Bobcats Brave the Mud at Bravard

The Bervard Mud Fest started with the picture you see to the left. It’s Bagel. We named him (believe me its a him) Bagel because when we got to the cabin at around 10 on Friday night he came into Robert, Scott, and I’s cabin. Then everybody came over and we fed him Bagels, hahah and peanut butter. Robert kicked him out at night and he got washed away in a flood that was two feet away from our cabin due to the excessive rain. Poor Bagel :(
Saturday the rain had not ceased and it had been raining for the past 20 hours or so. I signed up for downhill and raced Peter’s Mongoose.The course was very slick and off camber. The top 50-75 m of the course was like a plus 30% grade shoot and very slick. Most of the girls who chose to walk it got hurt more then the ones that tried to ride it because it was so steep. There was a lot of roots and a hip jump that was awesome.I was on the line and when the man told me a min to start the rain came down very very hard (great). It didn’t really matter though, it was already crazy wet. I managed to bomb the steep shoot faster then expected and the rest of the course was ok. There was one turn i laid it over on and slid down the rest of the hill on my a**.
After my fall the rest of the course was just me trying to put the rear tire in a rut and banking it off trees when necessary. I m not sure what I ended up but I feel like it was some what decent. Bun Hulse and Jocob also raced downhill. I don’t know what the results are so….. I think they did pretty decent though, nice job guys.
Next was the stxc race which was fun. It had a really slippy dirt road climb and then a cool downhill with a technical dip. The dip was technical because it was hub deep at the bottom with mud anywaysss….The race started and I was immediately blinded by everyone else's wheels slinging dirty water in my eyes. Off of the dirt road start it was a 180 degree turn up the slippy road. I worked my way into second place (I thought I was in first) and just held it the rest of the race. Brad Perley finished third, Scott Stewart fourth, Eric Thompson and Peter Hail back with the field. Gotta give them credit though they didn’t have mud tires on at all. Peter had small block eights and Eric had some type of dry bontragers on.
Dual slalom was later in the day and I managed to qualify top 25 out of 32 (woot). From then on since the course was wicked slick it was just a matter of keeping the bike up right and making it to the bottom faster than the other guy. Forgot to mention that during my qualifying run I raced against Jo from Bervard (she is a girl, a very fast girl) and she beat me.
Moving on… I lost my first race by less then a second and in heat to I laid it down in a berm. Not good. Ben Hulse from the gravity team at Lees McRae qualified second and finished pretty well (he’s the one without a shirt on in the album). Peter also raced the dual slalom and slipped out in the same corner both qualifying runs, bummer. Jacob did the Men’s B race and finished third, well done. Check the vid out for after the dual slalom. hahahaSunday we awoke to clear and sunny skies. Men’s A was the last to race so the course wasn’t too bad mostly just tacky. The course started with a steep gravel road climb then bombed into the woods with switch backs and rolling terrain. The second half of the course was composed of two steep ass climbs and one section you had to walk it was so steep. Luckily Ben was on the second climb cheering because that put you in a dark place every lap. We did six laps and the course was only 1.8 miles. When I heard this I thought it was a joke but by the second lap I knew why it wasn’t. It took an hour forty five to finish and I was zoonked. I ended up third overall and second on the team. Scott Stewart was first, then Tristen from bervard, then me then Eric Thompson, Then Peter. Brad Perley had his rear derailure ripped off and finished a lap down. He would have been in the running for first or second. We took four spots in the top five. Not bad.
We went back to the cabin and loaded up then shipped off to Moe’s Southwest Grill (best Burrito Ever!!!!!) Then we headed home. Oh, there was a McDonald’s across the way and coach offered ice cream. How could I turn down a milk shake from Micky D’s, it’s like the best recovery drink every. Then we went home.














Taken from Bobcat rider Kerry Warner's blog.  For further full reports and to keep up with Kerry, follow him at kdubzdidwhat.blogspot.com.

Bobcat Riders Dominate Home Track Over the Weekend Article Date: 2009-09-17

BANNER ELK, N.C. -- The Lees-McRae men’s and women’s cycling teams compete at the home race courses Saturday and Sunday in the downhill, short track and dual shalom events.

The downhill race was a technical rocky and rooty terrain. Ben Hulse brought home the victory in the men’s A downhill by fractions of a second. In the women’s A downhill race, Hannah Trimble took second, and Kerry Werner, as the lone Lees-McRae rider, in the men’s B downhill race won the event.

Next up was the Short Track race with a field of 37 riders in the men’s A on a very tight and technical course. Top Bobcat honors went to Brad Perley with a second place finish. In the women’s A race Carla Swart, last year’s national champion, won the event. In the men’s B race, Sam Keesler won by a wide margin of victory, and Kathryn Smith concluded with a win in the women’s B race.

Men’s A Downhill Women’s A Downhill Men’s B Downhill

1^st Ben Hulse 2^nd Hannah Trimble 1^st Kerry Werner

4^th PJ Noto 4^th Erica Zaveta

5^th Steve Solt 12^th Jo Markham

28^th Ben Corbalis

34^th Peter Haile

38^th Sean Condrin

Men’s A Short Track Women’s A Short Track Men’s B Short Track Women’s B Short Track

2^nd Brad Perley 1^st Carla Swart 1^st Sam Keesler 1^st Kathryn Smith

4^th Eric Thompson 3^rd Jo Markham

5^th Peter Haile 4^th Erica Zaveta

7^th Jon Doyle 7^th Ally Stacher

14^th Nick Dale 13^th Chloe Jackson

22^nd Kerry Werner 14^th Kira Shoemaker

23^rd Zach Felpel

27^th Nate Trimble

28^th Nathan Larson

29^th Sondre Thorbergsen

31^st Ben Corbalis

37^th Scott Stewart

Starting Saturday and finishing with the final 16 men’s A and final 8 in all other fields was the Dual Slalom race. Top women’s A finisher was Dual Slalom Collegiate National Champion Chloe Jackson. In the men’s A race top bobcat honors went to PJ Noto with a fourth place finish, and in the men’s B race once again Kerry Werner took home the win. In the men’s A cross country with Brad Perley once again putting together a brilliant ride that had him in first until a flat with a mile to go left him running in to a second place finish; and Carla Swart leveled the competition in the women’s A race winning by an astounding margin. Sam Keesler and Kathryn Smith again snatched victory away in the men’s and women’s B races.

Men’s A Dual Slalom Women’s A Dual Slalom Men’s B Dual Slalom

4^th PJ Noto 1^st Chloe Jackson 1^st Kerry Werner

6^th Ben Corbalis 4^th Erica Zaveta

16^th Steve Solt 10^th Ally Stacher

11^th Jo Markham

16^th Hannah Trimble

Men’s A XC Women’s A XC Men’s B XC Women’s B XC

2^nd Brad Perley 1^st Carla Swart 1^st Sam Keesler 1^st Kathryn Smith

4^th Peter Haile 4^th Jo Markham

8^th Nick Dale 5^th Ally Stacher

10^th Jon Doyle

12^th Nate Trimble

14^th Nathan Larson

19^th Sondre Thorbergsen

23^rd Ben Corbalis