NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: June 5-6, 2010

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for NorCal:

1. Return On The Jedi (06/05/10)
2. Tamarancho Dirt Classic (06/06/10)
3. Peavine Challenge (06/06/10)

GoldSprints TONIGHT in North Bay

For those of you who haven't set your plans for TONIGHT, Murphy has a suggestion: GOLDSPRINTS

This time I'm leveraging the AWESOME FUN POWER of GoldSprints Roller Racing to help the Marin County Bike Coalition.

To make the evening of racing, beer, music, heckling, food & fun EVEN BETTER I'm flying in H.R. Muff'N Stuff from LA... She's a singer and performer who will entertain you with songs about riding her bikes in the city and dropping the boys off the back. The Pedal Panties Girls are performing as well... so you don't want to miss this TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE!

DJ's spinning all night, more beer than even we can drink, hot food and PRIZES GALORE.

500m, 1000m, BEER SPRINTS, Catch-the-Bunny, Couples and Team Beer Sprints and more! Top prize is a beautiful brand new full carbon top-end Cannondale road frame and fork.  We've got Capo Forma gear, Sheila Moon gear and more.

Free bike parking, clean bathrooms and loads of cool people await you.  Racing starts at 7 and goes till the beer is gone or they kick us out.

Mike's Bikes is right off the 101 in San Rafael.

Spectating and heckling are free, racing is just $5 and it goes to support the MCBC, you can't do it better than that...

What else are you going to do this Friday night?  Go to some movie that will be playing for another month?  Go to some lame bar and see the same tired old faces?  Stay home and play the same hand of Scrabble?

These are always fun, if you've never been.

CCCX XC & DH Date Changes

Some changes for the CCCX events:

Due to scheduling conflicts with other XC & DH races held in NorCal, the CCCX Series will be making two date switches for the upcoming CCCX events:

• The CCCX XC race which was scheduled for Sunday, June 13 in Ft. Ord, will now be switched to Sunday, June 20 (at the same location, Ft. Ord).
• The CCCX DH race that was scheduled on Sunday, June 20 at Toro Park, will now take place on Sunday, June 13 at Toro Park.

These date switches will now enable the CCCX XC racers to take part in other races such as Napa's Skyline XC Race, Lake Sonoma XC Series, South Valley Endurance Series.   The CCCX DH racers will now be able to make the NORTHSTAR DH event which was re-shuffled to June 20.  The CCCX DH Series will also have a few dates added for 2010 later in the year, to make up for the canceled DH event earlier in the year, and to extend the DH Series for 2010.  Thank you! to all the racers who support the CCCX DH & XC Series!

Here are the upcoming CCCX Races-

• CCCX DH SERIES JUNE 13 (Toro Park)
• CCCX XC SERIES JUNE 20 (Fort Ord)
• CCCX XC SERIES JUNE 27 (Fort Ord)

All CCCX Race Info Can Be Found at www.cccxcycling.com.

More Nevada Racing...

Two new Nor-Nevada races to add to the calendar:

• The Nevada Cup has added a fourth race to the end of their series. The Great Flume Race will take place on September 12, 2010 in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park (Spooner Lake) and is sponsored by the Reno Wheelmen. More details as we get them (thanks to Scott P for the heads up).
• dhRENO has word of a race that's part of the Black Rock Rendezeous: "Great Basin Brewing Company Bicycle Race. Participants will convene at the Main Camp at 8 am on Sunday May 30th, 2010 to disembark to the starting line. Transportation will be provided for bicycles and riders. The race will start at 10 am at Sulphur near the old auto graveyard, and follows a dirt jeep trail along the railroad tracks for 7 miles before turning west along the scenic and historic Applegate Lassen Emigrant Trail. The route continues for an additional 10.7 miles, crossing the Quinn River, and finishing at the Black Rock Hot Spring. There is a $25 entry fee, and all participants will receive an event T-shirt. Cash prizes for the top three finishers will be a percentage of the total purse collected: 25% for 1st, 10% for 2nd, and 5% for 3rd place. Great Basin Brewing Company will provide a selection of their micro-brewed beers to be enjoyed by finishing participants of legal drinking age."

Both events have been added to the calendar.

NorCal MTB Racing This Week: May 20-23, 2010

It's a big week for MTB racing all across region - both weeknight and weekend. For those of you making your plans, here is a quick rundown of this week's MTB racing schedule for NorCal:

1. Blazing Saddles Mountain Bike Race Series (Thursday)
2. Paper Plate Races (Thursday)
3. 12 & 6 Hours of Weaverville (05/22/10)
4. SB Racing.org, Winter XC Series, Round 5 Final Round, Fort Ord (05/22/10)
5. Pine Nut Cracker (05/22/10)
6. South Valley Endurance Dirty Gears Series #2 (05/23/10)
7. Gravity Day (05/23/10)

Want To Coach MTB Racing on TV ?

Okay, this came to me out of the blue, but it sounds like a great opportunity for some NorCal Pro or soon-to-be Pro to get some exposure:

MTV Networks is looking for a downhill mountain bike racer between the ages of 25-35 who is willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA for 4 to 5 weeks to help a high school student who has never rode on a bike become a downhill mountain biker racer. Interested coaches should be energetic, charismatic, have experience working with teens in boosting confidence and also put safety above all else. Coaches should have strong credentials and be available during our shooting weeks (June 1-July 16). Send picture and resume as well as any mountain biking links to MADECoaches@mtv.com

If any of you get this gig, I expect my agent fee :)

 

2010 Tamarancho Dirt Classic Opens Registration

The Tamarancho Dirt Classic is Marin County’s only annual XC mountain bike race, taking place Sunday, June 6, 2010, at Camp Tamarancho outside of Fairfax, California: Prizes 3 deep in each category, and a tough 6 mile singletrack & fire road course including the infamous Dead Heifer (20+ percent).

Proceeds will go to BTC Marin and Access4Bikes for trail maintenance, creation and advocacy throughout Marin.

Registration is open now via active.com, and ends a week before the race. No day-of registration. $40 adults, $25 juniors 18 and under.  More information at http://tamaranchodirtclassic.com/.

2010 CCCX XC #5 Results

Looks like it was a difficult loop of 5.5 miles with over 600 feet of climbing per lap.  So the Pro/Experts logged around 3000+ climbing during their 28 mile race.  Menso de Jong (Santa Cruz Bikes) was the Pro Expert winner.  Female winners on the day were Carolyn Thompson (Velo Girls), Livia Peras of Santa Cruz, Janel Lodge (Black Market-Family Cycling), Anna Eyre of Daley City.

A full list of the winners:

PRO/SEMI-PRO- Menso de Jong- Santa Cruz Bikes
PRO/EXPERT SINGLE SPEED - Tim Cannard- Ibis/BuyCell.com
EXPERT MEN 35-44- Brian Butler- SB Racing
EXPERT MEN 45-54- Mark Howland- Black market -Family Cycling Center
EXPERT 55+- Bob Blanter- Bikes 4 Life
SPORT/JR MEN 18 & UNDER- Alphonse Le-Duc- San Jose
SPORT MEN 19-34- Christopher Kelly- Oakland
SPORT MEN 35-44- Bill Dean- NPS
SPORT MEN 45-54- Michael Urbina- Team Wrong Way
SPORT MEN 55+- Jeff Townsend- Plus 3
CLYDESDALE- Andrew Murray- SCCCC
SPORT SINGLE SPEED- John Lukasko- Bike Station Aptos/WTB
SPORT WOMEN19-34- Carolyn Thompson- Velo Girls
SPORT WOMEN 35-44- Livia Peras- Santa Cruz
SPORT WOMEN 45+- Janel Lodge- Blackmarket/Family Cycling
BEG MEN 19-34- Ben Blakley- Pacific Grove
BEG MEN 35-44- Kris Cowdrey- Joselyns
BEG MEN 45-54- Steve Anderson- NOAA
BEG MEN 55+- Jim Claflin- Chico
JR MEN 13 & under- Jacob Labosky- Santa Cruz Chain Gang
JR MEN 14-18- Wesley Barnes- The GI Jane Experience
BEG WOMEN 19+- Anna Eyre- Daly City

Full Results are available here: http://www.cccxcycling.com/2010xc5resultspage.html. Photo(s) courtesy of Scott Mosher Photography (many, many more available)

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: May 15-16, 2010

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for NorCal (and some SoCal):

1. California Golden State Series #3 (Saturday): Okay, this certainly isn't in NorCal. But a lot of people are looking for state wide championships and this is one of those series.
2. MTB Benefit Races at Loma Rica Ranch (Saturday): Debuting 5.8 miles of new mountain bike trails at Loma Rica Ranch, Grass Valley, California.  700 ft/ climbing per lap.  Hilly course is on a 127 acres parcel with amazing flowy single tracks among stands of old pine and madrone stands.
3. CCCX XC (Sunday):  This Sunday- CCCX #5 will be a special event as results will count towards TEAM BIGFOOT'S 2010 Giant NorCal MTB Championship Series. CCCX #5 will use a counter clock-wise loop that will be about 5 miles in length.  Features on the trail will be a few sharp & steep climbs, fast fire roads, and lots of twisty- turning single track.  Speeds can be very speedy for this loop as trail conditions look rather optimal for this Sunday's competition.

2010 CCCX DH #3 Results

Congratulations to all the race winners at CCCX DH #3, this past Sunday at Toro Park near Monterey.  Santa Clara's Jimmy Amaral (Point 1 Racing) posted the fastest time of the day at 3'14".13, just edging Santa Rosa's Sean Tracy by only 1/2 a second.  Racing was super tight in all divisions on a course that featured 1000 feet of vertical drop, fire roads, lots of single track, and one 20% grade portion of trail which turned into a mud/waterfall slide section that claimed many victims on the day.  The overall fastest Women's race was even closer then the Men's, with Livermore's Mary Moncorge taking first with a time of 4'03".88 compared to second fastest Female on the day San Jose's Sharon Hill (Another Bike Shop) who posted a 4'04".19.  Fastest Junior rider on the day was Nick Dommen (WTB/NEMA/GAMUT) who ripped off a stellar time of 3'27".06.

PRO-SEMI PRO- Jimmy Amaral (Point 1)  
PRO WOMEN - Sharon Hill (Another Bike Shop)
EXPERT WOMEN all AGES- Mary Moncorge (Livermore)  
EXPERT MEN 19-34 - Marshall Eames (Santa Cruz MTB)
EXPERT MEN 35-44- Andrew Reams (Alamo Bikes)  
EXPERT MEN 45-54 - Tim Dennis (Pleasant Hill)  
SPORT WOMEN- Jessica Spray (Stockton)
SPORT MEN 19-34 - Morgan Brewer (Oakland Republic/Kona Grass Roots)
SPORT MEN 35-44 - Tim Fraser (Tech Tim)  
SPORT MEN 45-54- Jeff Van Damme- SCCCC  
MEN 55+ - Scott Seery- Point 1/Rock Garden Sports  
BEGINNER WOMEN - Mary Pralinsky- San Fransisco  
BEGINNER MEN 35-44- Ali Tajeldin- Hayward
BEGINNER MEN 19-34 - Tim Kunakov- Pacifica  
JUNIOR BOYS EXPERT- Nick Aguilar- Belmont
JUNIOR GIRLS 18 & under- Faith Siebe- TREAD  
JR. BOYS 16-18- Daniel Thompson- Above Category Dev Team
JR. BOYS 14-16- Nik Dommen- WTB/NEMA/GAMUT
JR. BOYS 13& under - Niko Kilik- San Jose  
CLYDESDALE- Eric Battiato- Blossum Valley Const.
SINGLE SPEED - Dylan Wade- Gilroy  
CHAINLESS- Jimmy Amaral- Point 1  
HARDTAIL- Brian Zimmerman- Oakland Republic

Full results can be found here- http://cccxcycling.com/2010dh3resultsandphotospage.html

NorCal MTB Racing THIS WEEK (Weeknight Edition): May 10 - 14, 2010

For those of you making your weekendWEEKNIGHT plans, here is quick rundown of this week's MTB racing schedule for NorCal:

1. Prairie City Race Series (Wednesday)
2. Summit Shorty (Wednesday)
3. Reno Wheelmen Twilight MTB Series (Thursday)
4. Blazing Saddles Mountain Bike Race Series (Thursday)
5. Paper Plate Races (Thursday)

Specialized Recalls 2010 Epics

Scary news coming out of Specialized:

Specialized recommends that consumers stop using the affected bicycles immediately unless otherwise instructed by a Specialized dealer or representative.The shock mount for the Brain reservoir on the models’ swing arm could break causing loss of control of the bicycle.

Riders should immediately stop riding affected bikes and contact their Specialized dealer for a free repair. For additional questions, contact Specialized toll-free at (877) 808-8154 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday or visit www.specialized.com

The following models are affected:

• 2010 Epic Marathon Carbon
• 2010 Epic Marathon Frame
• 2010 Epic Expert Carbon
• 2010 Epic Expert
• 2010 Epic Comp Carbon
• 2010 Epic Comp
• 2010 Era FSR Expert Carbon
• 2010 Era FSR Expert
• 2010 Era FSR Comp

Bike Monkey Schedules YCP Plate Races

I completely misread this as "Youth Community Racing" instead of "Racing at Youth Community Park." Either way, there is some short track racing in Santa Rosa, CA this month:

Actually, I don’t know where else they would come too since YCP is a lovely little acronym for “Youth Community Park”. Inside the famous “back-side” course that twists around unkempt open-space behind YCP, Bike Monkey is hosting three evening dirt-crit mountain bike races on May 6th, 13th and 20th.

Via Bike Monkey Magazine.

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: May 8 - 9, 2010

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for Norcal:

1. SB Racing.org, Winter XC MTB Series 2010 Round 4, Santa Teresa (Saturday): The penultimate race in the series moves to Santa Teresa Park.
2. Red Tail Adventure Race (Saturday): Big Blue Adventure is putting on both an XTERRA and Adventure Race May 8th in Del Valle Regional Park, near Livermore. There will be a short and long course option for both the XTERRA and Adventure Race. The Adventure Race takes advantage of Del Valle’s plush single track, and large lake. It features kayaking, allowing racers to take a cool break on a sure to be warm day (kayaks are provided for the sprint race). The course is designed by ARNavSupplies’ Mark Manning.
3. XTERRA Del Valle (Saturday): XTERRA Del Valle promises to be a fun and challenging course. Racers will swim in the calm lake at the heart of Del Valle, and ride and run through the surronding single track. Both races will end with a after party of food, cold beer and a raffle where as much $3,500 of Salomon, Merrell and other sponsor swag will be given away.
4. Lake Sonoma Series (Saturday): The Lake Sonoma series has moved to a new site but the North Bay favorite is still technical.
5. CCCX Summer DH #4 (Sunday): The CCCX DH series will be back in action for the Mother's Day at Toro Park. "The past few weeks of sunny weather has dried up the wet sections of trails in the interior of the canyons at Toro Park. This should allow for usage of one of my favorite trails in Toro Park, the Bessie Canyon blitz section I created over the past season. This new portion of trail is looking better then ever. As usual I will have a few new surprises for the route to spice up the DH shredding that Nor-Cal's best riders deliver each CCCX event.

Squaw Valley Bike Park ?

I've seen this a few places but dhRENO had it best:

Straight from Jim “Hacksaw” Severt:
“So it is official …Squaw Valley USA is opening a Mountain Bike Park this summer (on or around July 4th) and I am the Mountain Bike Park Manger. Hope to see you on the Mountain this summer.”

Squaw Valley will join Northstar at Tahoe as the second resort with summer bike parks.