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