NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: July 31 - August 2

A little bit everything on tap this weekend:

• Tonight: The last
  TBF Friday Night MTB of the season at Granite Bay State Beach.
• Tomorrow:
  Kirkwood Nine To Five in the Sierras.
• Sunday: Mid Summer Mountain Bike Race at Harvey Bear Ranch in the South Bay.

Greg Minnaar took Coach Downhill Camp at Northstar

Something for all you aspiring Downhill world cup racers ...

World Champion Greg Minnaar is teaming up with Gene Hamilton of BetterRide for a three day downhill mountain bike camp at Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe, California.  This is an amazing opportunity to learn from one of the most experienced coaches in the sport and one of the fastest racers in the world, Greg Minnaar. This is the same camp that Mitch Ropelato, Naish Ulmer, Graeme Pitts and many other top downhill racers have taken and raved about but with the addition of Greg Minnaar!  Sign up soon as this camp limited to 12 riders to ensure the optimal athlete coach ratio and the Minnaar camp in Bootleg this spring sold out in 6 days!

Designed for downhill racers, this Downhill Camp focuses on core skills, course inspection, finding the fast “pro” lines, mental preparation  and FUN.

When: August 14-16, 2009
Where: Northstar at Tahoe (near Truckee, CA) 
Who: 12 lucky racers
Cost: $699.00 (the best investment you will ever make in your riding/racing)

Via MTBR

2009 Race4Tara Moved

The folks at Sand Hill Racing have rescheduled/moved this year's Race4Tara III benefit:

The 3rd annual Race 4 Tara will be a Down Hill at NorthStar this year on Oct 10 and 11 instead of the previously advertised 4-cross and DS at Sand Hill. Saturday the 10th will be open practice (with practice and lift ticket discounts to registered racers) then Sunday will be the race and the giant raffle. It has been 4 years since Tara's crash that put her in a wheelchair, but the bicycle industry has not forgotten her and continues to be incredibly generous with donations to our raffle. If you want to donate or have a booth in our Expo area at NorthStar Village, hit Reply or go to Contact Us to get started. Online pre-reg will open within a few weeks.

More news when the pre-reg opens.

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: July 24 - 26

It's a big weekend of racing in NorCal, especially if you are coming up to the Sierras:

• Tonight (Friday):TBF Friday Night MTB has there second race of the second half of their Summer XC racing series. It's also the second to last race. Tonight at Granite Bay Beach east of Sacramento.
• Saturday: The inaugural Northstar Super D in Truckee, CA. "These courses are typically longer and not as technical in nature as our Downhill Races." This week's course is "Booster, Butt Crack road, Flame Out, Woods, 24hr. Finish in the Village at Northstar."
• Sunday: The John Fisher DH Summer Sizzle #4 will be held between Fresno and Yosemite.
• Also Sunday: The second Northstar DH of the season. This will be run on the Gypsy trail. This is also up in Truckee, CA.

It's a big weekend so get out and race.

2009 TBF Friday Night #3 Results

TBF's Friday Night XC racing started up again last Friday and the results are available:

• Divisional results
• Overall results

The next race in the series is this Friday night (7/24/09) at Folsom Lake near Sacramento. More details are available here.

2009 Harvey Bear Ranch Results

Results have been posted for the first Harvey Bear Ranch race in the South Bay:

SVBRC would like to thank all the racers and volunteers for the very successful race today. We have posted results online on the event /results tab. Or click here:

http://www.svbikeandrunclub.com/webresources/files/1156/results/hbrace1beginner.pdf
http://www.svbikeandrunclub.com/webresources/files/1156/results/hb1racesportrevised.pdf
http://www.svbikeandrunclub.com/webresources/files/1156/results/hb1raceexpert.pdf

Later this week we will be releasing details on the course for the next race, the Time Trial ride, and the first trail running event.

Via Race results and thanks « South Valley Bike and Run Club. Make sure to check out the photos on the page.

2009 Race4Tara Update

Looks like they may be moving this year's benefit for Tara Llanes:

Race4Tara: The annual benefit for Tara Llanes has been moved back a week (Oct 10/11 weekend) and we may have it at a different venue so as to maybe include a DownHill (oh, so popular!, yes?)...Stay tuned. The Race Committee meets this Sunday so a full report will come next week.

More as it becomes available.

Full Downieville 2009 Results

Full results from this weekend's race are posted:

• CROSS COUNTRY
• DOWNHILL
• ALL-MOUNTAIN

Craig, Nash Capture Downieville All-Mountain Crowns

First timer Adam Craig and veteran Katrina Nash backed uo their XC wins:

Beaming through the constellation of top riders, the brightest stars of the day were once again Giant’s Adam Craig and Luna’s Katerina Nash. Both rode brilliantly and defended their day 1 victories by pedaling their way to the top step of the day 2 podium and hence, the all-mountain throne.

Racing at Downieville for the first time, Craig started 33rd in the day’s stage and deftly passed five racers on the way to his second course record of the weekend. His time of 43:48.3 bested defending champion Ross Schnell’s 2008 course record by 45 seconds.

Luna’s Katerina Nash continued her 2009 winning streak beating back 2007/2008 Downieville women’s champ Rachel Lloyd (Proman) to add another stage victory and an all-mountain title to her ever-expanding resume.

Via VeloNews.

The final DH Men's results:
1. Adam Craig in 43:48.3 (Ketchum ID)
2. Jason Moeschler in 44:09.7 (San Luis Obispo CA)
3. Ross Schnell in 44:20.6 (CA)
4. Nathan Riddle in 45:51.1 (Soquel CA)
5. Brian Lopes in 45:59.6 (Petaluma CA)

The final DH Women's results:
1. Katerina Nash in 49:52.2 (Oxnard CA)
2. Rachel Lloyd in 49:54.1 (Goleta CA)
3. Kelli Emmett in 52:19.0 (San jose CA)
4. Willow Koerber in 52:56.5 (Murrieta CA)
5. Maureen Kunz in 56:14.4 (Colorado Springs CO)

Craig, Nash win Downieville Classic XC

The results are in from the XC portion of the Downieville Classic:

Day one of the legendary Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race is in the record books with more than 800 riders having faced up to the grueling 29-mile point-to-point cross-country race – stage one of Downieville’s hotly contested All-Mountain World Championship.

Giant's Adam Craig was the hot shot of the day as he casually destroyed the course record and took the All-Mountain pro men’s stage victory. Pedaling into the streets of Downieville in 1:52:04, Craig’s time bested reigning All-Mountain champion Ross Schnell’s record-setting 2008 performance by nearly five minutes.

Fresh off a victory at the BC Bike Race, Luna’s Katerina Nash handily won the All-Mountain pro women’s division, posting a time of 2:14:14. Willow Koerber (Gary Fisher-Subaru) and Kelli Emmett (Giant) raced into the finish three minutes after Nash with Koerber only six seconds ahead of Emmett, 2:17:33 and 2:17:39 respectively.

Pro Men
1 Adam Craig 1:52:04
2 Sid Taberlay 1:52:45
3 Jason Moeschler 1:55:20
4 Chris Sheppard 1:57:58
5 Sam Koerber 1:59:15

Pro Women
1 Katerina Nash 2:14:14
2 Willow Koerber 2:17:33
3 Kelli Emmett 2:17:39
4 Rachel Lloyd 2:18:15
5 Lizzy English 2:29:45

Via VeloNews.

Race reports and photos are up at MTBR. The official Flickr photo pool is at http://www.flickr.com/groups/1116932@N25/.

2009 Loma Rica MTB Crit Series

Hot off the presses, a new short track series for the Sierra Foothills:

The Twilight MTB Crit Series at Loma Rica Ranch

Race Dates (Saturdays):

• August 8th
• August 22
• September 5th
• September 19th

The first of its kind, it is all about bringing more competitive Mountain Bike Racing to the Nevada County community. There will be food, local brews, local vendors, LIVE music and the beautiful Loma Rica Ranch setting. Anyone can come and enjoy the race days!

The series will be a benefit for Youth Bicyclist of Nevada County (YBONC) and the Nevada Union High School Mountain Bike Team.

This special race series will be held at Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley (MAP).

The course is described as "MTB Dirt Crit with a 1 -1 1/4 mile course with a mixture of single track,gravel road, pavement with some surprises." The race costs $20 for adults and $10 for Juniors (18-).

2009 Northstar XC #1 Results

Results from last Thursday's Northstar at Tahoe XC series opener have been posted. I can't make heads or tails of their scoring sheets, so let's congratulate everyone who raced.

Race #2 in the series is Thursday, July 9th (this week). Check out their website for details.

Husband and Wife Win US Marathon Titles

The US Marathon Championships were held this weekend:

Husband-and-wife Jeremy Horgan-Kolbelski and Heather Irmiger become the new mountain bike marathon national champions at the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, Colorado, on Saturday.

The two, who each ride for the Subaru/Gary Fisher team, rode away from the competition early in their respective races. Last year's winner, Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale-Monavie), was second, 12-and-a-half minutes down on JHK’s new course record. Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) was second to Irmiger, 16 minutes down.

Pro Men
1. Jeremy Horgan-Kolbelski
2. Jeremiah Bishop
3. Jay Henry
4. Peter Stetina
5. Colin Cares

Pro Women
1. Heather Irmiger
2. Pua Sawicki
3. Gretchen Reeves
4. Krista Park
5. Heather Holmes

Via VeloNews

2009 CCCX DH Finale & Series Results

The results have been posted for this weekend's finale of the 2009 CCCX downhill series:

• Full results (DH #7)
• Series Final Point Standings

Photos posted by Scott Mosher and Rick R. Photos here are courtesy of Rick R's collection.

Final Series Standings (with point totals):
PRO/SEMI PRO

1. Ian Massey (Stone Racing/WTB): 282
2. John Hauer (Team X-Fusion/Intense): 267
3. Keith DeFiebre (GT Dirt Coalition/ Calabazas): 254
4. Johnathan Kim (Team Gummy Shark): 247
5. Keith Morelan (Rala Jala Minnske): 244

PRO WOMEN

1. Leana Gerrard (X-Fusion/Monovie Cannondale): 50
2. Kathy Pruitt (James Bikes): 50

EXPERT MEN 19-34

1. Sean Tracy (Thunder Bringers): 282
2. Brian Damschen (50/50 Racing): 272
3. Adrian Hairrell (American Cyclery): 259
4. Michael Kass (Supercede): 248
5. Nathaniel Spray (Steel MX/661/Cycle fanatics): 225

EXPERT MEN 35-44

1. Bob Barwick (Family Cycling Center): 283
2. Eric Brecheen (Mr. E's Racing): 225
3. Andrew Reams (): 197
4. Mark Silva (Specialized/Fox Racing): 147
5. Jim Kropa: 139

EXPERT MEN 45-54

1. Craig MacBeth (SCCCC): 282
2. Mike Amaral (Point One Racing): 265
3. Patrick Tidd (Hank & frank Bikes/Point One): 197
4. Rex Heywood (Gamut/661): 192
5. Rick Davis (Team Wrong Way): 123

EXPERT WOMEN

1. Sharon Hill (Murray Rinaissance): 247
2. Kelly Moore (50/50 DH Race Team): 230
3. Rosie Bernhard (Another Bike Shop): 192

SPORT 19-34

1. Ben Vickery (SPR): 294
2. Victor Gillespie (Concept Cyclery): 271
3. Jamie Lee (Derek Chu/Stone Racing): 268

SPORT 35-44

1. Tyler Mollring (Hwy 68 Hillbillies): 285
2. Shane Reed (XFUSION): 271
3. Brett Wheeler (): 265

SPORT MEN 45-54

1. Marc Aley (Hank & Frank Bikes/BTU Berkeley Trailors Union): 300
2. John Priolo (Sonoma Bicycle Co.): 277
3. Tony Gasparich (unattached): 254

SPORT WOMEN

1. Ashley Hernandez (): 235
2. Kelly Johnsen (Chainsmoke): 150
3. Kelsey Anderson (Loma Verde Mtn. Co.): 50

BEGINNER MEN 19-34

1. Nicholas Gasparich: 279
2. Tony Tarumoto (Prime Designs): 263
3. Ian Hambleton (): 207

BEGINNER MEN 35-44

1. Ray Charles (Oaklyn Records): 282
2. Mark Varian (Hank & Frank Bicycles): 273
3. Steve Stojanovich (): 257

BEGINNER MEN 45-54

1. Jeff Vandamme (SCCCC): 300
2. Rick Jankela (Calabazas): 270
3. Mike Evans (SCCCC): 235

MEN'S 55+

1. Michael Kauert (Mr. E's Racing): 200
2. Dave Ballard (CVC): 100
3. Rod Composti (Mr. E's Racing): 97

BEGINNING WOMEN

1. Ashye Tuncer (Chainsmoke): 289
2. Kim Krueger (Sonoma Bicycle Co.): 271
3. Jill Henrich (Dirt Divas): 229

HARDTAIL

1. Scott Seery (Rock Gardn Sports/Poiont 1 Racing): 287
2. Brian Zimmerman (CCCX/OAKLAND Records/Hank + Frank): 235
3. Brian Guidotti (Salinas Cowboys Racing): 211

SINGLE SPEED

1. Bob Barwick (Family Cycling Center): 282
2. Craig MacBeth (SCCCC): 281
3. Scott Seery (Team Wrong Way): 278

CLYDESDALE

1. Aaron: 297
2. Travis Lindsey (Scotts Valley Cycle Sport): 139
3. Nathan Nava: 94

JR. EXPERT

1. Max Rausch (Prime Designs/CCCX): 292
2. Tony Gerbino (Rala Jala Minske): 280
3. Tyler Hansen (Blue Ballz Racing): 249
4. Nick Watson (Blue Whale Racing): 248
5. John Asuncion (Blue Whale Racing): 229

JR. BOYS 16-18

1. Kiran Mackinnon (CCCX): 289
2. Tyler Cowden (): 277
3. Kyle Winterhalder (): 263
4. Sean McCain (unattached): 255
5. Trevor Granados (661): 255

JR. BOYS 14-15

1. Cody Keller (Pattulo Racing): 270
2. Marius Avril (Half Moon Bay Bike Works): 234
3. Carson Heywood (): 197
4. Sherwin Golshani (): 195
5. Anthony Reardon (Tieni Doro): 193

JR. 13 & under

1. w Rausch (Carmel Bicycle/Blue Whale Racing): 286
2. Wyatt Composti (Mr. E's): 274
3. Nick Stojanovich (): 269
4. Marcello Granades (Mr. E's): 216
5. Bryce Rhett (): 211

NO CHAIN

1. Ben Vickery (SPR): 271
2. Josh Maurer (): 265
3. Nick Barton (Richmond): 244
4. Brian Damschen (50/50/ Racing): 181
5. John Valera (X-Fusion): 125

PIXIE

1. Max Rausch (CCCX/Prime): 100
2. Johnathan Fisher (): 91
3. Cody Breuninger (): 50

2009 CCCX Downhill Finale Preview

Tomorrow is the final CCCX DH race and here's the course preview:

The race route for the final race of the 2009 CCCX Spring/Summer Downhill Series descends approx. 1000 vertical feet in just over 1& 1/2 miles. The speeds riders will attain should be extremely rapid for the entire route. The course commences on a fast fire road featuring roller coaster like sections down a beautiful ridge line above the Toro Park canyons. The trail then dips and drops into single track trails that are full of switch backs turns on hard packed surfaces. More drops and more turns lead to the finish area where shaded sections provided by oak trees and Monster Energy drinks await the riders. Series prizes will be awarded following the day of race awards that reward the best riders in each division. It will be a excellent DH test of skill and bike for all riders. Happy 4th of July!

See full race details at 2009 CCCX Downhill Race Series.

2009 Northstar Downhill Race #1 Results

I forgot about this when it happened, but dhRENO was there with full report, pictures and results:

Dave Bright took the gold in the Expert 40+ in spite of crashing on his race run and dislocating his thumb! Plus he was at the ER the day before having drilled a hole thru his middle finger while repairing his RV!

See the full report at Northstar 2009 Downhill Race #1 « dhRENO.

The next Northstar DH race is July 26th.

2009 John Fisher DH #2 Results

Results from Sunday's second John Fisher DH have been posted.

Congrats to Michael Males, who won the Pro Men's competition.

The next race in the series is July 12th near Oakhurst, CA.

2009 TBF Fri Night #3 and June Series Champs

TBF Racing has posted the results from last Friday Night's XC race and the June Series champions:

• 
  Race #3 Overall
• Race #3 Divisional
• June Series Final Standings
• June Series Champions

Here's the list of champions for the June series:
Junior Male Jordan Turley
Novice Male 20-29 Steve Serin
Novice Male 30-39 Simon Ramirez
Novice Male 40-49 Scott Radwan
Junior Female Avery Morin
Novice Female 20-29 Margarita Kulaga
Novice Female 30-39 Danette Mohr
Novice Female 40-49 Sara Heuston
Single Speed Male Open Jared Kessler
Single Speed Male Masters Dean Bailey
Sport Male 19-under Josh Evans
Sport Male 20-29 Antonio Miranda
Sport Male 30-39 Gary Grimes
Sport Male 40-49 Richard White
Sport Male 50-59 Tom Snyder
Single Speed Female Masters Suzanne Swimley
Sport Female 19-under Kayla Bruce
Sport Female 40-49 Kimberly Alvarez
Sport Female 50-59 Lynn Yelland
Expert Male 20-29 Clint Claassen
Expert Male 40-49 Bob Delp
Expert Male 50-59 Rick Timossi
Expert Female 30-39 Asa Salas