New Dates for 2009 SSWC

New dates and registration instructions for next year's (2009) Single Speed World Championship:

August 6-9th is no more. September 16th through the 20th will be the new and last date to remember. The riding is way better at that time of year anyway, so be stoked. Sorry to all you school teachers and school kids, you may have to call in sick or get a sub. Remember that Sunday January 4th, right here, we will post the mail-in registration form and the address. The reg form also doubles as a coloring contest, so do your best and get creative with it, as those who do will be rewarded.

Via SingleSpeed World Championships Durango 2009.

UPS Deliveries By Bike

It's a slow week due to the holidays but this post caught my eye and made me happy:

I caught up with local rider/racer, and PacificPedalling guest-poster Tina Brubaker last Thursday for a few moments while she hustled through a portion of her Keizer route, delivering packages for UPS. As you can see from the photo above, that ain’t no gas-guzzlin’ brown van she’s driving, but instead an entirely human powered, good old fashioned bike!


UPS Delivery By Bike! Salem, Oregon from nwduffer on Vimeo.

Via PacificPedalling.com and bikemonkey.

Woodcreek HS To Open MTB Season

For those of you in the Roseville, CA school district, they're getting started early this year for the NorCal HS league:

The Woodcreek High School Mountain Bike Club will officially begin preparation for the 2009 high school mountain bike racing season on December 27th with a four day training camp in Granite Bay, California. The camp will consist of four days of training rides, skills clinics, team meeting and evening social get-togethers. This is the second year that the team will hold a pre-season training camp over the Christmas holiday. Last year’s event was very successful in spite of record cold temperatures in the area.

This year the team camp will feature a visit from guest pro bike racer Mike Sayers, from BMC Cycling. Sayers, a recently retired pro, will be sharing his expertise and passion for cycling with the team. “I asked Mike if he would be willing to ride with us, and I was thrilled that he had space in his schedule and he accepted our invitation”, said Jim Winne, the Director of the Woodcreek team. “I have always admired Mikes approach to the sport, and to life, and I’m glad that the kids will get a chance to rub elbows with him.

This four-day camp based at various sites around Folsom Lake, will be the first step in preparing the team for the 2009 racing season with the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League. This popular and highly competitive cross-country racing series is comprised of over 30 high school teams from Northern and Central California. Woodcreek High School will be starting their third season in the league. Last year Woodcreek finished the season ranked in the top five in Division 1 competition.

You can check out their website at http://www.weracemountainbikes.com/.

SSWC 2009 Registration Update

It looks like the folks behind next year's Singlespeed World Championship are going to try and avoid the controversy around last year's SSWC registration:

We have been looking through tons of old bmx plus mags, and now are feeling good about things. For those of you with spoke cards from Napa, listen up. We will be posting a reg form over to the right on December 28th. You will then print it, write on it and send it and your spoke card to our mailing address. You will get an entry if you send us your card. For all the others, you need to keep waiting. 

These are other things that are for sure so far; amazing insurance, beer, and 6 guys who are stoked.

Via Singlespeed World Championship 2009 website.

Sea Otter Discount (Dec 15-21)

The good folks at the Sea Otter Classic have kicked down at 15% registration discount if you're quick about it:

Watch video to receive coupon code good for 15% off online registration Dec 15-21. Offer not valid on merchandise, camping or exhibitor registration.

And here is the video (or at least one of them):

Add NorCal MTB Races Widget to Your Blog

This post has really nothing to do about mountain biking or racing. In fact, it's about computers and HTML. If this scares you, please feel free to skip today's content and come back tomorrow.

A few loyal readers have been asking "Can I add the NorCal MTB race list on your sidebar to my blog ?"

To which I am answering "Why, yes you can Virginia" even though I doubt any of my readers names are actually Virginia.

For those of you rocking a blog on Google's Blogger (like this very blog), I've made things super easy. Just click the button below and it will auto-magically add it to your blog.

<br /> <div id="mtbcalendar"></div><script src="http://www.mtbcalendar.com/javascripts/basicwidget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.mtbcalendar.com/tags/norcal.json?callback=eventCallback&future=1" type="text/javascript"></script>

For those of your using another blogging software, it's a bit harder. In fact, you kinda need to be a bit of an expert. You will need to find a way to add something to your sidebar (usually a item called "HTML/Javascript") and then put this code inside it:

<div id="mtbcalendar"></div>
<script src="http://www.mtbcalendar.com/javascripts/basicwidget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.mtbcalendar.com/tags/norcal.json?callback=eventCallback&amp;future=1" type="text/javascript"></script>

If this doesn't make any sense to you, or if you are having problems, feel free to drop me an email (see the top of the sidebar for my email) or visit this webpage.

Roadtrip: 2009 Mob In Mojave (Las Vegas)

Although this is a bit of a roadtrip, I've heard nothing but good things about riding in Boulder City. And the US MTB Cups will be held nearby this summer, so you could gather some intel:

Presidents day weekend (Febuary 14/15, 2009) will be filled with mountain bike racing for all to enjoy in Bootleg Canyon (outside Las Vegas in Boulder City, NV). This is the fourth year for this festival style race, and the word has been spreading rapidly through the grapevine of racers, spectators and enthusiasts. With over 200 racers last year, the event continues to draw larger crowds annually. Bikes, Bands, BBQ and of course being with your friends riding & racing bikes.

Here’s a quick look at what we have planned so far for this years event:

• Downhill ~ Super D ~ Dual Slalom
• Shuttles Friday, Saturday & Sunday
• U.S.A. Cycling sanctioned event
• $2,000.00 pro cash purse and USAC National Points awarded for the downhill competition
• Prizes for the top 3 finishers in each amateur category in each discipline
• Professionally timed
• World renown coach Gene Hamilton will host a 3 day race clinic at the event beginning on 2-12-09
• All information including race course maps, registration, videos of last years race(s) can be found on http://www.downhillmike.com
• With All Mountain Cyclery allowing us to promote this years event we hope many east coast racers will be venturing out to Nevada.

dhRENO has some good reporting about last year's race.

2009 National Championship Dates

Official dates and locations for this year's USA Cycling off-road events:

USA Cycling announced today dates and locations for the majority of its 2009 National Championship events.
 
Off-road ultra-endurance cyclists will celebrate the Fourth of July competing for one of 14 national titles up for grabs at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, Colo. Held in conjunction with the Firecracker 50, the event will determine champions in both professional and amateur categories.     
 
After two years on the East Coast, the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships head to the Rocky Mountains as Sol Vista Basin in Granby, Colo. plays host July 16-19. Fat tire enthusiasts from across the nation will compete for national titles in pro and amateur categories in several disciplines of off-road racing; including cross country, downhill, short track cross country, 4-cross, single speed cross country and super D.

Ultra-endurance off-road competitors will contest the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in Payson, Ariz., where national championships will be on the line in nine individual or team categories. A date in mid- to late September is expected.
 
The USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships will again take place during its traditional late-October time slot, however exact dates have not yet been determined. A host venue is has not yet been finalized and the bid process remains open indefinitely.
 
2009 USA Cycling National Championship Dates & Locations: 
July 4: USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships (Breckenridge, CO)
July 16-19: USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships (Granby, CO)
Date TBD: USA Cycling 24 Hour Mountain Bike National Championships (Payson, AZ)
Date TBD: USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships – Location TBD

Via USA Cycling.

2009 RideSB Race Calendar

The good folks down south at RideSB have announced their 2009 Schedule.

Jan 1: 2nd Annual New Years Day at the Ranch
April 23-26: Santa Ynez Valley US Mt. Bike Cup
May 3: Cowpie Invitational (SoCal High School Race)
May 16-17: SG Dirt Club 24 Hour Mt. Bike Race
June 13-14: SGDC Summer Series Race #1
July 18-19: SGDC Summer Series Race #2
Aug 22-23: SGDC Summer Series #3
Sept 26-27: SGDC Summer Series Finals
Oct 30-Nov 1 24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch
Nov 14-15 UCSB Cowpie Classic
Dec 5-6 SGDC Holiday MTB Weekend

While the Santa Barbara area is a bit of a drive, they are the closest non-Sea Otter US MTB Cup race.

2009 USA Cycling PRO Cross Country Mountain Bike Tour (ProXCT)

USA Cycling has announced a Pro-only tour, similar to the roadie side, to be held at several of the US Cup races (and some new ones):

USA Cycling announced today the creation of a new professional cross country mountain bike series designed to recognize the top off-road racers in America. The USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour presented by Sho-Air (ProXCT) will consist of seven UCI-sanctioned events throughout the United States, providing world-class athletes with a consistent stage on which to ply their trade ... The series opens with the Fontana round of the U.S. Cup in California on March 29, then continues with the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey on April 19 ... The season then concludes with the USA Cycling ProXCT Finals in Las Vegas on September 26, one day after the conclusion of the industry’s annual gathering at the Interbike Expo ... Although the USA Cycling ProXCT will focus solely on professional cross country racing, plans to roll out a gravity-based tour are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
 
2009 USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Mountain Bike Tour presented by Sho-Air International:
 
March 29: U.S. Cup – Fontana, Calif.
April 19: Sea Otter Classic – Monterey, Calif.
May 31: Bump N’ Grind – Birmingham, Ala.
June 13: Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek International Classic – Colorado Springs, Colo.
August 8: U.S. Cup – Mount Snow, West Dover, Vt.
August 15: Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain, Windham, N.Y.
September 26: USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Mountain Bike Tour Finals, Las Vegas, Nev.

Although a lot of people will complain about this, I think this is a good thing. The Pros should have their own series, for all the things like Olympic qualifying and UCI points. However, I am leery that people will drive hours to watch these - road races tends to be held near major cities.

2009 National Ultra Endurance Schedule

More 2009 national series schedules announcements today. Next up: The National Ultra Endurance Series, which features NorCal's own Tahoe-Sierra 100:

The National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE), an eight-event series of 100-mile cross-country races, has named its dates for 2009.

April 25: Cohottua 100 (Copperhill, Tennessee)
May 30: Mohican 100 (Loudonville, Ohio)
June 20: Lumberjack 100 (Udell, Michigan)
July 18: Breckinridge 100, (Breckinridge, Colorado)
August 1: Wilderness 101 (Coburn, Pennsylvania)
August 15: Fools Gold 100 (Dahlonega, Georgia)
September 6: Shenandoah Mountain 100 (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
September 12: Tahoe-Sierra 100 (Soda Springs, CA)

Via NUE website.

RockShox Domain Fork Recall

Something to check if you have a RockShox Domain fork:

"SRAM issued a recall on Tuesday of certain RockShox Domain 302 and 318 fork models produced with a steel steerer tube.

SRAM is pulling these RockShox Domain forks from the marketplace due to potential for the steerer tube to fail.

Consumers with these forks should stop using them immediately and return the fork to dealers for verification of steerer material and serial number. Forks with steel steerers with the specified production codes should be replaced with a similar model fork by dealers, who will be refunded.

The affected forks have codes of 09T8XXXXXXX to 42T8XXXXXXX. The production code is located on the fork crown."

Via Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

2009 US Cup Schedule Finalized

Details (and a schedule) have materialized for the 2009 US Cup, the successor to the now defunct Norba / NMBS series:

"California-based mountain bike race promoters have finalized plans for the 2008 U.S. Cup, a 13-race series set to become the premier cross-country racing series on American soil ... The U.S. Cup is comprised of previously established cross-country races, and is split into two six-race sub series, called the Kenda Cup East and Kenda Cup West ... All 12 races will operate under the wing of the U.S. Cup series, which will hold a series championship on September 26 at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas.

Kenda Cup West
March 11, Bonelli Park XC Race. San Dimas, CA
March 28-29, Fontana National. Fontana, CA
April 5, Sage Brush Safari. San Diego, CA
April 15, Sea Otter Classic. Monterey, CA
April 25-26, Santa Ynez Valley Classic. Los Olivos, CA
June 6-7, Santa Barbara Bike Festival. Santa Barbara, CA

Kenda Cup East
May 3, SERC No. 5. Ducktown, TN
May 31, Bump and G.rind. Birmingham, AL
June 6, Massanutten Hoo-Ha. Massanutten, VA
June 21, Cowbell Challenge. Davidson, NC
August 8-9, Snow Shootout. Mount Snow, VT
August 15-16, Windham Cup. Windham, NY

August 26, U.S. Cup Unification Race. Las Vegas, NV"

Full story available at VeloNews | New American MTB Series for 2009.

While there aren't really any races in NorCal (other than the Sea Otter), the Las Vegas "Unification Race" sounds intriguing.

Jeep 48Straight / King of the Mountain Cancelled?

Tough times in the auto industry has touched the MTB community:

"Jeep 48Straight Cancelled?
Looks like Jeep has pulled out of sponsoring the 48Straight winter series. We're looking into details regarding the details or potential cancellation of the summer series. Go to 48straight.com"

Via Decline Magazine » Jeep 48Straight Cancelled?.

USA Cycling Reports Higher Numbers

I think this says more about USA Cycling support (or lack of support) for mountain biking than MTB popularity:

"The sport of competitive cycling in the United States continues to grow, according to the latest figures released by USA Cycling ... Broken down by specific disciplines and types of licenses, road, track and cyclocross grew by 3.2 percent, while mountain bike increased 1.2 percent."

Via USA Cycling Reports Higher Numbers

2009 Howarth Park Dirt Crits

Next year's Howarth Park Wednesday Night Dirt Crits have been announced:"The excitement of short track mountain bike racing comes to Howarth Park! Mountain bike racing is fast, fun and good for you too. These races are for anyone who would like to try mountain bike racing on a short course, all skill levels are welcome. All you need is an off-road bicycle, a helmet and a desire to have a blast! The course is approximately 1 mile and consists of smooth, rolling dirt trails. Racers can enter the appropriate category for their skill level and will race for a set length of time depending on experience." This year's dates are as follows:

• June 3, 10, 17, 24
• July 8, 15, 22, 29
• Aug 12, 19, 26

You can see results and details from last year's races in the archives.

Event: Howarth Park Dirt Crits
Dates: 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/28, 8/12, 8/19 and 8/26
Location: Howarth Park, Santa Rosa, CA [ MAP ]
Competition: ST / XC
Cost: $4 jr, $9 adults pre-reg (+$1 onsite)
URL: Santa Rosa Parks website
License: none

Thanks to an anonymous commenter for the tip.

Gold Sprints Finals for 2008 rideSFO Bicycle Expo

The awesomeness that was the Ladies Gold Sprint finals at last weekend's rideSFO Bicycle Expo and Swap:

Ladies Finals from daten on Vimeo.

USA Cycling License Changes for 2009

Some rate increases and more information about the new MTB categories for 2009:

"In looking ahead to next year’s racing season, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that 2009 licenses go on sale beginning Dec. 1, 2008 ... However, as a result of a significant increase in insurance claims and premiums, we will be forced to increase our insurance surcharge by an additional $1.00 per race day to $3.00 per day for all sanctioned competitive events. This increase is a direct result of rising insurance costs driven by a 125% increase in claims compared to 2006. In addition to the increase in our medical insurance premium, we are also facing a 15% increase in our liability premium for 2009 ...

The introduction of new mountain bike categories for the 2009 racing season also warrants some clarification of the license requirements for our off-road members. The traditional Beginner, Sport, Expert and Semi-Pro categories have been replaced by numerical categories 3, 2 and 1. The Pro category will remain unchanged; and you Semi-pro riders will have the option of registering as either Pro or Category 1 when you renew your license for 2009. To take advantage of this automatic upgrade to the Pro category, Semi-Pro members must purchase an annual license between Dec. 1, 2008 and Nov. 30, 2009. This automatic upgrade will only be offered during the 2009 season, therefore if a current Semi-Pro member does not purchase a 2009 racing license, he will automatically default to Category 1 status for the 2010 racing season. At that point, regular upgrade procedures will apply. Category 3 and 2 riders can continue to race on a one-day license, though in many cases, holding an annual USA Cycling license can earn competitors a discount on entry fees at the discretion of the race promoter."

Via www.usacycling.org

2008 rideSFO Bike Expo & Swap

I spent the day down at the Cow Palace near San Francisco at rideSFO's first Bike Expo and Swap meet. The expo filled the void caused by VeloSwap's pull out and then some. Some random photos and videos from today:

Random sights caught around the expo

Vendor Hall (North):

Jim Northey recruits new riders for this year's Coolest 8/24

Swap Hall (South): It's all about spinners

The Expo continues Sunday (tomorrow) all day.

Sand Hill Reborn for 2009

Interesting news coming out of the East Bay's Sand Hill Racing:

The SPRING GRAVITY SERIES 2009 (alternating Dual Slalom and Mtn-X) will be March 7, 14, 21, 28, and April 4 (final and raffle), just in time to tune up for the Sea Otter event (April 16-19, 2009). Sign ups and practice 8-10 am. More info coming.

Happy to see Bay Area gravity racing back. The Sand Hill people also let loose this other tidbit:

A third Race For Tara benefit (2009) is tentatively scheduled for Oct 17 &18 weekend (Yes! A two day event with Mtn-X racing and Dual Slalom qualifying on Saturday, then Dual Slalom racing plus The Raffle on Sunday). Save the date and more info will be posted when we get it.

Impressive for a place that was about to close down just a few months ago. All info via Sand Hill website.

rideSFO Bike Expo & Swap Reaching Capacity

It's the final few days before the big rideSFO Bicycle Expo and Swap hootenany at the Cow Palace in SF this weekend and the boys wanted people to know that there is still a bit of space left for exhibitors:

We’ve extended the deadline for booth registration till Wednesday, the 26th @ 1 PM to give the folks that were on the fence and chance to register. Tell your friends to go to the following link:

http://www.ridesfo.com/servlet/the-template/expo_booth_pricing/Page

Also, the SF Bike Expo has been placed on SF Station homepage as part of the SF events this week.

Seriously, go ahead and sign up -- everybody is going to be there.

Preliminary 2009 NorCal HS Schedule

A 2009 preliminary schedule has been released for the NorCal High School league series. It looks like there might be a few new venues this year:

2009 NorCal High School MTB Schedule
March 1, Ft. Ord in Monterey (same course)
March 14, Folsom Lake in Roseville (same course)
April 5, Marin County (new venue!!!) or Toro Park (same course)
April 26, Nevada City (new venue!!!) or Angels Camp (same course)
May 17, Boggs Demonstration Forest (same course)

Via El Cerrito High School Mountain Bike Team

2009 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ Schedule

The folks at Twenty4Sports have announced their 2009 24 Hours of Andrenalin schedule (almost the same as last year):

04/25/09: Hurkey Creek Park Spring (Idyllwild, SoCal)
06/06/09: Laguna Seca Raceway (Monterey, CA)
07/25/09: Canmore Nordic Centre (Alberta, Canada)
09/19/09: Hurkey Creek Park Fall (Idyllwild, SoCal)

Via 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ website.

It's nice to see Laguna Seca still on the schedule and it not conflicting with anything this year.

American Mountain Classic Confirms for 2009

It looks like the American Mountain Classic, a MTB stage race held in Brian Head, Utah, will be returning for 2009:

"Race Director Tom Speigel has confirmed to MTBracenews.com that the American Mountain Classic (AMC) stage race will return to Brian Head, Utah, in 2009. The race, which consists of an opening prologue followed by three stages in and around the Brian Head area, will be held August 20-23rd."

Via MTB Race News.

SSWC09 1×1 Film Festival

If you heading out to Durango for next year's SSWC and a budding director, you might want to take note of this:

"We are now accepting singlespeed only videos to be shown throughout the weekend. Two movie nights will showcase the sweetness that we receive. The deadline for the films to be received is June 7th of 2009, so send a scratched dvd or a flawless VHS to Passion Productions 1×1 at 135 E. 13th street, Durango, Colorado 81301. The content of the films can be anything sweetly singlespeed. 7 minutes or under is preferred, but sweetness has no time limit, so keep it real. This will be an audience judged thing and the winner will win something from our future pile of good bike, or beer stuff."

Via SSWC09 1×1 Film Festival « SingleSpeed World Championships Durango 2009

2009 CCCX MTB XC Race Series

As promised earlier, here is the 2009 CCCX Cross Country (XC) race schedule:

• Race #1: SAT February 14, Fort Ord
• Race #2: SAT February 28, Fort Ord
• Race #3: SUN March 15, Fort Ord
• Race #4: SAT March 28, Toro Park
• Race #5: SUN April 5, Toro Park
• Race #6: SUN May 17, Fort Ord
• Race #7: SUN June 7, Toro Park
• Race #8: SAT June 13, Fort Ord
• Race #9: SUN June 28, Toro Park

As with the DH races, it looks like most of the details have stayed the same (alternating locations between Fort Ord and Toro Park, both near Monterey). You can look in the CCCX XC archives to check out past year's race reports.

Full details at the 2009 CCCX Mountain-Bike Race Series webpage.

2009 CCCX Downhill Race Series

With a brief lull for some extended cyclocross racing, CCCX racing is returning with a vengeance for 2009. I'll go thru the downhill races first, then the XC races in my next post. The 2009 DH schedule is as follows:

• Race #1: Sunday February 15
• Race #2: Sunday March 1
• Race #3: Sunday March 22
• Race #4: Saturday April 11
• Race #5: Sunday May 3
• Race #6: Sunday May 31
• Race #7: Sunday June 14
• Race #8: Sunday June 21

Although these are the 2009 dates, most of the 2008 rules, locations and prices are still in effect. All races will be held in Toro Park (near Monterey, CA) and will cost $25 for juniors and $35 for women or men.
See the full race list and rules over at 2009 CCCX Downhill Race Series. To see past year's coverage, try the CCCX DH archives.

Global Biorhythms Finalizes 2009 Leave No Trace Series

Global Biorhythms, organiser for the popular Coolest 24 and Tahoe-Sierra 100 races, has finalized the 2009 Leave No Trace series. The completed slate of races include:

• Coolest 8 & 24 hr Race Against Cancer in Cool, CA (May 2-3, 2009)
• Coolest II 8 & 24hr Race in Cobb, CA (June 20-21st, 2009)
• Tahoe Sierra 100 (September 13, 2009)
• SLY Park 50 & 100 in Pollock Pines, CA (October 3, 2009)

The previously included bikemonkey races (Boggs IV and So No Mas 100) will still be held but not as part of this series. More details, including series point system, are available at http://www.globalbiorhythmevents.com/.

2009 So No Mas 100 Scheduled

Details have been posted for the fourth leg of next year's inaugural Leave No Trace Ultra-Endurance Series, bikeMonkey's So No Ma 100:

"Registration opens SOON!

Sabado el 16 de Mayo, 2009
May 16, 2009

Food, drink and music provided for all. Pain for the racers, relief later…

3-Person: Challenging relay around Lake Sonoma - 33 Miles and 6,000′ per lap.
SOLO: it’s all yours.

SOLO CATEGORIES
Pro - 100 Miles - 3 Laps - 18,000 Feet
Expert - 100 Miles - 3 Laps - 18,000 Feet
Semiexpert - 100 Kilometers - 2 Laps - 12,000 Feet
Sport - 100 Kilometers - 2 Laps - 12,000 Feet
Sorry kids - no beginners

TEAM CATEGORIES
3-Person Open (3 Laps)
2-Person Open (2 Laps)
All team categories include Mens, Womens, and Coed breakdowns.

FEES
3-Person Team - $150
2-Person Team - $100
Solo 100 Mi - $70
Solo 100 k. - $60

DESCRIPTION
This race is no joke. I mean to say you will have a hard time finding the energy to smile when Lake Sonoma spits you out. Anyone saying ‘I’ve ridden that far before’ has another thing coming. Be prepared and be fit. It can be extremely hot this time of year so camelbaks are a practical necessity unless you’re a camel yourself.

This route consists predominantly of wide single-track with a roller-coaster profile."

Via bikeMonkey's So No Mas 100 webpage. For those of you not in the Bay Area, Lake Sonoma is North of San Francisco.

rideSFO Bike Swap to Feature Goldsprints

One more reason to get out of the house during the coming holiday weekend and head down to the Cow Palace for rideSFO's Bike Expo and Swap:

We are cutting the lights off on one side on the Cow Palace. Throwing up 4 bikes on stage and focusing the spotlights on the West Coast Goldsprints!

Race! Drink beer ..... Heckle your friends! Win GOLD and take home a 2009 Marin Ignacio! + more prizes for podiums.

Race FREE with paid admission.

Qualifying: Sat 1-5 PM
Race: Sun 4-8 PM

Free Bike Parking available!

'For those of you who are not familiar with the events, 4 riders race heads-up for 500 meters on a stage on identical track bikes mounted to trainers. While the heats typically last only 20 seconds, spectators are guaranteed exciting racing with competitors going all out to ensure they advance to the finals.' - Marin Bikes

Via rideSFO Goldsprints. The rideSFO Bike Expo and Swap will be held November 29-30, 2008 at San Francisco's Cow Palace. Pictures and videos of past Goldsprints are available at the website for the curious.

2008 Race For Tara 2 Results

Sorry for the delay on this, but as you could probably guess, the last two weeks have been really hectic for me in my "day" job. Anyhoo, Sandhill hosted the second Race For Tara to raise money for Tara Llanes, who was injured racing the 2007 Jeep King of the Mountain event in Colorado. Congrats to the mountain cross winners:

Pro Women:
1st: Lainey Aldridge, Santa Cruz (Gravity Addix)
2nd: Tasa Herndon, Stateline, NV
3rd: Kelly Moore, Monterey
4th: Rosie Bernhard, Santa Cruz (Another Bike Shop)

Pro Men:
1st: Drew Powers, Novato (Black Market)
2nd: Jared Rando, Newbury Park (Team Giant)
3rd: Mikey Haderer, Concord

It looks like they raised over $8000 during the event, which Tara herself attended. A race report is available here.

Via Sand hill racing website.

More 2009 Global Biorhythms Events

Date for the 2009 editions of the Tahoe-Sierra 100 and new Sly Park 10 have been set:

• Tahoe-Sierra 100 is Sept 13th Sept 12th , 2009
• SLY Park 10 is October 3, 2009

More details to come.

NorCal HS CycleFest and Auction

I been very tardy in posting about this worthy event for the NorCal MTB High School League:

The USA’s current number one stage racer, Levi Leipheimer, will take center stage among numerous celebrity guests at the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League’s 2008 annual CycleFest weekend, for three exclusive events; a Friday night cocktail party, a Saturday gala dinner with silent and live auction, and a Sunday morning bike ride through Marin County.

Cocktail Party: Friday, November 7, 6 pm – Leipheimer will recall stories from his most memorable races, talk about the highs and lows of the 2008 season, and speculate on having Lance Armstrong back in the peloton for 2009, during a cocktail and buffet party hosted by Charles and Lotte Moore at their home in Mill Valley. Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $50 or $100 at http://www.mcguire.com/party/levi_party.html.

Gala Dinner and Silent Auction, November 8, 6 pm – Leipheimer will guest host the weekend’s main event, a gala dinner featuring the nation’s brightest cycling stars as well as the finest bicycle exhibits on display from 12 of Northern California’s most prominent custom frame builders. Regular tickets are $150.00, and Patron tickets, which include a cocktail hour with Levi, are $200.00. All tickets are available online at http://norcalmtb.org/spon/dinner_2008/buy.htm. In addition, a live and silent auction featuring a wide range of items from sought-after brands, ends at 10:00 p.m. Those unable to attend may view and bid on auction items at http://norcalmtb.cmarket.com.

Group Ride: Sunday November 9, 9 am – Leipheimer will lead a group ride beginning and ending at the Woodlands Market in Kentfield, Marin County. The ride will go to Nicasio Reservoir, stop at Point Reyes Station for refreshments (included), and continue along Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Blvd back to Kentfield. The route will cover about 50 miles. Tickets are $75-125 and can be purchased online at http://norcalmtb.org/spon/dinner_2008/buy_ride.htm.

I have my eyes on the singlespeed.

2009 Prairie City Race Series

The race dates for the spring 2009 Prairie City Race Series have been posted. This XC series runs weekly on Wednesday nights near Folsom, CA:

"12 races Wednesday evenings from April 1st until June 24, 2009 (We will count your 10 best finishes toward your points total) NOTICE!!! There will NOT be a race on May 27th due to the Hang Town Motorcycle Races!

APRIL: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd*, 29th
MAY: 6th, 13th**, 20th (NO RACE the 27th!)
JUNE: 3rd***, 10th, 17th, 24th
JULY: BBQ & Awards - Date: July 1st - Location: Beal's Point at Folsom Lake. 6pm-ish"

Via Prairie City Race Series.

2009 Sea Otter Classic Registration Open Nov 1st

Athlete and camping registration for next year's Sea Otter Classic open on November 1st, 2008. While racing rarely fills up, the same can't be said for camping spots -- especially choice locations.

Carter and Buhl Take Jeep 48Straight Series Titles

It looks like some good racing down in San Luis Obispo from the writeup over at Decline Magazine:

"The title winners at San Luis Obispo received $5,000, with cash earnings for each finisher through 16th place. The season champion received additional sponsor bonuses from Paul Mitchell and the keys to a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Overall, the prize purse for Jeep 48STRAIGHT topped $100,000, making it one of the highest cash payouts in the sport.

The podium standings for San Luis Obispo included:

Men
1. Brian Lopes - Laguna Beach, Calif.
2. Eric Carter - Temecula, Calif.
3. Greg Minnaar - South Africa

Women
1. Fionn Griffiths - Great Britain
2. Melissa Buhl, Chandler, Ariz.
3. Kathy Pruitt - Santa Cruz, California


The Jeep 48STRAIGHT event from San Luis Obispo will air on CBS Sports on November 1."

See the full article over at Decline Magazine.

UK High School Gets Mountain Bike Track

Yes, this is cool:

"How cool is this: Bannerman High in Baillieston, Scotland just opened a $65K mountain bike track for students to hone their skills on campus. I don’t know about you but at my high school it was a big deal just to get a 1/4 mile paved jogging track put in around the soccer field. A mountain bike track would have been out of the question in the old days but as the sport gets more participation and mainstream media coverage perhaps we’ll start to see mountain bike tracks popping up in the US…"

Via UK High School Gets Mountain Bike Track.

Boggs IV Registration Opening

Registration for the always packed Boggs IV (aka Boggs for Africa aka Boggs 8 Hour) is opening soon:

"Grandfather Registration for Boggs IV starts at Midnight on October 25th (late Friday night). This is for all racers who participated in last year’s event. If you were registered for last year’s race you will be e-mailed a PASSWORD to log into the registration page.

If you did not sign up ONLINE last year, you MUST e-mail us so we can give you your registration password.

On November 1st at midnight, registration opens to everyone."

Via BikeMonkey.

2008 Lagrange Fall Classic Results

I'm a bit late on this, but here are the results from last weekend's Lagrange Fall Classic:

• Super-D Results
• XC Results
• DH Results

Via Team Bigfoot website.

2008 Cal Cycling Classic Added to Calendar

The Cal Bears have stepped in the gaping hole in the Fall NorCal MTB race schedule and opened their race to everyone:

"It's that time of year again! The Cal Cycling Classic is our annual Western Collegiate Cycling Conference home race...but this year with a twist. We have secured two of the best venues in the Bay Area (Tamarancho XC and Sandhill Dual Slalom), and will be running NORBA/USAC categories in addition to collegiate!

Schedule
Saturday 11/8: Tamarancho XC
Sunday 11/9: Sandhill DS (and STXC for collegiate racers)

Entry Fees
NORBA/USAC: $30 per event, or $50 for both (XC and DS)
Collegiate: $15 for your first event of the day, $5 for your second
NorCal High School Racers: $25 per event, $40 for both (XC and DS)
All registration is ON SITE ONLY."

Via Cal Cycling website. This is pretty awesome and I'll have more information as it gets posted.

Fall Downieville Status

The folks up the mountain at Downieville Outfitters wrote to share the current Sierra conditions:

Fall is upon the Downieville Downhill, and some of the best conditions of the season are upon us. The fall rains pack down the dust, the trails get tacky like velcro and the fall colors entertain the eyes.

Riders will be able to check the Downieville conditions web page for trail conditions at: http://www.downievilleoutfitters.com/conditions.php

The Condition Reports are to help inform riders just how deep into the season we can ride the high country - and how great the dirt conditions can be. Riders usually think Downieville trails are shut down after the first significant storm, when it is sometimes rideable through Thanksgiving. A few years ago, rideable even into December.

We will be updating the conditions reports bi-weekly and/or after any storm rolls through.

So squeeze every last day of the high country adventure riding in before we are hemmed in to the repetitive local ride all winter.

They'll be updating the conditions every other week.

Lake Sonoma Final Results

Results from this weekend's Lake Sonoma Finale have been posted.

2009 24 Hours National Point Series Schedule

Granny Gear Productions has announced their 2009 schedule hot on the heels of last weekend's 24 Hours of Moab:

2009 Race Series Dates & Locations

• June 13th - 14th, 2009: 24 Hours of Big Bear (Hazelton, WV)


• July 25th - 26th, 2009: 24 Hours of 9 Mile (Nine Mile Park, WI)


• October 10th - 11th, 2009: 24 Hours of Moab (Behind-the-Rocks, Moab, UT)

It looks like they've slightly downsized the schedule this year (dropping the Vail Lake, Landahl, Conyers and Killington events) but they have added the 24 Hours of 9 Mile.

2009 World MTB Tandem Championship Rumor

Rumors have it that the Worlds MTB Tandem championships and unicycle worlds will be in Cool, CA in October of 2009. Things appear to be shaping up:

• Three classes (Men's, Women's and Coed) with "winners take all" in each category
• $100 entry fee
• 150 racer (team ?) limit
• Payouts for each class winner
• Unicycle race two laps 22 miles and Tandem three laps 36 miles
• The course will change from the Coolest 24 to be more Tandem friendly

More when I hear it.

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: 10/18 - 10/19

The 2008 race list is rapidly dwindling and this weekend is really the last big endurance race weekend for (maybe) the year. But it's a good weekend:

• This afternoon, Team Bigfoot's Lagrange Fall Classic begins up north in Weaverville, CA. And I say "begins" because it's a full weekend of racing: Super D, Downhill, Cross Country and Short Track. Check over on the website for the full schedule of events and course descriptions. Team Bigfoot always puts on a great event, so if you haven't made it up yet this season, you really owe it to yourself.
  
• Tomorrow is the Lake Sonoma Classic finale. Held out at Lake Sonoma Recreation Area (North of San Francisco near Healdsburg), it's your last chance for XC singletrack racing.

For those looking for a road trip, the Fall Classic is going on down south.

And if you didn't get the message, "The Quick and the Dead" and the "Shanon Ridge Showdown" were both canceled a ways back.

2009 SingleSpeed World Championships Date

With two sentence, the single speed MTB world has set the date for next year's hootenany world championship:

"Yes it is true, a date has made itself present. August 6-9th, 2009. That is all for now."

Via SingleSpeed World Championships Durango 2009 blog.

BikeMonkey has some more details also.

Jeep 48STRAIGHT Finale: San Luis Obispo

The Jeep 48STRAIGHT will wind up in California (San Luis Obispo) later this month and you could be racing (on TV no less!):

"The Grand Finale for the Jeep 48STRAIGHT Mountain Biking Series will end in SLO as the world's best mountain bikers converge for the ultimate showdown in dual-slalom racing.

Attention All Professional & Semi-Pro Dual Slalom Riders
An open qualifier competition will take place at The Madonna In at San Luis Obispo on Oct. 24, with fields capped at 75 men and 25 women. This event is not NORBA sanctioned, so an annual license is not necessary, Participation is restricted to PROFESSIONAL and SEMI-PRO riders only.

Each event of the Jeep 48STRAIGHT summer season will receive national broadcast coverage on CBS Sports, representing the most visibility of any mountain biking event in the sport. The event at The Madonna Inn will air on CBS Sports on November 1."

You can register for the race (Pro and Semi-Pro Dual Slalomers only) at Sports Basement.

2009 Sea Otter Classic Schedule Published

The Sea Otter folks have published the schedule (PDF) for next year's kickoff down in Monterey, CA.

No major surprises but they have continued with the "let's get the slow amateurs off the course early" scheduling on the XC races again this year. Beginners (which I think are cat 3 now) are on a weekend-warrior friendly Friday afternoon at 1 pm and Sport (cat 2) start at 7:30 AM on Saturday. Super D is also on Friday.

Jeep 48Straight on TV Today

For those of you who like to watch, the second stop on the Jeep 48Straight competition (dual slalom at Park City, Utah) will be on CBS at 2 PM today (October 12th, 2008).

Don't go here to get more information if you don't want to spoil who won the race.

2009 "Leave No Trace" Ultra Endurance Series

This is big. Global Biorhythms and Bike Monkey have teamed up to produce a NorCal Endurance series for 2009:

"THE "LEAVE NO TRACE" MTB ULTRA ENDURANCE SERIES
Global Biorhythm Events is presenting the Leave No Trace ultra endurance mountain bike series in Northern California for the 2009 season.

The 2009 LNT Ultra Series:

• Boggs Mountain 8Hr, Cobb CA March 28th (BikeMonkey)
• Coolest 8 & 24 hr race against cancer. Cool CA,May 2-3 (Global Biorhythm Events)
• Lake Sonoma 100, Wine Country May 16th, (Global Biorhythm Events & Bike Monkey)
• Coolest II 8 & 24hr race, Cobb CA, June 20-21st (Global Biorhythm Events)
• This will be a '100'race. Site yet to be decided--Sly Park Placerville CA or Jackson State Park, Fort Bragg CA(Global Biorhythm events)
• Tahoe Sierra 100, Soda Springs CA. Will not be held at French Meadows CA.(Global Biorhythm events)"

Visit Global BioRythm Events for more details.

I am putting my vote in for Sly Park for the '100' race.

Race4Tara Update: Raffle & More Race Details

The folks from Sand Hill Racing has posted some more info on the November 8th, 2008 Race4Tara fundraiser/race:

It will be a Mtn Cross (aka 4-X) race with the usual USA Cycling categories (age break-outs in beginner, sport, expert, Pro/semi pro, plus a category for the Industry people.) Pro's need to show a pro license. For the Industry Cup, based on how many entries we receive we will either have the industry folks ride with the regular categories and keep track of over-all points, or we will let them have their own race. USA Cycling One-Day licenses ($5) will be available at sign-ups. $35 pre-reg $40 race day, Free Parking, HUGE RAFFLE ($1 and $5 tickets).

Registration for the race has already opened over at BikeReg.

In addition, the people over at Pinned.com have started a raffle to help out:

"Now that InterBike is over, it's time to gather all that money you won in Vegas, check your couch for loose change, & break out your check books!  The highly anticipated Tara Llanes Fundraiser is ready to rock! 

There are some great prizes offered by our friends in the cycling industry!   Specialized donated a complete bicycle, Fox Shox donated a few bad-ass forks, Anneke Beerten donated her World Cup 4X leader's jersey, Andrew Neethling donated his ’06 4X race machine & there is so much more!   Check out that awesome drawing by industry legend BOB HARO!  Yep, it’s that Bob Haro - who founded Haro Bikes!  This is the first time that he’s donated one of his drawings for auction!

Cost to enter is $5 per ticket.  All proceeds will go directly to the Tara Llanes 'Road to Recovery' Fund!"

Via PINNED MTB.

New Date for 2009 Boggs IV

Boggs IV moved up their date to avoid clashing with the Napa Valley Dirt Classic. The new date is March 28th, 2009. Full details over at BikeMonkey.

There is also a new race from the BikeMonkey / Global Biorhythm Events (Tahoe 100, 24 hours of Cool) team:

This year, Bike Monkey will partner with Global Biorhythm Events to produce a new Northern California Ultra Endurance Points series–The Leave No Trace Ultra MTB series. Bike Monkey will produce two endurance events - Boggs 8 Hour on March 28th, and the Sonoma 100 on May 16th. Details on the Sonoma 100 will be coming shortly. It very well may become one of the toughest 100 mile endurance races on record with as much as 15,000′ or more of climbing. and nearly 80+% of the course competed on singletrack.

2008 Parkfield Classic Results

Results from the 2008 Parkfield Classic have been posted (PDF):

• Cross Country
• Dual Slalom
• Short Track
• Downhill

Photos are posted around the internets but these and these are pretty choice.

USA Cycling Mountain Bike Promoters Summit

For the race promoters out there:

"USA Cycling, the national governing body for competitive cycling in the United States, will be conducting its first annual Mountain Bike Promoters Summit, November 14-16 in Colorado Springs. The summit is open to all promoters, team managers, industry stakeholders and officials and will offer informational sessions, as well as the opportunity to share best practices.

With the goal of the summit to collectively discuss direction and changes within the sport, share best practices and develop initiatives to advance the sport of mountain bike racing in the U.S., the summit’s agenda is currently under development by the NORBA Board of Trustees and USA Cycling staff with input from attendees. Participants are encouraged to submit topic requests and/or suggestions to Kelli Lusk at klusk@usacycling.org no later than October 20.
 
To find out more about the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Promoters Summit, visit the event’s webpage here or contact Kelli Lusk, USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Events and Program Director at 719-866-4668. "

Via USA Cycling.

2008 Northstar Live Wire Classic Results

Northstar at Tahoe has posted the results for yesterday's Live Wire Classic (PDF).

Congrats to Female Open winner Asa Salas and Pro Men's winner Tim Krentz.

Robert Lowe has posted some great photos on his smugmug site. The photo below is just one of dozens.

Weekend Pics and Results

Results are slow to surface for this weekend's Live Wire Classic, Parkfield Classic and Whiskeytown 9-5/24, but there are some Parkfield pictures starting to show up on MTBR: Parkfield Classic Pics.

Biketobertfest 2008

Mmmmm, beer

" Access4Bikes (A4B), Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) and the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce presents … Biketoberfest 2008. A celebration of the bicycle, Biketoberfest 2008 is an event for all cyclists of all ages, combined with a brewfest of over a dozen handcrafted beers from premier Northern California brewers.

Highlights include...
Over 12 NorCal Bike Companies and 40+ demo bikes to try on the local trails!
16 Beers from 11 Northern California Brewers and Great Food!
Live music by MONOPHONICS, Mad Maggies and Ross Shafer
Group rides led by Marin Cyclists, Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly & Luna Chix

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, October 18, 2008
LOCATION: FairAnselm Plaza Parking lots, 765 Center Blvd (next to Iron Springs Pub), downtown Fairfax
COST: Free - $20 per person for beer tasting"

Via Biketoberfest.

Live Wire Classic Weather Update

For those of you heading up the mountain for Sunday's Northstar at Tahoe Live Wire Classic, you take a look at the weather update before you leave. There is talk of snow at higher elevations.

Check out http://tahoemountainbiking.ning.com/ or call 530.562.2268 for the most current and up to date information.

UPDATE (11:45AM): Northstar has closed the MTB Park today: "Due to environmental concerns we have decided to not open today. When it rains and we create mud we have the chance of that mud being washed into the sensitive drianages that surround the bike park. Protecting our environment is our number 1 priority. We all do our very best to try and have the park open and be able to provide a top quality riding experience. We hope to be open tomorrow and still hold the 2nd annual Live Wire Classic. A decision on opening will be made by 8:30 am."

2009 Specialized Demo Day

If you are stuck in the Bay Area this weekend (and don't feel like racing your CX bike), maybe you should check this out:

"You can be the first kid on your block to test ride brand new 2009 Specialized Bikes at our Demo Day at Passion Trail Bikes and Waterdog Park for FREE on Sunday October 5th!!!"

Via Passion Trail Bikes.

Dirt Rag To Launch Commuting Mag

Something else to look for at the magazine rack:

"Dirt Rag Magazine is launching a new magazine called Bicycle Times.

This new magazine will focus on the pavement side of the bicycle experience—from commuting, to touring, to riding with family, to just pedaling around.

The inaugural issue of Bicycle Times is slated for April of 2009, which is also the 20th Anniversary of Dirt Rag. In its first year, Bicycle Times will be published quarterly."

Via Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

2009 UCI MTB World Cup Calendar

Since we've spent most of the week previewing the US MTB calendar for next year, it seemed only fair to give some press to the World Cup schedule too:

UCI 2009 Calendar
April 11-12: Round 1 (XC/DH/4X), Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
April 25-26: Round 2 (XC), Offenburg, Germany
May 2-3: Round 2 (4X) / 3 (XC), Houffalize, Belgium
May 9-10: Round 2 (DH), La Bresse, France
May 16-17: Round 3 (DH/4X), Vallnord, Andorra
May 23-24: Round 4 (XC), Madrid, Spain
June 6-7: Round 4 (DH/4X), Fort William, Great Britain
June 20-21: Round 5 (DH/4X), Maribor, Slovenia
July 25-26: Round 5 (XC) / 6 (DH/4X), Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada
August 1-2: Round 6 (XC) / 7 (DH/4X), Bromont, Canada
September 12-13: Round 7 (XC), Champery, Switzerland
September 19-20: Round 8 (XC/DHI/4X), Schladming, Austria

The Championships will be held:
UCI Marathon World Championships, August 23, Graz, Austria
UCI XC/4X/DH World Championships, September 1-6, Canberra, Australia

You can see this on their website also.

NMBS Morphs Into US Cup For 2009

Here is a really good and in-depth article from The Cycling News about the death of the long running NORBA Nationals / NMBS series and the new US Cup series that hopes to take it's place:

"With the demise of the National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) held annually in the United States, North American mountain bikers were left wondering 'What's next?'. Going into the 2009 season, Team Sho-Air's Scott Tedro has stepped up to lead an effort to create a new national-level series: the US Cup.

The proposed US Cup would include races in Fontana, Laguna Seca and Los Olivos, California; Fountain Hills, Arizona; Angel Fire, New Mexico; Windham, New York; and Mt. Snow, Vermont, many of which were popular NMBS venues. Nearly all of the races, running from late March through early August, would award UCI points. Furthermore, the series would pay equal prize money to elite men and women and aim to provide a 'very rewarding' experience for amateur racers."

The only NorCal events on this year's US Cup schedule are the Sea Otter Classic (Monterey, CA) and the Santa Ynez Cup (Los Olivos, CA).

Yao Ming vs Geoff Kabush

So this little piece of YouTube gold is a video shot during the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and depicts ...



Yeah, Yao Ming and Canadian MTBer Geoff Kabush in a beer chugging contest. Enjoy.

2009 AMBC Schedule Announced

USA Cycling has announced the 2009 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar:

"The series kicks off March 8 in Gainesville, Fla. with the South Eastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) and concludes with the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La., Oct. 24-25. With 22 races across 16 states, the seven-month long AMBC calendar provides racers of all ability levels the opportunity to contest top-level competition right in their own backyard.

Created in 1996, the AMBC series offers cross-country racing, with some events also including time trial, short-track cross-country, super D and/or stage racing competitions. In addition to the senior, master, and professional races, some AMBC events also host the Alison Dunlap Junior Olympic Mountain Bike Series (ADJOMTB). The ADJOMTB offers riders age 10-18, the chance to test their skills against competitors of the same age."

Via USA Cycling.

Here is the complete schedule (nothing in NorCal):

3/8/09: SERC #1 (Gainesville FL)
3/29/09: Chickasaw Trace Classic (Columbia TN)
4/5/09: SERC #3 (Bryson City NC)
4/26/09: SERC #4 (Winder GA)
4/26/09: Greenbrier Challenge (Hagerstown MD)
5/3/09: Annual Avimor Coyote (Classic Boise ID)
5/3/09: SERC #5 (Ducktown TN)
5/2‐3/09: Idyllwild Spring Challenge (Idyllwild CA)
5/10/09: Stump Jump 2009 (Spartanburg SC)
5/31/09: Bump and Grind (Birmingham AL)
5/31/09: SERC #6 (Jackson GA)
6/7/09: Massanutten Yee‐Ha (McGaheysville VA)
6/14/09: SERC #7 (Clemson SC)
6/20‐21/09: Subaru Cup Mt (Morris WI)
6/21/09: 3 Legged Dawg (North Little Rock AR)
6/28/09: SERC #8 (Chattanooga TN)
7/12/09: The 14th Annual Bulldog Rump (Andover NJ)
7/12/09: SERC #9 (Anniston AL)
8/1‐2/09: SERC #10 (Fontana NC)
9/4‐6/09: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival (Rocksprings TX)
10/3/09: Road Apple Rally (Farmington NM)
10/24‐25/09: Piney Hills (Classic Ruston LA)

2008 CLIF MTB Challenge Results

TBF Racing has posted the results for Saturday's CLIF MTB Challenge XC race (overall, divisional).

Congrats to top Expert Male Keith Hillier (followed closely by Bob Delp) and top Expert Female Jayne Peterlin.

Preliminary 2009 NorCal MTB Calendar

While it is only the beginning of October, next year's NorCal MTB calendar is already starting to fill up. Here are the events scheduled for 2009 (I'll update with the new USA Cycling events soon):

• 01/25/09: MTB Kickstart (CA)
• 02/08/09: MTB Challenge #1 (CA)
• 02/22/09: MTB Challenge #2 (CA)
• 03/08/09: MTB Challenge #3 (CA)
• 03/15/09: Cool MTB Race (CA)
• 04/04/09: Big Sandy Race (CA)
• 04/04/09: Boggs IV (CA)
• 04/05/09: Napa Valley Dirt Classic (CA)
• 04/16/09: Sea Otter Classic (CA)
• 08/09/09: Howell Mountain Classic (CA)

You can access the up to date list for next year at the 2009 Event on the MTB Calendar site as well as by the "2009 MTB Races" sidebar on the right (below the "2008 MTB races").

2008 Lake Sonoma #5 Results

The penultimate Lake Sonoma Series race is in the books:

"It blows my mind how hot it get out there in that parched landscape of Lake Sonoma. It’s officially fall now so there can’t be too many more of these hot days.

Being race #5 of the series means one thing - the Lake Sonoma Series finale is next month (October 18th). The temperatures are going to drop - closing in on November things change quick around here, and the fall weather is going to be in the air. We’re going to close this season out with a bang."

Via BikeMonkey.

Results are posted here.

NorCal HS Goes Nationwide

The NorCal High School MTB Racing League is moving nationwide...

Specialized Bicycle Components has backed the expansion program of the Northern California High School Mountain Bike Racing League, which has recently created a Southern California league and is now drawing up plans for state-oriented high school cycling leagues across the USA.

Mike Sinyard, the founder and owner of Specialized, said, "Getting kids on bikes is a personal passion of mine and a goal of the Specialized Fund. High school mountain bike racing is a fun way for kids to accrue health benefits, learn self-discipline, and foster camaraderie. We are honored to be able to support Matt (Fritzinger), his staff, the coaches, and the riders of the League. We look forward to working together in the coming years to get mountain bike racing into high schools across the nation."

Specialized becomes a Founding National Sponsor of the NorCal League, a category designed to acknowledge companies that have made a very substantial contribution to help realize the vision of a nationwide network of state leagues.

Matt Fritzinger, director of the NorCal League, said, “After eight years of building the NorCal League, we are entering a new phase of development. We are excited that our new SoCal League is taking off with a strong group of directors and sponsors. The next logical step is to develop high school bicycle racing beyond California. We are tremendously excited to partner with Specialized, which is a local company for us, in this development plan. Their commitments to innovation and advocacy are echoed in our philosophy, and we really stand behind their amazing line of bicycles and accessories.”

This comes on the heels of their successful SoCal expansion. More information at their website.

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: 9/26 - 9/28

It's about the last BIG weekend of racing here in Norcal:

Today marks the start of the Whiskeytown Classic up north just west of Redding, CA. It's a full three days of racing, starting with this afternoon's short track race at 4PM. This is followed by cross country race on Saturday morning and a Super D on Sunday. The XC race features 10 mile laps with 1400' climbing/lap while the Super D is a three mile descent. The racing costs between $20 - $35 depending on the event.

Tomorrow is a full day of XC racing across Northern California:

• In the North Bay, the 5th edition of the Lake Sonoma Series starts at 10AM. Located just west of Healdsburg (in aptly named Lake Sonoma Recreational Area), this monthly race features tough singletrack and costs $20.


• In the Sacramento region, TBF Racing presents the first CLIF MTB Challenge at Folsom Lake. It's a six mile course that goes out to Doton's Point and back (looks similar to the MTB Challenge courses). Beginners will do one lap, Sport two laps and expert three laps. This race will set you back $50 on race day.
• Further east near Reno, the Sky Tavern Resort will host the Sky Tavern Classic. Starting on Saturday morning, the XC race will cover 6 miles laps (with one to four laps depending on class). Sunday will feature a downhill race through tight singletrack (somewhere around 2.5 minutes long).

The MTB racing schedule starts to get a bit thin after this weekend, so please take advantage ...

rideSFO Bike Expo and Swap

With the elimination of this year's SF VeloSwap, RideSFO (they guys behind the Corral Hollow DH series) have stepped up with their own bike swap meet:

"WHERE: Cow Palace - San Francisco/Daly City, CA
WHEN: 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30 2008

It is a 2 day event for maximum exposure at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Vendors and bike shops have a chance to sell current or previous season’s merchandise. Team/Clubs, non-profits, indivduals, can buy, sell and trade. And see the latest from various vendors. The Cow Palace boasts over 75,000 square feet and a 15,000 attendee capacity.

General Admission will be $10 per day. $8 pre-sale. $15 2 day pre-sale. Tickets will be available at Ticket Master and the Cow Palace Box Office. 12 and under will be FREE!

Booth Registration is open now! To get more info. Go HERE!

Read the latest news on the Expo and Swap here!"

Via rideSFO Expo_and_Swap after the tip off from the folks at dhRENO.

Armstrong Confirms For Tour of California

Whatever you think about Lance, this just racheted up the excitement for next year's Tour of California:

"Lance Armstrong announced at Interbike that he will race the Amgen Tour of California in February with Astana. The news comes on the heels of Wednesday that he was in fact racing with Astana next season."

Via VeloNews | Lance Armstrong confirms he will start the Tour of California in February.

2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars

Next year's USA Cycling race schedule is out and other than the Sea Otter were out in the cold:

"USA Cycling announced today the 34 races that will comprise the third annual USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars. With the 2008 calendar champions yet to be crowned in the disciplines of cross country and ultra-endurance, USA Cycling is looking toward the future with the announcement of the 2009 Cross Country, Gravity and Ultra-Endurance National Calendars.

Consisting of 19 events across 13 states, the cross country calendar will kick off with the Fontana United States Cup in Fontana, California on March 20 and will once again stretch seven months to the last weekend in October when the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La. concludes the calendar.  In between, several notable events including seven United States Cup series races are included.

The eight-event gravity calendar, which features downhill, 4-cross, super D and dual slalom events, will span five states. With similar category designations, there is one category-1 event and three category-2 events on the 2009 calendar. 

The ultra endurance calendar consists of 62-mile races, marathons, eight, 12- and 24-hour races. The seven-race calendar will once again kick off with the Mas O Menos 100K in Terlingua, Texas on February 4th and wrap up at the National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest in Davison, N.C. on October 24-25.

For the complete USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars, click on the links below:
Cross Country: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_XC2.pdf
Gravity: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_Gravity2.pdf
Ultra Endurance: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNC_Schedule_UE2.pdf"

You can view the entire press release at USA Cycling. I'll post all the schedules this weekend.

Race for Tara 2 Update

An update from the folks out at Sand Hill about the upcoming Race for Tara 2:

The Race4Tara-2 benefit race is heating up. A temporary flyer is now being distributed and the sponsors will be firmed up at Interbike next week. Again, www.tarallanesroadtorecovery.com will have all race and Tara info (who will be here this time to autograph T-shirts, etc). We will have an Industry Cup class this year, too, so if you're in the industry, c'mon down!

Until then (Nov 8 is the race), the bicycle park is closed. We are having work detail weekends on Oct 18 & 19, and 25 &26 if you'd like to join us. Practice will open on Oct 31/Nov 1 weekend (10 am to 5 pm, Sat & Sun, $12-practice).

After the Tara race, Sunday, Nov 9 we will be closed for a Collegiate race, hosted by the UC Berkeley cycling team). There will be amateur categories as well so feel free to come race (I'll get a link from them and post it next week).

More as it becomes available.

NorthStar End of Season Update

An end of the season update from the folks up the mountain at Northstar:

If you haven’t stopped talking berms, fall lines, and log drops since Northstar® Resort’s Mountain Bike Park opened, we can relate. And if you are looking for a repeat for next summer we are offering 2009 Mountain Bike Season Passes at this summer’s rate if you purchase by October 5. That’s a $50 savings! Prices will go up to $279 after October 5.

Just a reminder, the Northstar Mountain Bike Park is open Saturdays and Sundays through October 5 and the Jump Park is completely open!

The last race of the Northstar season will be the 2nd Annual Live Wire Classic on October 5th.

2008 Bidwell Bump Results

Photos and results from The 2008 Bidwell Bump have been posted at MTBR.

Congratulations to local Tim Olson, who won the Expert Men's XC, Nick Olson, who won the Men's Expert Super D and Heather McFadden, who won the Women's Expert Super D.

2009 Boggs IV Announced

BikeMonkey has announced the dates for next year's Boggs Eight Hour Race:

"Boggs IV - 8 Hour Endurance MTB Race
Saturday April 4th, 2009
Registration for Boggs IV will open on MIDNIGHT, NOVEMBER 1st, 2008.
Registration is limited to the first 400 entrants."

Via BikeMonkey: Boggs IV.

2008 Northstar DH #4 Results

Results from Sunday's Northstar DH #4 race have been posted (PDF). This race was held on Gypsy for the first time.

In the female open race, Tenille Smith edged Asa Salas by 3/10th of a second (3:50.5 to 3:50.8) for the win. Mikey Sylvestri beat the Men's Pro field by almost 6 seconds for his win.

I haven't seen any pics or race reports, but dhRENO will probably have something up soon.

The final race of the Northstar season is October 5th, the 2nd Annual LiveWire Classic.

New USA Cycling Categories for 2009

The continuing "roadiefication" of USA Cycling / NORBA continues:

"USA Cycling announced today the development and implementation of a new mountain bike category system set to take effect for the 2009 season ... The new categories, which closely resemble those used in other disciplines of competitive cycling, have been created to offer USA Cycling mountain bike members a more competitive racing environment. The previous license categories will be replaced with a new system which include Category 1, 2, 3 and Pro designations.
 
The previous structure, which consisted of five categories – Beginner, Sport, Expert, Semi-Pro and Pro – has been condensed to include four categories. Like the categories they’re replacing, Categories 1, 2 and 3 will also feature age groups classes.
 
The change raises several topics that all USA Cycling mountain bike members should familiarize themselves with – most notably the conversion process. The switch will be simple and automatic. Members currently categorized as Experts will automatically become a Category 1; Sport members will automatically be converted to a Category 2; and Beginners will automatically become a Category 3.
 
Members currently categorized as Semi-Pro may choose either Category 1 or Pro designation for the 2009 racing season. When renewing their license, Semi-Pro members will be offered an automatic upgrade to Pro throughout the 2009 licensing period which runs from December 1, 2008 to November 30, 2009. To take advantage of this upgrade, Semi-Pro members must purchase an annual license during this time as this automatic upgrade will only be offered during the 2009 season. Therefore, if a current Semi-Pro member does not purchase a 2009 racing license, he will automatically default to Category 1 status beginning on December 1, 2009 for the 2010 racing season. At that point, regular upgrade procedures will apply. "

Via USA Cycling.

The FAQ for the new changes is located here in PDF.

2008 Folsom Cyclebration Results

Results and photos have been posted for this weekend's Folsom Cyclebration stage race (XC plus time trial):

• Time Trial Results
• Time Trial Photos
• XC Results
• XC Photos
• MTB Stage (combined) Results

Congratulations go out to Chris Schulze (Expert Singlespeed winner), Bonnie Darrah (Expert Womens) and Michael Margraf (Top Expert Men).

iPhone vs. Garmin Edge 705 for Biking

Being a long-time Garmin Edge user but now a iPhone 3G owner, I had the same question:

"I read that the new 3G iPhone has GPS built-in and it got me thinking: Could the iPhone challenge the Edge 705 as a high end GPS for mountain biking? Let’s see how the two compare:"

Via 3G iPhone vs. Garmin Edge 705 for biking || SINGLETRACKS.COM.

Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens' 100-Mile Duel in Leadville

With all the talk of Lance Armstrong returning, it's probably worthwhile checking out his last race -- MTBing the Leadville 100:

"Seven time Tour de France champ vs the five time Leadville 100 winner. Who will be victorious? Witness the race blow by blow! "

Via Superhuman Magazine - Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens' 100-Mile Duel in Leadville.

2008 Sky Tavern Classic

The folks up the hill at dhRENO have posted the details on the upcoming Sky Tavern Classic scheduled for September 27th & 28th near Reno, Nevada. Some of the details:

"Sky Tavern Race
September 27th & 28th, 2008
HOSTED BY NEVADA CYCLING
SKY TAVERN RESORT RENO, NEVADA

Racing: On Saturday will be XC and Sunday the dh with both collegiate and NORBA categories.

Cross Country: The course features a steady climb, followed by about 1.5 miles of up-and-down single track.  Then, a fast single-track descent with lots of dg, a short climb, and more mixed descending to lodge.  Each lap is ~6 miles.  XC will begin at 10am on Saturday.

Downhill: Technical dg single-track followed by short road section into final section of tight single-track through trees.  Course time is about 2.5 minutes.  Collegiate MC/WB and NORBA Beginners will skip upper single-track and use road instead."

Click over to Sky Tavern DH Race « dhRENO for the full details.

Dates Set For 2009 Sea Otter

Next year's Sea Otter Classic has been scheduled for April 16 - 19, 2009 at the usual Laguna Seca near Monterey, CA.

Camping & athlete registration will open at 9 am (Pacific) November 1, 2008. I'll try and send up a reminder so that everyone can get that sweet camping spot they've always wanted :)

2008 Tahoe Sierra 100 Results

Race results from yesterday's Tahoe Sierra 100 have been posted. A race report with many pictures has been posted at MTBR.

There should be more details coming.

Solo Open Female
1 Cheryl Sorenson 112 9:09'48" 9:09':48 (549'48")
2 Erika Tiesen 171 10:04'44" 10:04':44 (604'
3 Carrie edwards 174 10:42'32" 10:42':32 (642'32")
Solo Open Men
1. Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough 107 7:02'58" 7:02':58 (422'58")
3. Evan Plews 102 7:13'42" 7:13':42 (433'42")
Solo Singlespeed
1 John Mylne 326 7:45'54" 7:45':54 (465'54")
2 Dezmin Wilder 108 7:49'51" 7:49':51 (469'51")
3 Conrad Snover 330 8:00'36" 8:00':36 (480'36")
Solo Singlespeed Women
1 Linda Eckhart 117 9:46'00" 9:46':00 (586'00")
2 Dawn Infurna-Bean 114 11:22'35" 11:22':35 (682'35")
Solo Master 45 Men: Tedd Russo @ 8:20':14 (500'14")
Solo Masters 50 Men: David Grauer @ 9:45':05 (585'05")
Solo Masters 50 Women: Patricia Struve @ 13:29':24 (809'24")
Solo Masters 55 Men: Cosmic Miller @ 10:45':40 (645'40")
3 Person Men: Mountain Karma 24 (Tim Fraguglia, Tim Fraguglia, Mike McCullough, Mike McCullough, Jason Duggett) @ 8:49'
3 Person Coed: Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing 8 (Allie Donovan, Nate Freed, Nick Schaffner) @ 8:44'

Big Sandy Returns For 2009

The central valley's best new XC race is back for 2009: Big Sandy Returns 4/4/09. Not any details yet, but the site is up.

2008 PCRS Fall Flash #3 Results

Results have been posted for this week's Prairie City Fall Flash (#3). There are also the usual photos available.

Congrats to Matthew Obregon, who won the Men's Experts Plus, and Jill Kollman, who took the Women's Expert.

2008 Caspar Classic Results

Result and a race report are available from last weekend's Caspar Classic:

"Mendocino has some great racers and Brian Astell from Mendo's South Coast took first place in the 21 mile advanced category. Brian arrived at the race with rear tire that had just gone flat on his motorcycle and his bike strapped to the back. He had no flats or other problems with his mountain bike, and after hanging with the lead group on the first lap he opened up a good lead and kept it through the finish line with a time of 1:45:14. Second place went to Ethan Black who was plus 02:26, and third was taken by Sean Allen who was only 02:32 back from first place on his single speed bike! Sean told me his back was hurting him before the race but it didn't seem to slow him down much. Gabe Cheese who easily won the race last year had stiff competition this year and came in forth.

The woman from Sonoma kicked butt in the advanced group with Sarah Campbell taking first, Ann Boggs came in second and, Heather Cafferata got third place. "

Full results over at Riding the Coast

2008 Folsom Cyclebration MTB Stage Race

The Folsom Cyclebration is a three day cycling festival being held for the first time in Folsom, CA on September 12 - 14, 2008. Among the events include an MTB Stage Race (see below), Cyclocross races, a Dirt Jump competition, Road races and family events.

Since this is the NorCal MTB Racing blog, I'll focus in on the MTB Stage race (which are being organised by the same folks who make the Prairie City races happen). The stage race will have two parts, which can also be run separately:

1. Time Trial: "It's you solo against the clock on this fast five mile course of mostly hard-packed crushed granite through the fun and beautiful oak woodlands overlooking the South side of Lake Natoma [ MAP ]. There are fast and open legs mixed with tight, twisty turns. Be prepared for possible dismounts and/or route options on this winding, wide to narrow single track. The course starts at Nimbus Flat and finishes on a short uphill climb with a sprint the last 100 yards on pavement into the historic district of Folsom." (This is funny because I train on this almost exact line about three times a week).
2. Cross Country: "Racers will find the course fun and fast with twisty single and dual track through the oak woodlands near Granite Bay at Folsom Lake [ MAP ]. The courses include some sandy sections and a short amount of pavement to complete the loops. The Beginners course is approximately 4.5 miles per lap with 450 feet of climbing per lap than runs up to "the bench" atop the hill at Doten's Point. You will do 3 laps, approx. 13.5 miles. Adult First Timers will do two 4.5 mile laps, approx 9 miles. Junior Beginner will do 1 lap at 4.5 miles. Sport will do three 6.5 mile laps on a longer loop that goes out around the Beek's Bite area, 19.5 miles and Experts will do 4 laps, 26 miles." This course appears pretty similar to the TBF MTB Challenge courses.

The best combined score from both disciplines will determine overall class winners. Costs are as follows:
MTB Time Trial: $25 (MTB bikes only please - no cyclocross)
MTB XC: $40 adult, $15 juniors
Stage Race (both events): $55
More details are available at the Cyclebration MTB race page and you can register online at active.com until September 10th.