful that there is dedicated staff of workers and volunteers that can't control the weather but have worked incredibly hard to put this race on. Make sure to thank them all for their work.

Can't wait for Sunday.

Thursday Race Update

Progress at the ranch is great. Our friends from Sram and Trek are scheduled to arrive today with their race rigs. The weather looks good for Saturday and Sunday, though it does look like there will be rain Friday. Based on our experience on drainage things will be fine for the race. It will likely be wet Saturday morning and progressively improve throughout the day so please try to ride later Saturday if possible. Sunday we'd expect the course to be just about perfect.

If you have questions over riding conditions Saturday check www.twitter.com/mellowclassic as we'll be on site giving you the lastest.

We confirmed Chris Lieto will be making the trip to race, give Chris a warm welcome and a big yell if you see him.

We want to remind everyone to please carpool, we're expecting a big crowd. The guys at Singletrack.com gave us some love here and we have some video of the course.




Last, but not least, as race day approaches we'll likely be updating more via a twitter than here, we'll be busy at the ranch.

www.twitter.com/mellowclassic

Wednesday Update

Another day closer and yesterdays big news was that Mellow Johnny's GM Craig Staley kicked in a big chunk of cash into the prize purse. Tobin, our race director, will be re-working the numbers for the distribution, if we can distract him long enough we'll try to post them here.

We also confirmed MJ's fav, DJ Prince Klassen will be taking care of the music for the Kick-Off Party in the Tap Room at Six Lounge. His work at our Rapha events was a huge hit. Friday 7-9, be there.

Other cool sponsor news is that Trek is kicking down some very cool pint glasses, Nuun will be handling the hydration and Honey Stinger is kicking into the prize list with some tasty nutrition. Chris King will also be bringing down some prizes for the Schwag raffle. FRS will be handing out goodies too. All of these companies will be be in our demo/expo area.

Speaking of demo, you'll be able to try out the latest bikes from Trek/Fisher as they are making the long haul down, give them a big thanks as the rep for our territory was scheduled elsewhere. Instead of saying sorry, we can't do it, they brought down another crew that will be getting back to their family right before Thanksgiving. Please give all of our volunteers and expo exhibitors a big thanks.

Tuesday Race Blast

Over and over we have been amazed by the responses of participants and sponsors alike. Yesterday we got some great feedback and more amazing news. First, that Trek Travel is giving away a Trip for 2 to Moab, but Trek Bicycles didn't want to be left out so they are giving away a Trek District belt drive urban bike.

So we're seeing lots of course previews from riders that came out Sunday, here is a good one from @joeytwowheels on his blog, thanks.

Local MTB fast guy (and nice guy)Craig Kunz took his Garmin on the race loop Sunday, sorry this took a while but the race loop kept changing so we wanted to put out accurate info.

If we haven't told you enough times already make sure you hit up the kick-off party, lots of networking chances and fun to be had, our race sponsors and guest athletes will be coming by. It is 7-9 in the Tap Room at Six Lounge.

Last, but not least, Tobin, our intrepid race director, needs more race volunteers to help with parking. Please come help if you can, it will be a great day, get a limited edition shirt, lunch and some fun.

Monday Race Update

We're now less than a week away. The Pre-ride was a success, some great stories of Lance, Taylor Phinney, Bjorn Selander and local Payson Mcelveen hitting the trails yesterday. Bjorn is set to fly home the 21st but maybe we can twist his arm to stay.

We still need some volunteers, so help out if you can! Sign-up below.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9477

Our friends at Sram are still working on bringing in VIP riders, we'll announce as they confirm. Sram will be at the ranch with their big rig and will be giving presentations on their new XX group. Presentation times are as follows:

Saturday, Nov. 21,

10am
11am
2pm
3pm

Sunday, Nov. 22,

10am
11am
2pm
3pm

They will also be at Mellow Johnny's 5-7 on Friday for packet pick-up so make sure you set aside some time. After packet pick-up don't forget the race kick-off party at Six Lounge from 7-9.

Trek will also be at the ranch on Saturday and Sunday with their demo rigs and demo bikes so come out to check the latest Trek/Fisher models like the Top Fuel 9.9, Superfly 100, and more.

We also wanted to mention that Sunday we'll have Hat Creek Burgers out selling some tasty lunch. Great stuff and a favorite of the Mellow Johnny's Shop Staff

More updates to come. Thanks for reading.

More News

Things are clicking along at the Rancho and the shop. We wanted to pass the latest news on things so here we go.

Parking is going to be very tight so leave the Canyonero. We want everyone to be close to the event and have planned the lot around the number of racers, but it is a first time venue and lot of people want to come to out so please help us out. Directions to the ranch are posted on bike reg link below.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9455

PRE-RIDE DAYS

Racers, Pre-Ride Participants and Volunteers will be issued a number plate when you come for any one of the Packet Pickup Dates (see bikereg.com registration page for those dates/times). Everyone will need to have their number plate on their bikes when they ride during pre-ride days.

NUMBER PLATES

Do not lose your number plate. There will be a $50 re-issue fee if you lose it and require a new number issued.

THE RANCH HOUSE & GARAGE

Please respect the privacy of the residence that is out at the ranch. We ask that you not go near the house/garage area. Respecting this request will be one way to ensure that we are invited back in the future.

COURSE MAPS

A posters of the race maps be on display at the race. If you would like to download and print a copy in advance (the course runs clockwise).


Cat 1/2/3 course:

http://tmbra.org/promoters/2009MJCRaceMap.pdf


Junior 12/10 and Under course:

http://tmbra.org/promoters/2009MJCRaceMap12Under.pdf

Updated Race Info

Lots of great things happening over the past few weeks. Tobin Behling, our race director, and his trail cutting crew have been in overdrive getting the trails ready. Last Monday they had a chance to sit down with Dave Wiens who spent a few days at the ranch and gave some feedback. As we've mentioned before the trail has lots of open, lots of passing, with great views, 1000 feet of climbing, and several fast recovery sections.

We decided to add a kick-off party at Six Lounge . After packet pick-up well head over Friday November 20, from 7-9. Six Lounge is near the shop and packet pick-up is from 5-7 at Mellow Johnny's.

On the tech front we've got some great news in the fact that our friends at Sram will be coming out, along with Mellow Johnny's and Trek/Fisher to offer the racers top tier neutral support. We'll also have a vendor expo where you can expect to see companies like, Rapha, Chris King/Cielo Bikes, Oakley, Bell/Giro, Nuun and Honey Stinger.

Here is a schedule of events.

Pre-Rides
NOTE, Pre-ride registration is NOW CLOSED and there is NO ON-SITE registration. If you are registered you must pick up your packet in order to Pre-ride. packet pick--up info below.

Pre-ride dates are:

Sunday, Nov. 15th 2009 from 10AM-4PM. Packet pick up info below
Saturday, Nov. 21st 2009 from 9AM-4PM.

NOTE the course is closed to pre-riding on race day.

Packet Pick up Info

Saturday, Nov. 14th 1-5PM @ Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop
Friday, Nov. 20th 5PM – 7PM @ Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop
Saturday Nov. 21st 9AM – 4PM @ Juan Pelota’s Ranch
Sunday, Nov. 22nd 7AM – 30 minutes prior to your race start @ Juan Pelota’s Ranch

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to a great event.

Logistics

With the race full we decided to turn some attention to lodging and such for thsoe of you that are traveling in to race.

The ranch is closest to Dripping Springs and then Johnson City, Texas. Since both of these towns are pretty small they're won't be an abundance of large hotels but there are a few. Some lodging options for Johnson City can be found here

For those that like to camp, there is no camping on the property, and the closest state campground filled up, but there are other camping options are available here, here, and here.

For those that want some extra comfort the Texas Hill Country has abundant B&B and cottage rentals. There are some suggestions here.

From Austin, the ranch is roughly a 45 minute drive, so you'll have plenty of Austin options as well. Hopefully this will help the planning for you all. We'll keep working on things to do and places to visit while you're here.

Juan Pelota Ranch Preview

As promised we made it out to Juan Pelota Ranch to get you a race course preview. While Lance slogged away training we had the trails all to ourselves. Small Flick'r photostream here.

Hopefully we'll give all of you making your way to the race some good planning info. Things you can use for bike and tire selection, maybe even it will help your training.

Keep in mind that the exact race loop isn't marked or complete by any means so we're doing our best to get you some advanced info. As things become more concrete we'll keep you updated and get you a Garmin file.

The ranch, outside of Dripping Springs, Texas, is in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. The rolling terrain will keep the event from being a pure drag race, but the course is fast. Lot's of open space and plenty of room to pass. While the course is mostly singletrack, there is never much cover, save for a few sections mixed of scrub oak.

The race course will start in a pasture near the infamous Dead Man's Hole and you'll be heading uphill right away. The climb away from the pasture is interlaced with some short recovery sections with a mix of hardpack, loose rocky, and ledges.

After several minutes of work you'll near the ranch house and some recovery. The course again is open and very fast, lots of big ring with some technical aspects, like dropping through small ravines and washes with some small ledges thrown in for good measure. Lots of pinch flat potential in these sections as you're moving fast.

Tire selection has been a big question, as race days get nearer we'll re-visit thsi one based on course conditions. There is no one tire to cover the range of conditions so plan on one for tacky and one for dry. On the tacky trail today just about anything with a little tread and side know a would have worked. In dusty dry conditions you need good tread and larger side knobs to keep the bike on the course as the course can get especially loose in some of the faster corners.

Over the next few miles the course mixes in some small climbs mixed with fast uphill and slower false flat open sections. These sections are again predominantly open singletrack and some jeep trail. During these middle miles you'll work away from the ranch house and then back towards it and the start. You'll have another steady slog in the form of a jeep trail back up then down to the start finish.

It will be a great race course, especially for those that love fast, big ring sections mixed with enough climbing to keep it selective. For those familiar with the Texas racing scene it is less technical than the old Flat Creek Ranch course nearby, maybe more similar in speed amount of climbing to the Belton BLORA course, with more open sections.

As for bike choice it seems tailor-made for a 29'er hardtail and for the brave souls with rigid SS you'll manage nicely. With the fast, open singeltrack we were still pretty fresh after 2 hard laps.

The right dual suspension rig would fair well also, you can likely run a bit on the firm side if you do. Our past test rides on dualies we felt more inclined to leave the bike in the pro pedal setting and blast away..