Last October weekend in Moab - Moab Ho Down

We were both really excited to be heading back over to Moab again for the Halloween weekend after hearing that they would be doing a Life Cycles Premier on Friday night and having the DH race again on Sunday.

The Ho Down is put on by Chili Pepper Bike Shop and is in it's 5th year. Tracy and Ryan at Chili have done a great job building up the grassroots event and added a film festival to the agenda for this year.

We both took Friday off so that we wouldn't have to rush out there to see the movie and managed to get a couple of DH runs in on the race course before the sun went down. The DH race starts at the lazy man's porcupine drop point and comes down the Classic Porcupine climb ending at the Water Tanks exit. The Super D race starts at the LPS grate and comes down the same finish.

The movie night was started with the winner of the amateur submissions. It as a short film of a local we know well from the race season - Aaron Brags - riding the Portal trail like I didn't even know was possible. Really well filmed and made me want to push my DH bike up portal to try and ride it racer style somewhat like Aaron did.

The main even was Life Cycles. The film was a mix of amazing bike sequences in the same sort of presentation as The Collective but it was short with a lot of other sequences of the style of Earth. The combination was spectacular! We will be buying this on blu-ray once it is available. Awesome bike porn!

Saturday we decided to do a pay shuttle of Porcupine in the morning and self shuttles of the DH track in the afternoon.

Amber amped and dressed to play for the day while we wait for the shuttles to arrive. Unfortunately shuttles were not dropping for Hazard or Kokopelli because of the snow and mud from recent storms and instead dropped us at the bottom of the Kokopelli trail which meant a climb up to UPS. I was surprised at this drop as I would have just avoided the climb and come in from above LPS had we known.

Amber in a section of LPS. We really didn't get any photos worth much as we were having to much fun just riding bikes. Amber started slow but by the time we were in LPS was a pedaling monster all the way across LPS and the Porcupine Rim as well. Great weather and great trail conditions all the way.

One of the gullies in the bottom of Porcupine.

After some lunch we headed back out and did a bunch of self shuttles on the DH track. We were both unsure as to which bike (Mojo or 951) to race with as the DH track has some flat sections with a lot of pedaling. I found that for me my DH bike was faster as the big 38 tooth front ring was much better than the 24 tooth ring I have on my Mojo so that even though it was easier to pedal on my Mojo I could nail the DH obstacles faster and better on my 951. Amber however found that her Mojo was a better choice for her than hauling the big bike around. I managed to pinch flat my last practice run on my Mojo as I decided to go the big bike while Amber went the trail bike.

A really awesome day of riding bikes

On Sunday we had hoped to get some practice runs in but we got moving later than we would have like and missed our chance as the Super D race was seemingly going to be starting early. We took the dogs up the trail for a while before coming back down and getting our race kits on.

The race was great fun! and we will race it again next year for sure. Amber got 1st place in a small pro-women field even with a mechanical. She dropped her chain high up on the course and had to stop, get of the bike and re-set it so she could pedal. In the rush of it she put it back in place on the granny front cog and left it there for the rest of her race run. I was really happy with my 3rd place in Sport Men and we both got prizes at the end of the day. (Amber's were pretty awesome swag, mine was an excellent beer glass).

Results: http://news.chilebikes.com/
Mountain Flyer article: http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/moab-ho-down.html

After a really fun weekend we made the journey home to arrive at about 11.30pm in time for Amber to submit an assignment for her masters that was due at midnight. Full and fruitful days and nights are the only way to live!

Sept 29th - Sol Vista Closing

Really out of date on keeping the Blog up to date. We lost our Camera for quite a while there so our weekends were without photo's.

This was the close for Sol Vista and it was very fun times seeing many of the people we raced with over the Summer. We took it easy just doing runs down things we had done plenty of times before. I had picked up a DMC moto trainer so I was getting some base times to be able to compare to next year. Sadly I was lazy with updating the blog so I have already forgotten them.

Anyway, a great way to wrap the Downhill Season.

August 28-31- Sol Vista MSC G3

So this is the final race for the Mountain States Cup for 2008 and it was over a long weekend at Sol Vista. The format was G3 again where we would do three different races on each day and overall standings were determined by cumulative time over the three stages. You also got to podium on each individual stage of the event.

Amber and I both took Thursday off from work to get another practice day in. We both had a fun day of it, but unfortunately Amber blew out the rear shock on her bike and it was out of action for the weekend. Sol Vista has a great range of demo/rental bikes from a bunch of manufacturers, sadly though they only had one bike in Amber's size which was a Trek Session 10. Amber never really got to like that bike as it is more a Free-Ride oriented bike that also downhill's than a pure DH bike and it rode very differently than her 2004 V-10.

Day 1 was down Cheez-It to Ashy Larry ending down the main track over the little road gap and into the moto whoop section at the bottom of the mountain. I don't think I rode my race very well at all having a lot of problems with the steep rocky section at the top of Cheez-It but I still managed 5th place which I was happy with (and somewhat surprised at). Amber crashed pretty badly in her race run going over the bars and badly bruising various parts of her body in the process. She was on a good run and still managed 3rd place for the stage.

Womens Beginner (top 5)

1	Katy Monger	4:26.49
2	Jamie Edgecomb	4:31.05
3	Amber Price	4:42.91
4	Jill Behlen	4:43.93
5	Kristin Buell	5:04.27

Mens Sport 40+ (top 5)

1	Jack Serra Jr	4:01.48
2	Michael Monsauret	4:09.73
3	Steve King	4:11.44
4	Michael Lees	4:15.47
5	Sean Smith	4:21.46

Day 2 was Silk Johnson. The pro categories were all "required" to run chainless, however the other categories got to decide amongst themselves whether to run chainless or not. Sadly that meant that Amber's category was mostly not chainless as not of all of the girls wanted to run without a chain. The peer pressure built in the later groups and pretty soon all categories ran chainless which was an absolute blast. I was pretty happy with my run, I messed up in a few of the dusty corners in the middle section but had a pretty good run and got 3rd for the stage.

Beginner Women (top 5)

1	Jill Behlen	5:19.39
2	Sarah Rawley	5:24.36
3	Katy Monger	5:25.52
4	Amber Price	5:30.71
5	Kristin Buell	5:37.02

Sport Men 40+ (top 5)

1	Jack Serra Jr	4:57.81
2	Michael Monsauret	5:07.83
3	Sean Smith	5:08.00
4	Michael Lees	5:08.22
5	Steve King	5:15.34

Stage 3 was Buck Nasty. The final stage was down a new trail section call Buck Nasty that had a pretty nasty new steep rock section that the trail builders built by dragging in rocks from nearby. The rest of the trail was not as technical and was a lot of fun to ride. Amber rode the rock garden well but was still having a hard time on the Trek. I rode poorly and opted for the ride around on the rock garden. I rode the rest well but was pretty certain I was on a terrible time so I didn't push it in for the road gap or the whoops section. I guess I was actually on a good time coming out of the final trees and had I pushed it at the end as well could have easily made the podium. As it ended I placed 6th and Amber placed 4th for the stage.

Beginner Women (top 5)

1	Katy Monger	3:34.97
2	Jamie Edgecomb	3:43.15
3	Danielle Shewmake	3:49.89
4	Amber Price	3:54.54
5	Kristin Buell	3:56.55

Sport Men 40+ (top 6)

1	Michael Monsauret	3:00.26
2	Jack Serra Jr	3:08.14
3	Michael Lees	3:15.97
4	Steve King	3:16.84
5	Mike Haley	3:23.12
6	Sean Smith	3:24.30

Another great race weekend that was also the wrap up for the season. These were our overall standings for the weekend.

Beginner Women (top 5)

1	Katy Monger	13:26.98
2	Jamie Edgecomb	14:01.95
3	Amber Price	14:08.16
4	Kristin Buell	14:37.84
5	Danielle Shewmake	14:44.15

Sport Men 40+ (top 5)

1	Jack Serra Jr	12:07.43
2	Michael Monsauret	12:17.82
3	Michael Lees	12:39.66
4	Steve King	12:43.62
5	Sean Smith	12:53.76

Amber also placed 4th place overall for the season which was great since she didn't race Angel Fire or SnoMass and did race any of the Mountain Cross.

We finished the season really motivated for next year!

some vast action photos

Some action shots from the recent races taken by the guys at vastaction.com


Crested Butte Wild Flower Rush - Amber


Sol Vista Sol Survivor - Amber


Sno Mass G3 - Amber

August 10th - MSC Race, Snomass G3 - Race Day

Sunday was the last race day and during the night things looked promising as the stars were out and the sky was clear.

However we woke to heavy cloud and some light rain. Amber and I both did a practice run and conditions were pretty decent with the track surface being not too wet and traction was not too bad.

For this race the organizers went back to the normal order of things and the Beginners would be first to race. Unfortunately weather was deteriorating quickly and light rain started before the first racers left.

Amber had a tough run down on the upper part of the course coming off her bike many times. In one of the crashes she broke her gear shifter and because she wasn't sure of the damage and didn't want to risk a jammed chain she opted to run the rest of the course without pedaling. She ended up very happy with her run despite the problems simply because she rode the Waterfall section cleanly and picked up good time in the bottom technical sections.

However she lost a lot of time to Kristin who had placed second behind her in the Super-D on Saturday. Amber had started the day with a 1:10 advantage over Kristin and because the overall standings were not handy it wasn't clear how the overall standings were after the final DH race for Amber's class. It turned out she did enough to hang on and she got 2nd place for the DH race and won the overall by 5 seconds. Her riding the waterfall section instead of crashing or walking it was very likely the difference that let her hang on for the win!

By the time I started my race run conditions were totally crap. It had been raining non-stop and was raining for our race. I managed to pass the two guys who started ahead of me in the upper section but once I was in the tree sections I was pretty much just tripoding my way down the course constantly keeping one foot on the ground. I walked both of the technical sections and was just happy to get to the bottom in one piece! I did enough to comfortably hold onto 3rd place for the final race and for the overall standings. The guy behind me in 4th place entering the race crashed badly in the waterfall section and broke his nose, dislocated his shoulder and tweaked his knee.

It was just an absolutely epic day of racing and was great fun. It was exciting watching the times improve despite the terrible conditions as the experts, semi-pro and finally pro racers came down.

The winner on the day was Aaron Gwinn, he was on an great run but slipped out on a slippery bridge within sight of the finishing line. He was fully off the course and had to push his bike over the finish line - and he still won by 6 seconds. It was crazy to watch! He had placed 10th earlier in the year at his first ever world cup race in similar muddy, crappy conditions so it would seem that he is going to be a guy to watch in the future!










Amber's DH#2 Podium


Sean's DH#2 Podium


Amber's overall Podium!

Snowmass G3 Overall - Beginner/Jr Women:
1. Amber Price 27:19.1
2. Kristin Buell 27:24.8
3. Brittany Engleking 34:07.7
4. Katy Monger 34:41.6
5. Lana Lawson 35:25.0


Sean's overall podium.

Snowmass G3 Overall - Sport Men 40+:
1. Michael Monsauret 20:30.6
2. Blake Nelson 23:30.6
3. Sean Smith 25:34.0
4. Scott Branney 32:54.3
5. Tom Stevens 35:03.2

August 9th - MSC Race, Snomass G3 - Race Day

Saturday we had two races, the first was the fast DH track and then in the afternoon we would do the Super-D. We woke up early and got ourselves some coffee and a good breakfast. We had found that at Sol Vista if we were ready a good hour before riding started we both did much better in our race run.

We both took a single practice run on the DH course and then relaxed before the race. Because of the moisture on the mountain the course organizers broken with tradition and sent the races down in reverse normal order. Generally pro racers start last and the beginners go first so by the time I raced (in Sport 40+) the course was in good condition and for Amber it was nearly perfect.

I was very happy with my Race run and felt like I went pretty much as fast as I could for my current skill-set and I placed 3rd and was about 7 seconds back from 2nd place. Amber was also very happy with her run and just placed 1st! She was about 2 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed girl.



We then had to switch modes and get ready for the Super-D race. We both did one practice run to try and get some details of the course in our minds. After the practice run I decided to switch of my big bike and ride it on my Mojo. The decision was a tough one as I hadn't ridden the course a single time on the Mojo but there was quite a few sections where pedalling would be key. The main tough choice was that there were also some bumpy sections that the big bike would probably be faster on and the fat tires would help in many of the corners. Also it was threatening to rain and then the big bike would probably be much more stable if it got muddy.

But I went with the Ibis and was happy that I did. I got a good start in the short run and settled into 3rd place by the time we were on the Single track I kept the other two guys in sight for about the first half of the course but was dropped once we hit the more technical sections. The Super-D course also finished in the mountain cross course and that was somewhat of a concern for both Amber and I as neither of us were comfortable with the jumps and so in practice were slowing down for them and rolling/pumping everything instead of jumping the doubles and tables.

When I got to the mountain cross section of the course I was feeling good and on the last Table I tried to jump it but fully dead-sailored the jump and nose dived into a full crash that sent me and my bike flying. I was able to get up and get going pretty quickly having only just scraped up my arms and back a little and I still held onto 3rd place for the race. I was about 20seconds back from the top two guys.

Amber got a slower start in her race and had to pass a few people as the opportunity presented itself. She ended up settling in behind another girl and they pulled away from the field. Amber was able to pass Kristin in the bottom third of the course and took 1st place for that race as well!

We were both very happy with our races and things looked good for the Sunday final race with Amber holding a comfortable lead overall in her category and I was solidly in 3rd place in mine.


Amber's Super-D Podium


Sean's Super-D Podium

August 8th - MSC Race, Snomass G3 - Practice Day

Amber and I both had Friday off so we packed up the bikes and the dogs on Thursday and headed over to Snomass for this weekends Mountain States Cup race. We would be able to get tent camping in Snomass from Friday in a soccer field but for Thursday night we would have to find another option so we found a nice camping spot near Independence Pass.

This race was a G3 format race and it would be our first time racing this format. I was not sure how it we would go as the normal format is a couple of days practice and then the race day where you do a single run and that time determines your standings. For Sol Vista all the practice runs we were able to do helped immensely with finding lines and then hitting them in the race run.

G3 format is different in that there are three different races over the weekend and you could win those individually but the overall was a cumulative time across all the races. It is like a multi-day stage event like they have in road racing. It was a little intimidating as we had never been to Snomass before and one of the DH tracks was the same as they used earlier in the season and by the sounds of it that track was pretty technical and caused quite a few problems in the beginner classes (i.e. what Amber and I are).

Weather was also going to play a part as it rained all night thursday night where we camped and when we arrived at Snomass on Friday it was very wet on the ground there as well.

There were three tracks for us to race and therefore practise. On Saturday we would be racing a new DH course in the morning that no-one had been able to ride for a few years and the Super-D course in the afternoon. The DH course was a fast course with the main technical sections just being in the form of high speed bumpy or rocky sections, there was also going to be plenty of time made or lost in the corners. The Super-D course was similar to the first DH course but with more pedalling and less intensive bumps and rocky sections.

We opted to start the day on the Super-D course as the first DH course was not open yet and the sunday DH course was pretty wet. We just did a casual run down the Super-D track on our big bikes to get a feel for how much climbing there was and where the tough spots were - there literally wasn't any climbing so this course was going to be well suited to either a big big or a 6 inch AM bike.

We took a run down the Sunday DH course as well and that was entirely ego destroying as it was slick and muddy and super crowded. On the two technical sections it was either a constant flow of high speed pro level riders or a constant clutter of bumbling crashing riders (such as Amber and I). We just did one run down it and switched to the Saturday DH track once it opened up.

The Saturday DH track was being ridden in every single run down so it's speed was getting higher every time. Amber and I were also getting our lines, particularly for the top section that we would run on both DH tracks.

I was very happy with how the first DH track felt but still had a couple of sections I needed to get a fast line for. Amber wasn't sure and the corners in some sections were still presenting issues for her. We were both hitting the jump in the lower section at good speed so things looked promising for our race run on saturday.

August 1st-3rd - MSC Race - Sol Survivor

Amber and I had both been looking forward to this race since we returned from our vacation. We had both spent a lot of time on our big bikes and I felt that I had made some good technical gains as well as being in pretty good shape.

Amber got an extra day on Thursday as they opened the mountain for practice an extra day an she was able to get a good day of runs and also get us a tent site in winter park. This weekend was going to be a hectic weekend with the racing being just down the road from Crankworx Winter Park. We also had the luxury of being able to stay at Mike and Kristi's condo in winter park after it turned out they had room after all.

Friday was practice day for both of us and it felt like we made awesome progress with both of us confidently hitting the last obstacle which was the steep rocky drop/roll in the first part of the trail. We also started to finalize our lines for the other technical sections and so it was a contented night of rest that start with dinner at a great mexican place in Winter Park.

Saturday was more of the same with steady improvement for both of us on our lines and a couple of good top to bottom runs to put it all together. Saturday afternoon/night was spent enjoying Crankworx. (I'll do a separate post with some pictures of the slope style event)

Sunday was race day! Both Amber and I did a last minute practice on the morning of the race and for both of us it went well.

I was happy with my result, I ended up in the middle of the pack in Sport Men 40+. I messed up my lines in the first part of the course but got it together for the last part. Unfortunately I caught the rider who started ahead of me and that slowed me a little as I didn't pass him (which was also a great learning experience).

Amber had a good run as well. The last race we did was Crested Butte and Amber placed 3rd at that but was nearly 30 seconds back from 1st and 2nd place. In her race run she also caught the girl ahead of her and didn't manage to pass. She also crashed into a tree near the end and came to a full stop. Both of us learned that we need to be loud and forceful if you catch the person ahead of you and more than likely they will be totally cool and move out of the way once they hear you.

This race Amber posted a better time than the girls at Crested Butte and she placed 2nd with the winner being a girl that dropped down from having raced Sport previously because there were just no other girls in that category and she was being forced to race against Expert category girls. Amber was just under 8 seconds back from Kira who won - An awesome change from her last race!



Downhill
Pro Women
1. Lisa Myklak
2. Jacqueline Harmony
3. Sarah Elworthy
4. Rachel Bauer
5. Stephanie Hatalsky
6. Sage Wilderman

Expert Women
1. Christen Boyer
2. Jennifer Wolf
3. Soraya Khalje

Beginner/Jr. Women
1. Kyra Alexander
2. Amber Price
3. Katy Monger
4. Anne St. Clair
5. Jamie Edgecomb
6. Lana Lawson
7. Kristin Buell
8. Dani Brownell-Patty
9. Brittany Engleking
10. Jenelle Spedden

June 22nd - Crested Butte - Wild Flower Rush

This weekend was a Race weekend with the Mountain States Cup moving to Crested Butte for the Wild Flower Rush.

Amber headed out early and was in Crested Butte from Monday the 16th. (we have a few pictures to come from that from the other camera)

I took Friday off and drover out Thursday night so that we could use Friday as a practice day. We both registered for Super-D and Downhill.

The Super-D was just like riding a normal Crested Butte bike trail but with less climbing. We did a few practise runs on it on Friday and Saturday and I was really enjoying the track and was somewhat optimistic as to my prospects for the Race. Amber had a big crash on our final practise run late saturday afternoon and since she wasn't wearing a full face helmet got quite a nasty cut on her chin. She crashed as she was trying to push her speeds on the single track sections in the aspens.

We also got in a couple of runs on the Downhill track. It was a lot less technical than most downhill race tracks with lots of fast sections and two sections of pedaling. The pedaly sections were pretty brutal on a big bike, but over all the track was great fun and we were both looking forward the actual race.

As is normal, we got no photos of any riding this weekend, but we had a great time doing it!

The Super-D started with a run to your bikes and I was feeling tired by the time I got on my bike. I managed to catch a few people on the initial downhill but then settled into the back part of the "pack" once the first climb hit. I never saw anyone else on the ride except for a couple of people that had flat tires along the way. I need to get a lot stronger if I want to move up the field of the 30+ men in Super-D and since I really don't ever see myself training I am pretty content that this race will always be just a fun part of a race weekend to tell stories about after the weekend. I ended up placing 17th out of 25 and I was 5 minutes of the winning time. A good line in the sand to compare to as we ride and race more.

For the Downhill I was surprised just how nervous I was the morning before and as I waited for my starting gate. I entered the 19+ beginner men which was an interesting category as you had young guys and old guys competing against each other. I had an Ok race run but really messed up the tight switch backs after getting a good start on the first steep section. I also didn't pedal the pedaly sections very well at all either as my lazy boots kicked in a bit. I ended up placing 13th out of 17 and was 42 seconds back from the winner of the class. Had I raced in 40+ Sport men instead I would have placed 8th out of 13 and still been 46 seconds back from the winner.

Amber also raced downhill and put together a great run! She placed 3rd in her category and got a podium on her first downhill race!



Downhill racing proved to be way more fun times than the Super D race that day.

May 24th Memorial Day Weekend - Angel Fire NM

We made the big decision (for us) and head down to Angel Fire for the long weekend on Memorial and see what the Racing scene was like! This weekend was the Mountain States Cup Gravity kick-off and sounded really intimidating from a beginner racer perspective as the courses at Angel Fire all had the reputation for being the hardest (technically) on the MSC race calendar.

We figured that worst case it would be great to watch pro's racing and as the 4X and DH were national qualifiers for Worlds in August there should be some big names. It turns out that most of the big names for DH were at another race on the east coast but there was still an incrediable amount of people there racing (over 600 people registered for the downhill alone)

It was also our first road trip since we got our new dog Bishop.


The dogs were super excited to get going.


But quickly decided driving was boring and sleeping was good.

We have no photos of us riding as racing doesn't really lend itself to that. We arrived Thursday night and set up a tent in the parking lot with everyone else. Amber and I both registered for Super-D and I also registered for Downhill. The weather was pretty funky on the first day and it got really crappy as the day proceeded. Friday was a practice day and we (in hindsight wrongly) opted to start with Super-D track thinking it would be a good way to get some riding in.

Looking back what we should have done was started immediately on the Downhill practice even though the weather was dubious, that would have gotten us over the intimidation factor that haunted us all weekend.

The practice on the Super-D was excellent fun though as the course really was a perfect Super-D track. It had a couple of climbs that meant big bikes were not going to be an option and then a number of technical sections linked by high speed single track.

We practiced in some really wet conditions and decided to do one last run for the afternoon since Saturday was Race Day. The weather came in hard core as we were riding the lift up and we made the bad decision to try and ride down rather than stay on the lift and ride it back down. Conditions were full white out snow and Amber and I both got really, really cold - particularly our fingers.


Saturday was Super-D race day and both Amber and I entered and had a great time. The weather cleared up and it was beautiful and sunny, however the track was muddy and slippery which in race conditions I found to be really fun riding. I definitely had my lazy boots on and took it very easy on the climbs even taking the opportunity to watch the open Women go by me. I ended up in the rear of my classification while Amber ended up 6th in hers. She did a better time than me!


Our first race tags!

Later on Saturday was the 4X mountain cross UCI event where the winner (if they were a USA citizen) was automatically qualified to worlds. We had never seen a mountain cross event live before and it was a lot of fun!


Qualifying saw the riders race individually for seeding.


And the race proper had waves of 4 riders scrambling to get to the bottom first. This is Mike Kreger putting on a show. Mike works at The Fix Bike shop and has helped us out many a time so it was fun to see him at play - the guy can ride and is also a phenomenal announcer.


Cornering with other riders trying to take it as well seems like would be a whole different game than cornering out on the trails!


The winner was Petr Hanak, he lives and works in Sol Vista, CO but was not a USA citizen so the locals would have to wait until the 4X nationals event on Sunday.



We wimped out for the rest of the weekend having lots of good reasons but no valid ones to head home early instead of racing the Downhill. Amber had her last week of school and had a boatload of work to do, she worked all day Monday so it was a good thing we came back early. We were also exhausted from the riding we had done, but the real reason we came back is that the downhill race was simply intimidating! Looking back at the weekend I can only be reminded of times I wimped out from doing a big rock climb, it was really easy to find very valid reasons to do something else.

It was a great first race weekend, the scene was incredible and friendly, the race we did hard and challenging and we got our feet wet at racing!