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Sunday, May 20, 2012 -- Marietta, OH / Wayne National Forest
The Wayne Ultra - WVMBA Ultra #2 (iPO Event Id#: 13928)

2012: [Details] [Coverage] [Photos] [Overall Results] [Results by Class]

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Five Years Strong

Story by Ryan Smith with photos by Alicia Mathers.

Wayne Ultra photo
Wayne Ultra photo by Alicia Mathers
In it's 5th year The Wayne Ultra has reached maturity and set the bar for what a mountain bike race should be: Great trails with a variety of terrain, allowing every rider to be in and out of their element at some point. Tasty, hard-earned food for re-fueling after the race. A plush venue with shade, camping, showers and the beautiful Ohio River as the back drop. Finally, sweet shirts, $4,000 in cash and a ton of cool prizes if the latter wasn't enough.

Race day came with amazing weather and trail conditions that were second to none. The 110 rider field made for an impressive start and even more impressive was the fact that 81 of those brave souls had chosen to face the full 40 mile XXC course. A lead group of about 15 riders broke away and set a blistering pace up the first climb.

After facing the first 10 miles of trail the lead group remained close, but showed signs of scattering. By check point 3, just a few racers remained in the front. Steve Twining, Chip Meek and Andy Gorski dueled to the finish but, in the end it was Gorski who dug deep and walked away with the overall victory finishing with a time of 3:46:52.

Wayne Ultra photo
Wayne Ultra photo by Alicia Mathers
In the Woman's XXC it was Betsy Shogren who powered through with a time of 4:36:24 to take the win with an impressive 24th overall finish.

Andrew Forron claimed the Single Speed win and Donald Clampanelli lead the pack in the Masters category.

Thirty-one riders took on the 19 mile XC race with Derek Bissett first overall in the Men's and Jessica Emerick dominating the woman's category.

The RVMBA and it's dedicated members take great pride in our local trail systems and love nothing more than to share them with others. We are always stoked to see smiles all around, even after cranking out 40 miles.

That being said, THANK YOU sooo much to everyone that came out and made 2012 a great success for The Wayne Ultra.

Additionally, the River Valley Mountain Bike Association (RVMBA) had several stand-out volunteers that deserve a round of applause. Rich Holmes, Bill Lane, Jeff Myers and Drew Smithberger, without your commitment to trail stewardship and mountain biking in the Mid-Ohio Valley none of this would be possible. So many, not mentioned here, have contributed greatly to the effort and I humbly tip my hat to you all.

Part of the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) ULTRA Points Series. WVMBA supports the efforts of The International Mountain Biking Association and encourages all riders to adhere to the rules of the trail. Visit them at: www.wvmba.com

Happy trails and see ya next year in Wayne!

Visit Wayne National Forest

Wanna ride in Wayne or just visit? There's lots to do there! Find out more about the Wayne National Forest and all it has to offer at: www.fs.usda.gov/wayne


    * NEXT WVMBA ULTRA - Points Series Event *

    Massanutten Hoo-Ha! - WVMBA Ultra #3 ... Sunday, June 10, 2012

    FREE primitive camping is available on Saturday night. Massanutten is a 4-season resort, for lodging info. call (540) 289-4952. Camping is available on the western slope. Many hotels are available in Harrisonburg alongside highway 33.

    Don't miss the Downhill Races: Super D, Short Track, and Kids Short Track on Saturday, June 9!