Monday, December 31, 2007

2008 CCCX DH Finals Results

I'm still nursing my shoulder from a nasty digger I took yesterday, but I wanted to link over to the race results:I am still combing through video but I should have video and my race report either tonight (... assuming I don't get drunk first) or tomorrow (assuming my hangover isn't too bad).

LAST WARNING: SSWC signups tonight !

Registration for the Single Speed World Championships 2008 (SSWC2008) in Napa, CA, USA, will open on January 1, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. pacific standard time (AKA: California time).

Sunday, December 30, 2007

CCCX Fall DH Finals (live)

Just left the CCCX Fall DH Finals in Monterey and thought I would post a few pictures before I get home.

Curtis Beavers wrapped up the Pro series win with a win today over a visiting pro (didn't catch his name other than he was from Costa Mesa):
pro_winners.png
The course was pedal-ly at the top (with two big climbs), then a bit technical in the middle and then screaming fast on the bottom.
racer.png
I'll have a race report, more photos and a lot of video later tonight when I make it back to the foothills.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Jacques-Maynes Wins CX Masters

Here's a happy ending to this summer's story about Andy Jacques-Maynes' crash:
"Andy Jacques-Maynes' debilitating crash during a cycling race last May left a sizeable dent in the steel light pole he hit. It did no damage, however, to the Capitola athlete's confidence.

After more than six months of intense recovery that started with Jacques-Maynes' biggest accomplishment being just getting out of bed, the cyclist achieved a lofty goal he'd set for himself long ago. Sloshing through an unpredictable course of mud and snow on Saturday, Jacques-Maynes won the Masters A 30-34 race at the National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City, Mo." (Via SantaCruzSentinel.com)
You can check out Andy's account of the race over at his blog.

Friday, December 28, 2007

CCCX DH Finals Preview

This Sunday is the last MTB race of the year, the CCCX Fall DH finals:
The final race route of the CCCX Fall/Winter Series will be very similar to the final route used in the past two series final race. The finish will be in the Bessie Canyon Parking area, which is also where the series final awards will take place following the timed runs. The course starts out with a new section that is rocky and full of land mines. Then the course flows on to a long fire road, and there is some pedaling after the rocky start. Then the course switches off between single track and fire roads the rest of the 2 mile trail. This particular course will test a riders strength and speed, as well as turning and braking skills. Traction and dirt hookup will be awesome as recent rain has made the dirt grippy and ready to rip.
Also, get in a good cause to help a fellow rider:
Please be sure and help support "Mr E." by getting involved in the series final raffle in his name. The CCCX Series sponsors, such as X Fusion, have stepped up with some great prizes for the CCCX Series final raffle, so please be sure to purchase a ticket at registration. All of the funds raised in the raffle will go directly to "Mr E." who was hurt in a bad fall at another event up north.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

2008 SSWC Registration to Open New Years Day

The folks behind this year's Single Speed World Championships (held in NorCal's own Napa this year) wrote in with some new information:
Registration for the Single Speed World Championships 2008 (SSWC2008) in Napa, CA, USA, will open on January 1, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. pacific standard time (AKA: California time). We will post an on-line form for people to fill out and email to us soon. Again, registration does not open until January 1, 2008 at 12:00 a.m. Any emailed registration forms prior to that date and time will be deleted. We will leave registration open until it fills up, maximum riders will be 350. Everyone will be emailed letting them know if they are in or out. If you are in, there will be instructions on payment via PayPal. Registration is $35 U.S. dollars. If you don't make it in, we still encourage you to come out and play that weekend anyway. There will be lots of rides going on all over the Bay Area. More details about the race weekend will be posted soon. Good Luck! Please forward to friends that might be interested and please post on blogs and websites, if applicable. We really want to inform as many as possible so that everyone has a fighting chance to get into the race. Thanks.
Curtis, Ken, Jeff, Andrew, Dennis & Mitzi
That means as soon as 2007 becomes 2008, registration opens. So put down the champagne and run to the nearest computer and register!

Shannon Ridge Showdown

After going through the 2008 USA Cycling schedules, it's a bit bleak for NorCal. About the only bright spot is the final race on the Ultra Endurance schedule: Shannon Ridge Showdown. Held on our vineyard property over looking Clear Lake, CA the 16 hour race course is described as:
"Very hard and hilly course with approximately 50% single track and 50% narrow fire access roads located completely within the Shannon Ridge vineyards. Race loop is 7 miles with approximately 1700 feet of climbing per lap. Climbs and descents through vineyards, spectacular views. Race will start in downtown Clearlake Oaks in front of the Shannon Ridge tasting room and travel 2 miles on flat pavement before turning left onto Morine Ranch road for the climb into the vineyards and to the start of the 7 mile race loop. There will be a ‘King and Queen’ of the Mountain award for the first male and female riders to reach the amphitheatre (880 feet of climbing in 1.5 miles)." (Via Shannon Ridge Showdown)
I'll post more information before the registration opens on March 1st, 2008.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Lloyd is back on the scene and making a big splash

Nice story on NorCal local MTB and CX racer Rachel Lloyd:
"With an upgrade to the professional ranks, Lloyd raced year-round for the next seven years. Every spring and summer was spent on the mountain bike (both cross country and downhill) for big pro teams like Gary Fisher, while fall and winter were reserved for cyclo-cross. She was a threatening force on the pro circuit, making regular podium appearances in all three cycling disciplines.
But in 2004, at the top of her career, Lloyd walked away. While typical post-career protocol includes overindulgence in food, drink and socializing, Lloyd simply carried on as normal - minus the racing. She continued working as a massage therapist, riding her various bikes on local trails and roads, running errands on her BMX bike, rock climbing, trail running and taking her motor-cross bike out for periodic spins."
(Via Marin Independent Journal - Christine Vardaros: Lloyd is back on the scene and making a big splash)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

2007 CCCX Final Date Change

Just a quick date change for the last race on the 2007 schedule:
"The final race of the CCCX Fall DH series has been changed to Sunday 12/30/07.
Here is the number of awards by category."
Via 2007 Central Coast Downhill Race Fall Series website.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Buck Ridge Race (1 & 2)

Some more racing news from the Central Valley:
"Spatdog.com is kicking 2008 off with a Bucking BANG! The Buck Ridge Mountain Bike Race at Hensley Lake is on!  If you have raced our other events, then you have come to expect the unexpected and so be it!  We will be running the same course as last year only to run in the opposite way on May 10th for the second race at Buck Ridge in '08." (Via Buck Ridge Race, Hensley Lake, CA)
The course is described as "6 mile circuit course. A rolling trail with short fast climbs and short fast downhills. Mostly single track sprinkled with fire road. Not real technical and an absolute blast to ride. Laps vary on category." Here are the particulars:
Event: Buck Ridge Race
Dates: February 9 and May 10, 2008
Location: Lake Hensley, CA (north of Fresno)
Competition: XC
Cost: Pro/Experts = $45.00, Sport/Beginner = $40.00, 14 Under Beginner Boys/Girls 1/2 Lap only = $25
URL: spatdog.com
Registration: http://www.spatdog.com/buckridge/buckentry.htm
License: None

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Sea Otter Update

Some updates on this year's Sea Otter Classic:
  • Course Maps Delayed until March 14: "At the request of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), course maps for the Sea Otter Classic mountain bike and road race events will not be available until March 2008 ... As responsible stewards of our environment, we continually work with governing agencies to minimize our impact on our community ... Final course maps will be produced by Garmin and posted to the Sea Otter website on March 14, 2008." Via Sea Otter Course Maps Available March 14, 2008
  • Campgrounds Status: "A", "B" and "C" campgrounds are already FULL. It looks like there are still a good selection of "E", "F", "G" and "H" which are on the other side of the track. Via Sea Otter Camping.
  • Registration is open: check their page over at active.com.
  • Discounted Hotels: Sea Otter has teamed up with a travel agency to provide discount hotel search. I used this a few years ago and saved some cash. Might do better with Kayak or Expedia these days tho.
More updates when we get into the new year.

2008 USA Cycling MTB Calendars

USA Cycling, the UCI MTB governing body here in the US (also referred to as NORBA), has announced their 2008 endurance (XC/STXC), ultra-endurance (8/16/24 hr and marathon) and gravity (4X/MTX, DH, SD, DS) schedules:
"With more than $150,000 on the line to off-road cyclists next season, the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars were announced today by the national governing body.
 
The 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Cross Country Calendar welcomes eight new events and features four UCI-sanctioned races and the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. The calendar begins in early spring with the 20th Annual Keyesville Classic in Lake Isabella, Calif., March 15-16 and concludes seven months later with the Piney Hills Fall Classic in Ruston, La., Oct. 25-26.

The National Gravity Calendar also opens with the Keyesville Classic in March before concluding with the Whiteface Third Annual 5k Downhill in Wilmington, N.Y. on Aug. 31. New events include the Keyesville Classic as well as the Sol Survivor in Sol Vista, Colo., the Third Annual Capital Cup at Wisp in McHenry, Md. and the Sol Squared, also in Sol Vista, Colo.
 
After featuring six events last season, the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar will include eight races. Added to the Calendar next season are two national championship events – the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, Colo. on July 4 and the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in Wausau, Wis., Aug. 2-3. The last event on the Calendar – the Shannon Ridge Showdown in Clear Lake Oaks, Calif., Oct. 18-19 – is also new. Once again the Calendar begins with the Mas O Menos 100k in Terlingua, Texas, Feb. 14-16.
  
For compete 2008 calendars, click on the corresponding links below:
2008 MTB National Cross Country Calendar (PDF)
2008 MTB National Gravity Calendar (PDF)
2008 MTB National Ultra-Endurance Calendar (PDF)"
View the press release over at USA Cycling website (2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars announced). I'll have some analysis of the calendars this weekend.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

2008 Downieville Update

It looks like there is a date for the Downieville Classic registration:
"RACE REGISTRATION IS SET TO OPEN APRIL 21st at 8:00PM. FEELIN LUCKY? ALL-MOUNTAIN RACE APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE SOON - STAY TUNED!"
(Via Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Festival)

Monday, December 17, 2007

2008 Mammoth Bar DH Series

Information and solid dates have been posted for the inaugural Mammoth Bar DH series near Auburn, CA:
"This new and very challenging Downhill race series is held in the heart of the gold country ... The Mammoth bar OHV area is part of the Auburn State park recreation Area. It is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills about thirty miles northeast of Sacramento ... We are shooting for the best combined time of two runs. We will be using either stonewall to rocky or murderers to rocky.

This will be a three race DH series over the summer. At the end of the series the top 5 with the most points in each category at the end of the series walks away with some great awards and prizes. (Prizes yet to be decided). June 7th being the 1st race date and July 26th, and August 30th.

A very cool Mammoth bar DH series t-shirt and free shuttles, two runs in one day in a great mountain setting alongside the Middle fork of the American river. More information will be coming your way in the weeks to come."
Via Global BioRythm Events website.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

CX US Nationals Champs Crowned

CX Magazine has the scoop on this weekend's US National Cyclocross Championship in Kansas City:
"Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) returned to normal winning ways with her fourth national championship today in muddy and icy conditions. Unlike her last three championships, she had strong competition from a determined Rachel Lloyd (ProMan), who closed within 15 seconds on the last lap after Compton has a slight bobble with less than a half lap to go. Lloyd, from NorCal, surprisingly loves the snow and ice, and the conditions allowed her technical mountain biking skills to propel her past all the favorites except Compton." (Via Nats Champs Crowned: Compton 4-peats, Johnson Survives : Cyclocross Magazine)
Go check out the videos over at CX Magazine.

Friday, December 14, 2007

2008 Singlespeed World Championship Dates !

Picture 1 2.pngJust as I was about to post a bunch of boring links to tied you over for the weekend (don't worry you'll get them this weekend), this popped up in my rss reader:
"Stay tuned...In between training and pre-riding the course, we're also working on this here website ... dates confirmed Aug. 23 - 24, 2008" (Via SSWC08==>Napa, California)
and then this:
"I could give you a lot of details, but then it wouldn't be the SSWC. Some things have to stay cloaked in darkness for little while. We will have more details around the first of the year for everyone, including registration. The venue is Skyline Park, one of my favorite places to ride. Get to know poison oak and dry heat. It is a hard course and we are already thinking about prizes for those who actually finish all three laps. We want to set up rides every day leading up to the race and a few afterward too. We really want to show our out of town friends what it's like to ride in Northern California. We have enjoyed such great times from our hosts at other SSWC cities and want to share what we call home with those who make the trek West" (Via Dirt Rag {Web Rag})
Judging by the website, it looks like the SSWC08 organizers are on the ball with their preparations for this year's event in Napa, CA.

Cool MTB Race Open For Registration

The Cool Mountain Bike Race is now open for registration.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

2008 World Championships DH & 4X Preview

Low quality but interesting video that previews next year's UCI (world) championship downhill and 4X (mountaincross) courses:

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

2008 Team Bigfoot Schedule

Team Bigfoot has announced their 2008 Endurance (6 / 8/ 24 hour) and MTB schedule. The schedule is similar to year's past, with the glaring exception of the Bigfoot Classic (It appears that the rumors on it's demise were true). On the plus side, it looks like there might be a new six hour endurance race.

MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENTS
  • 03/29/08: Pre-Otter CANCELLED - Short-Track XC (Arcata, CA)
  • 05/25/08: Gravity Day - Super-D, Downhill (Weaverville, CA)
  • 09/19/08 09/27/08: Whiskeytown Classic - Short-Track XC, Super-D, Cross-Country (Whiskeytown Lake, CA)
  • 10/17/08: LaGrange Fall Classic - Super-D, Cross-Country, Short-Track XC, Downhill (Weaverville, CA)

MOUNTAIN BIKE ENDURANCE EVENTS
  • 05/24/08: 12 Hours of Weaverville (Weaverville, CA)
  • 08/09/08 08/16/08: 12 Hours of Humboldt (Arcata, CA)
  • 08/09/08: 24 Hours of Humboldt * (Arcata, CA)
  • 09/06/08: Clikapudi Six to Midnight (Shasta Lake, CA)
  • 10/06/08: Whiskeytown Nine to Five (Whiskeytown Lake, CA)
  • 10/06/08: 24 Hours of Whiskeytown * (Whiskeytown Lake, CA)
* These events are tentative pending sponsorship & city approval

Sunday, December 09, 2007

2007 CCCX Fall DH #5 Results

Today's CCCX DH Race #5 results have been posted. Congratulations to the following Pro/Expert winners:
  • Pro/Semi-Pro Men: Curtis Beavers (Specialized/WTB)
  • Pro/Semi-Pro/Expert Women: Jen McNiven (TrailHead Cyclery)
  • Expert Men (19-34): Kevin Drake (Specizalized Bicycles)
  • Expert Men (35-44): Keith DeFiebre (Calabazas)
  • Expert Men (45-54): Patrick Tidd (BTU)
Rick R has posted his photos from the race.



The photo above is from Rick's collection.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

CCCX DH #5 Preview

The course preview for the CCCX downhill #5 is up:
Course Profile Race #5: The race route for CCCX DH #5 will be the longest course, in distance and time, used so far in the 2007 Fall/Winter Series. The course opens up with some brand new twists and turns on a steep faced hill. These turns are of the high speed variety, yet are also off-camber in some sections. This will be a test of traction and breaking ability. The course then features fire roads and single track for over two miles to the finish. The dirt should be at its best condition of the season after the expected moisture and rain waters things down. Please follow all of the Toro Park rules when using this great riding area.

Please be sure and help support 'Mr E.' by getting involved in the series final raffle in his name. The CCCX Series sponsors, such as X Fusion, have stepped up with some great prizes for the CCCX Series final raffle, so please be sure to purchase a ticket at registration. All of the funds raised in the raffle will go directly to 'Mr E.' who was hurt in a bad fall at another event up north.
This is the last race before the CCCX finals at the end of the month.

2008 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ Schedule

The folks at 24 Hours of Andrenalin have announced their 2008 schedule:It looks like they cut back to one NorCal race in Monterey this year.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Monday, December 03, 2007

CCORC Winter Schedule

The Central California Off-Road Cyclist (CCORC) have announced their 07/08 Short Track Series:
  • SATURDAY December 15 MTB ST #1
  • SUNDAY January 13 MTB ST #2
  • SUNDAY February 3 MTB ST #3
Check out their website for more information at http://www.ccorc.com/.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Velo Promo Announces 2008 MTB Races

Velo Promo has announced their 2008 MTB schedule:
  • March 8, 2008: Iron Angels Mountain Bike Race
  • April 27, 2008: Glory Hole MTB Race
These are their traditional two MTB races. Both events take place at New Melones Reservoir (Glory Hole area), Angels Camp CA [MAP].

Friday, November 30, 2007

NVDC and Howell Mountain Announce 2008 Dates

The Napa Valley Dirt Classic and Howell Mountain Challenge events have announced their 2008 dates:
  • Napa Valley Dirt Classic (website): April 13, 2008
  • Howell Mountain Challenge (website): August 10, 2008
From their websites, it doesn't look like much has changed for this year (which is good). These events are probably the best Bay Area (Napa) XC races. For more information, see the archives (links at the top of the article).

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

More Auburn Racing in 2008

From MTBR:
I have taken my American river adventure race date's and changed them to MTB races ... The race dates are as follows, June 7th, July 26th and August 30th. These dates are not in stone just yet ... One of the events will be a great big Downhill event at Mammoth Bar OHV area. The other two dates will be two MTB cross country races ... One of which has a 18 mile downhill and a very hard three mile climb out."The Superman" course. You must best be at the top of your game for this one. This race course has a little Downieville in it, but the climbing is after the downhill and you must be in alittle better shape ... One of the MTB races will be 100% non-profit and go to a great cause.
Wow, great news. More information next week.

UPDATE (11/29/07): "The Downhill event is set for June 7th at Mammoth bar. The other two cross country dates are July 26th and August 30th. I may change the August date as the Tahoe-Sierra 100 is Sept 5-7th. May be mid to August."

New Terrain Mode for Google Maps

Wow, this is very cool:
"Google has announced a new mode called Terrain for Google Maps which lets you see relief maps of 3D terrain. This is a very useful mode if you are going hiking, mountain biking, skiing, etc. in rough terrain areas. Or, if you just want to get an idea of the lay of the land when you're looking at the map. " (Via Google Earth Blog: New Terrain Mode for Google Maps)
This will be very useful if they have some of the MTB trails marked.

Monday, November 26, 2007

2007 CCCX Fall Downhill Race #4: 11/25/07

Results have been posted for yesterday's CCCX Fall DH #4. Congrats to Curtis Beavers (Specialized/WTB) and Lainey Aldridge (Gravity Addix), who won the men's and women's Pro/Semi-Pro races.

UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded by RickR.

IMBA and Sea Otter Join Forces

Socks for a good cause:
"The Sea Otter Classic and IMBA have joined forces to raise funds for mountain bike initiatives in California. On Saturday, April 19th, 2008, the annual Sea Otter festival will once again play host to the Mountain Bike Magazine Off-Road Tour. A perennial favorite of festival attendees, the Off-Road Tour has guided more than 600 riders on trails in the Monterey region. This year, riders will have the opportunity to raise funds for California trail projects:
  • A donation of $25 additional to the Tour registration fee earns IMBA cycling socks.
  • A donation of $65 additional to the Tour registration fee earns a custom IMBA/Sea Otter Classic cycling jersey."
(Via IMBA and Sea Otter Join Forces | Press Releases (Sea Otter Classic - April 17-20, 2008))

Sunday, November 25, 2007

USA Cycling 2008 National Championship Calendar

USA Cycling has announced their National Championships for 2008. The interesting (i.e. MTB) ones are below:
USA Cycling’s 60,000 licensed racers will have a lot to gear up for in 2008 as USA Cycling announced this week the dates and locations of the majority of its 15 national championship events. The USA Cycling National Championship Calendar offers an opportunity for competitive cyclists of all ages, abilities and disciplines to compete for a coveted stars-and-stripes jersey that signifies a national champion. With the sites for five national championship events still to be announced, dates and venues for USA Cycling’s 10 additional national championship races are set. 

2008 USA Cycling National Championship Calendar
July 4: USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships (Breckenridge, Colo.)
July 17-20: USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships (Mount Snow Resort – West Dover, Vt.)
August 2-3: USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships (9-Mile County Forest - Wausau, Wis.)
October 24-26: USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships (Banner Elk, N.C.)

(Via USA Cycling website)
These are all the same sites as last year (and none of them remotely close to NorCal). I guess we can take solace in the fact that the WORLD singlespeed championships will be held in our backyard this year.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

2007 Iceman Cometh Video

Although it is still relatively balmy here in the NorCal (unless you live up in Tahoe), the 2007 Iceman Cometh was earlier this month in Michigan.

The Iceman Cometh Challenge is a 27 mile point-to-point mountain bike race held traditionally on the first Saturday in November.

Friday, November 23, 2007

MTB Black Friday Sales

For those of you shopping (instead of riding), here are some Black Friday sales for the MTB racers in your life:If you know of any other MTB sales, feel free to add a comment.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Race for Tara Results

Race for Tara results have been posted over at the Sand Hill Racing website.
The Tara Llanes benefit race was a great success! We raised over $6,000 for her. It was great to see so many riders and spectators out supporting one of our own. Thanks to all who came and made this a very special memory for all of us.
Here are the results for the Pro/Expert classes:
Pro/Expert Women (Combined)
1st Lainey Alridge, Santa Cruz (Gravity Addix)
2nd Alie Burch, Novato (Velo Bella/Kona)
3rd Jackie Baker, San Anselmo (WTB/Giant/FoxShox)
4th Jen McNiven, San Jose (Trailhead Cyclery)
5th Nova Hairston, San Rafael (Marin)

Pro Men
1st Kevin Huffman, Sacramento
2nd Chris Flores, Red Bluff (Mongoose/FactoryFastWheels)
3rd Mikey Haderer, Concord (Fox/Yeti)
4th George Stephenson III, Folsom (Heath's Team)

(Via Sand Hill Racing website)
Event photos by Kris Haderer are available at www.afinishedproduct.com.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

CCCX DH #4 Preview

torodh.jpgThe course preview for the 4th CCCX downhill race of the season has been posted:

CCCX #4 Course Profile: The Course has been selected for race #4 and it features all aspects of downhill MTB racing. There are many high speed sections where the racing is wide open. There are also many tight and difficult turns where traction is minimal and line selection is paramount. This particular route has off camber sections, drop-in sections, and water-bar sections that will test the rider and their equipment. The course descends 1000 vertical feet over 1.7 miles, and the trail is quite steep in many places.

The promoter also wanted to pass along that the last three races of the series will also be fund raisers for Mr E (of Mr E's Bike Shop in Aptos, CA). Mr. E stacked hard at last weekend's Race for Tara, resulting in a helicopter ride and hospital stay in Walnut Creek. There will be raffle tickets available at each of the races with a raffle at the final event (on the new date, December 29th). All proceeds will go to Mr E to offset his hefty medical bills.

The CCCX DH race is this Sunday (11/25/07) at Toro Park between Monterey and Salinas, CA (Toro Park location map). You can check out past CCCX DH race results and find out more details in the archives.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

2008 CCCX Spring DH Schedule

2008_cccx_dh_spring.jpgAs promised, here is the preliminary 2008 Spring CCCX downhill schedule:
  1. Sunday, February 17
  2. Sunday, March 9
  3. Saturday, March 22
  4. Sunday, April 13
  5. Saturday, May 10
  6. Sunday, May 25
  7. Sunday, June 8
  8. Sunday, June 22
  9. [Finals] Sunday, July 13
As with the dates posted yesterday for the XC races, these are subject to change and the locations are still being worked out.

I'll have an update on this weekend's CCCX DH race later today, so stop back by tonight or tomorrow before you leave for your Thanksgiving break.

Monday, November 19, 2007

2008 CCCX XC Schedule

cccx_xc_2008.jpgCCCX head honcho, Keith Defiebre, has been kind enough to send over the preliminary schedule for next year's CCCX cross country (XC) series:
  1. Sunday, February 10
  2. Saturday, February 16 Sunday, February 17
  3. Saturday, March 1
  4. Sunday, March 30
  5. Sunday, April 6
  6. Saturday, May 24
  7. Sunday, June 1
  8. Sunday, June 15
  9. [Finals] Sunday, June 29
The locations are still "to be decided" and the dates may change. I'll have the 2008 Spring CCCX downhill dates up later tonight or tomorrow.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Tara Llanes Story

Apropos of this weekend's race, Sicklines has a link to a local Denver video broadcast on Tara Llanes:
"CBS posted a video on Tara Llanes showing her determination and strong will to never give up. “Courage isn’t all sound and fury, sometimes its the will to go on”" (Via Sick Lines » CBS Denver Story: Tara Llanes)
Thanks to the folks at Sicklines for posting this. There is also an important announcement on getting to the race:
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!
Contra Costa county has decided to do construction ON VASCO RD Sat 11/17 & Sun 11/18. They say as much as 2 HOUR DELAYS ARE EXPECTED!! Alternate routs are: from 580 take mountain house exit to Byron hwy to camino diablo from 680 you can take marsh creek rd or hwy 4 in to brentwood. please check google or something for best route from your area.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Lake Sonoma Series Final Results

I seemed to have missed this last week, but the Lake Sonoma Series concluded this weekend:
"A series close should be this good.

Results have been posted.

Photos, courtesy of Veronika Lenzi are up! http://www.veronikalenzi.com/mtb.html
" (Via BikeMonkey.net)

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

2008 Inaugural Tahoe Sierra 100 Scheduled

After the pre-ride this fall, the dates and rules have been set for the real thing next year:
"The Tahoe-Sierra 100
Friday, September 5, 2008 to Sunday, September 7, 2008

Soloists will complete A SINGLE 100 MILE LAP of fire road and single track that sports some of the most breathtaking scenery of the entire west coast. Many of the areas being opened to this event have never before been ridden by bike, and accessed by very few through other means of travel. 70% fireroads and double track with 30% single track.

Team racers will compete on sections of the same course and cover a smaller 50 mile lap. Teams will start approximately 10 minutes after soloists embark on their long event. With the larger field this will give ample time for their positions to sort themselves out fairly. Members of each team will compete in a relay-style format by tagging the hand of the next team member after each lap is complete.
" (Via Global BioRythm Events - Tahoe Sierra 100)
Go visit the website for all the details.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Friday, November 09, 2007

2008 AMBC Calendar Announced

USA Cycling has announced the American Mountain Bike Challenge Race Calendar (PDF), which are kinda mid-major races sanctioned and supported by USA Cycling (unlike the NMBS which is separate). Here's the press release:
"USA Cycling announced today the 2008 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar.  The 26-race calendar features several new events and again provides off-road cyclists with the opportunity to qualify for the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships at Mount Snow Resort in Vermont.
 
Beginning March 8 with the Spa City Extreme Six-Hour Mountain Bike Race, a marathon event in Hot Springs, Ark., the 2008 AMBC stretches seven months before concluding with the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La. for the third consecutive year, on October 25-26. Eleven of the 26 races on the AMBC will double as a part of the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Cross Country Calendar.
" (Via www.usacycling.org)
The only California races are the 20th Annual Keyesville Classic (March 15/16, 2008) and the Idyllwild Spring Challenge (May 3/4, 2008) which are both in SoCal.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Race for Tara Update

taraflyer2af1.jpgJust an update on the Tara Llanes benefit race ("Race for Tara") that the folks at Sand Hill are holding on November 17th, 2007.

Tara's blog over on myspace has a few details:
I hope some of you can make it. I wish I could. I had heard of Sandhill Ranch before I got hurt and had always wanted to race their slalom course. It looks sweet! The race is going to be held of NOVEMBER 17th so mark it on your calendars. They will not only put on a fun race, but they also have a ton of product from my sponsors Fox Shox, Michelin, and Smith to give away.
You can follow Tara's rehab process on her blog.

The race now has it's own website, where you can learn about all the logistics as well as seeing the some of the raffle items (Santa Cruz bike). Race pre-registration is being handled by bikereg. Registration costs $35 and USA Cycling has waived all permit / insurance fees. Sand Hill will not charge for parking that day.

Sand Hill is located in Brentwood, California just south of Antioch in the East Bay Area. Here's a map:

View Larger Map

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

TBF Racing Announces "Mountain Bike Kick Start"

In addition to their previously announced MTB Challenge and possible Friday night racing, TBF Racing will be having a pre-season kickoff event for those new to MTB XC racing:
"The MTB Kick Start has a 1-lap Novice and Junior division, a Sport and Single Speed division with 2-laps, and a 3-lap Expert division. Each lap is 7 miles of challenging, scenic, fast single track trails, up and down the foothills surrounding Folsom Lake.

The MTB Kick Start race course is on multi-use trails within the Granite Bay State Park on Folsom Lake. The course features a fun, challenging combination of twisting single-track, wide double track, rolling cross-country with some sand and a bit of pavement. The course is perfect for first-timers and exciting fun for all levels, the faster you go the more fun it is!
" (Via TBF Racing events Mountain Bike Kick Start)
This race will be Sunday, January 20th, 2008. Looks like a great opportunity for people to get their start racing. I'll post more details as we get towards December.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Lemurian Shasta Classic Announces 2008 Date

The 2008 Lemurian Shasta Classic will be held on April 26, 2008. 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)." Held in Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area, the Lemurian is the traditional kickoff to the "Way NorCal" racing season.

See the archives for the last two year's worth of coverage.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Official 2008 NMBS Schedule

The "official" 2008 NMBS (National Mountain Bike Series, which used to be called the NORBA Nationals) schedule press release was posted this week. Important excerpts are below:
One of the new venues is Tamarack Resort, at McCall, Idaho, which hosts the series finale, August 30 - September 1. This event is scheduled so as to allow the US Olympians to return from their races in Beijing, 22-23 August, and still compete for the series win. "We wanted the top athletes to have an opportunity to race in the finals, they have expressed a desire to do so, and we are more than happy to oblige," says series director Jeff Frost.

The other new venue is Windham Resort, New York, July 12-13. "Plattekill Mountain is the gravity base of New England, there's a huge gravity crowd in and around that area. We're excited to be going there for that, but also, the venue is two hours southwest of Mt Snow, the national championships venue, and our race is the weekend before. It's the last chance to qualify for the nationals," explains Frost.

The 2007 series saw continued growth in participant numbers, with 10,000 entrants and 14,000 starts. "I think we've found our plateau, Our events have become 70% regional and 30% national, which is a very healthy mix. This series is a standalone and has nothing to do with NORBA. As our reputation grows as a standalone entity, so does the pull from the region surrounding the event," says Frost.
Good to see that they nailing this down early this year. I am excited about the Tamarack event -- I may have to make the long drive up to Idaho. Here's the official schedule:
2008 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES - SCHEDULE
Round 1 (March 29-30, 2008) : Fontana National (Southridge Park, Fontana, California) [XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D]
Round 2 (April 5-6, 2008): NOVA National (McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Fountain Hills, Arizona) [XC/ST/Super D]
Round 3 (May 17-18, 2008) Santa Ynez National (Ted Chamberlin Ranch, Los Olivos, California) [XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D]
Round 4 (June 28-29, 2008): Deer Valley National (Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Utah) [XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D]
Round 5 (July 12-13, 2008) East Coast National (Windham Resort, Windham, New York) [XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D]
Round 6 Final (August 30 - September 1, 2008) National Mountain Bike Series Finals (Tamarack Resort, Tamarack, Idaho) [XC/DH/4Xor DS/ST/Super D]
This is pretty close to what we saw on the preliminary schedule except Snowmass (CO) and Sugar Mountain (NC) dropped out.

Friday, November 02, 2007

CCCX Fall DH #3 Preview

cccx dh 2 2.jpgHere's the course preview for the rescheduled CCCX Fall DH #3 that is this Sunday near Monterey:
The race route for the 3rd event of the CCCX FALL/WINTER DH Series will be a fast course with some new additions added to spice up the racing action. The last winner of this route was Mark Weir (WTB/Santa Cruz), who said the course was just right and that he liked the DH trail very much. Most of the trail is either high speed fire roads or tight single track with switch-backs and blind turns that are off camber. There are a few new additions added to the trail, one is a steep drop in section that has never been used before in competition. This addition highlights a already fun middle section of the course where breaking and line selection will determine who makes it thru fastest. The trail descends approximately 1000 vertical feet, and the dirt traction is getting softer, but is still very dry and lose in most sections. This trail is one of the more high speed routes within Toro Park, but still features some tricky corners that will test your turning and breaking ability.
They have also changed the final date for the Fall CCCX DH series to December 30th ("New Years Downhill Classic"). For information on past CCCX DH races, check the archives.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

2007 Boggs Mountain Metal Madness

2007boggs.jpgThe good folks down the road at UCD sent me an email reminding me that the NorCal XC season isn't over with the Lake Sonoma Series finals this weekend . . . The UC Davis Cycling's Boggs Mountain Metal Madness will be held on November 17-18, 2007. The event will consist of three races:

AC-DC-XC (Saturday at 10 AM, registration begins at 8:00am and closes at 9:45am): A cross country course fun for experts and beginners alike. The 95% single track, thirteen mile loop gains 2000 ft in elevation over multiple climbs interspersed with ripping rollercoaster sections. The trail surface is pine needles over hard pack with some pretty rocky sections. The course will be the same as last year. Course distance is determined by class: Men's A / Women's A / Expert go 2 laps, everyone else does 1 lap.

SUPER DIO (Sunday at 9:30am, registration begins at 8:00am and closes at 9:15am): Le mans start Super D. Downhill single track, double track and fire road sections. Windy and rocky but not too technical. A course appropriate for hort-travel suspension or hardtails. Point-to-point, the few mile group ride to the top of the course leaves shortly after registration closes. A shuttle to he top will not be available. Self arranged shuttles out from the finish may be possible depending on road conditions.

SHORT TRACK TO HELL (Sunday at noon, register at the same time as Super D): A classic short track course with a little of everything. This half mile course laps around the campground making for easy spectating. A long fire road section for passing precedes a short technical climb followed by a loose descent. Single track completes the loop for a well-rounded course of varying terrain. Race is determined by time: Men's A / Men's Expert: 30 min + 2 laps, Men's B / Men's Sport: 20 min + 2 laps, Women's A / Women's Expert: 20 min + 2 laps, Men's C / Men's Beginner: 15 min + 2 laps, and Women's B / Women's Sport: 15 min + 2 laps.

The race is being held at Bogg Mountain Demonstration Forest, just north of the Bay Area. Here's a map that should get you there:

View Larger Map

Here are the rest of the details:
Event: Bogg Mountain Metal Madness [ PDF Flyer ]
Dates: November 17 & 18, 2007
Location: Bogg Mountain Demonstration Forest (near Cobb, CA)
Competition: XC, SD, STCX
Cost: For collegiate riders: $15 for the Cross Country, $15 for one Sunday event or $20 for both. For NORBA riders: $25 per race.
URL: http://sportclubs.ucdavis.edu/cycling/
Registration: onsite
License: NORBA or WCCC (collegiate)

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Final 2007 Sonoma Series Race

The weekend is the last XC race in NorCal this year:
The final Lake Sonoma Series (#6) is upon us, and the points race is coming to a close. 16 prizes will be handed out to the top points leaders of the year. Some have a strong hold on the placings. But not everyone. It's down to the wire this Saturday at Lake Sonoma at the formerly-known-as Billy Cross races! (via BikeMonkey)
Series point totals are posted here. You can more details on the Lake Sonoma Series in the archives.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

2008 Downieville Classic Dates

Dates have been posted for the 2008 Downieville Classic:
"we look forward to hosting you
JULY 11 - 13, 2008
mark your calendars people!!!
  • ALL-MOUNTAIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, July 12-13
  • RIVER JUMP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, July 12
  • POINT TO POINT XC RACE, July 12
  • PIXIE-CROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, July 12
  • DOWNIEVILLE DOWNHILL RACE, July 13
  • ROBOT DANCE-OFF COMPETITION, July 12
  • BICYCLE EXPO & STREET FAIR
  • LIVE MUSIC & GOOD TIMES
" (Via Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Festival)
I'll post further details when we get closer to registration time. Last year, registration opened on April 16th. The DH race was full within 2 hours. In the meantime, check out the last two years worth of coverage in the archives.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Coolest 24 Sets 2008 Dates

The Coolest 24, which has quickly grown into one of the best endurance races in NorCal, has announced their 2008 dates:
"May 3rd and 4th, 2008

The Coolest 24 in its second year became one of the top prize money and award giving ultra events in the Nation. $6,000 in prize money and over $20,000 in awards.
" (Via Global BioRythm Events - Cool24)
Registration is already open at active.com.

2007 Sand Hill Fall #2 Results

Results from the second Sand Hill Fall gravity races have been posted. Congratulations to the following winners:

15 and Under: Thomas Ravina, Novato (Gamut)
16-18 Olympic: Matt Collins, Lafayette (Hank&Frank)
Junior Expert: Forest Belluzzi, Benicia (WTB/Santa Cruz/FrameWrap)
19-29 Sport: Jared Kessler, Placerville
Vet Sport: John Kresich, Clayton (DH Reno)
Vet Expert: Heath Sherratt, Roseville (The Hub/Cannondale)
Women's: Lainey Aldridge, Santa Cruz (Gravity Addix)
Pro: Mikey Haderer, Concord (Yeti/FoxShox/Oakley)

This event was dual slalom racing. Photos have been posted over at A Finished Product.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

CCCX DH #3 Rescheduled !

Sorry for the late notice here:
"Attention: The CCCX DH Race scheduled for October 28 will be re-scheduled! Race #3 will now be held on November 4th. There was a conflict with dates at Toro Park, and now the series final will be scheduled at a later date to be determined. Racers......Please make a note that the race scheduled for October 28 will not take place, and the next CCCX DH race will be November 4th at Toro Park." (Via 2007 Central Coast Downhill)
We'll have a course preview later this week.

Sugar Mountain Bows Out of 2008 NORBA

Just about two week after the preliminary 2008 NORBA (NMBS) schedule was posted, there has already been a change:
"Sugar Mountain Resort is committed to growing its mountain bike program for many years to come. As a result, we have made some short term changes. Sugar Mountain Resort will not host the Showdown at Sugar National Mountain Bike Series event in 2008. The decision was not easy and one we labored over for quite a while. However, we will take a fresh look at hosting an event in 2009. In the mean time, please continue to ride the trails on Sugar Mountain." (Via Sugar Mountain Resort)
I am sure that this won't be the only change that we see in the NMBS schedule.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Lagrange Fall Classic / NorCal Series / CA State Results

Some of the Lagrange Classic results are online:Still waiting to see the Super D and Short Track results.

The End of the Cougar Mountain Classic ?

I haven't seen anything official but rumors swirling around the Internets are that the Bay Area's only remaining MTB festival, The Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic, will not be returning for 2008. Bolstering these rumors are the demise of their website at cmclassic.com and it's absence from the 2008 Infineon schedule.

This is sad, but not entirely unexpected, news. Cougar Mountain has struggled the past few years with course issues (and much criticism) and dwindling attendance. That said, I have always thought that the organizers did a great job with what they had (in terms of course) to bring MTB racing to the Bay Area. I will be sorry to see it go.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

2008 Boggs III

The guys over at bikeMonkey have the preliminary dates for Boggs III, the north bay 8 hour race:
"Saturday, April 5th (2008). I promised you in March that anyone there on that day would be invited to pre-register for the race. I also promised to cap the event at 200 participants. I am a man of my word. Hey, the big farm truck with the band on top has to fit somewhere!

So within the next month registration for Boggs III 8-hour XC Endurance Race will open up ONLY to those who participated in last year's event. You will have about 6 weeks to pre-register before the field spots open up to everyone else. I'll post registration date specifics soon.
" (Via BikeMonkey.net)
Keep the date open.

UPDATE (11/07): the Boggs III website is now up.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

TBF To Sponsor Friday Night Racing

An interesting item on the front page of the TBF Racing (promoters of the early season MTB Challenge races in Granite Bay, CA):
"NEW IN 2008:
...snip...
5. Summer Friday Night Mtn. Bike Racing at Granite Bay
...snip...
" (Via TBF Racing: Total Body Fitness Racing.)
Friday night races. This is sweet. I believe this officially makes the Sierra Foothills the new center of NorCal MTB racing :>

Monday, October 22, 2007

2008 Sea Otter Classic Website & Camping Update

The Sea Otter machine starts to creak to life. A new website is due on November 1st and camping reservations will be accepted later next month:
"Camping Reservations: Online camping reservations will open on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at 9 am, PST. No email, mailed, or telephone reservations will be accepted. General information regarding camping will be posted at www.seaotterclassic.com/camping on November 1, 2007." (Via 2008 Sea Otter Classic Website Opening)
Sites are ranging from $60 - $95 per site this year.

Friday, October 19, 2007

2007 Bidwell Bump (This Weekend!)

Yikes! Never saw any advance notice of this, but I believe this is the Bidwell Bump:
"The Chico State Cycling Team will hold NORBA and collegiate mountain bike races Saturday and Sunday at Bidwell Park and at the Oroville Dam.
  • An XC race will be held in Upper Bidwell Park on Saturday at 9 a.m. Registration is from 7 to 8:45 a.m. at Five-Mile Recreation Area.
  • A Super D race will be held in Upper Bidwell Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. Registration is from 7 to 8:45 a.m. and from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Five-Mile Recreation Area.
  • A DH race will be held at the Oroville Dam Trail on Sunday at 9 a.m. Registration is from 7 to 8:45 a.m. at the Oroville Dam Trail Head.
  • An SXTC race will be held in Upper Bidwell Park on Sunday at noon. Registration is from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Five-Mile Recreation Area.
The fees are $15 for collegiate and $35 for NORBA for the first race each race, $5 for collegiate for each additional race and $10 for NORBA for each additional race. NORBA licenses are required and will be available for purchase at registration. One-day licenses are $10.
" (Via Chico Enterprise Record)
Both NORBA and Collegiate classes will be held.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Lagrange Classic / NorCal Series Final / CA State Champs

Up north in Weaverville tomorrow, the Lagrange Classic begins three days of racing that symbolically closes the NorCal MTB season. Oh, and it's also the NorCal Series Finals. And the California State Championship. Here is the event schedule:
  • Super D (Friday Afternoon): It uses some of the upper 2/3 of the Downhill course, then veers onto a 3-mile section of the famed flume trails of our cross-country course for a total of 6+ miles. Take a look at the course map here.

  • Cross Country (Saturday Morning): Sport/Expert/Pro Course has added one more new section of singletrack for a total of 22.5 miles. There is also a new beginners course: "In past years it ended with 3 miles of fireroad, but no more! Our NEW 13.8 mile beginner course is now almost all singletrack!"

  • Short-track Cross Country (Sunday Morning): It’s a fun ¾-mile loop right behind the high school for easy spectating. There’s some fun single-track, some wide fire-road for passing and an oh-so-steep drop-in to keep things interesting.

  • Downhill (Sunday Noon): The start is way up WeaverBolly road at 5600' and the finish is next to East Weaver Campground at 2800'. It's along one, it takes a pro about 7.5 minutes to do the 3.2 miles. There are some super-steep chutes up top, some cool jumps and drops, high-speed sweepers, a creek jump and some twisty singletrack near the end. Check out the course map here.
You can still enter online at active.com until midnight October 18th (tonight).

Weaverville is located just west of Redding:


View Larger Map

The races will be held rain or shine, but it looks like the rain is going to hold off this weekend. If you have never gotten up Weaverville for one of the Team Bigfoot races, you really owe it to yourself.

Check this thread at MTBR for updates on course conditions.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

2007 Sand Hill Fall #1 Results

Results have been posted for the first Sand Hill Fall gravity series race. The mountain cross race was held October 6th. Congrats to Kevin Huffman (Sacramento) who bested George Stephenson III (Folsom) for the men's Pro/Semi-Pro win and Jen McNiven (San Jose, TrailHead Cyclery) who took the ladies' top honors. Pictures have been posted over at A Finished Product.

2008 24 Hour National Point Series Schedule

On the heels of their season ending 24 Hours of Moab, Granny Gear Productions has announced the 2008 schedule for the 24 Hour National Point Series:

Monday, October 15, 2007

2007 24 Hours of Moab Results

Race reports from this weekend's final 24 Hours National Point Series race have been posted over at Ride 424:
"Looks like another clockwork performance by Eatough for the win and a rough night for a lot of riders favored to make the podium - Marenchin, Tostado, Harris all look to have bailed early, Ernesto said he ran into some asthma issues, dont know about the other 2. Rebecca Rusch came in second behind Jari Kirkland in the women’s field ... Full results here." (Via Ride 424)
Jeff Kerkove has pictures up at his flickr site.

2007 Parkfield Classic Results

Results have been posted for this weekend's Parkfield Classic down near San Luis Obispo:
"Results provided in PDF format:Thanks to everyone who came out to race and volunteer this weekend!" (Via Parkfield Classic website)
Race reports are being collected over at MTBR.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Preliminary 2008 NMBS Schedule

I received an email this morning outlining the NORBA Nationals NMBS schedule for 2008. While I haven't seen this confirmed anywhere (especially the NORBA website), here is the proposed schedule:
  • NMBS #1: Southridge Park, Fontana, California (Mar 27-30)
  • NMBS #2: Nova Nationals, Fountain Hills, Arizona (Apr 3-6)
  • NMBS #3: Firestone Santa Ynez Valley Mountain Bike Classic, Santa Barbara, California (May 16-18)
  • NMBS #4: Deer Valley, Park City, Utah (June 26-29)
  • NMBS #5: Showdown at Sugar Mountain, North Carolina (July 3-6) CANCELLED!
  • NMBS #6: East Coast National, Windham, New York (July 10-13)
  • NMBS #7: Snowmass, Colorado (Aug 14-17)
  • NMBS #8: Tamarack Resort, McCall, Idaho (Aug 28 - Sept 1)
Obviously, since this hasn't been published on the official site, this is still subject to change (and if last year was any indication, it will).

If this is correct, it looks like most of the 2007 sites are back along with some new ones. Of particular interest is the final site up in Idaho - it's only 12 hours from the Bay Area. It's also interesting that the proposed San Jose stop hasn't gotten rescheduled. And it looks like Angel Fire also dropped. Hopefully that means that they got a UCI race.

UPDATE: It looks like dhRENO has all this information and more.

UPDATE (10/25/07): Sugar Mountain has cancelled their 2008 involvement.
UPDATE (11/08/07): The official schedule has been posted. There are several changes so click over to see it.

Friday, October 12, 2007

2007 Whiskeytown Nine to Five Results

The results from last weekend's Whiskeytown Nine to Five have been posted. It looks like they had a really big turnout for the 8 hour solo event.

The last event on the Team Bigfoot calendar is coming in next week: The Lagrange Classic (SuperD, XC, DH, Short track) will also be the California State Championships as well as the NorCal Series final. More information on that today.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

2007 Fall CCCX DH #2 Results

Results and photos for the 2007 CCCX Fall Downhill Race #2 (10/7/07) race have been posted.

Congratulations to Curtis Beavers (Specialized/WTB) and Crystal Theesfeld (TrailHead Cyclery) who won the men's and women's Pro/Expert races.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Sand Hill Adds "Race for Tara"

Sand Hill has added a race to their fall schedule to help out Tara Llanes recovery:
"RACE FOR TARA: As you may know, Pro-women's mountain bike racer, Tara Llanes, suffered a horrific crash recently.

Sand Hill has been asked to host a benefit race on Tara's behalf. We have chosen November 17th because it is the next available Saturday on the calendar ... Although many of you prefer the excitement of our dual slalom course, we have chosen Mountain-X as the race format because it doesn't take as long to run.

There will be a raffle (So far we have Fox Shox, Fox Racing, USA Cycling, Gravity Addix, AllOut Productions, RideSFO, etc.). USA Cycling has waived all permit and insurance fees and Sand Hill will not charge for parking that day. A representative from Tara's account will be there to assure all of you that the money is going directly to Tara.
" (Via Sand Hill Website)
For full details, click the link above to go to the Sand Hill site. Sand Hill kicks off their fall season this weekend.

UPDATE (10/10/07): Registration is available here.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

2007 Fall CCCX DH #2 Preview

cccxdh1.jpgIt time for the CCCX downhill races again:
CCCX Race #2 Course Profile: The DH route for race #2 features 1000 feet of vertical drop in approximately 3 miles of trail. The top section will boast some new off camber sections, and some high speed fire roads. Then the course will dip down into a portion of Toro Park that has been used in the past for CCCX races. This area is 90 % single track to the finish. The terrain is fast and flowing with tight sections combined with wide open turns that make the riding fun and challenging. This trail does have some pedaling portions and some flat sections, as well as high speed sections, so it will favor a rider who is well rounded and fully skilled in downhill racing. Toro Park is dry, and the trails are lose and slick, and very fast, so the average speed should be very high for this course.
The first race had a big turnout so register and arrive early.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

2008 AMBC applications

USA Cycling is starting to get their 2008 calendar together:
"Attention Mountain Bike Promoters:

Applications for the 2008 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) are now available online at the USA Cycling website by clicking here.

Please not the application deadline for the 2008 calendar is October 15, 2008.
" (Via USAcycling.org)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

September Lake Sonoma Series Results

Results and pictures have been posted from today's Lake Sonoma Series XC race. Congrats to Jim Hewitt (Pro Men's) and Shannon Sobeck (Sport Women), the top male and female finishers.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Interbike 2007 Highlights

Interbike 2007, the largest bicycling tradeshow in the US, kicked off this week in Las Vegas:
Interbike Is Coming This Week: "The 2007 Interbike trade show is coming to Las Vegas, Nevada... Bikemag.com and the entire Bike magazine crew is preparing to depart for one of the hardest working weeks of our year. Interbike is scheduled to include over 1,000 brands from almost as many exhibitors being shown to nearly 22,000 attendees from over 60 countries." (Via Bikemag.com)
Here are some of the best links of new swag pictures from around the web and that starts with the newest from Crank Brothers:
"The folks at Crank Brothers have been very, very busy over the last year. How busy? Try this: they’ve added wheels, headsets, integrated cranks, a new take on the quick-release skewer…and oh yeah, they’ve also taken over production and distribution of the Speedball adjustable seatpost from Maverick." (Via Bikemag.com)
Here is an incomplete list of Interbike 2007 stories and pics, guaranteed to waste some valuable work time on this Friday morning:

Thursday, September 27, 2007

2007 Tour de Granite Results

Hmmm . . . somehow I forgot to post this back in August. Better late than never, here are the results for the 2007 Tour de Granite.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Northstar Unveils 2008 Mountain Bike Park Plans

Some really interesting news from the folks up the mountian:
Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort today announced plans for its popular mountain bike park for the 2008 season and beyond. Improving on its existing offering, the resort will offer increased lift capacity, new trails suitable for beginners, as well as new advanced trails and features, instructional riding classes, signature bike events, new cross-country trails and more.
 
Starting in 2008, Northstar Resort will offer beginner trails that run from the Village at Northstar™ up to mid-mountain. Suitable for all ages and ability levels, these family-oriented trails will give riders an opportunity to experience the bike park at their own pace.
 
The resort has plans to construct a trail similar to LiveWire, it’s first signature downhill trail that features an irrigation system top to bottom, that will be geared toward intermediate riders. LiveWire proved to be a very popular trail among riders during the 2007 season. Taking guest feedback and that of Northstar Resort’s team riders, the trail crew will build another fully irrigated trail that will entice non-expert riders to enjoy the ride.
 
Also in the plan is the development of a new cross-country trail that will loop behind Lookout Mountain and provide riders with spectacular views of the Martis Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
 
In addition to the hosting of its own downhill and cross-country race events, Northstar Resort is interested in bringing larger scale events to the resort. Currently in discussions with Tour de Nez, Northstar Resort is working to bring the popular festival event to the resort in 2008, as well as some other larger scale mountain bike events. Bike park sponsor, Giant Bicycles is also considering introducing road, cross-country and downhill performance clinics to riders at Northstar Resort. Featuring Giant sponsored athletes, the performance clinics would include seminars and ride time with the athletes.
 
Beyond the 2008 season, Northstar Resort’s five year plan includes more trail irrigation using the existing snowmaking infrastructure, additional on-mountain dining options, daily clinics, the hosting of national and international race events, the continual building of new trails and the upgrading of the existing trail network and infrastructure.
" (Via Northstar Resort Unveils Plans for Mountain Bike Park in 2008)
Pinch me: LARGER SCALE EVENTS. Sweet.

September Lake Sonoma Race

This Saturday is the monthly Lake Sonoma XC race:
"At our last event we had over 50 racers. It's so exciting to see people coming from as far away as the southern Bay Area to ride the rugged terrain at Lake Sonoma's Liberty Glenn Campground. It's also amazing how much hurt you can pack into a technical 5 mile course.

LSS #5 is this coming Saturday and it's the second to the last of the season. Points have been calculated to show the regulars where they stand, and in November for race #6 we're going to hand out some cool bling to the overall winners in each category (whoa that's a lot of bling!!). If you're a regular and you're in the running, you'll want to be there for the next two.
" (Via BikeMonkey.net)

Monday, September 24, 2007

Tahoe Sierra 100 Pre-ride

I've been tracking the Tahoe Sierra 100 rumors for a while and was interested when I heard that it had progressed to a "test ride" for last weekend:
"Several months ago Jim Northey of Global Biorhythm Events contacted me about a route he and his son were mapping out for the 2008 debut Tahoe Sierra 100 which is slated to become next year's championship venue for the NUE MTB Series making it the only sanctioned ultra endurance MTB race in the state of California ... This coming Saturday approximately 40 riders will ascend into the Sierra Nevada mountain range to ride through areas of wilderness where no bikes have ever gone before. Saturday's event is an invitational "pre-ride" of a large portion of the route that will be completed early next year and readied for its official 2008 debut. A handful of riders from Sonoma County are headed up to do the ride. So we will surely hear some great stories within a few days." (via BikeMonkey.net)
Of course, when I saw the ride reports . . . last year's cool race came to mind:
"he stories will start to fly about this one. The snow the cold and the rain. What a hell of a ride. Roger Lackey, Sean Allan, Friz Wisor and Nate Knudson all headed out on the long course. They said at mile 12 the snow hit hard, and the boys in for a hell of a ride. I could go but on, I will let them write in about it. " (via The Tahoe-Sierra 100 was just plain epic!! - Mtbr.com Forum)
Check out the pictures at MTBR. I'm still excited to see this next year.

UPDATE: The Tahoe-Sierra 100 website is up.

2007 Humboldt Hoedown Results

Results have been posted for this weekend's Humboldt Hoedown XC and short track races. Congratulations to Bear (?) Perrin (XC Pro) and Daphne Hodgson (Women's XC Sport) who took top honors.

Race reports can be found at the Mtbr.com Forums.

Friday, September 21, 2007

2007 Parkfield Classic

The details (and website) are all finished for this year's Parkfield Classic down near Paso Robles (actually Parkfield, CA) on October 13th - 14th:
Parkfield Classic 2007 Mountain Bike Race by Cal Poly Wheelmen: "This year's Parkfield Classic will have

Cross Country (Saturday Morning): A point to point XC race covering 9 miles (Beginner), 15 miles (Sport) or 24 miles (Pro/Expert).

Dual Slalom (Saturday Afternoon): Head to head races on separate courses join in the middle for lots of spectator friendly action and a new triple right after the first conjoined turn.

Short Track (Sunday Morning): 50/50 technical singletrack and fire road passing sections.

Downhill (Sunday Morning/Afternoon):Single Run format with Bypass options are given for most obstacles. Expert course different than Sport course.
"
We also have some coverage of last year's race in the archives.

Monday, September 17, 2007

2007 CCCX Fall Downhill Race #1: 9/16/07

Results have been posted for yesterday's 2007 CCCX Fall Downhill Race #1 (9/16/07). Congrats to Shawn Wilson (Oakley/Gamut/Summit Bicycles) and Rosie Bernhard who won the men's and women's Pro/Semi-Pro classes.

Race reports are up at MTBR and photos have been posted at Rick's smugmug site.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

2008 BC Bike Race Dates

bcbikerace.pngDates have been set for the second annual epic MTB stage race, the BC (British Columbia) Bike Race:
BC Bike Race Newsletter: "After a very successful inaugural race in 2007, BC Bike Race is back for the 2008 season and registration is raring to go!

For BC Bike Race 2008 (June 28th-July 4th 2008), we will welcome up to 400 riders, in teams of 2 and 4, to challenge the 7 stages from Victoria to Whistler, BC.
"
This seven stage race covers over 500km (~320 miles) from Whistler to Victoria in Western Canada. You can check out Ride424.com's race report from this year's BC Bike Race or the official BC Bike Race blog for more details.

Friday, September 14, 2007

PCRS Fall #4 Results

Results, photos and some video have been posted for this week's PCRS Fall #4 race. Check out the results and photos over at http://racemtbikes.com/.

The video is available over at youtube:

Sky Tavern Redux ?

So I am confused by this. The Reno Wheelmen announced the Sky Tavern race (part of the Nevada Cup) back in August, but now I see this on the University of Nevada Reno Cycling Team site:
"2007 WCCC MTB OPENER
Sky Tavern Resort, NV
Saturday, September 29th: Cross County & Downhill
Sunday, September 30th: Short Track & Super D
"
with a race flyer that has all kinds of details on the race. It looks like it is both a collegiate race and NORBA race. I never saw the results to the August Sky Tavern XC race (although dhRENO had the scaled back DH results), so maybe this is legit. I'll email the organizers and ask.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

CCCX DH Fall #1 Preview

cccxdh2007fall1.jpgWith the cancellation of the last CHDH and Northstar winding down in two weeks, the CCCX Fall downhill season is starting up just in time:
2007 Central Coast Downhill Race Fall Series: "Course Profile CCCX DH #1- The first race of the series is going to be a fast one with lots of action to test a riders line selection and skills. Traction will be an issue as the trails are dry and fast and the turns will be very tricky. Each CCCX DH course will test a riders full array of riding ability. There will be some really high speed sections, tight turns, steep trails, and some fun riding single track. Each course in the series will test fitness as well as your downhill skills. For race #1 it will be about a 30 minute walk uphill to the start. Cash will be paid out to the top male riders, and top female riders each race. All divisions eligible for cash payout."
The first CCCX downhill is Sunday, but the course is open Saturday for practice and registration (2:00 pm start). The course will be fully marked and ready to practice at this time. On race day (Sunday), registration opens at 8:00 am and closes at 11:30 am. First timed runs start at 12:00 noon. Pixie and Chainless Divisions will be the last runs of the day (3pm start). Awards will be 30 minutes after final run. Registration is $35/person ($25 for juniors).

New for the Fall Series will be an X-Fusion Shox raffle. It'll be held after the awards and you must be present to win.

You can check out previous CCCX DH course and race reports in the archives.

SSWC 2008 Update

A bit more detail on the Singlespeed World Championship coming (SSWC) to NorCal next year:
Back From the Single Speed Worlds: "In case you have not heard yet, Napa, CA will be the host city for SSWC2008. I threw my hat in the ring, so to speak, and after a lot of stiff competition, somehow I came out the winner ... We will have the date and more details soon."
Here is the video evidence of NorCal's interpretive dance superiority:

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Northstar and Whiskeytown Race Reports

I haven't seen results from either the Whiskeytown Classic nor Northstar's DH race, but there are a few race reports floating around that I thought I should link to:Northstar results will be posted here (sometime this week) and Whiskeytown results will probably be posted in the MTBR thread above be posted here at Team Bigfoot's website.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

CHDH #3 Cancelled

Wow, this is bad news:
It is with great disappointment that we must cancel the final CHDH race for 2007 due to environmental issues. California state park officials are not allowing us to build a course for race #3. We are continuing to work with them to try to come up with a solution for future races at Carnegie.

As a result, series points have been totaled and series champions will be declared. We’ll be contacting each champion about receiving their awards. Please see following link below for series points results.

http://www.corralhollowdh.com/2007/results/series/
Hopefully, the RideSFO guys can find a way to keep this going.