#15

Hey folks, we have a cool new blog located here.

Also, you can follow us on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/donsbikesteam.

Cheers.
Team

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#14

A good part of the Don's Team made it out for this one and we all had a great time. If you are interested, you can check out our finishing positions here.

If you've never raced a Big Bear Shootout before, then this is definitely a race worth checking out. It’s held up in the San Bernardino mountains where the weather and riding is always great. This time it was in the 60s and the sun was shining the whole time. What more could we ask for?

Course: You can get a description of the course on the Team Big Bear website, but here's what the course looks like all mapped out.




Be sure to check out the route on Geoladders where you can download the course, upload your ride and play everything back in "real-time". Very cool feature!

Fireroads: Some people say that this race is all about "fireroads", but to me, the fireroad sections come and go so quickly that I totally forget about them, even on a single speed! The first climb up 2N10 is always tough because everyone is getting used to the altitude, but once you are on top, you can speed right along, bank off the corners, and really get into a rhythm. Plus, the scenery up there is awesome. You can see all the way down to Angelus Oaks and sections of the S.A.R.T.

Single Track: In between the fireroads, everyone seems to forget about the great single track sections that connect everything together. The top section drops you into "Wet Dream" which is a blast. After hopping back onto 2N17 for a short time, you jump onto another single track called "Cabin 89". Both of these sections include a few steep and sandy hill descents, rock-hops and stream crossings; all of which are really fun and will keep you on your toes, especially if you are attacking these at speed! The “PineKnot/1E01” singletrack climb is a tough one, especially on a single speed, but it’s pretty short and you’ll be happy to see the fireroad (2N08) at the top!

Finish: I think the last part is the best. Here you blast down the 2N10, the climb you came up earlier, and then veer off into some single tracks (Pirates, Upper and Lower Fall Line). The very last section is pretty challenging as well. There's a number of short steep, rocky descents that will keep you on your toes.

Awards: And lastly, I can't forget to mention this part! After the race, everyone congregated at the La Montana Mexican restaurant, where Team Big Bear hosted a raffle for the riders and gave away lots of great stuff e.g. tires, t-shirts, chain lube. I won some chain lube. They also gave each rider tickets for two free tacos which was a great because we were all starving after the race. Thank you!

Anyhow, if you missed this one, this is really a great course that you should check out sometime. If you are not sure about directions, then just download the course on GeoLadders and follow along.

Oh ya, if you manage to conqure it in under 1hr 50min, then you are definitely faster than me!

See you next one on July 12th. Check out the Team Big Bear site and schedule for more info.

Cheers!
AL

What was your take on this race?

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#13

Come out and try "the most innovative bike brand for 2007/2008" at Hulda Crooks Park, Loma Linda. These bikes have a unique design that actually change geometry as you ride. These super light bikes come in all shapes and sizes for all different types of applications including XC, All Mountain, DH and even road riding.

Learn more about these bikes here.

Who: Don's Bikes
What: Bionicon MTB Demo
Where: Hulda Crook Park, Loma Linda (see map)
When: May 16th, 9am - 1pm

As always, be sure to join us for an fun afternoon food, beverages and riding! And who knows, you may even catch a few folks from the race team out there ripping it up as well.

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#12

There are a few events that come along throughout the year that separate themselves from the rest.

If you are like me and enjoy participating in events with great people, great riding, spectacular views, and for a great cause, then the Warrior’s Society hosts two events that you need to check out: Vision Quest (56 miles/11,000ft climbing) and The Traverse (46 miles/8000ft climbing). Both events take place on the east side of Orange County in the Cleveland National Forest. For more details visit their website or sign up for their newsletter.



Getting Connected
I honestly didn’t know anything about this organization or these events until I met Doug Andrews, the owner of GeoLadders. Doug is a dedicated racer, a strong supporter of the mountain bike community and non-profit organizations, and a great all around guy. If you are into finding trails for your GPS and sharing them with your friends, be sure to check out his site.

Warrior’s Society
As for the organization, it’s their mission to maintain and improve the trails in the Cleveland National Forest, which is great for all of us who love to ride the challenging and diverse mountain biking trails in that area. Another part of the Warrior’s Society’s mission is to host this race. Being a non-profit organization, one of their goals is to raise funds for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund.

The Traverse will be a fundraiser for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication exhibited by Americans in our Armed Forces who have sacrificed life or limb defending our country by providing educational scholarships to their children.

To me, I think it’s great to know that your hard earned race dollars are not only going to hosting the event (land permits, course marking, medical staff etc…), but also to keeping the trails open and even helping the less fortunate as well.

Regardless of how you place in the event, it's a win, win situation for everyone!

The Race
If you are interested, here’s a quick synopsis of what happens at an event like this. Here's a description and map of the course.



6:00 AM

Sign up: When I arrived at the race, I was greeted by a great group of folks at the registration desk. Everyone was very helpful as they explained where the cut-off locations, first aid and water stations were on the course. I had already decided to carry all of my water bottles with me and I wasn’t planning to stop the whole race, but good to know. In case you are interested, I use InfinitNutrition to survive these events.

7:00 – 8:00 AM

Line up: On the start line I had a chance to catch up with a few old friends, shake hands, and make a few new acquaintances as well. The organizers went through the start procedure and everyone seemed very chilled and relaxed.

Start: . Manuel Prado and I just took it easy off the start. It’s a long race, so there’s no sense in killing yourself right off the start. It was a little intimidating looking back at 173 riders behind us, but I did see a lot of smiling and eager faces!

Initial Climb: On the climb out, I chatted with a few more folks that I recognized. As anticipated, Manuel started to creep away slowly, so I just settled in at a moderate pace. This guy John caught up and looked strong so I just sat on his wheel. Guy Sutton was also in the mix for a while as well.

8:00 – 9:00 AM

New Friend: During this time John and I took turns leading quite a few times. I was faster on the descents and he was a fast climber. I decided to introduce myself as it looked like we were going to be seeing a lot of each other that day. We chatted a little and he was totally cool. He told me he was from the area and knew the trails quite well. Great for me as I had no clue where we were going, so I just kept an eye on the pack behind us and followed him.

John’s Crash: Somewhere in this timeframe, John went down pretty hard. His gear was all torn up. He got back up and caught up to me pretty quickly so I knew he was ok. It’s funny however because this crash ended up winning him the “best crash award”. He stopped at one of the water stations and I just rolled through as planned.

9:00-10:00 AM

The Wall: This part of the course was mostly fireroad, but there were a few unexpectedly difficult sections on the climb. There was this one silty, rocky part of the fireroad that I guess they call “the wall”. I did manage to get all the way up, but it was tough. I don’t think John was so lucky because I saw him off the bike.

Return of “Guy”: Just before the peak of the second climb, I found myself chilling out, looking out at the beautiful valleys and taking in the scenery. Probably a little too much I guess, as Guy snuck up behind me and passed me just before the top. I could tell he knew where he was going as he just blasted down the road. I followed cautiously as it was slippery and super fast.

10:00-11:00 AM

Climb Out: The last section felt like the longest part ever, but I knew there was a cool single track awaiting us at the end. I actually remembered this section from Vision Quest, but I didn’t remember it being quite that long. As luck would have it, as I was chasing down Guy, hamstring #1 camped badly and then hamstring #2 cramped shortly thereafter. Not good. That put me back in granny gear mode for quite a while as they worked themselves out.

Single Track: There’s always one part of every course that is your favorite, and the Trabuco Trail was it! This is a fun, flowing singletrack that leads you all the way to the bottom of the canyon. I really took it easy here however as there were a number of hikers on the trail that day. I made sure I slowed down and said “hi” and “thank you” for moving to the side. When the trail cleared however, I was able to get in a good rhythm and make up a little more time. I managed to clear the whole section just fine.

11:25 AM

Finish: Once I hit the fireroad at the bottom, I knew it was almost over. This section includes a number of shallow stream crossings that were nice cool to pass through at speed. When I reached the finish line, Manuel was gone, but Guy and I congratulated each other for our efforts and we chatted for a while. It’s my understanding he has done this race a few times before and he seemed like a really nice guy. John rolled in a little while later, and congratulations as it’s my understanding that this was his first mountain bike race. Great job!

As for me, I was pleased with 3rd place (overall) finish for my first try at “the Traverse”.

Afternoon

Shuttle: These guys really do a great job at organizing everything. In the O’Neill campground, the Warrior’s Society provided a shuttle service back to our cars so I jumped in and got my truck. I made my way back to the gathering, grabbed a shower, and sat down for some grub. When I got back they had cold soda and water, Pollo Loco chicken, tortillas and a bunch of sides waiting for everyone. Thank you very much.

Awards: I just spent the rest of the day just hanging out talking to other friends and riders. We were talking about the race, death-defying acts on the bike, training, nutrition and all kinds of cool stuff.

After that, the award ceremonies were underway. One of the best awards was the “special achievement” award that a fellow in his 60’s received for completing the race. Hats off to persevering through 7+hrs of punishment my friend. I hope I can ride like that when I’m 60! Also, this is where John received his “best crash” award, which I saw the aftermath first hand. And lastly, the Pros were awarded $300, $200 and $100 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively as well. I very graciously received my award and thanked them very much.



As you can see, this was more of an “experience” than just a race. The course was awesome, everyone was friendly, and the whole event was very well organized.

So for next year, if you are thinking about a really fun event to help support your local trails, that’s also for a great cause, then you should definitely check this one out.

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter however as these events can sell out the same day registration opens.

Thanks for everything and see you guys next year!
AL

PS - Feel free to share your story or post your comments below!

www.donsbikesraceteam.com

Comments (2)

#11

Well, this was a totally different kind of mountain bike weekend for my wife and I.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

The Plan
This weekend, K and I decided to go up to the race a little early and take advantage of some of the touristy stuff in the San Ynez Valley. Keep in mind, most of the time when we head out to Santa Barbara or any race for that matter, we are pulling a 30 ft trailer, carrying 2 dogs, a few team members, a generator and at least four bikes. On top of that, I usually have a few 4-5hr XC riding routes GPSed out for us to discover as well. And somewhere in there, there's a solid nutrition plan and bunch of carefully planned meals to get ready for the race. Well, not this time, to say the least.

The Hotel
We headed up to Solvang Thursday night to beat the traffic. In her infinite internet wisdom, Katrina found us a really nice hotel called the Wine Valley Inn. It was right downtown and it looked pretty much the same as the as the photos on the web, both inside and out. Besides a few slamming doors, we would definitely recommend it.



The Breakfast
In the morning, we headed out to the Paula's Pancake House to indulge in a gigantic 3 course breakfast. No oatmeal or anything mountain bike conducive for us! Next door was one of the many Danish bakeries, so we had to stop by after for an extra treat. Four or five coffees later, we were on our way.

The Shopping Marathon
K loves shopping, so after so we headed to Santa Barbara to her favorite malls and stores. Thank god we were able to by-pass Tiffany's this time! Great place, but half the stuff in there is more expensive than a whole mountain bike. I'm not sure what it is about shopping, but by the end of the morning, my legs were just dead and I was drained. I felt like I had shopped the 12hrs of Santa Barbara.

"Lost" Olivios Tasting Rooms
After the shopping adventure, that's when things really went “anti-mountain bike”. There's this little thing out in the San Ynez Valley called "Wine Tasting". On our previous trips to the area, we were always too tired from riding to ever get out and experience it. Well, this time, K purposefully left her bike at home, so we managed to fit it in just fine.



Long story short, we started in Los Olivios and did the wine tasting walk of fame downtown. The place is designed for mountain biking disaster. There are two well traveled single-track lanes that lead you to 18 vineyard outposts in about a two block radius. It doesn't take long before your are looking for a third wheel to help you along. Seriously however, we learned more than I ever wanted about wines and wineries. Everyone was super nice as well. We usually like Cabernets or Merlots, but Sangiovese became our new squished grape of choice. Nonetheless, we ended up buying about four bottles there to re-test back home.

DH in Solvang
Well, this is where we entered our first World Cup DH event. After arriving back in Solvang, we freshened up and made our way out to experience more wine tasting.

The great thing about this little tourist town is that you are walking distance from everything. One hint if you are ever in Solvang, make sure you ask your hotel for any tasting coupons they have. Our favorite stop was Lucas and Lewellen. Tommy, from behind the bar, provided us with a continuous single track of pours of their finest Cabernets. My favorite was their 2004 Special Reserve. We acquired a few more bottles here of course.



Uncork Me
I was in Solvang once before and I found the restaurants very expensive and just “ok” for dinner. This time we came across a new restaurant that just opened called Root 246. Here's an online review. This is an upscale place with a pretty fancy lounge and bar area when you walk in. The food and atmosphere were great as well. Another thing is that they only charge $10 for uncorking any bottle that you may have acquired earlier in the day. So low and behold, one of our Cabs bit the dust in that restaurant as we raced Sam Hill to the finish line.

Pre-almost couldn’t Ride
We eventually came back to life on Saturday and went out for another 3 course breakfast/bakery adventure and drank another 4-5 coffees each. K was threatening to run 12 miles that day and someone told me once that it was a good idea to pre-ride the course. So later on we managed to get out to the course where I fought what felt like hurricane force winds to get my loop in. I’m not sure if it was just my head that was hurting or if my legs were just burnt out from all of the shopping, but I just couldn’t seem to get the gearing right on my single speed. I ended up choosing a tall gear and we quickly evacuated the wind blown area.

El Camino Cielo “the drive from hell”
In the past, K and I have done some epic 4-5hr XC loops off of both East and West El Camino Cielo. This road winds along the crest of the mountains just behind Santa Barbara. You can see the San Ynez Valley on the East and the ocean and Santa Barbara on the West. Since we were both a little “tired” we decided to drive the East side to write down some mileage markers for our next ride. After a windy 14 mile drive one way, that was very picturesque I must say, we both were feeling a little “green” and we decided to turn back. The good news is that I found all of the trailheads for the big rides we always do. We also ran into a truck load of DH guys as well and it made me want to ride downhill instead of up tomorrow.



Dinner and beer
Later that night, we hooked up with the rest of the team and ate a huge pizza and had a few more beers. The good news is that I’ve been eyeing this little spot just outside of Solvang for a while called Ginovanni’s and the food and beer were great. The bad news is that lead to more dehydration and that was the end of us.

The Race
We’ll, what can I say. By 12:45 PM, I found myself on the start line and someone had to tap me on the shoulder and remind me it was time to race.



After that, all I know is that I spent the next 2hrs chasing John and Todd up and down a bunch of fast, dusty single tracks. Each time around, one of the hill climbs was so steep it made me see stars as I wrenched my bike up it. I think I almost ran into a cow on the backside.



And I lost track of how many times I kept reaching with my “thumb” for a non-existent rear derailleur gear change. In the end I somehow finished 3rd Single Speed overall. All I have to say is that the single speed is a very unforgiving machine when you are “tired”.

Regardless, weekends like this are refreshing for the mind and soul, and I highly recommend to try it sometime. For us, it will probably be about a year’s time until the next one.

Lessons learned in Solvang.
AL and K

Here's a few team shots...

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#10

This was a totally awesome year at Sea Otter.

What can I say?

The weather was great.
The food was great.
And best of all, the beer was icy cold the whole time!

This year a good part of the team made it up for the event and there were a few new comers as well. Here's a quick synopsis. [more pics to come…]

Thursday
We headed up Thursday to get there early and get settled in. After we jack-knifed my 30 ft trailer into the tiny spot in Campground A, we had enough daylight left to hammer out one ride on the SuperD course. Kurt and I headed out and blasted down the trail. The course was just graded and was super smooth and fast. After we climbed the steep ass hill back to the campground, we had beer, pizza and a hit the hay.

Friday
We all had our tasks set out for the day. Russell went out and got himself a nice shiny Tracer to cruise around on. Rob and I headed off to the SuperD run and pre-road it one more time. This time we caught a shuttle back (which was super awesome as I've had to peddal back in previous years) and we went back to the camper to chill. Rob “really” chilled and cracked open a cold one. Brave man as he was about launch himself down a hill at 50 mph!

Race #1 - Pro SuperD:
Rob and I thought we'd be brave and enter the Pro class this year. And yes, we were up there with the likes of Carl Decker. At the start of the race, they had us put our heads in the grass, ass in the air, crouched in the reverse direction from our bikes there were about 20 ft away. Our bikes were all lined up upside down away from us. Yes, upside down! When they blew the whistle, we jumped up, spun around, ran over to the bikes, found the right bike, flipped it over, and started running or peddling up the grass. Rob proved that peddling was the ticket.

As luck would have it, I got all tangled with the bike next to me at the start and watched Rob pedal away with the leaders! I banged bars again in the next corner and once again at the bottom of the first hill. At that point, just I watched Decker wrench by everyone with his 50+ tooth big ring and walked away with the win. Rob ended up 11th and I was 18th. Man, the course was super fast and slick!

Here's some killer video of Decker chasing Rob down. The video doesn't do the race justice, but check it out.


If you can't view it, go here.

Here's some more video of the start. Lisa Crowe nailed 2nd in the Women's SuperD as well. Hats off girl!





Pre-ride
Later on in the day, with my legs still burning, Kurt and I went out to pre-ride the course. I needed to figure out gearing for my Single Speed. Rob, Russell and Margaret went out to practice the downhill course. Russell was the shuttle guy. The weather was absolutely awesome and we all had a great rides. The XC course was a little sandy in sections but the 29er SS hooked up really well in the slippery conditions. While we were all out spinning two wheels, my wife Katrina was out running two 10 mile loops training for a marathon. Now that's crazy!

Movie Premier
Traditionally we get tickets and hit at least one of the premier's that are featured. This year we went to "The tipping point" that highlighted the 2008 DH World Cup season and the fierce battle to take down Sam Hill. Granted that we were all a little sleepy from a huge dinner and many beers at "B's Brewery", we found the movie a little long and slow. It was still good to get out however. As always, we ended the evening with a bunch of beers back at our place. Rob was our fearless leader in this department.

Saturday
We got up the next morning and had another huge breakfast and then we all went to do our own thing. Katrina and I did a little 10 mile loop out there and once again, the weather was perfect, although it was definitely starting to heat up. After that, we headed down to the vendors. I had one of the guys true my 29er wheel (many thanks!) and we got some new grips for a great price.

We stopped by the Intense trailer and chatted with Neil for a while as well. He was threatening to enter the Pro SS class (my class) the next day, but I think the beers took over as I never saw him on the start line.

Later in the day, we all ended up at the Dual Slalom course to watch Eric Carter duke it out with the big boys. Atherton, Minnar, Hill and Carter all put on a stellar show. Video here. More here...

Sunday
This was the final day of the event. When we woke up it was almost 80 degrees outside and we knew it was going to be a hot one.

Race #2 - XC
Kurt and I saddled up and I did a few runs up the big paved hill to warm up. I made my way to Pro/Cat1 Single Speed line and was greeted by a bunch of pretty sexy cheerleaders (not) at the starting line. They were all making fun of our "lack of gears". The commentator was also reminding us that we were all about to suffer greatly for the next 3 hours. Nice.

We got off to a ripping start, well as ripping as it gets with one gear anyway, and I made my way up to the front slowly and carefully. In the first right-turn however, the leader darted off across the dirt and cut the track. Weaving between all the post and obstacles, we all followed like a bunch of stray animals. "That was interesting!" one guy said. After that, we hit the dirt and it was "go time". We were hauling through the single track and ripping up ever hill.

When we finished the first lap and hit the pavement, I put made my way up to 4th or 5th position. I love fast descents and believe it or not, I managed get that Single Speed up to 45 mph on the first set of dirt hills on the course - if you raced it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.




After that, we were all just in survival mode. Single Speed racing becomes very painful in the last hour of a 3hr race. The last 3 miles of the race were absolutely brutal in the heat and all, and I let a few guys slip by. In the end, I got it done in 2:58 and I hung on for a 9th place finish.

The great thing about Sea Other is that "there's always next year"!

On the way back, we found out that Margaret nailed the Women’s Cat1 DH win! That’s totally awesome as it’s her first year racing. How cool is that!

Congrats to the whole Don's team. You can see how everyone finshed here.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down!
AL

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#9

I once heard about this epic event called "Vision Quest" that was put on by the Warrior's Society in Orange County.
I've never ridden this area before but my "friends" said it was long, hard, but an epic ride through the Cleveland National Forest, and I had to do it (Doug Andrews, 2008 - GeoLadders). Since I'm always up for a gold old "long, hard ride", I signed up and managed to convince two others on the Don's team to sign up as well.

What's this race all about?

Before getting into details of the race itself, here's a few things that set this race apart from the others:

1. The race is actually called a "ride", although I didn't see anyone "riding" where I was!

2. It starts at 5:30 AM! That means you're up at 4:00 AM at the latest.

3. You need lights on your bike for first 30 minutes or you risk taking a trip over the bars (which I actually saw a few people do).

4. Although I'm from Canada, it's was damn cold (~35-40 degrees)! You want to dress warm, but you know you are going to die on climbs...

5. There's 350 people at the starting line, including top riders from the state like Manny Prado.

6. The course is 56+ miles and 11,000+ ft of climbing. A little longer that the average race.

7. The race sold out in less that 8hrs!

8. Everyone is totally chilled out and super friendly.



What actually happens in a race like this?

I won't get into a ton of details here, but here's a few notes from the race.

Start: I pushed really hard at the start and got into the top 5. I ended up riding/dicing with these guys for the first couple of hours and bounced around between 4th and 9th the whole race. These pics tell it all. These guys were totally cool to ride with as we swapped positions on the climbs and the super fast, technical descents. I'd never ridden the course before, so they warned me about sections coming up that were dangerous and so on. Thanks guys!

Nutrition: This was the most important part of the whole event. Being a long distance guy, I've been working on nutrition for a long time and I just started using Infinit Nutrition. I've done a few 12hr solos with it and I really think this saved me. I didn't eat anything or take any gels for the whole race. I just used the drink mix. Fortunately, my plan to carry a bottle on the bike and a very small hydration pack on my back worked out perfectly. And thanks to organizers, I was able to send my nutrition bottles to Aid station 2 and this worked out perfectly. No cramping the whole time! Man, I was stoked.

Bike: My Spider FRO worked perfect the whole time as well. No issues at all. Weighing in at about 190 lbs, I honestly can't believe how hard I road that thing down those nasty single tracks and it actually stayed together. I'm impressed.

Tires: At the last minute I decided to run the heavier System 2 Tubeless tires on my Intense which proved to be the right decision. I think almost every guy ahead of me flatted at least once and I road the whole time without one flat. Maybe luck, I don't know, but I always use those System 2's for long hauls and they never flat!

Course: I think Kurt sums up the details of the course (and what one goes through) really well, but all I know is that the climbs were relentless and it took every ounce of motocross skill that I have to keep my bike on two wheels on the nasty descents. It was a little nutty to be blasting down those trails never seeing them before...

Hike-a-bike: This was the only part of the course that I wish I would have pre-road. At mile 40 we were faced with about a 1000 ft rocky single track ascent. If I was fresh, I think could have cleared 75% of it. Given that I could bare see straight at this time, I was walking 50ft and riding 50ft where possible. I came up on people and we basically walked together. I ended up getting passed by one guy who could just "walk" uphill faster than I.

Finish: After the hike-a-bike section, the last single track was amazing. Super fast, technical, but right up my alley. I basically let it all hang out the last 10 miles to the finish.

In the end, it took me about 6hrs and I ended up placing 10th overall (out of 175). I'm pretty happy for my first attempt.

Also, congratulations to Kurt and Lisa for finishing this epic adventure as well. They did awesome placing 28th and 3rd women respectively.

Anyhow, if you are ever looking for a "war against the mountains", get out there and try this race. And if you are a real warrior, you'll earn your feather.

And just remember, as the description says, it's just a "ride".

AL

Just one last point: As I was suiting up at the starting line at 5:00 AM, this guy (Jeff) came up to me and asked if I had another set of shoes with SPDs. I don't know why, but I always bring two sets to every race, so I lent him my spare set. Problem was, they were size 12 and he was 9! I don't know how he did it, but when I finished the race, I got back to the truck and found this note:

"Thank you so much! The shoes totally save me. This would have been very difficult in tennis shoes. I really appreciated it!"

I'm just glad I could help out. It might be me one of these days...

Comments (4)

#8

The US Cup West race series got off to a great start this weekend at Bonelli Park. The event was very successful with hundreds of riders showing up from all over to take a crack at a win. There were also a number of small bonuses that seemed to set this race series apart from the others. If you missed it, you gotta get out to the next one!

Venue
Bonelli is always a great place for a race with a nice clean park, lots of greenery and close parking for the riders. The Shoair presence was huge; red and black jerseys everywhere and a huge support rig on top of that. Pretty impressive.

What's new?
It definitely felt like this series had a few new bells and whistles. The main change was the new UCI-based race categories. I know there was lots of indecision amongst the riders as to what class to sign up in, but it all seemed to work out fine. I also know a number of riders that elected to move up a category - which I think is great for the sport as it keeps things competitive.

So-long Semi-pro
The biggest change was the elimination of the Semi-Pro field (my old class). The Pro field was huge! This resulted in some interesting battles for some and an eye-opener for others. I'll let the results (coming soon) tell this story... The last thing that I thought was cool was the addition of a "fun ride" that was lead by Ty Katy. This was just a little segue way between the XC and the SD race that broke things up a little.

Free Food
This was one of my favorite parts of the event. Since I was one of the first 500 riders to sign up for the event, they gave us tickets for a free In-And-Out burger after the race. Man, after race, it had to be one of the best burgers I've ever tasted! Thanks guys.

The course
This year, the course didn't go up and back around the lake but went straight up into the hills from the park. The course also crossed back through the main park area a few times so this made it more spectator friendly. It was definitely more of a road rider's course as it was most composed of fairly long fireroad climbs with some singletrack connectors. The downhills were a little choppy however with just enough rocks to keep you on your toes. Only being out on the hardtail 29er a few rides, I really missed my rear Spider and definitely gave up some time on the downhills! All in all, it was pretty fun.

The Race - Please stay off the course!
As for the race itself, well, the weather was sunny and hot (as it usually is in California) and it was pretty much a perfect day for the event. It was my second attempt at racing the 29er Single Speed and I managed to take the Pro SS win. I won't get into any details about my race, but I will mention one thing:

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND SPECTATORS - PLEASE STAY OFF THE COURSE AT THE FINISH LINE!

As I was sprinting to the finish line, a photographer jumped out in front of me (not even looking at the on-coming traffic) and continued to veer into my line. I was going so fast that I couldn't steer away and we ended up colliding at full speed. I went flying over the bars and landed on the pavement. I honestly don't remember much more than that, but I picked myself up, shouted a few things (sorry dude, I don't think they were very nice) and limped to the finish.

Thankfully neither of us were really hurt and we both walked away. I have to say however, he took the worst of it because when we met up afterwards and apologized to each other, I noticed he was cut up and bleeding pretty bad (arm, leg, shin...) and was in much worse shape that I was! So spectators/photographers, please be aware of racers in the finish area. By that time in the race, we can barely see straight.

A call to Single Speeders!
We really need to grow the Pro Single Speed class in this series! I just moved up from the semi-pro field and I wanted to try something different, so this was my choice. In the winter I built SS for training and ended up loving it. I know there's a ton of other guys like me out there, so I just wanted to encourage you to get out there sign up for this class. Some of you Cat 1 guys are damn fast as well, so you might want to think about an upgrade. I don’t particularly like winning the class when there’s only two in the category! Just something to think about.

After moving up from Semi-pro, and even though I've only done two races, I have to say that the Pro SS class is a ton of fun. But this class is in jepordy unless we can continue to grow it - quickly.

Feel free to leave comments!

Cheers,
AL

PS - Josh, I hope you have a speedy recovery! See you next time...

www.donsbikesraceteam.com

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#7

There's obviously a little trickery here, but keep your eyes peeled for this ride out on the SoCal circuit this year!

Specs
<20 lbs
VPP technology
Custom metalic factory paint

AL

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#6

On Saturday Jan 31, Intense Cycles and Don's Bikes of Rialto hosted the Intense Demo Day (Jan 31) at Hulda Crooks Park, Loma Linda. The Don's Bikes Team came out as well to show folks around and to catch some video.

The Day
The Intense Cycles guys showed up a little before 8:00 AM and unloaded a bunch of Tracers, Spider 29s, Spider Fros and Spider 2s. At first they thought they brought way too many bikes, but by 8:30 AM a pretty long line was forming at the truck. The Tracers were the first ones to go. Folks came as far as Fullerton and LA county to test ride the new bikes. Rob helped the Intense guys size bikes and wrench pedals. By 9:00 AM, almost all of the bikes were out and we hit the trail.

The Ride
On the first ride we took Gerry's dad out on on a pretty tame loop. Gerry Sr. used to race NORBA races out in Loma Linda back in the day. How cool is that! I lent him my team race bike and he road it like a rockstar! He told us that it was almost twice as light as his old race bike. Hats off to the man! After the Jedi we took off down Jackrabbit and climbed back up to the top. As you'll notice, I had a hell of a time keeping up with the boys on my fully rigid, SS 29er. I'm not making any excuses, but I was really missing my VPP!

On the second ride we went up Reth trail. This is an awesome single track with lots of switchbacks and a few cliffs. New guy was tearing it up pretty good while I was just hanging back laughing at his socks (see video). After that we hit the Return of the Jedi, climbed up, and headed across the ridges. What good ride!

When we got back, we wrapped everything up and headed back to the jumps where Rob and Andrew tore it up. Good job boys.


Be sure to watch the video in high quality!

On the trail I tried to get as many shots as I could of everyone, but I apologize in advance if I missed you!

All and all I think it was a great day. A ton of people came out and I saw a lot of smiling faces on nice shiny Tracers. Man, I didn't even get a chance to try one!

If you haven't had a chance to ride Loma Linda before, then you'll be surprised to see what the area has to offer. It has everything including steep hill climbs, single tracks, jumps, fast windy single track and some built up stuff. It's a small area but it's jam-packed with fun riding.

Thanks everyone for coming out and special thanks to Don's for providing pizza and beverages.

If you've never been out to one of these events, be sure to check one out sometime. Just be sure to show up early so you can get the bike you want!

Cheers,
AL

www.donsbikesraceteam.com

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