by Damian Calvert
Winner of the Pro category

I have to share this story of one of the all time best bike races I've ever been in. The riders that show up annually to the Road Apple Rally are World Class and that's why this unique whoopy race in Northern New Mexico is the best...
According to www.roadapplerally.com lore, Ned got his first MTB win at this race in 1983. It was widely known in the mid-late 90's that he placed it atop his list of favorite courses. He was giving the up-and-coming Euro's something to chew on and have smoke filled bar-room say-it-don't-spray-it arguments over for sure. An American course, a New Mexican course, on top of Ned's list? Impossible, this "Road Apple" rally, horse vs. bikes race.. ffffffffffff.
The 30 mile loop is mainly whoops, the kind you can pump and actually gain speed, so the full body gets a workout. This cool and breezy Saturday in early October the pack was rolling out strong and everyone was drafting tight together (see leading out..). Me, Ned, Travis Brown (former Natl. Champ and 2000 MTB Olympian), Mike McCalla (number 2 en New Mex), Jason Quenzler (that's right MTC's own top dog), and Jens Nielsen (the tall Dane we call Jens Voigt). Quenzler and I both rocking our "perfect for this course" Scalpels of course...we say that for every course actually.
Ned decided about 5mins into the whoops to light it up and throw down the pack-splitting-attack, and it worked just like he knew it would, me on his wheel, and T Brown on my wheel, then about a minute of whoop gap back to Quenzler. The Lung kept the pressure on and we stayed right on his wheel. On the first run up I was riding it in my granny gear and T Brown was in my way so I told him "up up up". There's nothing like pushing a former national champ... and he was sorry he botched my line as I dismounted and had to run up too.
Altogether on the road section that bridges the two singletrack sections and time to get some nutrients for the slugfest about to ensue. The road racing this year taught me a thing or ten and I decided to try to sit on their wheels instead of sitting on the front, so they did most of the work and I recovered...after all, they've been big moola paid pro's for longer than I've even raced a bike.
As we hit the single back toward the Finish the pace kicked up again but only for about 15seconds, and I realized we were all on the rivet (something T Brown confirmed over post race fajitas). Everytime one of us three would go to the front to pull in the wind we could only attack for 10-15 seconds and then it would start to hurt real bad. The wind was helping me keep these boys in check! Yes, I had mother nature on my side too!!!
At one of the many intersections T Brown went the wrong way, slammed his brakes, and slammed his body into the soft dirt over his bars, then I rode my Scalpel over his Trek 69er and stopped on top of his front wheel. He sprang up, gave that "did anyone see that" look around then hopped onto his bike and starting chasing Ned...who did not miss the turn and decided to attack us in our clumsiness. He's a cheeky old guy who's got the fitness to make you pay for any mistake, after all he's probably won over 300 world class races in his career...
T Brown did some good work trying to bridge the 15 second gap and then I took a mean turn on the front for about a minute and pulled myself onto Deadly Nedly's wheel, without T Brown, he popped when I gave it a go I guess...
Ned kept wanting me to go to the front but I wouldn't, this old jammer was trying to break my hip! or my spirit at least. I gave him the old shoulder rock one two and the huff puff loud breathing three four to signal that I wasn't in the best of shape right then, and he bought it and paid cash. He kept pulling, chug chug, choo choo, just absolutely pinning it so Travis wouldn't catch back on. I took an occasional pull, equally about 30% of the work in the wind.
Finally we hit the last 4 minute singletrack and he gave it the gas again! Damn this guy just won't give up and I really was appreciating how hard he was nailing it, we were jamming the corners left right left right, staying on the 8-12 inch hardpack and making sure not to get an inch off the hardpack or else your wheel and chances of winning would stop, just that quickly. At over 17mph this race flys by and the speed of this singletrack is a pure high, it's as fast as you could possibly go!
Travis was still lingering and we both had to drill it toward the finish to assure the top two spots, then Ned took the 3rd to last corner too tight. I saw him setting it up, hard right 90degree, only he set it up from the middle of the dirt road and I set it up from the far left and flew under him as he went way wide, then I gave her everything I had, full sprint for the last 30 seconds, through the washed out left hander, then the loose finish line gravel right hander that I lost on in 2005. Anthony Colby pipped me at the line that year and I got Travis Brown, I was one second away from the win that year and this year I was one turn away from the win... I kept it upright and started to feel the win, (see attached finish line series). This is the first and only time I've ever won the Road Apple Rally. To my knowledge no New Mexican has won the Pro race and needless to say it felt like a HUGE win. In USA MTB history Ned and Travis Brown are both in the Top 5 for sure as far as character and success. Ned is bigger to me than Elvis, Bob Marley (even though that's almost a tie) and some of the lesser apostles. He's the lung, and one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet, always having time to catch up at the races and talk...in all honesty he's what I'll always strive for on the bike, character and speed.
After the race the local paper wanted a word for about 10mins and they took a sweet shot of the three of us, the three that broke away and made one unforgettable race together... Cheers!
Tommy Danielson was hanging around in his "broken shoulder girdle at La Vuelta de Espana armsling". His wife Kirsten got third in Pro Women behind Nina Baum (go Bear Naked Cannondale!!!). He signed my jersey for the Cannondale Marketing big cheese Matty J (it'll be in the mail for you tomorrow!). Travis Brown and I chewed the race over a few times over fajitas and beer. But best of all I was there soaking it all in with my number one bros, Quenzler and Rich, who are winners through and through.

| 10.06.2007 |