SF DIRTLAB NEWS

2009-04-06T22:01:00.001-07:00

COLLEGE CYCLERY BIKE SWAP/DEMO

College cyclery/Pro rider bike swap/jump demo at the C&S Ranch!

Come on out and get your swap, bbq and pump on boys. Saturday the 28th.

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TRAILHEAD CYCLERY PARKING LOT SALE/SWAP

If you can't make it all the way to Sacramento, there will be a huge sale a lot closer to home. Trailhead Cyclery in San Jose is having a massive blowout on tons of top of the line MTB gear. Visit http://www.trailheadcyclery.com/welcome.html for all the juicy details.

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SF IMBA TRAIL DAY

SF Urban Riders builds Bike Approved Singletrack in San Francisco every month.

The IMBA Trail Care Crew of Jason Van Horn & Inga Beck will be in town on April 3rd & 4th to lead a Trail Building Workshop. Putting our skills to work on a totally New Trail Realignment Project - The East Ridge Trail.

Don't Miss Out - Register today!

http://go.imba.com/sanfran.

WHERE: Mount Sutro Trail System above UCSF

DATE: SATURDAY April 4th

TIME: 9am - 5pm

Pizza and refreshments will be served at 4:30

MORE INFO AND DIRECTIONS:

http://www.natureinthecity.org/mtsutro.php

2009-03-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

Natural Selection - Ride Order

Do you ever find that there is a natural order that develops when a huge posse of heckadudes sets out on a group ride. The fastest dudes that know the trail the best usually end up in the dust free front (or maybe shedding all the dew off of the brush on a wet morining, or eating all the spider webs across the trail). Below is a great article on ride order from NSMB.com
http://www.nsmb.com/page/s/2743/hound-doggin

SF Urban Riders is building Bike Approved Singletrack in San Francisco. 01/03/09
Start the year off right - by being part of the Urban Trail Movement.
WHERE: Mount Sutro Trail System above UCSFDATE: SATURDAY JANUARY 3rdTIME: 9am - 1pmPizza and refreshments will be served at 12:45
MORE INFO AND DIRECTIONS:http://www.natureinthecity.org/mtsutro.php
SFUR will be working with the Mount Sutro Stewards, Nature in theCity, and One Brick on Trail and Habitat improvements on Mount Sutro.
We will continue to work on the Lower Connector Trail and its awesome switchbacks. This trail is the basis for future trail links like theStanyan Street Trail and eventually over to Belgrave and Clarendon allon dirt. We had 12 volunteers last month and we made tremendous progress. We can finish this new section of trail on Saturday with enough help, and be ready to start another new link in February... how cool is that?
SFUR needs your support in making the City a better place to recreate on your bike!

Carlmont Cleanup Saturday 01/10/09
Travis "Mr. Sugar Shorts" Simbulan gets air at Carlmont Recently at a City of Belmont meeting, Patty was approached by a high ranking city official who had heard from a neighbor about their concerns about the trash in the dirt jumping area behind Carlmont High School. This area is private property and not a Belmont Park, so the city is not responsible for maintaining it unless it poses a health and safety risk, and then the city would need to take a number of legal steps before entering the property. We don't want the city to feel that they need to clean the place up. The landowners appear to be unconcerned about the jumps on this undeveloped parcel and we'd like it to stay that way. So riders who hang out in the forums at Ridemonkey and RideSFO are going to help organize a cleanup day. We are recruiting helpers so we can keep this area clean and tidy. Garbage will be hauled out, including some dumped furniture, and the area will be scoured for random bottles, broken glass or other trash.So save the date and plan on helping out. The dirt jumps have been in use for over a decade and we think they should be considered an asset to the city, not a liability.

Utah, Colorado, and the Sierras.

SF DirtLab Road Trip 2008. Matt and Mitch hit the road on their Chumba XCLs and get a taste of some new dirt. Read more here

SFDL Crew tests new North Face hydration packs! Read more here.

NWD 9 Premier Nite, check out the photos and review here.

Downieville Classic 2008

2008-09-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Downieville Classic 2008

The Downieville Classic has always been a true mountainbikers course, requiring the lungs and legs of a fit roadie, and the bike handling skills of a seasoned singletrack slayer. Since my first time competing in it when I was a 19 year old punk in the expert class, then the Coyote Classic, to 2008, a washed up XC racer turned downhiller; I’ve always wanted to do well here.

The XC race is a point to point, starting in Sierra City at elevation 4100 ft., climbing up to Packer Saddle at 7100 ft., and descending 5100 ft into Downieville. About 20 of the 29 miles are on truly epic, fast flowing singletrack that every mountainbiker dreams of.

XC Race Day

After a quick breakfast and camp coffee, we piled in to Murr’s van at 7:45 AM for the half hour drive up to Sierra City. We geared up, filling the Camelback, pulling on the diaper and taking several of the mystery anti-cramping capsules I scored from my XC homies with the Content Works race team. We all went our separate ways to register, warm up, pre-race purge, etc. Murray, Tim and Brian still needed to pick up their registration packets, so headed up the road to get a little warm up in. If you head up the road past the start you’re bound to run into all the race favorites getting their legs warm and patting each other on the butt. Since all pro DH racers were required to do the XC race as well, many legends were up there warming up. You had perennial favorites like Weir, Moeschler, and Tim Olson, as well as some OG (original gangster) DH pros that have come out of the woodwork to try to knock off Weir in the DH. Brian Lopes, Myles Rockwell, Greg Herbold, and Jurgen Beneke were among the ex world champions lured to Downieville to get a crack at Weir. Other notable riders included Canadian legends Wade Simmons and Andreas Hestler.

The race began with a traffic jam of multi-thousand dollar bikes, and toned muscle, bumping handlebars and elbows, scooting forward with one foot clipped in, trying not to get tangled with anyone. It was a weird start to a pro race; with an entire group AM entrants, just kinda cruising along at and easy pace, juxtaposed to the eager and desperate group of fit XC racers feverishly trying to get by. I had started next to Jurgen and our group followed Lopes, Rockwell, Herbold, Simmons and Brian Culp, all the while getting passed by a steady stream of shaved legs pumping like pistons. We made the U-turn off the pavement and began the arduous climb known as the Trail of Tears. I had no business racing XC at any level, what to speak of Pro, so I just settled in, grabbed and easy gear and tried to find a rhythm. My goal for the day was to avoid cramping and bonking, to finish the XC in under 3 hrs. I wound through the first several bends of the trail in the middle ring, past the mist station and up to the sharp right hand turn that makes the first big change of direction. At this point, most riders have found their pace and are keeping formation on the better line of double track, while the faster riders are passing through the rough. The trail turns steeper and looser here, forcing the single speeders and less technical riders off their bikes, suffering through a windless valley, exposed to the searing heat of the Sierra sun. I figure I’m doing good by keeping on my bike and passing a couple of walkers, keeping the mantra in my mind going, “go easy, don’t cramp”. We snaked the side of the Sierra Buttes up to Blue Point, a false summit and the location of the first feed station. When Downieville virgins first get here, they think they’re done with the climb, but another few miles of up and some steeper pitches await. I gladly took a full water bottle to drink and poured another over my head and neck to cool the core a bit.

At this point I had been spinning pretty easy gears and thought I was doing a good job taking it easy. We encountered a couple of steep technical sections that forced some riders off. I thought I deserved a little effort from my legs, so I shifted to the middle ring and got around the walkers. I pedaled by Wade and made a little push for the saddle. As I hit the relatively flat fire road section to the saddle, I jumped on the wheel of a guy that came blazing by. It turns out he had started 5 minutes back in the sport class and was ripping through the tail end of the pro/ex field. I told him my legs were useless and to not expect me to pull. He obliged and I drafted. When the pitch of the road increased right before Packer Saddle, the sport guy took off and I attempted to stay in the middle ring. When I stood up out of the saddle, I felt the first twinges of cramps coming in my inner thigh, first the right, then the left. It was exactly what I was trying to avoid. I had to pull over and massage and stretch my legs for a minute. All the guys I had just dropped went right by as my legs locked in pain. I knew from this point on I couldn’t push hard up any climbs at all. Back to granny gear, I struggled up to Packer Saddle where a slew of onlookers surely wondered if I was even racing at all.

I forced a bag of Cliff-Blocks down my throat and washed them down with some water. As I crossed the timing mat before Sunrise Trail I pulled over to let a group by before the little climb. Finally some descending, undulating turns, loose berms, a few little nugs to pop off, Sunrise Trail is super fun and flowy. Sunrise spits you out on fire road that traverses the side of the Sierra Crest, from Packer Saddle to Pauley Creek. If you still have any juice here (and I obviously didn’t) this is where you can make up a ton of time, reeling in dudes that have cracked after the climb. I just cruised along, trying to make up time when gravity was on my side and going seeming backwards as soon as the pitch turned up hill. Racers went by like I was tied to a tree.

I finally got to the Baby Heads section leading to Pauley Creek. The dudes at Crankbrothers were cool enough to lend me a Joplin post for the race and I took advantage of it here. I dropped my seat to fun height (about an inch down) did my best to make up time lost on the climbs. I had done a pre-ride two weeks previous, so I knew the lines pretty well. I careened from one pile of rocks to another, giving my suspension and tires a thorough beating, all the while passing slower riders through the rough. To my surprise, I had caught Wade by Pauley Creek. We pedaled across and walked up the other side (isn’t it pathetic when you’re racing someone, and they’re not racing you). I assured him it was all downhill from here and to let it rip. I got off to a good start and passed several guys before hitting the pavers section. I flowed several more sections, crossed a bridge and felt pretty good. Too bad, because as soon as any little climb or pedally section came up, so did the cramps. Now it was both my hamstrings and my quads. I had to pull over again and work em out. A large group of guys went by including Wade, Ponch and the guys I had worked so hard to get around. At this point I was just pissed I couldn’t hold position and pretty much stopped passing anyone because I knew I would just be in the way on the next climb.

I finished out the rest of the course, walking all the up hills and just holding position on the downhills. I finished second to last in the AM Pro class in 2hours 48 minutes. The winner, Ross Schnell finished in 1 hour 57 minutes, almost an hour ahead of me.

Pixie Cross

SF DIRTLAB was privileged enough to provide some volunteer service for the Classic, similar to last year, providing DJ services for the Pixie Cross World Championships and the SF DIRTLAB Chicas were the official awards girls. This year we were asked at the last minute, to also build the Pixie course, organize sign ups and run the race itself. We took it in stride and coordinated with Yuba volunteers to build the course and organize the event.

The 2008 Pixie Cross WC was a bit more organized, with racers divided into heats of 4, with the top two advancing to the next round. There were only three divisions; under 16, over 16 men, and women.

The under 16 boys had two heats leading to the final, with Mitch Nuyens taking the win over his younger competitors. The women also had two heats leading to the final, which Pro DH racer, Niki Gudex, easily won.

The over 16 men's comp was pretty fierce, with 3 or 4 brackets, leading to a semi-final followed by final and a 1 on 1 super final. With the top two riders advancing out of each heat, the competition got better and better, the crowd rowdier and rowdier. By the semi-final heat, the Downieville crowd was getting crazy, lining the course, cheering, jeering and spraying racers with beer. The Santa Cruz contingent was especially lively, their hecklers armed with a seemingly endless supply of beer, flogging all riders that crossed their path. Costumes we not mandatory this year, but Yuri sported a full on green frog suit and Harlan donned a green sports bra and a shimmering pirate eye patch. The eventual winner Brian _____ sported no shirt and a blue ghost mask under his helmet. After many hard fought heats, I ended up behind Brian in second place. After the mornings XC race, doing hot laps on those tiny bikes was pretty tough. Props to Nick from Cliff for a great job on the mic.

SEASONS - SF Premier

2008-05-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

SF PREMIER

Wednesday April 30, 2008

SF DIRTLAB presents the San Francisco premier of one of the most anticipated mountain bike films to date. The Collective has already given us two great films, now they are ready to deliver the third, Seasons. Stars of the film will be in attendance along with the film’s producers, making the San Francisco stop of the world tour worthy of our unique city.

The film screening will be at the Victoria Theatre, located at 16^th St. and Capp St. in the heart of the Mission District. The event will feature a killer raffle with prizes from sponsors like WTB, Chrome, Gamut USA, Crankbrothers, Northstar at Tahoe, DJs keeping the vibe right, industry reps giving up the dirt on their latest goods, and of course, frosty refreshments. Come early for good seats and a chance to talk to one of your mountain bike heroes. This show will sell out so get your tickets early.

Tickets available online by April 7^th at the: http://www.victoriatheatre.org/boxoffice.htm

or day of show at the box office.

Wednesday April 30^th| Doors 7PM | Show 8PM | Q & A 9pm | Afterparty TBA

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SEA OTTER DH 2008

SNEAK PEEK

SF DIRTLAB put in the work last Saturday, volunteering for ma man Wild Bill, working on the 2008 Sea Otter DH course. It was beautiful day in Monterey California, sunny, in the 80's, light breeze, shovels in hand and an awesome crew of volunteers. The lower part of the course was already dialed, so we concentrated on reworking the rythm section near the top of the course. True to his name, Wild Bill coralled the wild life, capturing a bobcat, water buffalo and other beasts, and put them to work. We completely rebuilt the rythm section, (spectator spot at the top), tearing out the three jumps there and replaced them with a couple of showtime booters. Scroll down for some pics and course changes.

Course Description

Top

The start is exactly the same as years past, rolling out of the gate to a bumpy, grassy, sweeping left. It straightens out for a second and then there's the loose right hand sweeper that inevitably takes out so many racers that shot out of the gate with a little too much gusto. After the sweeper, there the same small double from last year, followed by a new double about the same size. You have to suck em up and speed jump them, pumping with all you got to clear the booter you're about to launch. After the two sets of dubs there's a big take off on the left and a little roller on the right. The fast line will be hitting the big takeoff, clearing about a 10 foot gap and then trying to clear the table to landing about 30 feet from the lip...only the best of riders will clear the whole thing. Beginners may opt for the roller on the right and will be met with a bucky little step up right after it, that takes em to the top of the same table. Roll off the backside and pedal up the lip of the next jump, about a 20 foot step down. Both of these jumps are way bigger than the jumps last year and should really seperate the classes. Also, with the new line, you carry alot more momentum into the next couple of features. This year, I think you'll see alot more guys popping off the top of the little step up and gapping over the table into the big left hand berm. Outta the berm, the next table got a better lip and a shortened table with a longer landing. This leads you into the right turn where the log over used to be. The log got burried and now theres a double into a berm there to set you for the mini rock garden section. It should be easy to pop off the first rock and clear the whole thing this year.

Middle

After the rock garden, there's a pedally straightaway section with a reworked table top. This jump use to be petty bucky and too short, now its a little better, longer and not as tall. Pedal out of the that section to a the little uphill single track into the S-berms. This entire section remains unchanged with the S-berms leading you to the log drop and the fast bumpy staight away that merges with the fire road. Nothing has changed from last year until the bottom section. Little fire road climb, to steep rutted section, into left hand berm (still rough at this point), to mini triple jump, to right hand turn and hip jump onto the pavement. blaze off the pavement and into the grassy singletrack sidehill section, rippin down to the bumpy double track.

Bottom

Keep your speed up down double track so you can clear the much cleaned up hip jump and let'r rip into the fun new section below. This little section is all new and super fun; Land the hip, rip through a sick liitle right hand berm, pop over the doubles and slide into the left hand berm. You're just about done at this point, pedal up and around a grassy corner, across the bridge, into the mini left berm, into the mini gully, over rollers and sprint to the finish.

Masuda approves the new jump near the top of the course. Sean from HMB Bikeworks in the bobcat and others fine tuning with the hand tools.

Cody speed jumps the two doubles before the biggun and pumps like a mofo for needed speed.

Cody gets some pop to clear the 30 footer.

It's about a ten foot gap, with a long ass table to clear. Yeah, had to trim some trees too.

Dusty grill, limp hands, Sean from HMB Bikeworks takes a well deserved breather.

Jonathan and Masuda, enjoying some shuttles after a hard days work.

The sun is down, but that didn't stop the boys from trying to clear the big one.

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CCCX DH#2

March 22, 2008

Check out Jesse Gray!

Shon's little brother Clinton gettin some.

For all the pics go to:

http://bikeguy.smugmug.com/2008

CCCX DH #1

March 9, 2008

SF DIRTLAB rallied down to our first race of the season, hitting up the always pedally CCCX Series in Monterey, CA. Jonathan, Matt, Mitch, Shon, Clinton and Jesse, strapped on helmets and battled the 200+ competitors on the fast, sandy course. We were stoked to finally build up our new Chumba F5 DH bikes and put them to the test. We'll have a full review of the bikes soon. Mitch led the way with a 3rd place in the Pro class. Here's a few pics from the day.

SF DL Crew posing at the awards gathering

Jonathan with his sick new F5. A crash kept him out of the running today.

Mitch's new ride. Par for CCCX courses, there was a lot of pedaling, so he rode the Mojo Carbon today.

Our little home away from home. Hookin the people up with the essentials.

Shon's new ride flyin the colors too.

The SFDL crew hits up a Nor-Cal pump track! Food, Sun, Music, and Berms.

The riding was sick and the vibe was chill. Now we all want one in our backyards!

SoCal Road Trip

2008-01-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

San Luis Obispo | Santa Barbara | San Diego | Bootleg Canyon

Trip detail | Five days 1,800 miles

Thule rack fully loaded

Taking off the three work days between Christmas and New Year's, gave me the opportunity to hit the road and ride some fresh goods. I called some homeys who I thought would have some time off too and Michael Schickenberg and Josh Trenter agreed to head south for a SoCal DH tour. We packed up the Pathfinder and left the morning after Christmas and headed down to San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo

I had originally booked us a local tour guide, but that fell through, so we had to do some figuring on our own. Michael had run into some guys from SLO the previous weekend in Santa Cruz, so we gave them ring and they provided some intel to DH trails in SLO. Some web searching led us to possible shuttles of of Cuesta Grade, and our SLO sources confirmed that's where we wanted to go. We headed up TV tower road and followed the treasure map to the goods.

The View from the TV Tower Road. Check out Moro Rock in the distance.

We made our way to the top and found the trailhead quickly with the help of our local intel. We had to roll odd man out style because we didn't have another vehicle to get back to the top. Michael volunteered and Josh and I got to hit it first. We were stoked to find a nice little ladder drop and wall ride right out of the gate, leading to a series of berms and some flowy sidehill sections.

Michael teeing off in SLO

The drop above put you right into this sweet little wall ride

Several more berms, mandatory gaps and some seriously fun, high speed rock sections led us down into a nasty creek bed and subsequent hike-a-bike out. A quick jaunt up the other side had us back to marked trails, where we connected with Morning Glory. Morning Glory is a bit more XC, really smooth, sinuous, with fun turns and a few pedaly sections. This leads you down to some fast sections through open cow pastures, through a couple of gates and across a set of train tracks. Another fun flowy single track section takes you to the exit fire road and you end up right on the Cal Poly Campus for the shuttle pick up.

We decided to camp at the trailhead so we could wake and ride and get to Santa Barbara by noon. We knew it was going to be a cold night, so we went and picked up some cheep fleece blankets to add another layer to our sleeping bags. Despite a campfire, a bottle of Jameson and the additional blankets, we all froze our nuts off overnight, waking up to frozen puddles and the smell of campfire infused in our souls.

Hitting the DH trail and Morning Glory at sunrise was a great way to start the day, making the two hour push to Santa Barbara fly by.

Santa Barbara

We met up with Rex and Matt in SB and went straight to Tunnel Trail. Now we had 5 riders and a shuttle car, but only a four bike rack. No problem, a sleeping pad, rotated bars and removed left crank arm allowed us to lay Rex's Bullit flat and we strapped it down to the roof of the Pathfinder in true heckadude style.

After rollin up Gibraltar Rd, we headed straight to the top of Tunnel Trail, the epic descent thats like Mile in P-town, but about ten times longer. We attached our bike bells and headed down for the super rocky white knuckle drop in.

Michael with his SB biker bell

JT in mid negotiation

Rex enjoying the vistas from Tunnels

JT droppin in on Jesusita for the bonus loop

We all got to the bottom, safe and sound, grinning ear to ear. We turned right where Tunnels tees into a fire road and pushed the bikes up to Jesusita trail for a bonus loop. Another ripping, flowy trail, Jesusita has a bunch of tight switchbacks, small rock drops and and little nuggets to pop off. We were famished after the ride and headed directly to Freebirds in IV for a killer burrito. Post burrito coma, we retreated from the late December cold and stuffed all our bikes and dude stank into one tiny room for showers, bike porn and some well earned ZZZ's.

Packed into the Hope Ranch Motel, switched on the bike porn and manufactured some ZZZ's

We awoke to a dark, cloudy day, with Cold Springs and another Tunnels run on the menu. We did the misty mountain hop at the top of the ridge, a heavy drizzle soaking our clothes and coating our goggles. It's a pretty long shuttle up and we all enjoyed the view at first chance.

Drip coffee

Cold Springs was really fast and smooth at the top and quickly morphed into the typical SB rock chute, with sharp sandstone teeth biting at your rims. I already had a massive flat spot from yesterday's run down Tunnels and tried to keep it a little smoover today. We got most of the way down Cold Springs trail, but lost the single track towards the bottom. We ended on old school fire road, with big sweeping turns and a few steeper rocky sections, making feel like we should've grown out our handle bar mustaches and been on Klunkers. We rallied to get back to the top and do another run on Tunnels before heading out to meet my boy Andy in San Clemente.

We hit the road after feasting on some Indian food and were at Andy's place for the night. I use to work with Andy Hilliard back in the day at Sierra at Tahoe. Since runnin board shop there, Andy's joined the bike industry and currently works for Crankbrothers. A huge thanks to Andy and Megan for putting us up for the night.

San Diego

Another early morning had us wolfing down killer breakfast burritos from Pipes in SC and heading down to Poway to ride a spot called Ted Williams.

We had talked about shuttling in Laguna, but Rex convinced up to check out TW. It was a wise choice as TW might have been the highlight of the trip for me. The place is very similar to Carlmont, but bigger; complete with red soil, step downs, berms and gaps...super fun. Like C-mont, you can either shuttle or just push up the hill. Most people just push since it's almost as fast.

Last couple hits in the 8 pack leading back to the car

There are a bunch of DH trails leading down from the top, one with pretty challenging rock gardens, trail gap step downs and another with a series of really fun berms. They all kinda criss cross each other and meet again at a bowl near the bottom that has a bunch of step down gaps and other booters. Most of the locals we met were super friendly and willing to show you around.

Rex hitting the smoothest step down road gap ever

Steep rock roll-in

Andy eyeing up this crazy line...

There was this huge step down gap that we were eyeballing a bit, but not really determined to hit. I took a speed check run at it and that was enough to gather some attention. A few local riders came over and one volunteered the other to show us how it was done. There was a nice steep drop-in to get up to speed and then about 150 yards on the flat leading to a smooth take off, about a 35 foot gap and an 8 foot step down (camera battery was dead). This thing made big pimpin at C-mont look tiny. The local ripper hit the steep drop-in pedaling and had it wide open across the flat, in his top gear, mashing as hard as he could all the way to the lip...he barely made the landing. He did it one more time for good measure and the results were almost identical...savage! Watching that was enough to ensure I would not be attempting it this day. From the bowl back down to the car was fun little 8 pack. We almost convinced ourselves to stay in San Diego and avoid the perceived NYE traffic to Vegas, but after repacking the car we opted for for Bootleg Canyon, NV.

Bootleg Canyon

Bootleg Canyon is a well known DH riding area about half hour south of Las Vegas. The bicycle industry trade show also has dirt demo there annually.

There is shuttle you can take to the top for $5 a run or $25 for the day. The shuttle drop is about a 5 minute hike from the top.

While Bootleg has trails for all abilities, it is a pretty unforgiving place, tons of sharp rocks, lots of exposure, making a digger there pretty consequential. The local shop is super helpful, has all the gear and spare parts you need, and produces a nice map of the trail system. We hit up most of the trails and over heard one rider say that a trail called Ginger was the gnarliest trail he had ever ridden. It was after lunch and getting towards the end of the day and I knew we had to go check it out. Ginger was as promised, steep, loose, mandatory drops to steep sketch landings, narrow drainage slots, exposed, exposed, exposed. It kept you super pucked with each move getting techier and techier, growing your stoke each time you make a section and puck into the next.

I had been riding with a pack all day and decided I didn't need it anymore. As luck would have it, of course I flatted on that run. My rear wheel was already flat spotted to hell after a years worth of riding and the beat down of the previous days in SLO, SB and TW, so I got the joy of riding out with my flat and totally destroying that soft DT 6.1 rim.

Rex, JT and Michael went on for the last run of the day and we closed out another epic DH riding day. We took turns driving home and blazed all the way back to SF that night. It was great to get out and see some new trails and open up our MTB universe a little more.

P-town Punisher

2008-01-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

P-town Punisher
Race Results

The first ever P-Town Punisher went off at an un godly hour on Saturday November 3rd, 2007. SF DIRTLAB sent out the call and local crushers come out from as far as Chico to test their mettle against one of the toughest dirt climbs in the Bay Area. This climb has long been a gauge of fitness for local fast men, readying them for battle on the XC circuit. It takes a special glutton for punishment to savor the pain of an arduous hillclimb, pushing your legs, lungs and mind to the edge, without the reward or relief of the downhill. I congratulate all the entrants to the P-Town Punisher and challenge you all to best your time next year.

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, Chrome Transport, WTB, Red Bull and the Sports Basement and volunteers. Thanks to our volunteer crew: Nica, Taya, Lori, Debbie, Ryan and Gideon for your time and effort.

Scroll sown for more pics and words.

I told you we had to go early....the view of Montara Mountain at sunrise. It had been a long time since I woke up this early for a ride.

Tim Olson powering his way to 1st place and the fastest time of the day, a scorching 32min 58.

Ken Shiokari had to pass some non-racers to set the best amateur time at 41min 14. As Ken crossed the finish line, he shook his head and said, "man I'm outta shape"! Ha Ha!

It's kinda wierd when one of your good friends becomes your new hero, but Kim Perrin was the only person to compete in the DH category, riding his 8" VP Free, chugging an MGD at the bottom of the wall, and still posting a time of 51min 42...Hero!

John "not Sanchez" Howat was pretty heroic too, carrying two bottles of beer and liter of hot tea with him to the top!

When I said the Stone Throne at the top of the mountain, I meant it.

And survey the vast Kindom below...congrats Tim!

The post race taco feed was kick ass...Ben Lyon doing his best Cedric impression in the foreground...smell my finger!

Amateur Winner Ken "I'm outta shape" Shiokari showing off his new Chrome messenger bag and WTB goodies

Tim Olson's 32min 58 earned him a cool wad of cash and a pair of Chrome shoes! Not to mention that pimpin SFDL trucker hat.

You kow you're big timin' if you walked away with one of these custom P-Town Punisher necklaces

After the awards, a few of us went back out for another session, poppin wheelies, hittin jumps and posing in the beauty of the day

And after a second round of tacos and beers we hit up the Slug Farm to witness some DJ action...Damon workin out his new line

One of the young guns killin it out there is Matt Adams...sweet x-up.

See the rest of the Pics here...

SF BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL

2007-10-17T23:24:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T18:03:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

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