24 Hrs of Adrenalin Announces First 2006 Races

The 24 Hours of Andrenalin guys have set the first part of their 2006 schedule:

April 28-30: Hurkey Creek Park (Idyllwild, CA)
May 13-14: Laguna Seca (Monterey, CA)
Sept 15-17: Hurkey Creek Park (Idyllwild, CA)
Oct 6-8: Conyers International Horse Park (Conyers, GA)

Registration for these events open January 2nd, 2006. I should have some more news by then.

Nice to see that Laguna Seca is still on the schedule. I assume that they will announce the rest of their schedule sometime early next month. I doubt that NorCal gets more events unless they can bring back the 24 Hrs of Tahoe.

Technorati Tags: biking, cycling, endurance, mtb, mtb race, norcalmtbracing, 24 hour race

P&R Sports Set Tentative Schedule

P&R Sports, owners of the Sand Hill gravity park near Antioch, have posted their preliminary 2006 schedule:

Our 2006 schedule isn't printed yet, but we plan to do our usual events this year:
1. Spring Series- Feb/March Dual Slalom and Mountain Cross Series. Approx 4 or 5 races before Sea Otter.
2. Our traditional Father's Day Eve (Saturday, 6/17/06) evening Dual Slalom.
3. Fall Series- 5 or 6 races at the end of the season (Sept/Oct/Nov).
We'll sit down after Christmas and look at the calendar.

The bicycle part of the park is open every Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting) from 10 AM to 5 PM for $10 per person. You should call ahead on their hotline (925.240.6247) to make sure the park is open during the winter months.

It's nice to see dual slalom getting some love.

Technorati Tags: mtb, mtb race, MTNX, norcalmtbracing, MTB DS

2006 CCCX Preliminary Schedule

Central Coast Cyclo-Cross (CCCX) has announced the preliminary 2006 mountain bike series race schedule:

• Feb. 12, 2006
• Feb. 25, 2006
• Mar. 12, 2006
• Mar. 26, 2006
• May 6, 2006

All races will be held at the Fort Ord East Garrison in lovely Seaside, California. All of these races are cross country (XC) only, I believe. Again, as I get more information, I will post more details.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, mtb-race, MTB-XC, norcalmtbracing

Cool Mountain Bike Race Scheduled

The 14th Annual Cool Mountain Bike Race has been set for March 12th, 2006 near Auburn, CA (actually Cool, CA although it isn't even marked on google maps). The race is a cross country (XC) race through the Sierra Foothills on the Olmstead Loop Trail. The trail is part of the extensive trail system near/in Auburn State Recreational Area.

Although the date is different every year, I've never seen a picture of this race where it wasn't completely frickin' pouring rain. I'll have more information about this race as the date draws near.
UPDATE (03/13/06): Check out the race photos and results.

Technorati Tags: cycling, mtb, mtb race, MTB XC, norcalmtbracing

Downieville Classic Tentative Dates

The Downieville Classic, NorCal's premier downhill competition, has set the tentative dates for the 2006 edition as July 28th - 30th. They are still awaiting Forest and County approval before committing to the dates.

Downieville features a downhill race "dropping 4,700 vertical feet in 15 miles" as well as a cross country point-to-point race "twenty eight RUGGED miles through California’s richest and most scenic gold country" with " 4,400’ ascent with 5,700’ descent." There are also other events at the three days festival.

UPDATE (3/2/06): The dates and courses have been finalized. See here for more info.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, MTB-DH, mtb-race, norcalmtbracing

Lemurian Shasta Classic

Shasta County, California cycling enthusiasts are putting on their annual mountain bike classic, The Lemurian. The race is described as "26 mile long course, 20 mi sport course, easy 8 mi beginner course. Experience old school, grass roots type XC racing with a giant loop, loads of fun single track, and burly decents (except the beginner course)." It looks like a pretty good course . . .

Event: Lemurian Shasta Classic
Dates: April 29th, 2006
Location: Redding, CA (Whiskeytown Lake NRA)
Competition: XC
Cost: $35 (limit 400 riders), parking $5
URL: http://www.shastalemurian.org/
Registration: active.com or by mail
License: none

UPDATE (2/1/06): They have posted maps over on the registration site [ here ].
UPDATE (5/1/06): 2006 Lemurian results are in.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, mtb-race, MTB-XC, norcalmtbracing

NorCalMBR Calendar

I've made the NorCal Mountain Bike Racing calendar available for subscription via ICS format for those of you using Apple's iCal, Linux's Evolution and Mozilla's Sunbird.

You can subscribe to the calendar over at http://icalshare.com/article.php?story=20051208021006458.

The calendar will be updated throughout the season as new events are added.

Technorati Tags: biking, cycling, mtb, mtb race, norcalmtbracing

2006 Howell Mountain Challenge

The 2006 Howell Mountain Challenge is now open for registration (yeah, I'm a little late on this). The event, organized by the same people that bring us the Dirt Valley Classic, is billed as a "10 mile circuit, hilly, smooth to medium-rough trails, service roads, double track and single track, lots of trees.... fun course." It is also located in Angwin, CA and will operate under NORBA rules.

This XC race will consist of multiple laps, depending on your racing category. Beginners will do one lap, Sport will two laps and Expert/Pros will do three laps.

Event: Howell Mountain Challenge
Dates: August 13th, 2006 (10:30 AM)
Location: Angwin, CA (Near Calistoga, CA)
Competition: XC
Cost: $30 ($35 after Aug 6th)
URL: http://www.puc.edu/Pioneers/HMC/
Registration: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1174589
License: NORBA

UPDATE (08/13/06): Here's my race report.
UPDATE (08/14/06): Here are the official results.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, mtb race, MTB XC, norcalmtbracing

2006 AMBC Calendar Announced

NORBA has announced the 2006 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar of events. This year, there will be 33 events, but only a disappointing ONE RACE in Northern California. However, there are a few others within roadtrip distance. The closest AMBC events for this year are:

• Firestone Walker (just north of Santa Barabara, CA) on 28th - 30th of April
• Lake Castiac (north of Santa Clarita in SoCal) on 7th of May
• Idyllwild Spring Challenge (near Palm Desert, CA in SoCal) on 13th of May
• Amateur Cup #1 (Big Bear Lake, CA in SoCal) on 21st of May
• Northstar@Tahoe (Truckee, NV) on 10th of September

I'll be covering at least the Firestone Walker Classic and the Northstar@Tahoe race on this website.

The NORBA's announcement and full schedule of events are available at http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=1987.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, mtb race

2006 Cougar Mountain Date Moved Up

It looks like the 2006 version of the Cougar Mountain classic will be held in mid July instead of early September. The date was most likely to moved to keep its place as the "last chance to qualify for NORBA National Championship finals" that it held last year. The event will be held at the same venue (Infineon Raceway in near Napa) and have what appears to be the same events.

I raced XC and MTX last year and had a great time, although the pro attendance was sparse due to some scheduling conflicts. Although the XC course was mostly hard-pack rolling hills with very little technical descents, the mountain cross (MTX) was a nice mix of jumps and berms. Oh, Sierra Nevada Brewery also showed up, which made it all worthwhile.




Event: Cougar Mountain Classic
Dates: July 14 - 16, 2006
Location: Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, CA)
Competition: XC, DH, MTX, 8HR Marathon
Cost: unknown (last year between $30 - $55)
URL: www.cmclassic.com
License: NORBA
UPDATE (05/15/06): Cougar Mountain has been cancelled and replaced with the US MTB National Championship. See a list of the new events here.

Technorati Tags: 24 hour race, biking, endurance, mtb, MTB DH, MTB XC, MTNX, norcalmtbracing

Napa Valley Dirt Classic

The Napa Valley Dirt Classic has opened for early registration. The event is a "22 mile circuit, hilly, smooth to medium-rough trails, service roads, double track and single track, lots of trees.... fun course" and will be held at 10:30 AM on April 23rd, 2006 in Angwin, CA (near Calistoga, CA in Napa). The race entry fee is $30 until April 16th, then $35 afterwards. This is a NORBA event and licenses will be required (one day NORBA licenses are available).

Last year's race was won by Mark Weir in 1:23:55, a two minute gap in front of Andy Jacques-Maynes.

Event: Napa Valley Dirt Classic
Dates: April 23rd, 2006
Location: Angwin, CA
Competition: XC
Cost: $30 ($35 after 4/16/2006)
URL: http://www.puc.edu/Pioneers/NVDC/
License: NORBA
Registration: active.com

Technorati Tags: cycling, mtb, mtb race, MTB XC, norcalmtbracing

TBF Racing Sets 2006 Series

TBF Racing, who organizes a number of mountain bike and triathlon races in the Sacramento area, has announced their 2006 schedule. There are a variety of fat tire events from "normal" mountain bike races to duathlons (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run) to Nissan Xtrerra triathlons (.5 mile swim, 14 mile mtn bike, 3 mile run). Below is the current schedule (just mountain bike involved events):

Jan. 28: Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon #1
Jan. 29 : MTB Challenge #1 - Mountain Bike Racing
Feb. 18: Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon #2
Feb. 19 : MTB Challenge #2 - Mountain Bike Racing
March 11 : Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon #3
March 12: MTB Challenge #3 Mountain Bike Racing
April 1 : Granite Bay Duathlon
April 2 : REAL MTB Triathlon. Nissan XTERRA Points Race

The duathlons are $45 until race day when they rise to $55, while the mountain bike races are $40 (rising to $50 on race day). The Xterra event is $65 until race day when it becomes $75.

All of the races listed above will be held at Granite Beach within Folsom Lake State Recreation Area in Granite Bay, California. Granite Bay is just east of Sacramento near Folsom and Roseville. TBF Racing has a map to the site here.

I've never competed in these races but I have heard some good things about them from other participants. I ride the trails that they'll be racing quite a bit and they make for a nice enduro style ride. I'll certainly be participating in the early season MTB Challenges, as I can almost see the course from across the lake.

Technorati Tags: biking, cycling, MTB XC, norcalmtbracing, adventure racing

2006 Sea Otter Classic Scheduled

The traditional season opener for the mountain bike season has been scheduled and is open for registration. The Sea Otter Classic will be held in Monterey, California on April 6th thru 9th, 2006. Mountain biking events for the Classic will include cross country (XC), short track (ST), downhill (DH), dual shalom (DS) and mountain cross (MTX). The Classic will also crown champions in Pro Gravity Omnium (for those entering all three gravity events) and dirt jump.

Event: Sea Otter Classic
Dates: April 6th - 9th, 2006
Location: Leguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, CA
Competition: XC, ST, DH, MTNX, DS, DJ
Cost: $30 - $50
URL: www.seaotterclassic.com
Registration: http://www.seaotterclassic.com/registration.asp
License: NORBA

UPDATE (03/11/06): For full 2006 Sea Otter coverage over all four days, see the Sea Otter Final Roundup.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, MTB DH, MTB DS, mtb race, MTB ST, MTB XC, MTNX, norcalmtbracing, MTB DJ

NORBA Announces 2006 Schedule

NORBA has announced their 2006 National Mountain Bike schedule:

April 22-23: Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park (San Dimas, Ca.)
June 10-11: Sugar Mountain Resort (Banner Elk, N.C.)
June 17-18: Mount Snow Resort (West Dover, Vt.)
July 8-9: Deer Valley Resort (Park City, Utah)
July 20-23: US MTB Championships (Mammoth, Ca.)
August 5-6: Brian Head Resort (Brian Head, Utah)
August 12-13: Snowmass Resort (Aspen, Colo.)

It looks like none of the NORBA events will be coming to NorCal again this year. The closest one appears to be the first event and the national championship in SoCal. Also judging from the schedule, it appears that USA Cycling has responded to the ample press criticism of the 2005 scheduling and moved up the schedule.

Technorati Tags: biking, mtb, MTB DH, MTB XC, MTNX