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24 Hours of Adrenalin 

Hurkey Creek 

September 22-23

by mark scheetz


What a great way to wind down the racing season: camping with friends, racing day and night, riding an awesome course, eating junk food, greasy burgers and beer. The Coates Cyclery Team staged a seven person coed team called “Coates Cyclery – Get Some” and a couple of us joined forces with a 10 man team named “Team Kareen/Coates Cyclery”.

 


Our coed team consisted of Jeanne Scheetz, Jasmine Scott, Ronda Warden, Joseph Kingsbury, Edward Ewert, David Scheetz and Dean Scheetz. We adopted Ronda from the “rival” team Bear Valley Bikes. With the exception of Dean, the entire team was new to 24 hour racing. Most of the members hadn’t pre-ridden the course and several have never even ridden at night.

 



L-R: David Scheetz, Jeanne Scheetz, Jasmine Scott, Ronda Warden, Joseph Kingsbury, Edward Ewert

 

I was amazed by the team’s performance. Congratulations for completing 21 team laps through freezing temperatures, some rain, and little or no sleep. I believe what really marks this weekend is your incessant support for each other through strong and weak moments. If a team member had a bad lap, for whatever reason, there was plenty of encouragement dished out to lift their spirits.

Here is a great summary from Ed on the team laps:
1. Joe – Great job on the run that nobody wanted to do, and a killer time.
2. Ed – Not bad fat boy.
3. David – Awesome way to get back on the bike.
4. Jasmine – Bummer about the course stoppage, but look at lap 20 for a good idea of what she’s packing.
5. Rhonda – You can count on her to put in a solid time
6. Jeanne – Thanks again for volunteering, cooking burgs, and putting in the laps with no sleep!
7. Dean – Shows up at the last minute, hasn’t ridden in a year, and still puts up the best lap time.
8. Joe – solid night lap
9. Ed - ditto
10. David – Bummer about the light situation, pretty heroic to complete the lap with a freakin candle.
11. Jasmine – Nice way to test your light and ride in the dark for the first time.
12. Rhonda – night riding and “wine”
13. Dean – nice of you to do the double lap thing, extra “not sleep” for Joe and I.
14. Dean – time seems off for this one.
15. Joe – getting up is hard at 3ish in the cold AM.
16. Ed – sun came up about 2/3 into this one, nice!
17. Joe – Déjà vu, putting in the extra lap for sleepy boy.
18. David – no lights no problems.
19. Jeanne – volunteering in the cold, no sleep and still did it.
20. Jasmine – It actually scares me to think how fast you are/going to be!
21. Rhonda – Way to bring it home, with 16 minutes to spare!

 

A very special thanks goes out to Jeanne for serving the team in so many ways and putting in the team volunteer time. With no sleep she did the 3AM-7AM shift at Aid Station 3. That’s a long time to stand around in 34deg temperatures. Following her shift and still chilled to the bone, she put in another lap. Another special thanks goes to Joe for the extra lap so sleepy boy Dave could get in another hour of shuteye.


Team Kareen/Coates Cyclery took home the yellow jerseys, 29 laps

 

One of the slogans coined by 24 Hours of Adrenalin is “The experience doesn’t end after 24 hours”. This is so true. I will personally cherish the memories from this weekend. It was also great to have Jeanne and David there to finally share the experience and see my bother Dean make a strong cycling comeback. I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend as much as I did and returns for the next one. Now … Get Some!

 


 

Links:

Photos from Ed's camera

Photos from Mark's camera

Photos for purchase

Results

 

 

Big Bear Shootout #2

Cal State Series Final 

September 9

by mark scheetz


It was a perfect day with absolutely gorgeous skies for the 7th and final Cal State Series race. The series finale took us again to Big Bear for Big Bear Shootout #2. This long series began back in April at Bonelli Park where our Coates Cyclery Mountain Bike Team made its debut. That seems like a long time ago.

Our new team performed way beyond my expectations; as a team and as individuals. Many of you never even raced before this season. You can all be proud of your individual accomplishment and team performance. By the end of the marathon awards ceremony the Coates Cyclery Mountain Bike Team walked away with 8 State Series Awards, 1 State Champion, and 2nd overall Coed Team.

 

Our pile of awards

 

Yoshio Garcia State Champion

 

2nd Place in the State Coed Team Competition

 

 

More Photos here

and here

 

Big Bear Shootout #2 Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

2

55

Paul Amodei

Clydes 35+ 

3

51
Jasmine Scott19-29

1

60

Jeanne Scheetz

40-49

3

51

    

SPORT 

  
Yoshio Guerra

19-24 

160
   

EXPERT 

  
Dustin Luton35-39

6

41

Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

3

51

 

Cal State Series Final Standings:

Name:

Class:

Place:

BEGINNER

 
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

2
Paul Amodei

Clydes 35+ 

3

Jasmine Scott19-29

3

Wendy Bovey40-49

5

Jeanne Scheetz

40-49

4

   

SPORT 

 
Yoshio Guerra Garcia

19-24 

1
  

EXPERT 

 
Dustin Luton35-39

4

Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

3


Rim Nordic #4

Series Final

August 26

by mark scheetz


The very best summer MTB race series concluded with last Sunday’s fourth Rim Nordic race. We had a nice break in the weather under stormy clouds. The threatening thunderstorms never materialized but the temperature stayed nice and cool. The course itself threw down the usual challenging climbs with a couple of new sketchy downhills that kept us alert. Yours truly even did a little up close trail inspection.

It’s sufficed to say that the Coates Cyclery Mountain Bike Team finished the Rim Nordic Series with a grand finale. Five of the seven team members who raced made it to the podium.

 

Edward Ewert

 

Ed Ewert dominated the Clydes class with a 7 minute margin over second place. Our newest team member, Jasmine Scott, destroyed her class with a 57 minute lap time and beating her closest competitor by 12 minutes!

 

Jasmine Scott

 

Yoshio Garcia, in perfect form, continued his sport class domination with another win. Gabrielle (I never train) Savage again scored a podium spot by taking first place.

 

Gabrielle Savage


Graham Miller made a bold move and stepped up to sport class. This was Graham’s second race, ever. He did well placing 5th in class. I finished 3rd after spending a little too much time smelling the flowers along the course. Dustin, also doing a little trail inspection, finished in 4th.

 

Dustin Luton

 


 

Our series awards were impressive. The Coates team had 3 first place trophies for the overall series: Edward Ewert, Gabrielle Savage, and Yoshio Garcia. Second place overall awards went to Jasmine Scott and Mark Scheetz.

 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:RN Points:
Edward Ewert

Beginner 

1

30

Gabrielle SavageBeginner 

1

30

Jasmine ScottBeginner

1

30

Yoshio GarciaSport 

1

60

Graham MillerSport

5

38

Dustin LutonExpert

4

84

Mark Scheetz

Expert

3

96

 

Rim Nordic #3

Mountain Stage Race

August 4,5

by mark scheetz


In summary, the stage race was way too much fun. Ed Ewert took home the first place trophy in Beginner Clydes and I took second in Expert SS.

All team members who raced in Sunday’s XC had a podium finish. First place awards went to Yoshio Garcia and Ed Ewert. Third place awards went to Gabrielle Savage, Dustin Luton, Mark Mann, and me. We don’t know who Mark Mann is but he apparently registered with Coates Cyclery as the sponsor. That’s cool, it’s more team points. If anyone knows who Mark is, let me know.

The next and final Rim Nordic race is August 26. If you haven’t raced here yet, you really don’t want to miss it. This is the best XC racing in SoCal.

 

A smooth handoff to Dustin Luton from Jon Tanklage

A few photos 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:RN Points:
Edward Ewert

Beginner 

1

30

Yoshio Garcia

Sport 

1

60
Gabrielle SavageBeginner 

3

24

Mark MannBeginner

3

24

Dustin LutonExpert

3

96

Mark Scheetz

Expert

3

96

 

Rim Nordic #2

Cal State #6

Sunday, July 15th

by mark scheetz


Rim Nordic racing really captures the heart and soul of mountain bike racing. This weekend’s course challenged racers of all levels with a longer course, additional single track climbs and loose sketchy descents. Beginners had to survive one 8.5 mile lap with 1,500’ of climbing, sport class 2 laps, and experts a grueling 3 laps. For this round the Coates team had a few highs and, unfortunately, a couple of lows.

 


Graham Miller ready to start

 

On the high note, we had 2 rookies going at it for the first time, Graham Miller and Mitch Odell. Like I said before, I wouldn’t choose this course for a first race, but this team has character, you’re tough. In the off season we should find ourselves a coed rugby league. Graham finished in just under 2 minutes from the leader’s pace for second place in class.

Paul Amodei, still recovering from his broken shoulder, decided to compete and finished in second place scoring much needed team points. I finished 3rd in class way behind the pro riders from Sho-air. Since I was the first expert SS rider, that should score a first place in the State Series. Dustin Luton, still recovering from the ultra endurance Cascade Cream Puff, finished 5th in a tough class. Jeanne Scheetz rode well for 6th in her class.

Unfortunately our newest team member, Mitch Odell, took a hard fall and broke his collarbone. Mitch is another tough guy. What is it with this team? The race officials told me Mitch was trying to complete the race one handed. They made him walk back down the hill. I’m sure he’ll be back before too long.

Yoshio threw his chain and got his first DNF. Later in the pit we had to tease him with a 20 second chain repair lesson. It was good for a few laughs; especially when Yoshio counter demonstrated how to repair a chain with a couple of rocks. We may have a language barrier, but we have no problem communicating.


 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

 RN Place:St Place: RN Pts:St Pts:
Graham MillerBeginner 

2

2

27

55

Paul AmodeiBeginner

2

2

27

55

Mark ScheetzExpert

3

1

96

60

Dustin LutonExpert

5

5

76

44

Jeanne ScheetzBeginner 

6

5

17

44

Yoshio Garcia

Sport 

DNF

DNF

0

0
Mitch OdellBeginner 

DNF

DNF

0

0

 

 

Big Bear Shootout #1

Sunday, July 1st

by mark scheetz

 

With 5 down and 2 to go, we are in the final quarter of the Cal State Series. I am really pleased with our team’s consistent presence, support, and race performance. Another 290 team points were awarded which (results pending) should maintain our 2nd place standing in state.


Pre-riding the course eliminated all race day surprises but one, the heat. The long course, 16 miles for beginners and sport, 25 for expert/pros, was more challenging with the record temperatures. It was hot! Fortunately, our team’s large support crew pulled us through with a remote feed outpost. A very special thanks goes out to our support crew of Larry Scheetz, Linda Moore, and Lamoyne Armstrong for enduring the 2 hours of heat on a remote dirt road to hand off the occasional bottle and cheer us on.


 

L-R: Larry Scheetz, Lamoyne Armstrong, Linda Moore

 

It was great to see Wendy Bovey show up ready to rock by overcoming her pre-ride injuries (black eye) and “Fall Line” fears. She ended up finishing relatively unscathed, albeit a course misguidance, for 4th place. Chris Massie surprised us with his appearance at the start having just returned from Bolivia. Paul Fuentes, sporting a new ride (Kona Kula 2-9), managed to stay separated from terra firma and finished 7th.

Race team highlights include Ed Ewert’s 2nd place finish and his closing the gap on Steve Bates. Jeanne Scheetz finally defeated her rival, Ronda Warden for 2nd place. Yoshio Garcia continues to dominate the sport class with yet another 1st place. Other podium finishes were achieved by Dustin Luton for 5th and my (forever stuck in) 3rd place.



L-R: Jeanne Scheetz, Vicky Chernoff, Ronda Warden

 

Also on hand were team members Gabrielle Savage and Paul Amodei taking photos and video. Paul is sidelined by a fractured shoulder he sustained at the Elings Park race. In all we had a large race presents with a total of 13 team members and 5 podium announcements. Way to go team!

 


 

Click here for more photos

 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

2

55

Paul Fuentes

50+ 

7

38
Wendy Bovey40-49 

4

47

Jeanne Scheetz

40-49

2

55

    

SPORT 

  
Chris Massie35-39

17

17

Yoshio Guerra *

19-24 

160
   

EXPERT 

  
Dustin Luton35-39

5

44

Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

3

51

Total Team Series Points:

290

 (based on top 6 finishers)              

* Not registered on the submitted team roster


Follow-up … Team Platinum rider down
Jim Garwood is the rider who crashed hard and gave us a pretty good scare. The good news is that the doctors expect an eventual full recovery. Here are more details from the Team Platinum site: http://www.platinummtb.com/news.htm

So … what can we learn from this. Since the race I’ve been giving a lot of consideration to how well prepared we are to handle serious injury. We have to face the reality that the longer we’re involved in a sport like this, the more likely it is that we’ll have to deal with it. I am in the process of arranging for team training in first aid and CPR. This won’t be mandatory (like anything is mandatory on this team), but I sincerely hope that several of you will participate. We will also assemble a team first aid kit. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Rim Nordic #1

Sunday, June 24th

by mark scheetz

 

“Man that was fun!” This is what I heard repeatedly throughout the day. Rim Nordic delivers its reputation of the best local mountain bike racing. It’s hard to beat the clean mountain air, the sweet smell of pine, long technical single tracks winding beneath the wooded sunshade, and a friendly venue.

 

Left to right: Yoshio, Mark, Edward, Gabrielle

 

Because of the lung-busting single track climbs and sketchy switch backed descents, I’d be reluctant to introduce a beginner to the sport here. On the other hand, it certainly captures the ideal essence of mountain bike racing.



 

Gabrielle Savage, who rarely throws a leg on her mountain bike, has never raced, and didn’t even pre-ride this technical course, finished 3rd in class for a podium spot. Way to go Gab! Of course with a name like Savage, we expect nothing less.

Ed Ewert and Yoshio Garcia won their respective classes, a first time for both of them. I also had a great time finishing 3rd behind Tony Smith (the 2004 24 hour solo world champion) and Todd Stevenson (a local pro).

 

Click here for more photos

 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:RN Points:
Edward Ewert

Beginner 

1

30

Yoshio Garcia

Sport 

1

60
Gabrielle SavageBeginner 

3

24

Mark Scheetz

Expert

3

96

Elings Park, California State Series #4

Saturday, June 2nd

by mark scheetz

 

Elings Park in Santa Barbara is one of most spectator friendly venues in the Cal State Series. The short and ultra twisty course is not only fun for racers but also offers spectators plenty of opportunity to see the action. The race doubles as the Santa Barbara Bike Festival so there was a vender expo, great BBQ and Firestone brew.


The Coates team had another good showing with 7 racers total, 4 in beginner, 1 in sport and 2 in expert class. Our podium finishers were Jeanne Scheetz for 3rd, Yoshio Garcia for 3rd and Dustin Luton for 4th (I don’t think he stuck around to get his medal). My 4th place finish didn’t qualify for the podium with only 9 racers in class.


The downhills on this course are littered with bone jarring braking bumps that beat the hell out of anyone racing rigid. Ed Ewert, still racing a rigid SS, managed to finish 4th.


Wendy Bovey continues to score important team points with a good 5 place finish.


Finally, tough guy, Paul Amodei cut a nice size rut into a difficult downhill with his shoulder. This happened on his first lap. When Paul rode through the start/finish for his second lap he couldn’t even hold onto his handlebar. He suffered through his second lap (with a possible broken shoulder) and still finished in 5th place.


I would like to thank all you team members who scattered themselves about the course during Dustin’s and my race. It felt like there was a cheering team member around every corner and it made this the most fun race yet.

 

This race opened up a small gap in the team standings for 2nd place. We are now 77 points ahead of 3rd place So Cal Specialized. It's still a close race, so let's stay on our game.

 

We have many photos from this race, check out these galleries:

 

Ewert's camera

Scheetz' camera

 

All Action Shots photos for purchase


Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

4

47

Paul Amodie

Clydes 35+ 

5

44
Wendy Bovey40-49 

5

44

Jeanne Scheetz

40-49

3

51

    

SPORT 

  
Yoshio Guerra *

19-24 

351
   

EXPERT 

  
Dustin Luton35-39

4

47

Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

4

47

Total Team Series Points:

280

 (based on top 6 finishers)              

* Not registered on the submitted team roster

 

Castaic Lake, California State Series #3

Sunday, May 20th

by mark scheetz

 

If there were an award for the team with the highest percentage of podium finishers, I think we would win. Of the nine Coates Team members who raced, six took to the podium. You are proving to be one tough SOB team. Castaic Lake exceeded its reputation as the toughest climbing course with the addition of high temperatures. Again I am proud of each of your performances. With the exception of yours truly, the entire team executed an exceptional race by managing your energy on the steep climbs and handling the heat.

A special thanks goes out to coach Jon Tanklage who handled the feed station and kept stats on our lap times.

We had several notable finishes. Wendy Bovey crossed the finish line for the first time and scored good points for the team. Jeanne Scheetz earned a 3rd place podium finish. Ed Ewert and Paul Amodei finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Paul Fuentes upped his standings with a 5th place finish. Personally … well, I executed poorly and miraculously ended up 3rd.

All of our younger racers did well. Yoshio Garcia continues to chase the state and national championship titles with a decided 2nd place finish. Sam Milazzo and David Scheetz just joined the team and decided to make their debut at Castaic Lake. Both earned 3rd place finishes in their first race ever and they both did it on rigid single speeds in geared classes.

As a team, we scored 291 points which places us 2nd in state. It’s still a close race with So Cal Specialized who are just 45 points behind.

My most notable mention this race goes out to my son David. You’re going to have to put up with a father’s pride here. Yes, this was his first race, and yes, he raced in a beginner geared class on his fully rigid single speed, and yes, this is the toughest course in the series, and yes, he took third place for a podium finish. That alone gives me great pride, but there is way more to his story that that.

For all of us, mountain biking and racing is both a physical and a mental challenge. Whereas we choose to challenge ourselves in training or on race day, my son faces a daily challenge for survival and has no choice in the matter. As some of you know, he has cystic fibrosis and diabetes (CF related). It would be quite reasonable if he didn’t further complicate his life by choosing greater challenges than he has already been dealt. After all, most people don’t need any reason to lead sedate lives. David has never surrendered his aspirations to disease. He doesn’t waste his time blaming the world, his parents or God. His zeal for life is contagious. He is my hero and continues to be a great inspiration to me. Well done David!


 

Our photos here

All Action Shots photos for purchase here

 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

3

51

Paul Amodie

Clydes 35+ 

4

47
Paul Fuentes50+

5

44

Wendy Bovey40-49 

4

47

Jeanne Scheetz

40-49

3

51

Sam Milazzo*18 and under

3

51

David Scheetz*19-24

3

51

    

SPORT 

  
Yoshio Guerra *

19-24 

255
   

EXPERT 

  
Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

3

51

Total Team Series Points:

291

 (based on top 6 finishers)              

* Not registered on the submitted team roster

 

Firestone Santa Ynez Valley Mountain Bike Classic, California State Series #2

Sunday, April 29th

by mark scheetz

 

When the race announcer took notice of our team’s large turnout it was evident that the Coates Cyclery team is beginning to leave a mark on the So Cal race scene. I am extremely proud of all your efforts and results this weekend. Everyone one of us found ourselves digging deep and pushing beyond previous limits of physical endurance and mental barricades.

Most notable is Wendy Bovey who didn’t even own a mountain bike until a week ago. On our 90 degree pre-ride Saturday she took a few hard falls with the wind getting knocked out of her. The course has several slippery off camber corners that will trick even the most seasoned mountain biker. Even so, her audacious spirit brought her to the starting line for Sunday’s race.“Get some Wendy”!


Another honorable mention goes to Paul Amodei. Paul suffers from severe back pain due to injuries. The pre-ride alone left him crippled by Saturday afternoon. Paul’s business requires strenuous physical strength, so racing is a huge sacrifice for this guy. Like Wendy, Paul lined up for the start early Sunday morning and ended up taking 4th in class and earning 43 points for the team.


Again our team had earned 3 podium finishes; this time at a national level race. Yoshio Garcia took 2nd in Sport with a very fast time. Look out for this guy; he’s on his way toward a State Championship. Ed Ewert took 2nd which should put him in a solid 2nd place in the state standings so far. My 4th place finish put me on the podium in a large Single Speed class.


As a team we earned 202 points placing us 3rd in state; just 3 points behind team SO CAL Specialized. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click for: Photos from Chris Massie

Click for: Other Photos

 

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

2

55

Paul Amodie

Clydes 35+ 

4

47
Jim Warren45-49 

16

19

Wendy Bovey

40-49

dnf

 

   

SPORT 

  
Yoshio Guerra *

19-24 

255
Chris (Samuel) Massie

35-39 

29

2

   

EXPERT 

  
Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

4

47
Dustin Luton

35-39 

738

Total Team Series Points:

202 

 (based on top 6 finishers)              

* Not registered on the submitted team roster


 

Bonelli Park, California State Series #1

Saturday, March 24th

by mark scheetz

 

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who came out to provide support and give of your time to help us race better and enjoy the day. The support crew included Larry Scheetz and Lamoyne Armstrong who helped throughout the day with setup, food preparation, tear down and the race feed station. Coach Jon Tanklage was on hand to help coordinate start times, organize the feed station and provide encouragement. Gabrielle Savage spent a lot of time behind the camera capturing the best (and worst?) of us. I would also like to thank all the other friends and family members who pitched in with a helping hand and cheers for the team.

It was a perfect day for the State Series opener with sunshine, a good venue, and mild temperatures. Team Big Bear and crew did an excellent job, once again, in giving us world class quality in a local race.

Our Coates team achieved some great results which included 3 podium finishes by Ed Ewert, Yoshio Guerra, and me. Jeanne just missed a podium finish by a mere 17 seconds (now she’s practicing curb hopping). Paul Fuentes crashed twice and missed a podium finish by just 59 seconds.


Paul Fuentes and his ouchy.

 

Ed on the podium

 

Mark on the podium


The team earned 270 points which places us 2nd in the Coed Team standings. Great results, way to go team!

Click here for team Photos (courtesy of Ewert Photography)

Team Results:

 Name:

Class:

Place:Points:

BEGINNER

  
Edward Ewert

Clydes 35+ 

3

51

Paul Amodie

Clydes 35+ 

4

47
Jeanne Scheetz40-49 

4

47

Paul (Joseph) Fuentes

50+

6

41

   

SPORT 

  
Yoshio Guerra *

19-24 

351
Chris (Samuel) Massie

35-39 

17

17

   

EXPERT 

  
Mark Scheetz

Single Speed 

3

51
Dustin Luton

35-39 

933

Total Team Series Points:

270 

 (based on top 6 finishers)              

* Not registered on the submitted team roster

 

Southridge racing clinic with Jon Tanklage


We had a great race clinic with Jon at the Southridge course. Jon was extremely well prepared and taught us everything about bike prep, tire choice, nutrition, clothing, start strategy and all the fine points of on course fueling, climbing, descending, shifting, etc etc. It was very thorough and we owe Jon a huge thanks for his time and preparation. It was great fun and I hope you all take advantage of the next clinic in Big Bear.

Vision Quest/Counting Coup Results


Four of us participated in one of the nation’s most difficult race: Vision Quest and it’s slightly easier sibling the Counting Coup. Vision Quest consists of 57 miles over several peaks for a total of 11,500’ of vertical climbing. The last climb includes 2 miles of hike-a-bike. The Counting Coup is 44 mile and a total of 8,500’ vertical. Dustin Luton, Jon Tanklage and I all finished Vision Quest in sub 7 hours. It was a personal best for the three of us. Jeanne Scheetz shaved 80 minutes from her 2006 finishing time. Way to go Jeanne!

Team Race Clinic

 

Team member Jon Tanklage has offered to conduct a race clinic at Southridge Fontana, Sunday 3/4. Jon is a USAC Certified Level 2 Coach and will be offering this first of two race clinics to team members, shop customers and guests. I highly encourage all of you to join us in Southridge for professional tips, race strategy, and a heck of a lot of fun. The timing of this clinic is really good for anyone who wants to race the last two races of the Southridge Series or the National Race on 5/5. Jon is offering this service for free, so let’s see a good turnout. I’ll be following up with further details and a shop flyer.

Jon will also conduct a second race clinic in Big Bear before the “Big Bear Shootout #1” race. Further details will be announced later.
 

Ride Report: Blackstar – Silverado

 

Saturday, 1-27-07

 

Four of us, Paul Amodei, Ed Ewert, Jeanne Scheetz and I, made last Saturday’s team ride. Our loop took us up Blackstar Canyon, 8 miles and over several peaks along the Main Divide, down the famous Motorway single track to Silverado Canyon and back to the cars. We had a great time and nice weather, just cool enough for light cover. The numbers stacked up nicely from Paul Amodei’s GPS:

 

Avg mph – 7.4

Overall mph – 6.0

Max mph – 31.9

Distance – 26.21

Total Ascent – 4277 feet

California State Mountain Bike Series

 

Friday January 26, 2007

 

California is a big state by any measurement. Geographically, politically and demographically it could be split in two. I guess the mountain bike racing scene is taking that first bold step with both a northern and a southern race series. Quite honestly, last year’s State Series ripped off those in the north without a single race within a hundred miles of the bay area.

 

For 2007 the southern series will consist of 5 races with 4 of those scheduled before mid-June. This trimmed down series should make it easy to also compete in the Rim Nordic series staged near Running Springs.

 

The Coates Mountain Bike Team will focus on the State Series, Rim Nordic Series and assemble 2 relay teams for the 24 Hours of Adrenalin, Hurkey Creek in September.

 

First Team Meeting/Ride

 

Saturday January 20, 2007

 

The day was perfect for our first team ride. Starting at the shop we spent the first 25 minutes on pavement as we proceeded up the Thompson Creek path on our way to Baldy Road and the Evey Canyon trailhead. Yeah, it was a lot of pavement; we’ll just call it a warm up. Evey canyon is a steep 2 mile fire road that leads to the Palmer/Evey saddle.

 

From the saddle it’s a super fast descent down to the Claremont Wilderness Park. We then made the short climb over to Marshall Canyon to begin the real fun. The streams are full right now in Marshall so, needless to say, we took a bath. All in all, it was great fun along with great company.