NMBS #1 NOVA DESERT CLASSIC, FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ

Fountain Hills, AZ- Sunny skies and hot conditions awaited the Inland Construction boys as they arrived in Arizona for the first stop of the 2007 National Mountain Bike Series. Eager to see where they stood after a long winter of training, the guys were chomping at the bit to start racing. Lady luck, however, had other plans for Charlie Pendry and Daniel Corum. A botched call up sheet saw Charlie and Daniel getting called to the very back of the 100+ Pro-rider field in the short track race. Rather than getting mad, the boys saw it as an opportunity to show they belonged at the front. Once the race started, Pendry and Corum tore through the huge field and worked their way toward the front. Pendry managed to hang on for a 36th place finish in the 20-minute race. Corum managed to finish in the top-half despite getting a ball of twine wound in his cogs, disabling his high gears. Despite what happened, the guys felt good about how their efforts and looked forward to the cross country. The next day’s cross country started perfectly, and the guys thought they were clear of yesterday’s bad luck. Both riders missed the huge crash at the start, and were in position for solid results when things again begin to unravel. Pendry, who had been suffering from spring-time allergies for 3 weeks, simply didn’t have enough gas in the tank due to his weakened state. Corum, who was in position to have possibly his highest NMBS cross country result ever, cut his rear tire on a rocky decent, ending his day prematurely.

All was not lost for Inland Construction, as young Matt Rotroff finished in the top-10 of every Junior X event that he entered. The junior event was arranged in a stage race format that saw the juniors racing four times in three days, and Matt did not disappoint. He began his campaign with a 5th place, podium finish in the time trial on day one. Matt followed that with a 3rd place finish in the short track, after having finished 8th in the super D two hours earlier. Matt delivered another 8th place finish in the final-stage cross country, earning him a 6th place in the general classification. Despite the bad luck, the guys left feeling good about their efforts and retained a positive outlook for the rest of the season to come.

SEA OTTER CLASSIC MTB RACE

Monterrey, CA- Charlie Pendry and mechanic Frank Jones made the trip to the 2007 Sea Otter Classic to compete against the highly-packed international field. Pendry was able to walk away with some decent results while competing against the Euro-dogs for three days. He was able to earn a 36th in the 2-mile time trial. Pendry then followed that up with a respectable top-25 finish in the short track race featuring multiple World Cup stars.

SOUTHERN CLASSIC SERIES CROSS COUNTRY RACE AT YOUTH UNLIMITED.

Sophia, NC – The third stop of the Southern Classic Series, at Youth Unlimited, saw the worst conditions of the year to date. Two days of solid rain decimated the trail, wreaking havoc on rider’s bikes and nerves. Inland Construction’s Daniel Corum and Matt Rotroff were there to slug it out for two and a half hours in the worst mud in recent memory. Matt Rotroff continued to show his improving form by finishing a solid 2nd place in the terrible conditions, as he works toward his goal of landing a spot on the U.S. National Team for the Junior World Championships. Daniel Corum, suffering from poor tire selection and an early crash that required a stop to fix his front brake, managed to gut it out for 3rd.

Upcoming Inland Construction events:

Apr 21-22 Clemson Tiger Rag, National MTB Calendar Event

Apr 28-29 Greenbrier Challenge, Fredericksburg, MD (UCI), NORBA National #2 in Santa Barbara, CA

May 4-5 South Carolina State MTB Championships & NORBA National #3 in Fontana, CA

-Daniel Corum