AC Juniors Rock Road & Dirt

It was another big weekend for the AC junior team athletes with a win and high placings in both road and mountain events-- all over California!

Rocking the Road
Alex, the current AC roadie powerhouse, and Isaiah traveled deep into VeloPromo territory to contest the Warnerville Road race. This event, like many other VP races, was help on rough back roads in unknown places. Warnerville is a 17-mile loop that Alex and Isaiah's Cat 4 group traversed 3 times. Each lap included a 1-mile dirt/gravel stretch-- conditions that the AC guys are quite comfortable handling a road bike on, given their CX experience.

The 30-odd Cat 4 bunch rode a moderate tempo for the first two laps over the rolling course. On lap 3 however, things really heated up. A small break got free just before the dirt. Alex and Isaiah worked together to stay clear of the ensuing chase group. Isaiah worked hard to keep Alex in the clear. Alex "rode harder than I ever have." It worked because he finished fourth while Isaiah battled within the chase group for a very solid 7th. "I collapsed after the race," said Alex. "I slept the whole way home and went to bed after that!" Readers should note Isaiah and Alex competed in the Elite (19-34 year old) Category 4 Men, not juniors. With this result, Alex secured the points he needed for his Cat 3 upgrade, and with that comes qualification for Road Nationals.

Rocking the Dirt
Meanwhile, about 400 miles to the south, Bob, Spence and new AC recruit Eliel were racing the Pro XCT Kenda Cup West Series cross country in "Fontucky." Although the day dawned clear, with beautiful views of snow on the Angels Crest, the wind was something to reckon with. Blowing a steady 20mph from the northeast, with gusts well over 30, the gale wreaked havoc with the course markings, banners, spectators and most of all the racers. We are still finding sand in various... nooks and crannies!

The Fontana course is set on a small but rugged mountain-- or what's left of it, since it is an abandoned granite quarry. The course was extremely technical with a surprising amount of climbing for its ~5 miles. Lots of rock, decomposed granite, and even man-made "features" like concrete culverts. The rather stunning backdrop on several drop-away turns was the endless expanse of tract homes in the San Bernardino Valley. Cat 1 contested 3 laps; Cat 2, 2 laps.

Spence raced Cat 1 15-16, which started in a field combined with 17-18. The pace was very fast from the gun. The group remained mixed over the first half of the lap 1, at which point the climb and tech sections strung out the riders. The competition was intense, with a high number of mechanicals largely due to the rough course. Spence managed a strong 6th place (1:08:23, 4 minutes off the winner), with familiar names from the NorCal HS MTB varsity ranks above him on the podium.

In the Junior Cat 2 event Bob (17-18) and Eliel (15-16) faced a similar challenge. Bob got the hole-shot from the gun, with Eliel right behind him. It was a fantastic sight seeing the two AC riders negotiate the alternating hard-pack and sandy chicanes and rollers that made up the first half-mile of the race. Bob kept the gas on, and blipped Whole Athlete/Novato High rider Bobby Zideck for the win (0:46:20). Eliel had his own work cut out for him, battling two SoCal riders for an excellent 4th place (0:46:54), barely a minute behind winner and fellow NorCal HS MTB racer Taylor Smith (Whole Athlete/Redwood).

Here are pictures from Fontana.

Great riding, everyone!
Blair