The RACE FACE. The most important part of any competitive adventure. What is your RACE FACE? This idea for the RACE FACE entry started with the ‘upgrade’ to my ride – the Black Sheep Highlight.

I had 180 cranks installed in the early days, then due to a minor ‘issue’ I was forced to go to Shimano XTs – 175s. I’m one raging geek and I couldn’t deal with the 175 mm vs. 180 mm crank issue. Some people claim 175s allow for improved acceleration. But I’m a believer in “TORQUE”. So, maybe some day I’ll work on the mechanics of crank length and the single speed experience. But until then, believe me – 180s are the solution. End of Story.

If you don’t believe me, research mechanics of cranks, lever arms, shafts, pistons, gears, etc. Write me a report. For fun, review the Coriolis Equation, Centripetal Acceleration (Ok, go for Centripetal Force – BFD!) Centrifugal Force, Angular Acceleration, and the list goes on. Cool Stuff! Easy Shit. Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering is easy stuff. Life gets hard once one migrates to Electrical Engineering and the “Oh no, I can visualize this crap” excuse comes into play. Visualize? Yeah right, that is what MATLAB is for. Right?

Back to Reality….

So, RACE FACE means so much more to the world of Back of the Pack Racing. Let’s start with info from the 24 Hours of Moab. Check out the RACE FACE displayed in the Mountain Flyer Mag – end of the article. Yep that’s me.

Check out the video. Scan to 1:30, you won’t see the RACE FACE, but you will see the Brothers Rohwer and the RACE FACE in action, but from behind. Nice – is that in slow motion? Must be. But probably isn’t.

Now, lets review all the RACE FACE(s) of Back of the Pack Racing.

This is “The Judd” kickin’ it at the pad. Yep, I wake up ever day looking like this.

This is the Brothers Rohwer, hanging at 10,400 ft – Sandia Peak. CRAP! Is Tedd really that scary. Well, it’s worse in person. Believe me. The devil himself is scared of TEDD!

This is the Brothers Rohwer at the 24 Hours of Fury. Yes, we ride at night.

This is The Judd hanging near Salida. RACE FACE it is, right before a Dale’s Pale Ale at the awesome Boathouse Cantina. Yep – This is the ride where I basically ran into a WOLF. No joke.

This is the “Tim and Tyler RACE FACE“. Scary. One set of BAD DUDES! Yep, that family rides at night too.

This would be the “Porn Stash” RACE FACE. This dude freaks me out. I would hate to meet the dude in a dark alley. Lucky for me, I don’t know any Majors. I just hang with Lieutenant Colonels.

Another RACE FACE. Noah is one wicked dude. Yep, all the babes flock over this young stud.

The start of the RACE FACE and the mechanics shirt. The glory days never end. And yes, the Brothers Rohwer kicked total ass over the freaks and their downhill suits. Sure, we have downhill suits left over from the ‘original’ glory days. But we wouldn’t be caught dead in those skin tight mean machine outfits. Some things are better left in…. the closet.

Wow! Is this a RACE FACE or a face of a Rugby Warrior? I don’t know. But I’m still scared and my mother is still shaking her head. It is hard to believe what some mother’s must live through. It is hard to believe that this RACE FACE w/ Mohawk actually turned into a productive element of society. Maybe I’m stretching the truth. Maybe.

Oh yeah, MOFO! The beginning of the RACE FACE and the BROTHERS ROHWER. That would be around 1978 at Calico Hill in Durango Colorado. Back then red was for 1st, blue was for 2nd. Right Tedd? The Brothers Rohwer took no prisoners in 1978 and take no prisoners in 2009. That IS the way IT IS!

Those in charge renamed Calico Hill to “Chapman” Hill in the late 70s or early 80s. (What’s the difference?) Anyway, who the hell is Chapman? Well, what the hell is Calico? OK, who the hell cares?

Anyway, without a RACE FACE a dude is forever lost in the crowd – searching for an identity. So, find your RACE FACE, dude!