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Eating dirt in the Downieville Classic |
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Written by Emma Garrard/Tahoe World
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Tuesday, 17 July 2007 |
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The Downieville Classic is more than just a couple of crazy bike races, it's a full-on party. Check out the slideshow below of some of the action from the River Jump:
Once a year I like to participate in an event that scares me. Last year it was the Death Ride, and I lived to tell the tale. Coincidentally, the Death Ride fell on the same weekend as the Downieville Classic and the Donner Lake Triathlon this year.
I opted for the Downieville Classic after being torn between the extreme mountain bike race and the road triathlon, mostly because of my need to improve my mountain biking skills and confidence. I am an experienced XTERRA athlete but my confidence comes from my running background, giving me a safety net after the bike. I often think, “See you in the run” when someone flies by me during the bike.
I competed in one Reno Wheelmen Race last summer where a biker passing me on a downhill slowed down and said something along the lines of “Why are you going up the hills as fast as you are going down?”
So it would only make sense that my next race would be the Downieville Classic cross-country race in an attempt to make myself a better rider. The point-to-point race is known as one of the best and most challenging cross-country races in the country, consisting of 4,413 feet of climbing — known as the “Trail of Tears” — followed by 17 miles and 5,692 feet of decent.
 What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? I had one goal of making it to the finish in one piece.
When I went to the starting line 10 minutes before the start, I was seeing only experienced riders and pros. Then my worries eased a little when I saw the riders at the start of the sport race — the one in which I was competing.
“This is who I’m looking for!” I thought — riders holding on to a few extra pounds, or riding in board shorts and skate shoes. Apparently I should have been there sooner as the narrow street was already 200 or more riders deep. So I squeezed through to the back of the pack.
The gun went off and it took me a minute or so to even cross the start line. The first mile was on a steep paved road. I weaved my way through the bikers out of fear of getting stuck behind people on the climb. Soon the pavement turned to fire road with loose rock.
Riders filed into a single lane on the exposed fire road. I still wanted to pass people, so I was going into the looser rocks to get around lines of riders, but risked coming off my bike. The temperature was heating up fast and the trail was getting steeper and looser. It was granny gear time, not just because it was steep but to stay behind other riders.
I tried to relax; I had a long way to go. I continued to pass people when I could but my opportunities were limited. I passed Darcy Norman on one section where everyone was walking. He gave me a little push when I got back on my bike.
 The fire road led to Packer Saddle, where I grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over my head to cool off. The race continued to head uphill; by this time the crowd had thinned out. I caught up with a couple of Santa Cruz tandem bikers who had started earlier but were moving, especially on the downhills.
When I reached the top of the course it was lined with spectators cheering loudly. I was the first female to make it to the top in the sport race. Now the hard part for me, as I was anticipating a lot of people passing me on the downhill.
The first section of the downhill was on a rugged jeep road know as “Baby Heads” because there are loose rocks the size of baby heads that jolt your bike around, especially on a cross-country frame .
I started to get passed by riders, including Darcy and the tandem bike. I was trying to not be distracted by racers behind me. I had waited for them on the uphills, so they could wait a little on the downhills. I was happy to just make it through this section without coming off my bike.
Eventually I pulled over and let racers by, but the trail was too steep and loose to get back on, so I ended up running down the hill until it flattened out. The dust was so bad I couldn’t see what I was riding over. Soon I was passing riders but it was because they were victims of flat tires. I hoped the next wouldn’t be mine.
After crossing Pauley Creek, the trail narrowed to single track hugging the side of the mountain. After crossing the second bridge over the creek, there was another 500-foot climb. I was hesitant to pass riders on the climb because I knew they would be eager to pass me again on the steep descent. I was passed by one woman but hoped she was in the expert category.
The single track was relatively smooth with clusters of shale rock; it wasn’t too hard to ride over but the risk of a mistake was big, as the creek was a long way down. I was getting tired and was having a harder time getting over technical sections. After seeing dozens of riders pull off the trail to fix flats, I was asked by one for an extra tube. I wasn’t going that fast and figured I probably wasn’t going to use it, so I pulled over and gave it to him.
Before I knew it I was heading into Downieville, back onto pavement and toward the finish. I did not feel too tired until I tried to power up a short climb. My legs were done. I rode down the last hill to the finish, weaving through haystacks and was handed a water bottle and told I had a lot dirt in my teeth.
“Thanks.”
I stopped my watch at 2:41.20. I was pleased. It was 20 minutes faster than I expected.
As I pushed my bike through town I saw racers, probably as dirty as I was, making a bee line to the Sac Beer booth. The street was blocked off to traffic with booths lining the streets. I cooled and cleaned off at the local fire station that had a fire hose spraying water into the air.
After making the trek back to my house for a shower, I went back into town, got fajitas and a beer and headed to the river jump contest — a large ramp built over the Yuba River that riders jumped off and were judged — for the start of the afternoon entertainment.
A record 690 racers participated in the Downieville Classic cross-country race on Saturday. Sierra Sun photographer Emma Garrard finished first in the female sport senior division. Other local competitors include Amber Finch of Truckee, who placed third in sport senior women, Eric Ronning of Incline Village, who finished fourth in senior master men, Scott Vaughan of Incline Village, who finished fourth out of senior experts and Mario Gallardo of Incline Village, who placed seventh out of senior experts. For complete results go to www.downievilleclassic.com.
Emma Garrard is a photographer for the Tahoe World and Sierra Sun. She can be reached at
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 July 2007 )
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