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2018 Sea Otter Classic

There's nothing quite like a large scale event to make you feel small. The Sea Otter Classic hardly needs introduction in the world of cycling and this year I was going to actually, finally be a part of one of the world's premier cycling events. A mere spectator last year, I already knew to expect not only a massive turn out compared to anything else around here but a more…

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Added by Mark Ingwersen on April 23, 2018 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Lake Sonoma Grasshopper

Hi All. This will be quick post here because I'm short on time at the moment but still want to tell everyone about the Hopper last weekend.

Lake Sonoma Grasshopper. 23 miles, almost all on single track. The fast guys can finish in 2:15 or so. Perfect course for a hardtail or short travel XC bike. I was on my hardtail with Racing Ralph tires at 27/29psi under my 180 lbs of dad-bod. Course starts with a 10ish minute paved climb before jumping straight into smooth ribbon…

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Added by Philip Mooney on April 23, 2018 at 11:33am — No Comments

Sea Otter 2018

  For the whole week I felt like I was on the clock and needed to manage every minute. I worked a full day Saturday and woke up at 3:50 AM to make the trip down to Sea Otter. I could finally relax as I warmed up on the raceway track. The temperature was perfect. As I arrived I saw fellow teammates Greg, Paul, and Dave finishing their warm-ups. Sea Otter combines the last 3 groups ( 60-64,65-69,and 70+) which made a group of about 25 riders.(old, older, and oldest) Within my group was Jon…

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Added by Michael Koppe on April 23, 2018 at 10:14am — No Comments

2018 Shorty #1

Yesterday was the first of the 6 consecutive Wednesday night races that make up the Shortys, and it was awesome. This event is fun for the whole family, and a perfect way to spend a beautiful evening in Marin. I pulled up with my 19 month old daughter to a lively crowd and fun music booming out of the speakers on the hill atop McInnis Park around 4:45pm. I had packed her scoot bike and a picnic dinner, and we had a blast riding around park, meeting the doggies, and watching all of the middle…

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Added by Philip Mooney on April 19, 2018 at 10:00am — No Comments

The Shorty is back! I've been looking forward to this series for the last few weeks, with it being the only race in Marin going on this year, and having missed a couple races already this season due …

The Shorty is back! I've been looking forward to this series for the last few weeks, with it being the only race in Marin going on this year, and having missed a couple races already this season due to work commitments. It's great to have a local race series, and a huge thanks to Jim and Scott for all the work put in with this event.

It was good to see a lot of the Acme team, as well as some of the local High School racers using the race as a great mid-week intensity training as they…

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Added by Mark Gibson on April 19, 2018 at 7:03am — No Comments

CCCX #5

With the Nevada City Dirt Classic scheduled for this weekend canceled due to snow, I was happy to find this race scheduled for the same day down in Fort Ord.  I headed down the morning of the race with my daughter who was also racing (her first race for Acme!), with the plan for us to both use it as a training race.  We did not have enough time to pre-ride the course, but I knew from the High School races they host in the same area that the course would be flat and fast.  Also sandy, but…

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Added by Mark Gibson on March 19, 2018 at 7:40am — No Comments

2018 CCCX #4 Fort Ord

With the California Dirt Series' first race cancelled due to weather, I'd stripped my Trek Top Fuel 9.8sl of its dropper post and mounted up a pair of Ardent Race 2.2 EXO's. Not the lightest or fastest hoops, though surely better than the winter set up I'd been on, I was confident I wouldn't be dealing with a puncture on this course. Pressures set at 25 psi seemed to be a good choice for the smooth trails. Two days before the race my dual fork/shock remote wasn't working again after having…

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Added by Mark Ingwersen on March 6, 2018 at 11:31am — No Comments

CCCX race #4 Fort Ord

I was planning on racing the Nevada City Dirt classic but it was canceled due to a much needed storm system. Thankfully the CCCX group had a race set up as part of their series on the same day so Mark Ingwersen, Jim -Simon Hewett and I made the early trip down. CCCX uses the Nor Cal high school courses for their races at Fort Ord. I am not familiar with this course or area but I did do their Toro Park race a few years ago and did enjoy the trails. This course was very different. It was…

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Added by Greg Alsterlind on March 5, 2018 at 9:00pm — No Comments

CCCX Fort Ord, March 4

The Base Phase of training had just ended, so I decided to get a fast pace workout in by heading down to the CCCX race at Fort Ord.

Rainy weather had given some firmness and grip to the sandy trails, and the cool temps and sunny weather promised ideal conditions.

I lined up with Carson Benjamin, Kell Mckenzie, and a bunch of young guys that I didn't recognize.  We cruised up the paved road start and turned into dirt with Carson in front and me second wheel.  The course was VERY…

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Added by Jim Hewett on March 4, 2018 at 10:55pm — No Comments

2018 Old Cazadero

"I just want this to get going so I can stop thinking about it." Straddling my Trek Boone about 1/3 of the way back in a field of some 560 riders with Dave, Paul and Danny around me, I was staring down at the tires mounted on the potpourri of bicycles around me. This was my third Caz. The first one I rode on my Pivot Les hardtail that I'd made some effort to modify for the event. Last year I felt better equipped on my Boone with 35mm Continental rolling stock. In the days prior to this cool…

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Added by Mark Ingwersen on January 30, 2018 at 12:32pm — 1 Comment

Old Caz 'Hopper 2018

Once again, the Old Cazadero Grasshopper pops up just in time to add a little spice to the early season training.  Never the right thing to be doing in my first periods of base training, this race nonetheless tempts me to go out there and see how things are going.

I have had many top ten finishes on this course, but the competition has been getting deeper every year.  Add to that the decline of fitness that seems to inevitably come with age, and it becomes more and more of a…

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Added by Jim Hewett on January 29, 2018 at 12:00am — No Comments

Old Caz 2018

  Last year I did two new races for me, the Lake Sonoma Grasshopper and SoNoMas,  both of which kicked my butt.  This year I finally got up the courage to ride the Old Caz Grasshopper after watching my son, Carson and many of my Acme Bikes teammates grind up to the Willow Creek Rd hilltop finish over the past two years.  What could be better, ride 50 miles, climb 4400 ft and get to eat chips and drink beer overlooking western Sonoma County?  

  As the majority of riders use a CX bike…

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Added by Dave Benjamin on January 28, 2018 at 9:30pm — 2 Comments

Green grasses and conversing with cows - The Old Caz Grasshopper 2018

Saturday, January 27, was my third year of participating in the first leg of the annual Grasshopper Adventure Series - Ye Old Caz. The course was challenging and fun and very lonely at times…

The day began with a leisurely drive to our destination in Occidental. Jim, Phil and I took to the road early so we would have plenty of time to prep before the race. The day was crisp, not too cold, and the surrounding fields along the drive were lush and green. I always feel like i’ve been…

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Added by Cathy on January 28, 2018 at 9:41am — 1 Comment

Old Caz Grashopper - 2018 Edition - 5th place

My favorite race of the year, Old Caz. I’ve been looking forward to this one for an entire year. Jim and Cathy picked me up at 7 and we loaded my bike on the car. I always enjoy talking to Jim about the nitty gritty of the course details and how we think the race will play out. I also like hearing Cathy's take on her race and giving her encouragement cause she's a badass. It makes the hour long drive go by quickly.
This year I rolled my 1x cross bike (40-32 gearing) with…
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Added by Philip Mooney on January 27, 2018 at 7:44pm — No Comments

Rock Lobster Cup III: 4th Place, Elite Men

"Sweet hybrid, dude!" -a spectator on the descent. 

There's no embarrassment like racing a mountain bike at a cyclocross race, but sometimes choosing the right tool for the job is as important as showing up to a start line with a good set of legs. The Rock Lobster Cup, a fundraiser for the legendary Rock Lobster Cyclocross Team, has gained a reputation for building some of the hardest courses in NorCal cyclocross. The location of this year's edition was in Wilder Ranch State Park in…

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Added by Carson Benjamin on October 23, 2017 at 2:20pm — No Comments

2017 Rockhopper XC

By mid September the MTB racing season could be merely something to fondly reminisce. Then along comes the Monticello Cycling club's Rockhopper to cap the year's competitive dirt riding. I raced it last year when it took place in the sun burnt hills by Vacaville's Lagoon Valley Park but this year, the event was moved to Rockville Hills Regional Park.

My racing season having started late if you could call it a season at all, I was mentally still excited to go. In the week before the…

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Added by Mark Ingwersen on September 25, 2017 at 2:25pm — No Comments

Motherlode Epic 2017

This was the 1st running of the MLE, a 32 mile point-to-point stage race, split into 4 segments of approx 8 miles each, in the Folsom/Granite Bay area east of Sacramento, and organised by local pro Clint Classen, with the backing of Santa Cruz Bikes.  This race was definitely "epic" although, for me, more of an epic fail.

Having sustained an injury in the days leading up to the Downieville Classic the first weekend in August, I had missed that race, as well as Annadel on the following…

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Added by Mark Gibson on August 22, 2017 at 9:42am — No Comments

Annadel XC

  This is the first time that I have attended this race. I decided to enter since so many of my teammates would be there and I wanted to experience Annadel. I was unsure which category to enter but I wanted to do the long course, so I decided to enter Masters 50+. I thought about racing in the Expert over 40, but that sounded even faster, even though they depart 2mins behind Masters 50+. At the start line I realized I was in a fast group when I saw it included teammates Greg and Dave. When…

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Added by Michael Koppe on August 15, 2017 at 9:28pm — No Comments

2017 Annadel

My third time racing this challenging course. This year I had Jim at ACME rework my Trek top fuel and get it down to 22lbs. Two big changes to the bike where changing the front fork to the new Fox factory SC and removing the KS seat dropper. This year I left the Maxxis Ardents in the garage and went with Maxxis 2.2 Ikons for tires. The bike felt great and after a week with only one ride in the mountains , my legs felt good too.

The race has the hardest start of any I have been in- up…

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Added by Greg Alsterlind on August 14, 2017 at 10:00pm — No Comments

2017 Annadel XC

The Annadel XC is my favorite XC race on the NorCal calendar. The race is relatively long (25 miles and ~2hrs), features some fun technical rocky bits, and includes plenty of fitness testing climbing. With many friends and good racers lining up for the Pro Men’s event, I hoped it would be a good battle all day.

 

I drove up to the start with Jim and Cathy, chatting about the course and breaking the race up into segments to plan our approach to the race. My plan was to start…

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Added by Philip Mooney on August 14, 2017 at 3:14pm — No Comments

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