Paul Montgomery's Blog (10)

The Rock Hopper Classic (RHC) makes my fourth race of 2012 and my first race report.  One of my standard goals for each season is to qualify for the National Championship race.  Usually this is accomplished at the Sea Otter Classic (SOC).  Unfortunately, due to a broken chain and subsequent repair (5 min), I could only manage 20^th, which is outside the allotted 15 qualifying spots.  And local USAC qualifiers are a little scarce this year.  Two qualifiers were on tap in California…

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My last “A” race for 2011 was the National XC Championship, in Sun Valley, Idaho. 28 racers had qualified and signed up for the Cat 1, 50-54 age group, all with hopes of finishing up front. Among the many challenges, my ability to adapt to altitude (5,800 ft- 7,000 ft) was the biggest question mark. I have only one other race at elevation on the schedule, and I arrive typically within 24 hours of race start. According to the research, from sea level, you should expect a 10% drop in aerobic…

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After missing out on the Skyline XC race this year, due to a “healing” thigh hematoma, I was looking forward to participating in the restart of the Annadel XC race in Santa Rosa.  Due to weather the race had been rescheduled from Sunday the 5^th to the 25^th, and would fit perfectly with my training ramp up for XC Nationals in mid-July.  The night before race day, I went online for location information and noticed the start date was listed as Saturday the…

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Sea Otter slots in as my third race this year.  Unlike last year, any expectations for a high finish were tempered by the more competitive Category 1 (Cat 1) field. Based on past results, in the 50-54 age group, I would be satisfied to finish in the top ten, but you never know how things will unfold. The start line of a Sea Otter race is well organized because of the large “grids”. Standing on the infamous Laguna Seca tarmac, the 25 racers easily fit two deep in the 25 foot wide…

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It’s the second year I’ve made the trek up to the Sierras for the Downieville Classic XC race. Downieville is a point to point affair that starts with a three thousand foot fire-road accent and from there full gas 20 miles downhill to the town of Downieville (more or less). Once past the first hour of climbing this course rewards smooth fast descending. With only a few technical sections, the key to going fast is commitment, focus and endurance. Unlike last year, however, I was unable to… Continue

Six days after my DNF at Tamarancho, here I am lining up again to finish my first Cat 1 race. This time it’s Skyline Park in Napa at the “USAC NorCal State XC Championships”. Skyline is old school, essentially a hiker’s trail that’s used for bike races. Skill, strategy, nerve, determination, and fitness are required. Easy to say.



Well, I’m determined and fitness is set; race strategy and technique are still developing. After my pre-ride on Saturday, a tactic was needed to own a… Continue

Well I was hoping to have more to write about, but my first race in Cat 1 ended after about thirty minutes. Coming into the Tamarancho Dirt Classic well prepared and ready to be swamped by the Cat 1 field. The starting line organization was the usual haphazard affair, except more-so. Happy to be ahead of the Cat 2 hoard, I found myself standing well off the official fire road starting position with spectators between me and my oncoming destiny. We could only hope for “gridding” intervention… Continue

This year’s Sea Otter turned out to be my most satisfying race to date. The Twentieth Anniversary of the event marked my third try at getting a “decent Cat 2 result” (oxymoron). Based on the racing so far this year, I knew a podium finish was a legitimate goal. The strategy was to get my most underused muscle into the act, the one on top of my shoulders. The tactic at the start was not to lead out the entire field (59 riders), as I had in the past. The idea was to get to the front and slot-in a… Continue

Well, here we are race two for me this year. Luckily I’m still green enough that apocalyptically bad conditions have little impact on the general suffering a typical mountain bike race offers. Not to belabor the point, but the weather was crazy bad. For me, a front fender and helmet muffin cap (HMC) were on the menu. The dry set-up of Racing Ralphs front and back was going to be tested.



As a Cat 2 racer I came into this event knowing that it promised a higher level of competition, even… Continue

This was my first trip up to Cool for their long running (18 years) mountain bike race. Because the race happens in the northern California rainy season, all the reports were of marathon mud-fests. Race day was clear and sunny, unfortunately two days earlier the area had been drenched in a all day downpour. The course, as laid out this year, offered rolling terrain balanced with a few sharp climbs and descents. The technical element as promised was water; standing surface runoff, rivulets,… Continue