Sunday, July 1, 2007 -- Davis, WV
Blackwater Bikes West Virginia Championship - WVMBA #7 (iPO Event Id#: 10028)

2007: [Photos by JR Petsko] [Photos by Ludovic Moore and Van Morales] [Details] [Coverage] [Overall Results] [Results by Class][2005 Coverage]

Extra Photos, Recap, and Results brought to you by Blackwater Bikes - Davis, WV

State Championship Wrap-Up

Story by Matt Marcus with photos by JR Petsko and Ludovic Moore

Blackwater Bikes Championship Race photo by Ludovic Moore

Davis, WV July 1, 2007- Blackwater Bikes is a proud sponsor of the 2007 WV State Mountain Bike Championship which awards the top WV resident in each West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) race category with a championship jersey. The event is also part of the annual WVMBA Points Series contested by racers from WV and surrounding states.

The 2007 race course is improved from past editions with several miles of new trail, two reroutes around muddy spots and the elimination of a dirt road section, taking the entire course off road after the start. Single speed and fixed gear riders appreciated these changes. For 2008, expect more new trail and the elimination of the "grassy field climb".

Three days of rain previous to the race turned an unusually dry fast course into the usual mix of mud and rock that everyone associates with riding in the Canaan area. By the end of the event most of the course was buffed, fast and dry again thanks to perfect weather.

Blackwater Bikes Championship Race photo by JR Petsko

The race began with the Beginner lap- a short six miles plus loop that included two creek crossings and a fast downhill finish. Blackwater Bikes WV Cannondale 29er Team member Gunnar Shogren posted the fastest first lap time of 31:17 (see results for lap times and overall finish positions).

Gunnar was sidelined by mechanical issues shortly after the start of the second lap. Ryan Hoehn had the fastest one lap finish time for the men with a 42:33 while Anne Brown won a tight race for the one lap women posting a 45:50.

Sport categories went out for a second lap on the more challenging 12 mile loop that featured the upper Yellow Creek crossing followed by the infamous Moon Rocks and the technical and steep ascent of Brown Mountain. The downhill from the HooDoo Rocks had a new section of trail that added at least a mile to the descent to the lower Yellow Creek crossing (expect a reroute and a bridge there in 2008).

Blackwater Bikes Championship Race photo by JR Petsko

Eventual race overall and expert winner, Blackwater Bikes WV Cannondale 29er team member Jason Cyr, posted the fastest long loop lap time of the day with a 54:22 and took the lead for good. Duncan Oliver, the Men's Sport winner, had the fastest two lap finish with a 1:36:02 and the Vet Woman's winner, Ruth Cunningham, had the fastest women's two lap finish at 2:06:58.

Expert Women's winner and Blackwater Bikes WV Cannondale 29er team member, Betsy Shogren turned on the afterburners going into the third lap and posted the fastest long lap for women at 1:04:32, shaving 30 seconds off of her previous lap, finishing the race at 2:46:24.

Was this a good course for a 29 inch wheel bike?

Blackwater Bikes WV Cannondale 29er team members took the WV State Championship jerseys in the Expert Open, Expert Woman, Expert Veteran, Expert Master, Single Speed and Clydesdale categories.

Blackwater Bikes Championship Race photo by Ludovic Moore

Blackwater Bikes awarded $1000 cash to the experts and $1500 in gift certificates to all the others. Siriannis Pizza Café provided food and Mountain State Brewing Company provided kegs of refreshment after the race.

WV Tourism provided racer packets and bananas and East West Printing produced the event t-shirts. The race course was provided by landowners Vandalia Heritage Foundation, Allegheny Energy and Canaan Valley Institute with special thanks to C.V.I. Land Manager Ken Dzaak.

About Blackwater Bikes: It's your one-stop-shop for mountain and road bike rentals, parts, sales, accessories, guided tours, and trail expertise in the heart of Davis, West Virginia.

One of the oldest established bike shops in the Mountain State, they're located 3100' above sea level in the heart of WV's Potomac Highlands region. Trails are abundant. You can pretty much go riding from the shop doorstep without crossing a street. For more information call them at (304) 259-5286. Open 7 days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.