NMBS #3, Santa Ynez Valley National: Gravity Report
Words and photos by Ryan Cleek
This past weekend, the third round of the National Mountain Bike Series stopped in Los Olivos, California (about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara), for the Santa Ynez Valley National. The event consisted of cross-country, short track, downhill, dual slalom and super d races, on rolling hills comparable to the Sea Otter Classic, amidst intense heat consistently over 100 degrees from Thursday to Sunday. As the third official National event of the season, many of the sports top brands and teams were on hand, however the lack of entrants in the pro field was obvious. A handful of elite gravity racers were in attendance, including a few with national and world titles to their credit. However, something’s amiss when some the reigning US national champions opt not to compete in their own “national” series, choosing to focus on alternative events and series. Who can blame them? The once powerful US national series is ultimately feeling the repercussions of the decision about six years ago to eliminate any significant pro purse. Therefore, top up-and-coming riders are opting for World Cup events, and strong regional series, often featuring superior venues and prize money. That being said, the overall vibe of NMBS #3 was very positive among those in attendance, and the racing was entertaining, both pro and amateur. There may have been lack in pro rider numbers, but I met amateur racers and their families who made trips from Washington, Oregon, and as far away as Hawaii to compete. So, perhaps not all hope is lost for the future of the national series.
PRO RACE SUMMARY In the dual slalom, Rich Houseman took the win, beating Chris Powell in the final, and Eric Carter edged out Mike Haderer for third place. On the women’s side, Leigh Donovan came out of retirement, and dusted off the old slalom bike, but was no match for Melissa Buhl who’s been on fire and winning races at will in 2008. The men’s downhill podium saw a few new faces step on to the national wood. NorCal’s Brad Benedict out sprinted the field in the pedally downhill course to take the win, while semi-retired multi-time national champion Eric Carter was close behind in second place. Third went to Waylon Smith, Julius Syvanen was fourth, and former junior champion Logan Binggeli rounded out the podium in fifth. Melissa Buhl squelched any chance of an upset on the women’s side, as she pummeled the rest of the women’s field, and beat second place finisher Michelle Rivera by about 16 seconds on a course roughly two minutes long.
Brad Benedict took the men’s downhill win. A variety of bikes were raced on this course, from short-travel dual slalom to full-on downhill setups. Brad opted for the small bike.
Rich Houseman won the pro dual slalom, but his most impressive feat was during qualifying. At the start of his second run his chain broke, so he pumped each jump and corner, then used his foot like a skateboarder to paddle across the finish line. He qualified 4th overall.
Can anyone give Melissa Buhl a race? She won both the downhill and dual slalom practically uncontested.
Sondra Williamson had a nice weekend of racing. Bringing home a couple of third place finishes in both dual slalom and downhill.
Eric Carter used his cornering expertise and nailed the winding top section of the downhill course. Here, EC floats over a step-up jump near the bottom of the course, on his way to second place.
It was good to see Chris Powell back on the national race scene. Chris is in college in San Diego, but plans to hit select events this season, like the Jeep King of the Mountain Series. Chris finished second in slalom.
In his first years a pro, John Hauer has joined the Mongoose squad for 2008. He’s quick in both downhill and dual slalom, so expect some good results from John this summer.
Waylon Smith was the fastest downhill qualifier, and ended up in third place in the final. He is off to a good start in 2008, finishing 7th at Fontana followed up by his performance in Lo Olivos.
ODI-Southridge/Turner rider Brad Oien had a clean run bringing home 9th
place. Here he rips one of the loose berms on the top of the course.
By 10 a.m. each day the temperature was above 100 degrees, and the heat zapped riders of their energy. EC and Big House catch a wink before the downhill final.
NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES #3 RESULTS Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos, CA Results From USA Cycling
DOWNHILL RESULTS 1. Brad Benedict...X-Fusion/Santa Cruz...2.00.5 2. Eric Carter...Mongoose...0.00.9 3. Waylon Smith (GBr)...0.01.1 4. Julius Syvanen (Fin)...Cortina-Cr1Engine...0.02.1 5. Logan Binggeli...KHS...0.03.5 6. Rich Houseman...Yeti-Fox Shox...0.04.1 7. George Stephenson...Sobe-Cannondale-Fasttimes...0.04.2 8. Ian Odom...Brodie...0.04.2 9. Brad Oien...Odi Southridge-Tuner...0.04.7 10. Tyler Wilson...Intense...0.05.2
DUAL SLALOM RESULTS 1. Rich Houseman...Yeti-Fox Shox 2. Chris Powell 3. Eric Carter...Mongoose 4. Mike Haderer...Fox-Yeti 5. Logan Binggeli...KHS 6. John Hauer...X-Fusion/Mongoose 7. Tommy Tokarczyk...Jamis-Shark Energy 8. Ryan Condrashoff...X-Fusion/Santa Cruz 9. Petr Hanak...Totally Wired 10. Dale Holmes (GBr)...KHS
