Up at Downieville

[Carl Sanders]

Stay upright. Rubber-side down. Clean ride. Have fun. Seemed simply enough.

This year I put aside the hard-tail and lightweight gear. After flatting last year and then losing brake pressure on the descent, I wanted full confidence in my ride this round. On to my new Supefly 100, I mounted WTB Wolverines to the heavy stock Bontrager wheels, borrowed my buddy's gravity drop and set out for a clean ride. This time I was not going to get jackhammered off the saddle and beat to hell over the rocky sections.

Weighing in at nearly 27 pounds, I could feel the additional weight on the climb to Packer Saddle. Also, not wanting to be totally blown for the first descent on Sunrise, I held back somewhat on the climb, rolling through about five minutes off my 60 minute Packer Saddle split from last year.

But then the fun began. Riding a full-suspension bike through the baby heads, across the creeks and steep descents was a blast on this machine. Stay smooth and relaxed I reminded myself. Flying through the trees, over the rollers and across the cobbled rocks, I kept the momentum up. The usual carnage of broken bikes and frustrated riders lined the course.

Down to the pavement, three more riders were still visible out front. Onto the big ring and hammer down, I gained a few more positions before crossing the finish with a personal best of 2:24.

No mechanicals. Great traction. Good times.

[Jim Hewett]

Great job!
FYI, you were riding WTB Wolverines, not Weifwolfs.

[Carl Sanders]

Correction made! Thanks.