Congrats to Survivor: Matt Klymson Santa Cruz HellRide!(new photos)

***gregg*** · 06-28-2004

Matt successfully completed the Santa Cruz HellRide this past weekend! He is the lucky winner of a brand spankin' new Santa Cruz VP-FREE!!

The ride contained 12,000 feet of elevation, and for you Nor-Cal locals, included 8 and a half loops of Soquel Demo Forest! It must have been close to 90 degrees in the sun on Saturday!

Congrats Matt! You earned it!

-g

(here's a photo of Matt, early in the ride 'cuz he's still smiling!)

jrm · 06-28-2004

i suppose they climbed out Hihn 8 times? more like death march.

Racer9 · 06-28-2004

You are one good rider Matt! Hope you had fun and congrats!

fred-da-trog · 06-28-2004

.....congrats, job well done. How'd Mark do?

Jm. · 06-28-2004

darn, I thought they were going to head up to downieville (Wier's homeland) and go up and down twice (like 10,000 vert and 50-60 miles)...

WeekendShogunWarrior · 06-28-2004

*HIGH FIVE* ... good job

YuriB · 06-28-2004

Sweet - looking forward to his post ride report or Why Wier is a Wuss

DH40 · 06-28-2004

BOO-YA!!!

Slayer77 · 06-28-2004

There is more to follow... Here are a couple tid bits... Mark used his big ring for almost the whole ride, Matt used his granny 22f 34r. Not taking anything away from Matt but Mark and Kirk Desmond were at the top of every climb for 5-15 minutes before Matt showed up! Matt was smart, he had a strategy going in... keep pedaling, don't hammer and I'll get a 5000.00 bike!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregg

Matt successfully completed the Santa Cruz HellRide this past weekend! He is the lucky winner of a brand spankin' new Santa Cruz VP-FREE!!

The ride contained 12,000 feet of elevation, and for you Nor-Cal locals, included 8 and a half loops of Soquel Demo Forest! It must have been close to 90 degrees in the sun on Saturday!

Congrats Matt! You earned it!

-g

(here's a photo of Matt, early in the ride 'cuz he's still smiling!)

Circlip · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slayer77

There is more to follow... Here are a couple tid bits... Mark used his big ring for almost the whole ride, Matt used his granny 22f 34r. Not taking anything away from Matt but Mark and Kirk Desmond were at the top of every climb for 5-15 minutes before Matt showed up! Matt was smart, he had a strategy going in... keep pedaling, don't hammer and I'll get a 5000.00 bike!!!!

I would never stoop that low! I swear it was only a 32t big cog on the back.

Awesome weekend in every respect. Huge thanks to the entire Santa Cruz and MTBR gangs who treated me like a king throughout the whole event.

MK

Racer9 · 06-28-2004

lol! Good job anyway. What was it like?

Skygrounder · 06-28-2004

Congrats! How long did the ride wind up being? I'm currently saving my pennies for my own VP-free :-D

bones · 06-28-2004

That ride rocks but 8.5 loops? OUCH.

Congrats to Matt, great accomplishment! Enjoy the new rig!

Weir in bigring the whole time? OUCH.

b.

Circlip · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racer9

lol! Good job anyway. What was it like?

Hell Ride was a blast. Mark and the gang were primo ride shepherds. We probably didn't have more than 5 minutes of riding on level ground the whole time out. It was all about elevation gain/loss. Temperatures were maybe a bit over 80 degrees. Wasn't bad in the singletrack, but felt pretty hot on some of the exposed sections of one of the climbs.

Gearing selection was pretty much as Forrest described above. The first few times up saw a lot of higher RPM's with using the 24t in the back, and 28t when required to save the legs. However, by the time the second last climb hit the Hell Ride effect really started to kick in. I was living in the smallest gear I could find, a even through in a few minutes of pushing when my legs started feeling like they might cramp up from so many revolutions on the day. I would have taken a 36t at that point if there was such a thing!

The kicker was that at the bottom of the final DH run I took a wrong turn and became separated from Mark and Kirk. Without going into detail, they ended up reversing back up the entire singletrack DH looking for me to make sure I wasn't impaled on a stump somewhere further up. If you want to find some true MTB buddies look no further than these guys.

More details to come later.

MK

P.S. Don't believe the rumours about a 15 minute gap on any of the climbs. If it was so much as a second over 14 minutes I'll give the bike back.

Fast Eddy · 06-28-2004

[waves arms] I'm not worthy...

What route? 8 runs up Suffer Springs? OMFG, I hurt just thinking about it. Did you drop off the burrito?

Prechrysler · 06-28-2004

Congratulations on both the accomplishment and the resulting prize. Especially the resulting prize

.

JimC. · 06-28-2004

it's a bash ring right?

Well done Matt. Bring the new ride home so we can all try it out on the 'shore

Jim

Circlip · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fast Eddy

[waves arms] I'm not worthy...

What route? 8 runs up Suffer Springs? OMFG, I hurt just thinking about it. Did you drop off the burrito?

After pounding out that much pedaling I should know the place as well as the locals, but I think oxygen deprivation was inhibiting my ability to make any good mental notes. The bulk of the climbing consisted of 3.5x up Sulphur, 2x up Tractor, 2x up Hihn/Highland Way, and a bunch of miscellaneous climbing thrown in for good measure while we were navigating between loops.

The additional punishment Mark and Kirk went in for after we got separated was an entire extra climb of Tractor, while I merrily scooted all the way down to Badger Springs before realizing I'd missed the turn off the bottom of Tractor.

I'm not sure what you're referring to with dropping off the burrito, but ya, I spent most of the ride feeling like that was going to happen every time I opened my mouth. If you mean some kind of hucking, then no I didn't drop off the burrito ("risk management" was an important concept for me during this ride), never mind that I probably don't possess the skills to do so - yet!

Mike T. · 06-28-2004

Way to go Matt. Congrats!

But now let's get back to the important stuff - talking about TDF contenders. How about that Millar eh? Was Lance faking on Ventoux?

farniman · 06-28-2004

Well done Matt,

You did the team proud!

You better have a quick release on the seat post, it is going to be moving quite a bit with all the guys who want to take it for a ride!

You took on the pros on their own turf and walked away with a new bike...not too shabby.

Slayer77 · 06-28-2004

So Matt.... How did it go with the Hotel Lady? Did she pay you a visit in the middle of the night? Get your F-ing new bike out of my Rooms!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by farniman

Well done Matt,

You did the team proud!

You better have a quick release on the seat post, it is going to be moving quite a bit with all the guys who want to take it for a ride!

You took on the pros on their own turf and walked away with a new bike...not too shabby.

laotsu42 · 06-28-2004

awsome ...

what a ride ...

way to go ...congrats on the bike and the finish ...

singletrack · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circlip

Hell Ride was a blast. Mark and the gang were primo ride shepherds. We probably didn't have more than 5 minutes of riding on level ground the whole time out. It was all about elevation gain/loss. Temperatures were maybe a bit over 80 degrees. Wasn't bad in the singletrack, but felt pretty hot on some of the exposed sections of one of the climbs.

So, did they give you the walker anyway? I mean, what the hell is SC gonna do with a red powdercoated walker anyhow?

I wish I had a walker, it'd be like sitting when I was standing up. People would open doors for me, and I could park in handicapped spots and no one would say anything. I'd say its pretty much a toss up between a walker and a helper monkey.

Oh yeah, good job on the ride and such.

george_da_trog · 06-28-2004

So how does the bike ride?

george

kitchenware · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by george_da_trog

So how does the bike ride?

george

Ditto...

What is the wait time on one of those frames? Anyone...

Circlip · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slayer77

So Matt.... How did it go with the Hotel Lady? Did she pay you a visit in the middle of the night? Get your F-ing new bike out of my Rooms!!!!

Actually Forrest, she did come by for a visit and we got it all straightened out. The 2 of you just got off to a bad start. In the end, it turns out that she thought you were a huge stud, and wants you to shack up with her as her new boy toy. I have never been one to stand in the way of a blossoming romance between soulmates, so I put on my best match maker face and gave her your home phone number. Best wishes to both of you as you gracefully age through the decades, basking in the warmth of your newfound companionship.

Ventanarama · 06-28-2004

YEAH!!!! Way to go Matt, congrats. Sounds like one brutal ride, I'm impressed. I'm sure the thought of a free bike was enough motivation to ease the suffering a bit eh? That's one hell of a reward.
Larry Mettler
http://www.mtnhighcyclery.com

Skygrounder · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitchenware

Ditto...

What is the wait time on one of those frames? Anyone...

The Bike Company (thebikeco.com) in Lake Forest CA told me 3-4 weeks. So far they're the only place I've asked though.

Circlip · 06-28-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by george_da_trog

So how does the bike ride?

george

...but if it were, I'd have to say that it's one sweet piece of hardware. So good in fact, that it almost made me look like a reasonably capable rider. Not quite, but almost! The up 'n' down versatility of the VP-Free makes at least one, and maybe 2 of my current bikes redundant.

DH40 · 06-29-2004

Congrats for stepping into the spotlight and surviving with good spirits intact!

Now, what kind of marketing will you be involved with? Did you sign away rights to all images of you during the ride? Will SC be putting you in any media/ads?

Did they give you any other swag? Where did they put you up in SC?....DETAILS, PLS!

AND OF COURSE....CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blue Shorts · 06-29-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circlip

After pounding out that much pedaling I should know the place as well as the locals, but I think oxygen deprivation was inhibiting my ability to make any good mental notes. The bulk of the climbing consisted of 3.5x up Sulphur, 2x up Tractor, 2x up Hihn/Highland Way, and a bunch of miscellaneous climbing thrown in for good measure while we were navigating between loops.

The additional punishment Mark and Kirk went in for after we got separated was an entire extra climb of Tractor, while I merrily scooted all the way down to Badger Springs before realizing I'd missed the turn off the bottom of Tractor.

I'm not sure what you're referring to with dropping off the burrito, but ya, I spent most of the ride feeling like that was going to happen every time I opened my mouth. If you mean some kind of hucking, then no I didn't drop off the burrito ("risk management" was an important concept for me during this ride), never mind that I probably don't possess the skills to do so - yet!

OMG....what a brutal ride!!! Congratulations.....WOW. I'm happy if I can do 3 loops. Over 8 loops is outrageous......and on a pig of a bike. impressive.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***gregg*** · 06-29-2004

Got some pics to add to this ride write-up! All pics by forrest@mtbr on his new Canon 1D Mark II.

Here's a shot of Matt before the ride. Still clean, and smilin' huge!

Norba XC stud, Team WTB Pro Rider Mark Weir, with his Race Face on!

Mark showin' Matt the line through Demo Forest.

Matt follows Mark. Lean 'er in there Matt!

Matt showing that he's too fast for Forrest's new camera. "It's not about the camera."

One happy Winner! Mark shows his Lust and Passion for his new ride at the successful competion of the Santa Cruz Hell Ride!!

AlanB · 06-29-2004

Or was the Trans AM red chosen for you.

Great riding, Matt. Just think how small Burnaby Mountain will look after this.

Alan

Circlip · 06-30-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by DH40

Now, what kind of marketing will you be involved with? Did you sign away rights to all images of you during the ride? Will SC be putting you in any media/ads?

A very intelligent question. However, I'm just Joe Average who was brought in to try to turn the cranks for one ride. As far as I'm concerned SC can splash the pics over any marketing purpose they want. With the trip, the 1st class hospitality, and of course the bike(!) I've been "compensated" extremely generously already by SC. Besides, anything more might be construed as almost being paid to ride, and I can't hack that since I swore that I would never shave my legs unless I was paid to ride a bike. There's not much fear of that happening, so my legs will remain off limits from the razor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DH40

Did they give you any other swag? Where did they put you up in SC?....DETAILS, PLS!

I was chauffeured around V.I.P. style so I can't even give you street or hotel names. You know they had me in a nice joint though when one of the other guests had his Lamborghini parked safely in front of the office window under a slipcover both nights I was there! I really admire Rob Roskopp for shuttling me around personally all weekend and making sure everything came off smoothly. He could have just as easily handed the task off to some of the other SC employees, but instead he chose to hang in with everything hands on, despite having just returned from a very busy trip himself.

There were tires and saddles being pitched around courtesy of Mark Weir and WTB, a bunch of stylin' SC togs, and this unreal all-day hydration pack (you'd have to see it to understand what could be so cool about a pack - trust me). I brought home the walker too, amid some strange questions from the customs officials at the border, but that's another story unto itself. I'm sure you'll see pics later.

MK

singletrack · 06-30-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circlip

I brought home the walker too, amid some strange questions from the customs officials at the border, but that's another story unto itself. I'm sure you'll see pics later.

YEAH!! I knew it. In 10 years, when the bike is totally obsolete (its gonna happen) you'll still have that walker. Cool.

CDMC · 06-30-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circlip

However, I'm just Joe Average who was brought in to try to turn the cranks for one ride.
MK

I think you seriously under estimate yourself. Even on my best day, I don't dream for a minute that I would have survived that ride. You should take a moment and pat yourself on the back, you were riding with two topnotch pro riders and survived in great shape.

Kudo's to Santa Cruz for putting on such a prize/promo event.

**CraigH** · 07-05-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circlip

The up 'n' down versatility of the VP-Free makes at least one, and maybe 2 of my current bikes redundant.

So which of the fleet are you selling now?

**CraigH** · 07-05-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregg

What time in the morning did you guys start the ride? Was it still dark?

Circlip · 07-05-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigH

So which of the fleet are you selling now?

Obviously the VP-Free is a keeper, not only 'cause it's a great bike but also due to the manner in which I came across it! I'll post some pics when it arrives.

Craig, you can surely figure out the rest from there about what bike is on the out. I'd love to keep the other one so that I've got a spare hanging around as a guest bike for out-of-town visitors, but I don't think that makes a whole lot of sense. Perhaps funds will be converted into the educational savings accounts of the littl'uns. In solemn respect for MTBR's Classified section I can say no more.

Circlip · 07-05-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigH

What time in the morning did you guys start the ride? Was it still dark?

We arrived a little before 8am, and horsed around for a while before heading out at about 8:50am. It wasn't as dark as this shot makes it out to be, but the sun was still pretty low so we weren't getting too many rays through the trees. It was a little chilly to start (see arm/leg warmers on dude behind me) and I spent the first few minutes thinking I was some kind of silly California newb for only bringing short sleeve & shorts, but that was solved in short order once we started to climb. It was hot enough towards the end of the ride that I would have been riding buck naked if I wasn't worried about someone snapping a pic when I wasn't expecting it

Not to mention that also would have yielded a few decades of hoax sasquatch stories so I decided not to do too much peeling.

**CraigH** · 09-11-2004

Broken pic links in Gregg's post fixed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregg

Norba XC stud, Team WTB Pro Rider Mark Weir, with his Race Face on!

Mark showin' Matt the line through Demo Forest.

Matt follows Mark. Lean 'er in there Matt!

Matt showing that he's too fast for Forrest's new camera. "It's not about the camera."

One happy Winner! Mark shows his Lust and Passion for his new ride at the successful competion of the Santa Cruz Hell Ride!!

**CraigH** · 09-11-2004

Report on SC's site:

http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/new...hp?NewsID=0040

Duncan! · 09-11-2004

Groovy, how this new MTBR.com format results in TAF (Thread Acid Flashbacks). D.

**CraigH** · 06-12-2005

Since the contest is on again this year, I figured people might like to read the report & see pics from last year.

McGRP01 · 06-12-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigH

Since the contest is on again this year, I figured people might like to read the report & see pics from last year.

Thanks Craig! Just signed up!

kawboy8 · 06-12-2005

I hope Santa Cruz likes the name "Matt"...cuz I want to be there this year. Nice job on the ride Man.
Matt