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Mutual of Enumclaw Mens Cat 4/5 and Masters C
21-22 May 2005
Report by: J. Juelis
A herd of bunnies ventured down for the 2005 Mutual of Enumclaw. The weather was less than friendly for
the race, but the bunnies mostly battled through. Once again the bunnies displayed their willingness to
ride hard, have fun, and share their bunny love. Despite some crazy weather for most of the weekend,
Brendan Sharpe powered his way to 11th place in the GC for the weekend; while Wilbur Kelly big ringed
it to a 10th place overall finish in the Masters C category. While many bunnies entered MoE, only a
few survived the weekend.
The bunnies had the dubious honor of sending the very first rider of the weekend off at 8am for the time
trial. Adam Brossard rolled in from P-town, had the team mechanics work on his TT rig and rolled off to
the start sans warm-up. While Adam doesn’t recommend this approach to most folks, it does keep us
wondering about the power of his vegan ways. The rain held off, a nice headwind/crosswind greeted riders
on the TT course. During the first stage, bunnies kept a consistent presence on the roads of Enumclaw
as well as the GC standings as riders readied for the late afternoon criterium. Brendan was the highest
placed bunny in the 4/5 race, finishing 19th. Wilbur drove home the fastest Master C/D time, finishing
8th. Despite the Ulness designed helmet prototype, Derik was the next highest bunny clocking a time
that earned him 24th.
The afternoon break brought out the best in the bunnies as the tent filled with food, good stories, and
a few quick naps. The warm-ups ended and the rain came down as the Cat 4/5 race took to the 8 turns of
the downtown course. BMan and Adam worked the course and spread the love amongst the puddles with BMan
finishing 9th. The rain came down harder as the Master C/D got underway. Bunnies held strong positions
in the main group, but as a break went off the front after turn 2, only Derik made the split to finish
with the main pack The rest of the bunnies were left chasing but held good form throughout to qualify
for Sunday’s road race.
Although details are sketchy, many of the Bunnies headed to a sleepover hosted by DMart’s
unsuspecting sisters. Good food and some much needed rest were the big priorities as the Bunnies tucked
in for the evening.
Sketchy weather rolled in for the road race, but some bunnies were struck down with illness or alleged
responsibilities. The remaining Bunnies readied themselves for the inevitable three trips up Mud Mountain.
The 4/5 race ended with BMan placing 6th to solidify his 11th place overall standing. A ‘mystery’ bunny
appeared in the race to aid those in distress, saving the day for many on Mud Mountain. The race was
marred by Adam’s run in with Doug’s back wheel on the way back into town—Adam’s bike was fine.
The C/D race began with the bunnies holding strong as the mountain approached. As usual, the race broke
apart on the first steep section and only Wil held his ground with the lead pack. The rest of the bunny
boys worked their way to the top and began a long chase back on to the group. Back together in time
for another go at the ups, the pack once again blew apart at the base of Mud Mountain. Looking up to
see who was responsible for putting the hurt on the field, we weren’t surprised to see the race leaders
were being Wilbur-ized. The group was never the same. Wilbur solidified his 10th place overall with
a strong 10th place showing in the road race.
Regardless of placing, for Joe Bar Racing the weekend was really all about basking in the bunny love.
Within the various races bunnies flocked together to share in the work, aid those in distress, or provide
a running narrative of the goings-on within the field. Before and after the races, the Bunny tent was a
good place to be reminded that placing high on the GC is cool, but hanging out with your friends is the
reason most of us ride for Joe Bar Racing.
Results:
Cat 4/5 Overall
Brendan Sharpe 11th
Adam Brossard 53rd
Masters C Overall
Wilbur Kelly 10th
Derik Andreoli 24th
David Martos 26th
Shawn Larson 27th
J Juelis 33rd
Pictures
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