April showers bring May rocksIIGO MASS Relay, Rattling Creek, Bakers Dozen, French Creek on the Rocks
IIGO MASS Team Relay (but ridden solo by the Nankmans)
Marysville, PA; April 7, 2019
no results for this race, just a fun event
Rattling Creek Off Road MTB Marathon
Halifax, PA; April 14, 2019
Jess 2nd overall female
Joël 2nd single speed
Bakers Dozen 13 hour
Leesburg, VA: April 27, 2019
1st overall solo women Jess
2nd overall open men Joël
On the Rocks at French Creek 4 hourElverson, PA: May 11, 2019
Jess 1st overall women
Joël 1st single speed
It was a fun filled Spring with many of the Nankman's favorite races. We had done all of these before, liked them tremendously, and were looking forward to racing them again. Many are Spring time classics in the Mid-Atlantic mountain bike racing scene , getting riders together again for racing, fun times, and comradely after the long and cold winters.
IIGO MASS Team Relay (5 hour)
MASS stands for Mid-Atlantic Super Series, and this race officially kicks off the race season for this organization. Held at a private farm, the three-ish mile course is meant to be fun and inviting, but also have just enough technical stuff to challenge the seasoned racers. It it primarily a team event but a select few, like Joël and I, do the five hour event as solo riders. We look at it as a way to get in a good day of training at a fun event where we can chat with and ride with all of our friends. There are no true results for this event, riders are ranked via a strange and never really understood handicap system. Never does a five hour race go by so quickly...riding with friends, being heckled and cheered for by fellow racers, and the excitement of seeing others after a dreary winter makes the miles just tick by.
Rattling Creek Off Road Marathon (50K)
The past few years this race has had terrible weather; cold, rainy, sleet and snow, windy; just something not fun to race in. Sure, Joël and I still raced in those conditions but we were not excited about it, in fact it was dreadful. So this year we decided that we would wait until race day to register; we would wait and see what the weather report was and make our decision based on that. Race day came along and it was a beautiful, the sun was shining and the temperatures warm so off to Rattling Creek we went. What more can I say about this race than rocks...rocks, rocks, and more rocks. For those that like technical single track this is a race for you. This course just make me smile from ear to ear and has me always looking forward to the next trail and the next single track. But besides the race what else makes everyone smile at this race- the post race food. Food is provided by Friends of Wiser and it is amazing!Leesburg Bakers Dozen (13 hour)
Unpredictable is probably the best way to describe this race. It has been cold and raining. One year there was so much mud the race was cut short. Last year the race was rescheduled due to snow and then the re-do date was hot and dry. This year is was beautiful, sunny, and the course was almost perfect hero dirt. Just a wonderful day to be on the bike. The solo competition at this event is always intense, bringing strong racers from all over the mid-Atlantic area. But at a race like this the key is perseverance, to keep a steady pace and just ride and ride. Both Joël and I were very happy with our efforts at this race, we were able to keep a strong pace and to keep it steady. We feel this is always a good training race to get into the rhythm for upcoming 24 hour races. As an added bonus, we enjoyed the weekend away with some vanlife adventures along the Appalachian Trail and in Harpers Ferry.
On the Rocks at French Creek (4 hour)
Another no-miss favorite of the Nankmans. This course is just so much fun! Many of our friends and riding buddies also race, so it's a great time just riding along and being able to talk with others makes for a fun race. As the name implies, this is a technical course, with some intense rock sections. It also has a few fun bridges, speedy gravel roads, and a steep hike a bike (OK, maybe ride-able by a select few). During the four hour marathon, three different XC races also take place, which means the course can get crowded but also gives more people to chase down, out ride, and race against. Many other Saucon Valley Bikes racers also compete which means hanging around in the team tent post race enjoying food, beer, and conversations with friends and fellow racers. Always a good time at this event.