Last Wednesday night was the final edition of the 2015 NW MTB Series (NW MTB = Northwest MounTain Bike), and it had three missions: Have fun racing and celebrate the end of the series; support the Epilepsy Foundation Northwest and Lenny Throop and his family through an auction; and support Rad Racing‘s executive director Jim Brown in his battle against cancer. The event raised $400 for Epilepsy Foundation Northwest and $3,235+ for Jim Brown and his family.
Event organizer Russell Stevenson expressed his heartfelt thanks: “I am blown away and honored to be witness to such generosity from everyone who participated. I’m equally proud of our sponsors who put up the auction prizes with nothing more than a phone call. This industry is a pretty tight group that looks after one another, especially within the PNW.”
The series has been growing in popularity and Wednesday’s race set a new attendance record: 136 racers.
To make the series happen, Russell had an energetic support team: Richard Bankhead, Eric Atwood, Lenny Throop, Lori Brazel, Michael Brazel, Tim Bridgham, Cyndi Freed, Ed Brewer, Dan Norton and Wick. Brad Loetel with West Seattle Cyclery provided mechanical support throughout the series. And for Wednesday’s finale, Lenny Throop and Jim Dennison worked the grill and fed everyone.
“I’m honored to call promoting MTB bike races a job. I get to work outside with great people who share my passion. I regularly witness acts of kindness. I’ve watched youngsters grow up and slower riders speed up. I’ve witnessed skills progression, made more friends than I can keep up with and continue to bond with new groups from various walks of life. How cool is that?”
Russell hopes he is planting seeds for what becomes a cycling tradition in Seattle: “I hope someday this latest chapter is labeled old and we can look back and laugh. For now I think I’ll keep working on it, keep pushing it forward, and keep following the happy trail that life seems to lead me down whenever I’m on or around my bike.”
The series began on April 16th North SeaTac Park. The mountain bike series now transitions to a cyclocross workout and mock-race series through September 16.
NW MTB Series Final from David Longdon on Vimeo.
