Unravel the Scratchgravel, Helena

Chad and the folks at Big Sky Cyclery in Helena put together a great race on the 17th. All of the Sheepheads were in attendance, which meant four jerseys plus one bonus with Max being up from Brighton, Utah.We went over Saturday late afternoon to pre-ride the course to determine if Todd should race in the men's beginner level or in the junior race. He decided to ride the (11-15) beginner level Sunday (seen below in the Sheephead green and white after the LeMans start). The course was a very fast blend of jeep trail and single track. It was very dry and loose as well.We actually brought two cars from Missoula as the race was close and I wanted to fish the Missouri after the race below the Hauser dam, realizing that the big rainbows were still on according to my bud Marion in Helena. After our standard rough housing, and hotel carrying on, we turned in. My goal at this race was to try for a podium in the expert division and to get a good read on my fitness for the fast approaching season.Friend Max is seen above completing a climb on the course. Max is a mechanic with the Bicycle Hanger in Missoula (when he is not in Utah patrolling or casting flies on the West Fork of the Bitterroot). This race was well attended! About 75 racers came out from across the state for the MORS opener. There were 14 in the Pro/Expert (Cat 1 now) men's division. The junior race (very well attended) went off at 11:00 and then the Cat 1 group was sent at 12:00 with a Lemans start. It was a hot, sunny day. The race went well for me. No crashes and decent pace. I made one mistake which was not sticking closer to a few of the top racers at the get go. However, Curry (GAS pro?) and Bezecny (Trek pro) took off and never looked back. Parsons, Lussier and Butterfield completed the top five. I finished behind Butterfield. Those guys are so fast! According to another report, one expert broke his chain and onother had a flat. Williams (NRO-Missoua), Presta (NRO-Missoula), Gates, Shultz (Missoula) and Mackenzie were the top finishers in the men's Sport division. Todd had a good race among the other beginners.

The great thing about this race was that it was kid friendly. I'm pretty certain that is in part responsible for the significant attendance. All three of my kids had a great day. Max, Peacher and I attempted to land some fish below Hauser after the race. The rainbows in this area are only matched by the steelhead coming up the Clearwater during the winter run. The fish were surfacing in front of us, testing our mental faculty and patience. Max had one finally to the bank, having hit an egg fly pattern. However, I managed to not be a good host and could not hold onto the fish. It was easily a five pound rainbow with beautiful color. We broke off lots of fish and I was glad I took the XP 6 weight having been warned by Marion not to take anything smaller. Only the Peacher landed a fish this day - a beautiful cutthroat completing a beautiful weekend.