Cycle Solutions O-Cup DH#1 Race Report Presented by Commencal bikes

It was a wild start to the first race of the season, rain hammered the Niagara Escarpment for 3 consecutive days, culminating in a 7hr drenching on Saturdays practice day. However it could not dampen the spirits of the riders, if anything it motivated them more. Our second ever largest turnout was welcomed by sun on Sunday morning which combined with some wind dried the course out nicely for race runs.

A great womens field was trumped by Sheila (the great) Morris (Cycle Solutions/Angry Johnny’s), chasing her down were Kristen (Poisonfrog.ca) and Caroline (Jamis/Bikezone) both getting in under the 2min mark!

1. Sheila MorrisCycle Solutions/Angry Johnny`s RacingBarrie 1:44.903
2. Kristen Courtney Poisonfrog.ca Toronto 1:57.842
3. Caroline Arsenault Jamis/Bikezone RacingToronto 2:00.185

Next up everyone was watching the Junior Expert field, the return of Rob Fraser (Poisonfrog.ca) and Andrew Gotuaco (Sweet Petes) along with newcomer and last years cadet champ Robert Bailey (Commencal). And surprise surprise guess who showed up on the podium Rob, then Andrew, the Robert!

1. Rob Fraser Poisonfrog.ca Pickering 1:29.863
2. Andrew Gotuaco Sweet Pete`s Collingwood 1:36.066
3. Robert Bailey Commençal Cambridge 1:37.750

The anticipation grew as the day grew on waiting for the Pro Men, would all this extra time help dry out the course??? Yes it would! Drew threw down the gauntlet with a ripper a full 2 seconds faster than the fastest time of the day. Tom followed up with a stellar 2^nd place and Brandon pulled in a healthy and well deserved 3^rd.

1. Drew Pautler Primary-Devinci Brampton 1:24.385
2. Tom Kakamousias Cycle Solutions/AngryJohnny`sRacing Toronto 1:26.9232
3. Brandon Cassell Adrenaline Racer/Industry Skate Park Strathroy 1:29.131

Our next stop is back here at Kelso June 14/15, we are building a brand new course so be ready for something sweet!

We can’t thank enough our amazing support staff, Lee Allen, Kris Somers (MC/DJ), Allan Hawley and his timing staff, Kelso Pro Patrol and staff (Barb and Simon) and ofcourse the amazing volunteers and sponsors:

Cycle-Solutions.com Bike Store, Commencal Bikes, Norco Performance Bikes , Kenda Tires, Titec Components, Dropmachine.com, Privateer Racing, To Wheels, Industry Bike park, Trident Distribution, Gamut, YODO bike, E-13, Atomlab and Azonic.

For all results and Ontario Cup DH/4X racing info go to

www.sirbikealotracing.com

source: Peter Appleton

This weekend was the 3rd consecutive World Cup. We went from Northern Europe down to sunny Spain. Earlier in the week temperatures were barely hitting 18C, but today for the race it was in the 30Cs. That’s pretty hot when you’re used to high teens.

Burry, Mark (Team Mechanic), and I spent the week in Mira Flores which is a mountain town about 60Ks outside of Madrid. It’s about three thousand feet higher, hardly any traffic and great road riding. The Vuelta Espana rolls through the town on one of the mountain days.

The course in Madrid hasn’t changed much since the first time I raced here back in 2002. It’s fast with short one-minute climbs, super hard pack with ball bearing type pebbles on top which make for slick corners. There are also tons of spectators packed on the course’s six main climbs. Last weekend in Offenburg the race was only 35Ks–this weekend we did about 56Ks, so that gives you an idea of how fast this course is.

The race started incredibly well for me, and I led the race through the start/finish area after the first lap. I have never led a World Cup before so that was an accomplishment in itself. I eventually popped out of the lead group at the end of lap four and raced in for an 18th place finish, only 2:49 seconds down on the winner. That just goes to show you the depth of the fields we’re racing. Burry had another incredible race coming in 13th and the number one U23 rider meaning he got a trip to the top of the box.

We have three weeks of no World Cups now, and I’m looking forward to a break and doing my home town Iron Horse Road Race for the first time in almost ten years.

Thanks for all your support,

Todd Wells

Thanks to all of our GT Team Sponsors: Kenda Tires, SRAM, Kore, Sun Ringle, SDG, Ogio, Champion System, FLY Racing and e.thirteen.

http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa/eng/newsDetail?id=2860 

source: Sarah Ostermeier

PEATY 2ND, HILL DOMINATES TEST EVENT

Val Di Sole, Italy
May 4, 2008

The organizers did a brilliant job putting together this test event in the heart of the Val Di Sole region in Northern Italy, and the pleasant weather this weekend helped make the event a great success. The test event was a great way to prepare for World Championships for both the racers and the organizers. The Syndicate boys were pleased with the downhill track and feel it is worthy of a championship race. “The course is great with fast parts ripping through the trees, and it has a lot of rocks and sniper roots all over, and quite a few steep parts. They’ve done a nice job putting the course together and the sections link up with a nice flow,” said Rennie.

The semi-final run was held to determine start order, with everyone qualifying. There were some surprises from practice to semi-finals as riders tested the track at a racing pace. “I just wanted to ride smooth and tried to get on the lines I had seen in practice. I got half of them, and missed half of them. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to stay on the lines, or on the track, even,” commented Minnaar. Peat just rode steady hitting his lines but said, “I felt like I was riding like a girl in some sections.”
Rennie said, “My run was a shocker, I mucked up the top rocks then another section so I just cruised down for an earlier start.” Josh Bryceland’s run was not “mint”, as he didn’t hit many of his lines, but he was pleased and surprised with a good finish time. Sam Blenkinsop posted the fast time of 3:29.82, while Peat just beat Minnaar to set the three top positions with 3:30.01 for Peat and 3:30.88 for Minnaar.

The finals saw Bryceland having a fantastic result with a time of 3:29.37, which held up for a 6th place overall finish. Fabien Barel then set the mark to beat with a time of 3:26.92 to take the hotseat. Just ten minutes later Hill was smashing it up with the crowd cheering him as he neared the end with an obviously smoking fast run. His finish time of 3:19.42 had people gasping! Peat gave it a go and was the next fastest finisher at 3:24.60 to take second place. Barel’s time held for 3rd, with Florent Payet in 4th with a 3:27.77, and Justin Leov rounding out the top five with a 3:28.67

Minnaar suffered a mechanical that left him in 8th position, and Rennie had a crash that put him off the pace, he finished 59th. They were both happy at least that these things happened in a test race, and not at a race that counted for more. Minnaar said the course was a lot faster in the final than the qualifier as the clouds moved in and eliminated shadows making it easier to see the track conditions. On his run, Peat delighted the group of team mechanics as he set out of the start by pumping his fist in the air saluting them. Syndicate mechanic, Doug Hatfield said, “You had to see it, you could never replace that moment, what a great salute Steve gave to us. We were pumped!”

The Syndicate will stay on in Italy for a few days testing new Black Box products with SRAM before heading to the first UCI World Cup next week in Maribor.

TOP TEN MEN DOWNHILL FINALS:

1) SAM HILL (MONSTER IRON HORSE) 3:19.42
2) STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:24.60
3) FABIEN BAREL (SUBARU) 3:26.92
4) FLORENT PAYET (SUBARU) 3:27.77
5) JUSTIN LEOV (YETI) 3:28.67
6) JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:29.37
7) SAM BLENKINSOP (YETI) 3:29.40
8 ) GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:29.58
9) FABIEN PEDEMANAUD (TEAM PYRENEES/ MOREWOOD) 3:30.04
10) PASQUAL CANALS FLIX (MASSI) 3:30.85

DOWNHILL SEEDING RUN RESULTS:

1) SAM BLENKINSOP (YETI) 3:29.82
2) STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:30.01
3) GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3.30.88
4) SAM HILL (MONSTER IRON HORSE) 3:31.00
5) FLORENT PAYET (SUBARU) 3:31.23
6) JUSTIN LEOV (YETI) 3:33.15
7) DAMIEN SPAGNOLO (SUBARU) 3:33.53
8 ) MICKAIL PASCAL (MSC BIKES) 3:34.25
9) JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:34.49
10) JULIEN CAMELLINI (CHAIN REACTION CYCLES) 3:34.66
14) NATHAN RENNIE (SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES) 3:38.47

THANKS TO THE SYNDICATE SPONSORS:

Santa Cruz Bicycles
SRAM
RockShox
Truvativ
Avid
Maxxis
DT Swiss
WTB
Crankbrothers
Lizard Skins
Clif Bar
Troy Lee Designs
Chris King
Five Ten

source: Kathy, Santa Cruz Bikes

####

World Championships Test Event - Downhill Finals

11th Chris KOVARIK Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense
12th Julien CAMELLINI Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense
30th Matt SIMMONDS Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense
42nd Ruaridh CUNNINGHAM Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense

Sam hill showed everyone why he is the current World Champion and the man to beat come the real race on the 21st June. The course looked super rough for the riders and the bikes. Riders had to be really strong to hold onto the bike and also really fit to be able to go at 100% all the way down the very steep and challenging course.

Chris over came a few bike set up problems for the final and had a descent run to place 11th but also post a good time with a lot more left come the real race. He said he had a descent run and was finally happy with the bike set up. Chris hasn’t rode anything steep with roots since the final World Cup last year, so this was a very valuable test event for him and the team.

Julien had a mechanical early on in his race run and made him pretty nervous all the way down but still managed a great time, so he has a lot more to offer also come June. Juliens hard training over the winter is definitely going to pay off for him and he is very happy with his bike.

Matt had a decent run but struggled a bit with his lines. We got here late because we had to wait for a shipment of parts the riders missed course walking inspection and while the other guys walked the track on Saturday evening, Matt was racing 4X.

Ruaridh was looking great on the course, but unfortunately caught his pedal on a root whilst hopping up onto a high line and flipped over the bars and landed on his back. He jumped back on quickly but then plowed straight into a tree head first. Even with all this Ruaridh still managed a 3.42 only 12 seconds off the top 10! So this is amazing form for him so early on after his winter knee injury.

All the guys now know what they need to work on for the start of the World Cup series in Maribour next weekend. This has been a great weekend of testing and getting the bikes set up properly. We head off to Maribour tomorrow for a bit of training and recovering before Thursdays practice.

Thanks to all our sponsors.

source: Nigel Page - Team Manager - ChainReactionCycles/Intense

Working her way to the 12 hours of Dirt Sweat & Gears in Fayetteville, Tennessee, Pua Sawicki set a course record of 7:44:00…a full 50 minutes better than the old record and 58 minutes in front of her nearest competitor.

This past weekends’ Cohutta 100 race in Tennessee was also the first stage of the NUE series (National Ultra Endurance Series). Over 250 racers showed up for the 100 mile race and another 200+ riders showed up for the shorter 65 & 35 mile races. The weather turned bad the night before with ran almost all night long and through the first 2 hours of the race, soaking the course and helping to cause many crashes on various wooden bridges over stream crossings.

Pua Started the race by jumping up front on the 3 mile paved hill start and making her way into the single track already well out of sight of the chasing women. Pua worked her way into the top 15 men and less than an hour into the race she noticed her rear tire was losing air. She decided to race on it to the first check point, this slowed her down and she dropped back to around 30th position but still in the female lead. Ellsworth-powered Team Mata switched out the wheel and within the next hour she made her way back to the top 15 men. By 45 miles into the race she already had around an hour lead over the second place female. Pua was able to slow the pace for the second half and still set a new course record by 50 minutes with a time of 7:44:00.

source: Rich Carr, CRME

- Wicks, Trebon And Simms Show Power At Second NMBS Event; While Kindree Nabs Bronze At Pan-Am Championships -

KONAWORLD (April 7, 2008) – Making their mark both stateside and in South America last weekend, Kona Factory Team riders proudly stood atop the podium in Fountain Hills, Arizona and the Pan-Am Mountain Bike Championships in Venezuela.

Competing in three races last weekend at the McDowell Mountain Park in the second NMBS event, team riders Barry Wicks, Ryan Trebon and Wendy Simms all secured top-three finishes in at least one race. Kris Sneddon also competed and finished in the top-15 in all of his races.

In the first race of the weekend, the Super D time trial, riders attacked the seven-mile course that consisted entirely of sandy fire roads, loose washes and three significant climbs. Simms took third in the pro women’s category with a time of 18 minutes, 27 seconds. Trebon led the men, finishing third with a time of 16:20 – only 25 seconds behind the winner – while Wicks took 12th and Sneddon grabbed 15th.

On Saturday, Wicks and Trebon tag-teamed the technical short track course which featured “The Hill” – a steep, loose sandy climb that only a few riders were able to muscle up on their bikes. Battling with Geoff Kabush to the finish, Wicks missed first place by one second, while Trebon captured third a mere 25 seconds back of Wicks. In the women’s race, Simms (who is the current Canadian National Cyclocross Champion) rode in the lead pack for most of the race until a crash cost her valuable time. After an intense and exciting sprint to the finish versus Australian National Champion Dellys Starr, Simms took fourth; 33 seconds behind winner Katerina Nash.

“I looked over my shoulder to see where Georgia [Gould] was and I buzzed Katerina’s rear tire,” said Simms of her crash. “It was my own fault.”

In the final race of the weekend, the three-lap Elite XC, Wicks and Trebon started strong but didn’t have the gas to hang in the lead pack to the finish. Wicks took fourth place with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, 49 seconds, while Trebon finished the race with a flat tire. Sneddon held on for 11th place.

South of the border in Venezuela, Factory Team rider Neal Kindree represented Team Canada at the Pan-Am Mountain Bike Championships. Racing in a field of 30 elite riders on Sunday in the U-23 category, Kindree started off the hot race by getting trapped behind a pile-up crash within the first 300 feet. Not to be conquered, he spent the ensuing seven laps climbing his way up to the lead pack on a long, non-technical and dusty course. Kindree finished in third-place taking the bronze medal. He also automatically qualified for the World Championships in Italy in late-June.

“It was really cool to see all the competition and what was going on in the mountain biking world outside Canada and the U.S.,” Kindree said. “It was a unique experience for sure.”

source: Keith Cozzens | Base Camp Communications | www.basecampcomm.com

source: NMBS Press Office

San Marcos, California (April 6, 2008) Riders from around the globe descended to the metropolitan suburb of Fontana, California for the first round of the 2008 National Mountain Bike Series! Even with an early calendar date, Nema International could not have had asked for a more exciting kickoff to the official mountain bike season!

Nema presented the newest members of our factory team, Team Yeti / Fox Shox, with custom edition white & black ‘Podium’ shorts… with turquoise Nema patches to match. It couldn’t have been better timing, as the ‘Podium’ shorts lived up to their name! Factory Nema rider Ross Milan, took a decisive victory as he battled round after action packed round in the Pro Men’s MountainCross race.

Ross Milan said…

“I felt super strong. I got out & got through all the heats with pretty much ease… & really put the hammer down when I needed to! In the finals, it was pretty stacked heat. I just really had a perfect gate…. Rallied all the way around the first berm & the line opened up… & ran away with it after that. It’s great to have the first win, first race. Get the old confidence going before stepping into the world arena! We brought the ‘Podium’ [short] to the ‘Podium!’”

In the Pro Men’s Downhill, factory Nema riders had an incredible showing against a stacked field of world caliber riders. On a surprisingly difficult track, Justin Leov (Yeti / Fox Shox) proved that he’s had a great off-season training regimen, as he placed 3rd in the finals. Meanwhile, after qualifying 2nd, Sam Blenkinsop (Yeti / Fox Shox) followed up his incredible seeding run by placing 4th amongst the elite men!

Nema, along with their factory team & riders will be attending the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California in less than 2 weeks!
Nema Notes…

- Factory riders Ryan Condrashoff & Brad Benedict are representing in a RED special edition color of the Podium Jersey!
- Numerous Yeti / Fox Shox team riders attested that the Podium shorts were “mint” and the Breather gloves were some of the best fitting gloves they’ve ever used!
- Nema Jr X riders had a great start to the season as gravity phenom Kevin Aiello (Yeti So Cal) won in the downhill and placed 2nd in the MTX. Another rising star, Joey Schusler (Fox Shox / Yeti), had yet another great outing as he placed 3rd in the downhill and 5th in MTX.

For a more in-depth report & photos, visit http://www.pinnedmtb.com/fontana_nmbs08.htm

Photo credit: Dylan-Dean.com

MTX – Pro Men
1. Ross Milan [NEMA]
2. Erik Nelson
3. Dale Holmes
4. Peter Hanak
5. Eric Carter
9. Chris Boice [NEMA]
11. Mike Haderer [NEMA]
12. Ryan Condrashoff [NEMA]
18. John Hauer [NEMA]
25. Rudy Unrau [NEMA]
27. Evelio Suarez [NEMA]
DH – Pro Men
1. Chris Kovarik
2. Nathan Rennie
3. Justin Leov [NEMA]
4. Sam Blenkinsop [NEMA]
5. Cameron Cole

11. Ryan Condrashoff [NEMA]
12. Brad Benedict [NEMA]
13. Aaron Gwin [NEMA]
15. Mike Haderer [NEMA]
33. Chris Boice [NEMA]
38. John Hauer [NEMA]
53. Evelio Suarez [NEMA]

source: Dylan || Nema International

The Atherton (Animal Comencal) brother and sister team were the winners of the first race of the Maxxis Cup International 2008, which took place in Gouveia (Portugal). Gee Atherton won by 4 seconds and Rachel by over 8 seconds!!!. Dan took a solid 2nd place behind his brother. Cedric “the entertainer” Gracia has fought back from a potentially career ending wrist injury in 2007 to start the 2008 season off with a huge 3rd place.

Last weekend saw 430 participants competing in the first race of this Championship Series. Among them were some of the best riders of all over the world like the Atherton siblings (Gee, Dan and Rachel), Marc Beaumont (Bike Radar), Brendan Fairclough (Monster Energy), Cedric Gracia (F.C.O), Mickael Pasckal (MSC Bikes), the Spanish Ivan Oulego and Pascual Canals (Massi), Bernat Guardia (MSC Bikes), Helen Gaskill (Team Halfords Bikehut)

full results here:

http://www.fullevent.com/cont/images/stories/Gouveia08/final_cat_gouveia.pdf

official timers sheet
http://www.dirtmag.co.uk/images/uploads/news/dan_brown_results.jpg

Maxxis cup #1 results

Elite men.

1. Gee Atherton - Commencal
2. Dan Atherton - Commencal
3. Cedric Gracia - Commencal
4. Ben Cathro
5. Bernaud Gardia

Elite Women

1. Rach Atherton - Commencal
2. Helen Gaskill
3. Katy Curd
4. Aimee Dix

source: Peter Appleton, Commencal Canada

- Wicks Nails Two First-Place Finishes, While Simms, Sneddon and Trebon Ride Hard At First NMBS Event -

KONAWORLD (April 1, 2008) - Starting the racing season off in rock star fashion, 26-year-old Barry Wicks claimed his first ever NMBS victories over the weekend in Fontana, California, at the first event of the NMBS. Accompanied at the event by Kona Factory Team members Kris Sneddon, Ryan Trebon and Wendy Simms, Wicks strongly confirmed that his transition from a top-notch cyclocrosser to fat-tire tough man is going quite smoothly.

On Sunday, during the STXC race, Wicks out-sprinted breakaway companion Adam Craig to claim the crown and his first NMBS win. But Wicks did get some help from his friends. Sneddon and Trebon lit the race track up for the first four laps, which allowed Wicks to take a comfortable position and conserve energy for his solo push to the finish. Nearing the end, Sneddon experienced mechanical issues when his front derailer twisted sideways into his crank. Sneddon and Trebon finished the race in the top 10.

In the ensuing Super D race, which started with a downhill run on pavement, Wicks nabbed his second first-place finish – again narrowly out-sprinting Craig for the title.

“Two wins in one day is pretty sweet – I feel kind of bad I had to punk Adam twice,” says Wicks, the 2006 national short track champion.

In the women’s STXC race, Simms reeled in a third-place finish after a great opening hole-shot and battling, not only some tough Luna Team riders, but “legs that felt like monster trucks.” On Saturday, Simms, who tried to lock handlebars with the Luna ladies, nabbed third place in the XC event which was her best NMBS finish ever.

In Saturday’s men’s XC race, Wicks admittedly hit the throttle too early and faded towards the end of the final laps to finish fifth. Sneddon took sixth place and Trebon finished 26th.

The NMBS replaced the NORBA label when series directors Jeff Frost and Tom Spiegel took over the reins in 2004. Gone are the television cameras, huge cash prizes and international field enjoyed by the series in its heyday a decade ago. But one fact remains the same: North America’s best still show up.

The four Kona riders will compete at the second NMBS race this weekend in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

About the Kona Bicycle Company:
The Kona Bicycle Company designs, manufacturers and distributes more than 60 models of purpose-built, high-performance mountain, road and urban bicycles. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, USA, Kona bicycles are distributed worldwide in more than 60 countries through independent specialty bicycle dealers. Kona funds several professional road, mountain and cyclo-cross racing teams that include World Cup Champions, World Champions and National Champions. For more information check www.konaworld.com

source: Keith Cozzens | Base Camp Communications

Destination: Oakridge, Oregon.

Where? Oakridge is a small valley town, east of Eugene. Where? It’s 9 hours north of Norcal. We’ll figure it out. There’s a small outfit called Mountain Bike Oregon that promises 3 days of riding bliss and free beer for less than $300. Last year, a few of my friends left me on injured reserve and took the trip to Oakridge. They said the riding was incredible and the event was very enjoyable. Tom Tran described it as: “You know our favorite part in Downieville… Third Divide? It’s like that but hundreds of miles long.” I said “Wow, let’s roll!”

What bike to bring?

Nomad, 29er FS, Rigid, Singlespeed? Since I was just hitching a ride, I could only bring one bike. All the rides are shuttle rides, I hear. So let’s bring the Nomad. Tom however convinces me to ride the Salsa Mamasita 29er singlespeed. “That’ll be perfect” he said. Nice cushy front and light enough to be fast. I had my doubts as I wasn’t too interested in racing XC up the trails. Although Tom took a Niner singlespeed rigid fork last year and had a blast. He said all the descents are fairly smooth and the climbs are not too steep. Ok, Mamasita it is.

Arrival

So I’ve never been to Oregon. Well it’s very green, hilly and scenic. The roads are smoother and the folks drive slower. But don’t you dare pump your own gas since you might get arrested. We roll into Oakridge and it’s a beautiful valley town surrounded 360 degrees by these tall green mountains. Right by the main road is a park/campground next to the Willamette river. We arrive on Thursday afternoon and the camping area has several dozen tents next to the river. We set up camp with about a dozen mtbr tents and signed up for the upcoming rides. There’s a beer garden area with a stage, a feeding area, a lunch box set up area and a shuttle staging area on one end of the park. Bathroooms are handled by several dozen portables. Showers are at a high school a half mile away with shuttles constantly running in the afternoons. Heck, we even had cell phone service.

The rides

There are many options for the three days of shuttle riding. Each route is described in a guidebook and it makes recommendations depending on rider skill level. Our ala carte schedule looked like this:

Friday- Lawler and Hardesty

Saturday - Middle Fork Trail ($35 extra)

Sunday - Alpine Trail

That’s the consensus of the locals for advanced riders. Middle Fork Trail costs an extra $35 since it’s way out there. The shuttle ride to the drop-off point takes about an hour and a half. There’s lunch midway through the ride and there’s ice-cold beer at the end of the ride.

In addition, our group decided to do a couple of self-supported shuttle rides since we drove all the way from another state and all. These were:

Thurs - Larison Rock

Monday - Mackenzie River Trail

So why are all the rides shuttle rides?? Are they such extreme downhill runs? Isn’t shuttling uncool? It turns out the descents are very XC style and 40 lb. bikes are not needed. In fact, the locals rarely shuttle these same rides. But the climbs are huge at 4000-6000 feet of elevation gain. Shuttles are done basically so we can ride every day and not feel cooked. The remarkable thing is all these trails are shuttle friendly. There’s usually a road that drops you off at the top of the trailhead. And even with the shuttle up the hill, there’s usually some climbing involved throughout the day. Another point is riders of varying abilities can try these wonderful descents. Not everybody can climb 5000 feet but most folks can descend that. Of course that’s a double-edged sword that can put riders in over their heads on top of a mountain.

Thursday - Larison Rock

This one is right behind the camping area across the river. We drove up a windy road for about 20 minutes and voila, we were at the trailhead. It’s about a 4-mile, 2000-foot descent. The minute we hit the trail, I knew this place was special. There were a hundred shades of green as vegetation covered every square inch outside the narrow singletrack. The trail snaked down the mountain, sometimes very narrow with some exposure on one side. Leaves lashed at my half-covered fingers as I swooped down the hill. The soil condition was A+ with zero dust and plenty of grip. We ended on a flatter trail that led us all the way to the campground. Wow, our beloved Norcal trails just got schooled and this was just a prelude to the trail orgy to follow.

Friday- Lawler and Hardesty trails

This one is actually two shuttle rides. The bus waits for us at the bottom of Lawler and takes us to the top of Hardesty. This ride was a gem! There was a little out and back bonus trail in the beginning. Then the Lawler descent ensued with uninterrupted descending down the middle of a very big, dark forest. The twisty descent just flowed through soft, loamy trails inside the tree canopy. Then came Hardesty trail. Hardesty was easier yet better. It had such good flow and speed that everyone came out of the canopy just smiling. But wait there’s more! at the bottom, people were just laughing.

Saturday - Middle Fork trail

An hour and a half away and $35 extra? Is it worth it? In a word, hellya! You have to be an advanced rider to survive the roots at the top and endure the 30 mile trek. But pay that price and you will be rewarded with the most interesting trail of the weekend. The trail is peppered with turns, roots, sights, hikes and flowy descents. The first half of the trail is an exciting and technical descent through some very twisty and very rooty singletrack. The views are dramatic with all the water flowing but there’s no time to look. It’s about a five-hour ride and the guides leave a personalized box lunch halfway through the trail. Let me just say that PB&J sandwiches never tasted so good. We even took a little hike across the highway and saw a natural spring pop out of the ground and start a creek before our very eyes. After the lunch break is an exciting but grueling section of creek crossings and hike-a-bikes. It then opens up to the flowy, buff singletrack the area is famous for. At the end of the 30 miles, the muscles, back and neck were sore. We then jumped into the river and injected life back into our bodies. Grab a beer at the shuttle and we can go ahead and anoint this as the ‘best ride evar’.

Sunday - Alpine trail

At around 2 am, the skies opened up. August downpours are rare even here in Oakridge and it took everyone by surprise. Half the attendees packed up while most of the Norcal crew donned shower caps and braved the elements. Remarkably, the trail was in great condition as the showers lightened up at around 11am. I did not make the Alpine ride said this one rivaled the Middle Fork ride. They said the flow was incredible and the vistas were epic.

Monday - self shuttle at Mackenzie River Trail (non-MBO)

The great thing about Oakridge is we are within striking distance of some of the other great Oregon trails. We took about an hour and a half drive to Mackenzie river and stayed at Harbick’s Inn. The next morning, we braved the morning drizzle that unfortunately turned into a downpour. We shuttled to the top and did a loop around the lake. This trail was again so interesting and flowy. Did you know that lava and big fir and redwood trees can thrive together? Well, here it does. There is about a one-mile section of lava that was so technical and interesting. The good news about lava trails is there is almost perfect traction even in the rain. The bad is the price for failure is very steep as that lava will exhibit it’s friction properties on your skin. On the trail, we are treated to a symphony of twisty singletrack, lava obstacles, bridges, water crossings, waterfalls, pools and a million shades of green.

The Carnage

At the July venue, it was reported that there were 5 broken bones(mostly collarbones). In this August MBO, we were spared that but one of our Norcal contingent went down very hard. Sarah is a beginner/intermediate rider and was having a blast at Lawler trail. But as the trail opened up to a fire road, she picked up a bit of speed and did not see a dirt mound for blocking vehicle access. Not having ever jumped before, she launched off the dirt and landed on her head and her back. Now for the scary part, she was incoherent for about two minutes. Then she came to but had no memory whatsoever of the last week’s events. Over the next hour, she regained all her memory and complained of a sore back while laying down. She declined the ambulance ride to the dismay of all the rescuers and ride organizers. She then got checked out at a nearby hospital and got a clean bill of health. She is a trooper and managed to have fun the rest of the days despite being quite sore. The other injury of note was Noah’s tattoo. Noah crashed on the trail and the the bike was still clipped in on one foot and landed on his shoulder. Noah is about 300 lbs and can put some heat on those disc brakes. He thought, ‘what’s that little stinger on my shoulder’? It was his brake rotor burning his skin!!! Wow. Rumor is Noah is going to mark that spot with a real rotor tattoo that says ‘MBO’.

The Guides

Each MBO ride is led by many guides. The guides are unpaid volunteers that belong to the Disciples of Dirt, the same group that maintains these trails. These guys were key to making this event so enjoyable. Their enthusiasm for sharing their trails was matched only by their riding ability. They excelled at climbing, descending, trials riding. Just by coincidence, the Norcal group was matched up with Boyd and Wes for four days of riding. We had fun at the expense of Boyd’s Kiwi accent. And we benefited from his guiding and riding expertise. Most important, Boyd and Wes’s upbeat spirit always lifted the group. I think they had fun too as they joined us on their own at the Mackenzie River Trail ride.

So there you have it. The perfect trip. The founders Randy and Porter of MBO have done good. The event has grown from 30 people in 2005, 250 in 2006 and 450 in 2007. Take note that MBO gives a money to a lot of local community groups. They care for the town and it shows as all the locals are very accomodating to cyclists. One caveat is each MBO event is capped at 300 riders. It will most likely sell out next year so register early when it opens before christmas.

Next year, get ready MBO, the Mtbr armada is coming!

Resources:

Photo Gallery: http://gallery.mtbr.com/showgallery.php/cat/1164

Discussion and rider reports: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=330452

Mountain Bike Oregon site: http://www.mtbikeoregon.com/