The Darkhorse 40

2012!

2012-01-05T12:10:00.006-05:00

holy crap! 2012...really...
so we have like 12 more months till the apocolypse! yikes, and bummer...i guess...
well looks like we better make some great bike race while we still can.
yeah its finally a little cold out and you probably aren't thinking about racing bikes yet but you should be. you slackers! get on the rollers and get some suffering in!
before you know it hardman season will be upon us. cobbled roads, rain, belguim, frites, and.......for those of us on this side of the pond Singlespeed-a-polooza! lose the gears, harden the F up and get ready... its coming soon.
4th annual, who would have thunk it. seemed like such a ridiculous idea and well, it still is a little ridiculous......

after that well its time to prepare for the real deal...... the 10th Annual Darkhorse 40!
holy smokes, yeah its been 10 years. we got some special stuff up our sleeve for this year. don't ask what cause we ain't telling! its gonna be super sweet uber awesomeness and all that and then some....trust me!

so check back often, call the shop and harass the boys, or search the interwebs, the answer is out there. when you find it you will know....or maybe you won't but either way it will kill some time till race season!

Thanks for making the 9th annual Darkhorse 40 a blast!

2011-08-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

thanks to all the racers who came out yesterday and made the 9th annual 40 a huge success!!
we appreciate all the kind words and hope you had as much fun racing as we had hosting!!

special thanks to all our volunteers and the EMT's!!

hope to see everybody again next year!

Jamis Bikes

2011-07-26T06:39:00.001-05:00

Jamis Bikes signed on early as a title sponsor to this years Darkhorse 40.
they will be at the race Sunday with there 26' trailer filled with a very special treat for Darkhorse racers.......

they will be presenting to you, ahead of interbike, a sneak peak at the 2012 line-up!!!

you will, with the exception of some select dealers, be the first people to lay eyes on these rigs!!

lots of cool new stuff will be on hand.. 29'r full suspension, 650b steel hardtails, 650b full suspension, ton's of carbon goodness, etc...

stop by the trailer and check em out!

2011 darkhorse 40 updates!!

2011-07-13T06:26:00.004-05:00

OH YEAH!

Some Darkhorse 40 update!!

-race sold out fast and early this year. there was a waitlist and a few people made it in off that.
-if you are still on the waitlist, sorry but you didn't get in.
-all the $5 waitlist fees will be donated to the Walden Humane Society!! yeah cats and dogs!
-there is ABSOLUTELY NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION! we are at full capacity
-remember next year to jump on this as soon as you see it on bikereg. it will sell out fast!

-for directions to the start/parking/bbq etc use:
400 Ridge rd
Montgomery NY 12549
-ridge rd is just off Rt 17k
-if you pass the Darkhorse Cycles Headquarter you have gone to far!!

-course will be marked 1 week prior to the race as per DEC regulations
-GPS link has been sent out to all registrants and can be found HERE
-course is not the same as last year. some new stuff, some old, some classic stewart!

-this is a Ladies and Gentleman's race! act accordingly! there is nothing worth getting hurt or hurting someone else over out there!
-check yourself! if you think you are being stupid chances are good that you are! and that you should check yourself so that we do not have to!
-keep it safe! keep it fun!

-famous Johnnies BBQ is back! no one will go hungry i assure you!
-the ice pop wagon will also be back!
-post race refreshments are being worked out and still top secret! you won't be disappointed!
-the "sirens" of stewart will be out on course dispensing hopped refreshment to riders!!
-YES there is a beer stop-- do not stop if you are under 21!!!
-YES there are kegs at the BBQ! do not drink if you are under 21
-do not put us in that position!!!! be responsible!

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES!!

Darkhorse 40 updates

2011-05-25T06:22:00.002-05:00

hello all! couple of updates...

race is full...has been for a while now.

there is a waitlist. it is on bikereg. it cost $5

all of the waitlist proceeds will be donated to the local humane society!!!

get on the list and well....wait....we'll see what happens.

other things to note..

1- Jamis has signed on as the official title sponsor!! awesome! check out some of their cool stuff in the expo area

2- same great BBQ guys as last year. working on some twists but should be awesome!

3- new course design! nothing to reveal yet but working on a new course. we have lost race access to a couple trails due to DEC regulations. shouldn't be a big issue. details will be released shortly!

that's about it for now.
check back soon for updates!!

SSAP 2011!

2011-04-18T13:22:00.001-05:00

SSAP 2011 is in the books!!

thanks for coming out despite the less than awesome conditions! it was an epic day for sure!!

i may write a report and post it up once i can wrap my brain around it all...

SSAP map

2011-04-05T14:26:00.002-05:00

the 2011 course in all its glory!!

SSAP is coming up quick!!

2011-03-21T09:01:00.004-05:00

SSAP will be here before we know it! are you ready?

here are a few things you should be aware of.....

1- SSAP is sold out. it sold out fast! if you are registered you rock, if not.....well...

2- there is a wait list. there are many on it. if you aren't you can email we will add you to it

3- the wait list is long. probability of getting in......well have you won the lotto lately?

4- the course is near finalization. we are working with the conditions etc... it will be awesome!

5- there will be sweet sweet kegs of beer from a very special brewery. top secret for now!

6- there will be hotdogs, chips, etc for post race feasting! if you are vegan, vegetarian, have an aversion to hot dogs etc....we apologize and ask that you plan accordingly. there will be plenty of beer!

7- cash for the elites, prizes for everyone else!

8- conditions at Stewart yesterday were sweet! but its snowing now...so use good judgment if you are out riding the trails!

9- whatever gear you have on your bike and whatever tires you have are the perfect choice!
if you don't think so stop into Darkhorse and let Mike and George sell you the perfect gear and tire choice!!

that's about all i can think of for now. let us know if you have any questions.

get those singlespeeds ready!!

SSAP 2011

2011-03-17T14:56:00.001-05:00

its coming soon!

Darkkhorse 2011!!!!

2011-01-06T08:45:00.002-05:00

2011 is here!
so it's time to sign up for some awesome Darkhorse Racing events!!!
go to bikereg!

SSAP 2011

DH40 2011

event reg is live!!

remember that with the Mayan apocalypse coming in 2012 you better get your racing in now!!

check back often for updates and other shenanigans!!

Darkhorse 40 video!

2010-10-21T15:43:00.001-05:00

check out the badass video that came to us from "Weezey" from climb!

DarkHorse 40 8-1-2010 from Trailrider - Chris on Vimeo.

Darkhorse 40 Photo Evidence

2010-08-06T07:20:00.003-05:00

go here and get your all pro photos from gt luke!

grab some photo evidence of the suffering and salvation dished out at the 40!!

8th annual Darkhorse 40 in the books!!

2010-08-03T06:33:00.004-05:00

BEST 40 EVER!!!
so the 8th annual Darkhorse 40 is in the books and i have to say i think it may have been our best one yet. the weather was perfect, the course was awesome, the racers were awesome, the BBQ was killer.....etc

the course
we moved the start to the other side of the park this year and i think it really upped the ante. i wasn't sure at first but it really worked out well. George and I had been doing course recon ever since singlespeed-a-polooza was over. we went thru various option and finally settled on the course we ran sunday. i realized about 2 weeks ago how awesome the course was when i was out putting up arrows. i had George's daughter Sara's old school backpack filled with big yellow arrows that didn't quite fit in it, an industrial staple gun that weighed about 10 pounds, a pile of extra staples, a bow saw, spray paint and a couple pairs of clippers all bouncing around on my back. the temperature was just below 800 degrees and the fly's were apparently on a feeding frenzy. i was riding along with all the gear stopping to mark intersections and fill in were George hadn't yet put an arrow and i realized i was having a blast. ripping the singletrack. i ran out of arrows at about mile 14, ran out of water at mile 17, and still ripped the last of the course and rode back to the shop smiling!! just that awesome!

the racers
i think every year we get the best group of racers who come out for our event. we sold out early. people jumped at the chance to get in for the lower price and then even when it went up people jumped to get in before the 400 racer cap! awesome!
our philosophy has always been to give as much back as possible and i hope it came off that way. i believe it did. we want everyone to go home smiling. from the rocking fast pro's to the guys and gals finishing in the 6th hour!

we poured a lot of our blood, sweat, and souls into this years race and its nice to see all the supportive comments! thanks!!

i think i am still decompressing and haven't really let it all sink in yet.
the post event hangover.

thanks again and congrats to everyone who came out and gave it their all!!

Some things to keep in mind!

2010-07-21T09:32:00.003-05:00

1- registration is full. THANKS!! we have started a wait list and riders will be added as room becomes available

2-the start location has changed!!!
new start area located at 400 ridge rd, Montgomery NY 12549
there will be no access from the Weed rd gate off rt 207!!!

3-course consists of 2 twenty mile laps! there will be 3 aid stations out on course and 1 of them you will see twice within 3 or so miles. there will be a neutral feed area available for you to drop bottles etc...

4-the race starts promptly at 9:00am!!!
packet pick up will close at 8:30!
plan accordingly!

5-the classes are pretty large. be considerate of your fellow racers. if you don't think you will finish in the top ten don't line up in the front row! let people pass! you will have 40 miles to race out there! be nice to one another and everyone will have a great race!

6-beer and bbq. if you are under 21 don't put us in a bad position! the rangers will be around and they can and will ask you for id! don't jeopardize everybody's good time and our future use of the park!! drink responsibly! eat like a pig! really eat up when your done! you deserve it!

7-results and awards will be posted in a timely fashion. remember there are a lot of racers out there and finish times can vary greatly. relax, chill out and have a beer and some chicken!!

8-have a fun time! that's what this is all about right! have fun out there and enjoy the day!

FULL!

2010-07-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

Registration is full!

sneak peak and $$

2010-07-02T09:07:00.003-05:00

little sneak peak of the 2010 shirt design!! thanks top chef!!

so prices went up yesterday! if you got in good deal, if not buck up and sign up!!!

course map!

2010-06-21T08:45:00.002-05:00

course map officially released!!!
check it out!!

More Darkhorse 40 goodness!!

2010-06-14T06:59:00.003-05:00

couple of updates from the weekend...

the course is set!
expect gps files and maps shortly!!

new parking/start/finish/bbq area
use 400 ridge rd, montgomery ny 12549
this will bring you to the new parking/start area!
you will not be using the rt207 entrance!

CASH!
$500 FIRST PLACE ELITE MEN!!!
$500 FIRST PLACE ELITE WOMEN!!!

that's it for now!

Darkhorse 40 updates!!

2010-06-08T09:23:00.003-05:00

ok, so SSAP is in the books and we have shifted our focus to summer brews and the 40!
couple of items to keep in mind as you get ready for the greatest event in the known universe!

1. new categories! check bikereg as we have switched up the categories for this year a bit.

2. pre-reg only!!! no day of registration! go online and get hooked up!

3. register now! as of July 1st registration goes up to 75.00!!!!! save 20 bucks and reg now!

4. two twenty mile laps are back!!

5. new parking and start/finish area. details will be released soon! keep your eyes peeled!

6. cash prizes for all categories! that's right in these tough times we figure you would like to earn a few american dollars anyway you can!!

7. same aid station format. stocked with water, sports drink, food, etc.....

8. same great post race eats and drinks!!

that's about all i can think of for now. stayed tuned folks!!!! same bat time same bat channel!!!

SSAP lends a helping hand to our furry friends!

2010-05-06T12:59:00.005-05:00

If you signed up for SSAP not only do we thank you but lots of furry little friends say thanks too!
$5.00 from every entry plus the proceeds from the I9 hubset and the Thomson voucher went to 3 animal charities!

Mid-Hudson Animal Aid

Walden Humane Society

Hudson Valley ASPCA

so not only did you get to take part in one of the most epic singlespeed events in the history of racing bicycles with one gear, but you also helped to save a whole bunch of furry creatures who will likely be adopted and find loving homes!!

we thank you!
the doggies and cats thank you!

right about now you should feel all warm and fuzzy about yourself! the best thing to do with that feeling is go on over to bikereg and sign up for the Darkhorse 40!!

Hera foundation big gear raffle!!

2010-04-30T08:33:00.002-05:00

George and I have donated 2 entries into the darkhorse 40 to the Big Gear Raffle to benefit the Hera Foundation for ovarian cancer research. go and buy as many as you can!!!! you can win some great gear and possibly even free entry to the darkhorse 40!!!!!!!

help us support these gals and their fight against ovarian cancer!!

singlespeed-a-polooza 2010!

2010-04-26T06:52:00.006-05:00

well folks SSAP 2010 is in the books!
after what seemed liked 2 straight weeks of beautiful weather mother nature decided to drop the temps and add a bit of moisture to the mix.
we spent Saturday afternoon prepping start/finish area, the beer stop, marshal locations, and putting the finishing touches on the course. it was a dust bowl!
well when we were wrapping up a little after 7 the temp started to drop and the skies looked a little ominous. i held out hope!

around 4:30 on sunday morning George turned on the basement light to let me know that it was raining and cold. we looked at weather.com just to confirm this. after a big cup of coffee it was time to get fired up! into the chilly morning rain we went.

george spent the pre-race hours shuttling racers from the upper parking area down to registration which was at the finish. logistically it seemed like a good idea but it turned out to be a bit far from the parking. sorry. lesson learned.

despite the conditions we were able to get the start off just about on time. little after 9. couple waves later and we had 250 racers in the woods! thankfully we only had one semi-serious injury for our dedicated team of emts to deal with. on weather days like this that is always a major concern!

the hotdogs went in and were being handled by our crack team of "dog boilers!!" the kegs got tapped and sampled! all was ready for when racers began to filter in. big thanks go to Koop, Joe and Richard for there work on the food!

in what seemed like the blink of an eye we had the top 2 racers come thru for their first lap! our man Monty and James Harmon were neck and neck!! it was on! not too far behind the top 2 women came thru and some awfully fast sport guys had gotten themselves into the mix.

little slower on the second lap as the condition "deteriorated". at least the rain stopped! apparently "major mike" was a "less than pleasant experience" on lap 2 for a number of riders!

1 hour fifty minutes and guess who comes across the finish line! Monty baby!! team darkhorse represent!!! awesome job. Harmon held on for second and Josh Wilcox rounded out the podium!
Nikki Theimann crushed in the open women with a time of 2:15 which would have put her solidly in the top 30 of the mens field!! awesome job!

in the sport ladies field Amanda Wisell showed that riding in the mud of Vermont can make you a fast little lady! she smoked the course despite the less the favorable conditions! Bike 29 representing on the big wheels!!

the most hotly contested battle has been the NY/NJ race for sport dominance! a little birdie told me that the NJ guys were pulling out all the stops and training like mad over the winter to keep the cup in Dirty Jersey! well they didn't disappoint! by just over a minute Ilya Cantor took the win! MTBNJ keeping the cup on Jersey soil!

also, the highly anticapated racing debut of "Thor the God of Thunder" was witnessed on sunday. some people believe his registration to be the reason that mother nature decided to provide such nasty conditions! conditions be damned thor donned cape and helmet and lined up with the elite men! apparently even the "nectar" of the gods, which was rumored to be a mixture of high grade tequila and cheap canned beer, couldn't help the "God of Thunder" in the stacked elite class! paced thru most of the race by team Darkhorse racer Sal "my sideburns beat up your honor student" Crochiola, Thor finished in a magnificent DFL in the elite open mens division. Thor could not be reached for coherent comment after the event.

all the results can be found here!!

pics can be found here

awards went off great with the pros taking home piles of cash. the custom trophies were a huge hit!! tons of schwag for the winners and non-winners alike!

SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU SECTION!!!!!!

thanks to all our racers!!! we appreciate you guys coming out to our little race party! especially in less than stellar conditions!

THANKS TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!!!!!
especially the lovely young ladies who do our scoring!!! we couldn't do it without you gals!!!!!
special thanks to the beer maven's Beth and Danelle!!!!!

THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSERS!!!

NINER BIKES!
WTB
CANE CREEK
THOMSON
SWIFTWICK
STANS
INDUSTRY NINE
ERGON

TERREPIN BREWING!!!!!!!!!!!!

course map

2010-04-07T12:53:00.003-05:00

check it peeps!
the course is official!
there is a gps file and it will be posted on mtbnj.com
there should be some arrows out on the course by this weekend

SS course made official

2010-03-29T05:28:00.003-05:00

on a brisk spring morning, half past dawn, the Darkhorse Trail crew featuring Mike "the axe man" Rave, George the Mayor, and Hawaiian Mike made a final push to solidify the SS course. a few hours, couple gallons of 2 stroke chainsaw fuel, and some frozen toes and fingers later and the course has been set!!!

all i can say is that this is quality stewart riding. some old stuff, some new stuff and some redux stuff.

here is a little teaser. "major Mike" returns with a bad-ass new reroute, we created a new trail called "cedar knob" which utilizes a very unique "feature". an old trail that had fallen out of service comes back into the fray, and the course passes thru one of stewarts older and more unique "structures".

when all is said and done the course comes in at 12.75 miles. yeah its a little short of the 14 we had hoped for but we went quality over quantity. so consider it a gift or a curse or whatever. its what you get!!

we are stoked and hope you are as well.

more details to follow shortly and a gps file will be posted as well.

Closed!

2010-03-27T06:16:00.003-05:00

registration for SS-apolooza is closed! we have reached the 250 field limit. if you missed it well you suck..........no ok you don't really. send us an email at darkhorsecycles@frontiernet.net or call the shop and get added to the waitlist.

see you all there!!

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

2010-03-24T10:14:00.003-05:00

less than 50 spots left! get in now or be disappointed when all the cool kids are racing there singlespeeds!!

trails are shaping up and the course has been nearly finalized but is still top secret!!! some new trails will emerge as well as some re-conditioned old favorites!!

get signed up!!!!!!

SS gets famous!!

2010-03-04T10:35:00.002-05:00

Singlespeed-a-polooza gets famous!
mentioned in the "download" section of this months mountain bike magazine!!
hoo-rah! no wonder it hasn't returned any of my calls!

get yourself signed up now. rumor has it they have added extra flights at Stewart Airport to accommodate all the big wigs flying in!!

Get your a** to SS-APOLOOZA!!!!

2010-01-28T10:31:00.002-05:00

Happy 2010 suckas!!

2010-01-22T11:12:00.003-05:00

happy belated new year! is it really 2010? yikes!
so both the darkhorse 40 and singlespeed-a-polooza are up on bikereg. if you haven't signed up do so now!!!
let's talk about Singlespeed-a-polooza for a minute....
apparently word is spreading like wild fire. these darn internets are a buzz with vibes on the race. a couple of singlespeed aficionados have called it out on their blogs as a must do event. looks like we will be seeing some out of state talent......
Niner bikes signed on as a sponsor. they did a little research and it seems that Chris may be making the trek east to witness it first hand!! so if you ride a niner, or plan on riding one and want to talk to THE MAN behind the brand you best sign up!!

FORTY FOR 10?

2009-12-22T10:51:00.004-05:00

Its almost 2010. really? seriously? how the heck did that happen?
anyway, the Darkhorse 40 is only 8 months away! start your prep now! race registration is up and live on bikereg.

we have made a few changes this year. first of all weather permitting we are going back to two twenty mile laps. 90 percent singletrack goodness. course details will be released when the mayor see's fit. trust that it will be as sweet as ever!

we have changed the categories a bit. maybe changed isn't the right word, condensed. we have streamlined them to better align with other endurance events. we feel this will only enhance the competitive aspect of the event.

we will be paying cash to the top five in all categories! thats right, american money! we will be giving swag to placings below 5th as deep as registration in those categories permits.

more details to come as they are available!

feel free to leave comments. we welcome your feedback!

2010 Singlespeed-a-palooza!!

2009-11-30T13:32:00.005-05:00

now with 100% more Niner Bikes sponsorship!!!
that's right people! the good folks at Niner Bikes have decided to help us throw down the 2nd annual Singlespeed-a-polooza!

date and time info up on bikereg.

more details to follow soon!

some notes.....

capped at 250 riders
pre-reg only
$5.00 from each entry goes to benefit local humane society. help the kitty's and puppies!
14 mile lap
free refreshments (beer) and hotdogs

stay tuned.......

2009? dead and buried?

2009-09-21T14:00:00.002-05:00

for me? i would have to say yes.
the boys had a great run down in the mountains of Virginia.
they will also be heading out to moab for the 24hrs of debauchery or some little race thing.....
yes bail money has been set aside. whats the moab area code? i should block it from my phone now....

so the 2009 racing season is in the books pretty much for the boys at the horse.
we had the first ever ss-apolooza and that was a smashing success. good times had by all.
we ran a h2h race in the worst conditions i have ever been witness too. it was ugly....
we had a huge turnout for the 4x10 forty, arguably the hardest course yet and obviously the most difficult to score.
we learned some lessons and will be making some changes for 2010.
thats right we will be back. whether i have to hop the mayor up on a few dozen cans of Dale's to get him to commit or not. we will be back!

so stay tuned kiddo's! same bat time same bat channel. event dates coming soon and some surprises as well.

photo eveidence!

2009-08-20T05:24:00.004-05:00

cdubs says..."my fork is full of fairy dust! i can ride over anything!!! WEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

want pics like this of yourself?
check out the link below for photos from GTLUKE!
this guys action shots are all pro! so check em out and hook the bro up!

click me for photos of the suffering!!

lucky seven?

2009-08-18T09:07:00.004-05:00

when i got home late sunday night i had that look on my face. my wife saw it. it was similar to look i had after racing the cohutta 100 and driving 2 hours back to her relatives house. the 1000 yard stare. i was a beaten man.

our day started around 4:00am. i say around because i was up most of the night or at best sleeping fitfully. we were ready as we could be. we had spent the better portion of the afternoon and early evening prepping everything we could. it was on, one way or another.

things started to turn ugly when i realized i had no cable for the microphone for the pa system. argh. we would have used it at the start to make announcements and set the starting order. we would now have to make due with a aging megaphone.

we lined up nearly 400 racers at the shale pits, made some announcements and tried to contain the chaos. 15 minutes later and everybody is off and out on the trail. controlled chaos is the only way to describe the start. it was not pretty.......

from there it starts to all blend together. running water to the aid station by truck and by bike. dealing with injuries and heat related trauma, solving little issues as they arose, etc.....

did i fail to mention that it was a trillion degrees out? yeah it got real hot real fast!! i had soaked my Hawaiian shirt by about 9:00am. i apologize if i stood up wind of you!! yikes it was gross!

riders started to drop like flies after the second lap. we usually have some attrition but never like this. it was brutal out there. the heat, the course, the pace, it was kicking people right square in the mouth!

1st place pro Jason Sager finished in a little over 3hours. the course and the heat proved to add a bIt of time to everyone's laps. riders began trickling in for the next 3 hours or so. many doing all they could just to get to the finish line. others motivated by the "sirens of stewart" offering up salvation in a ice cold can of PBR! i will admit to sampling 1, for the racers sake of course!

the BBQ was off the hook! those guys did a fantastic job and we got nothing but kudos on the chicken and pasta salad! big props to the darkhorse kitchen contingent!!

the 4 lap format proved to be good, bad and ugly........
the good......
the course was freakin awesome! it was dry, fast, and damn challenging!

the bad......
4 laps meant tighter quarters for the racers, which didn't seem to be much of an issue actually. it also meant more traffic thru the scoring transition area. this was tough. with spectators, dnf's, racers, etc.....it got a bit congested.

the ugly.....
this made the results very difficult to compose and things got a bit turned upside down for a while.
first of all our scoring VOLUNTEERS are top notch. they devote their entire day to making sure that the results go smooth and over the course of 7 years and many races beside the 40 we have had very few issues. ICANNOT THANK THEM ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it got ugly. people got a little cranky and the results got a bit wonky.
thanks to everyone for their patience, thanks for the input on who was ahead of who and helping to sort out your categories.
this is not our standard operating procedure! we are usually very smooth with results.

this process crushed me. it took way longer than it usually does. it just drained me down below my reserves. shattered. i suffered a promoter bonk! for this i apologize.

other than that we gave away a pile of great stuff! preems, swag, etc........

i need to send a huge thank you out to all our volunteers! without them none of this would be possible.

and of course last but not least thanks to all the racers who came out in support of our crazy little event! it was great to see all your faces! new friends, old friends, etc! its a wild bunch and we are stoked that you came out to enjoy our little party with a race thrown in for good measure!!!

thanks again to all!!!!

do we have to start planning for next year already?..............

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!

2009-08-14T08:11:00.002-05:00

See you all on sunday!

4X10 course map leaked!!

2009-08-06T06:32:00.004-05:00

here it is kiddies! the '09 4x10 forty course! she may only be 10miles but she aint easy!

FORTY IS AS FORTY DOES?

2009-08-03T05:48:00.002-05:00

its official, monsoon season doesn't want to let up and mother nature continues to pee on our parade!
the 40 will now be 4 10mile laps! we have handpicked the best singletrack to ensure that the course will be rideable and super fun. 98% of the course is singletrack. we are pulling out some secret stashes and adding a few special trails.
we always put rider safety first and feel that this will ensure a safe and fun event for all.
have no fear we will return to the 20 mile format next year!

"fork me? no fork u!"

2009-07-30T12:22:00.004-05:00

fastest overall singlespeed racer goes home with a voucher for a niner carbon fork in the flavor of their choice!
just pick a color and niner will ship in to darkhorse headquarters for you!!!

sweet sweet fork!!!

monsoon season?

2009-07-30T06:10:00.002-05:00

apparently monsoon season is upon us. we have been graced with a bit of a damp summer so far and the trails at stewart are showing it. have no fear. the darkhorse crew has been doing recon and reconstruction.

stay tuned!

Top reasons why the 7th annual Darkhorse 40 will rule the universe!!!

2009-07-10T06:28:00.004-05:00

1.August weather rocks!(fingers crossed) after a great ss race in May on some stellar singletrack the gods of thunder decided to water the lawn at stewart for 24 days in June!! so all that sweet singletrack was a bit "submerged!" but don't fret! we are calling in some favors and crossing our fingers for super sweet summer singletrack goodness!!

2.Harpoon you like? no not the implements of whale death, the fine craft beer from Beantown. thru a bizzarre 12 degrees of seperation we have hooked up with the good people at Harpoon brewing and we will be providing frosty cold Harpoon beverages to wash away that singletrack thirst!

3. singletrack? same great 40 course returns! back by popular demand. after a few years of shifting and swapping and swooping the consensus is that we have it dialed. barring any more acts of weather related calamity the same sweet 40 course returns!!

4. need a economic stimulus? are you a pro or cat 1 racer? well win the pro category and go home 300 richer!! win your expert category and go home 200 richer!!! yes american dollars! big payouts deep into the classes! come on out, go fast and get paid! hoorah!

5. t-shirt, BBQ, great medals, swag? yup, all back again! all included in your entry fee!

6. hidden preems? yup they are back! look for the numbered index cards hidden along the trails. collect one and bring it to the awards ceremony for cool cool prizes including more american dollars!!!!!!!!!!

7. great vibe! chill festival atmospehere! come out and race or come on out and challenge yourself just to finish the 40 miles. or team up with a guy or gal pal and do it team style! but most of all come on out and have fun!!!!

8. 3 fully stocked aid stations on the course. water, heed, banana's, cookies, etc..... keeping you topped off on fluids and food for your 40 mile adventure!

hmmm, so lets see...... great singletrack, sweet t-shirts, and big ass free chicken BBQ, FREE HARPOON BEER, cash money, great prizes, fun festival atmospere, man where do i sign up?

RIGHT HERE!!!!!! and do it now! DO IT NOW!!! PRE-REG ONLY this year! yup no day of registration!!!

come on, you know you want to! all the cool kids are doing it! here kids, sign up and ride you'll be back for more!!!!!

Skills to pay the bills!

2009-06-16T11:02:00.003-05:00

You got the skills to pay the bills? well at this years 40 you can put it on the line!

$300.00 1st place pro!

$200.00 1st place expert!

plus the hidden cash preems!!

cash money baby!

The 2009 Darkhorse 40 nears..........

2009-06-09T05:43:00.002-05:00

Duffman has some Darkhorse 40 updates for ya!

1. this years race is August 16th

2. this years race is PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY!!!!!!
there will be no day of registration!!
registration closes Wednesday August 12th!

3. we are capping registration at 400 riders
we want to continue to make the 40 a quality event and don't want to sacrifice quality for
quantity!

4. registration is open on BIKEREG

5. all the same great features of the 40 return!
t-shirt and BBQ for all entrants
kegs of fine adult refreshment!
cooler full of icepops!
fully stocked aid stations
great singletrack course!!
hidden preem cards for great prizes!

ss-apolooza action shots

2009-06-03T05:35:00.015-05:00

all shots courtesy of gtluke!

monte feels the flow

jesse chases in his new team kit!

parsons fueled by insomnia and caffeine

cdubs chases the carrot

cdubs off into the sunset

norm whistles while we works his way to first

rossi lives in the pain cave

bobby feels it

walt chasing bobby

waters laying the power down

dan killing it on a borrowed bike!

in the zone baby just like bmx back in the day!!

uni!!

ss-apolooza in pics.......

2009-06-02T06:33:00.013-05:00

all photos courtesy of gt luke. go here to find them all. buy a few from him!!

results are here. actually they have been there since about 3hrs after the race finished!!

Singlespeed-a-polooza is in the books...

2009-06-01T06:45:00.003-05:00

ok, its monday morning and i'm still trying to get my head around the weekend's events!
when we brewed up this "little" race we expected about a 100 kooks would come out and have some fun. well needless to say when reg closed at 204 we were a bit shocked!!

the short version is that the race went off smooth, besides a few minor bruises and bumps, everybody made it out of the woods unscathed. the course was a huge success. super fun. the weather could not have been better. the course dried out and was just tacky in some spots. it made for super fast racing!

huge props go out to Mike Montalbano smoking the course in 1:25:50!!!!! holy fast batman!

we need to send out a huge thank you to all our volunteers. we have tons of people behind the scenes. they have been helping us with this since the cold dark winter! thanks guys and gals!!
thanks to our EMT's as well!! thankfully they had a pretty relaxing day!

thanks to everyone who came out. looks like we are going to have to do this again next year!!!

if you are looking for pics check the link below!! thanks gt luke!!
http://gtluke.smugmug.com/biking/798708

Everything you want to know about Singlespeed-a-polooza but were afraid to ask

2009-05-27T05:40:00.006-05:00

ok folks. the great day approaches. many have registered, some are still holding out. GET ON IT PEOPLE! you need to be there. this is the first annual and you never know what could happen. when they turn it into a made for tv movie they will surely leave out all the nasty bits so be there to see it for yourself!!
couple thing yuo may want to know....

1. you can camp in stewart. but you will be on your own. if we are in there working on saturday the gate might be open. otherwise you will have to park in the lot and ride in with your gear. there are no running water facilities. we will have port-o-jons there for the race but you will need to pack in your water. no open fires! camp stoves are ok.

2. alcohol is permittted as it is a state forest. you of course must be 21! the park rangers are nice guys and we like them. we have a good relationship with them. if it comes down to you or them well we will choose them and they have the final say. use a little common sense and we can all have a lot of fun. that said we will have a bunch of beer. will it be enough? maybe? maybe you should bring some too? that way when the kegs are dry you can bust out your cooler and offer a cold beer to the promoters! that would be COOL!

3. we have split up the sport mens category. it will be New York and North and Jersey and South. it will be based on your registration address. i dont care if your mom's cousin's aunt's sister's cat's next door neighbor is from kentucky. if you get your mail in conneticut, well thats where your from. and if you are to ashamed to say you live in jersey. well its better than canada... all other categories remain the same.

4. we are not starting in the usual place.

5. no you will not be climbing the gravel hill

6. yes the gear that you have on your bike is perfect

7. the course is 2 10 mile laps. there will be a table at the entrance to "major mike", basicly the start of lap 2. we will have jugs of water and HEED. we will also have a KEG there. if these are not you optimum fueling choices you may drop what you need there. please keep it neat and out of the way.

8. all categories 1st thru 3rd place will receive sweet handmade tropies. in the larger categories we will go deeper than 3 with prizes of our discrestion. don't worry its cool stuff!!!

9. there will be hidden PREEM cards out on the course. they will be numbered. if you collect one, and please take only one, you will need to redeem it at the awards ceremony for your prize. many of these prizes will be CASH!!

10. we want this to be a fun event. bunch of like minded weirdo's riding really fast, or not, thru the woods. use some common sense. if you are about to do something that sucks or might make someone else's day suck, please don't!! if you feel the need to cheat, cut the course, etc...you are sucking. we may not catch you but you will always know that you sucked!! don't be that guy/gal. cool?

11. packet pick up opens at 6:30 and closes at 8:30. race starts promptly at 9:00am!

12. with your race number you will get a raffle ticket. we will draw at the awards ceremony for a 29'r wheelset!! wtb laserdisc lite hubs laced to stans arch rims!! you must be present to win.

i'm sure there are other things and i may add to this post later, or maybe not.

hope to see you all on sunday!!

Cash cash baby!

2009-05-06T09:29:00.005-05:00

no, not the man in black.

yeah thats right. cold hard cash baby! what's that? how do you get your hands on it? well gather round and listen up children.
seems george (el hefe) wants to try his hand at an economic stimulus plan. they are all the rage! somehow he has come up with a big old wad of cash. yes it is american money. i checked!! and seems he wants to give it away at the singlespeed-a-polooza! yeah man! true!
so, there will be a as yet undetermined number of hidden preems which can be redeemed at the awards ceremony for a as of yet undetermined amount of american dollars!!
so not only do you get a bottle opener, a pint glass, sweet singletrack, frosty beverages, and the good times that come with being in the woods with the darkhorse gang, you also have a chance to come out a few dollars ahead!! sweetness!!

2009 Racing season begins!!

2009-05-04T08:57:00.003-05:00

welcome to may 2009 and the start of the racing season! team darkhorse cycles was out in full force at the Waywayanda spring cleaning. check out the team blog for reports, results, pics etc as they filter in.

no more excuses. work should be done and race legs readied! its time once again to strap on the number plate and have at it! welcome back to the pain cave! see ya on the inside!

Singlespeed-a-polooza trophies

2009-04-21T10:16:00.002-05:00

if you are fast enough, tough enough, and many even sober enough to come in the top 3 for your class you will go home with this!!

that's one bad ass handmade trophy that just so happens to contain a salsa 32t ring and niner 20t cog!

come get some!!

getting the 411 to the peeps!

2009-04-21T07:52:00.002-05:00

here's an event flyer for yall! stay tuned for some info on the unique hand-made "living" trophies the fast boys and girls will get to take home!

print it out and stick it to your wall, give it to your friends and family, spread the word!

singlespeed-a-polooza course leaked!!!

2009-04-02T09:04:00.004-05:00

the official course for the singlespeed-a-polooza has been released!!!

10 miles, 98% singletrack, lots of fun stuff! this will be a blast!

strip off those gears and get your ride on, it's gonna be a pissah!

Singlespeedapolooza is right around the corner!

2009-03-17T08:39:00.003-05:00

ok folks. ss-polooza is right around the corner. strip off those gears and shine up your rigs cause its gonna be on like donkey kong!

we have a few updates so check it out....

we will now be running 2 10mile laps. we have another group that uses the park and they have an event planned for the same day. so being diplomatic statesmen we were able to come down with a compromise that keeps everybody happy.

the good news about this is it will provide us with a spot to place a "support" tent. you know so you can "refuel"!

check the post below for the cool graphics which will grace your pint glass. sweet eh!!

keep checking back as we get closer. we have set "el hefe" George loose in the spring woods to come up with a course that will make your cranks grind and your thrist rise!

Are you feeling it Evil?

2009-02-24T13:48:00.002-05:00

New Year, New Post, Same old........

2009-02-12T07:55:00.003-05:00

So the holiday season is behind us, 2008 has come and gone and 2009 has moved in and taken up a spot on the couch beer in hand. this can only mean one thing.................
it time to do the paperwork! yeah that's right, one of the perks to promoting some of the sweetest races around, besides the bonuses which rival those of wall street bankers(shhh don't tell congress!), is the fact that you get to fill out miles of paperwork! paperwork for norba, paperwork for the state of new york, insurance paperwork. yeah its glamorous, yeah its awesome and you know you are jealous!

so all, or most, of the paperwork is in. that means that our dates are firm and just pending approval from the dark lords at the nydec. usa cycling has the 400,000 appropriate forms, blood samples, hair samples, eye of newt, and bag of gold. since the economy is in the tank they are forcing us to pay in hard currency! i offered titanium but they said halliburton cornered that market and they would only accept gold bricks, silver coins, or wampum. lucky for us George has a stash of gold in his basement!

all the races are up on bikereg and you should sign up now while they still accept the American dollar! we like pre-reg. it helps to quell the fear that we will be the only people who show up for our race!

so here's the 411

singlespeedapolooza is May 31st!

campmor H2H race #3, the darkhorse gallop is June 21st

the 7th annual darkhorse 40 is august 16th!

Singlespeedapolooza:
this is as far as i know the first singlespeed only race in NY/NJ. this will be a unique event and a must do for the season. laid back atmosphere, unique prizes, beer, a super fun course, pint glasses, beer, sweet stewart singletrack, great competition, beer......you get the point!
come on out for this. if anything its a great excuse to convert or build a singlespeed bike! "but honey, its for singlespeedapolooza", "oh ok then dear, build up that titanium single speed!"

Darkhorse Gallop
we are back in the H2H race series! Race number 3. the h2h is a great series. awesome venues, top notch promoters, great competition. if you haven't been to one of these races you should come to ours! its the best! i mean its great just like all the other except better........

Darkhorse 40
want to dip your toes into endurance racing? want a friendly atmosphere, fast flowy course, great prizes, hidden preems, a bitchen BBQ, kegs of beer, and that old school mountain bike race atmosphere? you NEED to come to the 40! it really has become a must do event in the area!

so there's a little unbiased info about our events. we hope to see you out there in the spring.
as always if you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to get in touch with us!

HAPPY HOLIDAZE!!!

2008-12-24T08:12:00.001-05:00

GOT SINGLESPEED?

2008-11-21T13:35:00.007-05:00

got a singlespeed?
like to hang out with other people on one gear bikes?
like to drink beer?

HAVE WE GOT THE EVENT FOR YOU!!!

SINGLESPEED-A-POLOOZA 2009! MAY 31ST!!!!!
yup that's right! think of it as the singlespeed championships of the greater tri-state universe!!!

so heres the 411......
one twenty mile lap. fully self supported. we will have no aid stations. if you need 100oz of water or a 12pack of pbr bring it with you! hell strap a keg to a bob trailer if you want!!!
super cool and unique prizes for 1st second and third in their respective categories!
oh yeah categories...usa cycling has gone and made it all complicated and we are just simple minded beer drinking promoters who cant even figure out how to put more than one gear on our bikes so.....
expert men and women
sport men and women
no you don't need a license! sign up for the category that you think suits your skill level. don't sandbag, that's just dumb and if we think you are sandbagging the category we may handicap you in some way! think 10 krispy-cremes 2 minutes before the start! it would be in everybody's best interest if you raced with the guys you usually race with!
so all this and more for only 25.00!!! thats right $25.00!
and more you say? yup more!!
everybody who registers gets a pint glass, a bottle opener and.....

adult refreshments (as long as you are of age, don't make us ID you!!) at the post race festivities. hell depending on how we are feeling we may tap a keg at the start line!!!

so get on over to bike reg and sign up!

PRE-REGISTERED ONLY!!!!! NO DAY OF REG!!!!!

BIKEREG

Any questions? drop us and email or leave a comment.

see ya there!!

Darkhorse gallop takes over the web!!

2008-09-18T05:53:00.002-05:00

check out the video below from the guys and gals at rad-x sports. check it out now as i'm sure the hit counts that this video will receive on youtube will be crashing servers the world over!!

09 brainstorming and recon begins

2008-09-02T06:33:00.001-05:00

george and i headed down to Virginia to the Shenandoah 100 this past weekend for a little camping and a whole lot of suffering. very cool event and great to see these guys organize a event of this magnitude. 500+ racers 14k of climbing. lots of tired souls. it gets the creative juices flowing a little for what we might want to do in the future with the 40 or just maybe something a little different...

we'll see.

full race recap report will be up on the team blog. check it out.

Pour out another 40! 6th annual in the books!

2008-08-05T12:03:00.001-05:00

It was 4:00 am and I am laying in my sleeping bag staring at the ceiling. Dawn is about to break on race day for the darkhorse 40. I can hear George wandering around his kitchen as I lay there and try to come to terms with what’s in store for us. Thankfully the pitter patter that I hear is the sweet sweet blue mountain Jamaican coffee brewing and not rain hitting the roof. We had some storms roll thru the day before but they seemed to have helped take the dust off while doing only a minor injustice to the ridiculously fast course conditions.

We had completed most of the heavy lifting the day before with the help of our crew and Jason from Pivot cycles. Its amazing what a bike company rep will do for free beer!! We had sorted out some last minute details over delicious veggie chili and tried to call it an early night. No late night course inspection needed this time around. Maybe we had learned our lesson from previous adventures!

We opened the gate at about 5:30 and already had a few people hanging around looking to get in. By 7:30 it was full on parking mayhem. The cars just kept rolling in. We handled it well but the stress level does begin to rise as start time creeps closer and the cars keep stacking up in line to park.

9:05 and we have everybody on the line. Few announcements and their off! Hooray! Now we just have to hope that everybody stays safe out there. Thankfully, most did. There were plenty of mechanicals, lots of flats, and a few injuries. But considering the fact that 400 people took to the 20 mile loop I think things went off fairly smooth.

We had hoped to try to get awards going at 2:00. We thought that would give us enough time to get the majority of racers in and at least preliminary awards tabulated. We were wrong. Sorry if you planned around that and had to split early. As it was awards were late but most seemed to be having fun eating chicken, having an ice pop or two and enjoying a couple cold beverages.

As we locked up the gate at 7:30 I couldn’t help reflect on the amount of work that goes in to this event each year and how fast the day goes by. We have to send out a huge thank you to all of our volunteers! These guys and gals come out and give their blood, sweat and tears to help make the 40 what it is. There is no way we could do it without them!!! Thanks to all!!! First off have to thank our official/scoring ladies. They do a great job making sure that all the racers are accounted for. Gotta send out a huge thank you to our kitchen crew! Brian keeps the boys in line and makes sure that things get cooking on time and keep rolling smooth! The bbq rocked again! Thanks guys and gals! I would be remiss if I didn’t send out a huge thank you to our EMT crew! These guys and gals treat all sorts of injuries all day and do it with great care and concern. Thank you!! We couldn’t have the race without them and we always hope that they will come out and have a nice relaxing day!

Of course there wouldn’t be any point to any of this if the racers didn’t come out. We appreciate you guys coming out to support our event and hope that you all enjoyed yourself. It makes it worth it when somebody says they had a blast out there on our course. We have always been in this for the racers. To give back a little something to the mountain bike scene that we really enjoy. You guys come out and bring such a great vibe that we just feed off of it. thanks!!!

So another darkhorse 40 is in the books! We always keep trying to improve and make it a little better and a little more interesting. So we will wait till about thanksgiving and then start scheming some new stuff for next year. By then the poison ivy should be gone and George should be a little less cranky. Ok maybe not!

Thanks again! See you next year!

As always we welcome your questions and comments so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Some things you might not know about the 40, or some answers to FAQ

2008-07-25T08:04:00.005-05:00

the race starts promptly at 9:00am for all classes! registration opens at 6:30 and closes at 8:30. please plan accordingly. remember you can pre-reg on bike reg and save $10! that way all you have to do is pick up your packet and head to the starting line!

1- george and i are not nearly competent enough to pull this off on our own! no, thats right we require way to much adult supervision to keep us in check. so we rely heavily on our dedicated crew of volunteers. these guys and gals come out and help us in so many ways. from cleaning trails, weedwacking grassy sections, cleaning the brush from the roads, set-up, scoring, registration, cooking, etc.... i could go on. basicly if we didnt have these guys and gals this whole thing would devolve into george and i alone in the woods argueing over who gets the last beer from the cooler. believe me, it wouldnt be pretty! i've been there!

2-the racers make this the event that it is. and not just the racers but the spectators as well. you guys come out and support our crazy event and for that we thank you. but you also come out with great attitudes and a killer vibe! we love it and feed off it. its what makes all the hard work worth it! thanks!!!!

3-camping. stewart is actually a state forest, not a state park, and as such you can pretty much camp where you like. however, there are no provisions for it. so, no open fires, no water or facility's barring a porta-jon here and there. now of course on race weekend we have a plethora of portajons so that isnt an issue. we get lots of calls about camping and some people have camped in the past. one year we even had a couple of fine young lady's come out and camp, get us coffee in the am, race and then help us break down the tents and make sure that the coolers were nice and lite for the ride home!!! here's to ya girls!! so if you want to camp let us know and we can hook you up with a good spot.

4-chicken bbq. yeah we tried a few other food options in the past but the chicken bbq was just so way over the top that we had to stick to it. heres to our chefs! these guys do a heck of a job making sure that you guys and gals get to eat some delicious free range, locally farmed, umm uum good bbq bird! yum!

5-beer. being that stewart is a state forest, not a state park, you are free to have and consume adult beverages. that being said, if the ranger thinks your under 21 they can and will ask for id. of course we ask that you act responsibly, well at least as responsibly as you can! listen, we have beer. its for everybody, it will run out. be nice, be considerate, be responsible, and have a good time.

6-norba. this is a non norba event. you do not need a license. that being said all norba rules apply! race accordingly folks. be considerate on the trails, race fair and of course have fun.

7-aid stations. there are 3 aid staions on course. these will be stocked with water, heed, hammer gel, bannanas, maybe some cookies and a few other things. they are manned by volunteers. they will be there to help you as much as they can. we do not offer drop bags. if you wish to leave something at an aid station it is your responsibilty to get it there and get it after. aid stations may or may not, depending on who is manning them have the following, tools, tubes, tequila, etc. we suggest you bring your own. it you think you might need something special. bring it!

8-preem cards. there will be a number of florescent index cards hung from trees in the woods. these cards will be numbered. you can redeem ONE card per person at the awards ceremony for a prize! please be considerate and let everybody have a fair shot at them. there is no special prize for collecting them all!

9-directions. the easiest thing to do is put 1 new rd, rock tavern ny into a map program, google maps or mapquest. it will take you right to the parking lot and main access rd.

so thats a few that we get asked from time to time. as i think of more i will post them up. if you have a question just shout it out to us and we will be happy to answer it!

DH40 course map!

2008-07-25T07:47:00.003-05:00

alright folks here it is for your viewing pleasure! the darkhorse 40 race course for 08!

we have a few changes in store for you guys. the start and finish will be in the same location this year. you will start down on weed road in the standard location and you will finish in the same spot. you will not be climbing the gravel road up to the finish! we have routed you thru the single track instead!! hooray!
the location of 2 of the aid stations will be slightly different. there will be an aid station at the entrance to major mike(food 1 on map). this is on top of the gravel road just after you exit the orchard trail. the aid station at beaver pond(food 3 on map), which you will pass twice, will be in the same spot. the other aid station(food 2 on map) moves slightly, it will be at the intersection of new rd just after muskrat as you enter pine root trail.

we have sent one of our top trail gurus out and he has placed mile markers on the trail. they are yellow surveyor stacks with numbers on them. there are also markers to designate the food stop locations.

so have at it boys and girls. we will be in there this weekend marking the course so if you see us say hi!

wrappers

2008-07-18T05:48:00.004-05:00

no not that kind!!!
this kind!

alright heres the deal. we hate these wrappers! whatever brand they are. they get discarded on the trail and they are nasty! they make a mess of the trails and quite frankly are just gross to clean up. i equate leaving gel wrappers on the trail to leaving miller lite cans scattered in the grass in front of your trailer!
so this is what we are doing. when you pick up your number plate for the 40 you will be given a bag. this bag will contain one of these....
we will have jugs of hammer gel for your consumption. feel free to fill up with the delicious flavor of your choice or put whatever gel you brought into the flask. the flask is obviously yours to keep, you think we would want those nasty things back? ick! the aid stations out on course will be stocked with hammer gel as well so feel free to top off or refill when you need.

see thats easy, no nasty wrappers out on the trail!

now, if you choose to disobey the gel flask mandate and take wrapped gel on course and should you discard these wrappers on course, well hell hath no fury like a george who has picked up a sticky wrapper!!! you have been warned!

thanks for your cooperation!

whats on george's mind?

2008-07-07T12:27:00.002-05:00

so maybe you have attended a few 40's. maybe you read this blog and think its all about the good times, tomfoolery, and drunken singlespeed shenanigans? well you would be right...........

but alas, there are 2 sides to every coin. so to give you a little idea what rattles around in george's noogin point your mouse here

you can check back monthly for a dose of george! just to keep things in perspective!

ride on amigos

tick tock tick tock

2008-07-03T06:34:00.002-05:00

its coming folks! looming large on the horizon. better get those pedals turning.

new design for this years shirts and glasses. new medal design as well but we're keeping that one under wraps! if you've seen it, and we know who you are, keep it to on the down-low!

as always we are making some changes to the course. maybe a little different feel this year. take you some places you might not recognize. we'll see. el hefe has been wondering the woods, scratching his balding noggin, working on a good batch of poison ivy and trying to get his mojo working. he's telling me its all up there rattling around in his head.

the chicken bbq gang has signed on again this year and have begun preperations on another monster grill. they promise to be able to cook a rediculous amount of chicken in a short amount of time and well i believe them! plus best not to argue with guys who make mega-ritas with a 2-stroke powered blender!

stay tuned.

same darkhorse time, same darkhorse channel!

have a safe and happy 4th!

free rides!

2008-06-23T06:11:00.003-05:00

we have received word that the good ole boys at pivot will be bringing their humongous demo trailer full of goodies! so while your buddy or your significant other is out suffering take a free ride on a sweet pivot bike! mach 4's, mach 5's and the 429!

demo a pivot west coast pimp style baby!!

what not cool with pivot? ok, well specialized will be there as well with their ginormous trailer full of sweetness! throw a leg over one of their steeds and feel the power of the big red S.

thats right, pivot cycles and specialized helping to make the darkhorse 40 into one big ole trailer park for your demo-riding pleasure!!!

galloped!

2008-06-16T09:40:00.006-05:00

the Darkhorse Gallop is in the books and i would have to chalk it up as a success! it seems a good time was had by all including your humble promoters. the weather gods shined down on us this weekend! lets hope we can keep that mojo for the 40!

check out the team blog for a detailed report!
darkhorse racing blog

to all those that came out to the race i would like to extend a THANK YOU!
to all of our volunteers THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! we cant do it without you guys!

bring on the gallop

2008-05-29T13:02:00.004-05:00

ok so above is a preview of the gallop course. check it out. little different this time around and got some fresh new trails in it for your riding pleasure. not going to be a walk in the park but no death march either. fun factor is way off the charts here kiddos!

100 southern style miles

2008-04-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

raced the cohutta 100 this weekend and learned some interesting things about endurance events and participants. good recon for the 40. basically came away realizing that we do a lot of the right things at the 40 and thats why people keep coming back. got some ideas to pass on to the boys and of course its time to start digging in and getting this show on the road. race season is here and the 40 will be right around the corner.
i'll post up a race/roadtrip report over here

Hammer time!

2008-02-29T10:57:00.003-05:00

ok, not that hammer!
hammer nutrition is signed on as the official hydration and gel-ation sponsor for the darkhorse 40! the darkhorse crew has been testing hammer products for a while now and they have met our rigorous standards so we are pleased to be able to hook them up for the 40!
we will be supplying flasks and gel for any racer who wants one as well as HEED drink mix in jugs at all the aid stations. the flasks are an effort to limit the amount of foil packs that need to be retrieved and discarded following the race. although George derives immense pleasure from picking up sticky, half sucked on gel packs that have been embedded in the trail, we always like to do what we can to leave the park cleaner then we found it. so if you like Hammer gel and want to fill a flask for the race you can grab one at registration!

159 Days till the Darkhorse 40!

2008-02-25T08:57:00.004-05:00

thats right guys and gals the 40 is right around the corner! well, sort of..........
as winter tries to throw a death blow at your motivation just remember this, the race season looms large on the horizon. fire up the dvd or dvr and get on the trainer! better yet bundle up in all the clothes you have and get out on the road. the trails may be buried in snow and ice but you can always spin the skinny tires on road salt and winter debris caked roads. what more could you ask for! i mean we do live in the northeast and it is supposed to be cold in the winter. it makes you appreciate those sun filled summer days all the more!

so folks get out there and get ready. spring is just waiting to be sprung and summer is around the corner. the next thing you know you will be lining up for the lemans start and trying to answer george's trivia questions!

ride on......brrrrrrrrrrr

Shotgun start to the 08 season

2008-01-16T09:46:00.001-05:00

Shotgun start to the 08 season sponsored by darkhorse cycles!

The wildlife of stewart state forest breathe a collective sigh of relief as the men with their guns leave for the season. However, as is usually the case, they have left behind some souvenirs for the rest of us. Seen the spent shells on the trail or on the roads? Pick up their spent rounds to keep your wheels going round!

Pick up 5 spent shotgun shells, bring them into darkhorse cycles and get yourself a free tube! Yeah that’s right, a free tube just for picking up a couple of shells!

So stuff your pockets and spare your wallet to kick off the 08 season!

Happy new year!

2008-01-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

happy new year to all and happy post holidays to all! i hope that your holidays found you all happy,healthy and well and that santa or Hanukkah harry brought you all the little bike toys your hearts desired!
2007 has come and gone and we have survived another year as race promoters and "racers"!
it's hard to think that we have 5 darkhorse 40's under our belts. it doesnt seem that long ago that the 40 was just a vague idea and we wondered if anybody would actually show up.
well 2008 is here and the gears are in motion. george has been in the woods cooking up new schemes for the 40. we are into the h2h series with the Darkhorse Gallop and the NY series is a brewing as well. we aren't hosting a race in that series but we will be passing on all the details as they come to us.
keep your eyes and ears peeled as "Darkhorse Racing" has been inking off season contracts with a number of local heavy hitters! be afraid people! new jerseys, new team members, big wheeled bikes and bigger coolers! look for Darkhorse Racing to be flying their flag at an event near you! stop by and say hi, we may look a little strange but we are really only half as strange as we look!

steroids in baseball?!!

2007-12-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

oh come on now! say it aint so! whats next? ice dancing?
remember kids hypocrisy is the greatest luxury. steroids are bad! but if you take them we will pay you lots of money so just dont get caught! oh and dog fighting isnt really nice either so you might want to take a pass on that! ok got it?

Duffman loves a party!

2007-12-14T07:32:00.000-05:00

The campmor h2h race series party is on the schedule! so get on over to bikereg and get signed up, shine up your party shoes and pick up your leisure suit from the cleaners cause its gonna be all that!

Got a tandem?

2007-12-04T06:25:00.001-05:00

how about riding it for 40 miles in the woods? got a friend crazy enough to sit behind you for a few hours? well come on out!
the Darkhorse 40 will feature a tandem class this year!!! yup thats right come on out and get your tandem on! new open tandem class is up on bikereg. get on it!

June 15th 2008 Campmor H2H race #4 The Darkhorse Gallop

2007-11-12T10:27:00.000-05:00

JUNE 15th 2008! THE DARKHORSE GALLOP!
you have cleaned up at the spring cleaning, you've gotten your climb on at tymor and you met Marty's Challenge, so now its time to saddle up on a DARKHORSE!

the campmor h2h race series rolls into stewart state forest for the Darkhorse Gallop. promising more hudson valley singletrack goodness and rolling course nirvana. no heinous deathmarch here, no babyhead rocks, no soul-sucking climbs, just fast, flowing, rolling singletrack. yeah it will be fast, yeah you will use your big ring and as easy as people might say it is it will hurt! but boy will it hurt good!
got a singlespeed? bring it out and see the light!

more details as they come to light.
the campmor h2h race series continues to grow and improve. look forward to another season of great racing!

August 3rd, 2008 baby!

2007-10-23T13:26:00.001-05:00

ok folks, save the date, mark your calender, tattoo it on your forehead or shave it into your dogs back! AUGUST 3RD 2008! the 6th annual drakhorse 40! so that gives you plenty of notice to get it going. i can already hear the trainers whirring in the backround! hopefully this will give you something to think about thru the long dark winter.
we have some surprises in store for the 6th annual running. we will also have all your favorite elements of the 40 back and bigger than ever. the chicken bbq, the preem cards, the frosty refreshments, the lemans style start, tasty stewart singletrack, and of course george and his ever sunny demeanor.
pre-reg on bikereg. pre-reg is up now!
got an issue with the date or a comment? email us!

the end is nigh!

2007-10-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

cue the opening scene of apocolyspe now, chopper blades cut the air with there whoomping, and the doors jim morrison begins to croon eerily................this is the end...........this is the end beautiful friend....the end......

and so on sunday the 2007 installment of the H2H race series comes to a close. its bittersweet in a way. its been a long season for the darkhorse crew. we bit off a huge piece of racing cake this year and it left us feeling a little bit like after thanksgiving dinner where you should have passed up that second slice of pumpkin cheesecake. two series races and the 40 really took a chunk out of the summer. george felt as if he spent all his waking hours in stewart clearing trails and getting poison ivy and i had to suffer a little extra listening to him complain about it! but all in all i think it was a very successful season. its pretty amazing that we can get a very competitive field of 300 racers to show up week after week especially since the season runs from may to october! big props go out to all you racers! thanks for coming out and making the scene!

so the darkhorse crew stepped out again this weekend in full force. some were even sporting the newly redesigned uber sweet team jersey! first out of the gates was sir richard the steady! fresh off altitude training in utah he took the hole shot off the beginner start and never looked back! claiming yet another victory in the series and i believe taking the overall top podium spot for the season! good show sir richard!
on to the sport class. we had quite a crew flying the colors. bobby showed up on his big wheeled one gear felt, chris had his ss seven, i had my seven sporting a single cog, georgie and the rave-in-ator where representing the geared carbon squishy bike crowd and tony was there on the one gear voodoo flying the DH colors as well. after a little parking lot pre-game warm-up crit we made our way down to the start. the usual suspects were out in force for the series finals and it looked to be a good field. i little bs and a little more warm-up and i suppose we were ready to go. tom rossi wasnt content to start the race intact so he got both a flat and a crash out of the way during his warmup! he figured turning his hip into 80% lean ground chuck prior to the start might just give him an extra edge! they sent the one gear blokes out towards the back which was fine with us. the first few miles of fireroad saw the ss class pacelining it. it wasnt until we got into the singletrack that things started to break up a little. tom, not content with one flat prior to the start figured a second one would set him right. couple other mechanicals thinned the field a bit more as we started to mingle with the elder statesmen of the pelaton and the youngsters who left before us. i basicly settled in at this point. i wasnt feeling bad but didnt have the snap in the legs either. about 3 miles in i realized that i had ejected both my water bottles! sweet, at least it was cool out. there were three of us one speeders mixed in with a group of total about 6 and we soldiered on for the first lap. prior to the b turn off i handed off my co2 inflater head to a ss conhort in need. ive had some bad flat mojo working lately. not sure how i got the jinx but i figured that by helping a bro out maybe i could lift the curse. more on that later..... coming thru the start i stopped to pick up my spare bottles and took off on the long fireroad. after a gu and a little too much drink i wanted to die. apparently riding a lap with no water then ingesting a whole bunch is a bad idea. pace edited at this point and felt better as i went into the singletrack. now i was basicly alone. just riding along. i knew that 2 other ss guys were just up the road and i was content to dangle a little . as the lap went on i felt good and was really enjoying the course. the singletrack was a nice mix of flowy buff sections and arm and back busting rock gardens. the fireroads were well roads. i was having a blast and psyched to turn into the b loop and blast down toward the finish. i made it about 500 yards and i boogered a rock section and felt i square thump on the rear. oopsie. then i heard it........wish wish wish wish wooooooooooosssssshhhhh. flat. sweet. so much for karma. i ran it in. yeah.
the darkhorse crew did well over all in the sport class. mr rave, the flying scotsman, represented with a strong 3rd! we will have to await points totaling to see if he can keep the overall top spot on the podium. georgie boy, showing what a training diet high in ipa can do for you, had another 3rd! bobbie piloted the felt 29'r into i believe 4th and the webb-man cracked in to the top ten as well! good show boys!

so where does that leave us? well its party time! look out for date and venue info on the banquet. should be a rip.

well its been a fun ride! a good series, good venues, and a great crew of guys and gals. i have to say i had a blast racing in the ss class. if you can call what i do racing! got some work to do over the winter and am hoping to come back strong next season or at least not any worse! keep your eyes peeled cause rumor has it darkhorse might be feilding quite a crew of singlespeeding freaks next year. and they might be running big wheeled bikes to boot!

i'll give george till thanksgiving and then its time to start planning for next season. stay tuned cause we got some cool new stuff coming for the 40!!!!

tymor(e) or less

2007-10-04T05:52:00.000-05:00

tymor park tied one on this weekend to host the penultimate race in the hudson to highlands series. i unfortunately was unable to attend. life just gets in the way sometimes and to be honest the opportunity presented itself to be able to go on saturday and i passes it over with flying colors! just didnt have the motivation, the miles in my legs, or the confidence. a relaxing sunday at home with the fam sounded good to me.
team darkhorse stepped out in force once again and grabbed podium spots like sailors on shore leave!
mikey rave, the flying scotsman, grabbed up a 2nd place to help solidify his lead in the 30-39 sport class. hey mike i hear a train a comin' and its name is EXPERT class!
bobby swart stomped his way to the 3rd spot on the 40-49 podium edging out the infamous roger racer!
in the 50+, captain kegerator himself, georgie "sunshine pils" zubalsky nabbed another 3rd place! hey george looks like you may be hitchin a ride on the expert express as well!!!!
man i better get myself some legs soon, it might start getting lonely in the sport class with a good portion of team darkhorse facing possible expulsion into expert.

well one week to prep for the finals at ringwood. rumor has it the course is sweet.

see ya all at the finals!

welcome to the jungle!

2007-09-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

"your in the jungle baby!" ah and yes we were this sunday and what a jungle it was! man what a sweet day! great weather, great event and some great new trails. its really nice to see a new venue opening up in the area. lots of high quality work went in to those trails and it showed. good technical sigletrack, tight and twisty with a little bit of rocks thrown in for extra flavor!
team darkhorse was out in force and showed they were ready for a throw down! the rave master dominated the sport 30-39'rs despite a few over the bar incidents and a rock drop that sent him into orbit. podiums spots were also grabbed up like ice cold ales by bob swart and georgie boy himself! the sport ss cat was heavy with darkhorse jerseys and at one point we had quite the paceline workin! good old fashion team tactics up the climb!
all in all a great day! thanks go out to the guys at town cycle, jorba, and all the volunteers who put blood and sweat into making those trails! a+ boys and girls!

now get your legs back and head on up to lagrangeville this weekend for the tymor challenge! rumor has it tim has been living in the woods, cutting new trails and refining the course to make it the best one yet!

guilty!?

2007-09-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

i debated whether or not to comment on this but well here it is anyway. this whole thing really bothered me. dont care what you think either way, he did or he didnt, it just bothered me that the sport is this fubar. he seems like a good guy and well maybe he just got mixed up with the wrong crowd!
i can say that its pretty cool to see him mixing it up in the dirt. i realize there are mixed opinions about this as well.
hey floyd, get back to your roots. keep the knobby tires rolling and if you want to come to the 40 you can be my guest! hell if you want you can even crash on my couch! might not be pro-tour livin but hey gotta take it as it comes!

Stretched chains, flat tires and decapitated bikes!

2007-09-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Ah September, summer comes to a close and the H2H race series kicks back into action. team darkhorse and many other brave souls crossed the hudson river on sunday for the latest race in the h2h series. august was basicly an off month for the series so the WMBA chainstretcher had everybody itching to get back into action.
they must put something special in the water over there, or maybe its the proximity to the nuclear plant but those boys seem to look at course design a little different then some of us! now dont get me wrong, i love blue mountain, ride there lots and think it is some of the best terrain around bar none. but these guys set about to make a it a day of pain and they accomplished it in spades. we all knew what we were in for from the course map. lots of singletrack, lots of climbing, lots of technical terrain, lots of rocks, lots of logs, and of course a big steaming plate of hurt!
i had done a roll call to the shop during the week and gotten a fairly reluctant head count. the usual suspects were in, but they also knew what they were in for. i had a hectic weekend ahead and let it be known that i may not be quite on form. word on the street had the smart money on me making it a no show! well fiddledy foo on you. sunday morning i was up early and out the door headed to westchester. i paid my due and spent a bit catching up with all the usual suspects.
then sent us foolish enough to take on the mountain with only one gear out with the 19-29 year olds. great, not only will i get run over by the guys in my class but also by a bunch of younger fitter guys on geared bikes! sweet! it seemed that most of us had the same idea and poked or way thru the chaos for the first couple miles. i managed to crash in the depew singletrack and basicly give myself a charlie horse in my right ass cheek. sweet! love that. so that made the first trot up neds all the better. i had been fearings neds. not sure why but that old bastard had me a little intimidated but after the first time up it wasnt as bad as i remembered. i was glad to hit the upper singletrack but thats where the course really grabbed you by the short ones and didnt let go its grip. stinger lived up to its name but i knew that i had tougher terrain to come. MFT, "my favorite trail", kicked my ass. i can only imagine the MFT stood for something a bit less friendly then "my favorite trail, or at least it did to me on sunday! first lap done i come up the road to see mr rave standing on the side of the trail. now this is a bad sign, mr rave is very fast so either he has lapped me and finished or something has gone terribly wrong. i give him a "what up?" and he lifts his decapitated reba from the ground. hmmmmm, he broke his fork off clean at the head tube, thats not good. day over for mike. major bummer. i hear a few hoots and hollars from the gallery and off i go for round 2. the depew singletrack is much better this time around with less traffic. able to make some time in there and feel reasonable but am definately on the edge. i catch up to tom rossi on neds and we share a moment of suffering as we push our bikes over the top. from then on out we rode with each other on lap 2. thanks go out to tom for pushing me along and sharing his water, of which i had run out. i had about a 1/5th of a bottle of sports drink but it seemed to only make my mouth more pasty. thanks also go out to whoever the spectator was who shared his water with me and the crazy sick dude on the cross bike who rode a bit of the 2nd lap with tom and i! big props go out to him! MFT proceded to kick my ass again and i was happy to turn down the road and head back toward the finish. about a mile or so from the finish on what is one of my favorite pieces of singletrack, 2 live crew, the bike started to get a little squirrelly and feel a bit off. now i was at this point completely blown and had cramped and was hovering in the danger zone. so at first i thought maybe i was just lossing it but oh no, my rear tire went flat! damn it! oh well. too blown to do anything about it and of course wasnt carrying anything to fix it with. rode it for a bit, ran thru the rocks, made it to the road to the finish, rode for a little and then said ah hell and ran it in to the finish! sweet sweet finish!
have no idea how long i was out there, 2 hours and something. collapsed on the ground for a bit, got some water in me and talked to some of the guys about there experience. i then saw the familiar colors of the horse coming up the road. georgie boy pulling thru to finish up. i gave him my best lisa woo howl to which he replied with the 1 finger salute! georgie had a fun time! he looked like i felt and i'm sure i looked worse!
well the chainstretcher is in the books. i didnt stick around to see the experts and pros. rumor has it that harlan came out and smoked it. that dude is from another planet.

next up in the h2h series is the town cycle race at jungle habitat.

next weekend is overlook bikes race at wilson state park in woodstock. if you can go up there and support those guys. a good bunch all of them!

if you havent gotten your "less epo more ipa " shirts yet email us! they are going fast! get in on the first run. 15.00 american dollars is all it takes!

OPINIONS ARE LIKE........

2007-08-29T14:18:00.001-05:00

got an idea for the 6th annual darkhorse 40? got a suggestion? george and i try to keep it fresh every year and maybe tweak things a bit. only problem is that sometimes in our think tank sessions, read beer and pizza, we overlook something. we want to hear from you!
you want longer laps?
you want more laps?
you want more bees?
you want a bbq throwdown with bobby flay?
remember there are no dumb suggestions. we just will laugh like hell and throw them in the trash!

seriously, drop us a email.

THE STRAIGHT DOPE!

2007-08-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

had enough of dopers in cycling? like beer? well have we got the shirt and stickers for you! show your respect for the american microbrewer and your disgruntlement with doped up pro cyclists spoiling the sport for everybody. you wont find any of the team darkhorse riders hopped up on EPO but i can bet you will find a cooler full of hopped goodness nearby!
shirts 15.00
stickers 2.95
stop by the shop or email us and we will get you the goods!
also, like the pint glasses we had at the 40? didnt have any extra scratch on ya to get one? dont cry, dont pout we still got a few! drop by or email us and we will be glad to hook ya up!

email darkhorsecycles(at)frontiernet.net

The Hangover....

2007-08-13T13:29:00.002-05:00

so the sun has risen on the day after.........and what a day it was. the 40 has come and gone in its 5th year. wow, and a big sigh of relief. its a tremendous undertaking every year but we keep coming back for more. it sometimes takes a little more encouragement, read many many pints, to get george back on the horse but he eventually comes around. the main reason being the racers! you guys rock. all the compliments yesterday did not go unheard. thats why we do it. our motto has always been so long as everybody has a good time and nobody gets hurt we're happy. well we had one visit from the "bus" for a collarbone meets rock incident but other than the normal bumps, bruises, scrapes, and bonks i think most escaped physically unscathed. now mentally.....well who am i to judge.

we need to send a huge shout out to all our volunteers! these guys and gals give up a lot of there free time to help us by doing all sorts of everything and a lot of it not very glamorous. from helping mark, clear, and even craft some of the trails to picking up trash these guys and gals give 110% and ask for nothing in return. if it weren't for them there would be no 40.
big props go out to the apron gang who cooked your chicken, made all the salads and even passed around a few "mega-rita's"! these guys literally slaved over the hot coals all day to get the racers and spectators fed. good work boys! we are currently re-negotiating their contract but i think we can hash out the details for 08!

special thanks to the emt's as well! these guys and gals are there to look after you guys when you have gravitational issues on your 2-wheeled missiles! they don't even complain about getting all up close and personal with a bunch of sweaty, stinky, and muddy racers! they seem to maybe even enjoy it! without them you would have to suffer with the first aid stills of george and myself. these mainly entail applying liberal amounts of alcohol, internally, and then worrying about whatever may be sticking out of your skin later!

last but not least thanks to all the racers who came out and gave it hell! whether you finished in under 3 hrs on a 1 speed bike (tim! holy moly your one fast crustacean toting dude!) or over 6 hrs you rock!

thanks for coming out guys and stay tuned for more darkhorse info!

remember to continue to support the hudson 2 highlands series! we will be there. if you see 2 guys on 1 speed bikes suffering like dogs say hi and remind us that it will be over soon and point us in the direction of the cooler!

hand me my 40!

2007-07-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

the 40 looms large on the horizon!
get pre-regged if you arent already! save a few bucks and help to quell george's fear that no one will show up!
we got some great stuff in store. new t-shirt design this year thanks to the boys at american icon!
same great bbq plan with a few tweaks. but for the most part the boys will be back with their aprons on firing up the grill and cooking a bunch of chicken! no not the chicken that got booted from the tour! although i imagine he is pretty well cooked at this point.

the course is shaping up and we promise to bring you two laps of fine stewart singletrack aged to perfection and hand crafted for our fat tire pleasure.

so start kicking up the miles and get set to have a blast! any questions feel free to email or call the shop.

ROLLIN, ROLLIN, ROLLIN....................

2007-07-18T06:12:00.000-05:00

just like elwood sang somebody, and i cant remember exactly who, told me that marty's course was rolling terrain with some really fun and fast singletrack. it rolled alright!
i had sent george out to utah for some good mormon teaching and 3.2 beer consumption so i saddled up early on sunday am and headed out solo. not that there weren't plenty of other darkhorses in attendance. to be quite honest the most time i spent on the bike the week prior was an epic singlespeed adventure around the cul-de-sac with the kids! hey we were all on bikes with 1 gear! so despite not having any miles in my legs i was stoked to ride the seven as a 1 speed on some new terrain, and really the race was in morristown how bad could it be? well i got there and reg'd and spent some time bs'ing with the usual crew. watched richard and bill represent in the beginner class and then decided to get my act together. my warm-up pre-ride consisted of riding the first mile or so and noticing that it was a gradual climb. hmmmm.
fast forward to the 1st lap and they let the ss guys go out in front, i think only cause we staked are claim at the start and who wants to mess with someone crazy enough to race a 1 speed bike anyway! we are about 2-2.5 miles in and pretty well strung out in single file but still together as a group when one of the guys looks at me with that grizzled, desperate, tongue wagging, on the rivot expression and says "rolling eh?".
so from there on out it was a war of attrition. after the 1st lap i shot down a goo and traded water bottles at the start finish, thanks mikes mom and sis!!!, and felt ok. well the next lap was a suffer fest and the third, well lets just say that i just kept going forward. i payed heavy for being off the bike. i was deep in the pain cave on the 3rd lap and glad to just finish.
it was the kind of course where you would be paying hard on the climbs and then come to a swoopy fast singletrack section and forget all about the torture you just endured.
yeah i'll be back! maybe with a set of legs that have some juice in them or maybe not but i will have fun!

all in all i think fun was had by all. great course and a great bunch of guys and gals.

anybody headed up to mt snow this weekend good luck and have fun!

got beer?

2007-07-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

But dont have a sweet pint glass to put it in?
what ever can you do? hmmmmmmm

well fear not!!!!!

darkhorse 40 pint glasses are here!
new logo and design for this year!

stop on by the shop and pick one up!
guaranteed to make your beer drinking experience that much more bitchin!

darkhorse gallop is in the books!

2007-07-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

well the gallop is in the books folks! and what a day it was!!
we had some prep issues in the weeks leading up to the event. we had to alter our intended course a bit due another user group being in the park. as it turned out i think it was for the best. we settled on a 5.5 mile first lap and a 6 mile main lap. we upped the number of laps for all groups from the first race and it seemed like everybody really enjoyed it! seeing some of the same trails as the first race but in the opposite direction really gave the course a while new feel.
sunday started early....at like 4:00am early....with george and myself sipping coffee and covering last minute logistics. next thing you know we were packing it up. always goes by to fast.
we want to send a huge thank you out to all our volunteers! without them non of this would ever happen.
so the Titus demo trailer was there and was a huge success. mike and his dog kula had pretty much the whole demo trailer on the trails and everybody seemed stoked to check out their bikes!
the series continues to grow and the turnouts this season have been awesome! great beginner class and huge sport class! the experts and pro classes are just smokin fast this year as well!
we had an awesome pro class! harlan price took top honors doing battle with fast eddy ceccolili and troy wells to round out the top three. we had a special guest appearance by the fastest pro women in the nation! georgia gould came out and mixed it up with the pro men for a 4th place finish! all i can say is hoora!

it was hot, it was fast, everybody had fun and nobody got hurt. i hope everybody went home happy and had a great day. we sure as heck had a blast!

thanks for coming out guys and gals!

Campmor series continues to rock out wih its....

2007-06-26T06:43:00.000-05:00

campmor series continues in full swing. the stewart singletrack challenge was a resounding success. we had a great turn out and a great day of racing. big props to mike rave 1st place 30-39 and fastest overall sport male! thanks to everybody that helped us out! without our volunteers george and i would flounder miserably and most likely start drinking beer at 8:00am! thanks to everybody that came out and raced! we hope everybody had a good time!

i the meantime.........

this past weekend was the team bulldog race at kittatinny state park. what an incredible venue and event. big props to brian l and his crew who put on a top quality event an some of jerseys sweetest singletrack. congrats to all team darkhorse riders who were out there flying the colors! especially those with only one-gear!!!!!!!

the darkhorse gallop rapidly approaches. we have a new course in mind and it should be marked pretty soon. if you want to check it out drop an email to the shop and we can point you in the right direction.

dont forget that the 40 in rapidly approaching as well!

campmor series kicks off with spring cleaning!

2007-05-10T08:46:00.000-05:00

well the 2007 series got under way last weekend with blackbear cyclings race at waywayanda. man was it sweet, great course, great promoter, and a great turnout. check out their website for results and pics from the weekend.
gotta send a shout out to some team darkhorse members who reached the podium! richard and bill in the beginner class! big george himself in sport master old guys! hip hip hooray! dont let them fool ya they just wanted to finish first so they could get back to the cooler!!! cant forget mike rave who was just a few seconds off the podium in forth! an awesome weekend for the darkhorse crew!

the stewart singletrack challenge is rapidly approaching! george is wandering the singletrack at stewart to come up with an epic course for this year. we strive to keep it fresh and challenging and no doubt this year wont disappoint. we will have more info up on the darkhorse website soon and dont hesitate to contact us with questions.

prep continues on the 40! we are coming up with some great surprises for the 5th annual running!

Campmor H2H race series

2007-03-02T06:28:00.000-05:00

last year we were invited to host a race in the Campmor Hudson2Highlands race series. we had a blast to say the least. this is a fantastic series backed by Campmor and features the premier race venues in our area. everyone involved in the series really goes out of their way to promote exceptional events. professional atmospheres, top notch courses, and competitive fields make this a must do series for racers and beginners alike!
this year we will have 2 races in the series. the stewart singletrack challenge on june 3rd and the darkhorse gallop on july 8th. click here to see the full schedule on the darkhorse site.
you can also click the campmor link on the right as well to see the series schedule.
we encourage everybody to come out and support the series. lots of people work really hard all year to be able to give a little back to the racing community during the season.

Here we go again!

2007-03-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

well folks here we are again! the darkhorse 40 returns for year 5. i'm having a hard time wrapping my noggin around that. seems like just yesterday i got george all good and loose on IPA and made him sign on for this crazy ride.
so here we go. we are stepping right into the 21st century this year with our very own blog just for the 40. we will try to keep you guys updated here and post all relevant info and maybe some irrelevant stuff as well. you just never know.

so the format stays pretty much the same. once we hammer out the course i will try to get a map up in pdf format. le-mans start, 2- 20 mile laps, 3 food stops, 24 hidden preems, start line trivia for cash prizes, t-shirts, and the chicken bbq is back! we are going to split the singlespeeders into 2 classes this year, sport and expert. the field is large enough and we had a few requests. teams are back as open men, open women, and co-ed. beginner class is back as well.

if you need to get in touch feel free to email us at darkhorsecycles@frontiernet.net