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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 NCS Series #2, Sonoma, CA, USA, May 14-16, 2004
Day 3 - Sunday, May 16: Wind and pain
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Day four in Sonoma started as the three previous days did: calm and sunny. Then the wind started to blow. The only other place in the US that has consistent winds in excess of what we have experienced here in northern California recently is Silver City, New Mexico. If any of you have ever raced a bike at Gila, you know what I am talking about.
Today featured the end of the XC for the lower categories, then the feature race: the STXC. This event was constructed with the best intentions: a spectator-friendly race on a short loop, with exciting action. The course at Sonoma would deliver excitement and beyond. The course contained a total of 200m of dirt divided into two sections. The rest was a paved parking lot with a short hill. Lots of metal fencing to keep the race contained. Kinda like a cage match in wrestling. Due to the not very off-road course, the equipment choices were very diverse. I hinted yesterday at the use of 700c disc brake wheels in 26" hardtails, but this turned out to be one of the more mundane choices. Here were some top riders' choices:
Todd Wells: 26" hardtail with knobbies JHK: 26" hardtail with 700c wheels and cross tires Kona boys: 26" hardtail with 700c wheels and cross tires Travis Brown: Cross bike with single ring up front, cross tubulars Andy Jacques-Mayne : cross bike, cross tubulars Derek Wilkerson: 26" hardtail with 26" slicks Paul Rowney: 26" hardtail with 700c wheels and 23mm ROAD tires Carl Decker: Giant TCR carbon road bike with 23mm ROAD tires
As you can see, the field was not unified on the best choice for the course. The climb was big ring and the main straightaway was into a strong headwind, so drafting was a big part. That and superb bike handling skills. On the down side, a large number of pros crashed in the event, due to the extremely tight course and the wickedly fast speeds. This part is a sad spot for the sport, with another NORBA race next weekend some guys are going to have to miss the event due to injuries suffered today. Crowd exposure and close racing is great for the sport, top guys going down in a 20 minute race is disappointing.
On to the action. First up the women: the women's race was characterized by the consistently hard efforts up the hill each lap slowly reducing the field. The Ford women again put in a strong showing, putting all three girls in the front group, including yesterday's second place Dara Marks. It all came down to the last lap and Alison Dunlap attacked on the climb to distance the field and come out on top.
Fireworks: the men's race. The full men's field started at a super human pace, and inside five minutes there had already been a number of crashes. Todd Wells was pushing home some attacks at the front and the gaps started to open. 10 minutes into the race, the front group was down to 11 riders and this group kept attacking itself and driving the super-maximal pace. Inside the last three laps the attacks came every time up the hill. Andy Jacques-Mayne lead out the sprint and was close to the victory, but went down with 50 meters to go. The sprint ended with Carl Decker crossing the line first on his road bike! The STXC delivered huge on the excitement scale, however a number of riders were not happy with the risk/reward options necessary to stay at the front/on course. The equipment variability was also a hot topic, with some pros suggesting that rider's equipment choice for the XC should be the only items allowed for the STXC.
When the dust settled, the beer flowed in the Luna Chix tent and the topic changed to the travel schedule and the event next weekend in Big Bear. The Olympic outlook looks more muddy as two riders are justifiable as top American candidates, Wells and Dunlap, showed their strength, but the selections still may come down to other factors.
The drama will continue next weekend in southern California, however, I will be taking this weekend off, so no reports. However, I am heading back on the road at the end of this month with the T-Mobile women's team for a trip to the World Cup race in Montreal and the USPRO in Philadelphia.
Till then and thanks for reading,
CD