For a quick cleanup on the frame and drivetrain, the Grease Monkey Wipes cut through and eliminate the greasy mess. Its refreshing to not need the citrus chain cleaner nor have to break out the hose to get a quick cleanup knocked out.

Heavy soils should be washed off first as the wipes don’t seem to be meant for 1/8″ coating of Northshore red dirt.

The cloth held together really well, I didn’t have the fraying and falling apart action that happens with some wipes.

And the bit that got me the most excited…. I’ve had a white mark on the top tube of my black frame for months. I keep trying to wash it off and havn’t made a dent. A little elbow grease and a greasemonkey wipe have almost eliminated that annoying mark.

Great race venue with over 200 participants on a cold and windy North Texas Saturday. Big Pig Racing managed several podium finishes and had a great time! As usual, the Big Pig cathedral was the center point of attention with a constant flow of traffic through the tent.

This event may conclude the North Texas winter racing series. Its time to do some trail maintenance, lay down some base miles and prepare for the spring racing series.

This year was a true breakout year for Big Pig Racing. In addition to numerous individual accomplishments, there were some proud and profound team moments as well. Two members, Rich “big pig” Szecsy and Ray “1+1=1” Porter both traveled to Canada to represent Big Pig Racing in the 24hr Solo World Championships, in the singlespeed division no less. Ray took 5th place and Rich took 8th place. While these may have been standout individual efforts, as a team there were some fairly substantial accomplishments. In November, Big Pig Racing had 9 racers enter the UltraCentric 6/12/24/48 Hr race. Big Pig Racing took home a two top finishes in the 6Hr (Rich “Big Pig” Szecsy 4th in Men’s Open, and Inna “seamonster” Innes 3rd in Women’s Open), a 1st place in the 12 Hr (Ray “1+1=1” Porter in Men’s SS), a 1st place in the 24Hr (Brian “porkchop” Brennfroeder 1st in SS), a 5th place in the 24 Hr (Ryan “Cobes” Coburn), and a 2nd place in the 24 Hr. (4 man team with Kevin “kstine” Witherstine, Randy “aggie88” Hancock, Danny “Gapp” Gappinger, and Stephen “ch4os” Thompson). After it was over, there was never a question in that event as to which team dominated the race.

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Everyone Likes Pulled Pork

“The Other White Meat Serves up the Competition”

The 2008 season got off to an uncharacteristic slow start. Big Pig Racing was finishing up the DORBA Frozen Four Hour Series, the 2008 TMBRA Marathon Series, and the 2008 TMBRA State Championship was looming in the not to distant future with the February 16th kickoff in Terlingua, followed by the March 2nd race at Bar H Ranch.

The off season had been cold and wet, but several team members managed to get in some good saddle time for the upcoming season. Matt “ K+Ocean” Kocian (EM1929) and Inna “seamonster” Innes (EW1929) were both poised to his the Expert ranks, with both of them riding fancy pants new bikes to boot. Chris “cpuke” Burke was sitting in a comfortable 3rd Overall position in the 2008 TMBRA Marathon series.
2008 Results so far…

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Here a Pig, There a Pig…

“Anywhere and Everywhere the Pigs are Racing”

The Fall 2007 season has seen a variety of weather conditions and diversity in racing. Big Pig Racing has participated in the 15th Annual DORBA Series, the Fall TMBRA Series, the weekly Yetti-Cross races in Houston, and even a 24 Hr event. Based on the success of the Spring 2007 season, the profile for Big Pig racing is at an all time high during the Fall 2007 races and events.

In 2007 to date, members of Big Pig racing have competed in over 64 individual events, with an average of just over 8 races for the year for each active racer. Leading the pack for most events is Inna “seamonster” Innes with 12 races for the women, and Chris “cpuke” Burke for the men with 13 races (yes, we do count cyclocross events…) By the end of 2007, Big Pig Racing will have competed in over 75 individual events, at 20 different venues.

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Bringing Home the Bacon

“2007 TMBRA Championship Series Sizzles”

The 2007 Texas Mountain Bike Race Association (TMBRA) Championship Series concluded on Sunday, May 20th. There were four Big Pigs in the running for Top 10 Overall finishes. For three of the four racers, the finishing position in the final race at El Dorado held overall placement implications. The weather and trail conditions were perfect for a west Texas race.

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The Other White Meat

“Tasty Overall Position for the Final Two Races”

The 2007 Texas Mountain Bike Race Association (TMBRA) Championship Series had its 6th race at Cameron Park in Waco. The weather was overcast, humid, with a slight morning chill. In other words, perfect weather for mountain bike racing.

This was a pivotal race for several members of the squad vying for top spots in the overall standings. As if the trail wasn’t one of the more difficult ones of the entire series, the competition was deep, and all of the race classes had more than the regular number of riders. Considering all this, Big Pig Racing did well, and still holds on to some top spots in the overall standings, with only two races to go in the Championship Series

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Pig Sighting at Bar-H Bash

“Bringing Home the Bacon, Frying it in the Pan”

The 2007 Texas Mountain Bike Race Association (TMBRA) Championship Series had its 3rd race at the Breaks at Bar H in St. Joe on Sunday, March 18th. The weather and conditions were ideal for some North Texas mountain bike racing, and the Pigs were there in force.

The weather at race start was a balmy 60 deg with a fog and slight wind. The trail was hard packed, with minimal dust. Big Pig Racing had 8 team members in the Sport and Expert categories. The Team tent was less than 15 yards from the starting line, and proved to be the spot for movies on the side of the tent the night before, as well as the post race cookout.

Numerous compliments from the race directors, to other racers came in the form of, “…every time Big Pig Racing is around, the whole vibe of the race gets better.” Nice to know we make a difference.

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The Pigs go to Terlingua

“What happens in the Desert, stays in the Desert”

The 2007 Texas Mountain Bike Race Association (TMBRA) Championship Series started off with a cold temperatures and a strong headwind for Big Pig Racing at the Mas O Menos XC and Marathon race in Terlingua, Texas, on Saturday, February 17th. Even with the 10+ hour drive, all 7 racers crossed the finish line. The race was/is a grueling 50K or 100K desert race where everything along the trail stings, bites, or can poke a hole in you or your equipment.

The race temperature started out at 40F and didn’t get above 60F. As an added bonus there was a 15 to 20 mph wind out of the East that hit us all full in the face in the few flat sections of the course and dropped both racing speeds and morale. But the Pigs sped on to do some damage on the dreaded Tres Cuevas climb. As a team we fared better than many others (5th Overall at TMBRA), and well ahead of some local rival teams.

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