Shakespeare’s great and all but…

Team WTB Goes to Ashland to Dominate the 12 Mile Super D!

Podium 12-Mile Super D first-place winner, Mark Weir takes son, Gus, to the podium with second-place winner, Jason Moeschler (right), third-place winner, Adam Craig (left), and fifth-place winner, Nathan Riddle with son, Ripley, (far left). Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

Mark Weir (WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz) nailed another first-place finish with teammate Jason Moeschler (WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz) finishing in a close second at the 12-Mile Super D event, held June 12-13, 2010, in Ashland Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Weir made a triumphant return after missing last year’s event while he and wife, Suzie, awaited the arrival of their first son, Gus. The WTB Teammates (Weir and Moeschler) raced for close to 35 minutes, dropping more than 5,000 vertical ft. in 12 miles from Mt. Ashland Ski resort lodge to Ashland’s downtown, to finish .07 of a second apart (via their personal GPS readings). With a one-minute gap between the starting times, it’s hard to believe the two experienced a close-to-parallel event with official times clocking Weir with a 34:40.00 finish and Moeschler at 34:41.00.

“Looks like I might have to stop drinking beer and take this all-mountain racing more seriously,” Weir said, acknowledging that the best part for him was racing for 34 minutes and tying with Jason. He added that a few years back they raced over 10 times and never finished more then 10 seconds apart. “I want those times back and it looks like this might be the start,” Weir said, thanking Ashland Mountain Adventures for making it happen.

Fellow Team WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz rider, Bobby McMullen, who despite riding legally blind, finished strong while also showing he could own a mic, as he announced the event and awards ceremony with the candor of seasoned pro.

A big thank you to Bill and Sue from Ashland Mountain Adventures for putting on a fantastic 12 Mile Super D race. Another big thank you to SRAM for their sponsorship and support of the event, and to all the volunteers and cheering spectators who make the Ashland 12 Mile Super D the sweet mountain-bike event we look forward to every year.

Weir tears down the
Ashland Super D course
for a first-place finish.
Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

Team WTB, Kenny Burt
makes his way to a top-15 finish.
Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

Team WTB, Chris Schierholtz, not even a mechanical
gets this guy down!
Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

Cheers to our WTB-sponsored riders! Here’s what they ran on race day:

• Mark Weir – Stryker Cross Country Wheelset (available late summer 2010); Mutano 2.4 Race, front/rear tires; and Valcon SLT saddle.

• Jason Moeschler – Stryker Cross Country Wheelset (available late summer 2010);Wolverine 2.2 Race, front/rear tires; and Rocket V SLT saddle.

• Max Houtzager – 1st place in Junior Expert (Cat 1/15-18) with a 38:10 finish. Max ran Laser Trail TCS rims with Laserdisc hubs; Mutano 2.2 TCS front/rear tires; Silverado Pro White saddle.

• Chris Thibodeau – 2nd place in the Cat 1 men 19-29 with a 39:10 finish. Chris ran Laser TCS wheels; Mutano 2.2 Race rear tire with a Mutano 2.4 in the front; and the Valcon saddle.

• Chuck Ross – 1st place in the Cat-1 men 40+ category with a 28:51 finish. Chris ran Laser TCS rims with WTB hubs and spokes; Mutano 2.4 TCS AM tires, and the Valcon saddle.

Cheers Ashland! Too many riders to name meet at the WTB house to close out the weekend with another sweet ride in Ashland.
Photo by Lisa Moeschler.