New SoCal Mountain Bike Race: Over the Hump Series

Now that summer is winding down and we've all had some time off to take a vacation and enjoy the sunshine, it's time to start thinking about getting back in shape. What a better way than to start with a little mid-week racing!

Last week one of our team members, Jeff Stanners, participated in this new race in the OC called the Over the Hump Series. He had some great things to say about it and I think more of us will try to make it out to the next one.

Here's what he said:

Last week I did this race last week called Over the Hump Series. I thought I’d share this since it’s a new race and it was a lot of fun for a mid-week
race. It was on Wednesday evening at Irvine Lake in Orange County.
315 people showed up and raced on the 3.7 mile course. Expert’s did 4
laps, Sports did 3 laps. There were some good local pros there – Sid,
Manny, and Sean Donovan went 1-2-3. It’s about a 50 minute drive down
there from Redlands and best of all the race only cost $20. There next one
is on a Tuesday on September 15. They said they plan to have a summer
series of 6-8 races next year, all mid-week evening races.

It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something fast to do during the
week.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

Another thing that looks interesting is the class structure. There are basically three classes (beginner, sport and expert) and the age brackets are wide e.g. 30-39. This should keep things competitive and should prove to be pretty interesting, especially in the Expert-Pro class.

Race Information
Over The Hump Series
Classes
Map, Directions and Parking
Results

More Resources
Mountain Bike Action article on the Race
OC Register article on the Race

Here's some actual video coverage of the whole race. Looks fun!

http://www.donsbikesraceteam.com/

Big Bear Shootout #1 - A great race and a great course!

A good part of the Don's Team made it out for this one and we all had a great time. If you are interested, you can check out our finishing positions here.

If you've never raced a Big Bear Shootout before, then this is definitely a race worth checking out. It’s held up in the San Bernardino mountains where the weather and riding is always great. This time it was in the 60s and the sun was shining the whole time. What more could we ask for?

Course: You can get a description of the course on the Team Big Bear website, but here's what the course looks like all mapped out.Be sure to check out the route on Geoladders where you can download the course, upload your ride and play everything back in "real-time". Very cool feature!

Fireroads: Some people say that this race is all about "fireroads", but to me, the fireroad sections come and go so quickly that I totally forget about them, even on a single speed! The first climb up 2N10 is always tough because everyone is getting used to the altitude, but once you are on top, you can speed right along, bank off the corners, and really get into a rhythm. Plus, the scenery up there is awesome. You can see all the way down to Angelus Oaks and sections of the S.A.R.T.

Single Track: In between the fireroads, everyone seems to forget about the great single track sections that connect everything together. The top section drops you into "Wet Dream" which is a blast. After hopping back onto 2N17 for a short time, you jump onto another single track called "Cabin 89". Both of these sections include a few steep and sandy hill descents, rock-hops and stream crossings; all of which are really fun and will keep you on your toes, especially if you are attacking these at speed! The “PineKnot/1E01” singletrack climb is a tough one, especially on a single speed, but it’s pretty short and you’ll be happy to see the fireroad (2N08) at the top!

Finish: I think the last part is the best. Here you blast down the 2N10, the climb you came up earlier, and then veer off into some single tracks (Pirates, Upper and Lower Fall Line). The very last section is pretty challenging as well. There's a number of short steep, rocky descents that will keep you on your toes.

Awards: And lastly, I can't forget to mention this part! After the race, everyone congregated at the La Montana Mexican restaurant, where Team Big Bear hosted a raffle for the riders and gave away lots of great stuff e.g. tires, t-shirts, chain lube. I won some chain lube. They also gave each rider tickets for two free tacos which was a great because we were all starving after the race. Thank you!Anyhow, if you missed this one, this is really a great course that you should check out sometime. If you are not sure about directions, then just download the course on GeoLadders and follow along.

Oh ya, if you managed to conqure the course in under 1hr 50min, then you are definitely faster than me!

Check out the Team Big Bear site and schedule for more info.

See you next one on July 12th.
AL

What was your take on this race?