CCCX XC # 7 - Mike Urbina

While Rafael, Matt, and Allan were sweating it out at Lake Sonoma, I was representing at CCCX.

The race was at Fort Ord but the course was completely different this time. Instead of going left at the end of the long start straight, we went to the right, onto some trails that were not used the last time.



I talked to Jim, the series leader in our group, as we were warming up and he said the course only had about 400 feet of climbing but was "diabolical". More on that later.

I told him I was surprised that he wasn't racing expert today since he had already locked up the series in the sport class. He explained that he'd qualified for the nationals (by virtue of his 2nd place finish at Sea Otter) and if he raced expert he would disqualify himself. Understandable.

I lined up on the second row but somehow got pushed back to mid-pack by the time we rolled up to the line. No worries- the long, paved start affords plenty of passing room before we funnel into the single track.

Off the start, I went to the front after about 200 yards. I was feelin' it, so I went. Just before the single track I heard someone coming up on my left, hammering, out of the saddle. I didn't even look back, I knew who it was. So I latch onto Jim's wheel as we enter the single track. As we hit the first climb, another rider passes me and I take an alternate line that turns out to be not so good. At the top of said climb we are frieght training wheel to wheel and actually banging bars to get to the next single track downhill section first. This was a RACE! As we hit the DH I wish I'd gotten there first; they are going damn fast but I knew I could go a little faster if I was in front. No matter though, we came into a tight little dogleg section with a berm that caught me off guard. I came into it completely sideways (see photos below), almost saved it till I hit the berm and went over the bars. I got up quickly and managed to catch the leaders again at which time I passed them both and started to pull away.

I was surprised this was happening!

I held Jim off for most of the first lap but he came by me about a quarter mile before the start/finish at the end of the lap. At that point I decided I needed to run my own race and let him go. The other guy we were battling kept creeping up behind me, making me work for my position all the way to the finish. I found out later he was in the 19-34 catagory. I don't know how or why but he was with us most of the race- maybe he missed his start or something. It was good though because he pushed me to go harder than I would have had he not been there.

Anyway, I figured Jim was just playing with me on that first lap but when I checked the times after the race, he'd beaten me by exactly one minute. I know that's still an eternity but it's by far the closest I've been able to get to this guy. Usually he has 4-5 minutes over 2nd place; he's a complete animal!

Granted, I don't think he had one of his best days (I heard him telling someone so after the race) but I'll take it. I think the heat, around 85 at race time, was affecting people. I overheard many saying they didn't take enough water.

I could definitely see why Jim said the course would be brutal. Fast course = fast paced race, and that it was. It was fast and actually fairly technical.

I highly recommend make it out to these races, they are awesome!



Stats: 2/14 (45-54 sport) 1:26:05

20.5 miles.

Mike U

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SoNoMas Race Report- Matt Leonard

A couple months back, I was debating on whether or not to do 2 or 3 laps, not knowing the elevation profile of the race. Then the axed the 3 lap option, and I was thinking, "I should just challenge myself and do 2 laps." Reality set in, and I didn't get a chance to ride enough and decided 6000 ft and 33 miles would be plenty.

Saturday morning I picked up my friend Antonio and we hit the road. We arrived around 9, just in time to see the 2 lap nut jobs take off. I was able to give Allan, Rafael, Isaias, and other "who's who" of bay area cycling a little heckling. After registration and getting my stuff ready, Antonio and I quickly found shade by the start/finish. Luckily, our shade tree just happened to be the front of the starting line. At 9:30 am, it was probably already in the 90s. Now, Antonio has always been a fast guy, but I was able to finish a couple minutes ahead of him at the NVDC, which shocked me. But he has been training. "10 seconds to start!" I was already sweating pretty badly, just standing in the shade. I took off at an average pace, knowing I had a long day ahead of me.

We did 2 laps around the S/F area to thin the crowd out, and I was probably mid pack. I passed a few people, but quickly realized, it was not my day. I quickly set aside my pride and ego and accepted the comfort of my granny gear on most climbs. I was sloppy on the descents, and slow on the climbs, not a good combination for race day. At the first long decent, I felt like my brake pads were showing signs of wear, and when we hit the creek crossing, I knew it was time to climb, and I just let 5 people go by before I even got back on my bike. I rolled with a SSer for awhile who was pretty fit, and we hit mile 13, according to my watch, and the EMTs at the aide station said we were half way there. Um, sorry, you were wrong :-( Close, but not quite, I still had 17 miles to go.

I took frequent several minute breaks and suffered both on the climbs and descents. Although, the breeze during the descents was nice. After we hit the Liberty Glen campground (mile 22ish), it was all familiar trails from last years races. Murphy dumped what seemed like buckets full of ice down my back, and shockingly (for several reasons) down the front of my shorts. I reapplied sun screen, and was informed I had 8 miles to go. Now, the thing that killed me mentally during the race is that we drove up the finishing paved climb, which looked like no fun at all. But, after I left the campground, I put it in the middle ring, little cog and slogged up a paved climb and felt surprisingly good, even passing two people. Maybe that final climb won't be so bad after all! After a 1.5 mile paved decent, back on the dirt, mostly single track and I felt great.

I zoomed through some amazing trails, enjoying both shaded tree covered areas, as well as panoramic views of the lake and the neighboring mountain range. One last steep single track climb and I keep passing people. At the top on the road, I see about 10 people stopped drinking water. But they took off before I could make it back to the pavement. I was able to pass 3 of them, encouraging them that we were on the home stretch, maybe a mile of pavement left. Right turn, and up we go. Same thing, middle ring, little cog. It must have been 115 on the pavement, at least it felt that way. Fortunately, the climb was much less challenging than I had initially thought. I struggled to take my gloves off to keep as cool as possible, and kept turning the pedals over. Right turn again, and up some more with welcoming faces shouting words of encouragement. I made my way through a sea of people, eating and drinking beer, and rolled my tired carcass over towards the finish line.

Maybe 4 hours 15 minutes, somewhere in the back of the pack in sport, but, I feel like I put myself through an extreme test of will, and succeeded. Allan and Rafael were lounging around, and I thought they wussed out. But the race organizers called it a day and didn't let anyone go out for a 2nd lap. Antonio ended up winning the expert class with a time of 3:20ish, and seemed surprisingly rested. It took me at least 30 minutes before I could put together complete sentences, enjoy a beer, and eat some food. What a day.

Matt

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Sea Otter Race Report - Allan Sherlock

Sea Otter Classic
Cat 2 Single Speed
2nd place
1:26

The race started late 8:05 instead of 07:35 more time for the fog to clear out

The race started slow and easy, we started spinning like we do and off around the track



I said hey to Mark D, and I made a bee line to the front has people start to spread out as we round the corner on the track, I notice a spinning like mad racer around a 100 yards out so I announce this and then the pace starts to pick up,



I move in to 6th as we start our descent to the dirt, there's a rut on the right turn and two racers bobble I pass, up the little fire road now were heading down hill, pass two more with speed, keeping my momentum I roll through the rutted section of the trail and pass one more

As we make the left turn off the fire road then right turn on to the single track and the race in front of me brake hard and I go by, this trail is fun with no one to slow you down

I am in 2nd and in the flow of the trail come around bend in the trail and there is the first place guy fixing his bike, I am thinking what the just happen, holly $h#% I am in first at the Sea Otter, well the rest is just passing tandems and rolling,

The next thing I know there is some one is talking to me,

Hey is there any other SS in front of you,

No I say, I think he was fixing his bike back there

We climb together for a while pass Charles J from PB, the racer guy moves buy me, and I jump on his wheel and keep his pace, as we head down the first sand pit he bobbles and I go by, the race is pretty much this guy and me trading spots till the trail turns up for any time the he got some time on me, I see no one other than tandems till we get to the fire road home and I can see the guy in first out around fifty yards I catch the first place tandem and ride with them for a while, just at the top of the clime I hear him and then he pass me so jump on his wheel we drop from the fire road down to the bridge crossing and Right turn and then left on to single track and the guy bobbles and I go by I don't let up till I cross the line yells yea Second Place at the Sea Otter.

A

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Napa Valley Dirt Classic Race Report by Matt Leonard

Man, I'm sore! So I've been riding pretty sporadically lately, and never know what to expect until I actually start turning the pedals over. But, overall, I've been feeling better than expected, and set what I felt was a lofty goal of breaking the 1:50 mark this year. The NVDC always is a special race for me, since it was my first ever back in 2005 where I finished with a time of 2:13:38. In 2006 I cut that time down to 1:59:29, and even further in 2007 where I came in at 1:53:51. So it only seemed right that I attempt to best my previous result. (Missed last years race.)

I arrived around 8:00, registered and started making sure I had remembered to pack everything. After getting ready, I made my rounds and said hello to all the usual suspects. As I was double checking everything, I chatted with two nice young ladies who where unloading matching Ventana single speeds, and had matching Ventana kits, talking about Saturdays road race. Later in the day, I spent the majority of the climb with them, and they both turned out to be good company and motored away from me once the trail flattened out enough for them to keep their cadence up.

I lined up with Rafael and a few other friends, much further back than anticipated. In years past, I remembered more starts. Not this year, we were the 6th start and way in back. DOH! We took off, and almost immediately, one of the juniors on the AC team (who dominated at Boggs) decided he saw a nice hole in the pack, and shot sideways across the road, nearly taking about 3 of us out. We warned him in the future he needs to be more aware of his surroundings, and he could have caused a pretty good pile up. But, no harsh words, just "be more careful next time". Anyway, back to racing, sort of. We hit the first little single track, and wind up waiting in line just like at the Sea Otter.

After some fire road catching up, I caught and passed Hillstrom. Then through the wooptydoos, I could see another TWW jersey. Once in the single track, I was trailing Rafael while we were in the Sport conga line. Eventually, we made our way around people who kept bobbling, but Rafael got the worst of it and continued to be forced off the bike and seemed to be directly behind the rider who bobbled. After what seemed like his 2nd or third hang up, I was able to stay on my bike and keep riding and made it by him. I continued to make my way through the pack, and once we hit the decent, I tried to get around people as safely as possible. Then, staring me right in the face, I looked up and realized it was time to climb. My hopes of using my theoretical 2x9 gearing quickly went out the window, and I was in my granny gear in no time. However, other than two hang ups with people bobbling in front of me, I was able to ride the entire climb out, constantly trading places with the Ventana single speed girls.

Once it flattened out, I was still feeling good, and began reeling people in one by one, continually checking number plates for the number 11, indicating Sport Men 19-34. I think during the last half hour, the only person I passed in my category was someone with a serious chain suck issue on the side of the trail. I let a few people get by me near the airport who were not in my category , but I was still moving at a good pace in my big ring. I tried to catch 2 of them, but no such luck. Then, about 100 yards before you pop out on to the grass field, my front wheel slides out and I prepare to go down. Luckily, my WTB Weirwolf said screw you, bit right in and sent me through the turn and kept me going. With a big smile, all I could think of was that its been a long time since I've crashed, and I'm due for one, but not today. I raced my butt off around the track, half a lap behind the same two guys, but always racing the clock.

I had started my watch while waiting at the start line, and when I crossed the finish line, it said about 1hr 55min. I knew that put me close to my goal, but wasn't exaclty sure. Turns out, I came in at 1:49:28, just barely reaching my goal and placing 6th out of maybe 30 or so people. I am really excited with my result, and even feel I deserved some of the crap I got about not racing expert. Although, five minutes behind the leader, in my opinion, doesn't classify me as a sandbagger. Taking a quick look at the expert results, I would have placed 24th out of 28, maybe more if there was another update with the results. All in all, a great day of racing. I just wish I could have stayed to enjoy the weather and have a few frosty beverages. Oh well, thats life I guess.

Matt Leonard
6/27 or more 1:49:28

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