Rubber Side Down

I tried to register for Downieville last night, and got totally hung up on some “passcode” that Active.com was asking for. No explanation on either website, and people were seriously freaking out on the comments page for Active.

I called my Nationals-winning Super D pal, who magically knew the passcode, and thought I was in like flynn. Yes!

Well, turns out the whole passcode thing was a screw-up, and the slate has been wiped clean. This means everyone has to register all over again on Feb. 26th at 8:00 p.m. So for those of you who missed out, you can consider this your salvation. Get some.

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Come one, come all, to the land of deep tans, convertibles, and fake breasts — and that’s just the men! — where everyone’s rich but the state is broke. You guessed it: California. (Speaking of which, did you see this craziness??)

Tucked away in the woods, far away from the posturing of Venice Beach and the poetry slams of San Francisco, is Downieville. And in this little town is a bike race unlike any other: The All-Mountain Race. Take the single bike of your choice, and use it to slay your competitors on both the cross-country and the Super D. A unique test of fitness, downhill skills and bike selection, this is an event no dirt lover should miss.

Why am I telling you about this right now? Because registration opens tomorrow night at 8pm, and the slots fill up faster than the seats at an Apple product launch. If you want to be a part of this radness, be poised with your finger on the button at 8:00:01. GO!!

(Be forewarned, there’s some bad language in this video on the part of spectators. Keep the kiddies away.)

Here is all the information you’ll need.

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This will come as a surprise to some of you, but I’m actually riding base miles this year. Due to back pain and/or my general indifference to road riding, I haven’t trained properly in about three years. So it’s high time I started getting some aerobic fitness happening. And as a result, I have no wacky adventures to report. But I know these boring-but-consistent efforts will pay off when I’m able to actually keep up with my friends on group rides. Crazy idea, I know.

And if the training goes well, I might find myself on some cross-country start lines this summer. I had previously decided it was Super D all the way, but hell, there’s an awful lot of singletrack out there calling my name, so I’m sure things like this will lure me in:

Fun festival atmosphere, great trails, and other cool sports to watch when the racing’s over.

Here’s their website you can go to for this year’s info.

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