Race at the Reactor 6 hr, Wake County, NC (2/20/10):

First Hour........

The TORC 6 Hour Series race brought 70+ riders out to Shearon Harris park over the weekend to roll over some buff single track for 6 hours on a beautiful winter day.  Inland Construction/BTD was represented by several riders including Eric, Byron, Dina, Ben, and Howard.  Elite riders Lucas Livermon and Scott Frederick started a fast lap at “go” and headed into the single track 1st and 2nd.  The 7 plus mile lap had nearly all single track with a mixture of rolling, rooty climbs, and a few quick roller-coaster descents.  The pace was high and Frederick missed a few turns and wrecked on a slick corner early on.  Livermon and Frederick gapped the field and kept the pace high.  Livermon suffered from some back problems and had to slow and fall back.  Frederick managed to stay consistent the rest of the race to take the win.

January Mountain Bike Marathon, Sanford, NC (2/7/10):

The JMBM was held in early February at the Governor’s Creek mountain bike trails and surrounding County roads near Sanford.  A snowstorm right before the race weekend had postponed the event.  Expecting the worst the course was shortened to avoid crossing a flooded road and minimize the muddiest sections of the single track.  The race distance was approximately 33 mi. instead of 43 mi including tight, rolling single track, creek crossings, and rooty technical sections combined with 25 miles of gravel/asphalt roads.  Fortunately the weather was nicer this year, cold but sunny.  A good crowd gathered for the race and Inland Construction was well represented by Michael Kobala and Howard Ryne,  Jr. riders Byron, and elite riders Charlie Storm and Scott Frederick.  A quick start put several riders out in front for a good transition into the single track.  Scott Frederick emerged from the woods first followed closely by Charlie Storm.  The two riders had already put nearly a minute on the remaining field.  Storm was plagued by tire troubles incurred from the single track and had to stop to fix his bike.  Frederick not wanting to go solo at this point lingered around and eventually joined the chase group led by Kobala and another strong local endurance rider.  The trio worked together and put significant time on the rest of the field and entered the woods for the final lap of single track with a large time gap.  The riders jockeyed for position and Frederick put in an effort to secure the lead spot going into the woods.  Near the end of the single track loop, the cold temps knocked Frederick down and he started to bonk hard.  With not enough food and water in the engine and he was caught about 150 feet from the line without a drop in the tank.  Kobala finished strong in third position for a 2-3 podium finish for Inland!  Other Inland riders finished strong as well for a great start to the mountain bike season.