2007... round the world

Mount Snow, Vermont USA: USA National Championships

Spirit Mountain, Duluth, Minnesota USA

Phoenix, Arizona USA

Monterey, California USA

Los Olivios, California USA

Houffalize, Belgium

Offenburg, Germany

Mount Saint Anne, Quebec, Canada

Banner Elk, North Carolina USA

Brand-Laaben, Austria

Brand-Laaben, Austria

Windhaag bei Perg, Austria

Park City, Utah USA

Snowmass Village, Colorado USA

The results of the Olympic Long Team... I was not chosen.

USA Cycling made the decision to field a 6 man team, instead of the full 8 man Team. So I will never know if I would have filled one of the final 2 slots.

It was a long and rewarding season. Much preparation, with training and money. With more support than I could believe. Team SALSA / HALLN was for sure an underdog. I feel we rode this dream as hard as we could. There was nothing left by September, 07. Norm and I drove to the Finals in Snowmass, Colorado, to save a thousand dollars. Things ended up tight.

Once again, THANKS! To everyone who was a part of the effort.

J Hall

SALSA CYCLES, Jeff Hall @ Snowmass, Colorado, USA / NMBS Finals (8/11/07)

No air travel on this one, good old fashion road trip, 2400 miles, less than 4 days, round trip.

Minneapolis to Denver. Best Western in Denver, on to Snowmass the next morning. Within 26 hours we go from 900 ft. above sea level to 9900 ft.. You say that is a 9000 ft. difference, eh. The trip itself is like an adventure race.

Pay attention grasshopper. You must sleep and stay at 5000 ft. or below when you are not acclimated. Go up, register and pre-ride the course, then get down fast!! Back to 5000 ft. or lower. You will not go back up to altitude till 2.5 hours before the start of your race...the next day. Jeff earned a 8th place finish on race day. I believe they climbed to over 10,000 ft. during the race. Jeff had a high speed get-off on the final decent, over the bars at warp speed. His pedal clipped a rock. He had to run back up the trail and pick-up his Salsa bike out of the weeds. Didn't lose any places.

Next stop Glenwood Springs, CO.

Pre-race ride.

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski

Adam Craig

U23 National Champ: Sam Jurekovic

JEFF HALL / SALSA CYCLES 2007

If those crank arms could talk, the experiences they have had this season.

This is the last major race Jeff raced in for the 2007 Mountain Bike Season.

RECAP 2007 SEASON

Jeff, in his last 4 major races in the USA, finished: 10th at Park City,UT: 9th Mt. Snow, VT: 11th Sugar Mt., NC: 8th Snowmass, CO. Solid...

3 races in California, 1 in Utah, 1 in Colorado, 1 in Vermont, 1 in North Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin, 2 races in Quebec, Canada, 1 in Belgium, 1 in Germany and 2 in Austria.

This is a huge project and it would not have been possible without the backing of many individuals, and groups. I can not even come close to thanking everyone who contributed even as much as the $5 .00 to buy a tire bracelet. I am speaking equally for Jeff and I to: Thank each and every one of you. Jeff and I took great pride to represent the USA at the International World Cup Races. He wore the SALSA Logo and raced the Salsa bikes, It gave him an identity within the highest level of pro mountain bike racers in the world. Can you say "adversity". I told Jeff before the Belgium trip that this is such an undertaking, that we should look at this as a Big Adventure and enjoy the experience. Jeff has been a pro mountain bike racer since 1995, he has been on the USA National Team 2 times. This season would test his skills and grit like never before. Well gang, he went out and turned some heads out there in this Big Adventure.

And for my 2 cents. My job in this scheme is to add support. My title is Team manager, bike mechanic, driver, travel agent and tactician. I enjoy my tasks, the challenges.

Jeff is the Racer.

We don't have any regrets on the results of this season, Jeff and I maximized the resources at hand. The hardest part of the season was having to forgo Jeff's chance to race at the World Championships in Scotland. That is the reality of life. Jeff puts his family first. We had an agreement that there would be no holding back. When the funds were gone, we pull the plug. When Jeff raced at Snowmass we were running on fumes. He kicked ass, beat everyone he had to.

We are still waiting on word of the Olympic Long Team Selection. It should be very soon.

Posted by Mike

A RECAP OF EUROPE AND SOME STATS ALONG THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD

Howdy,

It's me again, I am looking at my notes in my log from the trip. We have been in Europe for 2 weeks so far on this race adventure. The trip started in Zurich, Switzerland, we drove right up to Offenburg, Germany the day we arrived. Spent the first 2 weeks in and around the Black Forest region for the World Cup in Offenburg. The roads and villages in that region were incredible. We were able to go on rides and I went on a few hikes in the forest. There was some logging going on and I also found some deer stands in the forest. On one hike I climbed up into a stand, it was about 20 feet high on the edge of a clear-cut. I ate lunch and enjoyed the view. The country inn we stayed at had wireless Internet, so we were able to communicate with our families back in the USA and race promoters in Austria. Just to put things into perspective, this trip and the trip to Belgium back in April, Jeff and I stayed in rather small villages. There was only one or two people in each of those villages that we had contact with, that could speak English. Each day was an adventure in itself. The situation made you realize how self sufficient you have to be in another parts of the world. You can't take things for granted!

All in all it was a pretty incredible experience to be over in Europe twice this summer. Jeff was representing the USA at all times whether he was riding his bike on a training ride in the country or racing at the different race venues. We drove about 950 kilometers on the Belgium trip, and 4000 kilometers the second trip. We were able to travel through Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. Jeff raced at 4 races over there. Two World Cups, and two Austria Cups. He earned a 7th place and a 3rd place at the 2 Austria Cup races. Jeff earned 37 total UCI points in Europe, which goes toward his Olympic bid. It is now November, and Jeff has 130 UCI points for the year of 2007. That ranks him at 161 in the World and 8th American. In the USA National rankings, he was 13th in the series. At the USA National Championships, Jeff finished 9th. A very solid racing adventure year of 2007.

Mike