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Reno, October 28-29, 2006
Meanwhile the car began climbing into the foothills somewhere and we came to
sundry sullen towns where we stopped for gas
and nothing but bluejeaned Elvis Presleys in the road, waiting to beat somebody
up, but down beyond them the roar of fresh
creeks and the feel of the high mountains not far away.
- Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
Sebastian and I were the first to arrive in Reno late Friday afternoon. We gambled on dinner at the Silver Legacy,
but didn't stay for the "Wild Erotic Ball" the casino was hosting later. Within a few hours,
our largest team of the year had assembled at the Super 8, in rooms overlooking the XC course.
Awakening to near-freezing temperatures the next morning, the team ventured to Circus Circus for a warm
breakfast and a few rolls at the craps tables.
The Saturday morning race saw the debut of not only Sebastian Barreveld, but Stanford rookies Caitlyn McCullough,
Jeff Orlowski, and Nick Telischak. They joined Lisa Stright, Megan Insco, Michael Hutson,
Chase Yarbrough, Andre Gondouin, Andre Marta, Sean Ardley, and myself on the toughest XC course of the season.
Though chilly at first, the sun was out and none of the course was shaded. The jagged, loose surfaces of much of the trail
placed a premium on bike handling skills. A starting elevation of 4,700 feet, with 2,000 feet of climbing per ~12-mile lap,
didn't make things any easier.
Nevertheless, the Stanford team pulled a strong showing, with Andre G. leading the way with a mid-pack MA finish, while
Lisa and Caitlyn did the same in WA. Compared to last year, when 4 out of 13 Stanford racers didn't even finish due to a rash of
mechanicals and flats, our lack of DNFs this year was a positive sign in itself. Peavine can be brutal, but we were prepared. Caitlyn, Nick, Jeff, and Sebastian
were served the toughest introduction to WCCC MTB racing they could get, ate it up like a $7.99 buffet, and asked for more.
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L-R: Chase, Michael, Sean, Andre, Megan, Nick, Sebastian,
Dan, Lisa, Andre, and Caitlyn
(not pictured: Jeff and Elliot)
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I was unlucky enough to be the only Stanford rider to flat, ripping a 1" gash in my rear sidewall in mile 10 of a 24 mile race-- my first flat in 5 seasons
of racing! I inserted a new tube, but
the cut was so big, it came bulging out. Though I contemplated dropping out, and even spent more than a few minutes chatting with other DNFs at
the start area, giving a demo of the Specialized Brain shock to race director Scott Leland, stopping to share water with Caitlyn,
stopping to share food and water with Sean, and stopping to help a lost WB racer, I did eventually finish. I spent my last 14 miles leaning to the left
(the side of the tire without the cut) as much as possible, standing up (to weight the front wheel more) whenever I could, and nit-picking every
line to avoid another cut in my tire. I don't know if
all that crap helped, but I did finish!
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Saturday afternoon, Sean was the only racer brave enough to tackle the nasty DH course, netting an impressive finish.
Sean gets this week's iron legs award for
having ridden just about all there is in Downieville on Friday, then the long, dry, high, and rocky MA XC
race on Saturday, all capped off by a strong show in the DH that same afternoon-- amazing. That's about 1,000 miles of riding in 2 days.
Sunday morning, Ken and Alice Green arrived to cheer the team on in the Short Track. The course had more up and down than any ST I'd ever seen: it was a massive climb, 1/2 singletrack and 1/2 dirt road,
followed by a rocky, narrow chute of a descent, itself the end of the DH course. The story of the Short Track was Lisa dominating WB with a first-place finish, Stanford's first of the season. Congratulations Lisa!
Newly arrived Elliot Holland set the men's pace in MA, I raced MB, and Chase and Michael
battled the MC field. A fall the previous day, resulting in a broken shifter, limited Chase to his small ring in front,
but he didn't let that stop him.
The last event was the SuperD, with another "Le Mans"-style running start. The course was fast, fun, and all downhill,
but did require pedaling in parts to retain good speed. Obstacles included lots of loose rock, an extended severely off-camber section, and a large pipe
laid across the course. But it was about as fun as downhill XC riding gets, an experience Elliot compared to downhill powder skiing. Why so much of the team left before this event, I will never know.
Lisa raced WA, and despite stopping to aid a fallen competitor, placed 5th. Elliot, Michael and I raced MB. On to Fontana!
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submitted by Dan McGarry
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