Charting A New Course at the Sea Otter
The big news at this year's Sea Otter Classic, besides the weather, is the new MTB cross-country course. The new course is generating a lot of buzz, and those that have ridden it give it good reviews, saying that it's now more of a power course with more technical climbing, and more opportunity for passing and fluidity among the field. "There's nothing too technical, but a couple of very, very sandy descents are sure to create havoc and excitement." Now that's what we're talking about!
Specifically, the 18-mile course runs in a clockwise direction this year, as opposed to the counterclockwise loop of the old route, gains about 2400 feet, and brings into play new pieces of the Fort Ord trail network that racers have never had a chance to shred before. The race starts with a longer run on the Laguna Seca racetrack than in years past to allow riders a chance to spread out a little before they head off onto the dirt. A downhill finish this year should also add some extra finish-line excitement to this signature event.
MTB cross-country events run on Sunday. Beginner, Sport, Tandem, and some Expert divisions go off at five-minute intervals from 8:00 AM to noon, with Semi-Pro and the remaining Expert classes firing off the starting line beginning at 1:00 PM.
In the Pro ranks, look for defending champion Geoff Kabush to have his hands full fending off an international field of the best of the best, including Liam Killeen, Adam Craig, Thomas Frischknecht, Bart Brentjens, Todd Wells, and Sid Taberly. On the women's side, the ones to watch include Shonny Vanlandingham, Kelli Emmett, Sue Haywood, Katerina Nash, Heather Irmiger, Dara Marks-Marino, and Jimena Florit. Unfortunately, no Alison Dunlap this year.
For those looking to race on Sunday, there's no substitute for preriding the course to get the feel for it, but modern technology is doing its damnedest to bring mountain biking into the virtual world. If you can't swing down for a preride, this is the next best thing.
If you're not racing, but you're in the neighborhood, drop by today or Saturday with your bike and take a rip around the new course. It'll be muddy, but it's not every day you get a chance to ride a championship quality cross-country course.