I will be! 
Sagebrush Safari
So is ANYONE going to race tomorrow? With a fresh layer of snow down overnight I'm wondering how many are going to brave those conditions?
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How were the conditions?
race was a pretty big let down for me.
course was changed to a CX/Short Track around the parking lot.
i showed up with a knife at a gun fight. would have been better off with my road bike during the race.
course was changed to a CX/Short Track around the parking lot.
i showed up with a knife at a gun fight. would have been better off with my road bike during the race.
Any snow up there? Around the parking lot..how so? What was the turnout like??whybotherme said:race was a pretty big let down for me.
course was changed to a CX/Short Track around the parking lot.
i showed up with a knife at a gun fight. would have been better off with my road bike during the race.
Between a slight chest cold and weather, I opted out. Looks like Bonelli will be Race #1 for me this year..argh.
Dang. I'm glad I decided to bail and head back home to NorCal and ski powpow in Tahoe
there was snow in the morning. most of the snow in the parking lot had melted by race time (race started 1hr late at noon). the high point on the course probably had 5-6" of snow overnight which would have made for a great adventure for those prepared for it. the race got dumbed down to riding loops around the parking area in the name of safety. 50% asphalt, 50% mud, 1 waist deep icy stream crossing per 4 mile lap, 5 laps. i didn't go ride the course as a warm up, my mistake. if i had i would have switched my tires. every lap i lost time on the asphalt due to having mud/snow ready setup.rydbyk said:Any snow up there? Around the parking lot..how so? What was the turnout like??
Between a slight chest cold and weather, I opted out. Looks like Bonelli will be Race #1 for me this year..argh.
can't wait till people decide that MTB racing is just too dangerous. we can just line up a bunch of trainers in a parking lot and go to town! (rollers are far too dangerous, you could fall over!)
Wasn't it you that stopped to help a rider with a compound fracture at that race course several years ago? How fun would that situation have been in 6" of wet/muddy snow? Sounds like it was just a tough situation for the racers and organizers.whybotherme said:can't wait till people decide that MTB racing is just too dangerous. we can just line up a bunch of trainers in a parking lot and go to town! (rollers are far too dangerous, you could fall over!)
not tough. either hold the race, or postpone reschedule. they did what they could at the last second, agreed. but anyone that had their head on straight saw the writing on the wall a week prior (that is when i set up my mud/snow tires and started prepping)Johnnyboy said:Wasn't it you that stopped to help a rider with a compound fracture at that race course several years ago? How fun would that situation have been in 6" of wet/muddy snow? Sounds like it was just a tough situation for the racers and organizers.
yes i did help a fellow racer with a compound fracture out at sagebrush. thanks, that is a great example of how mountain bike racers can be counted on to help each other out and get through the adventure. speaking of him, i saw him recently, he and his wife are doing great. they did leadville on a tandem together this last year!
When they forcasted up to 6" of snow the night before, the race's fate was sealed for me. You simply can not do that type of racing in the snow. It was not a cross race.whybotherme said:not tough. either hold the race, or postpone reschedule. they did what they could at the last second, agreed. but anyone that had their head on straight saw the writing on the wall a week prior (that is when i set up my mud/snow tires and started prepping)
Any pictures? How many actually showed up?
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turnout was okay i think all things considered. wife posted a ton of pics on facebook.Broke That said:When they forcasted up to 6" of snow the night before, the race's fate was sealed for me. You simply can not do that type of racing in the snow. It was not a cross race.
Any pictures? How many actually showed up?
Thanks for posting. I now feel TOTALLY ok with staying home and getting better for Bonelli.. What took longer...the race OR cleaning your rig after the race??
That Racers and Chasers trailer sure looks pimp!
bike went into the rack untouched. needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt but we didn't get home till late and i was exhausted. brand new bike, one race, completely trashed.rydbyk said:Thanks for posting. I now feel TOTALLY ok with staying home and getting better for Bonelli.. What took longer...the race OR cleaning your rig after the race??
answer: cleaning the bike.
I was wondering how Ben Bostrom lost by almost 2 minutes. After seeing what he could do out at the Mellow Johnnie's 6 hour, I didn't think there was any way he'd lose with that kind of gap. If it wasn't at all a technical course, that may have been a factor (though he is strong on the road as well). Still, I give mad props to Adam Morka for dusting the field. Didn't know who he was until today!
I didn't see Marco at all in the race but my guess is someone strapped a rocket to his butt! :thumbsup: (fastest amateur time of the day)jd1072 said:I was wondering how Ben Bostrom lost by almost 2 minutes. After seeing what he could do out at the Mellow Johnnie's 6 hour, I didn't think there was any way he'd lose with that kind of gap. If it wasn't at all a technical course, that may have been a factor (though he is strong on the road as well). Still, I give mad props to Adam Morka for dusting the field. Didn't know who he was until today!
Ben Bostrom is a decent racer, but when we saw that Adam was there with Emily doing support there is no way anyone else would take the W. There aren't any local pros, and very few national pros that can hang with a real world cup racer. Adam and Emily are awesome people on top of being real deal world cup super stars.
Ah - that explains it! Bostrom is a beast especially considering MTBs aren't his main sport. I didn't know Morka is world cup level - that explains it! Can you tell me about the 2nd through 4th place guys in the Open? Are those local pros? Just curious. If you finished just 9 minutes behind a world cupper, that's not something to be sad about!whybotherme said:I didn't see Marco at all in the race but my guess is someone strapped a rocket to his butt! :thumbsup:
Ben Bostrom is a decent racer, but when we saw that Adam was there with Emily doing support there is no way anyone else would take the W. There aren't any local pros, and very few national pros that can hang with a real world cup racer. Adam and Emily are awesome people on top of being real deal world cup super stars.
The spring XC series in TX got off to a great start this season. 700+ racers came to battle on Sunday (one of the largest in years not counting the Mellow Johnnies races). That said, no world cup level riders came to mix it up... Out here, the XC races are much larger events than the endurance races.
Dana Weber is a very good XC racer for Trek Co-Op. I think he mostly does longer events (he has been top three in races like Vision Quest several times) like marathon and 100 mile distances. He lives here in Socal I think. Interesting that Trek took 1st and 2nd at this race where it seems Specialized is the number one bike manufacturer represented.jd1072 said:Can you tell me about the 2nd through 4th place guys in the Open? Are those local pros?
Vince Lombardi is a very high level XC racer. He lives here in Socal now I think. He won the GT Golden Bike in 2009 and was easily the fastest amateur racer in the US that year. Last year I am pretty sure he was top 5 or so at most races he attended in the Pro category. Rumor has it he is from France and used to race World Cups in Europe (but this is second hand info, i have only said hi in passing and cheered him on at events)
Zach Valdez is a neo-pro that lives pretty close to me. He was on the U23 national squad last year and was at World Championships. He is on the Specialized/Whole Athlete squad. Since this is his first year racing Pro/Elite it will be interesting to watch his development and results, but I am pulling for him big time. He is a great kid and I think he has a bright future racing bikes.
Riding the amount of mud we had to and the fact we had many deep stream crossings, this is what caused a lot of fast guys to slow down. Not many around here get a chance to ride such a course, let alone race it. I saw some pro's as well as many other riders in pain after the race. More so then any other XC race in SoCal I have done. I also saw quite a few red number plated bikes being walked in some of the really muddy sections.
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