CES #4 Ashland Mountain Challenge

I took 3rd in Junior Expert.

The fourth stop of the California Enduro Series took place just over the California border in the beautiful town of Ashland, Oregon.  With thunder storms saturating the ground during the previous week and all the way up to race day some 300 competitors were treated to cool temperatures, absolute hero dirt, and some of the best trails you can race on.

Home for the weekend.

     The trails off of Mt. Ashland are simply amazing, starting at the Ski Lodge at 6,600ft in elevation a mouth watering 5,000 foot descent into town awaits. Starting in an alpine dream world riders sail through moss covered pine trees and over perfect black dirt with the occasional rock or two to keep it interesting.  As the trails get lower in elevation the ground gets drier and pine trees turn to oak and madrone, but the trails are just as fun offering some of the fastest flow you can find, all of the trails in Ashland make for huge smiles at the bottom.

Almost done with the climb.

     Pro and Expert racers started with a shuttle ride to the Ski Lodge for stages 3 and 4 while Sport and Beginners took on the other side of the mountain with stages 1 and 2.  From the top riders had a slightly rough double track descent and a bit of climbing to get to the start of stage three.  This stage started with the Lower Bull Gap Trail a surreal singletrack descent that was a total blast to ride and race on.  After Bull Gap racers were sent on a super fast fire road that took racers to the top of Catwalk.  Catwalk began with a mild rock garden and then dropped down into a large double, for riders who could clear it this was a much faster option than others who rode around the right side. After Catwalk the trail consisted of ripping singletrack with bermed switchbacks, high speeds, and tacky dirt all the way to the finish.

Demoing a Marin Attack Trail!

     Stage 4 was the second stage of the day for Pros and Experts; it started with a bit of pedaling and quickly plunged down the side of the mountain accelerating riders straight into BTI a fast and fun bike specific trail with berms and lots of places where riders could choose to double up smaller roller jumps.  At the end of BTI racers had a bit of sprinting and then returned to the venue for the finish of stage 4.

Chilling after a day of racing.

     After refilling water bottles and hydration packs as well as picking up some snacks competitors started the long 8 mile 3,000 foot climb to Horn Gap for stages 1 and 2.  Stage 1 took place on the Horn Gap Trail a fast singletrack twisting trough majestic trees, fog, and perfect dirt.  After a fireroad descent and a bit of climbing it was time for stage 2. 

     Stage two followed Hitt Rd. which began as a fast fire road and then turned into doubletrack after a massive waterbar, at this point the trail really got going and sent riders flailing through rollers, rock gardens, and of course the Kali Protective’s Speed Trap into the finish of an awesome day of racing.

     The Ashland Mountain Challenge offered some of the most fun trails in the California Enduro Series and proved to be a great time on and off the bike.  I felt great all day and finished 3rd in Junior Expert!  The Ashland Mountain Challenge was such an amazing event and offered awesome trails making it a must for anyone who loves mountain biking to attend.

CES #3 China Peak Enduro Fest

 

Stoked on 5th place!

     The VP Components Enduro Fest at China Peak came back better than ever for its third year in a row and proved to be one of the hardest races that the California Enduro Series has to offer both physically and technically.  With Pros and Experts racing four stages over thirty miles of riding with close to six thousand feet of climbing it made for a long day on the bike.   The trails at China Peak were the definition of High Sierra technical riding with a curated mix of blown out switchbacks, burly rock gardens, kitty litter dirt, and granite slabs.

After some trouble on stage 3 I got caught.

     One of the things that makes this race so special is its location, China Peak Ski Area is located high in the mountains sixty-five miles northeast of Fresno on highway 168.  There is only one way in and one way out, you feel like you are getting out into the back country going to China Peak which creates the perfect atmosphere of camaraderie and fun times necessary for a good enduro race.  Camping was available at the venue, turning China Peak into a tent and RV village of mountain bikers.

 

Home!

     For practice on Friday the chairlift was running all day giving racers a perfect opportunity to get all the runs in they wanted and find their lines through the numerous tricky rock garden sections.  It was all pedaling race day though, making China Peak a true test of the physical fitness of racers as well as technical skills.  Stage one started with a handful of pulverized loose corners that made it a challenge to keep the bike up, after twisting in and out of some pine trees the course opened up into a fast fire road section that connected to a rocky singletrack through the infamous “kitty litter” dirt of the Sierra Nevada and kept racers heavy on the pedals to the finish.  After a short transfer stage back up to mid-mountain it was time for the next course. 

     Stage two began with several fast sweeping turns, sending riders through a few sharp corners and rock sections, after a bit of pedaling the course dropped down some extremely tight switchbacks full of rocks and ruts that could make or break a race run.  Stage two ended with a fast fire road sprint to the finish at the bottom of the mountains, where racers had the luxury of restoring their bikes and bodies before returning to the top for stage three.

Powering through the rocks and dust.

     After a stout transfer stage that climbed to the top of China Peak riders prepared themselves for stage three the longest and most demanding race trail of the day.  This stage began with some fast corners into a rocky chute, stage three kept riders on their toes from the very start.  The entire course was littered with technical rock sections and corners reduced to powder by the end of practice, it also included a bit of climbing.  The infamous rock garden on Stage three is always a challenge for racers to navigate at speed and this year there was a speed trap sponsored by TRP rewarding the man and woman with the fastest speed entering the rock garden.  After smashing down the gnarly rock infested section of the stage racers had a bit of singletrack and a long sprint into the finish at the bottom of the mountain.

     At this point some riders had finished for the day but for Pro and Expert racers it was time to climb up the mountain for the third and final time for the rowdy and rocky stage four.  Stage four was considered by many to be the most technically challenging of the day and with the inclusion of a flat traversing piece of trail for the start it tested racers physical stamina as well, especially at the end of a hard day of racing.  Even though the final line could eat bikes and racers alive, stage four was by far the favorite stage of many racers and was a perfect way to end a stellar day of enduro racing.
 

Pre race meeting with Coach Newman.

     Post race food and beverages were supplied at the China Peak lodge and many good times were had before and after the podium ceremony.  Even though I suffered from severe mechanicals and several crashes I managed to hold it together for 5th place in Junior Expert a solid result.  Super stoked for Ashland in a few weeks!