My Area 106

Chris Eatough to Retire

This is a copy of a news release from Trek today...

 

Press Release - Chris Eatough to Retire

09/21/2009

Endurance Mountain Bike Racing Legend Chris Eatough to Retire
“24 Hours of Moab” Last Professional Race 

Six-time 24-hour Solo World Champion and long-time Trek mountain biker Chris Eatough has announced that he will retire from professional cycling following the upcoming “24 Hours of Moab” (October 10-11). A professional mountain bike racer since 1998, Chris Eatough dominated 24-hour mountain bike racing for over half a decade, revolutionizing the sport by combining cross country race speed with meticulously choreographed pit stop strategies—a combination that resulted in nearly 24 hours of non-stop racing. Noted for his monastic dedication to seven-days-a-week, year-round training, all of Chris Eatough’s professional races and wins were aboard Trek bikes. 
 

“For the past 10 years, I have lived my dream as a professional mountain bike racer,” said Chris Eatough. “Now, it’s time for me to move on. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family while still staying involved with the sport I love through product teting for Trek and my coaching business. Championships are great, but even more special to me are the friendships I have gained through my time in the racing community.” 

The subject of the full-length motion picture 24 Solo, which told the gripping story of his bid for a seventh consecutive 24-hour Solo World Championship, Chris Eatough’s endurance racing accomplishments are unrivaled: five-time 24-hour Solo National Champion; 2007 “24 Hours of Moab” Champion; 2007 National Ultra Endurance Champion; 2007 “BC Bike Race” Champion; and ten victories in 100-mile mountain bike races. 

“Trek is extremely proud of Chris’s achievements over the years,” noted Michael Browne, Trek’s Mountain Bike Brand Manager. “He embraced a burgeoning discipline-quite possibly the most physically demanding the world has ever seen-and turned it into his specialty. While forging this discipline into its current high-profile form, he set the standard for performance and professionalism, won more titles than any other 24-hour racer, and even became the star in a feature-length film. His attention to detail, his discipline, and his pure will power demanded the world take notice.”
 
Chris Eatough is sponsored by Trek, Bontrager, JBL, Fox, Shimano, Oakley, and Infinit Nutrition as an Elite rider of the Trek Racing Cooperative.

 

You'll be missed Chris... Thanks for the ride.

Bob

Tour Sighting... Trek/Ohio Valley Rider Crippen moonlighting?

Could it be? If not, a very good separated at birth, eh?

   

That's my Trek/Ohio Valley team co-manager Codi Crippen on the left (sitting down with the cap on) and the fellow pictured here to the right is Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia High Road) who just happens to be killing the sprints and stages here recently across the pond at the Tour De France. See the resemblance?

Codi - sure this isn't your twin???

Bob

1980's rewind...

 

Can you guess who?

When: August 1983

Where: Ft Benning, Georgia

OhioOutside.com "check it out"

Yes, I have proof. I have proof that on occasion I actually get to ride with someone. Even if its for a short distance. So this morning, I had the opportunity to link up with Mark Gorman, a long time friend and cycling industry entrepreneur that just happens to be the man behind "Ohio Outside" (editor/publisher). This has been an ongoing project for Mark for several years, but within the last year or so he's really enhanced this site and the amount of frequent visitors.

The web site is aimed at individuals that like to compete or just have fun outdoors; and as the name implies is primarily aimed at the state of Ohio (at times he heads out of state for a good story or race coverage). Mark and I date back many years ago when he was working his way through college turning a wrench for Ernie's Bicycle Shop (local bike shop in North Canton, Ohio). Mark was coming off a running background and had crossed over to being a full time expert off road racer. Matter of fact, Mark was one of the original grassroots racers that I began to work with.

Over the next several years Mark and I would share quite a few trail rides together as he introduced me to a host of ATV/motocross trails in and around the East Canton, Ohio area. That's when 3 wheeling ATV's where in use and the trails would hold a lot of water, so we became experts at riding the narrow strip of dry earth in between the water filled ruts that the motorized vehicles left behind. These trails weren't perfect, but offered miles of trails and good times. Today, they've all been claimed by homes and a couple gravel mine operations or two. No more of the old trails left in East Canton.

Shellhamer's Helmet Hero Pictures

I have begun a new photo album entitled "Shellhamer's Helmet Hero Pictures" and will continue to update as I get additional photo's from our contest winner Mark Shellhamer. If you recall, Mark was the winner of my recent swag contest and won a helmet hero digital camera and video unit. Mark resides in the Northeastern Ohio (Warren/Youngstown) area.

Let's go Mark, we want to see some cool pics. Till later.

Bob

Austin Powers... not! Its "Austin Powell"

Austin Powell. Austin Powers? I'm sure Austin has heard this before.

Each time I say Austin's name I think of Mike Myers saying "yeah, baby" in his usual Austin Powers twang. Or, could it be that its one of my favorite movies? 

Well, this Austin Powell is the new team manager for the Trek/Ohio Valley MTB team. It just so happens that Austin is one of the original high school students that Chris Skinner recruited for his high school mountain bike programand went on to win the 2002 OMBC Overall Junior State Championship.

Austin completed Mr. Skinners mountain bike class along with the others in Maysville HS as he finished as the class valedictorian. Today, he's found at Maysville Middle School as a 6th grade social studies teacher following his graduation from Ohio University this past 2008.

Austin will be competing in the OMBC Expert Division this upcoming season on-board his new 2009 Top Fuel. Sweet! I feel like an editor of a popular mountain bike magazine in showing off the pros bike and how its spec'd out. Notice Austin's choice of the Fox F100 and ultra cool old school set of "icon" bar ends..."Yeahhhh Babyyyy".

Make sure to stay up to date with the team via the teams at: www.trekohiovalley.com.

Bob

"Learning to fly"

When I look at this picture Tom Petty's big hit "Learning to Fly" comes to mind as my youngest team rider Lindsey Prososki takes flight inside Rays MTB (Cleveland, Ohio) during a recent weekend as she "tuned" in her new free-ride bike, a 2009 Gary Fisher Mullet. If you visit Rays at all, you've probably seen this young lady whizzing by with her signature smile (heck, whenever I get off the ground like that its going off a bridge upside down).

No doubt we have some young talented riders in this area. Names of Sroka, Bercaw and Prososki will give this area some future stars in USA cycling. Not only do they compete at a very high level, but each one seems to be top students, and I'm really impressed in the fact they all manage and publish really cool blogs (I tend to use my own R&D when I check out their sites (you know R&D - ripoff and duplicate) - just kidding.

Here's to these fine junior riders...keep it fresh and exciting so you don't burn out. Best of luck!!

Bob

The Pony Express

Did you make it to this years Punk Bike Enduro (pics courtesy of Dirt Rag) event in Pittsburgh? Well, just in case you didn't make it out I thought I would share Michelle J.'s (Michelle is a friend of the 106) great costume which earned her a free Trek 69er (compliments of Trek).

Word had gotten out that this year a free bike was going to be the top prize for the best rider in costume. I'm fairly certain that Michelle spent a lot of time putting this together. Michelle told me that she had so much fun riding the Punk Bike event that she really had forgotten all about the Pony Express she was riding atop. I think she's planning on making this her racing kit for next season.

I guess sometimes great things really do happen for great people. Michelle is beginning to amass a stockpile of bikes; soon she'll have a bike for each day of the week.

Congrats Michelle!!

Bob

Leif Garrett Sighted at Columbus Fit Seminar

     

Leif Garrett (former Rocker and teen idol) was caught here attending this past weekends Trek Fit Seminar in Columbus, Ohio. Leif was widely known for his hit record "I was made for dancing" but now a days finds himself posing for pictures with fans at local engagements.

Naw, I'm just kiddin'. Ryan Sheldon (pictured on the right) is with Eddy's Bike Shop and looks like he may have been seperated at birth with the former teen icon. Leif is pictured at the left with one of his teen fans? I guess she's a bit older these days, hey?

Ryan is shown here with his cool new Gary Fisher Presidio with his fit team looking on (Chris T. and Jim W.)

Bob

Thanksgiving Day "Morning Ride" Memories

As I'm sitting at my breakfast nook this Thanksgiving morning looking out the window I'm seeing all this white snow on the ground, I started thinking of a period of time when several of my riding buddies and myself would get together for our annual "Thanksgiving day morning ride".

We would generally meet up around 9am, and ride the trails in and around Barberton, Ohio for about 3 hours before it would be time to head for home and prepare the family bird. The trails where a mix of single-track, double track, railroad bed tracks, and few roads that where created in this area over a period of time by a large amount of 3 and 4 wheel ATV's and dirt bikes. Today, most of these trails are long gone, in their place stands a new "Target", retail plaza, and plenty of newer homes.

Most of these riding buddies have moved on as well, many of them leaving mountain biking for other sports such as kayaking/paddling, as more of the ole trails gave way to the bulldozers and more time was spent on raising our families. This was a great group of guys and it was these guys that turned me on to the sport of mountain biking. We would have epic long rides. Mostly, we met early on Sunday mornings and would ride for 3-4 hours. We tended to follow Gary, as he helped create most of the trails with his dirt bike in his younger years. Derrick was the groups main mechanic and works today for Century Cycles in Peninsula, Ohio. He always kept the group on the trail even with all the parts we tended to break. The regulars consisted of Chris, Tom, Larry and Eric and my nephew Joe as we shared these great moments. We would ride some, take a quick break and bullshit. Most of our breaks came from someone having a flat tire, gears not shifting quite right, or the occasional morning hangover effects from a late night the prior evening.

So, on this day of giving "thanks", I give a "big thank you" to Gary, Derrick, Chris, Tom, Larry and Eric for introducing me to a sport that I truly love. I think they used to have side bets with each other on these rides on how long it would be till I would have my 1st crash. Thanks guys. - Bob

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!