12 hours of Getting Beat by a Girl.

Although I am still rolling a healthy amount of miles these days, my racing objectives for the season have mostly all been met and I am focusing more toward 2011.

Different racers have different motives for lining up at any given start line. Some may take off at the gun with the intent to decimate the entire field, some may be seeking out something from within they are not sure exists, some may simply be trying to break personal records, some may be doing it to share an experience with other people who share your passion, and some may simply just be trying to finish. I must admit, I have lined up for all of the above reasons at one point in my life.

2010’s edition of 12hrs of Addison Oaks had me lining up for a new motive, to seek out some season-end closure.

For the past few seasons my recipe for success has been pretty concise and simple; pick one audacious goal toward the end of the season and treat everyday/race leading up to it like rungs on a ladder to get to the top and everything else will fall into place. For the most part, it has been a successful equation for me. However, this past season I had set several audacious goals only to have them taken away from me before I could ever even line up.

This season the timeline went a little something like this:
1. 24 hrs of Big Bear National Championships Cancelled.
2. National 24hr Series Dissolved to one race.
3. 24 hrs of Nine Mile Cancelled
4. New Promoter picks up 24hrs of Nine Mile and it’s back on
5. New Promoter cancels 24hrs of Nine Mile again
6. Consider returning to 24hrs of Hot August Nights but opt to race 24hrs of Mohican to attempt to set the course record
7. Register for 24hrs of Mohican and began getting focused
8. 24hrs of Mohican Cancelled

Although I never did get a crack at any of my audacious goals, I did have a pretty decent season posting 8 total wins and 14 podium finishes. I can’t complain too much but as my season draws to an end; my racing satiation has been left a bit empty.

My teammate, Dana Baurhenn, had also been working on achieving her own lofty goals this season. Being naturally drawn, as well as gifted, at endurance MTB racing she also signed up to race 24 hrs of Mohican solo. We had planned to share our support crew for the event and make the trip down together to support each other as teammates. However, our ambitions were crushed when we got word that Mohican was cancelled mere weeks before the event. We were both left pleading question, “Where do we go from here”.
My loyal family support crew


There were a few local Michigan endurance events left on the calendar; 24 hrs of Hanson Hills and 12 hrs of Addison Oaks. Dana decided to take her maiden solo crack at 24hrs of Hanson Hills of which she won quite handsomely.

As Addison Oaks neared, I conjured the idea to race on a 2 person team with Dana and go for the win amongst the other non-coed teams. It seems only natural as we were both mourning the loss of the race opportunity Mohican had once presented. She agreed to the idea and we got to work planning out the logistics for race day.

All in all, the race was a complete success! We scored the WIN, did not fall victim to any mechanicals or crashes, and completed 24 laps, the same amount as the winning 4-man teams. Both Dana and I rode extremely consistent keeping most of our lap times within minutes of each other.

While neither of us were able to chase and catch our dreams this season, we were able to practice what the true meaning of “Team” means and keep each other motivated at the tail end of a season, which isn't always easy to do.

Thanks again to all my family and friends who came out to support the event!
Congrats to fellow teammate Robert Herrimen for dominating the solo category with an impressive 166miles in 23 laps!


For full results, click here.