No Soup for Us
The last couple of weeks have been pretty good, but overall, 2006 has been a crappy year for NoCal mountain bikers. From rained-out training rides to unrideable trail conditions to poorly functioning equipment, this year's record rainfall has left local mountain bikers underprepared, underconditioned, and slightly frustrated heading into the prime-time riding months.
Because of this year's early season muddown, local mountain bikers have been looking to July for salvation. In addition to the legendary Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Festival at the end of the month, this year, both the Cougar Mountain Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma and the NORBA MTB National Championships in Mammoth are being held in the middle ofJuly, moved up from their traditional dates in September.
D'oh!
Last week, NORBA announced that due to a record 664 inches of snow on Mammoth Mountain this winter, it is relocating the MTB National Championships. Apparently, the extraordinarily deep snowpack is going to cause too many trail condition issues. On the one hand, it's a responsible decision by NORBA that is ultimately in the best interest of all racers. Nobody wants to compete for a national championship in muddy, dangerous slop.
On the other hand, this is a big-time downer for local racers interested in matching wheels with the nation's best riders. Having the National Championships only four hours away is huge. Locals who qualify for the Nationals actually have a chance to attend and compete. The Nationals also feature several nonqualifying events, like the super downhill, the marathon, and the mini-marathon, that are open to anybody with a mountain bike and a check for the entrance fees.
NORBA has not yet announced a new venue for the championships, but they have indicated that the dates for the event, July 20-23, will remain the same. Mammoth has hosted the championships since 2000. Previous sites include Mt. Snow, Vermont and Deer Valley, Utah. Word on the street is that NORBA wants to keep the 'ships in Cali, but possible sites are few and far between, especially on such short notice. With the NorthStar-at-Tahoe Mountain Bike Park closed for the summer, and Snow Summit in Big Bear on the run from the lawyers, we've got our money on Colorado.
That can't make the organizers of the Cougar Mountain Classic (CMC) too happy. Scheduled for July 15-16, the CMC is the last qualifying event before the Nationals. As such, organizers were expecting a large walk-up turnout from racers hoping to pick up last-minute invites to the big dance. Now, probably not so much, especially if the championships move out of state.
And just when local racers thought it was safe to hope again, officials from the Downieville Classic have started notifying riders this week that because of massive early registration this year, all available spots for it's world-famous Downieville Downhill race have been filled (except for a few spots reserved for pros). No soup for you.
It's been buzzard luck for local mountain bikers so far this year, but the sun is finally here, the trails have dried out, and hey, there's a race coming up this weekend!