Mike Schafer

NORBA Cat II XC MTB 40 +

After a couple of years of not racing in motor sports, I decided to take my bike hobby a little more serious. In January of 2011, I invested in a race specific mountain bike, hiring a coach and started a serious training regime. I was excited to show off my new NBoundZ kits, hoping I could continue my Christian witness and represent something greater than myself on the bike. Ultimately, I prayed the kit would generate questions and that would give the opportunity to share my testimony.

I set my goals to compete for the North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern Classic championships in Cat II XC MTB 40 +.
The first race was such an unknown for me and I was pleasantly surprise to finish 2nd, only 13 seconds out of 1st out of 44 racers. That small success set the stage for a great year with many highs and lows, but through perseverance and steady improvement, I was able to become SC, NC and the Southern Classic overall Champion. I finish on the podium or won in every race and to top everything off, I didn’t crash or have any mechanicals during the season. It was great to win the championship, but it can be a little unnerving to realize I have to compete in Cat I next year.

God was present through the entire season keeping me injury free; the season had many of my competitors involved in some pretty nasty crashes. He also allowed me to show the love of Christ in practical ways by helping other racers in need. I even had several chances to give my testimony as people would ask what NBoundZ stands for. Praise God.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13