Former XC World Champion Ned Overend (Specialized) and USA National Super D Champion Aaron Bradford (Specialized/On Site Ultrasound) put on quite the battle at this weekend's CCCX XC Series #4 in Monterey. Overend and Bradford broke away from the pack on lap one and things were not settled between the two riders until the very end of the race when Bradford got a gap and held off the Durango resident to the line. Overend was testing the new Specialized 29er, and looks to be on form heading into the Sea Otter Classic in 2 weeks time. While Bradford is sure to be one of the favorites for the Sea Otter Classic Super D event.
Holly Liske took the Women's Pro/Expert event over Michelle Monroe (SB Racing/Buy-cell.com) by around 30 seconds.

Full results are here and Steve Anderson's photos are here.

The next CCCX XC race is May 16th at Fort Ord.

Sorry again for the blackout on the site this week, real life and work have been getting in the way.

While I haven't posted much, it's not that there is a lack of news. Just this week, I've received news of two reschedules, three new race series (Summit Shorty, Nevada Cup and Reno Wheelmen Twilight) and some other interesting bits. Most of the news races and reschedules have been added to the calendar. If everything goes well, you should see a veritable torrent of posts this weekend (keeps fingers crossed).

For those of you who haven't checked the calendar lately, the SB Racing XC Series #4 has been postponed due to a scheduling problems and will now by May 22nd at Fort Ord.

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for Norcal:

1. CCCX XC (04/03/10): "The course for Race #4 of the CCCX XC Series will use similar trails as the previous 2 races, but in reverse direction. The climbs that peppered race route #3 and tested endurance and strength of all the Central Coast racers will be replaced with mostly fast sections of fun riding single track. Of course there will be a large amount of uphill hits riders will face each lap, but for the most part this race #4 course route will be full throttle for the CCCX riders. Most of the climbs are between 5% and 7% grade, with a majority of the race route sending the riders ripping through turns and dicing down single track trails. Race Safe & Have Fun!"
2. Boggs V (04/03/10): While this has been sold out for a while, it looks like the weather Saturday should be good.
3. Gold Country Gravity Cup #1 (04/03/10): "Due to the lack of entries for this race, we had 8 as of yesterday, we have cancelled the event but we are doing $10.00 all day shuttles and your $10.00 will include a BBQ! Don’t miss out on this great event. Just bring your bike and 10 bones). Don’t forget, a BBQ is included!!"
4. Folsom Lake Sprint Adventure Race (04/03/10)

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I've been traveling again.

Big news (and I'm a bit late on this) is that CCCX #4 is being postponed due to scheduling issues.

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of the remaining MTB racing schedule for NorCal:

1. SB Racing Winter XC MTB Series, Round 3 Henry Coe State Park (03/27/10)
2. Big Sandy Race (03/28/10)
3. Stone's Throw Short Track (03/28/10)

Results from yesterday's CCCX DH #2 (which is really #1 due to the rainout) are posted.

Congrats to John Hauer (X-Fusion) who took the Men's Pro/Semi-Pro, Jimmy Amaral (Point 1) who won the Chainless competition and Rosie Bernard (ABS) who claimed the Women's Pro division.

Photos are available from Scott Mosher Photography and Rick R.

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for Norcal:

1. Keyesville Classic (Saturday): sure, it's a long way down south to to Bakersfield but Keyesville is a classic MTB festival
2. CCCX Summer DH #2 (Saturday): A quick preview - "Recent rain has left many of the Toro Park trails in unridable conditions. Many of the inner canyon trails are now marsh like & filled with moisture seeping out of the hills. For race #2 (ed: race #1 was postponed) of the CCCX DH Series 2010 version, the course will use the ripping fast dry routes available. The race route will be super fast and riders will be on the gas the entire duration of the run. Traction will be awesome and it is sure to be a DH race to remember. Do not miss the chance to have at it going downhill on epic trail conditions that only happen in the Spring time in NorCal."
3. Stone's Throw Short Track (03/21/10)

Did you get around to registering for the first race of the Prairie City Race Series? No ? Get in line for race #2:

NOTE: The first race on March 31 is FULL and registration for that race is now closed.
Check back Thursday April 1st to see what the availability is for race #2.

Via Prairie City Race Series website.

If you're heading down to Sea Otter next month:

BikeRadar.com is proud to offer, for a limited time, a $10 discount off your Sea Otter registration. Follow these instructions for great savings:

Go to http://www.seaotterclassic.com/index.cfm/athlete_registration.htm and decide which event to register for.

Enter coupon code SOCBIKERADAR at checkout

*This offer is good until Mar 21st at Midnight Pacific time.

Via Sea Otter Classic website.

I haven't seen any results yet, but there are some great pictures on MTBR from this weekend's Cool MTB Race (here, here and here).

And yes, they all involve significant mud and water.

UPDATE: Ron from Team MadCat has posted his race report.

Results for CCCX XC #3 are posted and there lots of pictures from both Scott Mosher and Steve Anderson.

Congrats to Bryan Duke (VOS Racing) who took the Men's Pro/Semi-Pro race and Erik Ebberoth (Turbobricks.com) who took the Pro/Expert Singlespeed.

The course map was posted on Garmin Connect via msoldano.


View Larger Map

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for NorCal:

1. Cool MTB Race (03/14/10)
2. CCCX XC (03/14/10)

Just the two races on tap, but both are big.

NorCal bike builder Santa Cruz Bikes has purchased NorCal bike fashion and builder Swobo:

Santa Cruz Bicycles has purchased Swobo outright, buying out Tim Parr’s minority interest in the company.

Santa Cruz Bicycles originally bought the company in 2001 from Parr. Swobo’s original founder Parr stepped back into the picture in 2004 as a minority owner. Swobo was founded in 1991 by Parr.

Swobo, originally built on its popular bike apparel, really came into its own when Sky Yaeger came on board as managing director in 2006, launching the company’s first bike line. The Northern California company’s single speeds and fixies became an instant hit with the urban crowd.

Last September Swobo consolidated operations and opened up a new sales office in Santa Cruz, California, near its warehouse. In conjunction with the new office opening, the Sausalito, California office closed.

Via Santa Cruz Buys Swobo

On the heels of Andrenalin's cancellation of the 24 Hours of Laguna Seca, Granny Gear has thrown in the towel on two of their National races (including what was supposed to be this year's National Championship):

For the first time in 19 years Granny Gear Productions will not be organizing a 24 hour race in West Virginia, the birthplace of 24 hour mountain bike racing. Granny Gear's Laird Knight has decided not to hold the 2010 edition of the 24 Hours of Big Bear but hopes to hold the event again in 2011.

The 24 Hours of Moab will go on but Knight has also decided to idle the 24 Hours of 9-Mile for this year. "These races still have huge potential and I'm still game for making these events successful" Knight told SPOKES. He said he sees this as an opportunity to "hit the reset button and start now to build a marketing plan now for 2011."

The race, which had previously been known as the 24 hours of Canaan and the 24 Hours of Snowshoe moved to Big Bear in 2005 but hadn't been able to reach the number of teams that it needed to make it sustainable since the move. The decision was "extremely painful", said Knight, but "the finances won't allow" the race to happen this year. In addition to lower than needed participation, the economic slump has made finding sponsors for this year's race very difficult.

Via Spokes Magazine.

I am assuming that USA Cycling will move the National Championship to the 24 Hours of Moab, but nothings official yet.

I get lots of emails. Not many are this brief:

Start and end in central San Francisco.

Ride is ~90 miles give or take. Rocks, roads and dirt. Wind, trees and ruts. Hills ... lots of hills. Not for the faint of heart.

Bring a bag with dry clothes to the start. It will be transported to the finish for you. Finish is very near the start. Full-on BBQ / beer bash and post ride sports massage included!

All proceeds go to Matt Peterson's memorial fund.

And not many are for a better cause. Full details will be posted at SFEnduro.
I am thinking my

The results for 2nd round of the SBracing.org Winter Series have been posted:

Kevin Smallman – Overall Winner Riding For Cannondale Racing
Shelly Monroe - Overall Female Winner Riding from SBRacing.org / Buy-Cell.com
John Carr – Cat 2 Winner Riding For Team Dynamic
Dianne Zinchini – Cat 2 Female Winner
Ted Thomas – Cat 3 Winner
Jennifer Grifall – Cat 3 Female Winner Riding for SBRacing.org / Grifall Family Chiropractic

Full results are available here. Photos are here.

For a writeup on the event, see the SB RACING website.

At least one of the races this weekend is definitely on...

The Race Is A Go..

As the morning rain clears we are still committed to running the event Saturday. We will be out marking tomorrow and Friday and will let you know of more developments as we learn them. At this point, all we can do is to provide a great course and control as much as we can without worrying about the weather. That means we will be making every effort to do speedy results so you can race, win, podium and leave as quickly as possible. Beginners, Sports, and Experts podiums will be done as soon as we have enough finishers from each category to do so.

We will be providing little packets of hand warmers/work well on the feet too, to those who would like them at sign ups until we run out! Hoping for a break in the rain Saturday by 10 am for a great start to the race!

via SB Racing website.

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for NorCal (for races that haven't been cancelled):

1. SB Racing, Winter XC MTB Series, Round 2 Fort Ord (Saturday)
2. MTB Challenge #3 (Sunday)
3. Stone's Throw Short Track (Sunday)

More bad news for this weekend's racing:

Well as many of you have suspected we are going to postpone the duathlon and mountain bike race (Dirty Gears #2) scheduled this weekend at Santa Teresa. We went out and ran the courses yesterday and even if the rangers decided to let us ride (only if there was no rain all week), I believe it’s too wet. We would cause too much damage and we do not want to burn bridges with the rangers. The wetness will turn sticky making it nearly impossible in sections.

Hopefully you have noticed on your email receipts and the event page we have had a backup date scheduled for the last 6 weeks. The new date will be Sunday 5-23-10.

Via South Valley Endurance.

The winter rains have claimed another race:

I am sorry to report that due to heavy rain this week, and the constant rain over the past few weeks, Race #1 this Sunday March 7 has to be postponed. I was hoping to have a great track set for the Sunday DH race, however the Park Rangers made the recommendation to postpone the competition due to some flooding that has occurred at Toro Park. I will work to make out a new date for this event, so please check back next Wednesday for an update on the new dates for the CCCX 2010 DH Series.

Via CCCX website.

Okay, it looks like we have a date for the third try on registering for this year's Downieville Classic:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT!!!!!
2010 Cross Country and All-Mountain entries will be available on Active.com, starting April 1st at 8:00pm

So, here’s how things are going to work for All-Mountain.
1. Starting in 2011, you must “qualify” for the All-Mountain to be eligible for an entry.
2. For the 2010 All-Mountain, we’re qualifying top finishers from the following 2009 Downieville Classic races: the top 2 finishers in each category from Saturday’s combined XC and All-Mountain classes; the top 2 finishers in each category from Sunday’s Downieville Downhill race; and the top 2 finishers in each category from the All-Mountain overall. (In some cases the same person qualifies multiple times. These riders will only receive 1 All-Mountain entry).
3. There will no longer be All-Mountain categories for Sport or One Speed. Sport and One Speed riders that qualified by making the podium in 2009 will need to bump to an appropriate Expert category for 2010. See the All-Mountain page on this web site for a detailed 2010 category breakdown.
4. The remaining 2010 All-Mountain entries will be available on Active.com, starting April 1st at 8:00pm.
5. The 2010 Cross Country race will be a qualifier for the 2011 All-Mountain. There will be other “qualifying” events, which are to be determined by race promotor.
6. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.

Here is the list of riders that are qualified for the 2010 Downieville Classic All-Mountain World Championships. Congratulations! If your name is on this list, please contact Heather Williams at heather@yubaexpeditions.com to secure your All-Mountain entry for 2010. Once you have made contact and have verified that you indeed want to compete, you will receive a Passcode. This Passcode will allow you to register and pay through the Active.com site. Passcodes will be given out after April 1st, 2010.

Via Downieville Classic website.

The folks from YONC and Loma Rica Ranch are teaming to bring a benefit MTB race to Grass Valley before their summer series:

The Youth Bicyclists of Nevada County Foundation is excited to present 2010 Loma Rica Ranch Mountain Bike Race to the Northern California and Nevada. A ride or race benefit (just be on your bike!) to ensure that kids have safe roads and great trails. Proceeds from this event will go towards support for school bike club programs in Nevada County. This event offers both recreational and competitive cyclists the opportunity to participate in a fun and well organized event.

Via YBONC - Loma Rica MTB Race.

In about 15 minutes, registration for the hugely popular Prairie City Race Series begins. With the growth of the series over the past few years (now topping 400 racers on some days), they've made a few changes:

• On-line registration deposit. In years past you could register your info and then if you never showed up no big deal. The problem is that we are reaching the max allowable number of racers for our races (500 max) and if you registered and do not show up then others that could have raced could not. This year you will need to put forth a $10 NON REFUNDABLE deposit (plus $1.25 processing fee) to hold your space at the first race on March 31. The $15 racing fee is then due at the race day check in on March 28.
• RACE DAY CHECK IN and schwag pick up will be on Sunday March 28th at Bikes Plus in Folsom from noon until 5:30. Unless you are sick or dying you will need to come pick up your number plate, t-shirt and goody bag. This will speed up the race day check in at the first race.
• "CHIP" TIMING. Yes, chip timing for PCRS this year. If you raced at the Folsom RodeoCross you saw our system in action. You should know that although very accurate, it is not 100% accurate 100% of the time. We will still run a video or bar code scanning for back up. For this reason, after you finish under the Lap/Finish timing arch you will continue like in years past through the "corral" past the video camera. You MUST STAY IN ORDER AFTER YOU CROSS UNDER THE TIMING ARCH.
• MEDALS! We have grown by leaps and bounds over the last three years and starting in 2010 we will award 1st through 3rd place "medals" in each class.

Full details at Prairie City Race Series website.

CCCX XC #2 results have been posted.

Congrats to Jim Hewett (Summit Bicycles) and Jamie Stamps (Another Bike Shop/Chain Gang ) for the Pro Men's and Women's wins.

Photos are available at Scott Mosher Photography.

Although we don't often stray from "pure" MTB racing events here on the blog, I did want to take a minute and note the mostly NorCal-based Big Blue Adventure Series of Xterra (i.e. MTB) triathlons and off-road adventure races:

Big Blue Adventure features triathlon, trail running and adventure racing. Our courses offer authentic outdoor “Big Blue” experiences, highlighting the diverse and varied natural terrain and geographic regions of California, Nevada and the west. Experience the high desert, the Sierra and Lake Tahoe region in all of its summer and winter glory, conquer the rolling golden hills and reservoirs of the San Francisco Bay Area, and survive the rugged Pacific Coast of Northern California.

• 4/3/2010: Folsom Lake Adventure Race (Granite Bay/Folsom Lake, CA): 2-4 & 6-12 Hour Multisport Race with kayak, mtb, trail run, navigation
• 5/8/2010: Red Tail Adventure Race (Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore, CA): 2-4 & 6-12 Hour Multisport Race with kayak, mtb, trail run, navigation
• 5/8/2010: XTERRA Del Valle (Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore, CA): Off-road triathlon: Swim, Mountain Bike, Trail Run
• 6/26/2010: XTERRA Tahoe City (Tahoe City, CA): Off-road triathlon of Swim, Mountain Bike, Trail Run
• 7/10/2010: Ocean Blue Adventure Race (Half Moon Bay, CA): 2-4 & 6-12 Hour Multisport Race of kayak, mtb, trail run, navigation
• 8/28/2010: XTERRA Lake Tahoe (Incline Village, NV): Off-road triathlon of Swim, Mountain Bike, Trail Run
• 9/18/2010: Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race (Northstar at Tahoe, Truckee CA): 2-4 & 6-12 Hour Multisport Race of kayak, mtb, trail run, navigation

See the whole schedule with more details at Welcome to Big Blue Adventure.

Results from the first Dirty Gears MTB XC Series race have been posted (all in PDF):

• Results Single speed
• Beginner Results
• Results Sport
• Results Expert
• Results Overall

The next race in the series will be March 6th in Santa Teresa County Park (South San Jose, CA).

Following last weekend's mixup, and then the subsequent reschedule for this Friday night, Downieville Classic registration is now of HOLD:

I have always believed that the Downieville Classic was in some way, my family reunion. A gathering of like minded human beings; loving, caring for each other, providing support to one another, all while competing on some of the best and most demanding race courses in the world. I have spent my entire adult life "promoting" the Classic ... This little hick-up with registration has taught me a lesson, and one that I will unfortunately carry with me for a long time. It seems like every year there's something that makes me say, "this is the last year", and for the most part these thoughts of throwing my hands up and quitting have come from acts of either mother nature or the federal government, but never from the people I cared about and considered my mountain bike family.

In regards to registration for the Downieville Classic: a mountain bike race, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, that causes its people to act without affection towards one another. We’re all going to take a break. This mishap with registration was perhaps that proverbial tap on the shoulder from an old friend that says, "spend some time with your family. Love your wife. Look after your children. Take care of yourself".

I know I originally said registration would open on Friday February 26th, however after a weekend of being bombarded with negative emails and undermining phone calls, I'm taking a break; therefore, registration is now on hold for the Downieville Classic, until further notice. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I have a Trail Stewardship grant due on Friday, which is focused on building NEW mountain bike trails in the Downieville area, and I need to focus on this and get back to center. Something we obviously all need to do, as human beings, and as friends who have been coming to the Downieville Classic over the years.

A word of advise: Don’t be so quick to judge and tear one another down. Empower your friends by setting the example. Show some love and support. If it can’t exist at a bicycle race, than we are all f_cked.

We will continue to make preparations for the 2010 event. Stay tuned for when registration will reopen. Active.com has ensured us that the system will be working properly.

Via Downieville Classic website.

Results have been posted for yesterday's MTB Challenge #2:

• Overall results
• Results by division
• Photos by James Pratt Photography

TBF Racing has also posted the MTB Challenge series leaders with one race left to go.

The MTB Challenge series concludes on March 7th in Granite Bay, CA.

SB Racing finally caught some luck this weekend and held their first XC race of the year. A recap from their website:

I don't much believe in luck, rather proper preparation is my preference. But when it came to the weather today, I was very pleased with the way the clouds hovered overhead but never opened up...and I think most of our racers would agree that one mud pit was enough! For those of you in attendance, we thank you very much for coming out and we hope you continue to ride with us as we are excited by all of the positive feedback we received. The response we got was overwhelmingly positive despite some last minute changes and having challenging course conditions (Harvey Bear locals said they had never seen anything like that before!). Despite the wet winter, we did the best we could and were pleased that most people were able to enjoy it.

And, boy did these guys & gals enjoy it!
Greg Heinz - Overall Winner riding for SBRacing.org
Shelly Monroe - Overall Female riding for SBRacing.org / Buy-Cell.com
Tim Keller - Cat 2 Winner riding for SBRacing.org
Becky Brain - Cat 2 Female Winner for Pleasant Hill Cyclery
Jack Schluckbier - Cat 1 Winner
Jennifer Grifall - Cat 1 Female Winner for Grifall Family Chiropractic

Via SB Racing.

Photos and some video can be found at Assured Photo.

Due to a fubar with active.com last night, the Downieville organizers are calling a "Do Over" on this year's registrations:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT!!!!!

Downieville Classic Friends and Family,
We have experienced an error with online registration. The Active.com site was asking for a passcode in error. Certainly not the way we had hoped this process would have gone, but nonetheless we need to make things right.

To make this fair for everyone, we will clean the slate - Active.com will be issuing refunds to everyone who was able to enter.

We will reopen registration on February 26 at 8:00pm. Active.com has ensured us that the system will be working properly.

Again we apologize for the error, but as you all know, shit happens.
Thank you all for your continued support of this event.

Via Downieville Classic website.

We'll have a reminder again this week.

It's just about that time:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT!!!!!
Ah yes, it's that time of year again. The race to get into the race. On-line registration for the Downieville Classic All-Mountain and Cross Country categories will be opening this Friday, February 19th at 8:00pm. We will post specific url links for each event that will take you to Active.com, so be sure you are entering the correct event. It is helpful to already have an account set-up with Active.com before attempting to register. This is important, because like I said, navigating through the registration process quickly and accurately can mean the difference of winning or losing-out on an entry into the race.

Here are the links (won't be live until 8pm tonight):

• Cross Country Race
• All-Mountain Race (XC + DH on same bike)

Good luck -- All-Mountain should sellout within 30 minutes or so.

For those of you making your weekend plans, here is quick rundown of this weekend's MTB racing schedule for Northern California:

1. SB Racing.org, Winter XC MTB Series 2010, Round 1 (02/20/10)
2. MTB Challenge #2 (02/21/10)
3. South Valley Endurance Dirty Gears Series #1 (02/21/10)
4. Stone's Throw Short Track (02/21/10)

With the great weather that we've been experiencing, it looks like the Bay Area trails have dried out enough for this weekend's SBracing.org's Winter XC Series #1:

HARVEY BEAR IS ON!

Wow, to get to the point where we could declare that headline has taken an immense amount of work, patience and cooperation with the rangers at Harvey Bear. In the end, we all gave a bit so that we could make this event happen. The rangers were awesome in allowing us to use the portion of the park that is in the best condition and we are planning on running this sucker rain or shine.

With the park restrictions, we are re-working the course we had originally intended. For everyone dying to know the course all we can say tonight is this: The park has been closed. It will remain closed until the race. This means that everyone will pretty much be on equal, if not unfamiliar footing. Once our Course Captain lays it out we will do our BEST to provide details to help you plan race strategy. For those thinking that SBRacing team members have home court advantage, I would just like to kindly say that our race team is largely based in Monterey and most of them have called me asking for directions to Harvey Bear...The team members who know the course will be working the event.

Last word on the course: We think it will be about a nine mile lap that breaks down like:
1 lap - Cat 3 / Beg
2 laps - Cat 2 / Sport
3 laps - Cat 1 / Expert / Pro's
IF it rains, we MAY shorten the course to keep the fun factor high and reduce the mud factor a bit. Keep in mind, we want everyone to HAVE FUN, that will be our motivation.

The race starts at 10 AM on Saturday (2/20/10) at Harvey Bear Lake (approximate map) near Gilroy, CA.

Full information available at SB RACING.

Pro registration is open now, but everyone else needs to wait until March 3rd:

Pre-registration for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships will open at 12:01 a.m. mountain time on Wednesday, February 17.

The Fourth of July event returns to Breckenridge, Colo. for 2010 where it will once again be held in conjunction with the “Firecracker 50.” Riders wishing to compete in the USA Cycling national championship classes will have a two-week exclusive online registration period from 12:01 a.m. MST on Wednesday, February 17 until 12:01 a.m. MST on Wednesday, March 3.

The field will again be limited to 750 race plates, and because start spots sold out before pre-registration ended last year, riders that want to compete for a Stars-and-Stripes jersey are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the exclusive registration period.

On March 3, online registration will open to non-championship competitors as well. At that time, a printable registration form and waiver will be posted online for those wishing to mail in their entry.

Via USA Cycling.

It looks like this summer's 24 Hours of Laguna Seca is in trouble:

We want to provide an update on what’s been going on behind the scenes for the upcoming 24 Hours of Adrenalin events in California ... Unfortunately, like many companies navigating this current economic climate, we find ourselves in an unfavorable situation. As it stands today, we have been unable to secure the California corporate sponsorship support that is required to put on the kind of races that you all deserve, and it looks unlikely that the two spring races, Hurkey Creek and Laguna Seca, will be held unless this situation changes. Simply put, we can’t afford to do it without additional corporate sponsorship.

We are optimistic that the economic climate will begin to change but feel the obligation, to riders and supporters of the event, to let you know of the possibility that these spring events may not take place this year ... We know this will be disappointing news for people planning to attend and it’s because of this that we are working so hard to try and make them happen. We will make a further announcement in the next few days, sorry for the (possible) sad news.

100% of all entry fees will be returned on Friday February 19th if we can't find sponsorship support for the 2010 season.

This does not effect the September 17th - 19th, 2010 event at Hurkey Creek.

Via 24 Hours of Adrenalin™.

It looks like this summer's 24 Hours of Laguna Seca is in trouble:

We want to provide an update on what’s been going on behind the scenes for the upcoming 24 Hours of Adrenalin events in California ... Unfortunately, like many companies navigating this current economic climate, we find ourselves in an unfavorable situation. As it stands today, we have been unable to secure the California corporate sponsorship support that is required to put on the kind of races that you all deserve, and it looks unlikely that the two spring races, Hurkey Creek and Laguna Seca, will be held unless this situation changes. Simply put, we can’t afford to do it without additional corporate sponsorship.

We are optimistic that the economic climate will begin to change but feel the obligation, to riders and supporters of the event, to let you know of the possibility that these spring events may not take place this year ... We know this will be disappointing news for people planning to attend and it’s because of this that we are working so hard to try and make them happen. We will make a further announcement in the next few days, sorry for the (possible) sad news.

100% of all entry fees will be returned on Friday February 19th if we can't find sponsorship support for the 2010 season.

This does not effect the September 17th - 19th, 2010 event at Hurkey Creek.

Via 24 Hours of Adrenalin™.

Just a reminder about Downieville Classic registration:

While we're making announcements, we would also like to make known that registration for the Cross Country and All-Mountain races will open February 19th at 8:00pm. Right here, using www.active.com.

And yes, it will sell out in about :30 minutes.

The good folks over at Bike Monkey [website, magazine, promotions] have announced their 2010 event lineup. I'll skip to the MTB specific stuff:

Boggs 5 (FIVE!) - April 3rd, 2010. There are hardly even a dozen spots left when I last checked so if you didn’t get in already, it might be too late. This event has grown by exponential reaches each year and the excitement we’re all sharing about turning 5 is through the roof. We can’t wait to see you there! In a couple short weeks we’ll be designing a brand new route.

Lake Sonoma Series - May 8th, June 12th, July 10th. Only three races this year, and more sun. We’ve tried it all, and from what we can tell Lake Sonoma is best served hot. Mostly it’s because we don’t want to have to take a single sip of beer home after the race is over, but it’s also fine camping weather too.

Annadel? — keep your hopes up! Things are going well, but if plans continue as they have been we may be dialed in for August-somethin’.

SoNoMas - August 28th (tentative). SoNoMas last year SUCKED. I’ll be the first to admit that. It was ridiculously hot, we ran out of water and cut the race short. It was a rough patch, and we don’t have many. So we took some things to heart. First off, one loop around Lake Sonoma is tough enough. So we’re going to be a little more realistic this year and keep it to just that–one lap for everyone; 25 miles of pure suffering and bliss. More details will soon follow about this event, but mark your calendars, and get ready for what will be one of the toughest XC races in the region!

They also have Levi’s GranFondo and the CXSR series coming back.

Results are in for the CCCX Cross Country opener yesterday:

• Results
• Photos (by Steve Anderson)

Congrats to Jim Hewett (Summit Bicycles) who took the Men's Pro/Semi-Pro, Tim Cannard (Buy-cell.com/Ibis) winner of the Pro/Semi-Pro Singlespeeders and Jamie Stamps, champion of the Women's Pro/Expert.

A few race reports for those who couldn't make it:

• SB Racing
• MTBR
• The Call Up

In addition to kicking off their 2010 Cross Country race series this weekend and moving over to a new website, the folks at CCCX also announced their 2010 Summer Downhill race series:

• 3/7/10: Race #1 (Toro Park)
• 3/20/10: Race #2 (Toro Park)
• 4/11/10: Race #3 (Toro Park)
• 5/9/10: Race #4 (Toro Park)
• 6/20/10: Race #5 (Toro Park)

As usual the races will be held at Toro Park (between Monterey and Salinas). For more information about the races, see the CCCX website or search the archives for past race reports.

This is slightly south of NorCal, but since it's such a large race/festival, I thought it deserved a mention:

For 22 years, the Keyesville Classic has drawn casual riders , pro mountain bike racers and their friends and families to participate in a fun-filled weekend of bike-related events and activities. From the entertaining Vintage class, Observed Trials, and popular Kids' Race, to the highly challenging Bionicon All-Mountain Stage Race where riders tackle the Short Track, Cross-Country and Downhill courses all on the same bike, the Keyesville Classic has something for everyone, riders and spectators alike.

Every year, the Keyesville Classic brings together local riders, advocacy groups and racers from all over the West Coast to raise awareness and generate contributions for trail stewardship in the Kern River Valley, and southern California. Up until last year, the Southern Sierra Fat Tire Association (SSFTA) in Bakersfield ran the event, and at one point it was the largest race on the west coast. Bionicon now directs the event with support from the SSFTA from their newly opened headquarters in Kernville.

This year's Keyesville Classic will be March 19th - 21st in Keyesville, CA. Keyesville is just east of Bakersfield, CA and about 3 hours from Fresno, CA [MAP].

This weekend is the opener for the CCCX XC series at Fort Ord (near Monterey and Salinas, CA). Here's a preview of the opener and series:

This Sunday is the 1st race of the CCCX XC Series held in Ft Ord. Racer/promoter Keith DeFiebre said the trails in Ft Ord are in the best shape he has ever seen! Apparently after years of Keith maintaining the trails and forming the turns to keep riders in line, the trails have now set up to be better then ever.

The 5 mile loop features lots of twisting turns, some steep climbs, and many single track trails that bring a smile to your face when racing. First race starts at 9:00 a.m. with the Beginners division, Sport group starts at 11:00 a.m. and the Expert/Pro wave will go at 1:00 p.m.

The CCCX Series also has a new web site for all their races, with all the current info for the CCCX events posted. The new web address is www.cccxcycling.com.

Also, congratulations to Keith DeFiebre for being appointed as the new NCNCA V.P. of MTB & Cyclocross. New NCNCA President Lorri Lee Lown is a strong advocate of MTB rides and races, and Lown has a vision of continued growth for all that is MTB in NorCal. Lown selected DeFiebre to be a part of her new staff for the NCNCA to drive a long term goal of increasing the growth of MTB racing and riding in Northern California. This region has many strong events and experienced promoters: the CCCX DH/XC Series, the NorCal High School League, Team Bigfoot's races, Northstar at Tahoe DH/XC races, Napa's XC events, the Bike Monkey events, the Prairie City races, the Total Body Fitness events, the Sea Otter Classic and the Global Biorhythms events, are just a few of the success stories for MTB racing in NorCal. Hopefully Keith can bring some cohesion to NorCal's MTB schedule of DH and XC races, as well as work with USA Cycling to bring more attention to the needs of NorCal trail users.