West Texas MTB Championship Finale: M.L.K. Park Nov. 17,2002/ by J.R. Carrillo

Fellow bikers, while in Lubbock during the fall why not try to match up a Tech football game for the family and if it so happens that there is a bike race that weekend - heck you got it made. It just so happened that the West Texas Championship Series Finale was taking place at the Martin Luther King Park Trails where I got 4th place and just 3 seconds behind the 3rd place spot. The winds, my last bit of energy and a 3rd place rider about 100 yards ahead was just right for me to take this final stretch of trail that offered the opportunity.

Anyway, two laps at about 10 miles each was enough of a technicality for me. The pre-ride made me feel that maybe I should ride with the beginners because of my zero experience on this trail - I'm glad I didn't under estimate myself. It was different to me because it wound and round so much that it was frustrating to me at first because I'm accustomed to wide open spaces. On this one you could see an opponent on a different part of the trail at about 10 yards away when he's actually 100 yards behind on some part of the wound of the trail. It was like a maze of technical artwork that never cris-crosses which made efficient use of the park and its access by adding a series of bridges. After a fast paced first lap you gain the trails gravity and various sizes of wounds, slowdowns and speedups, checking your balance and patience, and a feel that your opponents will catchup but they're not because they're going through the same trail features. The trails twists combined a challenging series of short descents to ascents and overall requires a pre-ride feel of their flow and momentum. RESULTS-MLK

X-Bar MTB Shootout 2002 Sept. 15, 2002 by J.R. Carrillo

Darned difficult to accept that I did not get to ride the trail under dry conditions and that I had to "DNF" along with half of the sport category. This was mainly due to the over night rains that muddied up the trail. The fresh, moist mud during the morning start of the sport categories clung quickly to tires and quickly clumped upon brake calipers, and when moist, mud infested tires met mud painted rocks in the many challenging variations that the trail had to offer...well traction was out the window and dabbing and hike-a-bike was in full swing for about the first five miles or so. Aside from shared common experiences I saw many riders pulled over wrestling with mud, one rider had his rear derailleur bent across the tire spokes and sticking out the opposite side, unusual to imagine how...but I think he kicked it in anger or in desperation to clear the condition. That's more or less when I realized a common condition and concern for each other along with simply moving forward for the challenge ahead, with an occasional status check on someone pulled over. Like sharing common cus words when the pedal would smack the shin, calf or ankle, or like when one rider behind me overheard me slip and fall when intiating a turn on a mud slick, flat rock bed and thanked me for the warning, even though it was not the way I would had liked to warn someone. Anyway I'm anxious to ride the trail under normal conditions next year.

Chainbreaker 2002 August 14, 2002/ by Juan R. Carrillo

As usual I decided to overchallenge myself by taking on the expert category. I proved well with a time of 2:03:30 at the Buffalo Springs annual Chainbreaker mtb race just east of Lubbock, Texas. The trail had a nice, extensive single track ridge trail and view of Buffalo Lake. But don't enjoy the view, not even for a second, while riding the trail lest you go off the cliff.. It had some good passing head to head opportunities at the start and middle of the trail, some challenging head shock features, rattling short descents, a few twisty slow down "turn and go" type features, one huge rattle snake roaming the trail and four laps of the latter at 6 miles each made it fun and challenging. I would like to conclude by saying that I could have had the 4th place spot if it weren't for having dropped my water bottle during the 2nd lap and then picked it up on the 4th (I was thirsty...and yes I'm getting a HydraPak) and a mesquite branch that lodged in my rear spokes and cassette on the 3rd lap which allowed two riders to pass as I undid the branch#?@!...honestly-really! Before the start of my expert category, one guy who had just finished the beginners race said to me that he would have come in earlier if it weren't for a flat...I guess were all in a hurry to justify and tell anyone the reason why we came in where we did!? See ya'll next year! RESULTS-BUFFALO SPRINGS CHAIN BREAKER

Lajitas Desert Challenge 2002 Feb. 23, 2002/By J.R. Carrillo

In last years Challenge(see write up below), it looks like the saddle held up but I didn't. This year I ventured to prove performance, not just of my seat but as a personal venture that I can and will continue to keep up with the tough competitors the Desert Challenge rounds up. Participating in the Sport 35 to 39 category, I took on 60 riders, 10 of which were top ranked in Texas, and placed 33rd with a time of 2 hours 32 minutes. The course offered a fantastic combination of single track features of ups, downs and curving turns, elements of sand and deep talcum type dust traps to rock climbs and headshock drops, extensive creek bed runs-cool, rough jeep trail, hardened caliche that will rattle your jaws and any hardtail, a long, steep mine trail climb combining smooth road to jeep trail, a fast and extended gradual descent...! Wow! I'd like to note that my grandfather worked in these mines in the early 1900's, my sweat on this ride was but a drop of his labors here and of whom had just died during the summer. This ride was for him, and during which I'd invoke his strength in Christ. It is not just a physical challenge, it is a spiritual one as well. The trail was all in a safe and calculated fashion perfect for any sport and expert rider and not with ridiculous danger areas that can put weekend fun and hard physical preparation in the hospital. This 32 mile loop is a fluid draining, desert bitch, and for a beginner it feels like you will never make it home, but if you do you will have learned a lesson in hydration, physical endurance and other preparations fear shall instill. For unbiased reporting of results go to the Texas Mountain Bike Racers Association web site.

Inventor's Testimony On The Durability of the Saddle Feb. 21, 2001/ By Juan R. Carrillo/ See Tour Of the Gila Below
On a some what brisk Sunday morning, February the 18, I set out to attend the Chihuahuan Desert Challenge, a N.O.R.B.A. sanctioned "Classic" Mountain Bike race. It consisted of a 31 mile course of a grueling off road experience. Leaving me with no doubts about my seats durability. I knew 31 miles of off road trails could prove to you, the customer, and myself that this hand made seat can withstand a punishing course and that it truly is a reliable product. What an under statement, for I was not fully aware of what was ahead of me.

While at the starting line, I made some critical observations of the bikes that I was up against and where I stood. For instance, I was the only one with a retail/variety human energy guzzler for a bike, I realized that most everybody - OK! - everybody, did not have a kick stand, the only one without front or rear suspension and one of the few without a fancy lycra type outfit. But on the bright side, I was the only one with a patented, prototype saddle. Oh well, I was not there to beat anyone but to prove that my seat will hold out.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "eat my dust", well I did at the start, as approximately 70 riders took off on what was an average size road that funneled us through to a small single lane trail, well that was the beginning of hell on earth. About two miles out, I took a fall into some dirt and rock right before entering a creek bed. I attributed that to my desire to keep up with the pace but my bikes rigid frame against a sudden dip at a pace meant for suspension bikes; this slowed me down significantly on many off road features. The bulk of the 35 to 40 Sport Master Men group had passed by the time I joined in with a few lagging bikers. Then the creek that followed was like riding a bike in a foot deep of gravel for about half a mile. I heard some guy behind me say "what is this" and before I knew it he was not there any more, I thought about joining him, but instead I set out to finish with this seat intact.

Throughout the entire course, about 90 percent of the trail did not let fifty yards go by without any relief from my rigid frame's rattling through all the twisting and turning ups and downs, sudden drops and dismount worthy climbs that were layed out throughout the course. I at times wondered if some of this trail was man made but it was purely God made and man just picked a path along God's parched earth. I finished having no doubts about my seats performance, the least of my wants and desires at that time, more like water and a cold beer, fruit and anything I could dig out of that damn ice chest. I was physically fit but not entirely pre-conditioned and equiped for this type of awsome trail riding.

Saddle Checks Out In Two Extremes: From Off Road to This Road Monster Climb May 14, 2001/ By Juan R. Carrillo

The scenic beauty and mountainous environment of the Gila National Forest - can be deceiving! It all depends on what form of transportation you choose, a motorized family outing at the Gila, or on a bicycle, turning it into a Tour of the Gila - the "Monster", known as such ffor its 66 to 100 mile courses and, get this, 3,000 feet of elevational climbing. Well thanks to a race consisting of a 31 mile course and 2,000 feet of elevational climbing conducted by Gila Bike & Hike called the Citizens Criterium, I was able to experience two-thirds of the infamous climbs.

The initial 18 mile stretch consisted of generally moderate to medium and/or of short duration climbs, curvey stretches with small ups and downs and one noteworthy twisting descent. Well up to this point I was in third place with the second place competitor within view, thinking we were - gradually - building up to 2,000 feet. Dah!? All of a sudden the monster hit, and I found myself on a grueling climb 30 times more than any so called harsh climb, and what I trained on, back home. Two thirds of the way up came another noteworthy and long descent, which tamed the growling climb with a breezy, fast bite. Aside from the peaceful beauty of the forest, a sign saying "2 miles to finish" felt like I had taken a final bite at the growling beast.

Some people go hunting on weekends, others bring old cars back to life, some take up television and whatever other hobbies...yes some take up biking even up a huge mountain. What does all this have to do with my saddle? Well, at the finish a nice gentleman from Twin Sisters: Cycling and Fitness store in Silver City asked me how the saddle had performed for me, I pointed to a conventional seat and I said, I will not ride on one of those, and that I would not be here if it weren't for my saddle.