Team Santa Cruz 2008 Race Reports

manzanita park CCCX, Prunetuckey, ca USA, 11/23/2008

rita leon

DFL of all DFL

What a beautiful day, who would know that it would turn out to be such a dangerous day!

A guy in the start of the B race breaks his leg and another guy slam dunk in front of the SCCCC tent durring the race who was air lifted out!?!

It was a nice turnout of Amazing women for the NCNCA race. 42 in total! As we chit chated about the course, tire pressure and the day I was told "oh, aren't your first in the series?" I said OH..... I did not know that. See what showing up can do for you. Needless to say the pressure was on after hearing that. At these CCCX races I have been racing B categoy like the past 2 years and have enjoyed the YOUNG energy..... you know who I mean, the all star Laney (Bike Trip) and Jasmin from Pleasonton.. and was feeling like I could catch these young wipper snappers as I almost did in the last race..

I got a decent start and fell into my place on the first lap. Feeling that I was into the course and it twists and turns I started to pull up to the ms. Laney as I could see her back a few bike lenths away. Well, all it took was that hard gritty turn on my excelleration and down I went. Didn't even see it coming, was loking ahead to where I was headed and eeerrrrrrr on the forearm for about a foot or two, yep "blood on the sadle, blood on the ground" (remember that from the Counrty Bear Jamboree at Disney Land? I had the sound track (on LP) as a Disney kid. Well it seemed as if I could get up and go but my chain would not catch I pulled a few more times then figured I should start running.. I called out Rita needs a bike then realizing that pedals would be an issue, I just wanted to finish the race.. Still rolling, I sat on my seat to sail down the fast sections and then running when I lost steam, I ran past Mike Evans who said he couldn't help me. I ran for another 100 yards when I guy in a green jersey and orange bike said here let me try to help.. He yanked on my chain and it worked! a bit of a bent derailuer but I was moving. I was called on one lap to go when I finally made it around, came around again and was told I was finished but I knew by who I saw on the other side of the course I still had one more lap. Yep I had been lapped by every category of women and rider. Upon finishing my last lap there were no more cheers or spetators on the side I rolled through the finish and Rod shouted "what did you get lapped" I flashed my wounds and blood streaks down my arm and leg. really it was not that bad of a wound just bloody, just scraped. I went right to the med tent where 3 other bloody women sit and stand in waiting to be cleaned and bandaged. once I was all wrapped up I walked over to the SCCCC tent to tell my woes but everyone one was engaged in deep conversation, the once leader of the series was now DFL of all DFL. The last woman to finish the entire race in 3 laps. Now the series points are up and I am one point from 2nd. Not that is what is important but that is the way the race goes finish at all costs, its not about winning but being consistant. like in realtionships..

PEACE OUT! 10-4

Rrrrrita!

Pilaricitos - Golden Gate Park, SF, ca USA, 11/30/2008

Siobhan Saunders

What an awesome venue and an amazing day to be in the city. It reminded me that I should make the drive more often. I definately will attend the next race held at GG Park. I raced the Masters 35+ again. My goal was to try to keep Juliana or Wanona in site. The gun went off and, damn it, another asphalt hill climb to start us off. I quickly slipped to last on the climb even though this was not the plan. The entire field was swinging wide following one another in a line appraoching the first right turn. I decided to not swing wide and instead just headed straight for the corner marker where I slipped into a gap and passed about 5 people. The same thing happened on the second turn and I passed a few more. Now I was back in the pack. I did well in the flats where I could push a big ring and held my spot, I did pretty good in the deep duff section managing to pedals turning and to keep my speed for short steep climb out, I even managed to have reasonable rookie form over the barriers, but just like last week, eventually the asphalt hill came around again. And just like last week, I got passed some more. Once to the top again, I spotted Wanona and Juliana up ahead, so I focused on catching them. Things went well and for a while we had a pure SCCCC three girl thing going on. But again the hill and eventually I started to fade and lost site of them. With my goal of keeping them in sight looking unacheivable, I decided I needed a new goal. Money. I managed to pick up 8 bucks and half a beer in the remaining laps. Not bad for a days work. The post Erick-dog and Ale Works Hef rounded out a really good day.

CCCX#5 Manzanita, Aromas, ca USA, 11/23/2008

Siobhan Saunders

Well, I finally stepped up and did my first cross race of the year, actually of the last 4 years. Melanie was kind enough to loan me her old Redline. I slapped some of my pedals on and adjusted her Leopard skin saddle about an hour before the gun. The first lap of my pre-ride was kind of sketchy, and I started to wish I had my mountain bike. As I continued to warm up I found myself more comfortable on the bike, but had to ride with my hands on top of the bars, as I couldn't get much breaking power with my hands on the break hoods or even in the drops. I asked Mel about that and she said, "oh yeah, I forgot to mention that those breaks suck, just use the ones on top." Now that I had the bike figured out and the coarse wired I was ready to go. My stratagy was to take it easy at the gun so i didn't waste myself on the first hill climb, then I would use my "incredible" technical skills to pick off people one by one. I executed the first part of the plan perfectly, which resulted in me being second to the last up the hill. Even the "B"s who started 30 seconds behind me beat me up the hill. "A" for execution, "D" for fitness. I picked off two riders while snaking thru the the twisty woopty doos and made it thru the sandy sharp left without a problem. I soon hit the straight away and passed a few more riders in my big ring. My little plan was going well and I was having fun. But then the hill climb came around again and foiled me. Several people sped past me as i struggled up the asphalt. And this time I didn't pick anyone off, or the next time or next. My plan was falling apart as fast as the lactic acid was building up in my thighs. Encouragement from Juliana inspired me to try to keep her in sight, but I guess there is no substitution for fitness. It was all good though. Each time around I felt like I was riding the coarse better and handling the bike better. Plus, with no one around me (they had all passed me by) I had the sensation that I was going really fast, even if I wasn't. Overall it was a super fun time and makes me want to get on my bike more.

CCCX #5 Manzanita, Prunedale, CA USA, 11/23/2008

Steve Yatson

First off I raced twice yesterday. The best part about it was repeatedly letting everyone know, to the point of annoyance. Maybe that was just Mike. Hard to tell. :)

Anyways, I got a call up for the C race and had a decent start. A few guys hammered right out of the gate and I let them go. Mostly out of necessity, not choice. My hope is that one day I will roll up to a downhill start where my extra 20 or so pounds of belly fat will be an advantage. Right now I'm hauling an extra bike around. Regardless, after the start I fell into a groove and was running with two guys that killed me on technique but couldn't even match my awesome speed and HULK like power. We went back and forth most of the race and what really pissed me off is that one of them was riding a crappy old K-Mart bike with flat pedals and wearing Keds. I caught him at the end but what the hell? You should have to at least spend $300 to $400 on your bike and get-up to be able to race.

Back on point, the track was fast and loose and I had actually ordered some Ritchey Speedmax's which of course showed up today instead of Saturday. The Specialized Houff'ies I've been running are an all around tire, and I'm starting to think that they suck all around.

As I learn more about surfaces and tire pressure I'm realizing how much that the increased need for correct tire and pressure is directly proportionate to a lack of technique and skill. I kept losing the back-end even though I was down around 50psi, which is low for my weight on a tire with a minimum rating of 60. There was just no extra bite on the corners and I felt like I was dragging a wagonload of crap behind me. Despite all, I managed to do pretty well. I finished 15th which sounds bad, but I toasted a couple guys who have beat me in the past and really felt good.

On to the SS B race.

How does one define the phrase "bad idea"? One way is to turn around and ride a second race with 6 guys that outclass you, with a crowd of, oh say 60 more starting 30 seconds behind you. The SS start blew of the line on fresh legs and I really tried to go out with them. Right after the start, I just bonked. Real hard. It's physically and mentally devastating when your own body gives you the finger. Shortly after the start, the B 35+ group caught up with me and I just pulled out and let them pass. No point in ruining anyones day. I did manage to not finish last somehow, which I still haven't figured out. But the streak of 7 consecutive finishes out of 7 cross races continues. That being said, I'll definitely do it again.

If you can read this, post a race report!

CCCX #4 Fort Ord, Monterey, ca USA, 11/16/2008

Steve Yatson

The circus was in town!

It was in fact a beautiful morning and I got of to a great start. Made it to the venue with plenty of time to warm up, rolled up to the start line in a great position, and hit the 1st turn in a very happy place. It was then that fate chain whipped me.

Coming off of the first barrier my chain came off. Not an unusual occurrence these days so I was undaunted however I only managed to make it a half lap with the chain coming off a few times before I noticed that there was a busted link that wasn't fully separated. When this cursed link rolled over the top of the chainring, it tended to roll the chain off to the inside.

As it turned out, I decided to run the last half of the 1st lap so I could at least finish and score some points. When I arrived at the tent, it was empty and by that time I was lapped by the entire field of 12 and they were fading into the distance. Out of desperation I jumped on my sons mountain bike and managed to catch back up with the tail end of the pack effectively unlapping myself.

I was actually very happy with this as I was probably 4 minutes or so behind the guy in last place and I managed to peddle my butt of to catch up with him. No small feat as I was wearing cleats on a bike sized for an 11 year old with platform pedals.

I seriously felt like a circus clown on a tricycle. I just couldn't catch the guy and he ended up maybe 20 seconds in front of me so I still finished last, but scored some points.

Next time I'll bring a B bike and some big floppy shoes.

BASP #1 Candlestick MudFest, San Francisco, ca USA, 11/2/2008

Steve Yatson

Yes it was muddy. I arrived early, like 7 am and started riding the course. It rained at probably 7:30 and again during the first lap of the C's which went off promptly at 8:30. For the second week in a row I was out riding the course and just made it to the start in time to pull up the the back of the pack as the whistle blew. I managed to move up through the crowd of maybe 70 to somewhere around 50th by the time the race was over. It seemed I worked my way past maybe 35 people so I was disappointed with my place until I realized that I actually started back behind the Masters 55+ and had worked my way around a good number of that field.

The course was wide with a lot of straightway. Very rarely was there any single track. Very bumpy and really not technical at all IMHO. I ended up running more of the course than I normally would have because is was so sloppy.

Sagebrush #2 & Sacramento Cyclocross #3, Reno & Sacramento, NV/CA USA, 11/8/2008

Winona Hubbard

Hot for the NCNCA Cup series, I joined a bunch of Bay Area riders at the Reno and Sacramento races this past weekend. Back to back races in two days...a little crazy and yes, I'm super tired! No recovery ride for me - tonight I'm going to watch movies and eat popcorn! Don't know how it is for you, but I've entered that mid-season malaise. I'm tired at the start of some of my races. Mel was smart to take this weekend off. I need to follow her example but I'm too vain to lose my points in the 3 series I'm doing. BTW - you're allowed to throw out one cccx race w/o losing points.

Saturday's course in Reno was tough. Had a nasty run up WITH barriers! Some strong gals came out that left me in the dust

very early on. It was one of those races where I was by myself the whole time. I was surprised I got 3rd. Ace prizes: a cow bell and CASH! Race organizers were stoked to see all us out of town folks. They said they never get such a big turn out.

Sacramento's race on Sunday was flat and not technical. Favored the roadies who creamed me. Had a fun, slippery mud on concrete section. But again, I came in a DISTANT 3rd. Always fun to podium. Prizes: spiffy medal and t-shirt with the state capital building on them. Race organizers did a great job AND gave us our own warming tent!

CCCX #1, fort ord, ca USA, 9/28/2008

Melanie Dominguez

First CX race since ankle surgery #2 at the end of 2/08. Since I rolled my ankle and thus needed surgery later from racing CX i was a wee bit nervous. I was hands down the happiest rider out there!! I had so much fun cross racing on my new Hunter CX bike! Not only did my bike handle beautifully I also placed 1st in the master 35+ women's cat. I guess chasing after Maryanne Hunter is paying off. Now I just need to try and actually catch her! I since have moved to Cat A women to try and pretend I should be there and chase Maryanne. I will be happy just to survive the season without injury!

24 hours of MOAB, moab, UT USA, 10/11/2008

melanie Dominguez

Moab was awesome!! Must think about doing this one solo one day but cuts right into cyclocross!!

Siobhan said it all in her report. THe course was fun and challenging. I struggled thru my 3rd lap around 4am bonking hard by mile 3. I had one of the fastest and slowest laps in our group. By the 4th and final lap to keep our lead I felt much better and once i passed mile 3 it was game on!! Finishing hard felt good after such a terrible bonking lap just hours earlier. It was great fun and a totally wonderful to ride somewhere else and do a girl's trip despite our stupid team name. Yet another reason to go solo! I was gratful to our neighbors who had the fire and CARL (not Tod Siobhan) who rode with us the day we arrived. Everyone in MOAB is cool and friendly. I want a massage chair now. I cannot recommend this event more!! We at least were the fastest team even know we were 2nd place!!

24 Hours of Moab, , Moab, Utah USA, 10/11/2010

Siobhan Saunders

Let me start by stating that neither Melanie nor I had any part in the naming of our team. That said…Mel and I headed to San Luis Obispo County where we hooked up with the other (better?) half of Team Vagina Power. Unfortunately it was not until we had finished carefully loading all the tents, tables, bike stands, lanterns, tarps, stoves, etc into Aileen’s Sportsmobile, that I learned that the hitch bike rack I had borrowed requires a key to install. After a few phone calls back to SC it looked like we were SOL. We started pulling all the gear out to repack with the bikes inside, but soon realized everything was not going to fit. We headed out to buy another rack. Two hours later having visited the local bike shop, the local hardware store, and the local custom trailer and hitch fabricator, we were on our way having had the lock removed and replaced cost free all by batting our eye lashes. Vagina Power!

We arrived at the race venue Thursday night and set up camp by what few trees existed hoping to hide from the winds forecast to proceed the rain and snow on race day. Mel and I decided pre-ride part of the coarse, mostly because we had been sitting in a car eating Doritos and Red Vines for two days and needed exercise. The other half of the team decided to mix Margaritas. Mel befriended our only camp neighbor Todd of Team “Matt’s Our Camp Beeatch”, who knew the coarse well and offered to join us. The coarse alternated from sand pits to rocky technical. I crashed 3 times in the first 3 miles before I realized my tires were way over inflated. Between this confidence buster and the fact that we got a late start and had to turn our lights on at mile 4, of a 10 mile ride, we got back to camp and reported to our teammates that we were all in for a challenge.

The next day three of us headed out to pre-ride the entire 15 mile coarse. Sheila skipped the pre-ride in favor of doing Porcupine Trail. Quote from Sheila about skipping the pre-ride: “I’m gonna see enough of that trail tomorrow.” Mel and I gained confidence and the trail, though still challenging, seemed easier than the night before. Aileen, who is a very accomplished road racer, was a little intimidated. We used the pre-ride to find a cheater route around “Nose Dive” which even the pros would walk, and to take a practice line down “the Ledge” which proved to be time well spent, as I would later see an Ambulance loading up a racer there.

Race Day dawned breezy to say the least, then peaked with 40 MPH gusts by the noon start time. Vendors saw their tents turned inside out and the speaker tower at the main stage had to be taken down before it blew down. The 330 teams represented in the LeMans start created such a cloud crossing the prairie dog riddled field that you lost sight of them for a few minutes. Many racers wore dust masks for the start.

Sheila elbowed her way thru the first lap crowds for a decent time, but that put us only in 4th out of the 6 women’s sport teams. Mel turned it on with a 1:39 quickly moving us into second place behind Team Creekside Café, who would prove to be our nemesis throughout the event. As the forth rider, my first lap didn’t start until 5:30pm. All that waiting around is hard especially with the wind and dust. I started to wonder what I was doing there and remembered why I had always turned down requests to ride these events. Once on my bike the fun started - but abruptly ended at mile 4.5 when I went OTB on a technical rock stair step section. Hesitation is the enemy. I was heading down the right side, decided at the last minute that the left side was a better line, and – too late I was committed down the middle and … OTB. Thinking I might have fractured a small bone in my hand, I continued on. The whole lap felt awful, but not due to my hand. Mostly due to my huffing and puffing, putting my feet down where I shouldn’t have to, walking thru sand pits I had ridden the night before, and general operator error. Overall I felt like do-do and was so happy to see the finish line. As bad as it felt, my lap turned out to be OK. My spirits were lifted once I realized I beat Mel by 14 seconds and could now give her s*%t all weekend. Who cares that she had to contend with the wind and crowds on her lap that I didn’t have on mine. Between us we managed to post the first and second fastest laps in the Women’s Sport Cat.

The night laps started and things got chilly, but no rain or snow ever materialized. Praise Jesus, as Mel would say. Everyone had her own way of refueling and staying warm. Sheila’s involved shots of tequila. As the new day dawned, our roadie Aileen was gaining confidence on the coarse and cut our second place deficit down to 5 minutes. Waiting in the pit area by the gas heaters I managed to ID the competition before she sped out ahead of me. In order to prevent myself from blowing up trying to chase her down, I repeated my mantra –“Ride your own race.” That self-talk sometimes works, as around mile 4 I was surprised to see her. She was a good technical rider, so I had a hard time closing the gap. We switched leads back and forth a few times. At last, climbing a sand hill, she lost forward momentum. Tight on her rear wheel I wasn’t ready for this and bumped her tire knocking her over. Mumbling my sorrys, I dismounted and ran up the hill while she squirmed in the sand like a turtle on her back stuck in her pedals. The coarse opened up and I put it in my large chain ring and never saw her again.

Pumped on adrenaline I came flying into the pit area hollering to Mel that we were in first place. “I passed her, we got at least one or two minutes on them,” I squeaked out between gasp of air. This didn’t quite amp Mel’s competitive juices, as she casually replied, “That’s not what I wanted to hear. I was hoping to be in for a casual last lap.” Bummer for her, she shouldn’t have volunteered to be the only rider to do 4 laps. But it’s a good thing she did, as she managed to rip a 1:40 staying ahead of Creekside Café and giving us the most laps in the fastest time for Women’s Sport Cat. But wait, that wasn’t good enough. We had been given a 5-minute penalty for a lost baton early on. We all stood waiting for the next Creekside rider to come in. One minute past, two minutes…would she be 5 minutes back? NO!!! Their rider came in less than 3 minutes behind Mel putting us in second place given our penalty. Oh well, in good fun we reminded them on the podium that our time was still faster, and they like our prizes of new Camel Backs better than their prizes. The announcer was too embarrassed to say our name so he called us V-J-J power.

We are happy to announce that next year Sheila’s bread bakery, House of Bread, and Mel’s husband’s brewery, Santa Cruz Ale Works will be sponsoring us. Our t-shirts will read:

Vagina Power – It’s all about the yeast.

Link to cool race video: http://www.superhumanmag.com/content/view/954/92/

Podium Pictures with Team SCCCC Jerseys to follow.

NCNCA Cup and BASP #1, Monterey & SF, ca USA, 10/12/2008

rita leon

I thought it best to put these 2 races together because they were fairly similar.

The Cup race was hard to say the least had a huge massive road climb that made you stop breathing 1/2 way up. Unless you are the Breather who has now decended upon the race scene with beer drinking vengence. The dust was unreal and I think I caughed up dust for the next 2 days from breathing so hard, no I am not trying to imitate the you know who. Philip broke his seat, Mike broke his break. It is nice to have the "new" faces show up at the race because it brings on new competetion to our wee womens categories. I'm getting beter at not chasing so much and letting others pull. I am not quite placing how I would like to but Hey its CROSS so who cares anyway.

The following weekend in SF was much of the same, dust, bumps, hill climbs and FOG. I entered the 35+ group for the first time so the field of women was even smaller, I was 6 out of 10 I think. Black Market Janell was #1.. She's kicking but this year! When I showed up that day my rockstar SOMA was not running at her best so I was set up on a super lightening Rock Lobster with motocross breaks! I tell you it was nice to carry that up the "wave" but its aluminum body bounced all over the place. I couldn't keep control of my bike in the mushy stuff. I also did not eat or drink during the race and held 5th place until the last lap but the lack of replenishment got me and not to mention I climbed in the big ring the entire race because that RL wouldn't shift down! SO much for borowed bikes. Needless to say it was good to work with a gal at my speed. It does a lot for me. Where is Soni? Mike broke his seat, Philip broke his derailer.. Why are BOYS always breaking things???

CCCX #3 at Laguna Seca, Laguna Seca is that a city?, CA USA, 10/12/2008

Julianna Perry

Oh where of where did my category go??? oh yeah, they all moved up. Not ready to do that yet. I figure once I 1. sleep through the night, 2. stop lactating, 3. and have time to warm-up will I consider moving out of 35+ category.

Went to Laguna Seca intrigued by race course and enthused by hill climbs. Not the best course for sure, but I managed to stay on my bike and do well. The course was a bit sketchy with sharp turns and gravel galore, but at least the wind stayed relatively calm. Great to see all the SCCC folks.

CCCX Race 1 DOD, Fort Ord, CA USA, 9/21/2008

Brian Johnston

The first race of the season is finally here. I was apprehensive about my fitness and wondering how my body would react to this 50-minute test. The course was challenging and required quite a bit of running. As we assembled for the start, Brian, a fellow 45 B rider, said, "this must be the old guy's staging area.” This is my first race in the B's and I realized that this is not only a physical battle, but included psychological tactics too. I replied "Thanks for the compliment" with a hint of sarcasm.

As we rolled off the start line something went terribly wrong as bikes and bodies hit the coarse tarmac starting from the right side of the pack and tumbling toward the left. I was just able to squeeze past on the last available piece of road as someone took a bad fall only a foot away from my front wheel. I was in a pretty good position considering the circumstances. I was probably in the top 10-15 spots as we made the left into the first set of three barriers. I began to realize that I was able to do pretty well when I'm running. I was able to run past 5 or 6 people on that section alone. Next up was a fast single-track section leading to the next barriers and the road section. I closed the gap to the 3 riders in front of me as we hit the barriers. By the time I remounted I passed 2 more and got ready to attack the long uphill section. Everyone was going hard, but I gained a few more positions by the time we turned left onto the long tight technical single-track section. At this point passing was very difficult. Fortunately, I caught a friend in the 35 B's and slipped by in a rare spot with room to pass. I then had some daylight and quickly caught Clifford who had a great start. I was breathing down his neck waiting for the single track to end. I finally had my chance to make a pass on the inside line of the downhill right hand turn after leaving single-track section. It was a risk, but I made it clean and made up some time on the uphill leading to the deep sand section. I decided to run this deep sand section too. I was able to pass a few more people on foot and went all out on the downhill section. Then into the last set of barriers, which had a fast approach and completed the first lap in 3rd place.

The next few laps continued in the same pattern. I was consistently making time while running the barriers and the sand. Also, I was also able to attack well on the uphill sections of the course. I still had a comfortable gap but was not able to catch the leaders.

On the forth lap I decided to take a risk on the same downhill right hand turn that I made the pass on earlier. Unfortunately, this time my front tire washed out and I went down. Tim Roehrl was able to pass me for 3rd place. I remounted and pursued him for the last part of the lap. As we started the final lap I was able to catch Tim at the first set of barriers and was able to pass him on the run. He then made a pass on me on the open single-track section before the next barriers. I stayed with him and passed him on the road section and lead him into the long single-track section. Halfway through this section there was a deep sandy left turn that I almost lost it on. I stayed upright but Tim got by again. He really tried to gap me at this point but he miss-shifted his gears and I was able to pass and finish 3rd on the day. Later I found out that Tim broke his derailleur. It would have been an interesting finish between the two of us, if he didn’t have the mechanical that day, but that’s racing! It was a sad day for Tim Sawyer who was involved in the crash at the start; he is the defending champion, who is out for the remainder of the season. The delicious strawberries were a sweet reward after the race!

The video can be seen here.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7889478564817671621

BA Super Prestige Series #1 McLaren Park, SF, San Francisco, Ca USA, 10/18/2008

Steve Yatson

The good:

I finished, I had fun, Dave gave me bacon.

The bad:

I basically decided I was going to wuss out and run gears this week so I found an ancient VooDoo frame set and plugged in parts from other bikes. My only cross bike has slide outs so it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Lesson: Never put a frankenbike together on Saturday and expect to run it on Sunday. Unless unlike me, you're actually a skilled bike mechanic.

The Bike went together fairly easily and I pounded on it Saturday afternoon and worked out all the kinks, or so I thought. Unfortunately I'd used an old derailleur cable which broke up in side the shifter just as I started warming up. Did I mention we arrived an hour before my start? Mike was good enough to hook me up with a cable, and I was able to start but with no warm up. No fault of Mikes, but I lost the chain on average once every lap. So with those lame excuses in mind I still didn't finish dead last, but darn close....the only saving grace was that they spelled my name wrong on the results page, so my droves of adoring fans Googling my race results will not see me listed as 50th place loser.

The Course:

The course was way bumpy. Seriously, you could have downed a quart of whole milk at the start and pooped a stick of unsalted butter at the tape. Less pavement than last week with less uphill. There was a nice divided short drop on one of the downhills, that was maybe 15 into a quick turn. Two lines went down, and I was able to pass twice on the inside line, which made the day much more fun. The baseball diamond seemed like an afterthought to me. Like the course designer had a few beers Saturday night and and stuck this in at 3am after a Denny's run. I heard a lot of people say they had fun and liked the course. I had a great time, but probably my least favorite course this season.

The Competition:

I raced B 35+ for the first time and I really think that this was a much faster crowd compared to what I've raced against at the CCCX races in C. On the first run up of lap 2 I was kicked around a bit and ended up in the tape. A lot of other close calls and contact. It was much more physical group than any of the other 3 races I've run.

CCCX #2, ft. ord, ca USA, 9/28/2008

rita leon

What can I say finally a full week on the bike (sort of).

I spent the whole race chasing Wynona and pulling 3 other gals. I worked hard felt like I was able to push hard the whole race without loosing energy! Woah..

My start was bad, lost my chain on those 3 stupid barries 1/2 way up the the start hill. That's 3 not 2 on a hill. As I learned last year a good start is key to holding your spot in the race. As the laps went on I actually began to like the course even though it resembled a CCCX mtn. bike race. I pre road the day before and thought for sure this course sucked. but its familiarity and swooping speed kept me spunky.

To continue my complaints..... I saw no one in front of me for the whole race, but Wynona's back side in the distance. I never spoke a word to the gals behind me, only heard thier hard breathing when they got to close. I was able to make space on the road flats, as always, but they would catch me on the down hills. Come to learn that each gal was in a different category (so what) and Velobella Amy was hoping I'd bridge her to our Mrs. W so she could get passed her. USED AGAIN!

Odd funky ME and MY bike, racing season has desended upon ME and I know I'll get stronger as the races add up. (I think)

GRRRRRRRRRR RouGHHHHHHHHH

Thanks Team!

CCCX #2, Seaside, CA USA, 9/28/2008

Winona Hubbard

I won again.

Thanks everyone for coming out and supporting each other at all the races so far. Sorry I miss some of you who race way earlier than me. Everybody pitches in: Mel brought me a trainer (which I never used), Dave Hopkins brought yummy homemade cookies. Who brought the Mexican cokes in the little bottles? You rock. Cheer leaders: Dave's wife Sara (not a racer), Jeff VanDamme and Jen Lucia came despite not always racing. Jen still isn't racing due to an injury (get well soon!). Thanks Jen for the water bottle and bringing our co-mascot, Darwin (shuuu, don't tell Pancho). Love our photo journalists: Brian, Alex and Harriet! Kisses to teammates Rita and Lindsey for yelling encouragement while we're racing each other. Special thanks to Erik Thunstrom, who can't race now, but comes every week to hand out bottles and insults and bring the other half of his dynamic racing duo, Darik and our mascot Pancho. . Big big thanks to the lovely couple David Gill and Mike who always get there early and set up our team tent at the sweetest spot (complete with masseuse!).

CCCX #1, Seaside, CA USA, 9/21/2008

Winona Hubbard

I won.

jet lag 2008, ft. ord, ca USA, 9/21/2008

rita leon

What can I say, 36 hours after returning from a 28 hour flight from Asia, and being off my bike for a month, duhhh. I showed up and that is what counts. It was a typical CCCX course uphill barriers, climbing through sand and sweet road sections. Rod, says, Ok Ladies 40 minutes, is that what I said?, 4 or or 5 laps, one less lap than the A's, prizes 3 deep. Be safe have fun!Lindsey kicks but! and Wynona almost took me out on the last lap with her giddy laugh trying to pass me in gerbil language? What!?! Three rocking ladies Yeah!

Thanks to our AWESOME team I survived and I wasn't last that's a plus!

Single Speed World Championships 2008, Napa, CA USA, 8/23/2008

Troy Boone

Single Speed World Championships 2008

by Troy Boone - SS Clyde (Masters, aka over 40) 29er

On Aug 23, 2008 I was fortunate enough to race in the Single Speed World Championships, http://sswc08.blogspot.com/ . Attendance at this worldwide event is highly coveted among all serious disciples of the Single Speed Cult yet is only open to about 450 people, (open registration, sponsors, bro’s(sistas) of sponsors/organizers sliding in, and lottery openings included). The event is so popular, that registration fills up within minutes of it opening.

Despite every one’s desire to race, the overarching emphasis is to participate by having fun and not take the racing thing too seriously, thus the profusion of costumes, cross-dressing, beer swilling, spectator involvement, antics and quirkiness during the event and among its attendees. This is very much unlike road racing or much of cycling’s racing culture in which the atmosphere can seem cold, uniform, and overly serious. I’m all about respecting the sport and your competition but come on, were just riding bicycles and not curing cancer.

To date the SSWC has been held in such places as Germany, Australia, Scotland, and Sweden. Luckily this year it was held rather locally in Napa, CA at Skyline Park. The family and I made a long weekend out of the whole experience and had a great time. I won't put you thru the textual version of a vacation slide show but I will say to date, it's the only race where I:

-was fortunate enough to spend most of the race going back and forth with women's mtnbiking icon/legend Jackie Phelan. On the final lap of the race I think her wool suit took it's toll and she finally disappeared from my rear view mirror. It was a blast to chatter back and forth with her while racing. What an experience to race with Jackie!

-during the race it was 80-90 degrees along the course and on the last torturous lap...the feed zone ran out of water but in classic SSWC style, they was lots of beer on tap. Just what you need when you are dizzily on the brink of dehydration and needing to push on for another hour or so. The heat factor took it's toll on a lot of folks, thus the high attrition numbers.

-the only race where within seconds I downed two whole cans of Budweisers from randomly cheering strangers (oh yea, I'm not much of a drinker and good thing the mtn biking/cyclo-cross community around here is an intimately friendly and familiar tribe to me). FYI, not drinking during the race is the equivalent of doping, HA!

-on the final lap, I was given multiple motivational slaps on the tush by the lovely "Course Referees" (see photos in articles) Talk about give a buddy a hand!

-knew it was a technical course when I saw a full body stretcher and EMTs awaiting us at the bottom of the rocky, steeply sloped single track descent with lots of switch backs, rock gardens, and omnipresent poison oak. On the last lap, my rear brake finger kept cramping up which made for an interesting final down hill descent. I felt like Rutger Houer in the movie Blade Runner as he begins to lose life and his right hand begins to seize up. Fortunately for me, I didn't need to jab a nail thru it to bring it back to life.

-finding out at the end of the third lap and supposed finish line, that we had to do yet another... lap. Say Whot!? This factor also forced a lot of people to drop out of the race

-finished #190 place thus earning one of the limited 200 commemorative and coveted custom made SSWC'08 bottle cap openers! Napoleon once said "I can make men die for little pieces of ribbon", so true

Anyway, my goal was to not massively cramp up, finish the race, and have a good time along the way. The whole event went off well, everyone played nicely, I met and rode with some folks from England, Scotland, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Colorado the day prior to the race.

It was great to see excellent team turn out as well. Having familiar faces to pre-ride with made the race a lot easier to approach. So big thanks to Winona and Alex for putting the world out and making it happen. Thanks also to Mike E. for leading the pre-ride and showing me what is possible when it comes to technical riding. And thanks to David G. for being the rabbit that I could not catch yet provided much inspiration along the way. Jay from cyclo-cross kept giving me a time gap updates to push me along.

Oh yea, the commemorative pink wine gathered up from the iced kiddy pools and super-sized lunch truck burrito were nice finisher's rewards as well. Soon after the race, the kids began to melt down from a day in the heat and we had to take off before the schwag give away. No biggie, I left with more than I could have ever hoped for.

Check out the links below to get a better feel for the event:

NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/sports/othersports/31cycling.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Mtn Flyer: http://www.mountainflyer.com/news.cfm?itemid=146

Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sswc08/

Cascade Cream Puff 100, Westfir, CA USA, 7/29/2008

Troy Boone

Post Cascade Cream Puff Reflections - http://www.cascadecreampuff.com/)

Troy Boone – 41 year old Clyde on a singlespeed 29er

Well folks this year I finally got to ride in the CCP100. Last year I registered as well but two weeks prior to the race, while riding my cross bike on some single track, my front wheel slipped causing me to fall and severely injured my knee. The resulting grapefruit sized hematoma put me off the bike for a good 6 weeks, plus an additional 6 months to fully functionally recover. So after many months of training I was quite disappointed to come so close to the event and have my plans fall through. Thankfully this year I was able to stay injury free and get a good 6 months worth of training in prior to the race.

How does the old saying go, “The best laid plans of man…”. Well despite bouncing back from the previous year, and my more recent training efforts, I was not able to complete the CCP100. Was I disappointed? Of course. Did I have a good time and get over it? Most definitely!

Three days after "The Puff" while still feeling it’s effects yet gaining some clarity, I decided to commit some notes to my journal which are outlined below. My post recovery pain was focused on my calves, hips, and back. So much for my so called "Mid Life Crisis Ride". Maybe I'm not so invincible after all. I may not have accomplished my primary goal however, I have come away from it all the more wiser.

- In the future, if the ride/race is > 50 miles, I will seriously reconsider it if the elevation gain is > 10K ft. More than 50mi/10k elevation just doesn’t feel too fun after a while. During the race, suddenly long suppressed memories of the Death Ride and Randoneer rides came flooding back into my consciousness. Why am I doing this race?

- Take elevation profiles seriously and attempt to mimic them during training.

- I thought my 32:20 gear ratio on my 29er single speed was going to be fine, not so! A 32:22 would have been more ideal. All the other singlespeed, 29er folks I came across before and during the race were running very low gearing for extended climbing. Back home in Santa Cruz I’m got used to just muscling up hills or hopping off of the bike and hiking it up for brief periods of time. One of the few other Clydes I saw during the race went cranking past me toward the end of the initial 13+ mile hill climb on a 32:22. I should have heeded the warning of my campsite neighbor who was at least 40 lbs lighter and running a 32:21, lesson learned.

-Pre-ride the course, no matter what before committing to a race. This way I’ll know exactly what I’m getting into and how to train for it. A normal climbing section on "The Puff" is an equal to a very steep section on most of my training routes.

-During training rides, instead of walking the steep sections I should have installed a lower gear ratio and stayed on the bike for greater overall speed.

-Only use a Brooks saddle if it is sufficiently tightened and well positioned on your posterior. The Brooks was seemingly fine during my training rides however during this race experience my bottom got so badly chaffed and scraped against the metal edge, this factor alone pulled me out of the race. I didn't realize how badly the damage was until the day after the race when two crescent ring blistery, scabs appeared on my arse!

-When reading prescribed training regimens from popular cycling magazines remember, they are meant for GEARED riders. If sporting a single speed, increase the recommended mileage...hell double it. Racing a SS dictates that you will be out of the saddle much more often than a gearie and thus subject to blowing your quads and calves much more easily. So, you have to be stronger or at least be cognizant of how your normal training pace compares to your necessary race pace.

-Gauge my training rides to see if they are within cut-off times for the event. This seems obvious but when you are out there doing 60+ mile rides over hours at a time, it is easy to lose focus of what your target pace should be. Most of the time I seem to think because I was doing so many miles, I must be in good enough shape.

-During the race make sure you bicycle computer reads miles and not kilometers. Another no dugh, but during the fury of the race it’s easy for buttons to get pushed and reset. Yes this quickly leads to a false sense of accomplishment early on in the race.

-I was wise to pull out when I did. To some this may sound like defeatist-speak but it is heard so often for a reason. Believe me it is less fun to get hauled out by others and possibly not under your own terms. This course was remote, wild, and not to be taken lightly. During most of the race I felt fine overall. My legs however just would not stop cramping as I approached the 50+ mile point because of all of the accumulated out of the saddle climbing I had to do, (read gear ratio too high above).

-It’s possible that my build and muscle composition factors into the equation after so many miles as well. I'm built to be a sprinter. I've always done well on the track in sprint events yet I enjoy off road distance events so much more. Maybe rebuilding yourself has its limits after all?

-From now on I'm strictly keeping my time on the bike fun. Less events and more fun factor for the foreseeable future. My new Hunter will have a 100mm suspension fork and I intend on developing my jumping skills to what they used to be. Hello Demo and Henry Cowell for some hardtail freeriding.

-With a wife, 2 young children, a couple of remodeling projects, and a side business going on, there are way too many aspects of my life that need attention.

After the race, my family and I departed beautiful Westfir and meandered along a beautiful drive with lots of views and stops along the way up to Bend, Oregon. Bend was a nice respite before returning home to Santa Cruz.

Overall despite my unaccomplished goal of finishing The Puff, it was an amazingly beautiful experience. The trail had just come into bloom with profusions of purple, yellow, and orange flowers against a vivid blue sky. The gently alpine breezes, warm temps and gurgling creeks made the experience all the more wondrous. Much of the course seemed like riding thru the forest primeval; thickly foliage towering trees, carpeted sections of moss, giant ferns and vast views along ridge lines that seemed to drop off into oblivion. And… climbs that just seemed to continue and continue. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by such immense beauty along with a reminder of balancing what is most important in my life.

DFL Urban Cross Dress Series #2, San Francisco, CA USA, 9/18/2008

Mike Evans

DFL # 2

Cyclocross philosopher Rick Hunter, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA, on 09/18/08: “That’s racing.”

Sometimes cyclocross racing sucks. I’ve had plenty of bad races and I’ve given myself plenty of injuries. I always try to be aware of my surroundings while racing, after all this is supposed to be fun. The last thing in the world I would want to do is ruin someone’s race.

The second race of the DFL series was once again held at Golden Gate Park and in fact the course was almost exactly the same as the first race.

Instead of a Le Mans start we started on our bikes and somewhere between 80 and 100 riders thundered off. About 10 seconds into the race I saw Kathleen Hannon come into my peripheral vision on my right. Before I could react we locked handlebars. Kathleen was riding a flat bar singlespeed and when her bar released from mine, it sounded like a champagne bottle had opened. This sound was immediately followed by the sickening sound of Kathleen slamming into the ground. As soon as I heard it I felt sick. Besides being a fast rider who can handle her bike, Kathleen is a genuinely nice person. I felt ill because I was involved. I stopped a moment later and looked back to see Kathleen being helped up from the ground and she appeared to be in one piece so I continued on.

I was still feeling bad about what happened when we hit the big log before the pavement. There was the usual chaos at the log and as we remounted and rode up the paved path we came upon a rider who was on the ground withering in agony. It was apparent that he hit the ground very hard. I slowed after passing him and determined that he was receiving enough assistance so I continued on. So far this race was not doing much for my morale.

There was a bottleneck at the beginning of the singletrack and as we hit the little dirt road afterward, things seemed to be settling in. As we approached a left hand corner that fell away after the apex, Mary-Anne Hunter shot inside of me. I knew from doing several warm-up laps that this corner was very loose and thought to myself “this is interesting.” The thought had no more entered my mind, when Mary-Anne’s front wheel let go and down she went. I had nowhere to go, plowed into Mary-Anne and flipped over the bars! Neither one of us was hurt and she popped up first and said she was sorry while handing me my wristwatch! I had no idea that it had been removed from my arm!

The rest of the first lap was uneventful. As we approached the big log before the pavement, the rider in front of me hurdled it. I had already taken the line around the left side of the log which was a little longer, but meant I wouldn’t have to remount on the down slope to the pavement. The rider in front of me remounted his bike and promptly went over the handlebars! I jerked hard to the left to avoid him and just as I passed by him he gave my front brake a karate kick. This certainly disrupted me! And I lost all momentum and Mary-Anne shot past.

I looked down at my front wheel and discovered the brake jammed against the rim. I later found the brake boss had moved. As I pedaled down the pavement I pondered my fate and decided that enough was enough and dropped out. I spent the remainder of the race giving water to David Gill, Mary-Anne and Kathleen. After the race was over I talked to Kathleen and she said the rider to her right had pushed her into me. Mary-Anne said the rider separating us was getting on her nerves so she went for the pass on the left hand corner and as a bonus got me as well.

I left this race and drove home with David. I was pretty bummed out on the ride home but as Rick says, “That’s racing.”

California State MTB XC Championships, Big Bear, CA USA, 9/21/2008

Ron Riley

California State XC Championships – Big Bear Lake – 9-21-08

Three 65+ Experts lined up for our twenty plus mile XC CA State Championship race this past Sunday at Big Bear California. The three included Terry Dahl (this year’s National XC Champion in this class) Brian Kiniry and me. My goal was to see if I could stay with Brian who had beaten me the last two times we raced each other this season.

As we worked our way up the first long fire road climb, it was evident that Brian was stronger. I settled into a comfortable pace and reminded myself that I was fortunate to be there enjoying the beautiful early autumn day. The course had only a few miles of single track and that included a few technical downhill sections. I finished in 2:29 with no crashes or mechanicals. At the awards presentation, I was surprised when I was called up as the fourth place finisher. Seems that Garo Moradian (74!! of Burbank) had missed the start because of a flat, and then caught and passed all three of us before fading a little and losing to Terry.

Thanks for reading my race reports this season!

Happy Trails, Ron

DFL #1, San Francisco, CA USA, 9/10/2008

Mike Evans

DFL #1

I made my way to the city solo to race the first DFL race of the year. I got there with enough time to pre-ride the course and get a proper warm up. As I was pre-riding the course I was reminded why I consider this course as one of my favorites. It has a little of everything and tends to be a little loose. It really favors riders who can handle their bikes. It’s just a downright fun course!

As we gathered for the start we were informed to leave our bikes and walk down the road for a Le Mans start. Oh joy, I’m not to fond of the Le Mans starts! While we were standing and waiting a few of the stragglers to arrive we noticed a park ranger with his lights on pull up behind us. At the front of the group stood DFL Brad, who couldn’t see the ranger because of the throng of riders in his way. The word of the ranger’s arrival finally made it up to Brad who yelled “Oh shit! GO!!!!!!!” and with that, the herd stampeded off towards their bikes.

The DFL races are unsanctioned and of course have no permit. They charge $5.00 to enter, but if you wear a dress it’s free. It is hard to imagine what your average dog walker must think when they walk smack dab into the middle of any cross race, let alone a cross race where half the participants are dressed in drag!

As we ran up the dirt road to our bikes it was utter chaos!! People were tripping and damned near stampeded. Riders who were mounting their bikes were swallowed by the people running to theirs. Many people went down trying mount. People went down in the first corner. People went down hitting pine cones. Somebody crashed big just before the big log before the paved section. There was a huge bottle neck coming off the pavement onto the single track. We then had to run to the next log and, of course, into another bottle neck.

On and on it went for the first lap; more crashing and flailing. I managed to survive, but anybody who got out in front of this was positively launched! At the start of the second lap it thinned out a bit and I got down to business. I passed about twenty people in the next two laps. My legs felt great and I had very good acceleration when I needed it.

For the next three laps I keep passing people. I would accelerate past a few people and then recover while holding my own over and over again. I kept waiting for the usual mid race blow up, but it never came. Even as we finished I didn’t feel that knackered and could have gone for a few more laps. I couldn’t help but feel this was a very positive race for me and had a big smile on my face the whole way home. That was until I reached Taqueria Vallarta in Santa Cruz. I got out of my car and my right hamstring instantly locked up. Nothing like cramping in public!

LARPD # 1, Livermore, CA USA, 9/6/2008

Mike Evans

LARPD # 1

After shamelessly convincing teammate Dave Hopkins that we needed to go to Livermore and race cyclocross in 90 degree plus heat, I also got him to volunteer to chauffeur me to the race. We arrived at Robertson Park during the first race of the day where young Darik Thunstrom was chewing up the field and finishing in a fine second place. It was already quite warm so David and I set up the tent. Shade was at a premium at this event!

After registering, Dave and I suited up to check the course out. At least with the heat I was feeling extremely limber! On what appeared to be a featureless mostly flat piece of land, promoter Shane Huntoon had crafted a fine course, complete with flowing grass corners, a 50 meter mulch section that felt like riding through sand, a double barrier followed by a small run up and instant remount to a downhill drop in and a bunch of downed big eucalyptus branches to hurdle.

I started to warm up while Dave raced. I was carrying a bottle and when Dave came around for his second lap I gave him a feed. You should have seen his eyes when I held the bottle out; I thought he might cry! It was now close to 100 degrees. David was having a good race and was in the top 5. When I next saw Dave he was about in 20th position. I really couldn’t figure out what had happened and assumed the heat was getting to him. I rode off and left the venue to continue my warm up on pavement. When I got back Dave’s race had just ended and I prepared myself for the start of my race.

I gave Erik and Darik a big water bottle so they could feed me and stuck a bottle of Cytomax on my singlespeed. While on the grid I noticed that a bunch of the A riders where wearing camelbacks. I couldn’t ever recall seeing that before! Casey blew the whistle and the 08/09 cross season for me had started. As we flew into the hairpin just before the mulch section I almost crashed. I assumed it was just loose dirt, but as we hit the turns on the grass I discovered that my rear tire had gone flat! I couldn’t believe this was happening!! I continued to ride and pondered my options. When I got to the little run up Dave was there taking pictures and heckled me. When I heard his voice I asked him to run and get my spare tire, tools and pump. I continued to ride the course while being extra careful in the corners so my tire wouldn’t roll from the rim.

After riding one lap with a flat I stopped in the pits where Erik and Darik were waiting to assist me. I had just started to remove the rear wheel (always fun on a singlespeed) when I got the idea just to throw some more air into the tire and see if I could make it around the course one lap at a time. This seemed to work, but the tire was getting pretty flat by the time I got back to the pits. Darik was operating the tire pump for me and I would slam the chuck on the valve and he would pump.

This went on for a couple of laps until I asked Darik to put 60 psi into the tire figuring that might help me get around a little better as the tire was now getting really flat by the end of the lap. When Darik pumped up the tire this time, however, the sidewall of the tire blew out! I was left with no other options than either pack it up and go home or change the tubular clincher on my back tire. I was using this race for training and decided what the heck and changed out my rear tire. This took about 10 minutes. I rejoined the race and finally got to ride 4 uninterrupted laps at full pace and actually felt very good about it, as I seemed to have very good power and even passed a few riders.

I finished 5th out of 5 in the singlespeed class, got a medal and got to stand on the podium which was kind of cool after all of the chaos I had been through. David won his class! After being crashed out by the guy in front of him which explained the sudden dropping in placing, Dave rode a very steady race after his crash and picked off rider after rider until the end.

NMBS Series Final , Brian Head, UT USA, 8/31/2008

Ron Riley

National Mountain Bike Series Final – 8-31-08 – Brian Head, Utah

This past weekend, the NMBS (NORBA in years past), finals in Downhill, Super D, Short Track, Dual Slalom, and Cross Country were held at Brian Head, UT. Brian Head is located in the southwest corner of Utah at an altitude of 9600 ft.

Going into this sixth and final XC race of the series, I stood in second place. Fred Schmid of Waco TX held a commanding series lead that was not mathematically possible to overcome. For me to finish the series in second place, I had to finish this race. If I failed to finish, I would drop to third or even fourth.

All four of the top riders in the 65+ Expert XC class were on the line for Sunday’s 2:45 PM start. There were scattered clouds and the temperature was in the low sixties. Scattered thunder storms were in the forecast, but so far, no rain. A fairly strong head wind would make our early uphill riding even more painful.

As we left the Brian Head ski resort and headed up the highway, (very strange for a mountain bike race), I settled into a nice easy pace that I hoped would allow me to finish this twenty-four mile plus adventure.

Harriet handed me some fresh bottles of Gatorade at the top of this early climb, and I was off onto the single track just below the 11,307’ summit of Brian Head Mountain. This single track meandered across alpine meadows and through thickets of spruce. An occasional rocky section kept me focused. A creek crossing signaled the end of the first and easiest section of single track. I was the last rider to go through the first check point set up on the dirt road just beyond the creek.

After a moderate climb up the above mentioned dirt road, the course turned left onto the Dark Hollow Trail. More alpine meadows and even an alpine lake soon became a steep root-crossed uphill hike-a-bike where I found breathing a challenge. Dark Hollow is a good example of “what goes up, must come down”, for soon after reaching the top of the climb, the trail was marked with the dreaded triple downward pointing red arrows. For the next half mile or so, the trail was steep, rocky, rutted and often more than this wimp could ride. A short flat section let me catch my breath and then more steep, rocky, etc., etc. that seemed to go on forever. Finally I was down Dark Hollow and grinding up afire road into a stiff head wind.

The Scout Camp Trail came next and with its rolling terrain, spruce and aspen forest, I was almost having too much fun. A very large bull elk and his girlfriend looked up as I passed them not fifty feet off the trail. I was beginning to think I was almost finished, maybe four or five miles to go and no major problems when, as I rolled over a large boulder, I failed to see the big rock on the other side. I crashed in an instant into – luckily – a small spruce to the right of the trail. The bike was okay, but I scraped my right shin pretty good. For me, it’s almost always the right leg. I was on my way again, determined to finish this mother.

The last trail, the Mosquito, with its many short but rocky climbs through thick spruce and aspens was soon behind me. After a little over four hours, I rolled down the ski-run into the parking lot and across the finish line. Fourth place, but good enough for second over all in the series.

A very relieved Harriet helped me clean up a little and get to the awards presentation in time to accept my hard earned (read previous race reports) second place overall NMBS plaque. Later, we enjoyed pizza and beer with our competitors at the local watering hole, and said good-bye for the season.

Notes on the 2008 NMBS Series:

1.NMBS results can be seen on the Team Big Bear, Blue Wolf or USA Cycling websites.

2.The six NMBS XC Series races were held in four different states.

3.Eight different riders from five states contested the 65+ XC title.

4.There were no DNFs by these eight riders in the series.