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Dirt Rag Articles
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Maurice, Andy, Eric and I are back from the Sea Otter Classic. What a trip! The Laguna Seca auto racetrack gets taken over once a year by the two-wheel tribe and it's always fun to be a part of it.
First and foremost, we got to see and meet a huge variety of bike enthusiasts, from tiny first-time BMX racers to semi-pro downhillers to unicyclists to casual commuters, and it was awesome to hear compliments and ideas from Dirt Rag readers. Quite a few people took advantage of nice premiums from SealLine, Jagwire and others, so many in fact that we ran out before the end of the weekend. This was all despite a furious wind that kicked up Friday evening and Saturday, leaving our booth looking more like the "before" picture in a vacuum cleaner ad than a display of fine merchandise. That's OK, we were keeping the "dirt" in Dirt Rag.
There was near-constant racing action from beginners on up to pros. I spotted Kelli Emmett (SSWC07 women's winner) after her short-track podium showing on Saturday, resplendent in a white uniform, and looking fresh despite a hard effort. She had gotten beat out of second place at the last moment, and while laughing about it, swore it wouldn't happen again. It sure didn't—she took first in the cross country on Sunday. She must not be any worse for wear after I beat her at arm wrestling a few years ago.
Later we met up with our own test pilot Sean Methven, who said he was on his way up to race in the pro downhill, having "somehow managed to qualify with the fast guys," so Eric and I walked up just in time to spot him coming out of the start house. (Hey Sean, you are one of the fast guys.) The dual slalom action was visible on the hillside from almost anywhere at the venue, but Maurice trekked up to catch some up-close photos. It was good to hear Tara Llanes' voice coming over the loudspeakers, announcing and cheering on her fellow racers.
New this year was the Dual Stunt competition, with a course that looked like that Japanese TV show with the crazy obstacles over water, built by none other than Jeff Lenosky and Ray Petro of Ray's Indoor MTB Park. Kyle Strait was the winner this year. It will be interesting to see how this format evolves.
The action at Sea Otter is not just on the racecourse; it's also a showcase for new stuff, kind of like Interbike but open to everyone. We checked out (and rode!) some interesting developments from SRAM, Shimano, Pivot, and others. We've posted a couple of Blogs with more details, as well as Galleries of photos taken by Maurice and Eric.
Sunday morning at our campsite, I spotted a helicopter landing at the top of the downhill course. Then the next day I saw the sad news in the local paper: Mark Reynolds, of Wicked Racin, had died while racing the downhill. Apparently he suffered some sort of medical calamity that caused him to collapse on the course. Richard was the inventor of the Dualrailler Guide, an innovative two-chainring front derailleur and chainguide, which we admired at last fall's Interbike. Our condolences go out to his family and his many friends.
We stopped by the VholdR booth, makers of helmet cameras, and scored one for testing purposes. I got some cool footage of riding around the venue and out on the trails, and of a presentation by our old pal Michael Browne about Trek's new Session bike. He didn't even crack up when I tried to make him "break character." What a pro. Look for those videos to appear after some formatting.
A great time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us, and thanks especially to Robert Studdiford (and Adrian and Liam) of TwoFish, who hosted us and worked the booth.
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| Comment from Shawn Lester on 2008-04-29 |
| What an event!! I was riding the beginner mens' xc division to honor my daughter. The announcer gave some feedback about me, then, and completely by surprise, allowed me to start solo. I am so appreciative of his efforts. Though I'm just out for the participation factor, I know I'll be back next year. |
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| Comment from dave robb on 2008-04-28 |
| I did that race several years ago when I lived in San Francisco. Great race course. |
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