SEA OTTER CLASSIC
The Platinum Performance Mtn Bike team headed to the Sea Otter Classic to compete in disciplines in the XC, Crit, Road Race and Circuit Races.
For Complete Results from the 2012 Sea Otter, CLICK HERE
The team had its taste of success on the very first day with Greg Turner winning the Cat 5 Criterium and Ian Barense placing 2nd in the cat 4/5 Criterium.
The weather turned warm..very warm on Friday with temperatures in the mid 90s. Friday afternoon was the race most of the team was focused on… the Cat 1 XC. The course was brutally long (40.1 miles) with every type of terrain thrown at the riders from technical descents, long twisty single- tracks to monstrous fireroad climbs exposed to the hot afternoon sun.
The team had twelve Cat 1 riders ready to compete against the some of the nation’s best riders. The Master riders over the age of fifty had a slight break with the torture by cutting their race down to one twenty mile lap. The race was a test of patience with the distance being so long and the heat being a factor, many riders who went out of the gun like a rocket soon fizzled as their electrolytes quickly dried up.
Water feeds heading into the 2nd lap of the 20 mile loop were critical. Platinum’s Cat 2 rider “Dangerous” Dave Culbertson was on hand to help us out in that area. As the single lap racers began to head into the finish line..Platinum had it’s first success on the dirt for the weekend with John Biron pulling off a huge win in the Cat 1 50-54 class. Biron beat the current National Champion and many other top notch riders in that class.
Jon Miller soon arrived into the finish with Platinum’s 2nd win on the XC course. Miller won the Cat 1 60-64 class. Bobby Langin Sr (Cat 1 50-54) and Ron Takeda (Cat 1 50-54) both had impressive finishes with a 4th and a 7th place finish. Terry Dahl was sapped by the heat but was able to finish with a 5th place in the Cat 1 70+ class.
As the time clicked by into the 2:56 minute mark, Platinum’s Todd Booth rode in for the team’s third win in the XC event. Booth out rode some of the best riders in the Nation including Colorado’s Kenny Wehn, Arizona’s Rich Weiss, and Southern California’s strongmen John Sliamonas, Nathan Lloyd and Mario Carrea.
Adam Poytress soon crossed the line in 4th in the Cat 1 30-34 class. Poytress had a great time in a very tough age group. Greg Turner rolled across the line in 10th place in the Cat 1 45-49 class.
Saturday morning was the next test for the mtn bike racers on the road. The Circuit Race was held on the Laguna Seca Speedway track which incorporated the famous corkscrew descent. Riders reach speeds close to 50 miles an hour down the winding descent. The Cat 5 open race had Platinum riders Todd Booth, Greg Turner, John Biron, Ian Barense, Adam Poytress and “Dangerous” Dave Culbertson all lined up at the start.
With little rest over night due to the late XC race…all five of the Platinum XC riders were slow moving to get anything going. After the second lap, the legs began to open up and the team was on the front setting the pace throughout the rest of the race. At one point, Adam Poytress tried a desperate attack with two laps to go, but it was swallowed up by the pack heading into the last climb.
Todd Booth was going into the final right turn in 2nd position with a few hundred yards to go. Unfortunately, Booth had to much road to cover to make the little sprint he had work. Booth ended up 5th.
The next race that morning was the cat 4 Circuit race with Platinum riders Bobby Langin Sr, Mark Luke and Jeff Stern. The heat was becoming a factor again on Saturday with the temperature hitting the 90’s. On the last lap, Jeff Stern took a solo flight on the last climb. Stern noticed he created a large gap from the field and went with it. Stern crossed the line 50 yards in front of the 2nd place rider for a perfect breakaway victory giving the Platinum team it’s fifth victory of the the weekend. Mark Luke crossed the line in 10th.
Sunday was the closing day with the Cat 2 XC racers hitting an 18 mile loop. The weather took an opposite turn with cool temperatures and foggy conditions. The Platinum team was give n it’s last top five finish with mark Luke crossing the line in 5th place in the Cat 2 55-59 class. The event was another big success for the team and the cycling community. With beautiful weather the venue was packed with cyclist and spectators throughout the region.
Full results can be found HERE
de Viees Huis Ronde Road Race, Bakersfield 4/21/12
Written by Platinum rider John Echeveste
De Vlees Huis is one of my favorite races of the year. The course features some good climbs, just enough to make the race hard and shatter the groups. Last year I placed third in this race, and wanted to improve on that result this year. The day was hard from the very beginning, it was already in the low 90s out when the race started.The first lap shattered the group, but at the end of the first climb I was feeling strong and lead the pack over the top. From that point on I tried to stay within the first 10 wheels, knowing that coming into the turn-arounds toward the back would drain energy. I found myself frustrated on the second lap that the pack wouldn’t increase the speed enough on the climbs to shed some more riders, so when I saw an acceleration go on the last hill I quickly followed it. With a minor climb, a long descent, and a long headwind section in front of us, I found myself in a two man breakaway trying to hold off the pack for 10 miles. Within a minute or two of escaping we caught the last remaining rider of the days first breakaway, and became a three man group.
However, not long after the descent the same rider managed to overlap wheels and crash out. Back to the two of us, we traded pulls into the headwind, trying to hold off a chasing pack. With 2 miles left to go I thought we were clear, only to hear that we had a few more riders in a counterattack rapidly approaching. It wasn’t until we hit the 1km sign that we knew we were clear. My breakaway companion hit the finishing hill hard, and my legs responded with the twinges of a cramp. I achieved my goal of improving on last years result. Next year I’ll have the same goal, and hope I can achieve it once more.
Results:
John Echeveste — 2nd Cat 3
Santiago Canyon Time trial 4/21
Platinum’s rider Dean Swank won the Master 50-59 TT race on Saturday.
