SF BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL

SF Bicycle Film Fest

and

Chrome Party

SF Dirtlabbers showin some love after watching Klunkers, an outstanding film about the history of the modern mountain bike.

If you came to the Film Fest, not only did you get to see some inspirational films, but you got free valet parking!

DJ Toph-One mixing up the special sauce to keep the Chrome party rockin.

Critical Mass and Gestalt Haus

Ride Critical Mass

and

Rehydrate at Gestalt Haus

SF DIRTLAB crew joined thousands of other cyclist for Critical Mass the last day of August.

I wanna rock...I want to rock!

Matt's urban assault look ...aw yeah

Rollin up Gough St.

SF DIRTLAB cruised in to Gestalt Haus for some frosty post riderefreshments. Click here for more pics.

Nutan and Murli - Probst

Hurry up and take the pic...I'm getting thirsty

Girl Power Pyramid - The drinks add up quick

Northstar DH #2

When covered with a fresh blanket of white snow, Northstar at Tahoe is fittingly referred to as Flatstar. But once the snow melts and the lifts are converted for bike access, the Northstar morphs into a gnarly DH playground with hordes of big rocks lurking beneath a deep layer of their famed moondust.

SF DIRTLAB missed the first Northstar DH race on July 1st due to our trip to BC (poor us), but were there to mash through the rocks at Race #2. DIRTLABBERs Mitch Monroe, Jonathan Clark, and our newest member Shon Stark were there to represent and try to tackle the tough course.

The Expert course would take us down Upper Karpiel to Middle DogBone (the slabs) to Lower Karpiel to Vietnam and finishing on the Daytona Berms. Even with some fun new trails on the other side of the mountain, we still raced the toughest trails on the hill. I always use to be a little intimidated just riding these trails, trying to thread the needle through rock sections without losing a limb. This time it's against the clock at full speed, top to bottom, lungs searing, hands barely hanging on the grips, reflexes slowing after minutes of exertion. If your not feelin it, this is not a course you want to race down.

The top section of Karpiel in a word is loose. A series of loose bermed turns winds down the mountain, with a couple log drops shortcutting the apexes of a couple switchback turns and some mean rocks sprinkled in for good measure. After hitting the little gapper at the bottom of the upper section the Dogbone slabs slow you down enough for the really rough stuff. After rolling the large slabs of rock, it's almost all rock garden all the way to the finish. A series of steep rock chutes where it's best to slow down and enter in control, find your line and then let go of the brakes, spits you out of the trees and under the lift line. A very rocky straightaway covered in deep moondust sets you up for a little rock drop and the Daytona Berms. This last section is a lot better, still loose, but with little roller jumps at the entrance of each berm, that encourage you to flick the rear end into each turn and a showtime finishline booter to show off your sweet jumping skills.

At the end of the race, Shon Stark won the Expert 18-26 class with a time of 4:13:3, Mitch Monroe was the first loser in Expert 27-34, ending up 2nd even with a crash at the bottom of the Vietnam rock chute and Jonathan Clark suffering a front flat.

Tour De Fat 2007

Sat., Jul. 21, 10am-5pm Speedway Meadow, GG Park


Get in on the fun on the inside - Volunteer!
Oil your bike chain and press the polyester, Tour de Fat is back in San Francisco on Saturday, July 21st at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Come join us for a ballyhoo of bikes & beer sponsored by the New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of the acclaimed Fat Tire beer. Two parts bike rodeo and one part circus you can expect fire-jumping bike acts, cycling games, cruiser bike parade, live music, tasty eats and great beer, of course - and all proceeds benefit two great nonprofits: the SFBC & the Bay Area Ridge Trails Council!

Now we know what you are thinking...how much is this grand fete going to cost me? The answer is nothing! We are all about FREE! So....how is this a fundraiser? All proceeds from beer sales ($4 for 16 oz.) will benefit the San Francisco Bike Coalition, and The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. We'll bring the beer and you just bring your bike! (Valet bike parking provided--of course!)
Bike Parade
What is a bike party without a bike ride? Join us at 10am as we costume up, cruise and coast through Golden Gate Park and beyond! The ride is free, but we ask that you help support the work of the SFBC with a $5 donation. It'll be a hoot and a holler, we promise.
Afternoon Ballyhoo
OK Party People, this is where we get down. Not ONLY will we have the fine New Belgium Portfolio of beers to quench your thirst, but we will be featuring the music of Handsome Little Devils, The Asylum Street Spankers, Circus Contraption, The Sprockettes, and Lord Loves a Working Man. But that's not all...look for a few aerialists, total self-sustainability if the form of an all solar/b100 biodiesel fueled event. Don't you worry, there are a few other tricks we're keeping tucked up our sleeves! The show this year will be great!
The music starts at noon.

But wait, there's more!
While at the park, look for opportunities to wrench on your bike, get your face painted, eat some good food, have a beer and join our cycling circus of sensory splendor.
This is one of the best events in the park in the summer to celebrate BIKES! Don't miss it.

Downieville Classic 2007

Top of Butte street in Sierra City, the start of one of the best mountain bike races around. The Downieville Classic is one of the few point to point races left, climbing 4500 feet out of Sierra City, to the top of the Sierra Buttes, dropping 5700 feet down ripping fast singletrack into the historic gold mining town of Downieville. Nobody from SF DIRTLAB was able to register for the DH because its coveted 200 slots were full within 10 minutes of opening. Mitch Monroe and Kim Perrin suffered through the XC race, passing DH pros Eric Carter and Nathan Rennie.

SF DIRTLAB and WTB crew, mixin it up in the pits.

Kickin it back stage with old school homie Mark Wier. He thinks he's gonna beat my (Mitch)record up Montara Mountain later this year.

Pixie Cross champ Super Fro primpin for pimpin.

SF DIRTLAB Chicas go for a lap around the Pixie Cross course

SF DIRTLAB Chicas wrangled Rennie into one of our logo tees. These chics rock!

The girls with the other Mayor Willie.

DJ Echo 5 smoovin the beats for the Pixie Cross race.

Even at a down home local race like D-ville, EC still get the girls.

Big Bike Mecca - Whistler BC

Matt and Mitch headed to Whistler for our annual pilgrimage at the beginning of July. We met up with a huge posse of heckdudes totaling 14 at one point.

We flew in on a Saturday night and hit up Fromme on the North Shore of Vancouver the next morning. We slapped the bikes together in the parking lot of COVE BIKES...from boxes to full rides after a few turns of the allen key. Like a couple of pussies, we warmed up on Seventh Secret and Ladies Only, just to get our BC feet wet. As luck would have it, we ran into one of the NSMB riders on our traverse across the Baden Powell trail to Lower Ladies Only. He was kind enough to lead us down a killer unknown trail with steep rock faces, super smooth early season loam and a little gap jump to double s-berms. The local ripper had a tough time with the soft beat down lip of the jump and cased the landing pretty hard. After that display, we passed, after all it was only day one and no one wants to go home early.

Sunday night took us to the condo at Whistler and house full of already claimed beds. You gotta love it when there are 9 beds and 6 stinky dudes jockeying for position. We have a bunch of pics and loads more stories about the trip, so check back soon on this one.

CCCX #6

Once again, SF DIRTLAB brought the crew to CCCX in Toro Park, Monterey, California. We had a couple of racers in the hunt for the series champion title, Jonathan Clark and John Paul Albe. The crowd was a little thinner compared to some of the earlier races, likley due to the dry dusty conditions of the course and the finicky nature of the typical DH rider.



The people that skipped this race missed out on some unconventional fun...the chainless (coaster) DH race and the mass start pixie (16" wheels bikes) DH race.

Race highlights include Jonathan's 2nd place in Expert 19-34 and Mitch's 4th place in the same class. Mitch also took 1st in the chainless race, beating the nearest competitor by over 5 seconds...good times.

The SF DIRTLAB Chicas were in the house, getting post race interviews and spreading the love.

WTB graciously hooked us up with a 10x10 for the season and we returned the favor by preaching the gospel of their new Dissent and Prowler MX tires.

CHDH #2

CHDH #2 was a great time for all, two podium finishes and a new team member were the highlights. We were located in the expo area once again, kicking it next to Lars and the Trailhead crew! Saturday evening practice runs were excellent, giving the team time to dial in suspension and get comfy on new rigs for 2 racers. The after practice fire and SF DirtLab party was live, with guests appearances by Nick Queste who was later scene doing wheelies in the pitch dark dirt lot!
We had our Dirt Labbers: Taya, Murli, Sara, Martina, Debbie, and Ryan at the registration booth checking in all the DH heads, as well as keeping people safe on course as marshals. A huge "Thank You" to you all! Race day was sunny and a bit windy, throwing in a little apprehension when launching off any of the jumps on course. Morning practice was smooth, giving the racers a couple runs tto pick out the perfect line. The track was similar to the first race but had a hairy off camber corner section at the top setting riders up for a quick double. The rugged and sloped mini G-out was a do or die spot for many, causing some racers to lose their line and scrub speed leading into the real G-out. The turn leading into the G-out was a bit loose and had a nasty little lip you had to clean as you dropped into the slope. This made for slower G-out speeds the entire day. The berm at the bottom took riders right this time and down a fast double track section, leading into two loose turns that ate up time for many. The finish was sick, steep drop-in to a hard right hand berm with a immediate double before the finish line.
The SF DirtLab crew did well again with 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 11th place finishes!

Racer Time Place/Category G-out Speed

Mitch Monroe 2:05.70, 1st Exp 30-34, 38 mph

Jonathan Clark 2:05.94, 2nd Exp 25-29, 41 mph
Eric Mellegers 2:17.54, 11th Exp 35-39, 35 mph
Matt Harden 2:18.40, 8th Exp 30-34, 38 mph
Dan Tracy 2:37.26, 6th Sport 30-34, 34 mph

After the race runs the crew went mobile and took a sound system, cowbells, girls, and beer to the G-out and pumped up the racers as they came down! Everyone who went past us was a least a second faster because of the party atmosphere, so thank a Dirtlabber for your podium spot!!

See full results below:

http://www.corralhollowdh.com/2007/results/race_2/

SF DIRTLAB brings the mobile music and pumps up the G-out at CHDH#2...check out Shon's sweet ass Oakley Razor Blades!

Jonathan Clark bags another podium with a second place in Expert 25-29

Mitch Monroe, savoring the flavor of 1st Place!

SF DIRTLAB Chicas showing some love.

Taya and Sara, gettin down at the G-out.

Eric and friend.

Martine - showing us how they do it in the Netherlands.


Speeds at the G-out were a bit slower due to course changes.

But that didn't slow down Ray!

And the party is over...Ray launched the berm at G-out speed and slid under this rock, out cold for the better part of a minute.

But Ray is a trooper. He was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, but all came out well in the end. You gave us all a good scare.

CCCX #5 - Race Report

The guys down at CCCX sprung a surprise Race #5 on us last weekend and Jonathan Clark was the only SF DIRTLAB member to make it down there. I haven't heard too much about the race, only that Jonathan Clark took top honors in Expert 19-34, winning the race and taking the series lead from SF DIRTLAB teammate John Paul "Cooter" Albe. Jonathan's time of 2:38:08 would have put him into fourth place in the Pro category...in the money!

Congratulations to Jonathan on his first win and another great performance!

See full results below:

http://www.cccx.org/dh/2007/race5/2007_CCCX_DH_Race5Results.shtml

CCCX #4 - Race Report

CCCX #4 down at Toro Park in Monterey offered up a surprisingly technical course, a refreshing change from the pedally CCCX courses so far this season. Team SF DIRTLAB had four members competing for honors and bragging rights. Our boys hooked it up down there, setting up next to Lars and Trailhead Cyclery, flying SFDL colors and providing I-pod DJ services for all within earshot.
The track was a fun and fast descent through rutted double track, twisty singletrack, and tight switchbacks. The bottom was rolling and required some legs to maintain momentum. A short uphill sprint brought the racers into the last 300 meters, through trees and sketchy corners. The last 75 meters was dead sprint!

Matt Harden and Jesse Gray made the trip down from SF fashionably late, making practice a one run affair.

South Bay Dirt Labbers John Paul "Cooter" Albe and Jonathan Clark apparently had all the practice they needed, claiming 2nd and 3rd in Expert 19-34, respectively. This race tightens up the run for the series title, which Coot and Jonathan also rank 1 and 2.

See the link below for complete results.

http://www.cccx.org/dh/2007/race4/2007_CCCX_DH_Race4Results.shtml

Shasta Lemurian Classic - Race Report

Kim and I headed up north after work on Friday to meet up with Murr, Perry, Shawn and his dad Jay. We were were lucky enough to stay with Bobby McMullen, the blind DH racer that was featured in a recent Decline article. A super human being and gracious host.

The Shasta Lemurian course was freakin awesome, tons of singletrack, bermed turns, a climb called Satan's Crack and of course all the pain and suffering that goes with the XC push. We had plenty of 12 oz hydration cylinders the day before, to fend off the frustration of Friday night Bay Area Exodus traffic and arrived at redding around 10:30 PM. It was around 90 degrees the next day and I could feel the twinges of cramps pretty early, forcing dismounts up climbs remotely steep and walking with the single speeders. If you are at all fit, this would be a much faster track, with nothing too steep and lot's of great trail. Needless to say, I was woefully reminded of my lack of fitness. When all was said and done, two of us finished mid-pack long course and the rest were over the three hour mark.

Looking forward to heading back to Shasta to shuttle the mountain this month.

Happy Trails,

Mitch

CHDH #1 - Race Report

CHDH #1 turned out to be a great event. The course was really fast with lots of fun little jibs, some big berms and a few decent jumps. Finally a San Francisco Bay Area DH Race where you can let go of the breaks a let it fly.

The expo area was very personal, with a few teams sporting 10 x10 tents, a food vendor, live DJs cuttin it up and a nice community vibe to the whole thing.

Team SF DIRTLAB took home 3 podium spots, with a 1st ("Cooter" Paul Albe) and 2nd (Mitch Monroe) in Expert men and a 4th (Jesse Gray) in sport men.

SF DIRTLAB team members battle it out at CHDH #1

Rider....................Time.............G-out Speed
Cooter...................2:16:12.................39 mph
Mitch....................2:16:13..................45 mph
Matt......................2:29:13..................42 mph
Jesse.....................2:33:18..................41 mph
Jonathan..............3:57:12...................44mph

Jonathan Clark had the wreck of the day, rocketing out of the start gate, taking the roughest line right down the middle of the rocky section at the top and getting launched into fury of dust. Everybody wondered if he'd get up. After some shakey moments he got up, asked for his bike and jumped back on to finish his run, still getting a mid-pack result!
Matt Harden only had two practice runs due to work constraints and laid it down in a berm, earning a mid-pack 11th place.

Matt, Mitch and Coot workin it at the G-out

Jesse takes 4th place in Sport 30-34 with a time of 2:33

Mitch takes 2nd place in Expert 30-34 with time of 2:16:13

"Cooter" Paul Albe takes 1st place in Expert 25-29 with a time of 2:16:12

Phil at rideSFO hooked us up with a spot in the pits

SF DIRTLAB represents at CHDH #1

Sea Otter 2007 - Race Report

Matt and Mitch went down super early on Thursday to set up and get started for a long weekend of racing. Practice and Qualifying for Expert Super D and Slalom started at 8 AM Thursday morning.

Matt's Super D race started at the top of "the long climb home", with 40+ guys, running with their bikes to the top of a short hill and then jumping on a pedaling, bangin elbows and rubbing tires to the bottom. The course was mainly high speed fire roads with stutter bumps, drainage ruts and loose gravel. Matt battled to a respectable 11th place against a bunch of hard pedaling XC racers. Congratulations Matt!

The Slalom course was really fun, starting out of the gate with a hay bail lined corridor that led to a couple of drops and a series of three loose off-camber turns. This part of the track was tough to get through without putting a foot down. Once through the top section, the fun began, with three huge bermed turns linked by small jumps in between, left, right, left, to a roller triple and a hard right turn. The first rider to that hard right turn usually won the heat, because after it, the speed turned on with a a couple gates you pedaled hard through to hip the step down road gap and then sprint to the finish around a couple of tricky flat track gates.

Even with a crash, Mitch qualified for the Expert 19+ finals, but was eliminated in the first round . Well at least he got to hit the legendary Sea Otter Slalom track...Good Times!

Saturday morning we woke up to a torrential downpour, with sideways rain and 50 degree temps. SF DIRTLAB riders Jesse "White Velvet" Gray and Dan "Double D" Tracy huddled in the deluge at the top of the DH course awaiting their start times for Sport men 30-35. The rain turned the course into a muddy river, with large puddles in the apexes of the berms and speed sucking muck before every jump. The two mud caked heckadudes kicked off their Sport class rivalry, Dan taking 8th and Jesse taking 15th. Way to represent fellas.

SF DIRTAB has XC riders too! Kim Perrin raced the Sport XC race on Sunday morning pushing hard and finishing mid-pack, reminding some why we race primarily race DH. Kim's lovely wife Marina competed in her first XC race ever and dropped herself right in the sport class, finishing impressively with a mid-pack result against the Sport ladies 25-29. Great Job!

Sunday brought its namesake weather, sunny skies and a stiff breeze that worked to dry out the DH to near perfection. The pros went at noon and showed us all how the course was meant to be ridden. The SF DIRTLAB had 4 racers in Expert DH. John Paul "Cooter" Albe and Jonathan Clark in the 25-29 class, Mitch Monroe in the 30-34 class and Eric Mellegers in the 35-39 class...Go Expert!

Mitch Monroe took 1st in Expert 30-34, Jonathan Clark bumped Cooter off the podium for 5th place in Expert 25-29 and both Cooter and Eric Mellegers took 6th place! A strong showing for SF DIRTLAB!

Sunday's DH course was super fun riding, not DH gnarl, but berms, jumps and stutter bumps with a bit of pedaling in between. You start out of the gate pedaling though some bumps into an off camber turn the directs to series of jumps where most of the spectators were gathered...a small double to roller to larger double to two tables to step up to roller and into a large left hand berm. Some of the pros were sucking up the fist part of the step up, launching off the top of it and gapping the roller into the berm...sick. Rail the berm into a couple of speed jumps and hit a long table with some wicked cross-winds. Flow over a little tree jumps into a right hander, through and a small rock garden and over another table. Land and pedal your ass off up a little rutted climb and hit the sweetly bermed S turns and the log drop (pictured right). Rail with hand glued to the bars and off the brakes through a cross-blown bump embedded straight away that made hardtailer, and mid-hitter mortals wish for long travel bikes. Pedal up over the rise into a steep rutted chute the spilled into a torn up left handed berm...triple to double roller out and pedal for the hip jump to paved road landing. Almost there at this point, lungs and legs burning and a bit more pedaling to go. A fun riser off the pavement unweights you onto a pedally side hill section and onto a fire road leading to the last series of features. Hit the left hip step down, pedal, hit a little table, up onto a wooden ladder to a loose lefty berm, pedal through the trough and double the first two of a roller triple and mash to the finish line. Yeah...lungs and legs burning, waiting to hear your preliminary race time and place, reveling in the camaraderie that only racing can bring.

Thanks to Murli and Nutan for the support and thanks to Eric Frazier of the Velomonkeez for letting us poach his campsite. Rob...way to represent for the Monkeez!


Random Goodness from Sea Otter 2007