EVO a XC race bike?...you bet!!

[Tom_A.]

Well....after 9 years since my last MTB race (I've only raced 2 in my life, both in the summer of '94) I signed up for a local race put on by the local trail volunteers.  It was a pretty low key local affair held at a city park near the ocean that features a hanglider launching hill.  They don't have the new results up yet, but the website of the race promoter is:

http://www.sbmtb.com

The first event held was a "Super D" downhill competition.  I stupidly didn't enter this, because as I was watching, I realized how fun it would be.  Anyway, after the "super D", it was time to start the beginner class racing.  Each lap of the course was 3.1 miles (~2.5K) and consisted of a sharp (but relatively protracted) climb up a dirt road to the top of the hanglider hill, a couple  of small descents/ascents on the backside of the hill, lots of loops back-and-forth on the top of the hill, and then switchbacks down the face of the hill, including part of the Super D course.  It was a relatively smooth course with some nice bermed turns in the switchbacks.  

Since there wasn't a HUGE field, they started all the age/sex groupings of the beginner's at the same time.  The nice thing about the start is that immediately climbing the fireroad hill spread the field out.  At the top, I was shocked to find that only 2 riders were in front of me (2 young bucks in the 19-29 age group...one at ~20 yards and the other~40) with a decent gap between the 3 of us and the rest of the field.  I was able to stay in contact with the 2 in front of me through the rest of the lap and actually closed on them on the downhill portion.

We came through the start/finish pretty close together and at the start of the hill I could see both of the guys in front of me really spinning in their lowest gears....I thought "hmm, I don't feel so bad...let's see what happens"...  Halfway up the hill I was catching up to the 2nd place rider and we both passed the guy who had led to that point.  Just before the top of the hill I reeled in the new leader and as I crested the hill I gave it all I had to try to open up a gap.....It WORKED!  I instantly gapped away from my 2 demoralized competitors and pulled even farther away on the downhills.

I ended up finishing with a time of 31:02 which would have beaten the finishes from the last time they held the race.  2nd place was at least 30 seconds back.

Not bad for a 40 year old fart, huh?  The best part was the look on my 5 year old's face.  I think he was more surprised I won than I was.

A photography student was at the races (he did the Super D too) and posted a bunch of pics.  They're at:

http://public.fotki.com/spokenword/elings_park_mtb_race/

I'm in pictures 15, 16, 33, 35, and 107.  I'm the guy with the white/yellow/blue jersey and the beard.  Oh yeah....riding (and winning on) the '99 K2 4000.

Later,
Tom A.

[Irby]

Tom, It's not the bike. It's your training. Sounds like a great event. Dan.

[Tom_A.]

I know....bike racing is more about the "motor" than the "chassis"...but still, given the same "motor", I think a properly set up EVO can be a respectable XC rig.  I have been doing some regular biking lately, but mostly on the road bike (easier to do at lunch from work).

Of course, I am talking about BEGINNER racing here... [smiley=laughing.gif]

If I had entered the "super D" I could have been in contention for the "King of the Mountain" trophy where they combined the downhill time with the average lap time of the XC course.....next time for sure.

Yeah...it was fun....they're supposed to do another one in the fall...I can't wait.

[Vitaliy]

Good to hear that K2 EVO bikes steel can compete with newer bikes,(but i still agree with Irby that the most Important is Rider) and congratulations on your victory [smiley=nod.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif].

Now I need to start training , I wasn't riding for 3 years (since I got my first car). I made a first ride on Saturday, and my legs was hurting a litlle bit. i'll try to ride for at least 5 miles every other day.

[zulu]

 Way to go!
Glad to see you out there still having fun.
[smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]

[Carbon_Angus]

it *is* the motor, but damn you raced on a cross~link, too! [smiley=laughing.gif]

what fun and what a thrill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]

[Di.R.T.]

it *is* the motor, but damn you raced on a cross~link, too!

I missed the crosslink.  Tom, did you have a crosslink?  Looked like a silver RS or some-such.  Congrats, btw.  I'm jealous--never raced.

[Tom_A.]

Yup....it's not only a X-link, it's got a functioning Smart shock



The funny thing is...I committed the classic "no-no" of making a major change to your bike the day before the race.  I swapped the X-link back onto the bike the day before.  You see, I had preridden the course a couple of weeks ago (wanted to see what I was getting myself into!) and at that time I had a Rond/Magura CP105 on the bike along with a Bontrager Jones front tire (the 2.25 size one), but I noticed in the downhill switchbacks the bike seemed to wash out around the turns....it kind of bugged me.  The Rond/Magura fork has slightly more travel but significantly raises the front end of the bike due to it's longer overall length.



So...in the meantime I had acquired a softer spring for the old X-link... so, I decided to switch back to the X-link and run a trusty Panaracer Dart (I thought it would roll better than the Bontrager....that Bonty is like a Dart on steriods) on the front.  I'm SOOO glad I did that....the bike handled MUCH better on that course.  I'll have to see how I like it on my normal technical trail rides.  I think with the softer spring I'm not going to miss the Rond/Magura a bit....it's definitely lighter too!



I got a few comments about the fork....the local NORBA official who was handling registrations asked if the smart shock was still working.  It turns out he used to have a K2 and had both a front and rear crap out on him....I told him I haven't had a problem in 4 years.  Also, the guy who took second in the 40+ class thought the X-link was some "new fangled" technology.....he really liked it and was shocked when I told him they don't make'em anymore.

[Di.R.T.]

Yup....it's not only a X-link, it's got a functioning Smart shock

My mistake.  I looked at the wrong foto.  I look at what I thought was #17 (as you listed above), and actually looked at the one labelled, "17. may 10 03 018elings"  Which from the last part of the label is #18.  There's a guy with white, blue and yellow with a 5 o'clock shadow.  I thought that was you.

Cool. Thanks for sharing.  Maybe I should try entering.  I'm not even 40 yet. (grin)

[Tom_A.]

Hehe...that's one of the "young bucks" (19-29)  I passed on the second lap  [smiley=laughing.gif] I'm the one with the "real" beard (including some grey hairs) on the far right.   If I remember correctly he was riding a Santa Cruz Superlight.



The guy with the curly hair is 52 and came in third in the 40+ class!



Glad you enjoyed it.

[Carbon_Angus]

so, I decided to switch back to the X-link and run a trusty Panaracer Dart (I thought it would roll better than the Bontrager....that Bonty is like a Dart on steriods) on the front.  I'm SOOO glad I did that....the bike handled MUCH better on that course.

[smiley=nod.gif]

i remember your recos on the Dart/Smoke, they are on my Oz and 857 SS for that reason







if i ever get down to Goleta area i'll drag the SS along so you can ride a '97 x~link. curious to see if you notice a diff. between the two..j-path and all

[RoentgenRanger]

Good show Tom!  We have a Gravity Assisted XC race here that's a blast on my Evo!  XC-wise, I'm still a happy guy on my Razorback(got my Fox upgrade and it's QUALITY travel).

[zulu]

  Thanks for posting about your experince, I enjoyed reading then looking at the pictures as well. I am toying with the idea of training to race and doing so later this year but have always thought is it to late to start that? Thanks for the inspiration!  

[Tom_A.]

"Gravity assisted" XC race?  Sounds like something for people who don't like to pedal uphill [smiley=laughing.gif]....but not as dangerous as a full-on downhill course.

Actually, I understand that a "Super D" course is intended to be something like that with finishing times in the ~10min range.  The "Super D" they put on at Elings last weekend was more like a "mini downhill".  There weren't very many flat or uphill sections and the times were in the 2-3 min range.

Zulu....it's never too late to start...only too early to quit!  I only started "training" (if you want to call it that) this spring after a friend joined a local cycling club and invited me on some training rides.  I just figured out how to squeeze some rides in at lunchtime during the week and took it from there.  I've also been taking the kids out on our tandem (5 year old pedalling on back with the 2 year old in a baby seat on a rack) on the weekends pretty regularly.  An extra 20 lbs of bike weight and ~75 lbs of kid weight (with only the extra power of a 5 year old) makes for a good workout.

Just go and do it....it seems to me that with the "decline" of big time MTB racing in the US that events are getting back to the "grassroots" good-time events they used to be.

[Scott]

Congratulations, Tom.  Very good results on a simple single pivot.   I encourage DirT, Zulu and others to sign up and try out the racing scene.  It's a blast as Tom has shown and you needn't worry about being shoved around or bringing a boatload of aggression-xc is all about you vs., the course and not other cyclists (though friendly rivalries are bound to crop up).  It's common courtesy in XC to yield to others whenever they say "On your right/left" and there's no such thing as holding your position like you might in a roadies crit.  Keep in mind that the surge of adrenaline at starts can get you in over your head or burn out your legs/lungs, so pace pace pace, an hour plus leaves plenty of time.  Try to pre-ride if at all possible for safety's sake and to identify good lines through technical spots or for passing.  Run fat safe tires-you'll be amazed at all the flats out on the course. Riders tire and take sloppy lines or try to blitz when finesse is called for, a hundred grams more on tires is worth the rotating penalty.  I'm 44 and really enjoying the racing.  Decided this year to pursue it and have a 4th and 3rd in the Sport Antiquities age bracket.  The last was at Tymor Park north of NYC, described in a riders race report as "one of the most difficult >I have raced on in the past ten years."  XC racing is great fun with lots of camaraderie so give it a go!