By Michelle Stopper

It was a 1-2 punch for visitPA.com's team as they made the best of a beautiful Pa. weekend. They raced at the CAT Classic Mountain Bike Race, outside of Williamsport, on Saturday and then went south to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for Michaux Maximus, the first of the legendary Michaux Endurance Series.

At the Cat Classic, Ray Adams, Ryan Leech, Rob Lichtenwalner, Mike Hebe, Nancy Adams, and Michelle Stopper lined up on the start line, a long grassy climb designed to separate the racers before they headed into single track that would cover 98% of the course. Racing Open Pro, Ray, Ryan, and Rob were up for four laps, while Nancy and Michelle (Open Pro Women) and Mike (Expert Men) were racing three laps. The start was fast, maybe in anticipation of the looming grey skies above, but more likely due to the competition—Aaron Snyder, Kyle Hammaker, the Alesio twins, and Jane Pearson—that lined up alongside the visitPA.com team.

The course was technical, to say the least. The dreaded power line climb was replaced with more tight tracks, rocks, four bridges, rocky limbs, and descents at high speeds that required skill and confidence—finding flow on this course was more difficult than ever. The men faired well as Ray finished strong in 3rd at 3:13, just behind Aaron Snyder and Kyle Hammaker. Michelle brought in the gold in 2:50 while Nancy took the bronze, separated by Jane Pearson.

Next up on the team's itinerary was a refuel and re-pack in preparation for Michaux Maximus. The team was joined by Mike Yozell, who, along with Nancy, raced the 25-mile course. Rob and his wife Sarah decided to ride their tandem bicycle on this insanely rocky and technical course.

Ray, Ryan, Mike H., and Michelle would further test their endurance with the 50-mile race. A standing downpour the night before, combined with over 100 racers—the likes of regional stars Chris Eatough, Jeff Schalk, Cheryl Soronson, Harlan Price, and others—made for an excitingly fast start. This race also featured 6-7 miles of fresh single track that kept everyone panting.

Ray took it tough and injured his ankle here, requiring him to end early. Ryan kept the pace and ended up inside the top 10. Mike Hebe was forced to drop out due to a mechanical issue. Michelle, trying to hang onto Cheryl's blistering pace, lost sight of her early on, battled a rear flat, but kept the 2nd place finish, 25 minutes behind Cheryl's stunning finish of 5:05! Good efforts, everyone!!

Nancy Adams rode a superb race to finish strong in the 25-mile race, proving she has endurance for multi-day events. Mike Yozell had a great ride, earning 2nd place in the men's veteran category.

The Rudy Project glasses were key this weekend to keeping mud out of our eyes and preventing glare from the standing water—another reason that this team is strong and consistent through tough weather conditions.

The team will be in action this coming weekend at the M.A.S.S. endurance and XC events at French Creek State Park in Birdsboro, Pa.

Big thanks to our sponsors:

• visitPA.com
• Cannondale Bicycles
• Northwave footwear
• SRAM Bicycle Components
• Rudy Project helmets and glasses
• Northwave footwear
• Rudy Project helmets and glasses
• Cadence Cycling and Multisport Centers

Please support our charity:

• The Blue Bluterfly Fund