DOWNIEVILLE CLASSIC
DOWNIEVILLE, CA- Sat. and Sun. July 12-13
After much push from Weir on the Downieville Classic Brian decided to go see it for himself.
Downieville is a small town nuzzled between the Sierra mountains and the Yuba river, with roots established back in the gold mining days. The mountain bike trails are scenic and super fun, made up of single-track trails, between trees, through rocks and along the river. Worth the drive!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the race, let me throw some numbers and knowledge out at you; the "All Mountain Race" is a 2-day stage race that must be completed on the SAME bike, first stage is a "Point to Point Cross Country Race" made up of 29 miles with 4,413 feet of climbing and 5,692 feet of descending (approx. 2 hour ride, for the good guys) and second stage is the "Downieville Downhill Race" a 17 mile ride with 5,333 feet of descending and 1,010 feet of climbing. Bottom line you need to be prepared for the climbs, as both stages favor a cross-country fit rider!
So, armed with the "climbing" knowledge, Brian set off to Downieville a week before the event to get familiar with the course and do some serious riding. From the start the hot weather and air quality proved to be a challenge. And in the quest for a more comfortable ride, as well as some encouragement from defending race champ Jason Moeschler, Lopes buzzed his hair (see photo below).
The Cross-Country stage came first on Saturday, Brian wanted to preserve some energy for the next day's stage, the DH, but still wanted to give the XC a good run. The buzz-cut kept him cool and he placed 22nd, coming in 21:52 behind the leader Ross Schnell. Sunday the DH went on, the shorter race proved to be a better fit for Brian who placed 5th, 2:47 shy of the leader...again Schnell. Earning him a 14th overall, not bad for a 4X guy!
Overall, Brian enjoyed the challenge of the Downieville Classic and above all the laid back, fun-spirited atmosphere that the mountain biker's brought!
For more details on Brian's experience check out Brian's Journal entry.
Much thanks to Mark Weir for bringing the event to light, to Jason Moeschler for his hospitality, to Joe from the Bikeco for the support and everyone in Downieville that made the event happen!!
MEN'S DH RESULTS
1. Ross SCHNELL
2. Jason MOESCHLER
3. Nathan RIDDLE
4. Myles ROCKWELL
5. Brian LOPES
Posted by paula on July 15, 2008 10:24 AM