If you would like to follow your favorite 2012 Texas Time Trial Racer or if you're at the race site and would like to double check your laps, lap splits or that of your competition, please feel free to use this link
Grace Photography will be back for the 3rd year and in celebration of this great milestone, we are pleased to offer EVERY rider a very special gift. Every rider will receive (1) 10th Anniversary 5x7 print and (1) digital image!! This gift can be claimed at www.photographygrace.com with a code that will be provided in their package!
The 2012 Texas Time Trials 10th Anniversary Reunion and Inter-Galactical Championships
From a Race Director’s point of view, the 2012 edition of The Texas Time Trials was a Dream come true with a touch of Nightmare rolled into one epically memorable race.
The Dream has been weaving in and out of reality for 10 years; it’s hard to imagine it’s been that long. Looking back to our meager beginnings it’s unbelievable that TTTT has grown so much. This year had the most racers ever with about a 50% increase over last year. Many are returning racers or friends of theirs; hopefully we’re doing something right. I hear from so many that we have the most organized and best volunteer staffed race, thank you all for the compliments, we work hard to earn them.
Hosting TTTT every year is like raising a child, working with it, nurturing it, reacting to its needs and watching it take on its own personality. Starting out wobbly but growing stronger and more confident each year. This is our baby, born in the spring of 2003, with a handful of well known racers like Reed Finfrock and Sam Baugh alongside local racers for a total of 59 for all three races; The 6 hr Texas Shoot-Out, The 12 hr Tin Butt, and The 24 hr Iron Butt. The Tejas 500 and the Sprint hadn’t been conceived yet. My, how we’ve grown. The Texas Time Trial has increased in size and popularity every year and grew enough that in 2009 we moved to a larger venue in Glen Rose, Texas.
Similar to raising a child, not just one parent makes a well rounded event; it’s taken an entire village to raise this great event. The Texas Time Trials or as it’s come to be called TTTT, may not have mountain passes, the smoothest roads, or super steep grades, but what it does have is plenty of volunteers. Every year TTTT enlists an army of over 100 volunteers. Some print posters, some act as corner marshals, some stay up all night as time keepers, some mark the course and some bring their motor homes out to camp on the course providing an oasis for racers. There so many puzzle pieces that are filled by so many great people; a perfect example of how a little bit done by a lot of folks can make something really big.
A race director’s nightmare can be weather and this year it was rain. Thankfully, most of the first 36 hours, about ¾ of the event, were dry and pleasant. Since the photos of racers in the rain are so good we have predominantly shown these pictures. We’ve settled on late September for TTTT since we’re most likely to have good weather; not too hot or too cold with usually little or no chance of rain. In the 10 years we’ve hosted TTTT, we’ve gotten wet once and that was for a couple hours. At any other event volunteers might pack up and go home leaving the race director in deep dark stuff. Not the TTTT volunteers, they all had their rain jackets and hunkered down to get the job done.
I can’t believe the mixed comments that I received from the racers about the rain. By far the overwhelming sentiment was that the rain made the race more memorable in its Epic Grandeur. Even our British Racers said “enough was enough with all this Texas Hospitality, making them feel at home with the rain was more than they hoped for”. As I made sag laps around the course in the opposite direction, I could see expressions on the faces of each rider; for the most part I saw smiles or the deep determination of “I’m not going to let this rain, rain on MY parade”. One female racer yelled out “This
Sucks, I Love it”. More than a few thanked me for the rain (as if I had anything to do with it) and said “I’d much rather have the rain than 100 degrees”. Some racers were more prepared than others mentally as well as with clothing. The rain couldn’t have been a completely overwhelming factor, course records were set in 4 out of the 5 races for a total of 13 new course records. Can you imagine what these racers could have done with dry pavement? I know of at least two additional course records that would have fallen.
This year we saw several new additions to TTTT. Chip timing, with a real time website, tech shirts instead of t-shirts, new stage decorations and TTTT jerseys (can still be ordered online). Our wonderful masseuse Twila Reed and talented photographer Linda Middleton returned this year. Linda’s pictures may be viewed and purchased at Grace Photography
.
Grinnin' in the Rain
The Texas Time Trials was set up with several goals in mind. A “Looped Course” race that did not require an expensive follow entourage and could easily be self crewed. A common Start/Finish area that would promote camaraderie by allowing racers and their crew to easily help other racers and crews. Multiple start times with shorter races starting later, so even if you were the last Tejas 500 racer on the course there would be others out there with you. It’s not much of a race if you ride for 500 miles and don’t see another racer. A race that would attract “International World-Class Athletes” as well as a race where a newbie could try their hand at their first Ultra Race and each would be welcomed by TTTT as well as each other. That TTTT would become a ritual, a reunion, a party celebrating the blessing that we can ride bikes and climax with a group dinner in an open-air pavilion where every contestant would receive the same TTTT Trophy for their efforts.
This was our inaugural year for “TheTexas Ultra Cup Challenge Race Series”; (TUC) a series of 3 races including Bessie’s Creek, 24 Hours in the Canyon and finishing with The Texas Time Trials. The Texas Time Trial Awards bash was preceded by the TUC Awards Ceremony, in which Ryan Parnell (Race Director of 24 hours in the Canyon) and Pam Wright handed out some of the best looking Bike Trophies I’ve seen. To earn a TUC Trophy, racers would sign up for all three races and then compete to earn TUC Points based on distance and placing in any of 4 different divisions; 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour or “Open” (a mixture of different lengths of races).
Denise & Rick Neptune
the Texas Ultra Cup
tandem winners
We, as race directors, formed this TUC Race Series in an attempt to make Ultra racing more fun, more competitive, entice you to do more than one Ultra event a year, urge you to travel the great state of Texas, allow you to bond with fellow like-minded riders and to help grow the sport. By teaming up with comrades, sharing travel expenses and crew, maybe even a tent, we hope that friendships will be formed, memories created and a new high in Ultra riding achieved. Knowing that the team next to you will likely be at the next race in the series should help create more camaraderie. We feel The 2012 TUC has accomplished all this and more in 2012. Stay tuned as we plan to announce details of The 2013 Texas Ultra Cup Challenge Race Series soon.
The Tejas 500 saw its biggest solo field ever with 42 solo racers signed up. Of the racers that started, 33% DNF’d while 20 solo racers and one tandem team finished the 503 miles in 48 hours or less, qualifying for RAAM. Despite the rain on Saturday, four impressive course records were set.
Tejas 500 4-man team course record and Texas Ultra Cup winners.
The 4 man “Manly Bulge Cycling Club” gets older every year, but they also get faster. They broke their previous 2011 record and set a new course record by finishing the 503 miles in 25:20, almost 20 mph. This was their 6th Team Tejas 500 effort and while they were at it they also won The Overall TUC Open 4 Man Team Trophy.
RAAM legend George Thomas and teammate Mick Walsh easily set a new 2 man team record for The Tejas 500 with a time of 28:16. George still had mojo left to take center stage and do the emcee honors of hosting The TTT Awards Bash followed by an encore live podcast from his “Over the Top Radio Program”. Thank you George!
Guth’s Mixed Tejas 500 team course record.
George Thomas emcee and new course record for 2-man Tejas 500.
John and Nancy Guth drove 12 hours from Virginia and are no strangers to TTTT since this was their 4th. John first qualified for RAAM at TTTT in 2005. Although this was the first time John and Nancy have raced the new Glen Rose Course and the first time they have raced TTTT as a team, they sure didn’t appear to be having anything but fun while setting a new course record for a “Mixed 2 person Team”. The record of 503 miles in 29:12 may stand for quite some time.
Local favorite and winner of the 2011 and 2010 Tejas 500, Gary Gottlieb, decided to show his wife Dana how it was done. He strapped Dana on the back of their tandem for a 503 mile sleep depriving roller coaster ride in a record setting tandem time of 38:50
Dana & Gary set new Tejas 500 course record.
Solo male winner Jason Overbaugh, from Georgia, finished just 14 minutes shy of a course record with 28:30. Had it not rained, could he be holding a new course record? Last year’s TTTT Iron Butt 24 hr winner Greg Colvin took 2nd place this year with 30:54. Austin, Texas RBA Wayne Dunlap made Randonneurs proud with a 3rd place finish of 31:38. Wayne’s brother, wife and all 4 kids cheered him on for his 4th Tejas 500 finish. Tejas 500’s 2nd place finisher in 2011, Jose Bermudez, earned 4th this year, Chris Dobbs flew in from England to earn 5th and Ken Barrow, Randonneur from Houston, took 6th place honors. At age 64, Virgil Moehsmer has done 4 Tejas 500s, earning 7th place this year while also earning 1st Place TUC Overall Open Division with more total points than any other contender, big congrats Virgil. After meeting Jim Logan in France at PBP in 2011, he drove from Pittsburg to qualify for RAAM and earned 8th place. This was Jeff Newberry’s second Tejas 500 and as a Randonneur he knows how to make it look relaxed. Ray Allen who finished in 12th place was also at the very first TTTT in 2003, this was Ray’s longest ride of his life. Greg Hagele, Robert Brokaw, Gerald Huntley, Michael Sainz, Robert Riggs, James Young, Lee Meyer and Gary Smith also became qualified for RAAM with the accomplishment of a Tejas 500 solo finish.
Men’s Tejas 500 Podium.
Jim Logan
Vaune Davis
2nd Place Tejas 500
Leslie Caldwell, mother of 7, won the female solo race with 46:11. Randonneur Vaune Davis from Canada took a very proud 2nd place about 10 minutes later in her very first Ultra Race.
Special thanks to Team Awesome Foursome. These four guys have 26 TTTT races between them and what a great way to get together for a couple days every year.
The Texas Iron Butt 24 hour Race also had its share of Course Records, including male solo 397.5 miles, solo female 291.5 miles and 2 person mixed recumbent team 265 miles.
Men’s 24 Hour Podium
Chris Hopkinson
24 Hour Iron Butt winner and course record holder
The solo male “Podium Photo” on the TTT Stage shows three well known solo RAAM Racers standing proud, what a great race. Chris Hopkinson from England, racing his 3rd TTTT, took first place and set a course record for the Glen Rose Course with 397.5 miles to add to his course record for the old Cleburne Course. Iron Butt 2010 winner Kirk Gentle earned 2nd, with 7 time TTTT’er Dex Tooke taking 3rd, and 9 time TTTT’er Martin Hukle not only earning 4th place in the this year’s Iron Butt, but also earning 1st Place TUC 24 hour. These top 4 solo men racers have raced at TTTT for a combined number of 21 times. We thank all of TTTT Repeat riders so very much.
The Iron Butt 24 hour female race was won by Amy Russell setting a course record of 291.5 miles and also winning the 1st Place TUC Open Female Division. Janet Foster earned 2nd place and also won 1st Place TUC 24 hour Trophy.
Women’s 24 Hour Podium
Two Person Mixed Recumbent Team “Kick Ass”, made up of husband and wife Steve and Peggy Petty won The Iron Butt Mixed Recumbent Team Race, setting a new course record with 265 miles and also won The TUC 24 hour Mixed Team Trophy. This is not their first TTTT record; Peggy holds the Tejas 500 and Sprint female recumbent course records. They have a combined total of 11 TTTT races.
We had a great 24 Hour 3 person male team race with team Grinning Idiots and Team Ironox dueling it out with the Grinning Idiots finishing 1st.
The Texas Tin Butt 12 Hour Race had 5 course records set; again despite the rain for most all of the 12 hour race and at times Cats and Dogs Pouring rain.
Ron Swift not only set a new Recumbent Course Record of 212 miles but also beat the old upright course record set by Kurt Searvogel last year; it’s an impressive effort when the recumbent record is faster than the upright on this hilly course. Congrats Ron.
Richard Wharton won the Tin Butt solo male with 212 miles just about 6 minutes off the course record pace. Doug LaHaye earned 2nd, Cole LeBlanc 3rd and Jim Winter 4th. Only about 40 minutes separated 2nd and 5th place, that’s just good racing.
Danielle Grabol set a new Tin Butt female course record with 211 miles, long time TTTT Supporter Rani Freeman earned 2nd, new to the 12 hour Ultra scene Lisa Vega earned 3rd and Michelle Beckley earned 4th along with earning The TUC 12 hour.
Tandem Team Rick and Denise Neptune, with the professional crewing help of their four young charming children, not only set a course record while winning the 2012 Tin Butt Tandem division, but also took home The TUC 6 hour Mixed Tandem trophy.
Ron sets 12 Hour course record
The 2 person female team “Coriovelo Angels” set a course record. Team Tex-Mex, a two person Mixed Team, set a course record and won The TUC 12 hour Two Person Mixed Team Trophy, in this their 4th TTTT.
One really fun race to watch was the three bent females in The Tin Butt Recumbent Race. Sara Kay Carrell, Vickie Tyer and Michelle Williams are all good friends and all great riders. Sara Kay pulled ahead of Vickie on the last lap to take the win. So proud to have fun gals like this out to race TTTT every year. Vickie won The TUC Open Division Female Trophy.
The 6 hour Shoot Out was anything but dry during the race, but you should have seen the smiles. Shellene Foster/McKenney has the distinction of setting the only course record in the 6h hr race this year and won the Female Recumbent with 92.8 miles.
First place solo male was won by Ron Woods with 116.6 miles followed by 2nd place David Long, 3rd place Bill Sylvester and 4th place Jeff Fruit. Bryan McKenney won the male recumbent race and also The TUC 6 Hour.
Ron Wood
6 Hr Winner
Three time TTTT racer Veronica Beagan from Alaska won the 6 hour female race with 79.5 miles. Wendy Tuller earned 2nd and Sheri Smith 3rd.
Volunteers Extraordinaire Scooter Conner and Mary Alice Tudor, who manned the RV at corner # 5 for 42 hours prior to the start of their race, won the 6 hour Shoot Out Mixed Tandem. Thank you both for doing so much for everyone else and still racing.
The 26.5 Mile Sprint - I was working hard, trying to get things in shape for the Awards Bash, bundled up and out of the rain under the pavilion, when Pam said, “Look at that, it’s unbelievable”. She was pointing to a long line of about 38 racers who were lined up in the pouring rain, awaiting the next 30 second start interval to count down so they could move up one notch closer to the start line and start their internal combustion motors to warm their bodies. Whatever the race might bring, it had to be better than standing in the rain waiting to race, right? Still so many of them were grinning. I could not stand it, if they were all out there; I needed to be out there cheering them on. I dropped what I was doing and marched back out into the rain to join the troops in the trenches, where I stayed until the last racer was launched.
John Eberle won the male solo with an impressive 23 mph, Steven Regaldo with a 22 mph average came in 2nd, Gary Barnes a close 3rd then Christopher Kellogg, who had just finished setting a course record with his winning 4 man Tejas 500 Team, averaged over 20 mph for his laps.
Merrie Wimmer won the Female Solo Race with Adrien Thom earning 2nd, and Anna Roe 3rd.
John Foote won the men’s solo recumbent race and Angie Torrey won the female recumbent race.
Stealing the show were the 12 year old Noel “Ben” Rodelo and 11 year old Bryson Parnell, both stars in their own right, and certainly the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen a rider before starting a ride in the rain.
Bryson Parnell
Northwest Cycling ClubTTTT’s Club of the Year
Once we’ve had time to catch our breath and relax, with enough beer, we keep saying year after year, that was the best year ever. Please think about joining us next year September 19 -21; early discounted registration will be available before the end of the year.
We are compiling Racers stories and comments, and should have them posted next week.
Happy Trails, DanD
2011 Texas Time Trials by Pam Wright
Yep, it was a great September day in Glen Rose, Texas, especially for a bike ride, so it must be even better for a 500-mile bike race called the "Tejas 500" and to really max out the "Fun-O- Meter," we're going to do it in less than 48 hours and qualify for the Race Across America, but that still isn't quite enough. Let's invite more friends and see how far they can ride in 24 hours and let's call it the "Iron-Butt." Still not enough? Invite more friends to race for 12 hours, more to race for 6 hours and still more to race 1 lap of 26.5 miles and let's call it The Texas Time Trials! So we did and 164 racers from around the United States and even our very first Korean signed up to visit our annual reunion.
That's what the Texas Time Trials is; a series of 5 races, all racing the same 26.5-mile loop near Glen Rose, Texas, which is conveniently located at the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Glen Rose offers great amenities for racers and crews alike. With the start/finish at Rodeo Park, racers can choose to stay in hotels, camp at the park, eat fast-food, order pizza or enjoy fine dining. Couple that with primarily low-traffic roads, beautiful rolling hills and gorgeous Texas scenery and racers return year after year to race TTTT.
The people who showed up to race, volunteer and sponsor this year's race were as different as their personal reasons for being involved with this event. While TTTT enjoys an extremely diverse group of racers and volunteers, the "Texas Hospitality" that The Texas Time Trials has become known for, remains a mainstay. As in years past, although this is a race and there is a winner, everyone with the courage to line up at the start deserves and receives a Texas Time Trials trophy. This year over 200 TTTT Trophies were given out and if you haven't seen them for yourself, you should take a look!
Because The Texas Time Trials is a looped course, many riders enjoy "self-supporting" themselves with just a cooler. The self-supported opportunity allows for a very affordable race weekend forgoing follow vehicles and crew member transportation. Bonus is lots of racers and crews pitch in to help neighboring racers and within a matter of hours, nobody is a stranger.
Girls did Great!
This year saw 28 solo females. Girls were 3rd solo overall and course record for the Tejas 500, 4th solo overall for the Iron Butt 24 Hour, 2nd overall and course record for the 12Hour, 5th solo overall for the 6 Hour Shoot Out and 9th solo overall for the Sprint 26.5 Mile. Girls also comprised many of the course record setting teams. Bents did Great! Although there was a huge hole with zero solo bents in the Tejas 500 or the 24 hour, there were 7 bent riders in the shorter races, setting 4 records. Solo Bent participation was down this year by 36%. Teams did Great! Teams set 7 new course records. We had 26 team members this year.
If a race report has a theme, past reports might've been "the girls," "the ‘bents" or "the teams." This year's theme would probably be "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again" or maybe even "practice makes perfect" as 50% of all racers this year have raced TTTT before and 20% of all racers have raced TTTT three or more times. TTTT was full of racers returning after DNF's, defending champions, returns to conquer another category and volunteers and racers alike return each year for more good ol' Texas hospitality. James Hack epitomizes this return with his goal of entering each of the TTTT races and he's well on his way having entered four of five, with only the 26.5 Sprint to finish his "five-fecta."
Another theme might be "randos rule" with 1/3 of all racers having held a membership with Randonneurs USA. Not only did randos win both male and female Tejas 500 races, but also the 12-hour and 6-hour. With only a couple hundred of what some call "active" ultra racers in the US, randonneurs wanting to test their "speed limits" have a wide-open playground of self-supported time trial options at TTTT. Twenty-five years ago an Ultra racer had to do most distance training alone. With the success of RUSA, there are organized long rides weekly all over the USA and an abundance of training partners at everyone of them. Many of this year's racers and winners did all their training on RUSA rides.
TTTT 2010 was made possible by over 100 Volunteers. Many taking time off work and forgoing sleep to help keep the wheels turning, like Tony Goodnight who volunteered his time to run the TTTT Website. Most TTTT Volunteers were from North Texas Bike Clubs including the Fort Worth Bicycle Association and Lone Star Randonneurs. Uniquely, some volunteers not only volunteer, but also race in the same weekend, while others may race one year then crew or volunteer the next. It is heartwarming to see friends take turns crewing for each other and to see the same person volunteer to work to keep the race they love alive and give back to the sport
Facebooker & Raffle Ticket Seller, Pam Wright
and others involved in the sport. Cap this off with even sponsors that volunteer and race. Having the same volunteers return year after year really helps; they know the ropes, like Bill Fox manning the computers. Unbelievable to see 2011 Solo RAAM finisher Dex Tooke and crew chief Joni make the drive to crew for TTTT's first Korean racer.
Sponsors continue to shine at TTTT with returning major sponsors Bicycle's, Inc. and Richardson Bike Mart leading the pack. Bicycles, Inc. even provides the SAG vehicle. Hammer Nutrition continues to fuel TTTT racers. These sponsors support TTTT and help ensure every racer gets one of the best trophies in ultra racing.
New for 2011 was the exciting addition of Volagi Bikes, who jumped in with race support and the thrilling donation of a new $3600 Volagi Liscio Bike for raffle. The raffle impressively raised over $3,000 for local Glen Rose charity, the LDL Resources Foundation. Congratulations to Tom Robertshaw of Birmingham, Alabama on his brand new Volagi bike!
RAAM Favorite Dex Tooke test riding Volagi demo bike
The Tejas 500 overall win went to defending champion Gary Gottlieb with 32:12 and it was a dramatic victory indeed. Not only is this Gary's 3rd time to race Tejas 500, but he's won two of those and is the only male to have won Tejas twice. This is the only Ultra race Gary competes in and all his training is done as a randonneur. Gary's race to victory came with a trip to the hospital that cost him hours and yet he won. His story is so unforgettable that there isn't room here for the details, plus John Foote with UltraRaceNews has published such an incredible report, we hope you'll read the entire tale at http://tinyurl.com/3o6c3up.
Tejas 500 Overall Winner Gary Gottlieb
Tejas 500 Overall Winner Gary Gotlieb
Female winner and new course record-holder Sharon Stevens is no stranger to the Tejas 500 having completed it four times as a solo female, winning three, and also once as stoker for the course record-holding mixed tandem team. This year, Sharon shattered the female course by six hours with a new 36:09 course record and like many other Tejas 500 racers this year, has trained exclusively as a randonneur. Congratulations to Sharon who is now the winningest racer in the history of the Tejas 500.
The Tejas 500 was made up of numerous tough competitors, including Texan Jose Luis Bermudez who placed 2nd over 3rd place finisher and first-time Ultra racer (Randonneur) Greg Conderacci (MD). Mike Screws gets big accolades this year as a 5-time TTTT racer. Not only is TTTT the only ultra race he races, but he has increased his competition from a 24-hour racer, to a newly RAAM-qualified Tejas 500 racer. Bernie Scheffler is another example of "practice makes perfect" with his progress from 12-hour to 24-hour to become RAAM-qualified at this year's Tejas 500.
In all, 26 solo racers signed up for the Tejas 500 and each of the 11 official finishers RAAM-qualified. To be qualified for RAAM all racers finished the 500 mile course in less than 48 hours. Randonneurs really shined with 8 of the 11 finishers (73%) being current members of Randonneurs USA. Many rode the Tejas 500 as an 800 Km Brevet. Four of the solo male finishers were fresh back from PBP. Roughly 50% of the solo finishers have raced TTTT before, some by increasing their races graduating up from 12-hour or 24-hour. The five finishers racing for the first time each came to Texas with plans to crew themselves and found help from TTTT volunteers and neighboring crews.
Not to be out-done by the solos, two new course records were turned in by 2 of the 3 teams racing the Tejas 500. Local riders Team Bulge set a bar they're already scheming about for 2012… 26:01 for the 4-man team. And 4-person mixed team Shiner Four-Pack set a new record of 29:26. Team Awesome Foursome returned for the 5th time and all teams keep demonstrating that the 4-person team is the most fun way of all to race the Tejas 500.
The 24-Hour "Iron Butt" had a great field of 13 solo racers and 4 teams line up at 6pm Friday night to a perfectly clear sky and Greg Colvin took full advantage, completing 371 miles in 22:19, handily setting a new overall course record. This was a very diverse field with male racers from not only Texas and neighboring states Louisiana and Oklahoma, but from both coasts as well, with Matt Peter (FL) and Todd Zagurski (CA) rounding out the field of 11 men.
Joining Greg for first place was randonneur Veronica Beagan from Alaska winning the solo female 24-hour division with 265 miles and not to mention one of the "I came the farthest" awards and tying her old course record of 2009.
Four teams wrapped up the 24-hour races and each one set a division course record. One-Hour Racing: 2-Person Male Team. Raven Lunatics: 2-Person Male Team, Mixed Bike (CA). Old Guys Rule: 3-Person Male Team and Meta Racers: 3-Person Mixed Team, Mixed Bike.
As with the Tejas 500, randonneuring is paying off with 33% of these racers having been RUSA members and most of them returning racers.
The 12-Hour "Tin Butt" had 28 signed up and now has a new 212-mile course record thanks to Kurt DNF'ing the Tejas 500 after two laps and instead of leaving empty-handed, he rejoined TTTT as a 12-hour racer and led the field of 14 men from start to finish, not a bad way to finish up his third year of TTTT racing. One advantage the looped TTTT course offers is the unique opportunity for racers who pull out of a longer race to make repairs (to bike or body) can return to race a shorter distance. Kurt Searvogel did just that, as did several other racers. TTTT has seen Tejas 500 racers finish early and also race the 26.5 mile sprint. Many Tejas 500 crew members get a change to race after their racer has finished. Some racers bring the entire family out to play, like the Parker family, with each member entering a different race as did Jim (6 hour course record), Kent (26 mile sprint), and Maria (12 hour course record) from North Carolina.
Michelle Beckley had a similar race, in front from the start and handily winning the women's race. Two new recumbent records were set, one by male racer Jim Finger (GA) and the other by female racer Maria Parker (NC). Maria's record is impressive, she covered the same miles in 12 hours as the Solo Male winner, had she done a pro-rated lap she would have won overall. Congrats also to Michelle Williams, Mississippi's RUSA RBA, for lining up at TTTT and enjoying her first Ultra Race.
Two Texas teams rounded out the field. Team Manly Bulge winning the 2-Person Male Team and Wag More, Bark Less setting a new course record for 2-Person Female Team.
More racers returning each year include Wendell Hyink, four-time TTTT racer and Martin Hukle, five-time racer. Both entered the 12-hour race this year and continue to enjoy themselves.
The 6-Hour "Shoot Out" offered fast excitement as Tom Rodgers hammered to first place Solo Male. Leslie Haas easily led all the women to her solo win. Course record-setting continued with Jim Parker's Recumbent result, as well as the 2-Person Male Team of Gillman/Hill. Volunteers-extraordinaire Scooter Conner and Mary Alice Tudor continued their tradition of racing TTTT with a 1st Place Mixed Tandem.
The 26.5 Mile "Sprint" saw a huge field of 46 racers line up Saturday afternoon. Twenty-five men battled it out for first place with Troy Smith turning in a 1:14 time, only 20 seconds faster than 2nd place finisher Steve Sievert. In fact, less than 14 minutes separated the first 10 men. Merrie Wimmer dominated the 12 women with a 1:23 time. Peggy Petty continued her record-setting recumbent streak; she holds the Tejas 500 female recumbent record and adds the Sprint to her accolades. Kent Parker won the Solo Male Recumbent and Bob Millay set a course record for the new Solo Male Trike division. Rounding out the racers were the two Texas mixed rando tandems with the Rolling Nolans setting a course record.
Must be doing something right, folks come back year after year to enjoy the hospitality, scenery and usually beautiful weather. Texas weather is about as predictable as it gets on the last weekend of September with average lows of 65 and highs of 89 degrees. This year had near perfect weather Thursday and Friday with Saturday posing a challenge of a colder than normal night, followed by a warmer than normal day, but leave it to our neutral sag support to rise to the occasion, by taking water out on the course Saturday.
Every racer has their own motivation for showing up; for some it is the culmination of a year's worth of training, for others it is a chance to be a part of something much bigger than a ride with a couple of friends. Some are there to win, some for the reunion, some to enjoy the sunshine, while others are doing the first race of their life. We have a healthy mix of "World-Class Athletes," "Rookies" and "First Timers." Everyone loves the spontaneous and positive interaction. For every very serious racer there is a fun one.
Please consider joining us in 2012 for our 10th Anniversary.
We would like to extend a personal invitation to you, to come out and race. Last year was the best ever and our new Glen Rose venue provided the perfect location. This is The Texas Time Trials 9th year, we must be doing something right, it keep growing and is known as one of the best organized “International Ultra Cycling events” and a Woodstock like reunion for many Ultra Riders. Come see old friends and make some new ones while challenging yourself on the 26.5 mile looped course. Racers can crew themselves easily, in fact a few years ago - first, second and third place were all self crewed.
We will again be having 5 events including: The Tejas 500 (the largest RAAM Qualifier in the world), The “Iron Butt” 24-Hour Time Trial, “The Tin Butt” 12-Hour Challenge, The 6 Hour Shoot Out and The 26.5 Mile Sprint. The Awards Bash will round out the event on Saturday evening when we will feed you and award you those awesome TTTT Trophies http://www.tt24tt.com/awards.html. The exact same Trophy for first and last place, won’t you please come earn yours. TTTT is the perfect place to test yourself against world class racers or enjoy your very first Ultra event. To qualify for RAAM at TTTT you will simply need to ride The Tejas 500 (miles) in less than 48 hours.
For those of you who have not experienced our new venue, you will love the benefits of having the race in Glen Rose. There are all the comforts you need including restaurants and hotels within walking distance of The start/finish.
Mark your calendars, call your friends, check-out the website and mail in your applications. Entry includes TTTT T-Shirt, TTTT Trophy, Dinner, a Raffle and more. All the information that you need is on www.TT24TT.com and remember to join the discussion group to get the most current Texas Time Trials news. We look forward to seeing you there!
Happy Trails,
Dan D.
The 2010 Texas Time Trials
Race Report
If one word could sum up The 2010 Texas Time Trials, it would be "Eclectic". The people who showed up to race, volunteer and sponsor this year's race were as different as their personal reasons for being involved with this event. While we enjoyed an extremely diverse group of racers and volunteers, the "Texas Hospitality" that The Texas Time Trials has become known for, remains a mainstay. This year included free spaghetti dinner for all racers, crew, family, friends and volunteers, a new stage, with multi-height podiums, Podium Girls handing out trophies and kisses, and even more TTTT-Volunteers helping out, over 100 of them. TTTT Volunteers manned many of the corners on the 26.5 mile looped course, and at several corners our Corner Marshals set up campers and motor homes to make sure riders were taken care of whether they needed water or a nap. Not a single rider went off course, thanks to volunteer Nelson Ralls, who not only painted arrows with glass beads for every turn, he also painted X's to alert riders that may have missed a turn and he even added mile markers. As in years past, we believe that although this is a race and there is a winner, every one with the courage to line up at the start deserves a Texas Time Trials Trophy. This year over 200 TTTT Trophies were given out and if you haven't seen them for yourself, you should take a look!
It means everything to us that so many racers come back from so far away every year and this year Frederic Ricol from France not only returned, but he brought a French friend. Frederic made a TTTT discussion list connection when requesting lodging 5 years ago for his first TTTT. He was introduced to fellow TTTT Racer Dennis Cook and family on his first visit to Texas, then connected again this year, with promises to return the favor at next year's PBP, when Dennis will be in France. Typically, TTTT draws racers from several different countries and over half of the US States every year and this year was no exception. We love having the diversity of so many racers from out of state mixed with those from our own neck of the woods.
2010 TTTT was made possible by over 100 Volunteers. Many taking time off work and forgoing sleep to help keep the wheels turning, like Tony Gooodnight who volunteered his time to run theTTTT Website. Most TTTT Volunteers were from North Texas Bike Clubs including The Fort Worth Bicycle Association and Lone Star Randonneurs. Uniquely, some volunteers not only volunteer, but also race in the same weekend, while others may race one year then crew or volunteer the next. It is heartwarming to see friends take turns crewing for each other, and to see the same person volunteer to work to keep the race they love alive and give back to the sport and others involved in the sport. We also have some sponsors that volunteer and race.
TTTT has some of the very best sponsors a race could ever ask for. Want to know why there is a Starbucks logo on the back of the TTTT T-Shirts? It's because they bring volunteers 10 gallons of hot coffee two nights in a row, so we can stay up all night to count racers riding through the start/finish chute. Chicken Express fed all volunteers lunch for two days. Trail LED donated a fabulous light for the TTTT raffle. GT Bikes donated a bike for the raffle, Bob Gracey of TSO donated Rudy Project sunglasses and helmets to the raffle, Juliany's made it affordable to feed 300 people at the Awards Dinner and Iron Head Race Productions provided finishers mugs to all racers. Hammer Nutrition has been filling TTTT goodie bags for 8 years as one of TTTT's major sponsors. Bicycles Inc., Richardson Bike Mart, TSO and Community Bank allow TTTT to give trophies to all our riders.
The City of Glen Rose, Texas has been a perfect home for The Texas Time Trials with hotels, restaurants, bars and shopping within walking distance of The Race. We have all the creature comforts, but also rural roads with low traffic, rolling hills and awe inspiring scenery just pedal strokes away. The 26.5 mile course takes a short jaunt through downtown Glen Rose and right past the County Courthouse. Riders comment in a positive way about the diversity of the route, especially late at night riding through a few blocks of this small town with its "City Lights" really brightens spirits in the wee hours.
Because The Texas Time Trialsis a looped course, many riders enjoy "self-supporting" themselves with just a cooler. The self-supported opportunity allows for a very affordable race weekend forgoing follow vehicles and crew member transportation. It was fun to watch many of the self-supported racers become adopted by a neighboring crew and helped out. In contrast, others bring out the family and friends to add to the ambience. Kirk Gentle brought his oldest son to crew for him, his younger son Sam raced and his wife Meg also raced with their youngest son on the back of her bike in a child seat. It was inspirational to see all the signs that Wayne Dunlap's family of five snuck out onto the course the night before the race and they were all there to crew for him, making it a family outing instead of "Daddy gone for the weekend with his bike again." Sandy Earl made friends with some of our local rando riders and negotiated them to crew for her, saving crew transportation expenses. It was fun to see a few racers being crewed by RAAM veterans and other racers with their own aspirations of competing next year.
Although the Tejas 500 and The "Iron-Butt" 24-hour remain predominantly male, the females are gaining ground on the shorter races with 35 females signed up for all races. Not only are these females showing up, but they are kicking some booty, riding further and or faster than many of the men. They call that "chick'd", but don't feel bad if you were "chick'd," some of those gals are truly world-class! With The Tejas 500 and Iron-Butt both being RAAM qualifiers, we had more than 50 racers sign up for a chance to become RAAM qualified. 21 of the Tejas 500 racers did indeed qualify.
This year's TTTT had its youngest rider ever, 8-year-old Sam Gentle. We also had three riders under 20 years old. Michael Dihigo, 17 years old, averaged almost 22 mph for the 26.5 mile Sprint! Earlier this year, I attended a local "Ride of Silence" and next to me was 12-year-old Hunter Hinton riding with his dad. I asked his dad to bring Hunter out to TTTT and promised we would send him home with a TTTT trophy that just might change Hunter's life. Hunter showed up and the smile on his face changed the lives of all those around him after he completed the 26.5 mile Sprint and accepted his Trophy. On the other end of the age stage, TTTT drew 5 females and 20 solo males over the age of 60. Three of these managed the Tejas 500, with Virgil Moehsmer of Ellisville, MO placing first in his age group and 4th overall with 34:32. Markus Joswig from Germanywas our youngest Tejas 500 racer at 29 years old. Dex Tooke took second place in TTTT's 24-hour "Iron Butt" at age 60 after competing in RAAM earlier this year. Two of our 12-hour "Tin Butt" Racers were 66 years old. Goes to show that you do have to get older, but you don't have to grow up, you can ride your bike for a long time.
We are pleased to have such a large field of recumbents every year. The 'bent racers were represented in every race except the 6-hour. This year we had four 'bent racers in the Tejas 500 with most placing near or at the top of the overall list, including one female, Peggy Petty setting an overall female course record with 35:27. Sandy Earl avenged her previous Tejas 500 DNF with an overall course record on her 'bent for the 24-hour "Iron-Butt" race with 371 miles. Ray Torrey couldn't get enough racing so after doing his turns for The Tejas 500 4-man "Team Awesome Foursome", Ray signed up and rode the 26.5 mile Sprint as well. John Scott Freeman set a 'bent course record of 171.89 miles for The 12-hour "Tin-Butt." Several teams were a fun mixture of 'bents and diamond frame bikes.
The Tejas 500 is 19 laps and even that basic information sometimes doesn't translate a language barrier. Our French friend, Thierry Saint Leger who did not speak a word of English, caused concern for one of our time keepers when he noticed that athough he was due to become an official finisher at any minute, Thierry was nowhere to be seen. Did he have a flat? Nope, he thought he was done and went to his hotel room and was sawing logs. Pat, a volunteer, tracked him down, woke him up and got him back on the road. Thierry completed his last lap with plenty of time on the clock. In contrast, Gary Smith, a transplanted Texan down from Washington State, surprised our time keepers when he came through the Start / Finish to complete his 20th Lap. Oops!
Every racer has their own motivation for showing up, for some it is the culmination of a year's worth of training, for others it is a chance to be a part of something much bigger than a ride with a couple of friends. Some are there to win, some for the reunion, some to enjoy the sunshine, while others are doing the first race of their life. We have a healthy mix of "World-Class Athletes", "Rookies" and "First Timers". I love the spontaneous and positive way they interact. For every very serious racer there is a fun one. Pam Wright and Vickie Tyer needing to be the very best they can be at anything they set their mind to, took "fun to a whole new level." Their 4-person mixed Tejas 500 Team, "Team from Oz," dressed up as The Wizard of Oz characters. Pam was Dorothy, Vickie the Scarecrow, Pat the Tin Man and Richard the Cowardly Lion. In full costume, they lined up with the other Tejas 500 riders making for a great tension release at the start line, with lots of laughter.
The Tejas 500 overall win went to local LSR Randonneur Gary Gottlieb with 29:37. It is nice for this honor to come home to roost for a year, as last year's winner was from Austria and the 2008 winner was from Canada. Second place men's solo diamond frame went to Wayne Dunlap, Austin'sRBA. Sharon Stevens won the Female Solo Diamond Frame. In the Male Solo 'Bent Category, Christopher Young earned first place with 32:08 and Steve Petty earned second, with Steve's wife Peggy setting an overall female course record. Four 4-man teams battled it out with "Team Broken Bulge" coming out on top with a course record of 26:11. "Team from Oz" set a Mixed Team record with 29:44, and proved what I have been saying all along "The 4 person team Tejas 500 can be the most fun race of all".
The 24-Hour "Iron Butt" overall course record went to Sandy Earl. Kirk Gentle won the Men's solo race with 365 miles with Dex Tooke taking second. "Team KO" won the Mixed Team with 265 miles, with team "Old Meta" racing 185 miles.
The 12-Hour "Tin Butt" overall course record went to Jeff DeLaVega with 204 miles. John Scott Freeman won the Solo Male 'Bent with 171 miles, with Rani Freeman winning the Solo Female with 185 miles. There were four 2-person teams with "Team Flat Belly Organics" winning with 238 miles and "Tex-Mex" winning the Mixed Team Division with 106 miles.
The 6-Hour "Shoot Out"Scott Simmons shattered the old Solo Men's record of 106 miles with his 129 mile performance averaging 21.6 mph and setting a new course record. Kathy Wickersham set a new course record for solo females with 97 miles. After Volunteering, Conner/Tudor took first place in the mixed tandem race.
The 26.5 mile "Sprint" Solo Male winner was local radio celebrity Craig Miller from The Ticket. The Ticket was a TTTT Sponsor many years ago and it was nice to see Craig back to cycling after a few years away from the sport to do marathon running, Craig averaged 23.98 mph. Greg Gross won the male 'Bent in 1:13 and Erica Fellers set a course record averaging over 20 mph completing the Female Sprint in 1:18.
For full results including splits of each lap at this page
September 22-24, 2011
With all the positive feedback we received last year,
why would we change a thing?
The Texas Time Trials would like to extend a warm, Texas-sized invitation to all of y'all. Whether you are an Ultra Racer, Randonneur or a rider wanting to test your abilities against the clock, we have an event for you. The Texas Time Trials is actually five events in one. The Tejas 500, our longest event, ...more
The
Race Organizers
The
Texas Time Trials are organized by Tejas Sports
Productions and Race Coordinator Dan Driscoll.
The race is staffed by volunteers and cycling
enthusiasts from the north Texas area bicycling
community and by members from the Lone Star
Randonneurs, Fort Worth Bicycling Association, and Texas
Wheels cycling clubs.
This Website has been updated and is being maintained by Tony Goodnight
Please support our sponsors
Tom Robertshaw
2011 Volagi raffle winner
Linda Middleton Grace Photograhpy will again be the TT24TT premier photographer
Linda will be selling photos off her website after the event.
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The 2010 Texas Time Trials_html_m5c941101.jpg)
2010 TTTT was made possible by over 100 Volunteers. Many taking time off work and forgoing sleep to help keep the wheels turning, like Tony Gooodnight who volunteered his time to run theTTTT Website. Most TTTT Volunteers were from North Texas Bike Clubs including The Fort Worth Bicycle Association and Lone Star Randonneurs. Uniquely, some volunteers not only volunteer, but also race in the same weekend, while others may race one year then crew or volunteer the next. It is heartwarming to see friends take turns crewing for each other, and to see the same person volunteer to work to keep the race they love alive and give back to the sport and others involved in the sport. We also have some sponsors that volunteer and race._html_m38bf6ea5.jpg)
The City of Glen Rose, Texas has been a perfect home for The Texas Time Trials with hotels, restaurants, bars and shopping within walking distance of The Race. We have all the creature comforts, but also rural roads with low traffic, rolling hills and awe inspiring scenery just pedal strokes away. The 26.5 mile course takes a short jaunt through downtown Glen Rose and right past the County Courthouse. Riders comment in a positive way about the diversity of the route, especially late at night riding through a few blocks of this small town with its "City Lights" really brightens spirits in the wee hours._html_1c9a004e.jpg)
This year's TTTT had its youngest rider ever, 8-year-old Sam Gentle. We also had three riders under 20 years old. Michael Dihigo, 17 years old, averaged almost 22 mph for the 26.5 mile Sprint! Earlier this year, I attended a local "Ride of Silence" and next to me was 12-year-old Hunter Hinton riding with his dad. I asked his dad to bring Hunter out to TTTT and promised we would send him home with a TTTT trophy that just might change Hunter's life. Hunter showed up and the smile on his face changed the lives of all those around him after he completed the 26.5 mile Sprint and accepted his Trophy. On the other end of the age stage, TTTT drew 5 females and 20 solo males over the age of 60. Three of these managed the Tejas 500, with Virgil Moehsmer of Ellisville, MO placing first in his age group and 4th overall with 34:32. Markus Joswig from Germanywas our youngest Tejas 500 racer at 29 years old. Dex Tooke took second place in TTTT's 24-hour "Iron Butt" at age 60 after competing in RAAM earlier this year. Two of our 12-hour "Tin Butt" Racers were 66 years old. Goes to show that you do have to get older, but you don't have to grow up, you can ride your bike for a long time._html_m486c45cf.jpg)
We are pleased to have such a large field of recumbents every year. The 'bent racers were represented in every race except the 6-hour. This year we had four 'bent racers in the Tejas 500 with most placing near or at the top of the overall list, including one female, Peggy Petty setting an overall female course record with 35:27. Sandy Earl avenged her previous Tejas 500 DNF with an overall course record on her 'bent for the 24-hour "Iron-Butt" race with 371 miles. Ray Torrey couldn't get enough racing so after doing his turns for The Tejas 500 4-man "Team Awesome Foursome", Ray signed up and rode the 26.5 mile Sprint as well. John Scott Freeman set a 'bent course record of 171.89 miles for The 12-hour "Tin-Butt." Several teams were a fun mixture of 'bents and diamond frame bikes._html_m531ca065.jpg)
Every racer has their own motivation for showing up, for some it is the culmination of a year's worth of training, for others it is a chance to be a part of something much bigger than a ride with a couple of friends. Some are there to win, some for the reunion, some to enjoy the sunshine, while others are doing the first race of their life. We have a healthy mix of "World-Class Athletes", "Rookies" and "First Timers". I love the spontaneous and positive way they interact. For every very serious racer there is a fun one. Pam Wright and Vickie Tyer needing to be the very best they can be at anything they set their mind to, took "fun to a whole new level." Their 4-person mixed Tejas 500 Team, "Team from Oz," dressed up as The Wizard of Oz characters. Pam was Dorothy, Vickie the Scarecrow, Pat the Tin Man and Richard the Cowardly Lion. In full costume, they lined up with the other Tejas 500 riders making for a great tension release at the start line, with lots of laughter._html_4813428.jpg)
