November Newsletter,Volume 1
Welcome to another Goldstream Sports newsletter. We missed one issue as I went to Utah to compete in the 24 Hours of Moab. More on that later. While I have been gone, Joel has expanded the store. We now have double the floor space to hold both the biking and skiing gear all in one place. We are still moving in, but come on in and see the new showroom!
We have a great ski season ahead with Team Nights, waxing clinics, parties and more. Stay tuned for upcoming events!
Feature Item - iTacx Virtual Reality Trainer
We have our newest toy in the store and we invite you to come and try it out. It is a trainer that lets you visualize your training by showing you either in real life scenery or video game graphics. The trainer makes you work harder going up hill, allows you to change gears, and even lets you know when you are off-road. With great graphics that allow you to ride in a team or against the pack, this is definitely a way to enjoy your spin training. Put in the Tour of Flanders DVD or the Pyrenees stage of the Tour de France and see real life scenery of beautiful summer days while the snow accumulates outside. Come and try it out! Photo (c) Tacx.com
Sale Item - Karhu Skis up to 50% off
Our line of Karhu skis are priced to move. Get from 30% to 50% off our back country, recreational and racing skis. We have classic and skate skis from $100. Stock is limited so come in and get great savings.
Team Night at Goldstream Sports Monday Nov 5th
Goldstream Sports will have a Team Night sale on Monday November 5th at 6pm to 9pm. If you are a member of any High School ski team, FXC, SCUM, Junior Nordics coaches or JERKS come on down to Goldstream sports and take advantage of our Team Night specials on Swix, Toko and Salomon. Refreshments will be provided.
New Salomon skis arrive
Our new Salomon skis have arrived. We have the new Equipe 10 skate and classic skis. These skis are the lightest in the industry. The new javelin tip creates a much smoother, faster glide and with an ultra light core, this ski is the best for the serious racers. We also have the new Equipe Vitane 8 classic skis. We have a full range of sizes in all styles of racing, recreational and back country ski boots for all level of skiing, and for ages from toddlers to full size kids.
Don't forget our expert service and fitting where we will fit you right the first time to help you excel in what ever discipline you choose.
Madshus skis, boots, bindings and poles now in
Joel recently made a great decision to bring in the Madshus nordic line. This equipment line is colorful, stylish and made for both recreational and serious racing skiers. Madshus boots fit a little wider than other ski boots, so they are more comfortable for those with wider feet. Come in and see the new line in back country, kids, recreational and racing skis.
Mother Nature shows her early winter spirit
Over the past 2 weeks Fairbanks was delighted to receive 8 inches of fresh, fluffy white snow. The well kept ski trails at Birch Hill had an early inundation of skiers. The report is hard and fast fast fast, with just a few patches of soft snow. If this is a preview of the season ahead, I think we are all going to be happy skiers and mushers. Check out our daily wax recommendations at www.goldstreamsports.com.
Joel waxes the ADMA symposium
Joel Buth gave a talk and demonstration at the ADMA Sled Dog Symposium at Pioneer Park on October 21. Joel's vast experience in stone grinding and waxing came into play when he fielded questions from mushers and skijorers looking the extra few seconds they need to win. Joel demonstrated waxing a ski, but quickly the questions got into technical attributes of the correct waxes to use for conditions, and specifically the use of cold powder and stone grinding. The waxing demonstration was a big hit, and hopefully Joel will continue to be a feature at the Symposium.
Goldstream Sports offers stone grinding, Thermal-bagging and waxing for skis and sled runners of all shapes and sizes. Let us help you gain those precious seconds on your opponents!
24 Hours of Moab - A journey of discovery
By Amanda Byrd
This summer I found out about the 24 Hours of Moab, an extreme mountain bike race in the Utah desert. The race is extreme because it is an epic endurance race. Extreme because it is one of the toughest courses to race. With that in mind I immediately sought out a team and signed up to race against some of the toughest riders in the world!
The motto for the race is: "The epic battle is the battle within." This was true on many fronts. The solo riders who race the course non-stop for 24 hours are battling against their mind, soul and demons. The team riders are pulling together for the greater good, each fighting their own demons. The demons for all competitors came in the same package - exhaustion, sleep deprivation, a grueling course and of course the clock. The race was to get in as many laps of the 15 mile course in 24 hours.
Our team was called DNR (Do Not Resuscitate).The team found me after I posted an ad on the race web site, and they turned out to be one of the most fun loving and supportive bunch of guys I have ever met. We were in the 5 Person Open division, this meant at least one woman had to be on the team. I would be that one woman. We set up our camp a week before the race started, roping off a plot well before the other teams arrived. We set up a large wall tent, and I raised a huge Alaskan flag so everyone from all over the campground knew where I was from. And we rode the course. Our eyes were as big as dinner plates as we rode over the slick rock, across the sand and carried our bikes down and back up Nose Dive Creek. The sand deserves mention. Rocks are hard and bumpy, the famous slick rock is not as easy as everyone makes it sound, it requires good handling ability and good momentum. But the sand! Oh Boy! I was out of my element with this stuff.
The course was tough because of the fine dusty sand. On the rare stretches that you could really hammer on the cranks and get some speed, your eyes were constantly searching for the endo-causing, fishtailing sand that would pop up in pockets along the way. Over the course of the race, the sand would compress in the high traffic areas making it easier to ride through. But add in 399 other racers on the course going for the same hard packed lines and you had a sometimes frustrating time trying to keep up momentum. That was if you were actually racing. Me, I was racing against myself. I would set my goals to finish my lap in under 2.5 hours. This may sound a long time to travel 15 miles, but trudging through deep sand for a 1/4 of the race, that took up some time. Not only was the sand difficult to ride through - up steep inclines and down windy steep declines - I got a bad case of a smoker's hack from riding through the fine dust, and my sucking air the entire time around didn't help that much.
I built a good stock of karma. I made sure to encourage everyone, even Trek's 24-hour race champion Chris Eatough, as they sped past me. I had a smile on my face even when my lights went out at night. I was laughing all the way even after taking a pretty heavy fall after a jackknifed front end in the dark. That karma came good when I had three laps without any bike mechanical problems and no serious injury. I saw people with broken chains, wheels, bike frames, helmets and blown tubes. I came through virtually unscathed, except for the bruises covering my legs from hip to ankle.
The one thing about the race that left the biggest impression on me was the sportsmanship and camaraderie. When I told the soloists that they had my full respect, they each told me the same - because I was out there racing the same grueling course they were. These guys were racing for money and sponsorship, and they had time to encourage me and tell me how great I was doing! That was an amazing sense of community. That sense was also felt in the camping area. I camp-hopped during the nights searching for the best chefs and camp fires. It was this sense of community and the challenge of the course that will see me signed up again for the toughest 24 hour mountain bike race in the world.
We ended up beating three teams in our division, and we came 238th out of 400 teams. Not a bad first showing. A big thanks goes out to Joel and the team at Goldstream Sports for encouragement and mechanical assistance before leaving for Utah, Trek for sponsorship of a jersey and socks, Wes Wagner for loaning me his light set (which would go out at mile 13 and leave me with my tiny mini Petzl headlamp), Derek Jotzat for his great efforts to locate and overnight me a huge Alaskan flag and an Alaskan jersey to show my state pride, and to SRAM for overhauling my disk brakes for free on race day.
November 2007 Event Schedule
Oct 31 |
ASPA Skate Ski Clinic | Birch Hill 6.30 |
4
|
FXC Club Race/Time Trial | Birch Hill |
12/13
|
USSA NRL Event / UAF v. UAA | Birch Hill |
14
|
ASPA Skate Ski Clinic | Birch Hill 6.30pm |
17 |
ASPA Fun Race #1 | Creamers Field 11am |
17 |
NSCF Town Series 1 | Birch Hill 6.30 |
18
|
USSA Points Race | Birch Hill 11am |
18 |
ASPA Beginner's Clinic Classroom Session | Alaska Feed |
19 |
ASPA Fun Race #1 | Creamers Field 11.30am |
24
|
NSCF Turkey Days Relay | Birch Hill 11.30am |
25
|
NSCF Turkey Days Individual. | Birch Hill |
24 |
ASPA Training Clinic #1 | Creamers Field 11am |
25 |
ASPA Fun Race #2 | Creamers Field 11.30am |
28 |
ASPA Skate Ski Clinic | Birch Hill 6.30pm |
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