Today was the 9th running of the Huck-A-Buck, the longest running (I’m pretty sure) mountain bike race in the Triangle. The race is run by Happy Fun Racing, a local bike club who’s tongue-in-cheek catch phrase is “Nothing But The Best.” Tongue-in-cheek because the race is known for it’s laid-back attitude. Laid-back, but well run by Chris Pappas, Pat Lundergan and a bunch of other Happy Funners who understand what mountain biking is about. Enough blathering, on with scenes from today’s Huck-A-Buck.

* * *
Greeting the racers at the start line: the number 103 duct-tapped to the pavement. 103 — the forecast high for Sunday. Officially, it only reached 100 at neighboring RDU.

* * *

What do mom and dad do when their son is busy becoming a national-caliber mountain biker? They decide to race as well. Last weekend, 15-year-old wunderkind Luke Vrouwenvelder of Chapel Hill competed in the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals in Granby, Colo. The experience (not to mention Luke’s prodding) prompted mom Angie to compete in today’s Cat 3 Beginner Women’s race and dad Adrian to race in the Clydesdale category. “I spent yesterday in out the sun pulling the head gasket. Adrian said before his race. “I’m not sure what to expect today,”

* * *

This was the 9th Huck-A-Buck and, alas, the second to last. Early on, the Phil Liggett of Huck-A-Buck announcing, Pat Lundergan, announced: “There will be only one more year of the Huck-A-Buck. Pat and I are grownups now. We’re getting too old for this.”

* * *

Pat’s running commentary has been a big part of what makes the Huck-A-Buck … well, the Huck-A-Buck. For example, shortly after the elementary race (with a strong showing of a dozen racers), Pat announced: “Parents of elementary kids be sure to grab a Red Bull shot for your kids on the way out. That’ll really help with the rest of the day.”

* * *

Pat again, as a podium finisher walked away with a gift certificate: “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

* * *

And again, encouraging racers to return their ankle-mounted timing strip at the end of the race: “Please be sure to return the chips. Otherwise, we’ll have to pay for them and we’re broke. We will hunt you down. Happy Fun has done it before and we’ll do it again.”

* * *

In a conversation last week with Chapel Hill coach and yoga guru Sage Rountree, among the bits of sage insights she shared: Make every workout count. That’s what Hillsborough’s Peter Hollis thought he was doing Saturday when he drove to Lake Crabtree to do a pre-race lap in the blistering late afternoon heat. “I thought it would make me realize I had no business coming back to race today.” Apparently, it just egged him on. Hollis, who is 58, won the Cat 2 Men’s 50+ category, beating his nearest competitor by 8 minutes.

* * *

Look for results to be posted … sometime, somewhere (hey, it is Happy Fun Racing after all).