Mountain Biking

New Trail and Brewery-Sponsored Races Raise Mountain Biking Profile in Missoula

By Laurel Douglas, 6-29-11

	Sam Schultz is expected to be a leader both in the weekly race series and in the final championship race. Photo courtesy of www.tomroberstonphoto.com.

A new trail in Missoula, Montana, at the old Marshall Mountain ski area has riders talking. Here’s a sample of how they describe it: “Technical, but twisty and flowy.” “Really steep, loose, technical with hairpin turns into the steepest stuff I’ve ever ridden.”

The trail is the venue for a series of weekly mountain bike races that started last Wednesday. The plan for the Kettle House Weekday Race League is to start out with five Wednesday night races, culminating in a weekend race at the end of July. The weekend race will be the final in the US National Pro XC Mountain Bike tour. However, race organizers are hoping the series will be more than a lead-up to the national championship—they want to get mountain bikers from every walk of life out on the trails to ride, race and drink a beer.

The league is designed to be all-local and all-inclusive. “The main message I want to get out is that the races are for everyone,” says Shaun Radley, race director. “A lot of my time has been spent on getting the entertainment down for the race. I want to inspire people to come back and race again and again.”

This is not to say the course won’t be competitive. But, says Radley, the competitive folks will provide the competitive environment for themselves. He wants the rest of the people who are coming to just have fun.

The course itself has options for those folks who want to push their limits and test their skills, and for those who want to play it safe. There is a 5-foot high and 5-foot long gap jump on the course; those who take the jump will be taking the “A” line, and those who go around, the “B” line. The difference? “About 10 seconds,” said Alex Gallego, owner of Missoula Bicycle Works and a board member for Missoula XC, the parent nonprofit organization formed to design and support the race. Ten seconds might not sound like a lot, but for those who are in it to win, 10 seconds over the course of five or six laps equal a one-minute lead over those who choose to go around the jump.

Anya Wechsler, Toby Meierbachtol and Heidi Gaskill volunteer to help build the course trail at Marshall Mountain. Photo by tombobertsonphoto.com.

Efforts to build the trail and organize the event began in the summer of 2010, when Radley was approached to see if he would want to start up the Ecology Center Classic road races again. The series was a popular event that ended in 2005, and cyclists have been craving more organized events in Missoula. Radley was a natural choice because of his experience directing and organizing races. He takes the lead on the annual Rolling Thunder cyclocross event in October and is known around Missoula for his charismatic attitude and love of cycling.

He couldn’t have put this series together by himself though. Missoula XC’s board of directors has been instrumental in designing, organizing and fundraising for the race. “They put me in contact with people who I would not have otherwise been able to sit down with,” Radley said. The board is made up mostly of local business owners who are also passionate about cycling—people like Gallego, Jed Dennison, local real estate agent; Kiefer Hahn, co-owner of Momentum Athletic Training; Peter Lambros, owner of Caffe Dolce; and Ben Horan, a local hydrogeologist and cyclist.

Horan spearheaded trail building efforts, with cyclists and trail building organizations like the Montana Conservation Corps volunteering to pitch in. Volunteers began building trails last summer and work has been ongoing. Riders have been meeting on Thursday evenings at Marshall, scouting out the trail and helping to pack it down by riding it.

At the ride this last Thursday, Horan and fellow engineer Jay Rutherford were building a bridge over the course, at a spot where it crosses over itself. Rutherford is an engineer—albeit a chemical engineer—who volunteered to help build the bridge.

Many riders at the weekly gathering had not done any racing before; others were veterans of the race scene. Matt McQuilkin, co-owner of Black Coffee Roasting Company and a sponsor of the series, said he was there primarily to ride with his friends and have fun. “Events like this are great because they bring in people from out of town and provide a big boost to local businesses. Hopefully this will spur on the building of more new trails in Missoula.” As for the race itself, McQuilkin said, “I don’t care how I do, I just want to get out here and ride with my friends.”

Ingrid Lovitt shared McQuilkin’s sentiment. “I’m going to get off and walk my bike at least twice, on purpose. It’s a daredevil course, and I am just in it for the fun of it.”

Local sponsors have jumped on board, providing this first-time venue with more support than the average race in the National Pro XC Tour series. “We have allowed sponsors to donate to the race by giving not just money but time as well,” Radley says. Bike Doctor, a local bike shop, donated time to building trails, which was instrumental in getting the project completed. Caffe Dolce, also a sponsor, will sponsor food and drinks at the final event; and Missoula Bicycle Works has donated products and money as well as time toward building trails. And, of course, the Kettle House is the primary sponsor of the Wednesday-night series and will provide free beer for racers after the race. For a complete list of sponsors, you can go to www.missoulaxc.org.

On race Wednesdays, registration starts at 5:30, with the first race starting at 5:45. There will be three options for race categories and racers will self-select which category they want to be in: three laps, two laps or one lap. Women will race together with the men, with the option to have a 15-second gap. The $10 entry fee includes Kettle House beer after the race, and series prizes. Stay tuned for weekly race reports and rider profiles.

Laurel Douglas lives in Missoula and is trying to finish up a career as a professional student.

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