Carson Benjamin's Blog – August 2017 Archive (2)

I had learned my lesson from my race in Downieville the previous weekend and budgeted enough time for a thorough warm-up and pre-ride snack to keep my glycogen stores topped off. I finished my last efforts with a few minutes to spare before charging up Violetti Fire Road into the park. 

Xander Sugarman took the lead off the line, followed closely by myself and teammate Jim. The opening climb up Violetti is covered in loose rocks with only a single rideable line in most places,…

This was the first time since I started racing mountain bikes I had committed to racing the Downieville Classic. After I contracted pneumonia following Sea Otter, I was finally able to return to racing in late-July and saw Downieville as an opportunity to gain high-intensity fitness as I build towards the Collegiate National Championship in October.

Downieville is one of the most highly-regarded American mountain bike races for both its festival atmosphere and course, which has…