Rd 6 June 20^th & 21^st Rock Run.   Well I figured it out…..Mother nature must have taken offense to the fact that we claimed the Nor’east winds because she has gone up against us with a fury at all of our events this year so far, this one the worst.  I suppose just to show us who really is in charge and not to ever think she isn’t watchin us. ("Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman" and she is no different we are finding out) However, she also must respect us because she always seems to ease up at the end and give us the sun and a rainbow.

Ol’ Glory was straight out all weekend. The winds at Rd 2 Pecometh were just a summer breeze compared to this weekend. 3:30am Saturday morning Lightning struck and thunder rolled over the mountain top to welcome us and rival our Nor’east winds. Head to Head we leaned in against it and all its driving rain. We were beat up, wet, muddy, exhausted, few tattered edges but in the end we ALL Survived this Nor’easter on the top a the mountain!

This event was a loooong ride for everyone on graduation weekend with a gloomy weather forecast so we expected to have a lower turnout then usual but 289 riders came out despite the obstacles and they were treated to 1 incredibly awesome weekend event. The course had everything. Sweeping Up hills, Rocky Down hills, rock gardens, mud, tight technical and open fast sections, off camber grass tracks and plenty of passing room. All the rain just made it that much more challenging and fun. No one can ever say any of our courses are boring or the same ol’ thing, that’s for sure. The skys we full of big dark clouds that were being pushed around by some killer winds. As the weekend progressed we saw some spots open up with bright blue sky behind the dark and by the end when everyone was leaving the mountain was waving good bye with all blue skies!

Sign ups were smooth, Every event was on Key time, scoring was flawless, no waiting for awards, everyone did their job like a pro, and we can not say enough about the Rock Run People. They worked with us as a team and communication was impeccable. This group of people are in it for the right reason so if you get a chance take the time and go to Rock Run Recreational Park for a weekend of pleasure, you won’t regret it, I guarantee it. www.rockrunrecreation.com

10:30am Saturday we ventured into unfamiliar territory. We held our very first Quad event. Only 11 were lined up but don’t let the number fool ya because it was seriously cool. We even had #2A Chris Borich & his buddy #4A Blake Kramer come out to have a little fun with us and show us just what a 4 wheeler can do when you have a pro in the seat. We thank all of our Quad guys for coming out and playing in the mud with us!

12pm 2 Tikes lined up, looked over at each other and took off down the rocky road ahead of them. After 25 minutes of tough terrain Lil’ Tenner & Lil Bernie hammered up that rocky hill to the finish, got off their bikes and shook hands! 3 years old and they already got it figured out.

1pm 12  4-8 OI youngins came bouncing down and up to the rutty, muddy, rocky, grassy starting line. If the world could see those kids out on that course, not one person would ever quit or complain again about something being to difficult for them to handle. For 1 hour they ran their race like there was no tomorrow. They loved it, they excelled at it! The top 3 mud fleas were 1st  #529 Judge Tice, 2^nd #841 Zeppy Wright and 3^rd was the cutest, toughest girl on the mountain #225 Misty "True Grit" Shaw!

3pm 47 Peewees lined up just chomping at the bit to be let loose out on that muddy course. They knew what lied ahead of them and they couldn’t wait to throw some roost! 7-9 65 was taken by #312 Sal Cusimano who was having a great battle with #20 Ryan "Lunch Box" Hall until he had some dumb luck and ended his race. 2^nd place got a good boost in points #363 Steven Green, great ride kiddo. The Thumper Class has a regular in 1^st place and he earns it each time #90 Malcolm "High Flyer" Hill, 2^nd place is proving to be good in the mud #199 Trevor Gandy. After going down on the holeshot AGAIN and taking a hit better then any man #916 Troy "Cricket" Abel worked his way back up to 3^rd. 4-8 50 also has a regular sitting in 1^st place #38 Brandon Gahm, 2^nd #136 Colby Davis kept his place in points and 3^rd for second race in a row is climbing the points ladder#185 Johnny Manera. 10-12 EL was ruled by the top 2 #250 Kyle Riggins & #284 Thomas "T" Coffin gave a great power house show of what a 4 stroke can do in the mud! 4-9 EL 1^st place has with out a doubt proven that he can ride in the mud and rocks #92 Tyler Riggins took his 1^st win on the toughest course to date. 2^nd place too had a great ride #78 Nathan Bell. Remember during all of the race events so far there was rain and strong wind gusts that these kids were going up against too not just the tough terrain. Again, we have to say how proud and in awe we are of the strength that these kids keep showing us. We will continue to give them challenges because they continue to prove that they are not afraid and will accept any before them.

5pm 40 adult pits rumbled to the starting line just laughing it up and talkin trash with their friends about who was goin down in the mud first. The top 4 overall proved to all the young bucks that age is just a number! 1^st O/A Big Slam Daddy #44 Alan Jessat, 2^nd O/A Young Buck #8 Ryan "Noodle" Klair, 3^rd o/a BSD #73 Vern "Hacksaw" Wood, 4^th o/a YB #393 Factory Phil Morshead. The entire herd of 40 did nothing but lock horns and strut their stuff. It was a GREAT race to watch. Thanks for the show. 14 youth pits were sitting and ready to take on what the big bucks just left behind for them. Top 2 Spike Bucks, as always, gave us another cool show to watch #122 Dillan Abrams & #90 Malcolm Hill battled to the end again. For the first time we had a 3 fawns on the line together 1^st #287 Emilee "Cherokee Kid" Shaw, 2^nd #111 Gillie Buck Nardelli & 3^rd #133 Kourtney Smith loved the mud!

Saturday night the wind and rain cleared just long enough to get out and bench race a bit. Kids were riding their bikes together seeing who could ride the longest wheelie and hop the curb. Not sure who won but I did see a lot of scraped knees & elbows. Armstrong & Pastrana woulda been proud! Clouds blackened the skies and the wind driven rain came back to finish what it started on the course………Sunday Morning it was still there with a layer of fog sitting on us. (not an awning or canopy in sight)

8:30am 63 Youth came to the line ready, willing and able to take on 5.3 miles of a pure grit grueling fun survival run. AA Youth winner was #504 Tanner "Wildman" Thomas and up until #8 Ryan "Noodle" Klairs chain guard busted they were goin at it like smokey & the bandit! 12-15 100 winner was #564 Robbie Civiletti, he’s having a great year of racing. 14-15 85  #91 Michael Ward took the win and the lead in points over #56 Megan Horseman who is giving those boys a run for their money. Keep those boys lookin over their shoulders girl. Now the 12-13 85 class was a very special finish because the top 3 had their best races ever starting with (which brought tears to our eyes) #23 1^st win in 5 years and he has paid his dues for it, Jake "the Snake" Butterly,  2^nd,  his best bud,  was chewing and bangin bars with ‘em the whole race and it could have gone either way #36 Chris "Flash" Gordon, AWESOME RACE GUYS, you made us so proud! 3^rd with his best finish too #195 Daniel Garver. 10-11 85 was owned by an Irish mountain man #109 Thorn "Slappy" Devlin that thought that course was just another stroll in the park, he was right at home. This was the 13-15 150s winner #488 Pierce Williams 2^nd race & 2^nd win with us. Is he here to stay? I guess we will find out! 10-11 65 winner is on a roll #122 Dillan Abrams has 6 in a row. 10-12 125 is another kiddo on a roll #289 Kevin "Army" Adams has 6 in a row. These kids have paid their dues over the years and we can’t be more proud to see them succeed in their dreams. ELW has become a real cracker jack of a class. #811 Nevena Teodosic took her 3^rd win in this class, #629 Samantha Hill taking 2^nd, the holeshot and a nasty spill on the bridge. #302 Miranda Kendrick taking her 2^nd 3^rd in a row proving that she LOVES MUD! Our youth are giving us a glimpse into the future of our main event. Geez man, are we ready for it?!

11am 56 C Riders took their positions on the line and waited for Big Chuckie to give them the count down. 1^st 2 o/a were C 4 Strokers #126 Jason Dowgiallo which keeps him in the points lead. 2^nd  o/a #762 Paul Summers, 3^rd & 1^st C Heavy #129 John shingle, 4^tho/a, 2^nd C Heavy #910 Darren Huff. 5^th o/a, 5^th win & points leader in C Light #202 Johnathan Davis. The C guys sure know how to ride in the mud! They looked liked giant mud fleas bustin up through the pines and down the hills. Do not ever get in their way because they get tunnel vision and all they see in front of them is a back fender and the flag.

1:30pm the sky started to clear off and warm up. All the plastic bags (rain gear) & sweat shirts started getting peeled off but that didn’t mean their 9 mile Mud fest, ridge run, off camber grass track, tight pine section, rock garden and hill climb loop would be easy, that just meant the spectators could enjoy the show! Only 44 main event riders came to the line, but those 44 racers were treated to thee coolest, most knarly, challenging & fun event of the year to date. Not to mention it helped quite a few get a jump in points over those that didn’t make the ride. Okay, top 5 riders to the flag were AA #356 Ryan & #5 Eric Rodgers, #459 Huff Daddy Shane Hufford (had his bell rung by a tree), #14 Matthew Dillon & #1 Kevin Bennett came down the hill tire to tire and blasted right to the flag like that. So now lets talk about another youngin in the mix that makes everyones eyes turn and burn 1^st & 6^th o/a B Heavy just moved up to from the youth at this event because he couldn’t fit on a youth bike anymore with out blowing them apart at the seams. #306 (previously 300) Kyle "the Bomber" McDonal. He too is just 14 like "Huff Daddy" & "Too Tall Tenner", we should find out what they eat for breakfast. Half of the top 15 were 17 and under or just graduating high school. Close your eyes and picture next years starting lines……WOW, incredible, huh?! Goose bumps. FYI-3 of them were 40+, score one for the old fellas!

We thank all you Dads & Grads  for spending your weekend with us. This one will go in the books for sure!

A Special thanks to the Whole Crew at Rock Run Recreation Park. You guys made our job so much easier by pulling together and working with us as a team. We will most definitely see you on our off time and NEXT YEAR!!

THANKS TO: Riders Choice, Racers Edge, Offroad Cycle, Fairway Cycle, Spectro Oils, Moto Cloth, WNYOA, Rock Run Staff, TD Photo Imaging, Water Gap Coffee Co., Flyin’ Farmers, NEOC Staff & Volunteers