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.

California State Championships

This climb was steeper than it looks.

The NICA California State Championships took place at the Los Olivos Dirt Ranch and was an exciting way to wrap up another high school racing series.  The course had a mix of short but steep climbs that required a lot of power, fast rolling terrain, and a handful of descents that required a little bit off skill to keep it fast.  I was pleased with the course and the tricky climbs and fast downhills fit my riding style more than other courses on the high school circuit.

Varsity train.

I was given a nineteen place call up out of the sixty-five varsity boys who competed at Los Olivos.  This was a good starting position but unfortunately I was passed by quite a few racers in the all out fireroad start that then turned into a demoralizing steep climb that left a few riders running their bikes.  I was able to make up time on the downhill sections but always felt a little slow on the climbs.  By my third lap I started to feel better on the climbs and was also able to pass a few riders in the blown out rutted corners.  After four grueling laps experiencing everything form heat and sun to a light sprinkling of rain I finished 29th out of the sixty-five fastest junior racers in California.

Rad savages!

The Nevada Union Miners smashed it at states and the entire season.  Thanks so much to parents, athletes, and coaches that keep our team the raddest savages around!  I can't wait for the next NICA season as well as the many races I have lined up for this summer.

The downhill sections were fast and fun.

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.

Welcome

Hello all, I'm a XC and AM mountain bike rider and racer in the Sierra Foothills and this blog will discuss my singletrack adventures in the Sierra!  Right now I am getting ready to race in the 17th annual Downieville Classic cross country race this weekend. This is my first year racing in this great venue so wish me luck!  Even if you are not racing the Downieville Classic is a fun event to attend.  See you there!