Three Generations of "Hall" Mountain Bikers at the Buck Hill Race & Bike Patroling at 24 Hours of Afton

The start of the expert/pro class mountain bike race at Buck Hill, Minnesota. Jay Richards, Eric Oftedahl, Hollywood and Jeff Hall on the front line.

Team Manager Owen Hall is seen waiting for, racer dad, Jeff Hall to come cranking out of the woods.

O spied Jeff coming out of the woods.

Go Dad, go!!

O poses with yours truly "Grandpa" Hall. I raced in the first expert mountain bike race at Buck Hill back in the 1980s', some 20 years ago. That makes it 3 generations of Buck Hill racers, we have all won here, so it is always great come back.

I was talking to Jeff about when it was called Tour de Bump. They had a wooden ramp at the bottom of the hill that used to come out of the woods on the north side. Everyone was launched into the air as they hit that ramp, this was before suspension mountain bikes. We got major air, I remember the time Geno got so much air that he almost took out the banner that they had at the finish line. Heck, Channel 11 Sports was even there to shoot some sports footage of the race.

This week-end was the 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race at Afton Alps.

Weez and I signed up to bike patrol (provide first aid, we Ski Patrol at Afton Alps in the winter) at the Afton 24 Hour MTB Race, . The race was 24 hours long, we signed up for the 5:00PM - 12:00 midnight shift on Friday. It was good, only 3 injuries, minor scratches and bumps.

Afton Alps turned into a campground for all the racers, with campers and tents strewn all along the valley. After the sun went down there were campfires and grills started. There were headlamps bobbing in the darkness, it was a scene of stillness yet a constant movement of racers and people who were supporters. We also mounted the headlamps and got out to do some night riding. We rode up to the top of the resort where Red Bull had a lit-up tent, a nice fire going. We spent some time up there talking with a guy who had convinced Red Bull to be a part of the event. Everyone up there was having a great time cheering on the riders who would appear out of the darkness. The moon was out and it was a cool night, in the 60s'. It felt like an early fall night. Good Times!!

The Moon over Afton Alps at the Midnight Hour

Mt. Hood: July 08' #3

Another view of the Mt. Hood, in the clouds.

We had to go to the bandanna route with the intense sun on the snow. Our faces got sun burnt the first day on the snowboards.

The youngster boardin with the masters, Weez and I. Isaac in the white.

Carving down the mountain in July, yeah!!

The board room at Timberline Mountain Lodge. We stayed in one of the bunk rooms.

The last day in the mountains, Friday. Mountain biking and 4-wheeling on mountain jeep trails and hiking some great hiking trails. We accessed a mountain ridge east of Mt. Hood . We parked the truck on a cliff ledge and mountain biked to some switch-back hiking trails. Weez and I checked out the mountain flowers along the way. The last bike ride was climbing up a jeep trail that followed a cliff band. Then descended back down to the truck. Good times!!

There was still some snow in the deep forest, some we could ride through and some we had to hike-a-bike through.

That was it from Mt. Hood. This was our 3rd trip out here and it is always a thrill. It is the ultimate summer Adventure. With snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking and 4-wheeling on some great mountain terrain, every day was 18 hours of Good Times!!

Mount Hood 08' #2

First lift ride up at 9:00 am, coming out of the clouds.
This was the view from the top, above the clouds.

Boardin into the clouds.

Looking over a rock field into the terrain park.

Mt. Hood goes huge with their summer snowboard terrain park.

After snowboarding all morning, a lunch and a little rest. Mountain biking in the evening.

We did a 22 mile round trip ride on a part of the original Oregon trail. It was through some great, old growth forest double track. Some awesome descending, and what goes down must climb back up.

It was a full day in the mountains. Got back to the truck at dusk.

Mount Hood 08'

Mount Hood Snowboard Limo.

Descending the mountain road down from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, 9 miles, down and back up. On Monday.

EPO dopers really SUCK!!

The second EPO doper was caught in the Tour de France.

Dopers go home and don't ever come back!! If you are a doper and you show up at a race, at the World Level or Local, think about how you are cheating everybody and just go home.

I have managed Jeff Hall for many years, he has played by the rules. He has been tested many times, always negative. He has raced against the top riders in the world since 1993, at World Cup, USA National Races and 2 World Championship Races. Some riders have been caught cheating.

A local rider in Minnesota was caught a few years ago, they take money and UCI points from honest riders. That rider whined about it, sent letters to the press looking for sympathy. That rider SCREWED everybody he came into contact. Both people that were on his road teams and racers like Jeff who raced against him fair and square. I can't believe the ignorant bike teams and the ignorant press that go running back to these dopers to feel good and get their name in the press.

This is my drug rant, like it or not.

On a positive note, GOOD LUCK to Jay and Jake Richards in Vermont at the USA National Championship Races and all the other Minnesota mountain bike racers. I know it will be a lifetime memory for you all. Keep Your Heads Up!! Ride hard. Good Times!!

Up North in Minnesota... eh

Out on the roads in the morning, the ride to the river. the water is clear and running fast through the woods. This is a nice 27 mile round trip ride, to the river and back. Sometimes we continue on around the lake, Whitefish Lake, for a good 37 mile ride.

This day, I was able to grab a lunch after the morning ride and get out on a true North Woods mountain bike ride in the afternoon. It is out to a remote lake, about 6 miles from the pavement, it is a rolling 4 mile pavement ride to the dirt. About 20 miles round trip. The challenge of this ride is not the distance, rather it is the swamps and mud. The beavers have dammed up the creeks that link the swamps together. It creates thigh deep, nearly waist deep, murky swamp water sometimes 30 yards long. I can ride most of the flooded trail, the unknown is the hidden rocks under the surface. The deep water over the ATV trail keeps this trail pretty much untraveled. Good Times!! Get back to the cabin and just jump in the lake.

Wyoming in May

The new helmet protecting the new face hardware.

The view from the cockpit of the Wyoming snowscape.

Natures art.

Sidehilling in the fresh pow, making my own trail.

Sled meets tree.

30 minutes later, sled is free and tree is slightly trimmed. That is why you should carry a shovel and folding wood saw.

A sweet 60 MPH wind.The snow was deep for May 2nd.

One of the local Wyoming guys I rode with on Saturday catching some air.

12,000 foot ridge.

With the Snowy Mountains in the mirror, I was heading home on Saturday, May 2, after riding all day. This was a good Wyoming sled adventure.

I left home Wed. night , sledded Thur., Fri. and Sat.. Got home Sun morning by noon, 2100 round trip miles later. In those 4 days in the mountains there was a blizzard that dumped about 18 - 22 inches of snow with winds up to 70 MPH. Good times!!