CASEY GARRISON South Korea - Warrior's gathered outside Carey Fitness Center Aug. 8 for Warrior Country's first Mountain Bike Race. Many are veteran triathlon and biathlon athletes and were familiar with the 7 kilometer race track laid out by Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation sports specialists.
The quickest time was brought by Master Division (ages 30 to 39) competitor Jason Hester, crossing the finish line with a time of 8:08:00, only 3 seconds from Clifton Mangiola placing 2 with a time of 8:11:00 also in the Master Division. Placing 3, Richard Gash, with a time of 8:15:00, 4, Edward Bowers, with a time of 8:50:00, 5, Jamie Tillman with a time of 9:33:00, and 6, David Meyer, with a time of 10:40:00.
Times in the Open Division (ages 29 and younger) were not as fast, but still impressive. Michael Toney crossed the finish line first with a time of 8:25:00, Daniel McLeod 2, with a time of 9:39:00, and Samir Talbi, 3, with a time of 11:28:00.
For the Senior Division (ages 40 and older) Patrick Walsh crossed the finish line 1 with a time of 9:02:00, John Smith 2, with a time of 12:40:00.
A 7 kilometer mountain bike race is a short one for triathlon and biathlon athletes such as Jason Hester, but strategy sometimes has much to do with winning.
"My plan was to draft the lead guys on the first kilometer," Hester said. "Once we hit the dirt portion of the track, I moved up."
Hester says he got lucky because Gash, placing 3 at the finish, was leading when his bicycle chain came off.
"Operator error was the main reason my chain came off," Gash said when asked how he led the way then suddenly fell back to finish 3. "I kicked it too hard going down the hill."
"I didn't really have a tactic," said Cliffton Mangiola, about his finishing 2. "I just came to have fun. I drafted behind the leaders most of the way."
Mangiola passed Gash when Gash's chain derailed.
All competitors agreed the course was too short and they would like to see the course, at least, doubled for the next race.
"I think the race was a little too short," said Patrick Walsh, 1 in the Senior Division. "Being only 7 kilometers allowed the racers out front to coast in at the end. Next year we will add another off road section to make the total length of the race 20 kilometers."
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