Here is a selection of NorCal MTB races, mostly focusing on the ones I'm going to do. I've been racing offroad for 6 years, so I've done most of these before. If I'm going back, there's probably a good reason. Since no one is going to bother to look through this for results, i'm creating a new news page, to be updated every week or two, so you'll know where to go for the latest scoop. Check out the Newest News! Click to check out a selection of 1997 results and descriptions of the race courses.
| feb 14, 98 | Cool MTB Race Results | Cool CA |
| mar 01, 98 | Iron Angel Results | Angel's Camp CA |
| mar 22, 98 | Sea Otter Classic Results | Monterey Ca |
| mar 29, 98 | Napa World Cup Results | Napa CA |
| Apr 4-5,98 | LemurianResults | Redding Ca |
| apr 04, 98 | RockHopper | Vacaville CA |
| apr 11, 98 | Angel's Camp KnobularResults | Angel's Camp CA |
| apr 19, 98 | Napa Valley Dirt Classic | Angwin CA |
| May 2-3, 98 | Oroville Knobular (AMBC) | Oroville Ca |
| May 10, 89 | Pine Nut Cracker | Gardnerville NV |
| May 30-31 | Lagrange Classic | Weaverville CA |
| May 31 | Marin Knobular | San Rafael CA |
| Jun 6-7 | Peavine Challenge | Reno NV |
| Jun 14 (NEW DATE) | Skyline MTB race | Napa CA |
| jun 21, 98 | Cascade Cream Puff 100 | Westfir Or (yes, 100 miles off road) |
As they say on the race entry, "It has been known to be muddy." Since we had rain for 40 days and 40 nights before the race, mud was certainly in evidence. It seems to me that it was muddier in '93 and '94, but it was certainly wetter this year. The major creek crossing was well over knee deep, and featured a safety rope strung across to hold onto, and divers in wetsuits to provide for the safety of the racers. Velo-monkeys Dan Garcia, Dan Sovereign and Mark Weaver (that's me) were the only sould brave enough to submit to the elements.
In the Pro-Expert Class, Dan and I had to battle 20 other top NorCal racers. Right at the gun I jumped in front, so as to avoid the inevitable pileup at the narrow mudhole 300 yds from the start. The strategy worked beautifully, and I heard clanks, grunts and schlurps as the group behind me fell prey to the dread mudhole. Somehow I found myself with Jason Moeschler and Galen Shumaker about 100 yards off the front. Naturally I started to worry, since both of these guys are pretty big-time riders in NorCal. Gradually Jason and Galen started to forge ahead, and I found myself duking it out with some poor fellow who would continuously pass me, then take the wrong line and bog down or crash. He must have passed me 8 times in the first half lap before he finally gave up and got dropped. Right around then, Dan finally caught me, placing the world back into its proper perspective.
After that, nothing much happened for a while. Towards the end of Lap 2, Jim Blankenship was getting closer to me when I caught Dan again. Obviously he was sick or dying or something, because he has to be counted as one of the favorites to win just about any race he's in. Privately, I rejoiced somewhat, because I moved into the money by taking over 3rd place. Dan, unfortunately had to cash it in after 2 laps as save his strength for important races.
On the last lap, while in the throes of a truly monumental bonk, I suddenly came upon Galen Shumaker, obviously bonking even worse. As I pulled up behind him, I feigned freshness, attempted to engage him in conversation, and tried to gap him as soon as possible, before he figured out how tired I was. In the end I held him off for 2nd place, marking my 5th straight year on the podium. (3 times as a Pro-expert, twice as a Vet).
Dan Sovereign rode to a very respectable 5th place finish in Vet. Marty Cunningham, one of the most dominant Vet racers in the state took the victory. Considering how often he kicked my ass last year, I was quite pleased to note that my lap times were faster than Marty's. Perhaps now that I'm finally out of school, I'll suck less.
El Nino cut us some slack this time. We experienced 5 straight days of dry and pleasant weather before the Iron Angel. This had two effects: First, it made us feel like riding bikes. 2nd, it made the rolling trails around New Melones reservoir into total traction devices (with one or two minor exceptions).
Dan Garcia, Dan Sovereign and Mark Weaver (that's me) travelled to sunny Angel's Camp for the first of Velo Promo's low-cost totally bitchen' bike races for '98. Since the Expert Vet class was only doing 3 laps, and since local Vet hammer Marty Cunningham was absent, I elected to step up to the Pro-Expert class, which had about 30 riders, a pretty big field for March.
I got a pretty good start, in the first 8-10 guys, so I was stokin'. Dan Garcia was stuck in the back, but gradually moved his way up through the field. The great thing about racing expert is that pretty much everyone knows how to steer a bike, so it's not big deal if you get caught behind someone for a little while on twisty singletrack. The first 2 miles or so of this course always looks like a paceline pounding down the trail. Mark Weir and some of the other WTB team were busting fat air of some of the rolling bumps.
Part way through the 2nd lap I took a few minutes to blow up. SuperDan passed me at that point, laughing at my distress. He motored on, looking good, trying to catch Mike Larsen, brother of the reigning Norba nat'l champ. I got my act back together and was starting to reel some guys in when I sailed through a mudhole on the 3rd lap and pinch-flatted. There were only 3 muddy spots on the whole course, but they were enough to make bike and rider look like they'd been held by the ankles and dipped into a mudbog together. As a result changing a flat was pretty messy.
While I was changing the flat Jim Blankenship, some guys I don't know, and Steve Showler went past. Since I used to fix flats for a living, I was changed and rolling in under two minutes. I caught most of the guys who had passed me, and I had Jim in my sights when he looked back and saw me. He found enough reserves to hold me off by 25 seconds or so.
Although SuperDan ended up 8th, it should be noted that the first 8 guys were all withing 4 minutes of each other, which is unusually close. Jim Moser, one of the most successful experts in northern california, was in 4th, less than 2 mins ahead of Dan, and only 5 ahead of me. Both of us took heart in having a decent ride and getting some new motivation to work hard and close those little gaps between us and the next guys.
What makes Velo-Promo cool is that all the prizes go in the raffle, so there's no reason to be a sandbagging big ol' piece of crap. Bob even had cash to raffle off. We didn't count, but I'd guestimate 15 or so tires, many bottles and power bar stuff and miscellaneous things, and at least $200 in cash were raffled off. No cash for us this year, but Dan got some power bar stuff. All in all, $12 well spent. Top
Dan Garcia, Dan Sovereign, Paul Janney and Mark Weaver went to the Sea Otter. We got a reality check of sorts. The course was in pretty good shape, with excellent traction almost everywhere. There was maybe 50 yards of mud on the whole 16 mile loop, but this was enough to completely cover my bike and body. Due to storm damage, the course was altered somewhat from previous years, but still offered the same sort of ups and downs that have always characterized the otter. The initial section of singletrack was shortened, which meant there was less chance of getting stuck behind someone slow for a long time, plus i took advantage of my pre-ride to scope out some good lines, so i vaulted from 10th or so up to 4th on the first downhill, by going high over a wet soft spot.
Dan G, who was 3rd last year, had to settle for 7th in Expert 19-24 this year. The good news is that no one ever heard of any of the guys in front of him, so hopefully they live in other states. Paul Janney, who has been lazing around with his girlfriend instead of riding his bike, was 16th or 17th or something in Expert 25-29. Anyway, he's starting to get a bit faster.
The expert vet class (35-44) is just getting out of control. I (Mark) had what seemed like a really good race, only to find myself 17 minutes behind winner Larry Hibbard, who only beat me by 10 minutes last year. This guy needs to move up to Pro or something. On the plus side, I ended up 8th (again), and beat George Hope and John Senkier (both big-time NorCal hammers) for the first time in my life. I think Hibbard and Tom Ritchey were the only guys from northern California in front of me. 3/4 of the way through the race I was still dicing it out with the guys who got 4th and 5th, but I faded a little on the last climb.
I can hardly describe my astonishment at finding myself riding with George Hope. This is a guy who won Mammoth last year among other things. All i could think was "gee, i must be going way too fast, i'm gonna blow up any minute." Fortunately, right about the time I started to bonk, George took a spectacular endo and landed in a ditch off the trail. He looked pretty dazed, but being a pretty tough guy, he climbed back on his bike and kept going, finishing a minute or so behind me. When I'm 70 i'm going to be able to tell my grandchildren about the time i beat george.
As I reached the top of the first vicious climb of the expert loop (just before we hit the fire road for the first time), Tom Ritchey pulled up next to me. "Dude" I said, "you're that guy that helped Gary Fisher invent the mountain bike!" Tom grunted kinda crankily at me. Then he dropped me like only a former category 1 roadie can. I caught him again just as he finished fixing a flat. Unfortunately I was too bonked by then to say "Hey, get a real suspension fork and you won't flat so much." (Tom still rides with a softride stem).
Just to make sure none of us think we don't completely suck, we checked out the pro times. The lead group of 4, including Cadel Evans and Thomas Frischknecht, was 36 minutes faster than me. Doh! Ego all gone now.
Sea Otter Website. TopDid I say reality check last week? Ay, chihuahua, what a field there was for the Napa World cup. Pretty much all of us got well and truly rocked. VeloSapiens participants included Keith Kuykendall, Dan Sovereign, Paul Janney and Mark Weaver (that's me). I got 31st in Masters Expert 30-39, Keith was around 40th in sport 20-29, Paul was around 40th in Expert 20-29, and Dan S. was somewhere in that 20th-40th range in masters sport. It could have been worse though. The VeloMonkey most likely to do really well managed to forget his shoes, so he couldn't even race.
The course was lots of fun. Fortunately the insane descent just before the disco flyover dried out a little bit, but it was still a bottleneck as the wussy riders crept down it slowly, while the guys who can steer had to take wild chances to pass out on the edges. My big complaint was the race was too short. The expert winners were finishing in the low 1:20's, about 30-40 minutes less than a real race should take. I wrote a cranky letter to the organizers to protest. If they make it that short next year, i think i'll just skip it and go for a ride instead.
So we sucked anyway, but the Pros were pretty impressive. I really enjoyed watching both pro races. I especially remember Bart Brentjens pounding his big ring all the way up the main part of the climb. Most of the expert class was hitting the granny gear in a couple spots. I guess that's why Bart is famous and I'm not. I got some pix, and I'll post them in the next few days.
100 miles of off-road racing. It sounds crazy, and it probably is. How about if you throw in 15,000 feet (!) of climbing? That would be a little tougher, but the riders could still coast down the hills. How about if you make all the downhills vicious, twisty, rooty, rocky, steep, gonzo singletrack from hell? Now your talking about the Cream Puff
The Cascade Cream Puff 100 takes place near Oakridge, Oregon. The surrounding mountains of the Willamette National Forest contain some of the sweetest singletrack in the explored universe. Promoters Richard Sweet and Scott Taylor made excellent use of the terrain in putting together their course. Last year's race consisted of a one mile promenade plus three 33 mile loops which start and end at the covered bridge in Westfir, a tiny village two miles from Oakridge. See '97 results for more about the old course. Scott is hoping to have a new 50 mile loop course, more rolling, lower elevation, but harder for '98. Right now it's still up in the air which course will be used. Either one is bound to be excellent.
I think this race is one of the most challenging and funnest things I have ever done in my life. I was 5th overall in '96, 7th in '97, first vet both years. For '98 I'm going for the whole shootin' match. VeloSapiens is making this a big goal, super Dan, steve j., Keith, regular Dan and I have all claimed to want to do it. We're starting our epic rides to prepare. Last year it took me 10:44 to complete, so I'm shooting to do some 8-10 hr rides by early may. That means 6-8 hrs in april and 6+ hrs in march.
If this seems incredibly daunting, don't go. On the other hand, if you like long rides, and you want to see just where you end and a raging fat velo-monkey begins, go for it. Many of the people who finish it aren't hardcore, they just kept a good attitude, started real easy, ate, drank and rested frequently, and kept pushing. It will certainly help if you get in some long rides though. Last year I did nothing over about 6 hours, I'm not sure steve even did anything that long, but he finished in under 12 hrs.
Plan on getting up there early on saturday so you can pre-ride one loop at a very leisurely pace, then kick back and oil your bike and put your feet up. I'll post info as soon as it gets to me, but set aside around $135-150, which includes t-shirt, water bottle, custom plastic race number with your name on it, 2 dinners, and fruit and powerbars and drinks during the race. It'll probably sell out this year, so send your money early. If you can't wait to read it here, send a SASE to Cascade Cream Puff, 1689 Charnelton St, Eugene, OR 97401-3913. Tell them mark weaver sent ya. Top
The RockHopper is one of the true classics of mountain bike racing. It's been held every year since the birth of Jesus. Last year it was in October for some unexplainable reason, so I skipped it and raced cyclocross like a real man. Preliminary info suggests it may conflict with the Shasta Lemurian this year, in which case I'll skip it again. If the Lemurian doesn't happen, or if you're too much of a puss to do it, the RockHopper is usually worth the trouble.
It's definitely a climber's course, with a couple short steep climbs and one long steep climb. The start is traditionally kind of a bummer, it's easy to get stuck in the back when it funnels down across a bridge. One of these years they'll get it right. Otherwise, it's lotsa fun singletrack descents across the face of the biggest mountain in town. The race is held at Lagoon Valley park, or something like that. Call 707-448-1917 for more info. And remember, if the Lemurian ends up being the same weekend, skip the rockhopper and drive to Redding. Top
This is one of the all-time big daddies of mountain bike racing. This year the weekend will include a downhill on saturday and cross-country on sunday. I think this is one of the 3 best races in the universe, but I met at least one guy who hated it. My advice? If you're a sissy-whiner-big-ol'-suck-filled-wafer-thin-mint who'd rather be riding a crit on your road bike, skip it. If you're an adventurous, fun-loving sort, who's willing to ride hard and get tired, you don't want to miss this race.
The downhill is new, and will probably use the infamous Lemurian chute. Words can scarcely describe this stretch of trail, but "all the way steep, all the way rocky, and all the way fast" is a start. You basically drop about 2500-3000 feet in one fell swoop, fighting for control over every ragged inch. I listened to my buddies rhapsodize about this descent for an entire year, but I was still totally overwhelmed by the real thing. I don't recall any significant uphill stretches, so jacked-up, long-travel, single-purpose DH bikes should probably do ok. Bring good brakes.
The cross country on sunday is the real deal, unless you're some kind of suck-filled roadie puss. You basically climb for freakin' ever, then you climb some more, then a little more, then you go down a loose, shaly, sketchy descent for a mile or so, then climb some more, then do some crazy singletrack in the middle of the forest. Then, just when you think you can't go another foot, you start down. Some racers like to stop at the top (amid huge sharp rocks) to remove their brake pads. This makes for a more thrilling ride down.
The downhill really is endless. It's wider than singletrack, but that's good, because I was just barely able to stay on the trail last year. After 20-30 minutes of descending at breakneck speed, you think you're just about done. Alas, you now have 3 of the most brutal miles you could ever hope to ride, at least they seem that way when it's 100 degrees out. It probably won't be so bad this year, since the race is earlier. All told it's about 30 miles or so, and takes about 2:40 for fast expert riders, 3 hours or more for regular humans. A special note: any kind of weather can happen from rain and snow ('95) to 100+ degree heat ('97). Check the weather report and bring every kind of clothing, just in case. VeloSapiens gives this one 2 ragged bloody thumbs up. Call 530-241-2704 to get an entry form. Top
Hah! did I say big ring? Did I say high-speed? Unfortunately that el nino guy ruined it all. Gentle rain and 100's of beginner and sport class racers churned the course into a glue quagmire that I wouldn't wish on Jobst Brandt. My bike was literally so covered with mud, thick gobs of it, that it was unrecognizable at race's end. I heard the Rockhopper last week was even worse, but if you skipped the Lemurian you deserve it.
I checked the weather on the internet right before i left, so i switched from a semi-slick to a real rear tire. Dan wasn't so smart, otherwise he'd probably have kicked some ass instead of getting rocked. 1 mile into the race half my gears were skipping like crazy. I don't know if it was just the mud, or all the plant life, fish, lemurs, etc. mixed into my drivetrain, but the end result was only a few gears were working reliably. I even stopped part way through the 2nd lap to throw my bike in a creek and rinse it off.
I whined about the race being shortened by 1/2 lap, but in the end I was glad. Last year 30 miles took me just over 2 hrs, this year 24 miles took me 2 1/2 hrs. The only good thing was I beat Kyle (who kicked my hiney at the Lemurian). It looked like Kyle Brutschy bonked horribly. He was practically standing still when I shot past him with about 3-4 miles to go. He ended up fading a couple more places.
Good news. The organization was swell. Racers got free chili after the race (pretty tasty, too). Class winners and stuff got actual trophies, plus chips and salsa. Goodbye to the cheesy medals. The Knobular organization gets two muddy thumbs up for the whole affair.
If you like high speed singletrack, this is a pretty cool course. Promoter Mark Lowenstern uses a 12 mile loop of excellent twisty trail, much of it big-ring territory, and a horribly steep, gut-wrenching climb halfway through the lap. The 2nd half of the lap is pretty bumpy, full-suspension could definitely be an advantage.
The Knobular series sounds like it will suck alot less this year. All the courses are pretty good. Thankfully, the Antioch race won't be repeated. They're still giving away a WTB Primal Raptor tire with each entry, and this year they have actual cash awards for expert 19-26 and expert 27-34 classes, although Vet experts still get denied. I checked with NORBA and they said it's kosher for me to race the younger expert classes and go for the cash even though I'm 37. Check out the Knobular web page for more info. Top
Formerly known as the Rumpstomper, this race used to be held at Annadale state park, then moved to the grounds of Pacific Union College (PUC) 6-8 years ago. A few years back the college took over the race from the original promoter and has been running it ever since.
Angwin is located way at the top of a big ass hill overlooking St. Helena, which is a bit north of Napa. The college is a 7th day adventist institution, so is the town pretty much. What this means is you'd better get your coffee at the bottom of the hill, cuz the local grocery store doesn't even carry caffeinated coke. It also means absolutely no pre-riding on Saturday, the sabbath for these folks.
The course is pretty much worth the entry fee all by itself. It's about a 21 mile loop (1 lap) of mostly killer singletrack. There are swoopy switchbacks everywhere, most of which are taken at full-on moto speed. There is a great section of 50-foot whoop-de-doos on steroids where the crowds gather to see the breaking chains. There is one extended climb. Well, extended might not actually be the right word. It's more like a hellish, eternal, barely rideable, blazing hot, steep-ass bitch of a climb from hell. Happily, the rest of the course features only short steep climbs. Every single year I manage to cramp up towards the end, probably because the terrain demands that you power up all the short climbs out of the saddle. The only drawback is the race is a bit short for experts, with finish times of around 1:40 or so for fast guys. All classes do the same course, so if you're sandbagging in sport or beginner, we'll make fun of you.
VeloSapiens gives the napa dirt classic 2 thumbs up. We'll all be there this April. Call 707-965-6346 for more info. Top
Downhill is on saturday the 2nd. I don't know anything about it and since downhill racing is stupid, I don't care. The Cross-country is on Sunday the 3rd. In my mind, this race is the best of Mark Lowenstern's knobular series. Oroville is one of the only true point-to-point races on the calendar in California.
The course starts in beautiful downtown Oroville, which is north of Sacramento, nestled right up against the Sierra Foothills. Most of the course is singletrack, so be sure to get a good start. The first mile or so rolls alongside the railroad tracks. After that, you get to a couple of double-track climbs. If you're going to be in front, do lots of passing here. Last year Marty Cunningham and I jumped off the front quickly and squeezed through the last of the expert chicks pack just before the trail narrowed. We never saw any of the other Vet riders again.
The singletrack just keeps rolling and climbing and rolling and climbing and rolling and climbing. There are some fun downhills, but I always remember the climbing most. It's a super fun trail, I think. They claim the course is 19.5 miles, which doesn't seem like much, but it takes about 1:40 for the fastest guys. Beginners have historically skipped one of the early climbs and taken a shortcut, but I didn't see anything about that on the entry this year.
The race ends at Lake Oroville (don't be fooled the first time you see the lake, you're only about halfway done), do you can swim afterwards and enjoy the barbecue. It beats me how the same guy could put on some horrendously jacked-up races and also promote this gem. It looks the rest of the knobular series will probably be more consistently good this year though. Check out the Knobular webpage for entry info. Tell them you read about it here. Top
One big loop! This race kicks ass, especially if you like climbing, singletrack, long races and high altitude. Gardnerville is just over the hill from South Lake Tahoe, about 2 hrs and change from sacramento.
The race starts near 5000 feet altitude. You get to warm up on some fast, flat stuff, then head skyward on a mix of fire-roads and twisty, rolly singletrack. The terrain is pretty desert-like, some sand and rock and loose stuff. I recommend against using semi-slick tires. Pro's and experts climb to about 8000 feet (!), then get a righteous, blazing descent. I don't remember exactly how long it is, but 2 years ago I think it took me about 1:50 or so, and I got dead last in Vet expert (only 4 mins behind the winner). I didn't go last year because I was leading the Knobular series. Big mistake. Do this race if you can. It doesn't suck. Top
You may have noticed a bias towards point-to-point and epic loop races on this page. Well here's another one. Weaverville is in the middle of freakin' nowhere, about 1 hr west of redding. The race starts around 9 or so if I recall, so I always drive up the night before. The course is truly bitchin', one of the best races I've ever done. It's the same weekend as the Marin Knobular, which is an OK race, but I don't much like laps. Marin is a nightmare of getting stuck behind geeks on the twisty sections. Unless you live right around the bay area, do the LaGrange. Even if I lived in Marin, I'd drive to Weaverville
You start with a fire-road climb, not too steep, for 10-15 mins, then turn right onto man's best friend, an old flume. I just love flume trails, they wind and twist and follow the terrain without all those annoying ups and downs. Flumes allow to really work on your cornering skills, which is important, cuz if you miss a turn, you go off the side of the mountain. After fluming for a while, you cross a paved road where people are actually standing there cheering for you. Then you do a real leg-busting singletrack climb, some fire-road climbing, then hellish steep descent.
Just when you're really having fun you get some more flume, on a very steep hillside, then a tough climb to about the top of the universe, then, for the grand finale, one of funnest, sketchiest, toughest downhills anywhere. It doesn't quite match the sheer relentlessness of the lemurian chute, because there are short climbs interspersed throughout. It does, however, have scary steep chutes, one after the other. 2 years ago I was following single-speed animal Bill Archibald down one of the chutes. He locked up his brakes and just skidded off the trail, with no reduction in speed until he hit the ground. It's not unusual to see expert-class racers walking sections of the downhill. With that in mind, you should go to this race. It's usually only $25 and for that you get a tshirt, food, and a cool race. They also have a downhill race on saturday. One year a guy crashed and tore his ear off. Cool. Call 208-342-3910 for an entry form.Top
Don't do this race. Do the Lagrange Classic instead, eh? see the 1997 results results for a description of the marin course
This is yet another epic loop course, 40 miles for experts and "stud sports". They also have a regular, or sissy sport class for people who are pussies. The terrain is rocky, sandy and deserty. I haven't done the long version, but i did the shorter one a couple years ago and it was great. Plenty of cool singletrack. It can get a little dangerous on one or two sandy descents, so be careful. 3 years ago VeloMonkey Paul Moos crashed and lost about 90% of his skin sliding down the gravelly trail. Last year i did a lame knobular race instead of the peavine, and I've been regretting it ever since. Like most nevada races the price is reasonable, and you get munchies and a tshirt in addition to a really fun course. Plus you'll know a good place to ride when you come back next spring for some early season altitude training. Call 702-787-2453 for more info. Top
This was originally scheduled for may 24th, but the Eagle Cycling club handed out flyers at the world cup with the new date. The course uses much of the same terrain as the world cup course, but will probably be more fun since there won't be so many people. I haven't personally done this race yet, but the other VeloMonkeys raved about it. Dan G (shoeless Dan) was on his way to victory in the expert class last year until he t-boned Brian Rouse and taco'd his front wheel. The only bad thing is the date conflicts with the trees 'n' breeze in Santa Cruz. I'm still torn over which one to do. I'll put the contact info up in a day or two (if i don't forget), since i left the flyer at home. Top