California Enduro Series at Northstar

The sixth race of the California Enduro Series (CES) and second stop of the CES Golden Tour took place at Northstar California and challenged all competitors with loose moon dust and burly rocks over two days of action packed racing.

For the past two seasons the Northstar CES race has been one of the most anticipated and technically challenging events of the series and this year was no different. Riders enjoyed two days of racing on some of California’s most demanding trails with a mix of pedaled and lift assisted transfer stages – a proper test of a rider’s technical skills as well as physical strength.

The weekend started off with practice on Friday. Riders utilized the lifts at Northstar and pounded out laps of the race runs, familiarizing themselves with the unpredictable terrain of the mountain.

On Saturday all racers competed on three stages that included a variety of trails from fast singletrack, double black diamond downhill runs, and a top to bottom physical stage. Stage one started on Coaster Trail, a fun flowing piece of singletrack that connected into the Livewire downhill run for a great first stage. The second stage challenged racers with a long top to bottom stage that included intense pedal sections on the Tahoe Trail as well as a few fun rock gardens. For the final stage of the day competitors tested their commitment and skill on Boondocks, one of Northstar’s most popular and demanding downhill trails.

On day two Pro, Open, and Expert racers competed on another three stages and Sport and Beginner riders competed on two stages. Stage four took place on Gypsy which proved to be a fun way to start the day with a never ending flow of wall rides, lofty jumps, and other challenging technical features. After this, riders ascended to the top of the mountain for a long technical downhill stage that sent racers through some of the most hair raising sections of the weekend. After a long and demanding stage the weekend was finished off with a action-packed run that included fast fun bomber trails and chunky rock gardens, finishing with the TRP Brake Zone “speed trap” – a fun and exciting feature of every CES race.

I felt good all weekend and finished 5^th place in the Open or Semi Pro category against some really fast competition. As always the CES race at Northstar was a blast and left competitors hungry for more challenging racing and good times!

China Peak Enduro Fest

For the past several years the China Peak Ski Resort has been the location for technical riding, good times, and one of the most anticipated races of the California Enduro Series. This year the loose and chunky terrain of China Peak was the perfect way to start off the CES Gold Tour, three races that offer demanding riding and increased payouts to professional riders and greater media coverage. Combined with swimming holes, beautiful high sierra scenery, and a unique remote atmosphere the China Peak VP Enduro Fest again proved itself as a very special event and one of the best enduro races in the state.

The trails of China Peak are some of the most exciting and challenging of the California Enduro Series and are a crowd favorite every year, offering a rugged backcountry singletrack experience coupled with the convenience of a chair lift and the excitement of competitive racing. Riders competed on three different stages with pro, open, and expert riders racing an additional fourth stage. All of the stages featured seriously loose dirt, blown out corners, and challenging rock gardens that embody the unforgiving terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. After a day of pre-riding with the use of chairlifts on Friday racers started race day with a solid climb to the top of the mountain for stage one. Stage one began with a series of loose and challenging corners and then opened up into faster singletrack and a long fireroad section that brought riders flying into a rocky section of trail and a set of tricky sweeping corners at warp speed, the remainder of stage one featured tight blown out corners and just enough rocks to keep riders on their toes. After stage one it was just a short climb to stage two which brought racers back down to the main lodge area. Stage two started with several fast and loose corners and then got rockier with a handful of tight technical corners that challenged riders to maintain speed. To finish stage two racers had to negotiate one of the most challenging sections of the course, a long set of extremely tight switchbacks that left all but the most skilled riders questioning their cornering prowess.

At the bottom of stage two competitors were gladly transported back to the top of China Peak by chairlift where they started the longest and arguably the most demanding stage of the day. Stage three brought riders from the top of the mountain to the bottom going through burly rock infested terrain, pulverized corners, a handful of painful full gas pedal sections, and the TRP brake zone which was located in the infamous “Gnarly Rock Garden” which is always one of the most exciting aspects of racing at China Peak. After finishing the physically and technically challenging stage three, some riders successfully completed their day of racing but pro, open, and expert riders continued on to stage four. After climbing one last time to the top of China Peak at 8700 feet in elevation above sea level and battling a brutal 90 degrees in temperature, riders were ready to finish their day of racing with one last rough and rowdy stage. Stage four challenged racers with a flat sprint out of the gate and then nothing but solid technical riding to the bottom with steep granite faces, rock gardens, as well as loose and blown switchback corners. After the long day of racing riders enjoyed post race recovery at the swimming hole and more good times including the award ceremony. I finished 6th place in the Open Men or Semi-Pro category a result I am proud of but hope to improve in the future.

CES Finale Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro

Blasting through the rock gardens of stage 1 in my favorite flannel!

     The long awaited finale of the California Enduro Series brought racers to the staggering terrain of the Eastern Sierras on Mammoth Mountain for the Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro.  The riding at Mammoth was a great way to bring the long season of enduro racing to an end with breath taking mountain views as well as courses that pushed the technical capability and fitness of every rider to its limit complete with the infamous “kitty litter” dirt Mammoth Mountain is known for.

Enduro squad!

     Stage 1 of the Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro was the Bullet Downhill course, a rough and wild trail that is one of the mountain’s “Pro Lines” sending riders down large drop-offs, burly rock gardens, and a handful of manmade features.  From the start gate to the finish line racers had to battle to keep from hitting the ground through the deep pumice soil and maintain the strength to keep their bikes moving through challenging rock infested sections of trail and over terrifying drops that landed in another rock garden.  Starting the day with a real deal DH stage left competitors eager to tackle the other trails the mountain had to offer and challenge themselves mentally and physically for the rest of the day.

Starting the day on the Bullet DH course.

     After a short but steep climb racers rode chair 2 to the second stage of the day, a long and extremely physical course that ended with an almost vertical chute known as the “Elevator Shaft”.  The beginning of stage two consisted of a long undulating traverse that left riders to find how much pain they could tolerate in order to put down a good race time.  At the end of a few paver switchbacks the stage started to pick up speed, with a fast and loose portion of ski run into a split where competitors had a choice of going down a technical but faster line or wrapping around the section on a sweeping turn.  After a bit of rowdiness through the trees, racers were faced with the intimidating ladder drop on Flow trail which is much faster than the alternate route but comes with a high penalty for failure.  Once down the “Flow Drop” a thrust of acceleration propelled racers down the rest of the trail, onto a wall ride, over a little bit of flat ground, and finally down the “Elevator Shaft”.  Racers flailed down the slope slicing through a foot of dust and spraying lava rock everywhere as they crossed the finish line of stage 2.

Happy to have finished and all be in the top five of Junior Expert.

     If there was one stage out of all the races in the season that could be described as jaw-dropping it would be stage 3 of the Kamikaze Enduro.  Beginning close to the summit at 11,050ft in elevation the start of stage 3 resembled the terrain of the moon and was an amazing way to kick off the longest stage of the day.  At the top, Upper Skid Marks was fast and smooth but soon became incrusted with square edged rocks that made keeping tires inflated a problem for a lot of riders, tight switchbacks also provided a challenge to many racers.  After a few miles of physical high alpine singletrack stage 3 merged with the CAT 2/3 downhill race course making for a fun final section of trail to the end of stage 3 which finished on the dual slalom course.

Finishing stage 4 on Bullet.

     Stage 4 was another downhill orientated stage that started with a series of technical root drops and loose turns that kept riders on their toes.  After sprinting along a flat portion of singletrack the course descended a high speed section of fire-road that connected to the bottom of the Bullet DH course bringing competitors down part of the same action packed piece of trail as stage 1 for a satisfying finish to a great day of racing.

The overall Junior Expert podium for the California Enduro Series.

     I stayed smooth and consistent the entire day and finished 5th in the Junior Expert Category.  I also took 2nd in the Junior Expert Series Overall.  This season has been such a blast and I am so thankful for being able to make it to each of the California Enduro Series races.  I will be taking a little bit of time to rest off the bike but will soon begin training for the 2016 mountain bike season!

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.

Downieville Classic Cross-Country

For the past four years the Downieville Classic has been the race I looked forward to the most and this year was even more special as it marked the twentieth anniversary of this rugged and gnarly mountain bike race.  The Downieville Classic All-Mountain World Championships is comprised of two days of racing, the absolutely brutal 29 mile point to point cross-country race on Saturday and the long very demanding downhill race on Sunday. 

My new Specialized Camber Expert Evo did great on the courses at Downieville.

This year I was able to get a position in the front of the huge field of Expert racers, a group of around 100 racers that all start at the same time.  I had a good start and tried to hang with the top 5 racers in my category but was soon dropped only 1.5 miles into the 8 mile 3000 foot climb to Packer Saddle. However, I did not loose hope and kept up a consistent pace making it to the top in roughly one hour my fastest time ever.  I was able to pass several racers on Sunrise Trail and was not over taken on the long fireroad traverse to the section known as "Baby Heads".  This fast and loose jeep trail is where the course begins to cater to my strengths and I was able to rip down Baby Heads and over take a few other racers.  After I crossed Pauley Creek I began to catch up with a few racers in my category and was even able to pass a few of my competitors.  The end of Butcher Ranch Trail went well and I caught another person in my category on the climb to Third Divide Trail.  With only a few other racers on Third Divide who let me pass I was able to really let loose and make up some time on this surreally fast plunge of singletrack.

Powering along First Divide.  Photo by Rhianna Roush.

At the bottom of Third Divide it is time to spend time in the pain cave all the way to the finish in Downieville.  First there is a flat to downhill fireroad and then First Divide Trail a mostly flat and slightly rocky trail that follows a gold rush era ditch grade to main street in Downieville where racers have one more hard sprint on pavement into the finish.  I felt good on First Divide and tried my best to put power into the pedals even though I was totally exhausted.

 

Looking how I felt after the hard Downieville Classic XC.

On the final sprint along Main Street I caught one of my racers in my category right as we crossed the finish line but was not able to cross the line ahead of him missing 4th place and a podium spot by only one second.  Even though being so close to podium was slightly disappointing I had my best time ever of 2:12:40 on the XC course and was happy to do well against such stiff competition.

 

I came in 5th out of 35 super fast racers and was only one second off of 4th.

 

 

 





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 #1 Battleborn Enduro

Practice on Stage 5.

Well it happened again, the Battleborn Enduro proved to be a fun and successful event for all of the nearly 300 competitors who descended upon Peavine Mountain near Reno, Nevada.  Despite rain and snow storms all through the previous week the Battleborn trails were dry, dusty, and loose as ever, keeping racers on their toes the entire day and making cornering interesting.  After a short riders’ meeting, racers made their way up the first transfer stage. This consisted of a gradual eight mile climb that put racers on the top of the fast and loose first stage.  Even with competitors separated into two groups there was a fairly long wait at the top of the first stage and racers stood shivering in the wind, some seeking shelter low to the ground or behind their bikes.  The cold temperature at the first stage proved to be a sharp contrast of last year’s race which saw temperatures in the 90s all day.   Tightened and stiff muscles made me feel awkward on the bike and it took awhile to find my flow on the first stage. 

Just before dropping in to Stage 1.

The second stage starts with a series of sharp blown out corners and then opens up into one of the fastest sections of the course but still managed to throw in a handful of little climbs that could make you feel like you were bleeding from the eye balls if you wanted to carry speed.  I felt a lot better on the second stage but still did not feel completely confident in my race run and kept it conservative in the corners.

Enduro transfer stages!

To get to the third stage racers had some climbing to do after picking up some great tasting nutrition from the Tahoe Trail Bar aid station.  The beginning of stage 3 is always a bit of a challenge with a series of extremely tight switchbacks that can break even the most experienced racers.   After that it becomes one of the more wide open stages of the day and can get really fast towards the bottom.  For me this is where my race finally started to come together and I started to feel more and more comfortable in the loose ball bearing dirt of Peavine Mountain.

Getting ready for stage 5.

After a little more pedaling it was time to shred the fast, extremely physical, and longest stage of the day.  Stage four starts out with a fun, fast, and flowy downhill section with bermed corners and the occasional table top.  However the fourth stage is not all fun and games the course soon turns into a true test of racers fitness with a bit of climbing and a flat path along a creek bed that leaves you with no choice but to put the power down for a decent race time.  For Beginner/Sport racers this was the finish of their Battleborn adventure, but for Experts/Pros it was time to pedal up one more transfer stage to the most technical stage of the day.

      Stage 5 was a welcome sight to more downhill oriented racers and featured several burly rock gardens as well as a steep chute section.  Depending on how fatigued you were at this point stage five could leave you grinning ear to ear or coming off the mountain with a broken bike or body.  I kept my run as smooth and consistent as possible and was able to make it to the bottom in one piece and can easily say it was my favorite stage of the day.

Liam Ruff in second and Matt Koen in first for Expert Boys U18.

The Battleborn Enduro is definitely not an event to miss and was a perfect way to kickoff another exciting California Enduro Series season.  This race is truly an all around test of technical skill and pure fitness that make up the best mountain bikers.  Even though I felt slightly off in the beginning of the day I managed to finish second place in the Expert Boys U18 category offering redemption for my numerous chain drops and mechanical issues I suffered from last year.  The Battleborn Enduro was a blast riding with rad people on sweet trails.



Second place medal!

 

Nevada City Dirt Classic #1

The first Nevada City Dirt Classic took place just five miles outside of Nevada City in the Tahoe National Forest on some fun wooded trails.  The first event in the three race series saw record attendance with 102 participants and many spectators and volunteers.  With Expert and Pro riders racing 28 miles with 3600 feet of climbing it proved to be a challenging day of racing.

  I hammered my way into 2nd place in Expert Men 15-18 a very competitive category that held some of the fastest times of the day.  Thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors that make these events possible!  Make sure to attend the next two events, for more information go here.

The Off Season

Fall color.

The Santa Cruz Super Enduro was my final race of 2014 and the beginning of the "off season".  Fortunately I live in a place that allows me to never stop ridding my bike throughout the year so I have no excuses to stop riding throughout fall and winter!



Sawtooth Trail, Truckee

Fall in Northern California is my favorite time to ride, the dusty blown out trails of summer have been replaced with tacky beautiful ribbons of singletrack, and even high sierra trails are still open to play on.  I was able to ride in Downieville, Truckee, and Forest City throughout the Fall and was treated to the best trail conditions of the year.

Big Boulder Trail, Downieville

Truckee Ditch Trail, Forest City

Big Boulder

After a month of just having fun on the bike I started to put in a lot of base miles and start to prepare for the 2015 NICA NorCal series where I will be competing at the varsity level.

NU Team Rides

The NorCal high school season officially started December first and teams across the state began training for the races in spring.

Road rides on the hardtail.

As winter rolls in heavy rains can make the trails unridable for a few days so I have been putting in base miles on pavement as well as spending a lot of time the spin room.  On my local trails downed trees and washouts can become serious problems.

Downed tree on 8 Ball Trail.

I hope everyone can remain being active through winter and enjoy these beautiful days whether it be on white or brown pow.  Happy holidays!

Bullards Bar Trail

2014 BONC Grouse Fest

The third annual Bicyclists of Nevada County Grouse Fest rolled around an was a great mix of trail work, fun around the campfire, and epic back country riding.

photo by Keegan Zetterberg

The first day I set up camp and enjoyed the beauty of Lindsey Lake and the surrounding mountains that were the setting for great time in the mountains.  Towards dark we had an awesome night ride down Bull Pen trail and back up to camp.

The next morning volunteers were caravanned on 4x4 jeep road and then had a few mile hike to get to the work site.  Tons of progress was made on the first day and the despite thick Manzanita roots the new rerouted Lindsey Lakes trail was close to completion.

The second day some volunteers choose to continue to work and complete the trail work project while others choose to enjoy the technical back country mountain biking Grouse Ridge has to offer.  On the last day there is always a big group ride that show cases the best trails of the area.  Here are a few photos from my ride.

Photo by Keegan Zaetterberg

This years Grouse Fest was tons of fun I cant wait to see what this event will grow into in the future.  Thanks to the USFS Tahoe National Forest and Bicyclists of Nevada County for making this event possible.

CES #3 Livewire Enduro at Northstar

 

Stage 1 Livewire

The third stop of the California Enduro Series at Northstar Ski Resort was a blast and featured flowy bike park terrain, physical cross-country trails, and  technical black diamond runs.

Me and other racers from the NU Miners MTB Team.

The race was part of Northstar's Livewire Classic which brings their downhill and enduro race season to an end, the enduro race was well attended and had close to 300 competitors.



Stage 3 Speed Control/Pho Dog
 

Stage one was Livewire one of the bike parks most popular trails consisting of fifty 20-50 foot table tops and massive berms Livewire is also fully irrigated.  Stage 2 took place on various multi-use trails on the mountain and proved to be extremely physical, to get a good time racers had to go through over fifteen minutes of hair bleeding agony.

Pho Dog

For stage 3 it was back to the fun side of things and was my favorite stage of the day, it started on Speed Control a fast flowy bike park trail and then went into Pho Dog a mildly technical downhill run with jumps and berms.

At the end of the day I finished 9th out of 29 fast riders in the Junior Open category and was able to some good stuff in the post race schwag giveaway and raffle.