2009 Podium Results

Race Images

Links to Race Images

Cool Mountain Bike Race      Copperopolis Road Race      TBF #3

Dunnigan Road Race      Boca Road Race      2009 Race Potpourri

Challenge Road Race     Henleyville/Chico/Whiskeytown

Race Reports

2009 Skyline Expert
Men's Expert MTB XC, 1st Place
Chuck Ross

California MTB State Championship Series
Men's Expert Super D, 1st Place
Chris Thibodeau

As some people may have known I traveled down to Santa Barbara this past weekend to compete at the Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival at Elings Park also California State Championship Series #6.

On Saturday I competed in the Super-D. This was probably the tightest most technical course I have done and will do this whole year. The course is super tight and twisty with some chewed up switch backs. The start was at the top of the mountain and the view was awesome. In one direction you had the pacific ocean and the channel islands and in the other direction... .well the scarred mountains from the recent fire they had down there. 

 2009 Cool 24-Hour MTB XC
5-man teams, 1st place
Rick Kalb, Craig Lindberg, Terry Hundember, Dan Goldsmith, Rob Heller

As the Cool 24-hour race day approached and the weather reports deterioriated our race logistics grew like the US debt. Five of us alternating laps for 24 hours in a half foot of mud was going to be a challenge.

"Bring lots of cycling clothing", commented Rick. "How much?", I inquired. "All of it! Oh, and bring 2 bikes!"

All five of us on the team each packed two bicycles (10 bikes) and 3-5 sets of clothing. I went with my 10-year-old Specialized S-Works hard-tail as my primary ride for the mud and brought my 2-year-old Specialized Epic Comp Disc as backup. I wouldn't worry about destroying the older bike, and the S-Works hardtail is light enough to ride as a singlespeed if necessary.

Rob and I arrived early Saturday morning to assemble the first of two EZ-Ups and pop my trailer. Terry and Rick showed up to do EZ-Up #2 and Dan finally straggled in to pop his trailer. Dan is the Lance Armstrong of trailer assembly, completing the job in a blur of arms and legs. Terry and I doggedly fixed tarps above and below everything and finally we were ready to go to war.

Or so we thought.

The clouds opened up and the rain pounded down. Water piled up in the tarps and we set buckets out to catch the run-off while Rick suited up for the first hour or so of 24 hours of continuous relay-riding. Several hundred race entrants whooped and hollered as they slurped off through muck and rain, and Rick fought his way through the logjam his entire lap. When he returned about an hour and 15 minutes later, he and everyone else looked like Godzilla had eaten them and pooped them out as little human turds.

Terry went off, returning an hour and 10 minutes later as another human turd. He cracked a smile and his teeth were as muddied as his arms, legs, torso, and face, but at least he was smiling.

"It's not so bad", cried Terry. Yeah. Right, turd-man.

Dan took off next and I was on deck. After an hour I queued in the relay area awaiting his return. I didn't even recognize Dan as he rode by, shouting out "Go, Craig!". Here we go. I pulled onto the course and nearly crashed just turning onto the goopy trail. I spun gingerly at first and was rewarded with my first mouthful of mud. I reacted by swallowing and got a hundred calories of dirt, grass, poo, H1N1, and who knows what else down my gullet.

My handling improved dramatically as I got comfortable with the conditions and by the end of the lap it felt fine to slid all over the trail as I flew up and down the hills. Holy crap, this was FUN! Really.

I fell down twice, but sticky mud is downright pillow-like compared to asphault. Who cares about a little grass lodged in the cracks of your helmet? Nobody passed me that lap, nor any of my other laps, dammit. Rick and Terry reported the same, turning in lap times of 70 to 75 minutes while most riders were doing 90 to 120 minute laps. I don't know if anyone passed Dan or Rob during the event, but I kind of doubt it.

On and on it went, riding through the night. Conditions were so horrific that I replaced my V-brake pads after one lap and the brand new pads lasted just two laps instead of a few months. Fortunately we only ended up doing 3 laps each or I would have been forced to switch bikes just to find something with working brakes.

If you know how much Rick loves to sleep, then you'd be as amazed as I was when Rick got up for a 1AM lap start. Hell had frozen over, cows were flying out of my butt, and Rick was riding in the dark at 1AM. Amazing.

Dan made up for Rick by oversleeping for his 4AM start. This followed Terry's 2:30 - 4AM lap. Dan delayed further to do a gigantic dump. Twenty minutes later (Dan claims it was only 15) he was out in the muck.

I followed up with a 5:50-7:10AM lap, though that time may not be exactly right as my brain was fading fast. On the positive side, with no brain to hold me back I turned in a ripping fast lap, riding up the sections people were walking and surprising Rob by showing up 15 minutes earlier then expected.

I was so happy with my ride that I didn't even care that Rob had to finish suiting up before starting. He was almost ready anyway, and no major dump required.

While Rob was out doing the last lap (they were calling the race at 22 hours and he wouldn't return soon enough for us to get in another lap though it was really close), Rick entertained us by peeing in one of buckets I had brought. I guess the lack of sleep made that walk over to the port-a-potties a bit much for 'ol Ricky-poo. I will forever remember that every time I wash my car, Rick. I can't wait to pee in your pool. :-)

I will summarize the rest by saying the team did really well, taking 1st place among the 5-man teams. Racing in the rain can be fun, but racing in mud is even better.

-Craig