CES #2 the Wildwood Adventure Enduro

 

The Expert U18 podium.

Hundreds of mountain bikers migrated into the redwoods of Mendocino County for the second stop of the California Enduro Series and two ripping days of enduro racing that was the inaugural Wildwood Adventure Enduro.  Riders could find camping at the Jughandle Farm or at a private meadow down the road with post race festivities being held at the Caspar Community Center.  Racers were treated to sweet singletrack all weekend thanks to the Mendocino Bike Sprites and an all around good time.

Done with day one!

With eight stages over two days of racing it was challenging to preride all of the race trails and left a lot of racers with no choice but to race blind, this kept race day interesting and competitors on their toes all weekend.   Most of the trails were very tight and tricky to race on with some exposure to cliffs and the ever present challenge of threading through redwoods.  A few stages however were the exact opposite with wide open sections and steep grades that kept racers at mock stupid and grinning all the way down.  The first day of racing riders had four timed stages over thirty miles with five-thousand feet of climbing.  The second day there was three stages with Expert and Open riders racing an additional stage.  Ride profiles were similar both days making it one long, tough, but very fun race.

The wait at Manly.

Expert and Open racers started earlier and rode stages in a different order than Sport and Beginner racers to avoid congestion at timed stages.  On day one race stages consisted of Manly Gulch, Motorcycle, Linquist, and Caspar Crossing trails.  Manly and Caspar were tight but flowy pieces of singletrack with the occasional log bridge or switchback that required consistency and conservancy to get a clean run in.  Motorcycle followed an old road grade and saw the fastest speeds of the weekend making it a favorite for downhill oriented riders.  Linquist Trail was a completely different animal with sandy dirt and loose blown out switchbacks that made it a challenge to stay on the bike and keep it fast.

The enduro crew.

For the second day of racing Sport/Beginner riders raced on Hi Chutes, Forrest History, and Big Trees, Expert/Open racers had an additional stage the Big Dipper trail.  Hi Chutes was a true test of physical fitness and technical skill, starting with a short climb it made racers sprint for a decent time and soon after dropped down into a fast and rutted old road bed that saw scary fast speeds with a high penalty for failure.  After climbing up Manly Gulch racers had Forest History trail a long and fun stage with everything from fast sections to pedaling, and sharp switchbacks.  Big Trees started with the beginning of Motorcycle trail a fast plunge along a ridge top and then turned to tight cliff side singletrack that kept racers ducking around and under trees and even over a set of stairs.  The Expert/Open stage Big Dipper was a fun mix of physical singletrack and wide open doubletrack with a few lips that could send racers hucking to flat if they were not careful.

Getting ready for Forest History.

The Wildwood Adventure Enduro was an awesome test of rider’s physical strength and technical ability on the bike as well as a fun weekend in the redwoods with great people.  With the success of its first year this event should become a staple mountain bike race in the future.  I kept it consistent and stayed on my bike finishing third in the competitive Expert Junior U18 category.

Nevada City Dirt Classic #3

The final race in the Nevada City Dirt Classic race series took place on the Hallelujah and Upper Pioneer trails and proved to be a fun and challenging venue.  Racers experienced flowing fast singletrack, fun descents, and one very steep loose uphill that left everyone in the pain cave.

 

I did not feel my best on the first lap but after my first time around I was able to put the hammer down and make up some time and catch a few competitors.

I was able to hold my position and kept up a good pace especially on the physical descent from Skillman to Hallelujah.

At the end of four grueling laps and over 25 miles of hard racing I came in fourth place in the Expert 15-18 category which had some of the fastest riders in the state competing in it.

Make sure to check out next years Nevada City Dirt Classic race series!  These events are always a blast whether it is your first time racing or an experienced racer.  For more information go here.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Endurace Ride

I rode the Big Brothers Big Sisters Endurance Ride for the first time this year, completing the challenging fifty mile option with over 8,000 feet of climbing.  This was a very nice way to wrap up my cross-country race season and was a lot of fun.

The town of Washington.

From Pioneer Park in Nevada City riders climbed up to the Five Mile House, then climbed up Pioneer Trail past Skillman Campground, from here riders descended the old Omega Road a scary fast fireroad into the town of Washington, after a much needed lunch break participants followed the South Yuba Trail to North Bloomfield Road, which took riders back to Nevada City.

Cookies are the best on long rides.

It was overcast the entire day with even a bit of rain at a few points, this kept the temperature pleasant and trail conditions sweet.  I choose to ride my hardtail race bike but unfortunately did not change to a more aggressive tire, my 1.95 inch renegade tire in the rear was no match for the fast and rough downhill to Washington suffering from a sidewall tear and two other flats during the ride.

Larry helps with trail side flat repairs.

The South Yuba Trail is a always a challenge to ride with extreme exposure to cliffs, steep climbs, sharp turns, and tricky descents.  The 13 miles along the South Yuba were the most demanding and physical of the ride but were still very fun. 

"I only ride technical."

After this portion the course follows North Bloomfield Road which drops down to the river and then climbs out of Purdon Crossing which was extremely difficult at the end of such a long ride, after this climb it was mainly rolling terrain back to the finish in Nevada City.

That was a long day.