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Perfect temperatures greeted 90+ racers at the annual Rave in the Cave mountain bike race weekend. The fifth installment of the Psycowpath series features one of the longest courses available in eastern Nebraska.
Spectators cheered as racers started fast around a large parade ground next to the registration/results area. Beginner racers completed a 5.5 mile course, while sport and expert racers tested each other on the 1.5mi starter lap before proceeding into the full 7 mile lap. With a new course that debuted in 2004, racers had plenty of fast, rough, rolling sections challenge skills, and plenty of climbing to seperate the fields.
In the expert XC event, Anthony Wilhelm (LBC/Trek Store KC) flew off the start line, and was followed closely by Cam Kirkpatrick (Rassmussen); both put a small gap on the field as they completed the starter lap in 9 minutes. Darin Schlake (LBC/Highgear), Jesse Peterson (Monkeywrench), and Greg Shimonek (LBC/Highgear) led the remaining field. With one lap remaining, Wilhelm relinquished his lead to Kirkpatrick who only got faster as the course got longer. Kirkpatrick took the win finishing 48 seconds ahead of Wilhelm, while Schlake finished third at 4 minutes back.
With the conclusion of the XC event, racers enjoyed complimentary hotdogs, Gatorade, Red Bull, and cake to replenish their energy. Riders began practicing on the obstacle course for Sunday's competition, while others set up camp in the group camp area, just a few feet from registration and the XC
start finish. Saturday nights activities included a big screen showing of mountain bike films, including "The Collective", "New World Disorder 5", and "Chainsmoke 2". The 30+ viewers also enjoyed a "homemade" video provided by Matt Gersib with support of the IMBA, featuring some of Nebraska's best
singletrack and technical riding at Platte River State Park.
Ten racers challenged their fitness in the Uphill Time Trial, where loose conditions made technical skill a must. Jesse Peterson (Monkeywrench) won the expert event with a time of 5:43, within 20 seconds of the course record of 5:25 set in 2003 by Kent McNeill (LBC/Highear). Greg Shimonek finished
second at 6:10 and James Blake rounded out the top 3 with a finish in 6:22.
Sixteen riders tested their skill and daring during the Downhill Time Trial. Mark Savery tied with Scott Ackerman for first place with a best run time of 1:52, while Jesse Peterson finished third, just 2 seconds behind with a time of 1:54. Mark Savery also went on the win the Challenge Course/Trials Competition with a clean run finished in under 90 seconds. Matt Gersib was right behind to finish the course with one error and a completion time of 1:33, while Troy Nelson finished third with two errors and a completion time of 2:14.
In the Junior field, Alex Kintner was the one to beat, taking first in the Uphill Time Trial with a time of 8:11 (that would have put him second in the sport field!). Alex went on to finish first in the DH with a best run of 2:12, as well as first in the Challenge course with an impressive display of bike handling skills for such a young rider.
Special thanks to Rave in the Cave sponsors: Pepsi products for providing Gatorade, Red Bull for their product contribution, EJ Bruhn Construction and The Bike Way for their contributions to Sunday's "bike parts" trophies. Also very special thanks to the many volunteers that help orchestrate this event and this complex course: Larry Kinter, Alex Kintner, Steve Dickey, Fred from Colorado Springs, Dean Giese, Pat Brennan, Christine and Martin Bixby, Greg Mayer, Anne Sykes, Mark Savery, Jesse Peterson, Scott Ackerman, Gage Grant, and many more who lended a hand throughout the weekend. Results for Sept 17th Results for Sept 18th |
