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The Chris Davidson diary
Chris Davidson is a former mechanic for Bontrager Racing Service, now in the service of Shimano Multi-Service.
Chris' diary entries will show you what life is like inside the pits and an insight into the mind of a mechanic.
NORBA National Series #5 - Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho, July 29-August 2, 2004
On a high
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Day four and the excitement peaks. The final day always brings the drama of the high intensity events, STXC and DH, but the interest in Marathon is growing due to the participation of many of the pro XC riders. The marathon here started at 7:00am and there was a large participation from the pro riders. Ryder Hesjedal was attempting the 'triple' as he won the XC yesterday, won the marathon this morning, then turned around and started the STXC less than three hours after finishing the marathon. While he did not win the STXC, his riding this weekend was impressive - next stop for him is the Olympics.
The downhill was property of the Luna Chix, as Marla took second and Kathy Pruitt took the top spot on the podium. No less impressive was Greg Minnaar (Honda) who won the men's DH.
In the special entry department, Brian Lopes got a number plate for the STXC and staged in the back. He charged the front and made it nine minutes into the race, which is pretty incredible considering the field. Full props Lopes.
Lopes did excel on the berm that they included in the STXC course. In setting up the fencing for the STXC, they included a berm from the start of the MTX course. Nothing crazy, but it was about three feet high and allowed for the XC riders to catch air every lap. Definitely have not seen that before in a STXC course, but then again we have seen some real crazy stuff in STXC this year (i.e. Sonoma).
The Kona boys are some of our favorite riders, and they spend plenty of time hanging out in the Shimano tent. We joke that they are the tallest team on the circuit, in fact we say that, 'The shortest guy on the team is 6'4". Check out the photos of their bikes, I can't even sit on the top tube of those bikes. Pork chop (Ryan Trebon) and ET (Barry Wicks) have a good sense of humor.
The last photos of the day involve the DEVO junior team. These guys took down their tent and trailer today after we were done. We only had four guys, they had double digit numbers. Check out the photo of the DEVO team train packing up the tent.
Last note of the day was my participation in the expert 30+ STXC. With the generosity of my boss, Matt Eames, I was able to get out of the trailer for enough time to do the race this morning. I got a good start, then a crash happened at the front and I was alone solo at the front of the race. It is amazing how hard you can push yourself when you are in the lead. Good fortune came my way and I was able to hold onto the lead till the end. Definitely good to end the weekend on a high note. Next week, Aspen and 9000ft of elevation, it should be fun.
Lots of really nice people came by the tent this weekend and introduced themselves, including a very pleasant woman from Moscow, Idaho. I look forward to meeting more of you next weekend at Snowmass. So stop by and say 'hi'.
Until then, thanks for reading,
CD