Ride Hard, Ride Fast!!!

Back to the grind!  After about a month break with plenty of eating through the Holidays I opted to skip the XC race for the Southridge WS #1.  There to meet me at Fontana Saturday morning were team mates RL, Priscilla, Kim, Tony, Moe, Eric, David and our families.

SUPER D…  With little time spent pedaling in the past month, I decided to stick with Super D.  It’s been almost a year since I raced this discipline so I was very excited to give it another shot.  Making it more interesting was my teammate Moe will be in the same category with me.  Always fun when you have someone you know racing with you.

                                                                  The Moe and I on top of the course.

Around 12:15 Moe and I took the shuttle up to the top of the DH section.  Super D courses changes from race to race so we were anxious to see what was in store for us.  The race was scheduled to start at 12:30 but like everything else for the day, everything was running late.  With the high winds blowing, it was cold and uncomfortable on top of the hill. 

The Course:  With plenty of time until our line-up, I was able to walk and pre-ride some sections of the course.  It appears that the climbing would be at a minimal for today’s race – maybe 15% and the rest will be a descent through a winding singletrack crossing three bridges then onto off camber sections of the DH course.  Then ultimately through the lower rock garden, the wall and finishing of where the DH ends.

The Race:  Lining up, I was positioned behind Moe.  A little friendly bet between friends motivated me to try and run him over… j/k.  As Moe approached the starting point, I tapped his helmet and wished him luck.  I then turned on my helmet cam to record my run.  30 seconds after Moe started, off I went.  This course started off with a mild descent then onto several turns on a singletrack.

I then made a sharp right into the only ascent of the course.  Here was a quick grind to the top.  Along the way up, there were a group of downhillers hiking their bike up for practice.  I yelled from the bottom to make way.  Passing them the climb ended.  I turned right into more singletrack descent which winded towards the bottom.  Several corners were washed out but I was able to navigate through them.  Along the way I pass two bridges.  The third bridge was not visible from our view point at the top of the hill.  It came up suddenly for me.  As I turned into it, I see Moe down at the other side off his bike and another rider slowly approaching the bridge.  Fear of running into the other rider I panicked and veered off the course, into a small bush.  Fortunately I did not crash.  I quickly steered my bike towards the bridge, rolled over and pedaled to gain speed and time for what I just lost.

Making my way down.  Photo by Chris/Sharky.

Onto the off-camber turns then onto the long sprint towards the lower rock garden.  Approaching this section, I catch up to another rider.  I was on his rear tire going into the rocks.  As he gets to the bottleneck point, he goes over the bars in front of me.

             I was right behing this guy. Photo by Eric Foltz.

Blocking the only way, the quickest was to pick up my bike and run around him.  As soon as I did, I got back on my back and sprinted to the finish. 4^th place - A fun run indeed!

In the beginning of January, MtnBikeRiders.com made a trip to the Dainese store (or commonly known as D-Store) in Costa Mesa to watch the DVD premier of PINNED. 

When I arrived at the D-Store, I was brought to the VIP room to meet Art Aguilar of Dianese as well as the cast and crew of BNC Productions.  Perks of being part of the Press While in the back of the D-Store, Art showed me their existing and new line of mountain bike apparel/products.  It was pretty impressive…   

Turn out was great at the D-Store for the DVD premier.  The lounge area was packed as the crowd fixated their eyes on the many flat screens positioned through out the store.  There were many familiar faces from the local races present.  Also with me were RL and Priscilla of MtnBikeRiders.com and our friend David. 

                                 RL with his copy of PINNED

Dainese and BNC crew calling out raffle tickets.

PINNED DVD:  Gravity racing is the focus in this DVD.  If you like going fast, PINNED is for you.  Pure adrenaline from start to finish from various venues throughout the year.  Races from Sea Otter, Anglefire, Southridge in Fontana and many more are featured.  Also local trails in So Cal like Webb Canyon and Telonics are in a few segments.  PINNED is reminiscent of Chain Smoke in the early days of mountain biking videos.  You feel the rush as the riders make their way to the bottom, picking the best line possible. 

After PINNED ended, it was followed by a raffle which had excellent prizes from various sponsors.

                                 RL with his raffle goodies.

                            David winning an Annual Pass for a mt bike park in Colorado.

PINNED DVD is a great addition to your mountain biking videos.  If you don’t have one, let it be your first…  You’ll definitely enjoy.

Purchase the PINNED DVD at a new lower price of $19.95 + s/h at BNC Productions.  Also visit the Dainese online at D Store Online.

I certainly had a blast on my bikes in 2008.  I had many memorable moments since the beginning of the year.

This past weekend was a busy weekend for riding.  Prepping for the 2009 Winter Series has already begun. 

On Saturday we headed to the famous Southridge in
Fontana, CA.  RL Policar and I were geared to ride the downhill course while Priscilla, Jeremy, Ner and Steve headed to the XC course.  

RL and I did two runs.  On the first run we lucked out as Lala from Incycles gave us a lift to the top. This saved us time and energy.  We rode the same course from the last race in November. I was still having issues navigating through the rocks however overall I felt much more confident than last month.  RL on the other hand seems to fly through the course. I’m confident he will do well in the 09 Winter Series.

Second run – we went down behind the water tower down to the singletrack that parallels the paved rode.  On the 2^nd run you’ll see two diggers.  First one RL slipping into a rut and the other is me going over the bars (OTB).  You can’t really tell from the video but basically my front wheel hit a rock and I didn’t have enough momentum.  I got bucked and I bailed out while trying to get my footing running down the hillside.  Fortunately RL’s fall was minor and mine resulted in a tweaked back.  Nothing that IcyHot cant fix.  

We had a good time despite having only two runs. We plan to come back in about a week.  We definitely learned a lot from this day… learned that the people in Fontana practices safe sex however litters.  Apparently there were USED condoms left in different places.

On Sunday – Val, Ner and I headed to Whiting Ranch in Lake Forest, CA.  Both Val and Ner have never ridden this trail before so they were looking forward to it.  While we were getting our gear together, a gentleman drove by and asked if he can tag along since he hasn’t ridden Whiting either; off course we said yes (I believe his name was Mark). After getting ready we all rode to the entrance of Whiting.   There to greet us was a CLOSED sign due to the recent rain.  This was a surprise as it had been four days since the last rain. Whiting Ranch must have received significant amount that many portions of the trail were still wet.

What to do…We were all geared up and no where to ride.  I then suggested that we head to STT / Luge, which was located behind Whiting Ranch.  Reaching our destination, we parked along the Modjeska Rd.  In the video below, our new friend Mark, got stuck on the side of the road while trying to park.  We tried to help him out but to no avail.  He ended up passing on the ride.

Off the three of us we went… up Modjeska Rd to the trailhead.  From here it would be a long 3 mile grind to the Flag.  There were many mountain bikers on the trail that day.  The ride up was refreshing however uneventful.  Reaching the Flag we stopped and rested for a few minutes.

At this point is a split – you can either continue climbing up to Old Camp or descend down the Luge.  We chose to go down the Luge.  Overall the trail was fun. It’s been quite some time since I have ridden here. Val and Ner had a great time as well. Below is a video documenting our ride.

NOTE: do not use the regular star-nut with carbon steerers; it will damage the insides. Use a compression plug which will expand inside the steerer tube.

The HANDLEBARS: Using the same method above, I proceeded to shorten the Torsion bars.  Original length is 800mm.  I decided to take off 3/4” on each end.  After measuring the desired length, I marked the handlebar, clamped on an old set of ODI Lock-on rings for a guide, tightened the screws then cut away.  Final length is 30.25″.

Once I’ve mounted the stem and handlebars to the appropriate position, I installed the red Oury grips.


ODI Lock-on rings as a guide.


Above is the end result.  Not bad ehhh?  Here is where I’m at w/the build.  Almost there…

Frame:                  ZION EBB
Fork:                     SASO Carbon fork
Skewers:               SASO Carbon Levers
Single speed cog:  16t Wheels Mfg SSK-3
Stem:                    B52s 
Handlebars:           KORE Torsion bars
Grips:                    Red OURY Lock-ons
Wheelset:             Sun Ringle laced to XT hubs
Crankset:              Race Face Deus, silver
BB:                      Race Face ISIS spline
Tires:                    Maxxis Larsen TTs 2.1(f)/1.9(r)
Headset:               Woodman Axis SL COMP 
Tubes:                  various brands
Spacers:               Carbon
Misc:                    FSA Compression plug

Current weight: 19.74 lbs

Back on October my fiancé bought me a Zion 660 EBB (eccentric bottom bracket) frame from Jenson
USA for my birthday.  At first, I wasn’t quite sure which route I wanted to build the bike -either Rigid SS, SS w/suspension or a 1×9.  Unsure for awhile, I even thought about returning the frame and save the money for something else.  With several bikes already in my stable, do I really need another one?  Uhhh… YES

Zion EBB frame

All this recent talk about rigid bikes on the MtnBikeRiders.com website I finally decided to go with… a rigid SS build.

I’ve heard both good and bad things about the Zion EBB frame.  However I’ve always been one to take good care of my things, so I don’t foresee having too many problems… at least I hope not.  I am very excited to build this.  The frame is a 4130 double butted chromoloy and comes in at 5.26 lbs.  With many spare parts in my garage, I’m sure I’ll be able to have this completed sooner than later.  It probably won’t be the lightest off the bat, but I’ll be able to ride it a lot sooner.  I’ll make changes along the way or as appropriate.   
EBB-Eccentric Bottom Bracket

Beginning of November I started on the build.  First on the build in the Axis SL headsetfrom WOOdman components.  Following RL’s instructional video on “how to install a headset”, the build in under way.   
frame weighing in at 5.26lbs.

Waiting in the wings are Race Face ISIS BB and Deus crankset.  I also have a Sun Ringle Singletrack wheelset, laced to XT hubs ready to assemble with new Maxxis Larsen TTs (also received for my birthday from MtnBikeRiders.com).

Fast forward to the end of November… I’ve received a significant piece for the build.  From SASO, is a rigid Carbon fork.  The fork has carbon fiber legs/stanchions as well as a carbon steerer tube.  The unit weighs in at 1.64 lbs – WOW!  Unfortunately I didn’t weigh it when I first received it… (1.64lbs includes the Race Crown and un-cut steerer tube). 

Here are the specs from SASO:

* MKM27CD-CS
* Steerer:Carbon fiber
* 26″MTB
* Carbon fiber tube stanchion
* Forged AL6061 dropout/crown
* Weight:700 gm
* Disc brake mount only
* Drop/head:445 mm

Also added / installed are:

* Race Face crankset with ISIS BB
* Maxxis Larsen TTs 2.1(f)/1.9(r) on Sun Ringle Singletrack rims laced onto XT hubs.
* SASO carbon quick release skewers.  Check these bad boys out… titanium axles!
* SSK-3 (singlespeed kit) from Wheels Mfg

Specs from SASO:

QRC-13 Quick Release
Carbon quick release
Titanium axle
R:38 gm, F:31 gm

SSK-3 comes with 9mm chain guides, 6 3mm spacers, 3 shims, 1 16T cog and 1 lockring.  I think for the now the 16T maybe too much for me.  I will certainly give it a try but most likely step down for now.

Project Build specs so far:

Frame:                 ZION EBB
Fork:                    SASO Carbon fork
Skewers:              SASO Carbon levers
Single speed cog:   16t Wheels Mfg SSK-3
Wheelset:             Sun Ringle laced to XT hubs
Crankset:              Race Face Deus, silver
BB:                      Race Face ISIS spline
Tires:                   Maxxis Larsen TTs 2.1(f)/1.9(r)
Headset:               Woodman Axis SL COMP
Tubes:                  various brands
Spacers:                Carbon

Current weight: 18.65 lbs.  The build is more than 50% complete.  At this point I’m debating on which bars/stem combo to use.  Also in the picture you’ll see 7” rotor that will come off.  I’m in the hunt for a new brake set with 6” rotors.   

I can’t wait to finish this bike!  Check back in a few weeks…

This past weekend was a busy one… I raced both XC (Sat) & DH (Sun) at the 17th Annual Southridge Challenge, Fontana, CA.  Saturday was the last leg of the XC portion of the Triple Crown Challenge (TCC).  The 1^st was in Bonelli Park, San Dimas, CA and the 2^nd at Mt. SAC in Walnut, CA (previous posts).  We had a strong showing from our Team in different disciplines of the Fat Tire – XC, SS, Super D and DH.

Saturday: I was faced with 8 other competitors.  Three were familiar faces from the other two segments of the TCC.  Two were my regular nemesis (friends really) from the 2008 racing season.

At the starting line, we were grouped with the Women’s 35+.  At GO, we sprinted on a flat dirt road which quickly turned into an elevated left-handed U-turn.  Here is where I experience the first hold up.  At this turn, series leader Mike D. falls, then a lady from the 35+ group.  Half of the racers that were stuck behind them (including myself) were forced to either dismount or find an alternative route which caused us seconds that counted.  As I made my way past the crash, I sprinted to chase the pack.  From here I would stay behind teammate Kim Finch.  Approaching the first real climb on dirt (where the DH starts), Kim and I pass our friend Val (he looked exhausted).  We passed him then made our way to the winding singletrack.  At the bottom we caught up with our other team mate Priscilla Policar.  We would ride together for a bit, while motivating and encouraging each other.   Passing the smokestack-like structure is another climb.   From the bottom I see Scott V. (a clyde in my class) reaching the top portion of this climb.  From here I broke away from Priscilla and Kim in hopes to catch Scott.  (There is history with Scott and I, as we battled throughout the year.  We took turns placing better than each other at various races.  He is currently one-up on me so I was really motivated to catch him!)

I made my way down another singletrack segment, through the paintball field, then up the final climb… I can see Scott up ahead.  I continued to grind up.  I knew I had to close the distance.  When he reaches the final singletrack descent he’ll open up the gap.  Through the singletrack at the backside of Southridge I tried to go as fast as I can.  Reaching the left-handed drop into the culvert, I see Scott on his way back on the flats.  In front of him was Ner (Val’s brother) with a big smile.   On the flats I big-ringed it back.  From the distance I see Scott and Ner pulling away…man these guys are fast!  Coming around the riverbed/aquaduct area I see Ner but not Scott… uh oh!   I knew we were almost finished and this was not good.  I finally caught up to Ner and passed him but Scott was no where in sight.  I ended up finishing last in my class.  Despite not catching Scott, I was please with my race.  I came in last but my finishing time was better than any of my previous races in Fontana.

Overall I felt good about the race and my performance of the series.  Prior to the awards for the overall results of the TCC, they posted me as 3rd place and totally omitting Mike D. (series leader).  I took the liberty of advising the officials that Mike was not even on the list and should be.  After recalculating the points, Mike was on top and I was bumped down to 4^th.  Bad thing is there is no recognition of 4^th  as they only went three deep for the awards.  Never the less, I was pleased with myself for racing all three races and finishing each one.  I also qualified for an overall award with the SRC club for 2008.

Sunday: Armor time… I’ve ridden on Fontana’s DH course several times but have yet to race on it.  This was the day.  Around 8:30ish, I met up with RL, Priscilla and their kids.  After preparation and seeing the line for practice, it would appear that we will only have time for one practice run.

As I stood on top of the mountain, I have to admit that I was very nervous.  With this many people and not familiar with the course I was intimidated with the pretty much everything.  RL went first on the practice run.  I gave him about 5 seconds they off I went after him.  I tried to stay on his heels as I wanted to follow his lines but as soon as we started winding through the upper rock garden panic set in.  The rock sections were fairly easy but after not seeing which lines to pick I stalled out.  I have to admit I walked several sections but had every intentions of re-doing it.  As I made it down to the bottom, before the lower rock garden, RL was waiting for me.  As I neared his position, off he went and I followed.  I stayed behind him heading into the rock garden then… he was OTB!  All I see was his green bike up in the air.  Fortunately he was ok and got back up, then rode to the bottom.  I followed him shortly after reviewing the lines through this section.  At the same time the course officials were telling everyone to ride through as practice was over.  Darn, that means I’ll only have one run.

From the end of the practice until our start time was a good 1.5 hours.  There was plenty of time to think about the course and the lines to pick.  But for me anxiety was kicking in.  I was nervous, MORE than any of my other DH races that I have entered.  For some reason the “rocks” were really intimidating me and I could not shake it from my head.  Often I found myself pacing or just trying to walk around to stay calm.  This is typically not me.  About an hour prior to our start time we lined up for the shuttle.  RL was first to be taken to the top then I followed shortly.  Reaching the top and seeing RL was a relief.  Still nervous, I made small talk with several other guys that I have seen in previous races.

As my group lined up, I was first on the list.  The group in front of me was a Women’s group.  They will give the last woman (Lala w/Incycle) and I a one minute gap as oppose to the 30 sec between riders.  With many thoughts of the course running through my head, I tried to stay focus.  Donny says “Joe, go on 1”… At 1 I sprinted down to the bottom.  Approaching the upper rock section (where I walked in practice) I put my trust in my bike and maneuvered through the rocks.
                                             Upper rock section.  Picture by Dino Brown

In the end I finish 4^th out of 6.  I was very relieved that I made it to the bottom unscathed.  I know I wasn’t going as fast the others but it was a big weight off my shoulders and a relief mentally just to complete the course. 

I had a great time participating in the Triple Crown Challenge and the DH on Sunday.  I cant say it enough that our Team rocks!  This weekend we had racers in XC, SS, Super D and DH. We podiumed in each category!

What a great way to close out the year!  I did fairly well as a beginner and along the way became part of a great Team (and more so AWESOME friends)

Many thanks to our sponsors – MtnBikeRiders.com, BikeCommuters.com, Evomo, Ergon and Hoss!!!

Below is a video made by RL Policar (Team Manager/racer) of our weekend in Fontana.

This past Sunday I entered the first annual Mongoose Hillbilly Bike Bash held in Vail Lake, CA.  This event was put together by no other than the legend Eric Carter and company.  This was a two-day event - Super D (Saturday) and DH (Sunday) however I only entered DH.

Like all other races that I have entered, the night before I was restless and anxious for what the next day has to offer.  Technically this would be my third DH race.  The first two are from the Keyesville Classicand Sea Otter earlier this year.  This would also be my first race on my Intense SOCOM.  I bought this bike back in July of this year and had very MINIMAL time on it.  Other than this weekend, the only time I rode it was on a weekend ride at Fontana in August.   I was anxious to get to the event early so I can have as many practice runs as possible.  We left the house a little after 7am.  There was light drizzle when we reached Temecula and the temperature was in the low 50s… brrr!

                                 
My Intense SOCOM, Photo by DownHillPhil

The Practice: After suiting up, I took the shuttle up to the starting point. Now I have to mention that the ride up was literally more jarring than our actual ride down (with our bikes).  Though the hard work of the drivers are appreciated, they just need to slow down a bit.  I had a total of three practice runs.  On the first ride up, the driver hi-sides the hill and the kid standing in front of me literally gets tossed up in the air like three feet… Crazy!  On the second trip up, the driver takes a corner and the truck drifts… not a good feeling when you are seeing the hillside…yikes! On my last trip up for practice, the wooden gates (panels) used to keep the riders in, became loose.  First the left side pops off and hangs from the end of the truck; we stopped and he fixes it.  Then up the road he hits another bump and the right sides flies off.  Fortunately no one was injured.  Memorable indeed…

Photo by Kym Hoang

The Course: It winds down to many turns and a few steep rollers.  There is a wallride before you reach the two ladder bridges towards the end and a double (jumps) by the Finish Line.  Conditions - fairly packed in the morning however quickly turned into sand in many corners as riders practiced.  There were several ruts that were significant in size.

On my first practice run, I did several re-dos of the first section and a steep roller.  I did this by walking my bike up the hill.  Not that easy pushing up a 40+ lbs bike.  Unfamiliar with course I took precautionary steps before riding through.  On my last two runs, I rode through the course with out any stops.  I did put my foot down on several turns, but I was fairly confident that I can handle it.  After a practice ended there was a brief lunch break for the drivers then onto shuttling the Pros for the start of the race at 12:30 PM.

Race Time:  My class wasn’t scheduled to start until 2:17 PM.  However at staging while I was chatting with Eric Carter’s mom, they told the racers to better catch the shuttle now; that’s over an hour ahead of my race time.  Not wanting to miss it, I took the shuttle up.  Here is where you test your patience of being last on the list.  As a Beginner, we were set to go last as they start with the Pros, Semi-Pros, Expert, Sport, then… the Beginners.  One good thing about this is all the fast guys are ahead of you, so there is NO pressure of someone passing you. 

Through out the start of the race there were many names that were called out and were no shows (DNS).  Many riders said that the names were there for practice but were not at line-up… maybe they missed the shuttle or maybe they changed their minds.  Finally when our class was called, several names in my class were DNS which left us with only three guys.  My run to the bottom went without a hitch.  On several corners I got semi-stuck in the sand but managed to power through them.  A racer in my class (behind me) caught up and blew past me towards the end of the course.
                                                      Photo by Sharky
                                                                                                                 Photo by Christopher Wood

The Podium: Eric Carter started the awards with Pros, Semi-Pros, on down… As they were calling out the top 5 in the Experts, they discovered that the timing results were wrong which caused them to stop the awards.  By now it was approx 4:45 pm and getting dark.  He was embarrassed and disappointed as this was his inaugural event.  He asked for everyone to return in about 45 minutes or mail-out the trophies which I thought was great.  For me, with only three racers in my class, and one passing me, I took the liberty of conceding to third place.  I had my family in the car and have been out all day, so we were anxious to get home.  Eric gave me my 3^rd place trophy and if by any chance I got 2^nd, we’ll swap the trophies.  Cool guy!

Photo by Kym Hoang

I had a great weekend and looking forward to Fontana in two weeks.  Below is a short video of my race. It’s mainly pictures with short video clips as the course was a little difficult for my fiance to hike-up.

My day started at
5am.  Excited and couldn’t quite sleep, I tossed and turned in bed.  Around this time I received a text message from RL.  Apparently he couldn’t sleep either and was surprised when I returned his text message.  I started getting ready, getting my things together.  Approximately an hour and a half later, I received another text.  This time it was from Val and he says he’s outside my house waiting for me.  I was confused as I thought we were going to meet at 7:30am.  Then it dawned on me that Val forgot to turn his time back one hour… After clarifying the time, Val decided not to wait for me and he headed straight to Mt. SAC where we later met with everyone.  On our way to Mt. SAC it started raining.  Nothing heavy, but steady enough to wet the trails.

After I picked up my pre-registration packet I ran into a fellow clyde.  He informs me that we are now doing 3 LAPS instead of 2 (18 miles instead of 12) – Whaattt??? This was reminiscent to my race at Sea Otter earlier this year where there was a big confusion.

I was game for the 18 miles however I was a little worried that I may cramp up.  At the line up we were joined by other Sport classes and their respective age group.

When we were given the GO, we sprinted on the asphalt for at least 100 yards towards the dirt, then through a narrow right-handed pathway.  At this point is where the bottleneck starts.  Racers from other Sport class tried to maneuver through this section.  As it turned into a straight away, the first climb was upon us.  I decided to stay in the inside lane.  Sprinting from the flats into the climb, I was in a high gear.  With much traffic upon me, I couldn’t switch into a low gear fast enough while trying to avoid running into other riders.  I got off my bike… Ughhh!  As the hill flattened a bit, I mounted my bike then tried to chase the pack.  I was disappointed as I rode through this section on our Pre-Ride.

Reaching the first singletrack didn’t get any better.  Here the riders were lined up back-to-back and appeared like a centipede from a distance.  High-low, high-low (gears that is)… That’s how it felt like as we would stop and go.  The trail was slippery due to the rain earlier in the morning and light sprinkle was still upon us.  Some riders up ahead would either get stuck or hi-side the embankment.  If one person falters, the rest behind him/her will suffer.  My time in this section would seem like an eternity as I waited for riders to make it through. The rest of the race was a chase as I knew I was behind. 

Sometime after I finished my race, I was at the Team Tent hanging out with family and friends.  I can hear on the loud speaker saying something about a protest.  Unbeknownst to me, it was for my class the Clydes.  Apparently there was confusion with the finishing times where some guys were listed higher than others on the results board.  After seeing for myself, the results had me listed at 11^th place out of 12 racers.  Had I heard the announcement clearly, I would have protested.  As I stated above, on my 2^nd lap I passed a group of Clydes, at least four in total.  Their legs were clearly marked with our # 31.  I was disappointed with my placement but even if I protested I doubt if I would have placed. 

I was contemplating whether I should make mention of this incident however this is the second time this has happened to me.  Big or small, these events have to be better organized and refrain from making impromptu decisions that alter what the racers have signed up for.  This causes confusion amongst the racers and takes the fun out of the event.  

This was the first time I was classified as a Sport.  I had to ride more miles, but I definitely had a lot of fun!  Onto Fontana for the last leg of the Triple Crown Challenge.  Below is a video shot and created by RL Policar.  It a collection of different footage of our Team.

My friend Ner and I met RL, Priscilla and Eric at the Mt. SAC parking lot just a little after 7AM this morning. Many parts of the course were not marked yet. Prior to running into the SC Velo guys, we took a stab at the course and rode approx 3 miles until we were diverted back towards the parking lot.

From the parking lot we can see the SC Velo guys marking the trail. We fiddled with our bikes for a bit and installed our new gear from Ergon. After giving the SC Velo guys some time, we headed back to the course. This time around they opened up a singletrack with in the 1^st three miles. Un-groomed, it was very bumpy and a little difficult going through it.

Making our way to the last cut-off (that diverted us back to the car) new signs were up towards another singletrack. This led us towards the back section of “the farm” and Mt. SAC. Reaching the tunnel towards the farm, the gate was closed so we just headed towards the end of the course via last hill, which appears to be the dreaded hill. On the other side would be the final descent.

Enjoy the video, it should capture majority of the course.