Singlespeed-a-Palooza Race April NEWBURGH, NY, US (each year)

General
1

First - I’ve been littering this forum with postings about races, and, worse, I’ve been posting each year separately. Adding insult to injury, I’ve then started a separate thread for my write-up.

So, while, yes, it is one more thread about the Singlespeed-a-Palooza race, this will be the repository of the upcoming race (April 29, 2012), and ALL future years, and any write-ups with which I may pollute these fora.

THE RACE: (sign-up here!)
This is a singlespeed-only mountain-bike race, with no uni category, unless we get a few more unis!.

It’s 24 miles (two 12-mile laps), mostly on moderately hilly, wonderful single-track through the beautiful Stewart State Forest, near Newburgh, NY. Probably 90% trail and the rest is dirt road w/a bit of paved.

The uni-record-holder (and only uni ever) is me at a snail-paced 4:36 (results). This is WAY ripe for the plucking, because of last year’s conditions (deep water and mud everywhere), from a TON of rain in the days proceeding the event.

Here’s a link to last years thread, with my write-up, for a better description of the trail.

WHERE:
Hey - this race is close by (except if it isn’t), near Newburgh NY, at Stewart State Forest! This is only 1:15 drive from the GW bridge in NYC, and under 3 hours from Philly. Only 3.5 hours from Boston, for goodness sake! Heck, it’s only 5.5 hours from Montreal!

That’s NOT FAR AWAY and there’s a huge amount of quality muni riding (24 mi).

WHEN:
April 29, 2012 (sign-up here!)

WHY:

BECAUSE YOU GOTTA COME TO THIS RACE - It’s perfect for your 29er or 36er! DO IT!! Let’s have 6 munis there!

(sign-up here!)

2

Hey Steve, do you have any information about the single speed race you always talk about?

:stuck_out_tongue:

3

Wish I could. My little brother is getting married that very day down in St Petersburg, FL. Hoping to check out Alafia River State Park for a little muni while we’re there. Hope you get a good show of munis. I’ll plan for it next year.

4

My Cokers are not MUnis.

Should I get a special tire? The one the says Coker backwards?

5

Billy, DON’T DO IT!

If you ride that Coker backwards it calls the devil and you know what that means: He’ll make you juggle while singing Broadway show tunes :astonished:

Based on the mud pictures from last year’s race, I think a muni wil be a better choice.

6

Newburgh! I bought a car there once, at a dealer auction, with the help of Bill Jenack (Jr.), who was a classic and exotic car dealer. His father was the founder of the Unicycling Society of America. That old Subaru was a great car. Unfortunately nowadays it’s too far away; that sounds like a fun race, long as the weather cooperates.

My Coker isn’t a MUni either. But between my 2002 Coker Deluxe and my 2010 Silva Cycles custom 36", I’ll take the old Coker for MUni rides. It has a Radial TA tire on it, which isn’t a big deal as long as the trail is dry…

If you’re shopping for a replacement tire, I recommend the Nimbus one. Also the Coker Button tire, which is the lightest one available, is great on dirt.

7

Apparently the new 36er muni tire is being produced by Vee Rubber, so it might be worth waiting on it, no idea when it’ll be out, but probably soon.

8

I checked out the website and it appears that all the race categories are closed.

9

Yup, all categories are closed. Maybe they haven’t opened them yet?

It’s a big drive for me, but if the weather is good and I can sign up a few days in advance, I would consider making the trek.

10

Damn, it sells out fast. Well, if you really wanted to try, maybe send a nice email and the race org. would let you in to fill out a muni podium.

11

Whut??

All this build up and I can’t even register to race!!

Steve, I for one, am very dissapointed.

So, can you make it down to Tennessee for the munifest in May?

12

Steveyo,
Did any other muni riders get registered for this?
My calendar just reminded me of this event. Just curious.

13

Nope. Me and 299 bikes.

14

I’m around the temporal corner from this race. And it’s dawning on me that I should probably train for something like this…

The first lap will be the training.

15

That’s the attitude! Have a blast man. Show those two wheelers how it’s done. I’ll be thinking of your race while I’m sunning on the beach waiting for my brother to get married off. Catch you later!

16

How’d it go?

17

It was a beautiful day for racing. Clear and dry, mid-50s. The trails were perfect, with about 20 yds of mud in one place, and hard-pack everywhere else. They added a 4 mile “prologue” before the two 12 mile laps. After the prologue, I was already tired. About half-way into my 1st 12-mile loop, my tire started leaking, and my little CO2 pump experienced a total failure. So I had a 2 or 3 mile jog until I got to a course-volunteer who thankfully had a pump. I filled the tire and managed to make it a couple more miles to the next aid station, where I filled the tire again.

I finished the loop on the last 3 miles of single-track thinking:

  1. I hope the tire holds out
  2. There’s no way I’m fixing the flat and doing another lap - too slow
  3. the hot-dogs and excellent beer were sounding pretty good
  4. my legs were so hammered already, I was glad for all these lame excuses so I could be done.

So as I finished, Mike, the race-org, said “Steve, are you going back in?” I said “No way - leaky tire and I’m totally shot anyway.” He replied that “one-wheel - one lap” is fine for the single-member uni-division, and about a dozen grizzled MTBers gathered around the finish line all nodded their agreement. It’s settled then. I’m done, and glad of it!

Once again, the MTBers were ALL, without exception, enthusiastically supportive. While I got a couple well-intentioned “where’s your other wheel” comments, they were utterly drowned-out by hundreds of “You’re AWESOME”'s and “Way-to-go”'s. I got a rousing applause from the crowd as I received my trophy, a can of Jittery Joe’s coffee , lettered with a “First Place - Uni Division”.

I’ll try to post this race here earlier next year so more unis can enter before the damn thing sells out. It’s really a fantastic race.

18

Nice work steve
Was that your 29"?
Why do they always get flats?!
Ro

19

“It was a beautiful day for racing. Clear and dry, mid-50s. The trails were perfect, with about 20 yds of mud in one place, and hard-pack everywhere else. They added a 4 mile “prologue” before the two 12 mile laps. After the prologue, I was already tired.”

Nice going Steve, sounds like conditions were great for a sweet ride. Congrats!

20

After last year, that must have been a relief. Too bad about the flat; pinch or puncture?