MARS HILL COLLEGE CYCLING

Last year when MHC Cycling was just getting off the ground and struggling to raise money to get the team to the races, Asheville Bicycle Racing Club (ABRC) and its president, Marios Georgiou, reached out to the team to lend a helping hand, and a rather large and timely check too.  This year, we’re happy to report that ABRC and its board of directors have agreed to increase their support for 2010. Both Matt Willing and Paul Webb from Mars Hill College have joined the ABRC team and will fly the ABRC colors at cyclocross events this winter at all non-collegiate events. We are proud to represent this non-profit organization that has been promoting amateur bicycle racing in Western North Carolina since 1984. They really are the backbone of our local cycling scene, offering mentoring and coaching for newer riders as well as opportunities to advance to the elite levels in all disciplines: road, mountain, cyclocross, and track. They host a number of weekly training rides, including the seasonal “Tuesday Night World Championships” and the year-round Saturday Morning Bakery Ride. They have sent members to national and international competitions, and every year they put on one of the region’s most competitive races, The French Broad Cycling Classic.

Visit their website at abrc.net and their popular bulletin board for more info about rides, races, and other cycling related events. Become a member of WNC’s most organized racing club. Contact Marios at gemarios@charter.net for more detailed information.

Matt raced through mud and fog to claim a strong 2nd in Boone over the weekend

Matt Willing popped an impressive podium result yesterday in Pro/1/2 event in Boone, NC, part of North Carolina Cyclocross Series. After a shaky start that found him about 20 riders back, Matt powered through the mud, fog, and a strong field to take a solid 2nd place behind Eric Thompson, a 3rd place finisher at last year’s Div I Collegiate National Cyclocross Championships. This all bodes well for Matt and Mars Hill as we enter the final six weeks before this year’s Div II nationals in Bend, OR, on December 12th.

While this is Matt’s first podium in a pro event this year, he’s no stranger to the podium, having won six of nine events last year in the B category in Michigan’s cyclocross series. The first event of that series was Matt’s first bike race ever. This year Matt has made the jump up to the top ranks and will race for the Asheville Bicycle Racing Club in all non-collegiate events. Matt has demonstrated that he belongs with the pros by riding to a couple of top ten finishes in Michigan’s UCI Pro event earlier this year, as well as competing strongly against the very best in the nation at last week’s USGP UCI event in Kentucky.

Matt will take a break from racing next week for some secret training leading into November 14th’s first collegiate event of the year, hosted by King College in Tennessee, followed by the Southeastern Conference Cyclocross Championships hosted by Brevard College and then Hendersonville’s UCI pro events on the 21st and 22nd.

The first shipment of Raw Revolution organic live food bars arrived at MHC Cycling’s headquarters this week. Inside the package were boxes containing eight different flavors! We are so excited to have the support of a company who understands what cyclists really need to perform at their highest levels: raw and organic foods in a combination that is easy to eat and digest while riding a bike at 25mph. I’ve had trouble digesting and feeling bloated with other bars that are cooked, but these go down easy and seem to more readily convert to pedaling power. Plus, there’s plenty of protein from a variety of sources without having to resort to processed soy isolates, which seems to be the defacto source of protein for other bar manufacturers. And no need to panic… they’re certified organic. The team has been hungrily sampling each flavor and so far the Cashew and Agave Nectar, Raisin and Chocolate, and Coconut and Agave Nectar have all received excellent feedback. My one-year-old son has really taken a liking to the Spirulina and Cashew bar, devouring one in minutes, and he keeps bringing me more to open. And he cries if I don’t! So far none on the team have resorted to crying for more, but then we haven’t run out yet.

We are proud to represent a company that’s doing what’s best for both personal health and the global ecology. Check out Raw Revolution’s full line of products and flavors at www.rawindulgence.com.

Both Matt Willing and Paul Webb will be using the product in a race environment for the first time today at the North Carolina Cyclocross Series stop in Boone, NC. A report on today’s race and the cyclocross team is coming soon…

MHC Cycling represented in the SE corner of the zero

Last weekend, Mars Hill College Cycling participated in the 350.org international action to bring attention to runaway climate change. 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide–measured in “Parts Per Million” in our atmosphere. 350 ppm–it’s the number that humanity needs to get back below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. Visit 350 Asheville for information on the local action and 350.org for info on international actions and photos of them from iconic places around the world.

Last weekend in North Lake Tahoe California, Paul Webb rode to an impressive 20th place finish in the National Mountain Bike Championships. While being amongst the top 20 in the nation is no mean feat, Paul accomplished it despite a couple of major setbacks.

When Paul’s flight arrived in Sacramento, he soon discovered that his bike hadn’t. With a few business hours left in the day, Paul decided to drive up the mountain to Lake Tahoe in hopes of finding a loaner in time for the next day’s championship event at noon. Fortunately, a local shop in Tahoe City offered to let him use a bike, and after taking it for a quick ride and dialing it in, Paul was ready to race the biggest mountain bike race of his career on a bike he really didn’t know. Then the morning of the event, the airlines dropped off his bike at the hotel, so he decided to race it instead of the loaner. So he rushed to get the bike built and tuned so he could have time to warm up. Feeling that the bike was ready to go, Paul was ready for the start.

At the start of a national championship, it is customary for the defending national champion and then each individual conference champion to be called to the start line. After that each school is called to the start, rider by rider, until the complete list of riders has been called up. But Paul’s name or school was never mentioned, so he was left to start at the very back. Paul rode a great race, passing over half the field during the first 2 of 4 laps, riding into 12th at one point. The effort of having to start at the back, however, took its toll and Paul faded somewhat but still finished a very strong 20th. The next day Paul completed the Short Track Cross Country event in 27th place, landing MHC Cycling within the top 22 teams in the nation despite, at this point, only having a one rider team. Rest assured that Paul will be back for more next year, and with a larger team in tow. For now, Paul is taking a brief respite before gearing up for the collegiate cyclocross season, which culminates with the national championships in Portland, OR, in mid December.

Read the article HERE

ASHVEGAS article on Paul Webb HERE

Paul Webb has qualified for Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals, which takes place this week on the 16^th-18^th in Truckee, California. While the courses and the altitude at Northstar at Tahoe off of Lake Tahoe promise to be challenging, Paul’s season-long experience racing with some of the most talented collegiate riders in the country has prepared him for the challenge. In arguably the strongest mountain bike conference in the country, the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference, Paul won the first race of the season back in August and then backed it up with a string of solid performances. Paul ended the regular season with two top tens in the STXC and XC events in Div II, by far the strongest division in the SECC Conference. Paul will race in the XC National Championships on Friday, and then the STXC National Championships on Sunday. Shred it, Paul!

For more info on the race, visit: www.2009mtbnationals.com

Blue Ridge Biofuels joins the MHC Cycling’s “green” team as a supporting sponsor for 2010. They are an employee owned business that produces and distributes biodiesel for Asheville and Western North Carolina. They supply biodiesel to public pumps in the greater Asheville region, deliver bulk for on and off road biodiesel, provide BioHeat as a replacement to heating oil, and provide waste cooking oil removal services in Western North Carolina. In fact, Blue Ridge Biofuels collects waste cooking oil from Mars Hill College’s cafeteria for recycling.

Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable alternative to petroleum diesel fuel. It can be used in any diesel engine, including on road vehicles, off road equipment, and #2 home heating oil furnaces. No modifications are necessary to use biodiesel, which is often sold blended with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is better for the environment because it has lower green house gas emissions than conventional petroleum diesel. It also provides superior mechanical benefits for most applications due to its higher lubricity and deposit solvent properties when compared to petroleum based diesel.

If cars are a big part of the enviro-problem, then the Organic Mechanic provides a key to start up an engine of solutions, and the MHC Cycling Team is proud to join with the industry leader in sustainable vehicle repair and maintenance for 2010.

The Organic Mechanic is working to develop a new, more conscientious mindset in the automotive repair industry in Asheville. Not only are they striving to comply with all suggested EPA standards, but they are actively pursuing new and innovative shop procedures that challenge the status quo. They seek out new products that exceed the “standard” and look to the future of car repair. Reducing their impact on the environment is a top priority. It’s clear that we can’t keep following our current road. Maybe one day all mechanics will be just a little bit more organic.