This is actually the first time Sponsored Racer, Kim Finch had submitted a race report. Kim is well rounded racer that does XC, Super D and even Downhill. It’s really fun to watch her put some hurt on her competition. Read what she has to share about her race experience from the Triple Crown Series.

It’s almost sad to see the end of another season. This Southridge Racing Challenge was even more exciting with the addition of being the third race of the Triple Crown Series combined. I spent a lot of time of the bike in the prior weeks to this race. I find that out of all the races I have entered the Southridge course is the most technical. It may not be the longest race course, but it is the most exciting! The climbs are grueling and I feel like they will never end, but just at that very moment here comes the “Single Track”! I love this single track I find it almost rejuvenating and ready for the next climb! I would like to thank our sponsor Ergon for the awesome grips. They made a world of difference! I love them!

While waiting on the start line with Priscilla I could feel the anxiety growing. We chatted with all the ladies on the line. We could cheer as we saw Eric “Animal” take off from the start. Joe was in the group behind us all of us that just seemed to want to get on the course! All the ladies were fun to talk with about what they expect of the course or were they had trouble. Pricilla’s group moved forward and off she went! GO GIRL! Then finally after what seemed like hours our group was off and running.

The course starts quickly to short climbs and a quick little single track. Then it is “The Road” climb. Joe and I were working each other for help and encouragement. Joe is a great motivator even when he is taping his own limits! We cheered each other on through almost every climb. Priscilla was doing great she had a rider down on a very sandy section but she recovered quickly.

I managed to finish with my best time ever on this course 1:01:48 however, I placed third, but I was thrilled with the finish. This was also great because I finished the Triple Crown for the Colorful JERSEY. Let me tell you it match my bike perfect! After a quick bit and relaxation I headed back up the mountain with Moe for the Super-D race. I was the only woman in my group but there was one Pro Lady & one Sport Lady. Both of them very nice and fun to chat with. The course was fun. It started with three climb right away then down my favorite single track! Was a little chewed up after all the X-C races had been through numerous laps, but it never lets me down on the excitement level. Always testing my bike handling skills! I finished the race & took 1st place! Moe did very well and was glad to see him at the finish line as this was his first race!

Like thank RL for doing such a great job keeping all of us encouraged, fed & hydrated. He is doing and awesome job!

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This past weekend was a busy one… I raced both XC (Sat) & DH (Sun) at the 17th Annual Southridge Challenge, Fontana, CA.  Saturday was the last leg of the XC portion of the Triple Crown Challenge (TCC).  The 1^st was in Bonelli Park, San Dimas, CA (Oct) and the 2^nd at Mt. SAC in Walnut, CA (earlier this month).  We had a strong showing from our Team in different disciplines of the Fat Tire – XC, SS, Super D and DH.

Saturday:  I was faced with 8 other competitors.  Three were familiar faces from the other two segments of the TCC.  Two were my regular nemesis (friends really) from the 2008 racing season.

                                     Clydes

At the starting line, we were grouped with the Women’s 35+.  At GO, we sprinted on a flat dirt road which quickly turned into an elevated left-handed U-turn.  Here is where I experience the first hold up.  At this turn, series leader Mike D. falls, then a lady from the 35+ group.  Half of the racers that were stuck behind them (including myself) were forced to either dismount or find an alternative route which caused us seconds that counted.  As I made my way past the crash, I sprinted to chase the pack.  From here I would stay behind teammate Kim Finch.  Approaching the first real climb on dirt (where the DH starts), Kim and I pass our friend Val (he looked exhausted).  We passed him then made our way to the winding singletrack.  At the bottom we caught up with our other team mate Priscilla Policar.  We would ride together for a bit, while motivating and encouraging each other.   Passing the smokestack-like structure is another climb.   From the bottom I see Scott V. (a clyde in my class) reaching the top portion of this climb.  From here I broke away from Priscilla and Kim in hopes to catch Scott.  (There is history with Scott and I, as we battled throughout the year.  We took turns placing better than each other at various races.  He is currently one-up on me so I was really motivated to catch him!)

I made my way down another singletrack segment, through the paintball field, then up the final climb… I can see Scott up ahead.  I continued to grind up.  I knew I had to close the distance.  When he reaches the final singletrack descent he’ll open up the gap.  Through the singletrack at the backside of Southridge I tried to go as fast as I can.  Reaching the left-handed drop into the culvert, I see Scott on his way back on the flats.  In front of him was Ner (Val’s brother) with a big smile.   On the flats I big-ringed it back.  From the distance I see Scott and Ner pulling away…man these guys are fast!  Coming around the riverbed/aquaduct area I see Ner but not Scott… uh oh!   I knew we were almost finished and this was not good.  I finally caught up to Ner and passed him but Scott was no where in sight.  I ended up finishing last in my class.  Despite not catching Scott, I was please with my race.  I came in last but my finishing time was better than any of my previous races in Fontana.

                                                                                       Overall I felt good about the race and my performance of the series.  Prior to the awards for the overall results of the TCC, they posted me as 3rd place and totally omitting Mike D. (series leader).  As RL stated on his post, I took the liberty of advising the officials that Mike was not even on the list and should be.  After recalculating the points, Mike was on top and I was bumped down to 4^th.  Bad thing is there is no recognition of 4^th  as they only went three deep for the awards.  Never the less, I was pleased with myself for racing all three races and finishing each one.

Sunday: Armor time… I’ve ridden on Fontana’s DH course several times but have yet to race on it.  This was the day.  Around 8:30ish, I met up with RL, Priscilla and their kids.  After preparation and seeing the line for practice, it would appear that we will only have time for one practice run.

As I stood on top of the mountain, I have to admit that I was very nervous.  With this many people and not familiar with the course I was intimidated with the pretty much everything.  RL went first on the practice run.  I gave him about 5 seconds they off I went after him.  I tried to stay on his heels as I wanted to follow his lines but as soon as we started winding through the upper rock garden panic set in.  The rock sections were fairly easy but after not seeing which lines to pick I stalled out.  I have to admit I walked several sections but had every intentions of re-doing it.  As I made it down to the bottom, before the lower rock garden, RL was waiting for me.  As I neared his position, off he went and I followed.  I stayed behind him heading into the rock garden then… he was OTB!  All I see was his green bike up in the air.  Fortunately he was ok and got back up, then rode to the bottom.  I followed him shortly after reviewing the lines through this section.  At the same time the course officials were telling everyone to ride through as practice was over.  Darn, that means I’ll only have one run.

From the end of the practice until our start time was a good 1.5 hours.  There was plenty of time to think about the course and the lines to pick.  But for me anxiety was kicking in.  I was nervous, MORE than any of my other DH races that I have entered.  For some reason the “rocks” were really intimidating me and I could not shake it from my head.  Often I found myself pacing or just trying to walk around to stay calm.  This is typically not me.  About an hour prior to our start time we lined up for the shuttle.  RL was first to be taken to the top then I followed shortly.  Reaching the top and seeing RL was a relief.  Still nervous, I made small talk with several other guys that I have seen in previous races.

As my group lined up, I was first on the list.  The group in front of me was a Women’s group.  They will give the last woman (Lala w/Incycle) and I a one minute gap as oppose to the 30 sec between riders.  With many thoughts of the course running through my head, I tried to stay focus.  Donny says “Joe, go on 1”… At 1 I sprinted down to the bottom.  Approaching the upper rock section (where I walked in practice) I put my trust in my bike and maneuvered through the rocks.

                                        Upper section. Pic by Dino Brown

There were a few areas where I slowed down, such as the corners with huge ruts, but I managed to get through them smoothly.  Somewhere in the upper section, I heard Johnny D (racer after me) on my heels (on the video posted by RL, you’ll see Johnny go over the bars right behind me).  Reaching the bottom, by the cul de sac, I was very close to catching Lala.  She heads into the lower rock garden but slows down just before the spot where RL went OTB (in practice).  By this time I was literally on her rear wheel… With no momentum and thoughts of crashing, I dismounted off my bike, placed it on the step down and got back on.                                                                       Lower rock garden. Picture by Christopher Wood

I rolled through the remaining rocks and headed to ‘the wall’.  Here is where you test your legs as it is a long sprint on a 40+ lbs bike. At this point I finally pass Lala and make my way to the finish line!                               Picture by Sharky

In the end I finish 4^th out of 6.  I was very relieved that I made it to the bottom unscathed.  I know I wasn’t going as fast the others but it was a big weight off my shoulders and a relief mentally just to complete the course.         

I had a great time participating in the Triple Crown Challenge and the DH on Sunday.  I cant say it enough that our Team rocks!  This weekend we had racers in XC, SS, Super D and DH. We podiumed in each category! 2008 has been a great year in racing!

Many thanks to our sponsors – MtnBikeRiders.com, BikeCommuters.com, Evomo, Ergon and Hoss!!!

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This race was something the whole team was looking forward to. What made this event unique is the actual races being hosted that day. They had the XC race in which this was the last of the Triple Crown Series, Super D and Downhill.

Priscilla, Joe, Kim, and Eric as well as our friends Val and Ner were all racing in XC. Rather than me spoiling how everyone did on the race, I’ll let them post their own reports so you can find out. Let’s just say, the MtnBikeRiders.com Racing Team did REALLY well in XC.

Then there was Super D, both Kim and Moe raced in this event and again I’ll have to stand down from announcing how things went.

Waiting for the shuttle. Check out my new POC helmet and goggles.

So here’s where the Downhill Racer report comes in. I’m not so sure if I’ve really mentioned it, but I raced in the DH event on Sunday. Sport racer Tony Finch and Joe Solancho both raced DH as well. After the XC race on Saturday, Tony and I decided to get in a practice run. But since the line for the shuttle was super long, I was only able to get one run in.

The “Mountain”

During my practice session on Sunday morning, I managed to make it without any problems down the mountain but when I was coming through a technical rock garden, I totally munched it. I struck a large rock and OTB (over the bars) I went. Luckily I was wearing my Sette Impact Protective Suit and Knee/shin guards to keep me safe. As I flew in the air and eventually rolled on the ground, I saw my bike, the Ibex Ignition 3 flying in the air. After I bounced back up, I looked around to see if Priscilla and the kids were there since they were waiting for me to come down the mountain so they can take some shots of me. But instead I was greeted by 50 people laughing and cheering at me. Hey what can I say, I like to entertain! In all seriousness, I’m glad I wasn’t hurt.

After that crash, it really messed me up mentally. I knew that one section of the trail was going to be the thorn on my side. But fortunately, Joe told me that once I hit that rock, the officials decided to remove it since I dislodged it from the ground and was deemed unsafe.

nasty rock garden

As race time approached, we were shuttled up to the top. Since this was my first DH race, I didn’t know anyone there and tried to strike up conversations with other riders. Funny thing was, one rider says to me, “weren’t you the guy that crashed earlier?” I say yes, he responds, “THAT WAS AWESOME MAN!”…again, I like to entertain.

As they call out riders’ names, we all line up. Joe gives me a fist pump and wishes me luck. As I get up to the make shift starting line/gate, they count you down from 30 seconds, 15, 10, 5, 4,3,2,1…and I was off! everything seemed to have gone mute. The only thing I could hear was my breathing.

While I’m riding through the technical single track which was married with big boulders, rocks and ruts, I felt good, but suddenly I noticed something strange. My Marzocchi 66L fork wasn’t working properly, I look down, and I saw that I was fully compressed….LOCKED OUT! NO! Since I couldn’t really figit with the fork on my way down, I just rode the bike like my rigid SS.

In the video you’ll see me coming down the mountain and if you look closely, you’ll notice that the fork was compressed. Anyhow, on the last leg of the actual mountain, I come around the corner, and I see Tony Finch cheering me on, then further down the trial was Moe, and Kim. It really was encouraging to see them there, it gave me an extra push to work even harder than I already was.

Once I got down off the mountain and headed towards the rock garden, (where I had crashed and currently where over a hundred people were watching) I was able to mess with the ETA valve on the 66L. I turned the dial and POP, the fork bounced up from being locked. Now I felt even more confident in being able to ride through the garden.

Photo courtesy of Sharky

While maneuvering through the obstacles, I can start hearing cowbells and cheers from spectators, then pass my crash site, and then I hear the words, “Go Daddy!” and something along the lines of “babe.” That right there gave me my last burst of adrenaline and allowed me to sprint to the finish.

The end result, I cam in 15th out of 23 racers in the Beginner 27-34. I was hoping to do better, but then again this was my first race and I was going against some really good riders that rode on bikes that were at least 5 times more expensive than the Ibex Ignition 3.

Overall I was glad I made it through in one piece. My 3 goals for this race was to finish, catch the rider in front of me and not to let a rider catch me from behind. I recall right after I pass the finish, I quickly looked behind me to see if the dude after me was on his way. But fortunately he was quite a distance.

This really was a great experience for me. At first I wasn’t so sure how much I liked racing DH. I mean, I love riding technical stuff and enjoyed the trail. But the pressure of it wasn’t all that great for me. But the more I thought about it, the more I want to go back out there and do well. I know I could have done way better than I did. The Southridge Winter Series is coming up in January, so I may try my hand at it again and see how well I do.

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This weekend, Joe, Moe and I hooked up at the world famous Fontana/Southridge DH course. Joe recently got a new Intense Socom and was itching to try it out.

Joe’s Intense

I brought out a Nikon D80 and the Vholdr to document our ride. Here’s Moe scoping out the place.

Taking the first part of the run.

Joe gettin’ buck wild!

Here’s Joe modeling his new MtnBikeRiders.com Jersey.

Then it was my turn!

By the way, Moe and I are both using Sette Impact Elbow Guards and Knee/Shin Guards and I may add that they are super comfy!

Right afterwards we headed over to the best place on earth to have breakfast, McDonald’s! Have you ever had a McGriddles? OH man…that right there was made by God himself! It’s soooo yummy!

Joe can’t believe that the saturated fats from his McGriddles is so tasty!

Since the DH course is rather short, the video it self isn’t all that long. So enjoy what we have for ya!

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This Memorial Day Weekend Joe, Priscilla, our friend Christine and I did some riding at a couple places. Our first destination was Fontucky to ride the world famous Southridge XC course. What’s great about Fontucky is that this place has a XC course, DH course and a 4X section. Nationals are held here every year and some of the biggest names in the business show up.

Anyhow, Priscilla has been itching to do some races and the last time we were at Fontucky she didn’t like the trail. But since then they’ve carved out some new sections that eliminated the parts that she didn’t like. This trail is pretty fun, but can be brutal…especially if you’re on a single speed. Joe and I macho’d up and both rode our SS rigs.

I’m not going to lie, Joe and I walked up some of the toughest parts of the trails…no shame in that. At the end of the 7 mile course, we played on the 4x track. It’s pretty similar to a BMX track and you have to do allot of pumping much like a pump track…and it comes with some sweet berms!

I love stuff like this so I made a few passes on the track. I’m sure I was going way slower than what some 4x racers ride this thing through, but it was really fun!

Weee!

I made a little video of our adventures at Fontucky…enjoy!

Then on Monday, the three of us decided to meet up at El Moro, its basically the Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. But as we drove down there, dark clouds were hovering the area. As soon as we got there Joe, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for us, said that the trail was closed due to some rain that occurred last night and early this morning.

It sucked to see this sign…

We were all pretty bummed out, so Joe led our caravan down to Santiago Oaks in Orange/Anaheim Hills.

Once we got there, we geared up and about a mile into the ride, we saw a rider who stopped and was obviously staring at something…a big rattler! From what I’m hearing from other riders, these suckers are coming out all over SoCal to get some warm spring sun…

Pretty eh…this is the view we were treated with.

Here’s a shot of the girls right before we got into some single track.

and Joe doing his “queso” pose.

Today I was riding the new test bike that we have at HQ, the KHS XCT 535. The bike is set up as a mix of XC and trail bike, and so that meant climbing was doable and bombing down trails was a must. Santiago Oaks has some really nice, groomed single track with plenty of technical sections that can and will beat you up if you’re not paying attention. The trail varied in terrain, from hard pack, clay, baby heads 1-2 footer drops and chutes. What’s cool was the XCT 535 was able to handle everything that Santiago Oaks had to dish out.

Priscilla got a new haircut, its cute huh?

Joe and I broke off from the girls just so we can have some extra fun. It felt like we were flying down some of the trails and it was really cool to ride with Joe because I feel like he and I have the same riding style. So that means we were both speeding through some of the hardest parts of the trail. In the shot below, it was pretty gnarly.

Right before it is some single track that has some exposure on the left side. I came around the corner way too fast and looking at where I had to go, I felt like I ran out of options. I braced myself to go over the bars and luckily I sat way back on the XCT 535, so far that it felt like the rear tire was buzzing my butt! I tried to slow down as I entered this section but any time I tried to, my rear wheels would skid and I’d lose control momentarily. I figured, I’ll feather the brakes, but I was still going too fast for comfort. As I pointed the bike exactly where I needed to go, the bike responded, and the suspension was very forgiving…I made it without eating it! Phew! I was so relieved.

When I finally got down, Joe joined me at the bottom and we waited for the girls to show up. But these two riders appeared and Joe and I were doing some trail side commentary. The first guy started loosing control right at the beginning and slid down sideways with one and sometimes both feet on the ground. But the fella made a great recovery and rode through. The second guy came along and he freaked out and held onto his bars while both legs where on the ground trying to slow himself down. Luckily he was able to make it down without getting hurt. So now it was the girls’ turn. They were smart and walked that portion of the trail. I don’t blame them, that section is pretty scary.

So today this bike was pretty much my guardian angel. The KHS XCT 535 is still being reviewed but after today, I have come to realize that this bike is the shiznitz! In other words, it’s wickedly awesome!

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After the downpour Friday night I thought our day would be cancelled. Luckily Jeremy called to drag my lazy self out of bed.  We arrived, half-asleep but I was eager to test any bike I could get my greedy little hands on.  Lots of bike companies were out, including Yeti, Turner, Foes, KHS, and Iron Horse. Quite the candy store of high-end bikes.

Jeremy stuck to the the 29ers; KHS’ Flagstaff and Turner’s Sultan.  Here’s Jeremy picking a line down the XC course with the Sultan.

I got to ride the Flagstaff for a little bit. I’d never ridden a 29er before and I was pretty impressed with how easily the large wheels just roll over any obstacles. Like riding a Cadillac down the steeps. Very nice. I can see why Jeremy has a constant hankering for all things 29er! But enough with the 29ers already we got enough of them from Interbike! Also Jeremy and I weren’t able to go to Interbike so this was our own little dirt demo…Fontucky style, and I decided to keep my demo 29er-free.  

The first tough decision of the day was at the KHS booth. I remembered seeing the video of Vince(KHS bicycles) introducing the new XCT 555 so I grabbed one to test. Although I did see my mistress, the freeride/DH Lucky 7, I didn’t have shoes for flats or my protective gear so I stuck with the all-mountain/XC bikes.

KHS XCT 555

This bike was a mystical black beauty so I took her picture in the shadows. Actually I’m at the shallow end of the photography skills pool…and drowning. Sorry for the bad pic.

This is KHS’ new all-mountain offering. A light bike that had to be sub 30 pounds. As I was climbing I felt like I was riding a fully rigid bike. Honestly I though something was wrong with the setup. This thing climbed like amazingly but when the hill pointed down the suspension opened up and the ride was buttery smooth. The suspension performed beautifully and I had a smile on my face the whole ride. This may be a bike we test out, if we can get our hands on it. MSRP is a ridiculous $1,999. I say ridiculous because I like it even better than the Turner Flux, a bike that costs easily twice as much.

I also have to mention the Hayes Stroker brakes that were on the XCT 555. I had the lesser version without the adjustable lever reach but they performed unbelievably. One finger braking and excellent modulation in a great looking setup. They made me realize how bad my brakes are on my own bike.

Turner Flux

I picked the medium Flux, which is a 4″ rear travel endurance/XC race bike. The fork was a Fox, XC race specific fork but I wasn’t sure of the exact model. Wow. This bike just felt fast. Low front controls for speedy climbing and a racy-light, low 20 pound weight.  While it felt faster than the XCT 555 it wasn’t as fun on the downhills. Not surprising though as this bike is made for fast and long rides. But at about $1,700 for the frame alone? Ya, I’ll take the 555 thank you. Still, it was quite a treat riding such a fine tuned piece of machinery.

As you can see I had the Oregon Scientific camera hooked up but it was pointing too high and I forgot my helmet attachment so the video was entirely of blue sky. Pretty but boring.

Here’s Jeremy suffering up the last part of a long climb on the KHS Flagstaff.

We both had a blast but were bummed we couldn’t stay longer. The course was the fastest I’ve seen it in years. The Winter Classic XC race in November should be fantastic. Also they had the 4X course all groomed and ready for stomping. This will be the main testing ground for the KHS DJ300 build and a smile crept across my face as I thought of how much fun it will be to put that bike through it’s paces here.

Demo day was so much fun. If you get a demo day near you I’d definitely check it out. The only problem I found was wanting to take the bikes home with me. I told my wife the whole event was like a strip club…plenty of leggy models around to tease you, but at the end of the day you’re going home the way you came…alone. Awww.

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