2013 Tree Farm Relay - Battle of the Beards

Dozer, Diesel, Dub-9 and Pain Train.  In 2011 as The Motor Club they took 2nd with a time of 5:54:53.  In 2012 as Hellcats they tore through the course 6 minutes faster collectively taking 4th with the race clock ticking them at 5:48:59 and that was with a 5 min layover from A-Train's crash.  This year, returning as The Hellcats, the team hauled ass and knocked another 16 minutes of their time from 2012 coming in at 5:33:02.  However, the entire race field has gotten so much stronger that their time was only good enough for 5th place.  Being 22 minutes faster than two years ago and sliding three places down the podium is hard to swallow but it's great news for such an outstanding event.

But . . . there was something larger at stake this year than a podium finish.  Something that the world had never seen or heard of before....well at least not in this race.  THE GOLDEN HAMMER!

KLM/Coldstone Racing, Cycletherapy, Racing Greyhounds, Power Hounds, The Cutters, Corktown Racers, The Most Interesting Team in the World, all the other teams......they all didn't matter anymore.  The Hellcats were now racing each other for the right to lift the Golden Hammer at the end of the day.  Whoever hammered out  the fastest lap of the day earned their place in history as keeper of the Golden Hammer.  Would it Be Jeremy 'The Dozer' Daum who is always willing to put it all on the line and fight to the last drop of blood for the team?  Or how about Brian 'The Diesel' McCabe who can match laps with the best of them no matter what man, beast or alien intelligence he comes across?  Then there's the calm, quiet, tame, always keeping to himself Jon 'Dub9' Somethingorother who has been slaying the Motor Club riders at every race this year.  And last, the sealant in the team's tires that keeps this group rolling forward, the man that keeps his cool on the trail at all times, Aryn 'The Bike Whisperer' Pongratz.  Who would be the last man standing in the center of the ring?

Lap 1 of 8 . . . oh who the hell cares with race details!

After a five and a half hour long battle it came down to the last lap to determine the winner of the Golden Hammer.  The Diesel was the victor besting A-Train's fastest 10 mile lap by 59 seconds with the time of 40:01.

Now for race day pictures!!!

Nope, not post race.  This happened at 8:30am

8:45am

Jeremy talking to Jon about his posture before the race

A visit from Jay The Hammer himself!!!

Jon practicing his descents with thoughts of the Golden Hammer

The Diesel going out for his 1st lap of the day

Free in camp tattoos for Hellcat riders

A-Train new ink

Dozer catapulting into his second lap

Out of a plastic up?  Uh, okay!

Jon coming in to finish the team's 7th 10 mile lap

Who needs a plastic cup?

Noon

Hellcats good friend John Heft auditioning for the upcoming sequel to Dances With Wolves

Happy to be working on some one else's bike other than his wife's

A-Train bringing finishing the team's 8th and final lap

Post race with Jay The Hammer

(more race photos)

We have tons of other photos, some of which should not be shared publicly.  But if you have time to waste, check out Hans Nyberg's 500 pix slide show of the race.  It's worth the time spent.

http://tenmilemedia.smugmug.com/Sports/Mountain-Bike/2013-Tree-Farm-Relay/30790308_XXFN9d#!i=2662748376&k=SDrcmBs

And of course we'd like to thank Team Tree Farm, The Hella Bellas, Spoke Drunkies, The Dark Horse Ladies, MTB Patrol and all the others who made this event possible AGAIN!  We're already planning for next year!

The team is in recovery mode because in 6 days they head north to Manistee National Forest for stop number #7 of the USAC Tailwinds series at Big M.