Sagebrush Safari breaks out mountain bike season

The 2010 mountain bike season kicked off last weekend with the Sagebrush Safari in San Diego, the first of both the Kenda Cup Qualifiers and the 8-race Team Big Bear So Cal Series.

The Sagebrush course is considered by many to be the best of the So Cal Series, and I have to say I agree. The long climbs provide plenty of opportunity to put some distance on the competition, and the singletrack descents simply can’t get any better. With flowy banked turns, air-catching whoops, don’t-grab-the-brakes steep shoots, techy rocky sections, and some deep water crossings thrown in the mix, Sagebrush delivers everything you’d hope to ride on a mountain bike. It’s good being on a course that isn’t 90% fire road.

After Saturday’s rain, the course was in perfect condition. There was definitely some mud out there, but for the most part we were cruising over grippy, sticky dirt, with no loose sandy stuff to speak of. The Cat 2’s and elder Cat 1’s ran about a 20 mile lap, while the young and handsome Cat 1’s (i.e., Gary and Adam) put in about 30 miles.

As for me, I not only had the most fun I’ve ever had at a cross country race, but definitely the most success as well. I’ve really stepped up my training this year and have been working hard to get fast. I’m currently a Cat 2, but I made it a goal to upgrade to Cat 1 by the end of this season. Since I’ve been suffering through so many interval-filled hours on my bikes, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well, and naturally went into the race pretty nervous.

The awesome support I had at the race (thank you John Behrens!) got my bike dialed and made sure that I did all those things you’re supposed to do to have a good race, you know, like warming up (something I neglected to do in the past). I have to admit that warming up on a trainer in the parking lot made me feel pretty legit.

By the time I was lined up at the start, I was pretty confident. I had my game plan: stay in the middle of the pack on the initial 2-mile flat section, fighting the urge to jump out in front (that whole concept of drafting and conserving energy…roadies do know some things!), and then start trying to pull ahead part way up the first climb. After the start, I felt really antsy to get off the front, but knowing that I’d just end up pulling the whole group behind me, I nervously stayed put in the pack.

After a few minutes, I heard somebody shrieking “SCHAAAAAPER!” as they flew by me. It was my good friend Eric Colton, who was racing his first mountain bike race and decided to race Cat 3. He started two minutes behind me, but since he’s a super fast road and cross guy, he caught the Cat 2 girls pretty quick. When he flew by, I made the game time decision to ditch the girls and jump on his wheel. To my surprise, not a single person came with me. This was definitely a smart move because although I only able to hang with Colton for a few minutes, I put a big gap on the rest of my field, and never saw any of them again until well after I finished. I won my age group, and I was the fastest Cat 2 girl overall by six minutes.

I was stoked to say the least, especially when Bobby Sr. ran up to me with a big hug yelling, “That’s my girl!” That alone made all of those intervals worthwhile. So my goal of upgrading to Cat 1 by the end of the season? Well, consider that checked off the list, and the season’s just barely started. I’ll be racing with the big girls now, and it’s already shaping up to be a good year.

As for everybody else, the Platinum riders that made the trek to San Diego had a strong showing, ending up with a total of six top-3 finishes. Gary Douville(Cat 1 35-39), Bobby Langin Sr (Cat 1 50-54-but-doesn’t-look-a-day-over-32), and Amanda Schaper (Cat 2-but-not-for-long 19-29) each pulled off the big W. As a side note, Gary had no choice to ride fast because he was being chased by his dad Steve, who’s in town visiting and decided to do his first mountain bike race since the 90s, earning the gold in the Cat 3 55+ field. Seems like winning runs in the family! Jon Miller (Cat 1 55-59) came in 2^nd, and Jon Biron (Cat 1 50-54) and Mike Weber (Cat 1 55-59) each landed on the 3^rd spot of the podium. Mark Luke (Cat 2 50-54), Brandon Drose (Cat 1 17-18), and Adam Poytress (Cat 1 30-34) also had solid finishes in their fast fields. At the end of the race, everybody was covered in mud and swapping stories about the awesome course. What’s more, we all looked darn good in our flashy new black kits, if I do say so myself.

Platinum Results:

Gary Douville — 1st — Cat 1 35-39 — 2:11:04.4
Bobby Langin Sr — 1st — Cat 1 50-54 — 1:28:05.2
Amanda Schaper — 1st — Cat 2 19-29 — 1:48:02.9
Jon Miller — 2nd — Cat 1 55-59 — 1:30:45.5
John Biron — 3rd — Cat 1 50-54 — 1:29:39.0
Mike Weber — 3rd — Cat 1 55-59 — 1:37:13.9
Mark Luke — 6th — Cat 2 50-54 — 1:47:32.10

Brandon Drose — 8th — Cat 1 17-18 — 1:51:52.1
Adam Poytress — 11th — Cat 1 30-34 — 2:29:10.4