The big kick off to the 2010 US Cup season was held at beautiful Bonelli park in San Dimas. The weather was beautiful, sunny in the mid 70’s. The promoters pull out all the stops with a new course, a great venue with free In N Out burgers for all the racers. Not healthy, but well deserved.
The course was a World Cup style set up. Shorter laps..the pros racing on a 4 mile loop and the Cat 1,2,3 racers taking on a 6 mile loop. Tons of new single track was added which was very demanding with punchy steep climbs, loose rocky descents and twisty off camber turns. Limited areas for recovery made for a long day in the saddle.
The Cat 1 riders had to battle out 4 laps with the Cat 2 racers taking on 3 laps. This course style gives spectators more chances to view how the races develop and finish.
Gary Douville raced to first place in 35-39 age group
This was the first mtn bike race for my 2010 season. I came into this race full of confidence with a solid off-season of training and a new bike. With only two prior off-road rides under my belt with the new Specialized 29er I felt comfortable with the ride. I was nervous about the Scram shifting since I’ve been a Shimano guys for over fifteen years. As long as my mind was sharp enough to still think about the different shifting style I would be fine.
The Cat 1 40-44 class was the largest field in the Cat 1 group with just under 30 riders. The talent was deep with the current National Champion “Nor Cal rider” Dario Fredrick, “fast man” Guy Sutton from San Diego, “marathon racer” Sho Air’s Mario Corr ea, Bill Daley and Mike Hileman who both won almost every race they entered in the 40 class last season. Jay Hammond showed he’s worked hard in the off season. And a newcomer to the 40 class John Saliamonas.
Amanda Schape raced to second for her age group
Not to mention the other hammerheads like Platinum’s Roger “007? Moore who can climb with the best of them. Besides the absences of “Nor Cal nice guy” Chuck Ross, I felt like the best of California’s 40-44 year olds have assembled for battle at Bonelli.
(PHOTOS BY ROXANNE MOORE)
The first section of the race incorporated a fire-road climb that quickly separated the pack. In the Cat 1 40-44 class that happened quickly. Dario Fredrick quickly set his own fast pace. Mario Correa jumped into the mix by setting blistering attacks.
The lead pack was down to six of us by the first steep single track at mile 2. The lead group hit traffic on the single track climbs over the slippery bridges which allowed strong riders like Mike Holman and Jay Hammond to jump on.
By the end of the fire-road climb on mile 4 heading into the pine forest, Guy Sutton trailed by John Saliamonas passed me up leaving me in 6th position. Jay and Mike made their attack on the 2nd lap. I was back and forth with Mike Hileman and Jay was just within striking distance in front of us. By the third lap we caught Mario fixing his chain. He quickly jumped onto our group and attacked within minutes of the first climb we came to. I had Mike dropping off my pace and Jay within 50 yards ahead.
We caught Bill Daley fading off the blistering pace he had set earlier into the race. With just one lap to go, I had two very fast guys chasing me down and I was trying to do the same with Jay just ahead.
We all maintained our positions with Dario setting a fast time of 1:43:00. Guy Sutton second followed by John Saliamonas. Mario, Jay and I were within a minute of each other. I pulled off a 6th place. Bill and Mike rolled in behind me.
I was happy with my time of 1:48:00. I was hoping for a better position, but have no excuses…I left everything out on the course that day. Plus, the new 29er hardtail worked beautifully. I could never hang on with that group on the climbs last season!
Team Platinum had a positive showing with John Biron, Reny Takeda and Gary Douville winning their classes. Bobby Langin Sr, Jon Miller and Amanda Schaper brought home the silver. Mike Weber pulled off a bronze. Ron Takeda raced to a 4th place finish. Mark Luke rounded the top five. The Platinum Performance team currently leads the points in the California State Team competition.
Full Results:
John Biron – 1st Cat 1 50-54
Gary Douville – 1st Cat 1 35-39
Jon Miller – 2nd Cat 1 55-59
Bobby Langin Sr – 2nd Cat 1 50-54
Amanda Schaper – 2nd Cat 1 19-29
Mike Weber – 3rd Cat 1 55-59
Ron Takeda – 4th Cat 1 45-49
Todd Booth – 6th Cat 1 40-44
Steve Silva – 7th Cat 1 50-54
Doug Ulbach – 8th Cat 1 45-49
Bob Nisbet – 10th Cat 1 45-49
Adam Poytress – 12th Cat 1 30-34
Roger Moore – 15th Cat 1 40-44
Andy Osburn – 15th Cat 1 45-49
Reny Takeda – 1st Jr 11-13
Mark Luke – 5th Cat 2 50-54
Steve Bertrand – 10th Cat 2 50-54
John Reveles – DNF
