Mountain Bike Monday - The Cranky Monkey

Dynamo and Mariooochee participated in the Cranky Monkey 12 hour race at Quantico Marine Corps Base on Saturday! They were team "Dynamo and the Penguin". How creative huh? They went up Friday night and got their tent all set up. Our friends, Clay and Brett, were on another team! And, our other friends, Dave and John were on another!

Here they are at the start all together!



Bright and early on Saturday they began their 12 hour long team competition. The plan was to do alternating laps with Dynamo starting! You have until 7 p.m. to start your final lap (12 hour race = 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.). The goal is to complete as many laps as you can. This was a single track mountain bike race. The loops were a little over 9 miles each.

When Charlie and I arrived, Dynamo had completed his third lap and was waiting his turn to ride again!



The good part about the two-man team is that while one is riding the other is resting! So, Charlie and his dad rested!



But, not for long as it was time to ride again. The switch-off...



Marioochee out and Dynamo in...



There's a smile...



And, here he comes at the end of his lap...





Mountain biking isn't the best spectator sport. You either get a glimpse at the beginning or at the end. Sometimes there are spots along the way to see, but not much!



I got to catch him at the end of the lap coming into the transition area.



It was a pretty warm day on Saturday...



Back at the tent, we visited with Rachel and Clay...



And, Charlie visited with Abigail...



When it was time, we headed to the finish to wait for Marioochee...





Then, a team pic...



Then, we waited for Brett...





And, their team shot (can you tell they are brothers?)...



And, then an after shot of the guys...



It was a fun time with friends! I'm always so proud of my Dynamo (and all the guys) for how hard they work. Even if they don't always win, they work so hard and give it all they've got. It is pretty darn hard to go out and ride like that. Great ride, hun! And, congrats to all the guys for a job well done! You are all winners!

Mountain Bike Monday - 12 Hours of Cranky Monkey

On Saturday, Dynamo and Mariooochee participated in a team race called 12 Hours of Cranky Monkey at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, VA. The guys drove up early on Saturday morning to begin the race at 8 a.m. Their plan was to take turns riding each lap. Dynamo was to start out. The race course was a little over 9 miles.

Marioochee's girlfriend, Elise, and I arrived around 4:30 p.m. and when we drove up there were tents everywhere!



Our guys' tent is the 2nd one on the left in this next picture.



As soon as we got there Dynamo was coming in from one of his laps...



In the team relay while one rider is riding the course the other is waiting and resting. When the first rider comes in the other one must be ready to take the "baton" (in this case it was a timing chip they wore around their neck) and roll on!

Dynamo and Marioochee were a great team! They worked so hard all day long!

Here's a pic of Dynamo passing the necklace to Marioochee...



And, Marioochee waiting for the chip...





Dynamo looks pretty good coming out of the transition area...



He had some repair work to do on his handlebars after a minor incident...



We waited back at the tent for Marioochee. Dynamo munched on sweet potato chips...



Elise was so kind to share her scones from Panera...



Clearly we relaxed and laughed while the guys worked their butts off! I do consider us good spectators! We are an excellent support crew good at pushing food, water, cheering, and taking photos!

Dynamo went out for his last lap and we patiently waited. Marioochee got the report that if Dynamo passed certain riders then there was a chance they could finish in 5th place in their class.

So, we waited to see Dynamo come down the final stretch of the course. When we saw him we were thrilled.



And, so was he (even though you can't tell here - he just finished after riding a total of over 50 miles and a long 12 hour day of riding and waiting)...



After they found out they had indeed placed 5th they were chatting about the course and the events of the day.



Elise took our picture while waiting...



We waited for the awards ceremony where the guys took the podeum for their 5th place finish! Dynamo completed 5 laps and Marioochee completed 4 laps for a grand total of 9 laps in 11 hours 18 minutes 16 seconds. Rock on!! It was a long day, but worth it for the glass mug!!

Here are the stars...



Overall, they finished 84 out of 188! Great job, guys!!

To see the results by class click here.

To see the overall results click here.