Race report by Nancy Harris, member of The Path Race Team

Headed into the weekend with a little pressure (self inflicted) on myself since I was tied for 1st place overall.

Since Roger had to work Saturday, we headed out Friday to practice and got 6 or 7 runs in with some sessioning. Went down to the park and said hi to Traci and the gang who were setting up camp, then headed over to Jose’s for some grub.

On Saturday I slept in and headed over around 10:30ish. I had arranged to do some practice runs with Leigh Donovan (my mentor) so I waited for the shuttle since my legs were tired from Friday’s shutttle escapade. I got in 2 runs and then my derailleur cable decided to come loose so I got a ride back down on the truck and got it fixed. Got in 2 more full runs by my lonesome and then headed down to find Traci. She had opted to go ride with Bryguy since I was sooooo tardy (sorry Traci). I hooked up with them later and we did a couple laps and some HAB and tried to get the uphill section dialed. I got the bike loaded on the rack just as the downpour began!!!

Nancy Harris, The Path race team - Open Women. photo: Jason Cleghorn Photography

Roger Gutierrez, The Path race team - Expert Men. photo: Jason Cleghorn Photography

Sunday dawned to clear skies and hero dirt (it having rained on and off all night Saturday). The 1st two practice runs were awesome but the 3rd and last run the mud/sand got a little greasy on the rocks as the temperature dropped due to the cloud cover. All my perfect lines were somewhat skewed as I seemed to be sliding more (yeah I know, too much braking). The uphill was giving me grief and even though I made it in granny, it was a struggle and I knew in the back of my mind that it would be the “break-it” section for me.

I had a good run with 1 bobble, but unfortunately my lack of climbing strength put me in 3rd place and my time was less than stellar. I ended up 2nd overall for the Winter Series, having missed 1st by 5 points!!! Some people say 2nd place is “1st loser” but I had a blast and got to meet and help inspire a whole new group of racers this year.

We all know that Fontana DH racing is quite tame compared to the “Pro circuits/courses” but it’s all we got and I for one will enjoy it until I can no longer ride!!!!

Nancy Harris, Open Women. Photo: Mike Lord

Nancy Harris, Open Women. Photo: Mike Lord

Props to everyone who came out and raced and thanks to all the spectators and photographers, you guys make it fun!!!  Congrats to my Teammates Jake and Tony who also made podium. And major props to Tony for coming out of retirement and winning the Series!!!

Tony G, Expert Men. Photo: Mike Lord

Jake Payne, Junior Expert Men. Photo: Mike Lord

So long Winter Series, it has been fun!!!! California Golden State Series, here we come!!!

Come join us on the weekly Sunday Path Bike Shop MTB ride!

The Sunday ride changes location every week, so check in here on the blog for the current ride location. We’ll meet at The Path Bike Shop parking lot as usual, then ride or drive to a trailhead.

• When: Every Sunday. Meet at 8AM, ready to roll by 8:15AM SHARP!
• Where: Meet at The Path Bike Shop parking lot - 215 W. 1st Street in Tustin, CA

THIS WEEK 3/14/2010: We will be riding Turnbull Canyon in Whittier.

• Ride Leader: Brian W
• Ride sweep: Maxwell

This ride is open to all ages and all riding levels.

They have finally arrived…the long awaited 2010 Kona Cadabra and the 2010 Kona Abra Cadabra. A sub 30-pound 4-inch travel bike with the ability to jump to 6-inches in the rear

The 2010 Kona Cadabra…

The 2010 Kona Abra Cadabra…

Here’s a quick way to shave half a pound or more of rotating weight from your 29er trail or race bike. Stan’s new Crest rim offers similar weight to the company’s 355 but provides a wider rim cavity (21mm) than the Arch or 355 in order to maximize tire volume. At an average weight of 370 grams, these rims are a full 100 grams lighter than the Arch.

We recently fitted a set of Crests paired with DT Supercomp spokes and DT 240 hubs to one of our team member’s full suspension 29ers for testing. At 1,540 grams including rim strips and valves, the wheelset immediately cut 218 grams (.48 pounds) from the already light wheelset it replaced – an Arch/Supercomp setup using a Hope Pro 2 rear and WTB LaserDisc Lite front hub. Both wheelsets used the same Bontrager Jones XR tubeless tires and Stan’s sealant.

The wheelset has 50 backcountry trail miles on it so far with no reports of reduced stiffness. Here’s a shot of the whole rig at Chiquito Falls.

from contributing writer Josh Jacquot, The Path Bike Shop race team member

The Path Bike Shop has got some amazing deals happening this week on select parts, see the list below. These parts are only available in very limited quantities. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever at these prices.

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** We’ve also pulled a number of apparel items from our clearance area and marked them down even further. Some items are as low as $5 each. Swing by and take a look!

(click on list for a larger view)

Have you checked out the latest Orange Coast magazine yet? The Path Bike Shop’s own Denis Kremenetskiy is featured in a 2-page spread entitled “Cycle Therapy” in the February 2010 issue!

Click the page for a larger view

Denis is a pro member of The Path race team and on the staff here at the shop.

Southridge Downhill Race #2 Report - as told by Denis Kremenetskiy

This was an exceptional race, much different from the previous two Southridge races. It was steep and wet, the complete opposite of what we were all expecting. We got to experience the track in rainy conditions due to the rain throughout the week and on Saturday. The only sunshine we got the whole weekend was on Sunday, the day of the big race runs.

I woke up Saturday morning to rain hitting my window. It took a few minutes to realize what day it was, and how the weather had relevance to what I had planned out for the weekend. Usually rain in the morning is a good sign for me. As soon as I heard it I got a smile on my face. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so sure that rain was a good sign for the morning of the first practice day. I was starting to get a bit discouraged. What if the race was canceled?! That would ruin the whole weekend! I called Tani with high hopes that the trip was still on. His response was very reassuring, “If it rains, it rains”. That set the mood for the rest of the weekend. All my worries of the race being canceled vanished and I knew that we all were going to have fun in the mud, no matter what.

This time The Path racing team was traveling in a caravan. It was most of the usual guys in the shuttle bus followed by Mark Olsen and Fontana first-timer Randy Lovin. Even though it was not the sunniest weekend to race Downhill, Randy kept up a good spirit about seeing what Fontana races are all about.

Tani & Randy

Randy at practice

Mark’s race run

As we arrived, we decided to not waste any time and just hike up to the top of the course, just as it was starting to rain really hard. We all quickly discovered the difference between windbreakers and rain jackets is that while windbreakers are effective in protecting you from the wind, when it comes to rain they’re next to useless. By the time we were getting ready to drop in for the first time, we were already drenched. Once we got going though, I was surprised to find that the rain made the track even more fun. Especially seeing as how it was a steep enough course that you didn’t have to struggle keeping your speed through the mud puddles.

Tani, Jim, and Denis in line for the shuttle truck

Right away riders entered the first rock g-out, into a sharp 90 degree turn, which was a perfect lead in to the rest of the track. The whole way down all you had to aim for was perfectly shaped berms at the bottom of the rock g-outs. During Saturday practice we couldn’t stop going back. The track just kept getting better and better each run. Even though we probably wore our legs out more than we should have on the day before a race, and even though our bikes got drenched in mud, we didn’t care! The conditions were excellent so we left tired and ready to give our bikes a good wash down.

Denis & Tani doing a practice run

Tani & Denis at the lower rock garden

Sunday morning the younger part of the team drove out solo, but when we arrived at Fontana we all regrouped at the van once again. Everyone was full of anticipation about what conditions the track was going to be in for their race run, but we all still kept the mood of “If it rains, it rains”.

Tani & Randy

Even though we were totally ready to race in the wet, Mother Nature decided to give us some sunshine for the race. During the runs, the track was in nearly perfect condition, the dirt was perfect, but the wall felt even longer with all the mud puddles that hid in the shadows and didn’t quite dry out.

Denis in his race run

Tani in his race run

After the race runs most of us hiked back up to join the cheering on of our fellow racers.

Jim, Cory, Randy, & Denis - The “Unofficial” Path Cheer Team

From the fun & wild muddy practice conditions to the perfect sunny race runs, the weekend proved to be as exciting, amusing, and delightful as any other. It was a thrill to finally do a race where the rain separated the men from the boys. Some people decided to not race due to fear of a little mud, but I learned that apparently in Fontana the rain only means more fun. We’ll be looking forward to more great tracks out there!

Tani Walling, 4th place - Expert Men Class

Jake Payne, 2nd place - Junior Expert Men class

Race report by Nancy Harris, member of The Path Race Team

Nancy Harris, The Path race team - Open Women class

Roger Gutierrez, The Path race team - Expert Men

Another great weekend of racing at Bootleg is in the books. Roger and I arrived Saturday morning, got registered, and then visited with friends. It was a nice surprise to find Carmen, Lynette and Kathleen from AZ come out for the race as they were originally going snowboarding (Carmen and Kathleen are in my class and great riders).

So then we headed up for practice. The course for Amateurs was Snakeback to Reaper to a new combined finish where the bottom of our course connected with the bottom of G-String (pro course). The course was in excellent shape thanks to Craig Van Cleve who is now partnering with Francine on the race series at Bootleg.

We did one run with some do-overs and then on run 2, Roger decided to rip a small hole in his sidewall (at the top of the course). I was in front and never turned around so I got to the bottom and no Roger. 15 minutes later, I saw him hiking down the hill. Since he was tubeless, it required a tire change. Run number 3 was good so we decided to finish off the afternoon with a Boy Scout to Girl Scout run. Overall it was a good day, but let’s just say that it wasn’t my best day of practice at Bootleg.

Up early on Sunday and off to practice. It was a bit breezy but the temperatures where nice (60s). We did 2 practice runs and then decided to rehydrate and get something to eat.  As we all know Bootleg is kinda laid back and no one but the Socal crowd seems to be in a hurry. Racing was not slated to start until 12:00pm so it was a long day. The initial seed list got posted but with no start times and in the midst of printing the new one, their computer crashed. For some reason Francine decided to put the Open Women class last so I headed up on the truck with Roger (class I) so I could watch some racing instead of hanging in the parking lot.

Well with 150 entrants and 1 minute seen times and the races starting late, my race run was not until about 4pm. Needless to say I tried to warm up, but there is not any place to do sprints. I set myself up next to the zipline and used one of the support cables to hold on to while I pedaled backwards to attempt to warm up my legs.

My race run had 3 dabs as I was not warmed up and I felt like it was the 1st run of the day. The lower section was fast and I pedaled by butt off but not my best race run, but as we all know, that’s racing. Roger’s run left something to be desired as well, as he encountered 2 loose rocks on the off camber section which bounced him off line and caused him to get off the bike and hike back up the trail. He came in 2nd to his nemesis Bobby Bondurant.

A small herd of bighorn sheep was on the mountain all weekend. The highlight of the day was the Expert racer who almost got hit head on by one. He had to pull off the course and ended up getting a re-run. However they put him behind our class and he ended up passing Carmen, and finished right behind me at the finish. I kept hearing “there’s a fast racer coming” and assumed it was Carmen. I pedaled furiously and saw the rider’s shadow right behind me at the finish. I turned around and saw who it was and thought, wow, he made up 2 minutes on us, I want to be that fast when I grow up.

It was so late and we were so hungry, we loaded up, changed clothes, hit the Hacienda for dinner and then made it home by 10pm. So, we didn’t stay for awards. I ended up 2nd out of 3 in the Open Women 40+ class.

It was great to see Marshall (Stray_Bullit) who recently moved up that way and who was nice enough to volunteer to drive the shuttle truck (THANKS)! And then there was the Incycle sexy beasts Compton and Gil and some other new guy that was like 8 foot tall. Oh, and I met Rondo (Werldcup) and his buddy. There was also a Luke and Jake sighting!

Good times, with good friends and great racing, that’s what it’s all about!!!

For the month of February…

Apparel Sale! Buy 1 apparel item at full price, get the second apparel item 1/2 price!*

Second apparel item must be of equal or lesser value. No additional club discounts will apply. Sale ends Sunday February 28, 2010.

Here are some pics from the past DH race in the Southridge Winter Series, Race #3. Some of The Path Bike Shop team riders in action!

Jim McNeil, Pro Men. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Denis Kremenetskiy, Pro Men. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Jake Payne, Expert Men. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Luke Wronski, Expert Men. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Tani Walling, Expert Men. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Nancy Harris, Open Women. photo: Chris Wood Photography

Eric Mellencamp, Sport Men. photo: J. Cosco Photography

Southridge Downhill Race #3 Report - as told by The Path Bike Shop team member, Nancy Harris.

Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Another marvelous weekend at Southridge. Got to practice the Expert course on Friday with Roger and Leigh. Saturday morning was Sport practice in the rain with Wendy and Traci, teaching them the “big girl” lines. The course started out rutted with puddles and then worked it’s way to being smooth and tacky!! Saturday afternoon was Expert practice until dusk and trying to get lines dialed in.

Along came Sunday and a 6:45am HAB run to see how the course had changed. Tom was busily doing repair work so all of the corners were in tip-top shape. There were a few greasy rock sections where the frigid mud had decided to take up residence. By mistake, I decided to run my almost bald Hutchinson Barracuda tire in the rear on the M6 which made for some slippin’ and slidin’. There was one section I could not master so I did the best I could and then hopped in the shuttle line. 2 more runs and some re-dos left me with the same section that I could not master. I decided to let it go and utter the mantra “that’s racing”.

According to Tom, DH entries were up +130 people!!! It made for a long time of waiting up top, so we decided to wait for a few shuttle trucks and then head up. The sun kept popping in and out and the temps kept changing from warm to cold. I took off my thermal layer and then decided to put it back on. I got a chance to talk to Jon Buckle after his race run and he said that he had not warmed up properly so I decided I better remember that when I got up top.

Nancy Harris. Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Roger Gutierrez, Path team member. Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Got to the top, did some sprints up and down the hill then sat and spun for 15 minutes. Come race time I was as warm as I was gonna get. The course was fast and tack in the turns and the rocks were dryer than in practice but that one rocky section had my name on it so I decided to play it safe and ended up dabbing once. I pedaled my heart out on the wall and ended up 2nd out of 5 again in Open Women. Not bad for a great-grandma!!

Nancy Harris, 2nd place - Open Women

Roger Gutierrez, Expert Men

Southridge Downhill Race #2 Report - as told by Denis Kremenetskiy

It had been a long week of rains, but luckily for us the rain took a break for a weekend of downhill racing. Usually when racing in Fontana, the dirt is extremely dry and riders always struggle to get traction. This time the weather was in our favor; the massive rainstorms that were causing disasters around town made the dirt at Fontana what we call “hero dirt”.

Denis & Luke  pushing up for practice

Practice - Saturday 1/23/10

Saturday was the first day of practice. The shuttle would begin running at 11:30, so all riders had to be there an hour before for registration. The race van arrived early to Fontana to get an early start, but that did not happen due to the big lines at the registration tables. Surprisingly, the turn out for the Fontana race was big this time. It was a nice surprise to see pros Gee and Rachel Atherton standing in line with everybody! This was the first sign that this race was going to be a competitive one. Riders stood in more long lines to board the shuttle. I was a bit disappointed with the long line there too, but we can’t complain because not everyone gets to race bikes in January.

Denis & Tony G

I was blown away by how much fun the top part of the track was. It had a little bit of everything. It started off with a few little rock gardens and drops. Those were effortless to carry your speed through, than you had to try to not lose too much speed in a short uphill section. Once over the hump, you were free to let the brakes go, and just give ‘er. A few pedal strokes and you enter the twisty berm section of the course, which was just too much fun! Everyone enjoyed the turns so much, that we couldn’t wait for a shuttle to the top of the hill, so many hiked to the top.

Denis & Tani

Denis in the G-out

Tani heading for the lower rock garden

Tony G & Denis at”the wall”

Halfway through the day we decided to take a break and watch some 4x racing. After watching some racing and getting few beers in, we decided to go make a final run. A great way to end the practice day for all the racers from The Path Bike Shop.

Jake doing jumps at the 4x track

Luke at the 4x track

Race Day - Sunday 1/24/10

On race day, we all arrived even earlier in time for practice that would begin at 8:00. The first pro rider would start his run at 10:30. Most of The Path racing crew was there on time to get few practice runs in. When I reached the starting line, I had a nice surprise waiting for me. Former World Champion, Gee Atherton was the next rider to race after me. Boy, was I excited!

Denis at the finish with Gee Atherton behind - original photo from the Vital MTB gallery

After my poor race run, with Gee Atherton riding my tail, I rushed back to the course to cheer for the rest of The Path team. Jake Payne was looking very confident through the last technical section. Although he didn’t have the best pedaling bike out there, it didn’t stop him from taking third place in one of the most competitive classes, Junior X. As I was walking back up the track, I realized just how many people were racing for The Path Bike Shop; many riders were out there sporting The Path jersey.

Nancy Harris

Roger Gutierrez

Tani Walling

Eric Mellencamp

This race was even more successful then the previous one. Almost everyone from The Path got to take their place on the podium. Leader of the team, Tani Walling, almost took the win in his class, but unfortunately because of a mis-communication, he was bumped down to second place.

Tani (2nd) and Tony G (3rd) - Expert Men Class

Jake (3rd) - Junior Expert Class

Nancy Harris (2nd), Expert Women Class

Roger Gutierrez (3rd), Expert Men Class

Denis Kremenetzkiy (34th) - Pro Men Class

Not pictured:

• Luke Wronski (9th) - Expert Men Class
• Eric Mellencamp (6th) - Sport Men

It was long weekend of racing for everybody. The mountains covered in snow in the background, tacky dirt, and a friendly atmosphere made the weekend fly by. Everyone here at The Path Bike Shop will be looking forward to the next race.

We’ve got some 2009 Ellsworth Moment frames on clearance. Only 3 left…so don’t delay!

• large smoke anodized Moment with a Fox DHX 5.0 coil
• medium smoke anodized Moment with a Fox DHX 5.0 coil
• medium smoke Moment with a Fox DHX 5.0 air

MSRP retail price: $2599

Our BLOWOUT price: was $2097 - reduced further to $1750!!!

The Path is hosting a demo day with Pivot Cycles & BH Bikes

• When: Sunday January 17 from 8am-3pm
• Where: City of Orange

meeting place will be at the front parking lot of Albertsons at the intersection of E. Chapman & Jamboree by the Taco Bell - near the entry to Santiago Oaks trail

Bikes available for demo rides:

• Pivot Mach 4 (sizes xxs - xl)
• Pivot Mach 5 (sizes xs - xl)
• Pivot Mach 429 (sizes s - l)
• Pivot Firebird (sizes s - l)
• BH Speedrom (sizes 53 - 57cm)
• BH Connect (sizes 52 - 59.5cm)
• BH Cristal (sizes 51 - 55cm)
• BH G5 (sizes 54 - 57cm)