Riding for a cause

JUNE 1 - 7, 2011
news, recreation and entertainment in sequim, blyn, dungeness, carlsborg and diamond point
Riding for
a cause
Four-member Dirty Face Racing endurance
mountain biking team takes to the trail to
raise money for environmental educational
programs for local children. I Page 18
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feature story|
Riding for a good cause
Four-member Dirty Face Racing endurance mountain biking team takes to the
trail to raise money for environmental programs for local children.
Reminiscent of the old United
States Postal Service motto,
the four members of the Dirty
Face Racing endurance mountain
biking team hop on their
bikes to ride through the snow, rain,
heat and gloom of night to train for
races that will take them into the heart
of forests, past mountain lakes and
steep ravines and by rushing rivers.
Throughout the year each member
of the team will ride more than 4,000
miles and spend dozens of hours challenging
their body and mind to pedal
just one more mile, or maybe two.
The team consists of Powell Jones,
Laura Gould and Greg Voyles of Sequim,
and Adrian Shulock of Seattle.
Dirty Face Racing was formed three
years ago to help raise environmental
awareness and funds for educational
programs for children at the Dungeness
River Audubon Center.
So far, the team has raised more than
$3,000 for the center through sponsorships
and community donations.
“It is great to be able to give back by
doing something that you love," Shulock
said. “Powell, Laura, Greg and I are
good friends who really enjoy mountain
biking. It is great to have another
excuse to hang out with your friends
while raising awareness of the wonderful
educational opportunities the River
Center offers children who visit."
Money donated to Dirty Face Racing
is used to bring school-aged children to
the Dungeness River Audubon Center in
Railroad Bridge Park to learn about the
diversity and importance of the Dungeness
River watershed.
Jones, the center's education coordinator,
said it is amazing how much
children learn during a center visit.
Other members of the team agree
and said the team also wants to inspire
18 June 1 - 7, 2011 Sequim This Week
children to enjoy outdoor activities.
“Aside from the fact that I am married
to Powell, I am a science teacher,
and I see the benefits that the center
brings to my students," Gould said.
“In general, I feel strongly, like so
many others, that young people need to
get outside and do things, whether it is
to watch birds, go fishing, climb trees
or ride bikes. I think it is cool to be able
to tie all these things together within
one organization."
This summer the center will offer
two-day bike camps for children 11 to
15 years old, which will include riding
on area trails and roads and learning
bike maintenance basics and how to be
a good environmental steward.
Two separate camps will be held on
July 5-6 and July 19-20.
The cost of attending a camp is $80
per child. For more information about
registering for a camp, phone the center
at 360-681-4076.
“People of all ages and skill levels can
enjoy mountain biking," Jones said.
“I love biking because you can cover
so much ground in so little time. I can
ride a trail in a handful of hours that
would take me days to hike, which
works well with my schedule."
Jones and Voyles, who have known
each other since they were 12 years old,
will often start a ride after 8 p.m.
“Laura and I have a young son and
Greg is a brand new dad," Jones said.
“We don't want to miss time with our
families, so we fit rides in after the kids
go to bed."
Jones and Gould constructed trails on
their property for the entire family to
enjoy riding on throughout the year.
When asked their training secrets,
each member of the team said the most
important thing is to just spend a lot of
time riding. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
^ photo by GARY BABCOCK OF
GARY’S ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Powell Jones of Sequim makes a
turn during the Stottlemeyer 30-
Mile and 60-Mile Mountain Bike
Race that starts in Port Gamble.
< photo provided by OREGON VELO
Greg Voyles of Sequim celebrates
completing the 2010 High Cascades
100-mile event in Bend, Ore.
what’s in a name?
Before August 2010 the Dirty Face Racing team was
known as Quiet Waters Racing.
The old name was fitting because that is what everyone
thought Sequim meant in the native S’Klallam language,
said Powell Jones, a member for the four-person team.
The team’s name change was prompted when a tribal
linguist said Sequim had been improperly translated for
more than a century and really means a “good place to
shoot,” which didn’t quite fit our racing team, Jones said.
Dirty Face Ridge is the backdrop to one of the team’s
favorite mountain bike trails in Olympia National Forest, the
epic Gold Creek/Lower Dungeness Trail, also known as the
Dirty Face Loop.
“If you haven’t ridden it, you haven’t experienced one of
Western Washington’s best pieces of mountain bike singletrack,”
Jones said. “Our new team name is a tribute to this
awesome trail, and a beautiful piece of wilderness.”

Meet the Dirty Face Racing team
laura gould
Gould, a science teacher at
Sequim High School, has been
involved in endurance mountain
biking for almost two years.
Before hopping on a bike, she
was a marathoner and an ultramarathoner
for several years.
Gould won the North Olympic
Peninsula Discovery Marathon
in 2008.
Gould is married to teammate
Powell Jones. They have
a 5-year-old son, Win, who
also participates in bike racing
events.
^ photo provided by OREGON VELO
^ photo by POWELL JONES
Laura Gould of Sequim shows why Dirty Face Racing is an appropriate name for the endurance mountain biking team she competes with. Gould
and teammates Powell Jones, Grey Voyles and Adrian Shulock formed the team about three years ago to raise environmental awareness and
funds for educational programs for children at the Dungeness River Audubon Center. The team also strives to build rapport between environmental
groups and mountain bikers.
^ photo provided by OREGON VELO
greg voyles
Voyles owns and operates
Gregory O. Voyles Insurance, a
Farmers Insurance agency in Port
Angeles, which is a major sponsor
of Dirty Face Racing.
He has been involved in
mountain biking for more than
a decade.
Voyles, who holds a degree in
environmental education, said
the center’s mission ties in nicely
with his background.
He and wife, Ginger, are
first-time parents to 2-month-old
Gwyneth.
While Jones sticks to trail riding, other members use
cyclo-cross methods to stay in racing form.
Cyclo-cross bicycles can be rode on pavement,
wooded trails, grass and steep hills.
“When I am racing mountain bikes (spring and
summer) I average about 12 hours a week, cyclo-cross.
In the fall I average about eight hours a week and in
the winter when I am not racing, maybe four hours a
week," Gould said.
“Pretty much all my training is done solo, and not
by choice. Occasionally Powell and I ride together,
but logistically it can be difficult with a 5 year old at
home. I would love to meet some local women who
are interested in riding competitively to train with."
Team members also ride their bikes to work each
day to stay fit.
Voyles rides his bike from Sequim to his business,
Gregory O. Voyles Insurance, in Port Angeles.
Shulock, who moved from Port Angeles to Seattle
in 2009, also makes his 20-mile round-trip commute
each day via bicycle.
“I also, out of necessity, hop on the indoor trainer,
which is completely boring, but keeps me in shape
since trails are farther away," Shulock said.
Staying in shape is a year-round activity and is
necessary to prevent injuries. Although the team has
suffered a few injuries, most have been pretty minor,
bumps, bruises and scrapes. A few members have
separated a shoulder after a tumble on the trail.
When asked what keeps them going on a particularly
difficult ride, the answer is simple — a lot of food.
“We eat a ton and we drink a lot of water," Jones
said. “It is incredible how many calories you burn
on a long ride. We grab as much food and water as
we can during rest stops, hand our bikes over to the
mechanics and then just keep on going."
Dirty Face Racing participated in the 24 Hours
Round the Clock race in Spokane during Memorial
Day weekend, and will participate in the Test of Endurance,
Cascade Cream Puff and the High Cascades
100 events later this year.
To view Dirty Face Racing training and race updates,
visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
how sponsorship funds benefit local children
Money donated to Dirty Face Racing is used to bring
school-aged children to the Dungeness River Audubon
Center for an educational watershed experience.
“We believe that one of the most valuable things we
can do for the next generation is to give them meaningful
experiences in the outdoors,” said Powell Jones, a member
of the Dirty Face Racing team who is also the education
coordinator at the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
“When you sponsor our riders or the whole team you are
paying for those experiences, not our race fees or costs.”
Dirty Face Racing’s major sponsors are Ellsworth Handcrafted
Bikes, Gregory O. Voyles Insurance, a Farmers Insurance
agency in Port Angeles, and Mike’s Bikes in Sequim.
The team is currently seeking individual and business
sponsorships. All donations are donated to the center.
For more information or to become a sponsor, visit
www.dungenessrivercenter.org and click on the “Dirty
Face Racing” link under the ”River Center Information”
heading or phone Jones at 360-681-4076.
adrian shulock
Shulock is the sales and marketing
director for Olympic Park
Institute, a nonprofit educational
partner of OIympic National Park.
Although he now lives in
Seattle, he called Port Angeles
home until 2009.
He travels to the North Olympic
Peninsula whenever possible
to enjoy a ride on the Olympic
Adventure Trail.
He has been involved in
mountain biking for about 20
years.
^ photo provided by OREGON VELO
^ photo provided by ADRIAN SHULOCK
powell jones
Jones is the education coordinator
at the Dungeness River
Audubon Center in Railroad
Bridge Park.
He has been involved in
fundraising activities at the center
for a number of years and
looks for ways to encourage
children to enjoy the outdoors
in an active way.
Jones and wife and teammate,
Laura Gould, try to keep
up with their son, Win, on bike
trails throughout the Dungeness
Valley during their free time.
June 1 - 7, 2011 Sequim This Week 19