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Team Photo Scrapbook 09
2009 Intermountain Cup Mountain Bike Racing Series

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It was a beautiful day in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Temperatures were nice for the first race, but got a little warm as the experts were racing in the afternoon. Our team was hit by significant mechanical problems, with at least two delayed finishes and two DNFs. The team saw first-place finishes by Brayden Nielsen, Jared Muir, Dale Hutchings, and Ryan Payne, with second-place wins by Hunter Ransom, Dallin Johnson, Justin Griffin, Denmark Jensen, and Sally Hutchings.

Left: The early morning sun finds the UMB canopy in front of the ski lift, waiting for the team to arrive for the race.

Left:  Hunter Ransom drops into the singletrack on
the first of three laps on the 9-and-under course,
finishing the race a close 2nd place. 

Right:  Nathan Weber heads toward the finish line in 8th place
for the category. The downhill singletrack had twisty turns,
ruts, and loose gravel to challenge the younger racers.

Left:  Dressed against the early morning chill in Big
Cottonwood Canyon, Hattie Ransom cranks around the
course to get the overall 12th place finish.

Right:  Sawyer Ransom keeps a close eye on the trail as
he heads the bike downhill on the steep and slippery
course, coming in at 14th place.

Aidan Thayer reacts to some scary loose
rock, finishing in the 19th position.

Parker Horton gets some balancing
help as he rides to 20th place.

Zachary Peterson rolls a turn on the ski
slope near the finish line, taking 3rd place
in the category.

Joshua Peterson pilots the bike down
the rough rock section near the race's
end, finishing in 6th place

Jordan Johnson drops over the tricky
rocks to grab the 10th place finish.

Harrison Woodard heads down the ski
slope to get 11th place.

Right:  UMB team jerseys stand out in the
crowd of young racers as the 9-and-under
category lines up to begin their race in the
cool of the early morning.

Left:  Jared Muir rolls the bike into a
switchback turn on the new singletrack
of the main climb, taking the State
Championship with 1st place.

Right:  The 9-and-under racers celebrate
their race under the finish line.

Left:   Corbin Young leans hard into the bermed turn
of the ski slope near the lap/finish split, taking a
ribbon and team points at 6th place.

Right:   Nathan Thayer gets forward and low to increase
his climbing power as he grinds up the stiff switchback
climb to an 8th place finish.

Right: Eric Johnson brings the bike in for a landing
after launching off a rock ramp on the singletrack
near the Eagle Express lift. Eric gets a ribbon and
points for the team with 4th place.

Left:  Rachel Hutchings heads toward a
delayed finish due to a broken chain, but
still gets the 4th place spot and some
important points for the team.

Right:  The mountainside has never looked
so nice this late in the season. Corbin Young
flies past mule's ear flowers and young
aspen, with the fir and aspen forest in
the background.

Left:  Justin Griffin  leans hard into a
turn as he fights his way to the 2nd place
finish in a category three years older
than Justin's age.

Right:  Nathan Thayer has a little air-time
fun in the middle of his race.

Right:  Dave Larsen gets 8th place in a race that featured
tough climbing, technical descents over rocks and roots,
dust, elevation of 9100 feet, and a temperature of 87
degrees at the finish line.

Ben Hutchings dips through a rocky
spot in the trees on the way to 6th place.

Gary Wekluk gets a great start, then
after two flat tires, has to take a DNF.

Denmark Jensen powers up a short
uphill on Serenity, grabbing 2nd place.

Ryan Nielsen fights his way to the 5th
place finish in the category.

Darren Harris is recovering from a
hamstring injury, but still takes 7th place.

Left:   Jason Sparks heads up into that ugly rock-garden
on the first section of singletrack, getting into the ribbons
with a 6th place finish.

Right:   Michael MacDonald hustles across a ski slope
on the way to taking the 8th place position.

Right:  Stephen has brought a fair amount
of the mountain down with him to the UMB
team HQ. The brown stuff on his face isn't
beard -- it's dirt.

Right:  After the awards from the first race,
the racers who are finished gather to get
the post-race BBQ going.

Right:  Derek Ransom suffers a broken chain, then after 
restarting the race after the repair, goes back to reclaim his
expensive riding glasses. Derek has to settle for  11th place.
We're still waiting to see what this racer can do in the Expert
division.

Right:  Racers brought a variety of salads,
drinks, and desserts to complement the
burgers and dogs at the post-race BBQ.

Right:  The 10 to 12 category gets their
awards, with Brayden taking a well-earned
spot on top of the podium.

Right:  Jared gets the State Championship
medallion for the Beginner 16-18 category.

Right:  Jeff Kingsford leans into a turn on the forest
singletrack on his way to the 8th place position.

Left:  Joel Quinn drops over the rocks and around
the switchback near the pavement, and turns on
the power that will take him to 3rd place 

Right:  Bruce Argyle hits a turn on the ski slope near
the lap/finish zone, finishing in the ribbons at 5th place.

The race was fun and the scenery was awesome. A great day for racing. Despite bad luck affecting key racers, the team managed to put together enough points to squeak by with another team victory.

More photos, Bruce:   http://picasaweb.google.com/bikerbruceargyle/Solitude09#
Karl photos:  http://picasaweb.google.com/bkpphotography/2009_Solitude#
Nielsen photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/UMBTeam2009/SolitudeRace#5360170801915806466
Hutchings photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bikersal35/ICUP2009Solitude71809#
Griffin photos:   http://picasaweb.google.com/UMBTeam2009/SolitudeRace#

Left: Eric carries the broken chain of his flat-tired, broken-spoke race bike to his car. Some days, the mountain isn't on your side.

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