SGDC Gravity Shootout: Dual Slalom
Story and photos by Ryan Cleek
Last weekend was the SGDC (Stump Grinder Dirt Club) Gravity Shootout At The Ranch, featuring dual slalom racing Saturday and downhill on Sunday. I decided to check out the race venue about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara, California, and get a first look at the dual slalom course. This same location will host the third stop in the National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS #3), the Santa Ynez Valley National May 16-18.
The slalom course was well maintained, very fast, and sported nicely groomed jumps and berms. Referred to as the "Pre-Otter", a good group of riders turned out for the inaugural Gravity Shootout to tune their skills a week before heading up to Monterey. Most notably, National Champions Chris Herndon and Cole Bangert in attendance. Awards were given three deep in each category, and complete results are below.
The SGDC is scheduled to host 14 races at this location in 2008. For more information, visit www.ridesb.com
There were certainly some quirky rules and inconsistencies with the race timing and scoring. However, everyone agreed the course and venue had potential, and the bugs would soon be worked out. When the dust settled, Daniel Cortina (43) took the pro win.
Mike Hecker is the main man behind the SGDC. He's responsible for building the trails and organizing the events.
Beginner men 14 and under Hayden Jamieson (104) and DJ Migliaccio (108) fly down the first straight.
Expert Men 19-29 winner Chase Bohn (33) is from Hawaii, and has been traveling California hitting the major races this spring.
Both the red and blue courses were very closely matched. The consensus was the red was faster at the top, and the blue quicker around the flat turns at the bottom...Or, wait, was it the other way around?
Sondra Williamson on her way to first place in the pro women's category.
Dual slalom national champion Chris Herndon (47), and downhill national champion Cole Bangert (48) were on hand to ride some slalom before hitting the famous course up in Monterey. Both Chris and Cole are part of a soon-to-be-announced gravity team aboard Specialized bikes. Herndon slid out in the final turn in qualifying, handing the top spot to Bangert. To go along with some unusual slalom rules at this event, both of these champs took uncharacteristic spills in early rounds. Their overall mood at the event was light, and it was clear these two guys weren't bummed by the day's results, yet focused on the promising season to come.
Junior expert winner Troy D'elia (19) was riding smooth and has some good early season results.
Specialized product manager Brandon Sloan, and a crew of colleagues made the trip down from Morgan Hill for a day of racing.
SGDC DUAL SLALOM RESULTS: 4-12-2008
Beg Men 15-18
1: #109 Travis Tillard
2: #99 Mark Escobar
3: #106 Daniel Vasquez
Beg Men 14 and under
1: #108 DJ Migliaccio
2: #105 Liam Woods
3: #104 Hayden Jamieson
Sport Men 40+
1: #100 Anthony Durazo
2: #141 Fred Joehnck
Sport Men 19-39
1: #93 Nick Simpson
2: #102 Patrick Branch
3: #40 Randy Hall
Sport Jr. Men 18 and under
1: #103 Jordan Jacob
2: #126 Taylor Woods
3: #107 Kevin Davis
Expert Men 40+
1: #62 Steve Fuess
Expert Men 30+
1: #41 Ryan Cleek
2: #34 Steve Zvorsky
3: #10 Marshall Wilcox
Expert Men 19-29
1: #33 Chase Bohn
Expert Jr. Men 18 and under
1: #19 Troy D'elia
2: #36 Caleb Marmolejo
Pro Women
1: #44 Sondra Williamson
2: #49 Ericka Joehnck
3: #18 Rachael Lambert
Pro Men
1: #43 Daniel Cortina
2: #9 Orlando Martinez
3: #48 Cole Bangert