Rubber Side Down

Okay, well, things went pretty haywire in race promotion after the registration debacle. The organizer received so many hateful emails and comments about the mishap that it made him wonder if he should even bother putting the race on. I can’t blame him, really. In his shoes I might do the same thing. It sounds like he did huge amounts of work to get the permits to run the race in the first place, and then gets zero support at the first mistake. So, today’s food for thought: even though the grand anonymity of the internet may tempt one to be a jackass, maybe we should consider being kind when we encounter this kind of problem.

As a result, two things are happening: First, registration is NOW starting April 1 at 8pm (let’s hope the date choice isn’t a bad omen). And second, the All-Mountain entries are only those left over after the “qualifying” slots are filled. So now it’s going to be harder than ever for us out-of-staters that have never raced this before. And now you must be expert category and above to even take part in the All-Mountain. It’s kind of an odd setup, because as more and more people quality, it will eventually outstrip the total number of entries. Not sure what they will do then. But hey, it’s Greg’s race. He can do whatever he wants. If people had been nicer to him, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

At any rate, it’s still going to be an awesome event. If you’re still on the fence, all this delay means you have yet another chance to try!

Here’s all the low-down.

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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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I’m ignoring it and fantasizing about mountain bike racing in the summer sun.

While pondering summer’s events, I came across this rad race calendar for the whole nation. Check it out!

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Shore ‘nuf, tomorrow is the State Cyclocross Championships. Should be crazier than a metaphysics conference, especially since it includes one of these:

Rob and I will be out there slaying it. In our minds, at least.

And then Sunday’s event should be interesting, to say the least:

I gotta go race it just to see if it lives up to this overly dramatic video. Show up in your boner pants, everyone.

And lastly, I have not forgotten about mountain biking. Next week I’m headed off to Albuquerque to visit friends, family and the ‘Querq’s trail system. Check back here if you’re curious about the riding down there. I’ll have the laptop along.

p.s. — I just now noticed that Sunday’s racers get free burritos and Mix1. Giggity!

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I know it’s barely December, but I’m stoked to see that the Mountain States Cup has already released their schedule for next summer.

2010 Mountain States Cup Series Schedule

This is a good selection of races, and I’m especially stoked to see that Keystone is back. Their Super D is totally rad. Speaking of Super D, I’ve got a new plan for next year’s racing: Drive to all these awesome locations and just race the Super D. Then spend the rest of the weekend riding for fun. If that’s not a recipe for a good time, I don’t know what is.

On a side note, the US National Championships are still at Sol Vista this year. The website I’ve linked to isn’t updated yet, but I assume it will be in due time. I’d really like to make it this round.

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Also known variously as Riding Around With a Number On, Embarrassing Yourself for Forty Minutes, and Showing Off Parts of Yourself In a Skinsuit That No One Should See.

However, if you’re feeling good and the course is fun, who cares what other people think. Thus were the circumstances at the Schoolyard Cross, held Saturday at Alexander Dawson School.

The course was bumpier than a teenager’s face, but I still thought it was a great time. It also suffered from Bank Teller Syndrome, with many nonsensical 180-degree turns, but hey, who doesn’t need to work on their cornering?

Of course, all this was overshadowed by the mud pit, which was created not by mother nature but by my friend Boups and a few Dawson students with a garden hose.

While it’s true that bike racers can be a whiny bunch, I had to agree with people who were a bit exasperated by this. Everyone had spent hours cleaning their bikes after the Blue Sky Velo Cup, which was the real deal where mud was concerned. To end up with the same chore the very next weekend — when all this grit does real damage to equipment — for the sake of a fake mud pit felt lame.

That said, the slop was easy enough to ride so long as you weren’t throwing elbows in a group, and I can handle the job of bike washing without much complaint. I’m a mountain biker, after all.

Aside from that, the course held some other cool bits: a funky rise up a contour trail before hitting a steep barrier run-up; a great view of the mountains while approaching said run-up; a couple of more slalom-style turns; and a short climb that for some reason was great to charge up. (I can’t believe I just said that. I hate climbing.) There was also a longer, way bumpier hill that was utterly taxing, and of course it was located in direct line of sight of almost every spectator. And finished with a set of barriers. I don’t think I need to say any more.

But I felt pretty decent, which is always a pleasant surprise, and after each grind up that hill I was able to recover and start charging again.

This must be a sign of – gasp! – fitness coming on, at least on some feeble level. Sweet.

After making some decent passes and not getting passed by anyone else, I squeeked onto the finishing straight right before the start of the men’s 4s.

But contrary to how this might look, I was not last. I was 13th out of 21, which is certainly a sign of improvement on my part.

Huge thanks to Rob for shooting these photos (his first attempt with my neck-breaking DSLR), carrying my spare wheels on his back while we rode to the racecourse, and just being rad.

You can see some more photos of the race here.

Next week’s racing brings us back to Xilinx, hopefully in drier conditions, for the next Boulder Racing event. Get there!

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It’s hard to make anyone outside the cycling community understand the addictive nature of this formerly uber-niche sport, which is now gaining popularity faster than the cheerleader who’s putting out.

Check out the race last weekend at Valmont Bike Park’s groundbreaking:

It’s safe to say that once this park is done, I won’t be getting any more questions like, “Is this a real sport? Why are these weird people running around carrying around their bikes?”

In spite of this, I make an effort not to take cyclocross too seriously. Although I have a rad bike this year, I don’t really train. I ride whenever I can, practice a remount or two, and call it good. Once that’s done, I like to just show up at races, ride hard, and have a good time.

Unsurprisingly, you’ll see that my results reflect this. I get my ass handed to me on a regular basis; I’m surprised I can do anything other than hold onto my own butt cheeks. Which, to be perfectly honest, is not as fun as it sounds. But I’m not too concerned. I’m there to hang out with my teammates; ride corners and and sand pits better than the roadies; heckle other racers and eat bratwurst. Not necessarily in that order, although it’s always good policy to leave the brats for the end.

And every week, I watch the pros and get inspired. Damn, those guys make it look downright graceful, as they dismount, float the barriers and glide back onto their bikes, like a flamenco dancer whirling his partner back into his arms after a dramatic flourish at arm’s length. Occasionally, the partner trips in her high heels or he drops her, but their saves under pressure are equally amazing.

It makes me want to do better, and I indulge in glowing, slo-mo daydreams of skimming over the barriers in efficient, athletic style. But then I remember that the barriers come up to my knees and I run slower than Rush Limbaugh escaping a burning Twinkie factory — and my fantasy comes to a predictable, record-scratching halt.

But oh well. It’s more fun than a person should really have while breathing too hard. Come check it out.

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Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.

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Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.

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