MtnBikeRiders.com

The entire MtnBikeRiders.com crew raced at the Southridge 17th Annual Challenge this weekend. Priscilla, Kim, Joe, Ner, Eric and Val raced XC, Kim and I raced Super D, Tony, Joe and RL raced Downhill. I was actually excited about racing Super D for the first time, since I had an idea on how steep the climbs were, I liked my odds of doing well on the race.

I made a few minor changes to the KHS Flagstaff 29er, I added the super comfortable Ergon Grips and I swapped the front tire to a Serfas Krest 9er for better traction:

We got shuttled to the water tank, then we were lined up and we were released 30 seconds apart. Right off the bat, we were welcomed by a short but steep uphill. The air quality was so bad that I felt my lungs burning right away. We then descended onto some loose singletrack. The trail had already been battered by the XC racers and it was not in the best of conditions. My choice of tires paid off, the Serfas Krest 9er hooked up very well and I was able to go downhill with some speed.

I was exceptionally happy with the Flagstaff 29er, most of the riders had 4 to 5 inch travel bikes, I was the only one with a Full Suspension 29er. As I stated on my review of this bike, the bike rides as if was a 5 inch travel bike except when you go uphill, the front tire never leaves the dirt, the opposite happens to me when I ride my KHS AM2000 or the KHS XCT 535.

I think that Super D is the type of race that suits me, short uphills and long downhills. My race featured only 219 feet of climbing and 531 feet of downhill, now that’s what I call a good pay off! Don’t get me wrong though, Super D is not easy, you have to go balls out from start to the end. Here’s my Heart Rate graph from the race:

I was riding over 170 bpm the entire race!

I ended up placing 8th on the beginners category, not too shabby considering that I was racing against racers WAY younger than me. I can say that I really enjoyed racing Super D, I was also lucky to have Kim as a Super D racer, she gave me the low down and she really encouraged me the entire time.

I want to thank the entire MtnBikeRiders.com crew for the encouragement, Ergon for the grips, HossMTB for the shorts, KHS Bicycles for letting me use the Flagstaff 29er, Serfas for the tires and sunglasses and Evomo for the super cool hoodie.

What’s next for The Moe? The SRC Winter Series baby! I already bought my SRC membership for next year and I’m looking forward to January 10th’s race!

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As most of you know the Team MtnBikeRiders has been representin’ strong in our first few races. The team has been training hard these past few months and we’ve been having a great time out there! RL has done a great job with setting us up with some of the best companies out there for sponsorships and we are so proud to have their names on our jerseys!

This past weekend Jeffrey over at Ergon set me up with the girlie Ergon backpacks since the boy pack packs were a little big for Kim and I. I am a huge fan of Ergon grips and I wouldn’t ride without them….so I was excited to try out their backpacks.

I instantly fell in love when I opened the box! As much as I love the trademark green for Ergon, I have to say that the all black backpack is super sleek looking! Perfect fit for my curvy frame and I just love all the bells and whistles on this pack.

Here is the description for the boys BD1 pack:

A cycling backpack featuring a revolutionary carrying system. The central Flink® Link ball joint allows for huge freedom of movement for the upper body. Pressure is evenly distributed on both shoulders, protecting the back. This makes for a completely new and comfortable carrying sensation. Gender specific carrying systems each in two sizes. The BD1 is the perfect lightweight compact daypack. The BD1 features a large top opening design and includes one small external gear pocket, hydration bladder sleeve, helmet holder and integrated rain cover.

As a woman, I love small details – it really shows how much a company values their product when they put the extra time and money into small details. My favorite details in this pack – great padding on the straps, the built in whistle on the front buckle, the built in rain cover on the underside of the pack, the fact that it sits up right when placed on the floor, the design of the bag keeps it off your back…(no more sweaty back) and I love the flexible link system. If you ever get the opportunity you must try on this pack. I was amazed when I picked up the pack filled with items – it feels heavy in my hands, BUT the instant you put it on your back..AMAZING…it feels weightless! NO KIDDING.

I often hesitate when filling my backpack because of how heavy it feels on my back but that really isn’t an issue anymore with this pack. I can’t wait to put it to full use on an epic ride, filling it with all kinds of goodies!

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This past Sunday I entered the first annual Mongoose Hillbilly Bike Bash held in Vail Lake, CA.  This event was put together by no other than the legend Eric Carter and company.  This was a two-day event – Super D (Saturday) and DH (Sunday) however I only entered DH.

Like all other races that I have entered, the night before I was restless and anxious for what the next day has to offer.  Technically this would be my third DH race.  The first two are from the Keyesville Classic and Sea Otter earlier this year.  This would also be my first race on my Intense SOCOM.  I bought this bike back in July of this year and had very MINIMAL time on it.  Other than this weekend, the only time I rode it was on a weekend ride at Fontana in August.   I was anxious to get to the event early so I can have as many practice runs as possible.  We left the house a little after 7am.  There was light drizzle when we reached Temecula and the temperature was in the low 50s… brrr!

                                 Intense SOCOM, 8″travel w/Marzocchi 888 Bomber fork.  Photo by DownHillPhil

The Practice: After suiting up, I took the shuttle up to the starting point. Now I have to mention that the ride up was literally more jarring than our actual ride down (with our bikes).  Though the hard work of the drivers are appreciated, they just need to slow down a bit.  I had a total of three practice runs.  On the first ride up, the driver hi-sides the hill and the kid standing in front of me literally gets tossed up in the air like three feet… Crazy!  On the second trip up, the driver takes a corner and the truck drifts… not a good feeling when you are seeing the hillside…yikes! On my last trip up for practice, the wooden gates (panels) used to keep the riders in, became loose.  First the left side pops off and hangs from the end of the truck; we stopped and he fixes it.  Then up the road he hits another bump and the right sides flies off.  Fortunately no one was injured.  Memorable indeed…

The Course: It winds down to many turns and a few steep rollers.  There is a wallride before you reach the two ladder bridges towards the end and a double (jumps) by the Finish Line.  Conditions – fairly packed in the morning however quickly turned into sand in many corners as riders practiced.  There were several ruts that were significant in size.

On my first practice run, I did several re-dos of the first section and a steep roller.  I did this by walking my bike up the hill.  Not that easy pushing up a 40+ lbs bike.  Unfamiliar with course I took precautionary steps before riding through.  On my last two runs, I rode through the course with out any stops.  I did put my foot down on several turns, but I was fairly confident that I can handle it.  After a practice ended there was a brief lunch break for the drivers then onto shuttling the Pros for the start of the race at 12:30 PM.

Race Time:  My class wasn’t scheduled to start until 2:17 PM.  However at staging while I was chatting with Eric Carter’s mom, they told the racers to better catch the shuttle now; that’s over an hour ahead of my race time.  Not wanting to miss it, I took the shuttle up.  Here is where you test your patience of being last on the list.  As a Beginner, we were set to go last as they start with the Pros, Semi-Pros, Expert, Sport, then… the Beginners.  One good thing about this is all the fast guys are ahead of you, so there is NO pressure of someone passing you. 

Through out the start of the race there were many names that were called out and were no shows (DNS).  Many riders said that the names were there for practice but were not at line-up… maybe they missed the shuttle or maybe they changed their minds.  Finally when our class was called, several names in my class were DNS which left us with only three guys.  My run to the bottom went without a hitch.  On several corners I got semi-stuck in the sand but managed to power through them.  A racer in my class (behind me) caught up and blew past me towards the end of the course.

                                      Photo by Sharky

                                                                      Photo by Christopher Wood

The Podium: Eric Carter started the awards with Pros, Semi-Pros, on down… As they were calling out the top 5 in the Experts, they discovered that the timing results were wrong which caused them to stop the awards.  By now it was approx 4:45 pm and getting dark.  He was embarrassed and disappointed as this was his inaugural event.  He asked for everyone to return in about 45 minutes or mail-out the trophies which I thought was great.  For me, with only three racers in my class, and one passing me, I took the liberty of conceding to third place.  I had my family in the car and have been out all day, so we were anxious to get home.  Eric gave me my 3^rd place trophy and if by any chance I got 2^nd, we’ll swap the trophies.  Cool guy!

I had a great weekend and looking forward to Fontana in two weeks.  Below is a short video of my race. It’s mainly pictures with short video clips as the course was a little difficult for my fiance to hike-up.

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Just ask Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie… they’ll tell ya! 

But seriously, I have to give props to RL Policar for all of his hard work these past two races.  As a Team Captain/Mgr role he has been more than supportive for the entire Team.  He’s provided everything for us from a tent (shelter from rain), food, energy supplements, tools, you name it we have it…

Memorable examples from this past weekend at Mt. SAC:  On my second lap approaching the Feed Zone (FZ), I see RL yelling trying to get my attention.  On one hand a fresh bottle of water with Motor Tabs and on the other a Heineken.  Tough choice!  To me this is comical as it breaks the monotony of the grind.  Off course I grabbed the water bottle.  RL did this for all the Team members, keeping us hydrated during our race. 

                                           RL at the Feed Zone for me and KIm.

On Priscilla’s race – as she approached the FZ, RL was going to give her Clif Shot Bloks.  At this time I was done with my race so now I was taking pictures however I was situated on higher level than the FZ.  I wish I would have captured the next events on camera…

There was a fumble with the hand-off to Priscilla.  Apparently RL couldn’t get the Shot Bloks out of his pocket and at the same time trying to keep up with Priscilla as she is riding by.  He ended up tumbling up the hill… none the less great effort and I have to commend him for that!

Through out day he ran back and forth at different prime spots to capture the Team on video while lugging a heavy duty tripod for a heavy duty video camera. 

                                                                                     RL moving from different areas of the race on his Xtracycle.

To top it off there were two separate race times.  At the end of each race, not only was he there to meet us at the Finish Line,  but he went straight to the tent to start the grill so we can eat.  This was like a Four Star treatment – man what service!!!

                                                                              Grilling salmon and burgers…

So who else says RL is Super Cool - Team MtnBikeRiders.com says he is!  Thanks RL!

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To say that I was anxious about this race is an understatement. This past month since the Bonelli race has been spent trying to get over soar throats and runny noses. I have been sick for four weeks now which has left me with very little riding time and training. Lucky for me I paid for this race a month ago so as much as I wanted to back out of the race I just couldn’t stand the thought of throwing away 35 bucks!

When I woke up that Sunday morning to rain clouds and sore legs I wasn’t feeling too good about the race. Sore legs you ask? Yeah, sore legs. In an attempt to avoid burning out my legs the day before on the pre-ride, I opted to hike a bike up a few hills. Well, in an attempt to “save” my legs I made it worse because I used different muscles to hike up those hills. My legs were hurting that morning.

Anyways, we headed out early that Sunday morning because we wanted to make sure we were there to encourage Joe and Eric since they had an earlier start then the rest of us. It sure does make a difference to hear the encouragement out there during the race so we wanted to make sure the boys got some much deserved team love out there. And I was glad we were able to get there and set up. It gave me a chance to relax with the children and help with pictures.

I was also relieved when Kim shared some of her anti-lactic acid build up pills with me. Not sure what they were called but I am buying a case of them! They really helped with my legs. I also popped a couple of FRS chews. These were great. No nausea and I felt like I was able to keep up my energy during the whole race.

At some point that morning I surrendered to just having a good time out there. I didn’t feel too confident about making podium becuase of my cold but I really just wanted to have fun. I decided I would just pace myself and ride my ride.

And enjoy the ride I did! The race had a good number of participants. About 6 women in my category (34 and Under) and 7 in Kim’s category (35 and Up), amongst 100 other men. I felt like I had a strong start, the only drawback is probably our positioning in the crowd. I think starting with the head of the pack would have given us more of an advantage. There was a single track portion of the ride early in the race where everyone just bottlenecks and comes to a dead stop. So for those of us who got a later start it really cost us some time. There was a great climb though soon after that was able to give a few of us the opportunity to make up time up the hill. It was shortly after this climb that I was able to catch up the the 2nd place rider in my category and haul butt to get past her.

I really enjoyed this race. I had a good energy and a good vibe for most of the race. It was super encouraging to see the mtnbikerider crew spread out throughout the course. Sometimes I spotted Joe or Jon out there snappin away with their cameras and offering words of encouragement. RL really went out of his way to make sure we were takin care of too. He even tumbled up a hill for me to make sure I got my sugar blocks.

Kim gettin some team support from RL

I really felt like this was one of my strongest races. It felt great to catch up to one guy right after the other and pass him! Hehehe. I of course offered my words of encouragement as I rode on by. I made sure to take advantage of every portion of the trail that I could hammer it and every opportunity to rest on the fun downhills. I was hootin and hollering all the way down the hillsides! I had such a great time out there and it really seemed to go by faster then I had expected. I also want to mention a couple of us were able to throw on our new Ergon grips! Love these. If you haven’t tried these out yet – DO IT! I don’t know how I ever got by without them! I also rode with my new
pack. Great stuff.

At the last hill I actually caught up with Nehr who was nursing some bad cramps. I offered some more words of encouragement after I pulled some souvenirs out of my derailleur hanger and rode on down the hillside as fast as I could to land me a 2nd place win.

Comin in for the finish!

I was really proud of the team. Kim put some hurt on those girls with holding strong during the race. And the boys did an awesome job. Eric and Joe – those guys are animals! I don’t know how they rode 3 laps!! Crazy!!! And so proud of Moe, Nehr and Val for finishing the race! Way to go guys. I think Nehr has a promising future as a racer!

The girlz rocked it!

It was just a lot of fun hanging with the crew and the kiddos too. Good eats, good ride, good “refreshments” (thanks Eric!), and good friends! Now on to Fontucky!!! Woo hoo!

And a special thanks again to KHS (for my frame), ERGON, EVOMO, HOSS, and BikeCommuters of course!

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