Niner to Reveal IMBA Frames At Sea Otter

Remember the Niner frame design contest? Well, we have the winner:

"In February, Niner Bikes announced plans to give back to the industry and other charities. To find a suitable design, Niner solicited entries for a paint scheme that would highlight IMBA's efforts.

Vermont's Chris Weber used topographic maps of trail systems that IMBA has contributed to as panels on the frame. Webber's reward for winning the contest will be one of the limited edition M.C.R. 9 frames.

The winning design will be unveiled at IMBA's booth (#235) during the Sea Otter Classic on Friday, April 18, at 4 pm. Frame and fork sales of the limited edition frames will be available to the general public in May." (Via IMBA News)

Make sure to gawk at it while down at Sea Otter -- and maybe signup for IMBA while you're at it.

2008 PCRS #2 Results

Results from Wednesday night's PCRS have been posted over at their webpage.

There are also a ton of photos posted here.

Judging by the results, it looks like they had about 350 450 racers.

CCCX DH #3 Preview

It's a Pre-Sea Otter CCCX DH this weekend. Here's the course previews:

The race route for the CCCX DH #3 will be extremely fast with many open sections that allow riders to hit very high speeds. The trail then turns into many switch-back and off-camber sections where tire choice and air pressure will determine hook up ability on the loose and dry dirt in the turns. Following the switch-back sections is some railing fast single-track that leads toward the finish area. With out any significant rainfall the trails are dry and slick, which makes for some great flat track style turns where drifting and sliding the bike will come into play. The Sea Otter Classic is one week after this Toro DH and there are reports of a certain current UCI World Champion DH rider in town for the Sea Otter event that will be taking part in CCCX DH #3. The track looks to be very fun and challenging to ride and should make for some exciting racing for all who compete.

Rumors are that some of the Pro teams in town for Sea Otter may be coming out to participate.

For those of you who haven't been down to the coast for this race series before, you can find the details on the race at MTB Calendar or the CCCX DH website.

Napa Valley Dirt Classic Preview

It looks like the NVDC got some local newspaper love this week:

"The 15th annual Napa Valley Dirt Classic bike race takes place in Angwin on April 13.

This 22-mile circuit at 1,667 feet elevation began as the ‘Romp Stomper’ and became the Dirt Classic 15 years ago, in 1994. The race is a part of the 2008 NorCal Mountain Bike State Championship Series and is open to riders of all levels. It takes place on trails on Pacific Union College property, and funds raised from the event benefit PUC recreational projects." (Via Sports Capsule: Napa Valley wrestlers place in meet | Napa Valley Register)

Not bad press, considering most papers avoid any bicycling news not involving Lance like the plague. Anyway, The Dirt Classic is Sunday up in the Napa / North Bay (Angwin to be exact) and is the yearly kickoff for the Big Event / Non-Series races in the Bay Area. It's a cool course that can be a bit challenging (if you miss this, Howell Mountain in the summer is a similar course of the same site). See full details at MTB Calendar or peruse the archives for previous year's race results.

2008 Reggae Riding

Raggae Riding, the Southern Humboldt XC race festival, is returning for 2008:

"Reggae Riding 2008 will take place on August 16 at the Southern Humboldt Community Park. We are looking for vendors of bike related products and volunteers to work at the Festival. Please call 707 923 2100 for more information ." (Via Reggae Riding- So Hum Mountain Bike Festival)

I haven't seen all the details yet, but some have sneaked out over on MTB Calendar. You can check out last year's coverage in the archives.

Lynch Canyon Hill Climb

NorCal High School League is presenting a race for all ages . . . Lynch Canyon Hill Climb Time Trial on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 10:00 AM.

This first time event, located at the beautiful and newly opened Lynch Canyon Park (near Vallejo), is limited to the first 100 registrants. The hill climb time trial meanders up a 2.5 mile course, first on fire trail and finishing on nice single-track that includes oak knolls and a rock garden. From the top, finishers can see (on a clear day) Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tam and the Sierras as they catch their breath. Proceeds benefit the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League.

There will categories for High School Boys/Girls, Varsity Boys/Girls, Open Men / Women, Masters 35+ Men/Women, Masters 55+ Men/Women and First Race Ever.

Adults are $35 and NorCal HS league members are $25. You can register here.

2008 NMBS Finals Moved From Tamarack

The NMBS finals, originally scheduled for Tamarack in Idaho, are being moved.

The final round of the 2008 National Mountain Bike Series has been moved from Tamarack Resort, Tamarack, Idaho to a location that has yet to be revealed.

"We are awaiting confirmation from a past NMBS venue that everything is in place for the series finals to be held there, and then we can make the announcement," said series director Jeff Frost of Bluewolf Events.

In its fourth year of operation Tamarack Resort is in the midst of ongoing development, but it already offers an outstanding mountain bike trail network capable of hosting world-class competition. "Expected funding for some key pieces needed for the NMBS is being delayed. To ensure that we can host the best Finals possible, we are deferring being the event site until another year," explained Ken Rider, Tamarack Resort Director of Marketing & Sales.

A press release will be distributed as soon as the replacement venue for 2008 is confirmed.

I am hoping this means that it will be held at Mammoth (hope, hope) or Big Bear (socal, but still roadtrip-able) -- but a lot of sites are certainly possible.

Timbuk2 Bike Swap

Saturday, April 19th Timbuk2 is hosting a Bike Swap to help their own Cole Emde raise the funds he needs to participate in Bike and Build 2008 this summer. Bring your parts and or a wad of cash and help Cole.

Where: Timbuk2 (333 Alabama Street, San Francisco)
When: 7:30AM doors open to sellers
9AM Doors open to Early Birds
10AM Doors open to Everyone else.

How much:
$10 to sell stuff
$5 for early birds
$2 for everyone else

Admission comes with one raffle ticket, additional raffle tickets are available for $1 ea. Seller space is limited so if you’re going to sell stuff, contact Cole at cole.emde at timbuk2.com. For general information about the event, contact Keri at ksedor at timbuk2.com

2008 Boggs III Results

Results have been posted for this weekend's Bogg III. I was going to write up reports, but this thread on MTBR has everything: Boggs III Aftermath - Page 4 - Mtbr.com Forums. There are also some photos over at perezoo.com.

Congrats to Louise Kobin (Female Pro), Brian Seval (Male Pro) and Dezmin Wilder (Male Singlespeed Pro).

2008 CCCX XC #5 Results

Results from yesterday's 2008 CCCX Mountain Bike Series Race #5 have been posted:

9am Race - Beginner
11am Race - Sport
1pm Race - Expert/Pro

As always, cool photos have been posted at Rick R's SmugMug site. Photo at right is from his site. There are also some photos up on Flickr.

2008 Big Sandy Results

Results from yesterday's Big Sandy race have been posted.

Congratulations to top finisher Jerimiah Root and Rebecca Gross (VelaBella - sp?).

NMBS #2 NOVA National Results

The full results links that were sent to me don't seem to be working but here is a writeup of this weekend's NMBS #2 in Phoenix:

U.S. Olympic hopeful Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) and Canada's Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) dominated the KENDA Cross Country, the finale of round two of the National Mountain Bike Series, the NOVA National, powered by SOBE Cannondale, held on a fast, technical, desert course at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

These two also won the three-day stage race. Both won Friday's Super D time trial; and Kabush won Saturday's Short Track while Gould finished second in the women's race. Kabush and Gould now lead in the National Mountain Bike Series standings, with two of six rounds completed.

MEN XC
Kabush worked with a lead group of five over three fast laps of the technically challenging, yet relatively flat, 10-mile course. With an abundance of embedded rocks throughout, many riders with superlight tires on hard-tail bikes suffered flat tires.

Kabush was not troubled by rocks. The 2007 NMBS series champion went to the lead on the first lap, with four others. These were: Adam Craig (Giant), Barry Wicks (Kona), Santa Cruz, Calif., the 2006 US Under-23 champion, Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Missoula. Mont., and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Boulder, Colo.

On the second lap, Schultz, riding a hard tail, followed Craig through an alternative line that turned out to be full of sharp rocks. Craig floated; Schultz flatted.

Craig was doing a lot of pace setting as the end of the race drew near. After working with him and others in the lead group for two laps, going into the final three miles, Kabush grew restless and started to attack the group as they crested the repetitive 15-second climbs that reared up from among the cacti. The first two times the group came back together on the following descent, but the effect of these repeated attacks took its toll as Wicks and Horgan Kobelski lost touch with the battling Craig and Kabush. Finally Craig could no longer pull back the Canadian on the descents and so the finishing order was decided.

Horgan-Kobelski took third at 50 seconds and Wicks rolled in fourth at 1:30. Another 45 seconds later, Liam Killeen (Specialized) of Great Britain outsprinted Canada's Mathieu Toulouse (Maxxis), and Carl Decker (Giant), Bend, Oreg. to claim fifth spot.

WOMEN XC
Georgia Gould, 28, of Missoula, Mont., blasted off at the start of her two-lap, 20-mile race and was not seen by her rivals until the end, which she reached one minute, forty-seven seconds ahead of her team-mate Katerina Nash.

Nash, 31, a Czech native who now lives in Truckee, Calif., might have ridden with Gould all the way had she not gone down hard at the first corner and done herself an injury to the left knee that required stitches after the finish.

A group of eight riders formed to chase Gould, which later reduced to four as the race progressed and riders succumbed to double flats. Canada's Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher), was in fourth place when she double-flatted. Wendy Simms (Kona), and Catherine Pendrel (LUNA) were two other highly-placed riders stopped or delayed by flat tires - a spate of which came in the second half of the final lap.

Australia's Dellys Starr (Dale's Pale Ale) took third place, ahead of Kelli Emmet (Giant), Colorado Springs, in fourth and Kathy Sherwin (SOBE-Cannondale), Heber City, Utah, in fifth.

2008 Prairie City Race Series Kickoff

Last night was the PCRS kickoff for the Spring and if the photos are any judge, it was huge. Organizers were expecting north of 400 racers and I don't think there were wrong. Results posted here as soon as I see them.

UPDATE: Results have been posted.

Yeti Posts NMBS Fontana Video

For those of you who missed this weekend's NMBS #1 down south at Fontana, CA, the folks at Yeti has released a video cast of their weekend:

Click through the picture to go see it.

Ride for Jamie

As many of you know, local pro triathlete (and MTB racer) Jamie Whitmore was diagnosed with a pelvic tumor last month. To help her with the fight, a ride has been organized to raise money and awareness. Reader Paul sent us the info:

Join us on Saturday, April 5th for a day of great riding on the trails of Mammoth Bar Park in Auburn. Meet up with others as we all join to support Jamie and help raise funds to help cover the expense of treatment. Donations are welcome and appreciated. To find out ways you can help, go to: www.jamiewhitmore.com.

Here are the details on the ride:
Date: Saturday, April 5th
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: Mammoth Bar OHV Park, Auburn, CA
Downhill Riders!: Complimentary Shuttle up the mountain will be available for riders throughout the day. (Donations encouraged and appreciated)
Cross Country Riders!: 9:30 a.m. start or 1:30 p.m. start. Two organized rides available! Ride time is approximately 2 hours. *Riders are also welcome to head out on their own throughout the day.

P.S. Reader Dave wrote in to say that the American River 50 Ultra Run is also that day out in Auburn, so arrive early to get parking and make sure to look out for runners. Thanks Dave.