Downieville Classic Downhill

After crashing hard in last years downhill race on the First Divide trail and coming in last place I was hungry for redemption and was excited for another opportunity to race on my favorite trails in the world.  The Downieville Downhill is a 15 mile long technically and physically demanding course that can easily destroy even the most modern and sophisticated bikes and can be unforgiving to those who choose to race down the steep, rocky, and fast trails of Downieville.

Sprinting out of the start gate at Packer Saddle.

This year my race went very well and despite getting a tad bit sketchy in the difficult rock garden known as the "waterfall" and getting tangled up with another racer at one point I had my fastest times ever on the Downhill course and ended up finishing 3rd place in Expert Junior Men with a 49:35.

Expert Junior Men Downhill podium.

I was able to pass five other racers in my category who started ahead of me and had no mechanicals or major crashes which can easily put a damper on anyone's race run.  With my 5th place in the cross-country the day before and a 3rd place finish in downhill I ended up taking 3rd in the Junior All-Mountain World Championships a result I am very happy with.

Expert Junior Men All-Mountain podium.

As always the Downieville Classic proved to be an awesome weekend of tough mountain bike racing and good times for four days in the Sierra!  I can't wait to test my self against the burly trails and stout competition of Downieville next year.

Happy to finish 3rd in Downhill.

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.

Grouse Ridge Epic Ride

Yesterday I attended BONC's (Bicyclists of Nevada County) monthly Gala Ride, and It was tons of fun. This months ride was up at Grouse Ridge in Nevada County. The advanced group started at Loney Meadows and from there ascended up some cattle roads and singletrack to a great view of Bowman Lake and the surrounding mountains.


From there the ride went downhill through some technical lose rock. After that the trail turns into a painful, steep, and loose climb. Then the trail starts to roll Grouse Ridge style, steep downhill followed by super steep uphill. There were lots of backpackers and some folks trekking with some llamas. We rested at a beautiful cobalt blue lake to eat lunch. From there we climbed up to a campground and the access point to hike up to the lookout. From there we descended down some singletrack to what I think was the Grouse Ridge Trail. After that we regrouped near some Native American Petroglyphs. From there we rode some super technical, rocky singletrack to the top of the next downhill.


This descent is basically just a seasonal creek bed / rock chute, it goes almost straight down the side of the mountain except for some tight switchbacks that do nothing to impede the flow of water, and is full of baby heads, rock drops, and small boulders. Despite sounding like hell, this descent is my favorite part of this ride. After this the route levels out somewhat, into a smooth granite face bike play ground. After several miles of fun/brutal riding we recuperated at the headwaters of the South Yuba River. From there the trail parallels Lake Spaulding's shoreline but remained pretty technical with rocks, roots, and log features.

a penstock
After this we crossed the large hydroelectric penstock, bushwhacked a little to find the very end of end of Pioneer Trail and took the end of Upper Pioneer Trail to the bridge that crosses over the South Yuba. From this point we took Bowman Lake Rd. to Bear Valley and ended our journey. This was an awesome all-mountain back country ride, for all of you who live for technical rock trails the Grouse Ridge area is a must ride destination. We were out there for 7 hours probably more than 5 of which were riding. This ride was 24.18 miles in distance, had 3979 ft of assent, and 5063 ft of descent. This ride is so brutal that it was probably the equivalent of a 50 mile ride on normal trails. Thanks for looking -Ruffrider