MTB News & racing round-up for August 24, 2005, part 2
Edited by Steve Medcroft
Welcome to our regular round-up of what's happening in the dirt. Feel
free to send feedback, news and gossip to mtb@cyclingnews.com
Endurance MTB socialising - Part I
Not content with just riding a 100-mile endurance MTB event, Elden
Nelson (aka 'the Fat cyclist') wanted to share the experience of over
900 people riding this tough race - so taking out his voice recorder was
the obvious thing to do. He couldn't do 900 interviews in 100 miles, but
tried gallantly, and brings us real tales from the peloton - at Colorado
high altitude.
Bikes ready for punishment
Photo ©: Steve Peterson
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Bike racing is a pretty internally-focused sport. You're thinking about
your strategy, your legs, your suffering, your energy level. You, you,
you. The only time you tend to think about other people is when you want
to either use them or to pass them.
Pretty darned selfish, if you ask me.
On August 13, I raced the Leadville 100 - a 100-mile mountain bike race
in Leadville, CO - the highest city in North America. Ranging from 9000
feet up to 12,600 feet with about 12,000 feet of climbing altogether,
it's recognized as a brutal, demanding race that requires strength, endurance,
and concentration to get through.
Here's the thing, though. I'd done the race eight times before, and while
I wasn't worried about finishing, you can guess that with the nickname
"Fat Cyclist" I knew I wouldn't be setting a personal best.
So why not use the race as an opportunity to get to know my fellow mid-pack
riders? I picked up a small voice recorder - one that easily tucked under
the elastic of my shorts, rolled up to the starting line, and set out
to see what a serious epic race is like if you treat it like a tea party.
And please note: I did not cherry-pick riders. I had never met any of
these riders before talking with them during this ride. My rider selection
criteria were simple: they had to be near me and going approximately my
speed.
Read the rest of Part
1 here
Read Part
II here.
Keith Bontrager at Singlespeed Worlds: Many prologues, one stage
August 22, 2005 - I had a day in Santa Cruz after coming in from Calgary
and then I was off on the plane to State College, PA for some decompression
and a bit more riding at SSWC05 [Singlespeed World Championships 2005].
Singlespeed worlds is a different sort of event. It's an endurance race
with a unique character and format. In addition to the various associated
social activities (many of which increase one handed fluid lifting strength,
and later on in the evening, balance...) there is plenty of riding to
do.
Check Hurl's
report from the UK event held a few years back for background. As
I see it, the weekend will be divided into stages, with many prologues
and then the race at the end.
The first prologue for me was getting there. The weather in Chicago was
going wrong and every air route in the nation going in that direction
backed up. I was supposed to get into Pittsburgh at 11 PM. A two hour
delay made that unlikely, and I was resigned to a hotel room in the Windy
City. But when I finally got to Chicago they'd held the flight, and all
of the other connecting flights in order to get as many people to where
they were going as possible. Apparently UAL didn't want to buy 10,000
hotel rooms. Can't blame them for that.
See the entire
diary entry here.
Geoff Kabush diary: Bring on the final
I’m number one'
Photo ©: Steve Medcroft
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It has been a good month since I last wrote; weekend off... NORBA Utah...
weekend off... NORBA West Virginia. One of the nice things was with a
weekend off I got to make it back up to Canada and enjoy some fine summer
weather and downtown living at my new condo in Victoria; Hotel Kabush
has officially closed. Managed to spend the whole week without making
a grocery shop; overheated my van trying to make it to Mr Schum's bachelor
party; enjoyed the wedding; got my van back home barely; had a good time
showing Pink around Vic with too much to do and too little time; and then
I was off for another couple of months of racing.
Vegas was the first stop, being the closest airport to Brian Head Utah
and NORBA #6; closest being about three hours and several thousand feet
with the base being at 9000ft and the XC course going up to 11,000ft;
good fun. XC wasn't so good with a slashed sidewall and a limp home for
9th place; this left JHK back in front for the series after a strong victory.
At least the weather held out as the day before the "Team Giant 4 Fun"
boys got stuck in a freezing hail storm preride and were rumoured to have
struggled to make it back to their condo with gloves smelling like piss.
Adam didn't seem to feel the effects and after a strong XC ride he was
on the attack in the STXC. After Neethling took the first lap prime for
the downhillers and just about took out Wells, the action was fast and
furious. I managed to bridge to Adam and timed my attack well to take
the win and a stranglehold on the STXC series.
A week off at home in Albuquerque meant some good time for training as
things focus in on the end of the season and my big goals for the year.
See the entire
diary entry here.
New Zealand Team for Worlds
The New Zealand team is in the final stages of preparations for the UCI
Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships. New Zealand has a team of
27 riders competing, including two defending World Champions Vanessa Quin
and Scarlett Hagen, and two other world ranked top ten riders (Kashi Leuchs
in Cross Country and Justin Leov in Downhill).
Quin and Hagen have both being racing well on the World Cup circuit with
Hagen competing in the Elite women's competition, even though she is still
a Junior.
Reigning New Zealand Cross Country National Champion Rosara Joseph (Wellington)
has been in great form in recent weeks, with numerous top ten finishes
in the European Swiss Power Cups, including a third place in last weekend's
round.
Justin Leov also continued his great form with a 7th placing at the latest
World Cup Downhill round in Pila, Italy on Sunday (August 21).
Elite Cross Country Men: Kashi Leuchs (Dunedin), Mike Northcott
(Mangakino), Wayne Hiscock (Wellington).
Under 23 Cross Country Men: Marcus Roy (Te Anau), Aaron Tuckerman
(Blenheim)
Elite XC Women: Rosara Joseph (Wellington), Sonia Foote (Rotorua),
Robyn Wong (Wellington), Jenny Smith (USA)
Junior Cross Country Men: Clinton Avery (Rotorua), Luke Mills (Nelson),
Carl Jones (Whakatane)
Junior Cross Country Women: Michelle Bellamy (Nelson)
Elite DH Men: John Kirkcaldie (Wellington), Des Curry (Rotorua),
Nathan Rankin (Levin), Justin Leov (Blenheim), Tom Holland (Rotorua),
Craig Pattle (Rotorua), Glenn Haden (Wanganui).
Elite DH Women: Vanessa Quin (Tauranga), Jenna Makgill (Auckland)
Junior DH Women: Scarlet Hagen (Queenstown)
Junior DH Men: Mike Skinner (Auckland), Samuel Blenkinsop (Wanganui),
Kieran Bennett (Nelson), Cameron Cole (Hamilton).
Susy Pryde is the team manager.
2006 Kiwi World Championships promoters head to Livigno
As the 2005 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials Championships get underway in
the Italian alpine town of Livigno in Northern Italy, the minds of New
Zealand’s national mountain bike team and support staff is not just on
the races – they will be looking to learn everything they can about throwing
a World Class World Championships – because Worlds heads to Rotorua, New
Zealand in 2006.
Rotorua was awarded the World Championships by the UCI in December 2004.
“They (the UCI) have given every mountain biker on the planet just the
excuse they need to visit New Zealand,” says Dave Donaldson, chairperson
of the local organizing committee for 2006. “For Kiwis, it is the opportunity
to showcase our trails to the mountain biking world and to see the world’s
best in action in our own backyard.” The event village and courses for
the World Championships will be purpose built on the slopes of Mount Ngongotaha.
So with their event only one-year off, and with support from support
from Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand and Destination Rotorua and
Events Venue Rotorua, New Zealand is sending current world Elite Women's
Downhill Champion Vanessa Quin and Junior Women's Downhill Champion Scarlett
Hagen to race as well as a team from the 2006 Worlds in Livigno to promote
next year's event.
If you’re headed to Livigno yourself, the Kiwi crew invites you to visit
them at the New Zealand House at Le Mirage from 5 to 6pm every evening
from Wednesday, August 31 to Sunday, September 4. If you can't be there
in person, check their 2006 web site for regular updates and news about
the Kiwis in Action.
Cougar Mountain Classic Festival signs major sponsors
The 2nd annual Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic (formerly
known as the California Outdoor Sports Championships), announced today
their official bicycle, tire and suspension sponsors. The event takes
place Sept. 9-11, 2005 and will bring several thousand amateur and professional
mountain bikers, gravity racers, road cyclists, trail runners, road runners,
vendors, media, and outdoors sports fans to the three-day festival at
Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
Gary Fisher, dubbed the "Founding Father of Mountain Bikes" by Smithsonian
Magazine, and whose inspiration for the creation of his mountain bikes
came from the mountains and terrain surrounding the San Francisco Bay
Area, will be an Official Bicycle co-sponsor for the event. Trek, America's
largest bicycle manufacturer since 1976, has signed on as an Official
Bicycle co-sponsor for the event. Kenda USA, the event's official Tire
sponsor, will be providing 360 pairs of tires to all event category winners.
X-Fusion Shox, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance mountain
bike suspensions, is the event's Official Suspension sponsor.
The three-day Cougar Mountain Classic is a partnership between Sea
Otter Classic LLC and Infineon Raceway. The Infineon Technologies
Cougar Mountain Classic is the end-of-summer festival of road cycling,
mountain biking, gravity racing, running, and expo and bookends its sister
event, Monterey's world-renowned Sea Otter Classic, April's unofficial
cycling season opener.
The event offers one last chance for riders to qualify for the National
Off Road Bicycling Association (NORBA) National Championships that take
place one week later, Sept. 17-18, in Mammoth Mountain, CA. The event
also offers a full program of road and offroad cycle racing and is listed
on the National Road Calendar (NRC) and the American Mountain Bike Challenge
(AMBC) series. In addition to pro, amateur and recreational road and mountain
bike cycling events for all age groups and skill levels, the event offers
a pro and amateur All American Trail Running Association (AATRA) sanctioned
running event called the 15K Road/Off-Road SuperRun.
Event Overview:
What: 2nd Annual Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic
When: September 9-11, 2005
Where: Infineon Raceway
Road Cycling: Road circuit race, (NRC, NCNCA)
Mountain Bike: Cross-Country, Short track, Downhill, Mountain-cross
(NORBA, AMBC affiliated)
Running: Road and trail running race (AATRA)
Expo: Trade team trailers, cycling and running vendors, family
activities, wine tasting, vintage bicycles
Swap Meet: Buy. Sell. Trade. Pro teams and sales rep.'s sell
off used gear and excess stock
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