Get Ready for 2010

GUSD Team,

Starting in early January we will be meeting more often and more regularly.
We will start having weekday after school meetings, but at first they may NOT be on the bike due to it getting dark too early. Instead we will have Bike Maintenance training or other useful training, OR we will have some coached Spin Class at the Montrose Spin studio on indoor bike trainers. The Bike Maintenance is stuff you will need to know and the Spin Classes are fun exercise that will make you stronger on a bike. (If something on your bike needs work, we might be able to fix it as part of the class. Let me know in advance if so.) I will give away more free stuff too! (hint: learn your bike parts to win some)

We will start having Saturday Practice EVERY week beginning January 9th.

By early February, our weekday practices will be on the bike too.

It still hasn't been decided if we will have weekday practices Tuesday & Thursday or Monday & Wednesday. If any of you students prefer one of those two choices LET ME KNOW BY E-MAIL. I will try to choose the days that work for the largest number of you.

So, get your bikes ready or if you don't have one yet, get a bike!

Any of you can take your bike to Budget Bikes on Colorado Bvd. for a free tune up and 10% discount on any price tag prices.

See You Next Year!
- - Banner

Next Pre-Season Practice

December 19th, Saturday, 10am at CV park just downhill (toward the hills) from the intersection of Honolulu & New York.
New team members are especially encouraged to come even if you don't have a bike yet. Just let us know in advance and we will loan you one for the practice. As much as possible we want to get new members up to speed on some of the basics of mountain biking.
See You All There!

- - Banner

Montrose Christmas Parade

If you want to be in the Montrose Christmas Parade - on your bicycle, any GUSD Cycling Club members can do so. Decorate you bike and be part of the show!
Contact Jan Babington or Reilly Ptratt at CV or contact Carol Pettigrew or Dillan Maurer at Clark if you are interested.

Local Cyclocross Race

Turkey Trot Cyclocross Race – Sunday November 29

This Sunday the Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot Cross race will take place in Verdugo Park (Near Gledale College on Verdugo). This is one of the top cyclocross races in southern California and if you’ve never seen a cyclocross race before, you should check it out. For more details, go to: http://la-bike.org/glendale/?p=939 and scroll down the page. Hope to see you there!

Rider Camps Available

RIDER CAMP REGISTRATION
Registration is up for three upcoming one day Rider Camps!
Rider camps are a great way for returning riders to tune up their skills and reconnect with friends from last year AND to have fun on a bike. They’re also a great way for new riders to learn new skills, meet new friends, and learn a little bit about the League. Camps run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, cost $45, and include lunch and snacks.
All levels of riders are welcome (grades 9-12) and you do not need to be on a League club to participate! Rider activities will be grouped by skill level.
– Saturday December 12th at Stumpgrinder Dirt Club in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County
– Sunday December 13th at Aliso and Wood Park in Laguna Niguel, Orange County
– Sunday January 24th at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, Los Angeles County.

For more information:
http://www.socaldirt.org/camps/index.htm

Joining the Club for the 2010 Season

Folks,
Our regular season starts Jan 1st and goes till May 31st, but as soon as we have some students who have filled out the paperwork to join the club we can have some pre-season rides or training between now and Jan 1st. Lets get started mountain biking!
So join the club now! If you (or your parents) have any questions about joining or about the paperwork, see Jan Babbington or Brett Harvey at CV or Carol Pettigrew at Clark. (or me at bannermoffat@earthlink.net)
And you can talk to any of last year's students including Dillan Maurer at Clark or Reily Pratt at CV.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Budget Bicycles will be offering a free bike bike check and tune up to students once they join the club (as well as a 10% discount on price tag items).
We have some free new tires for students who need them courtesy of Budget Bikes.
We will be giving any new student a "Mountain Biking Basics" skills session during their first one or two practices. Plus returning students will get a refresher skills session. Ideally these basic practices will get done before the regular season starts on January 1st.

- - Coach Banner Moffat

Folks,
Here is a great (and free)(and British) internet mountain bike magazine: http://www.imbikemag.com/
I wouldn't be surprised if online, interactive internet magazines like this are a trend of the future.
- - Banner

Parent Coach Meeting

ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JOIN THE CLUB:
Even if you are not sure but want more information,
Or if YOU are sure, but your parents want more information...

COME TO THE PARENT - COACH PRESENTATION AND MEETING WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28th - 6pm at ClarkHigh School library (4 blocks north of Foothill on New York)
Or e-mail me if you have questions: bannermoffat@earthlink.net

The GUSD 2009 - 2010 "pre-season" starts October 15th and club rides will begin soon after that. If you already know you want to join, contact Jan Babington (CV) or Carol Pettigrew (Clark) for the requred paperwork.
Otherwise, show up at the Parent Coaches Meeting October 28th 6pm at CV to get any questions answered.
The main season goes from Jan 1 to May 31, 2010.

The club leaders from CV are:
President - Reily Pratt
Vice President - Armen
Treasurer - Weston
Secretary - Daniel

At Clark:
President - Dillan Maurer

Jan Babington & Brett Harvey at CV and Carol Pettigrew at Clark are coaches and can be contacted if anyone has any questions.

Tentative Race Schedule for 2010:
Race 1: Warner Springs --- March 7
Race 2: Vail Lake --- March 21
Race 3: Los Olivos --- April 11
Race 4: Lake Arrowhead --- May 2
State Championships: Monterey --- May 16

If any of you are looking to find out about other mountain biking trails in the area, this site has a big list with descriptions and updates:

http://www.mybikesite.com/socal/trails/index.htm

- - Banner

It's a WRAP!

The GUSD Cycling Club wrapped up its first season on May 31st! The morning was spent doing trail maintenance on El Prieto. Special attention was paid to fixing "Lower Shark Attack" and "Gary's Corner" (bottom three photos above). After trail work was completed we had a fantastic end of season pool and pizza party. All in all it was a great wrap up to a historical first season!

Want to be a part of something special? Come ride with us! Any questions can be directed to GUSDCycling@gmail.com . The club will "spring to life" on October 15th as we prepare for season 2 of the SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League race series taking place from March through May 2010!!! Until then, keep an eye on the forum (linked to the right) if you want to keep in touch and ride with your new found MTB buds!

"Hey coach, what do I do now?"

The above is a question that's being asked repeatedly. The good news is that if you're looking to keep riding bikes in the "off season," you're hooked!

The SoCal League is set up to mimic a traditional high school spring sport in its schedule. What this means is that you can do some official "prep" work between October 15 and November 30th, the "training" season can begin on December 1st, and the "competitive" season occurs from March through May. After that finishes, the club goes dormant until the next season begins with no official League activities save for optional short duration camps in the summer. This is done for a very specific reason. As high school athletes you're still in your formative years in the sport. A very real risk is burnout if the team is on a year round training and racing schedule. The flow of the season is designed to allow your mind (and in some cases body) to take a break after the competitive season so that when you return in the fall, everything will seem fresh and exciting.

What this means is that official club activities finish on May 31st and can't start again until October 15th. What this DOESN'T mean is that you have to stop riding your bike! In fact, you can use this "off" time to train by yourselves, do fun riding, or even explore other cycling disciplines. Though the League is all about XC MTB racing, there are MANY other types of riding out there! At this point in your cycling "lives" ANY type of cycling will benefit any other type of cycling. Examples of how these other disciplines might help you as an XC MTB rider? Long road rides will help build your aerobic base, BMX will help your handling skills and pack riding, downhill will help your bike handling skills and give you confidence, track riding will help you focus and give you the ability to spin your pedals REALLY fast, cyclocross will put many of the XC skills you have to task in a shorter race, "just riding" your mountain bike will build your base and confidence --- the examples are endless!

So what do you do now? The decision is up to you! However, to help you, here are links to some resources you might investigate. One thing you might want to do is find and join a local cycling club (I'm partial to PAA, and it's also close ;-) as that is usually an inexpensive way to "link in" to the cycling scene. You can meet many experienced riders and racers and people are always scheduling rides of various types you might choose to take part in. Additionally, there are usually generous discounts that come up which make the membership fees seem VERY reasonable! I am not advocating for nor do I have any financial connection to any of the below other than one cyclocross race in Glendale that I promote as part of the SoCal Prestige series. In fact, I've only ridden on a velodrome twice and both times it was part of a cyclocross race. I also have no BMX experience save for one race in about 1978. I will, however, help to answer any questions you have!

www.paacycling.org --- Pasadena Athletic Association Cycling Club (Coach Jan, Coach Banner, Sponsor Coach Rick, Sponsor Tom Reilly, Sponsor Jerry Sanders, St. Francis Coach Bird, and I all belong to PAA)

www.lavelodrome.org --- LA Velodrome at the ADT Events Center

www.encinovelodrome.org --- Encino Velodrome. They even have a FREE beginner youth program Thursday evenings. Velodrome Director Al Nash is a PAA member.

www.sycamorebmx.com --- This is a BMX track in Simi Valley.

www.socalcross.com --- This is the SoCal Prestige Cyclocross Series. Races take place between September and January. Juniors usually race for 30-35 minutes. You CAN race on a mountain bike. Juniors usually race free if they have an annual license (I can explain that to you) or by purchasing a "one day" license for $10. Practices begin around August and take place in the Hahamonga area we practice in. Watch the website for updates.

www.racersandchasers.com --- XC MTB race series at Vail Lake.

www.usacycling.org --- This is the national governing body for cycling.

www.scnca.com --- This is the local (Southern California and Southern Nevada) chapter of USA Cycling covering our area. They maintain the calendar for all local road, track, and cyclocross races.

www.campwoodward.com --- I don't know anything about this other than the fact that, if I was your age, I would want to go HERE for camp! In addition to many other action sports, they have some pretty impressive facilities for learning advanced MTB skills!

2009 State Championships

For those who were able to go to States this year, the experience was fantastic! It's really difficult to explain the sheer scale of the event unless you see it yourself. This was BIG TIME racing with all the bells and whistles from an announcer with a British accent, to a Pit Zone that went on for days, to campers as far as the eye could see, to an interview tent stocked with reporters, to a podium ceremony with hundreds of spectators (see photo above), to....

GUSD was ably represented by racers Weston Weaver, Dillen Maurer, Reilly Pratt, coaches Sean, Dale, and Matt, and Dillen's parents. We had a deluxe campsite (actually, all campsites were pretty similar --- ours was just really close to start/finish) with all the ameneties (including a bag of water hoisted into a tree to shower under).

After a LOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGG drive Saturday (about 9 hours) we set up camp and got on our bikes to pre-ride the course. The course was a fun mix singletrack through the trees (which we don't really get too much of in SoCal), difficult power climbs, and fast fireroad. Though the weather was warm, almost all of the course was in the shade of 100 foot pine trees keeping the direct sun off most of the time. We rode two laps of the 6+ mile course including the second lap with the Newport Composite team. Though we were competitors through the season, it was nice to feel cameraderie with the other SoCal racers as we were a small contingent amongst the nearly 400 NorCal racers. It was great hearing "go SoCal!" That being said, the NorCal folks were VERY welcoming to us. They were genuinely happy to have us there as they can see that as SoCal grows and strengthens, the level of competition throughout the state will grow!

Saturday night the coaches were able to attend a little ceremony where the NorCal and SoCal Leagues were ceremonially joined to form a "State Championships." We were joined when two halves of a California shaped cake were brought together by the NorCal and SoCal Board Presidents. Needless to say, after a day of labor and pre-riding, the cake didn't last long!

Sunday morning we watched what had been a large group of campers grow into a HUGE number of attendees as many riders/supporters of the close in teams arrived on site. The forest was full of brightly clad riders, team tents, and campers of every shape and size. Racing got kicked off with the waves of girls at 10:00. And these were fields of 20, 30, 40 girls! At a little before noon, the Freshmen boys and Sophmore boys fields set off. This alone was 4 fields as there were two fields for each category as NorCal is divided between Division 1 and Division 2 schools. All SoCal teams competed in Division 2 this year. Wesley and Dillen competed in Freshmen boys and Reily competed in Sophmore boys. All three riders rode hard and finished smiling and dusty and excited to come back in 2010!

The third wave was the JV and Varsity boys. There were some VERY fast riders in these fields. And it wasn't only the top 2-3 riders that were fast. The top 20 in every field rode competitive lap times. This is exciting because it shows the depth and level of competition happening in NorCal. Within 3 years the SoCal fields should show similar depth!

After the racing there was a fantastic awards ceremony. The podium was set under a canopy of tall pines and MANY people stuck around to support the winners. After the podium, people dispersed quickly and within 2 hours there were only a few isolated campsites still occupied. As the tradition of the League is to "leave no trace" the forest was left clean and it was hard to tell that hours before there had been over a thousand people camping, riding, racing, and spectating.

See you next year at States!

HERE is a link to the photos Dillen's dad took of the weekend and below are some videos.

End of season party and trail work!

Block off Sunday May 31st on your calendar as it will mark the last two club events of the season!

Coach Banner is organizing a trail work day in the morning/early afternoon hours. Trail work is an important part of mountain biking as most trails are created and/or maintained by volunteers. As mountain bikers, we use the trails regularly. As mountain bikers --- we need to get in the habit of taking care of those trails in a responsible way! More information on time and location to follow but please check out the following links to some important mountain biking / trail advocacy groups!

IMBA --- International Mountain Bicycling Association
CORBA --- Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association
MWBA --- Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association

Sunday afternoon/evening we will be having our official "end of season" party! More details will follow but this is for all racers, families, coaches, and sponsors!

State Championships

Saturday May 17th marks the date of the first California State High School Mountain Bike Championships! Up until this year, the 5th race of the season was the last race of the NorCal League season. This year it is a unification race to find the champions of the combined NorCal and SoCal Leagues. This year the race is being recognized for what it is (a TOP race) by USA Cycling (the US Olympic recognized governing body for cycling in the United States) and the top 15 finishers in each cateogory are automatically qualified for the USA Cycling MTB National Championships in Solvista, CO this July.

The following team members will be attending and representing both GUSD Cycling and the SoCal League:

Weston Weaver --- Freshman Boys
Dillen Maurer --- Freshman Boys
Reily Pratt --- Sophmore Boys
Sean McCoy --- Coach
Dale Standel --- Coach
Matt Gunnell --- Coach

Wish us all luck!

Race #4 (SoCal Finals) Report

Spirits were high as the club assembled in the parking lot at the Charlotte's Meadow area of the Stump Grinder Dirt Club (SGDC) outside of Los Olivos/Buelton/Solvang on Saturday afternoon. Race promoter Mike Hecker is justifiably proud at the unique and exciting venue he has put together to host racing and training. The SGDC is completely on private property in the beautiful hills and valleys of Santa Ynez wine country. The SGDC is a membership location where local riders can pay an annual fee to come ride the short but challenging climbs and swoopy singletrack with fantastic vistas of verdent hills and miles of vineyards. SDGC also hosts a variety of races ranging from various national level mountain bike races (the Kenda Cup West was here the weekend prior) with world class pros to low key short-track races to 12 and 24 hour marathon events. In addition to the start/finish area --- Charlotte's Meadow has a tire swing in the shade of a GINORMOUS Oak as well as a Pump Track that saw a LOT of use!



After getting geared up everyone went out in small groups to pre-ride the course. Special props to Pam's mom and Reily's dad for pre-riding! Rumor has it they're both at least SOMEWHAT hooked and looking forward to going on training rides with the club next season. You hear that parents??? Don't be left behind! Get a bike and ride with us!!!

The course was very scenic and very challenging. It had the most climbing of any course this year including one VERY steep and twisty singletrack climb that only the most technically skilled riders could ride up! There was also a bunch of smooth fast singletrack on the side of steep, grass covered hills, a few power climbs, and cows. That's right --- cows. It's not called the "Cow Pie Classic" as a joke! In fact, on the pre-ride we caught this photo of some of the native "wildlife."

After a great pre-ride. Everyone headed to their various accomodations to get ready for dinner. For most of the group this was at the Firestone Walker Taproom in Buelton. Even though it was a busy Saturday night we were slowly but surely able to "take over" about 1/3 of the restaurant. Dinner was great but the best part was getting to know each other just a little bit better and --- even though this season is just ending --- start making plans for next season ;-) After finishing dinner there was just enough time for a late night game of "Uno" in Graeme's parents' trailer!
Sunday morning started bright and early with a "hearty" breakfast at Ellen's Pancake House. When I'm in Solvang I NEVER miss breakfast at Ellen's! We pretty much took over the main room and counter of the restaurant with GUSD jerseys as we scarfed down our pre-race carbohydrates ;-)
After breakfast the racing began! The weather was slightly breezy with nice temps in the shade but warm in the sun as there wasn't much cloud cover! The course conditions were fantastic! The racing was epic as the loop ended up being over 7 miles long with PLENTY of climbing! Spectating was great as riders not only passed through the start/finish area twice per lap but, after the initial hard climb, were visible mutliple times as small specs criss-crossing the hillsides through valleys and past oak trees. When it was all set and done everybody had a hard but satisfying day.

After the racing was complete we all ate our fill of freshly cooked Brats courtesy of Graeme's folks! Thanks again!!!


The day concluded with a great awards ceremony and a team photo including all of the racers, coaches, and parents!


Special congratulations to Pam for finishing on the series overall podium (3rd place) for Frosh/Soph Girls. Below are congratulations from several teachers:

Thanks for the good news.
Mrs. Evans

So cool! Too bad I opened this email after I saw her today. I'll definitely make sure to congratulate her tomorrow. She's an amazing kid and this is just one more thing that makes her amazing.
Erin J. Weller

Wow Jan,
This is great! Congratulations to you as well!
Have a great day,
Celeste Lau-Chwierut

LOVE THE INFO.
LOVE THE PICS!
Great job coaches.
Mrs. Zamorano

Jan! That's fantastic! Congrats to you too!!!!
Liz Weaver

That's REAL BIG!
HISTORIC TOO!
Thanks for sharing
Mr. Pehar

Here are some links to GREAT photos taken by Dillen's dad and Coach Banner!

Below is some of the action in video!

Probably the best ever video on YouTube

Though this is not XC Mountain Biking it is probably one of the most beautiful and inspirational videos I have ever seen on YouTube --- biking or non-biking.

Race #3 Report

Helmet cam video shot by Frosh/Soph racer Shane Somerville of Newport Beach Composite.

Today's race was in Lake Arrowhead and brought to us in party by the Rim of the World High School MTB Club as well as the folks at Rim Nordic (yes, if you haven't gotten enough mountain biking by the end of the SoCal League season you can race there throughout the summer).

Start/Finish was in a large dirt area with a beautiful view of the lake as well as snow on the next hillside over. That's right, snow. In fact, there was plenty of snow on the drive in and the temperature was FRIGID when the GUSD crew began arriving at 7:30! Pretty soon, the area was all hustle and bustle and what was once a windswept knoll became a hive of activity.

The GUSD racers got on course early for a pre-ride and --- let me tell you --- this was a GREAT course! Much props to the folks at Rim for pushing this one through! I had a brief conversation with a US Forest Service ranger who was walking around the Specialized Pit Zone after our pre-ride and thanked the Forest Service for facilitating the event. To quote him, "It's about time something like this took place." Let me tell you, that's a REALLY good response! It's good to see that eyes are opening and people are realizing that not only is mountain biking a GREAT activity but high school mountain biking is a REALLY GREAT activity!

Anyway, the course was very physically challenging as it was not only at 6,000 feet but had the first real climbing yet this season! Some fantastic swoopy and wide single track, some short punchy and technical climbs that most probably walked, some longer uphill fire road climbs that were in great condition, some fun-fast-whoopdy-do downill fireroad descents, and a few splashes through slurpee (melting snow) mud all linked together with great views of the lake, the high desert, and the recently fire and beatle damaged forest. All-in-all ---- a great course in clear, dry, blustery air!

By the time the girls race started, the temperature had warmed up and it was only chilly if you were standing still. The girls raced hard and Pam steadily moved up the ranks. The boys then took to the course and also raced very hard with plenty of wheezing and gasping due to altitude! However --- other than Rim High --- everyone was suffering from the altitude! Now, 6,000 feet may not seem too high but when your usual training rides top out at about 2,000 feet --- it's high enough! The boys all raced hard and finished strong! I'm most proud to say that all 8 of the GUSD racers raced --- and all 8 finished!

Thanks so much to all of the coaches and families who came out to support the racers and the League! These races couldn't happen without you! It's not like we're all showing up at a softball field where we just need to walk onto the field from the parking lot (not dispariging softball here). These race courses appear "out of nowhere" (not really, there's a LOT that goes into permitting them, designing them, marking them, etc) and it takes all of you to turn a small, barren area into a bustling hive of mountain bike racing goodness!

So without further ado --- here's the immediate post race race reports from YOUR GUSD racers:

Race #2 Report

2009 So. Cal High School League - Warner Springs from ChannelMTB on Vimeo.

When the club arrived at Warner Hot Springs Ranch on Saturday the sun was out, the temperature was perfect for riding, and there was a nice breeze. Nobody could believe the weather forecasts which had been calling for a major winter storm to hit on Sunday. The ranch was beautiful in a high bowl shaped valley with an active glider port providing entertainment for us as we pre-rode the course Saturday afternoon with a few fellow riders and coaches from St. Francis. The course had some technical sections near the start where the narrow single track went over some rocks through a cactus garden on the side of a little hill. Other than that, it was a roller coaster smooth single track ride through an enormous pasture occupied by a herd of horses that spent most of Saturday afternoon staring at riders passing by from their watering hole. Though there weren't any big hills, the course never seemed to be completely flat and really had nowhere to recover meaning it favored riders who had big aerobic engines over riders who were technically skilled. After pre-riding everyone returned to the ranch where people went to the hot springs pool and ate dinner at one of the on site restaurants. Everyone went to sleep content and looking forward to Sunday's race while doubting the predictions of the weather forecasters.

Sunday morning started calm enough. Everyone gathered around Coach Matt and Banner's "casita" between 8 and 9 where we shared a breakfast buffet provided by the club. It was great to see all of the parents, families, coaches (and their families), and riders gearing up for a great day of racing. The weather was cloudy but it wasn't very cold. Everyone was looking at the sky and talking about how it looked like the forecasters might have missed the call. Suffice it to say, that wasn't the case! As we ate breakfast we could feel the temperature dropping. By the time we were all heading to the course at 9:30 it had become breezy and COLD and the first drizzle appeared!

We set up our basecamp in the Specialized Pit Zone at start/finish. The location was great as it allowed the tents and team cars to be right along the course for easy cheering. This turned out to be fortuitous as the weather was about to take a DRAMATIC turn for the worse! The energy was unique at the start of the girls race as the horses who had been placidly standing in the field the day before decided to follow one of the last riders warming up in off the course where about 5 of them actually walked right into the start/finish area on the course! Once they realized there was something else happening in "their" pasture they quickly scooted away. However, they had a great running with the racers throughout the day!

As Pam took the course the rain was coming down and the temperature had dropped to the high 40's. By the time she finished her first lap the wind was blowing so hard that tents had to be staked down and they didn't really help much anyway as the rain was coming in sideways! While Pam was out battling the elements, most of the boys had huddled up in the back of my Element with all their clothes on drinking hot chocolate to stay warm. Yup, it was EPIC!

Just before Pam finished her race, all of the boys groups started racing. The fields were similar in size to race #1 meaning the JV group and the Frosh/Soph group were very large! The boys battled it out through the vicious weather (this is where the tents being close to the course counted as supporters could run out of their tents, cheer on their racers with cowbells, then run back to their tents before getting too wet) and everyone came in mud splattered with bikes full of mud. It pretty much looked like the color of every bike was --- BROWN!

I'll let the race report videos below explain things but suffice it to say everyone battled, everyone finished, everyone learned, and everyone will remember this race!!!

For more GREAT PHOTOS BY COACH BANNER (like the fantastic one at the top of the blog) click HERE .

NOT official club events but...

For those who simply can't get enough racing and want to add to their racing schedule there is a national series of mountain bike races of which we (here in SoCal) are fortunate enough to host MANY of. The series this year is called the US Cup Mountain Bike Race Series. The link to the main website is HERE. This is for information only! This is NOT an official club event and your standing in the club or the SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League has NOTHING to do with your participation in these race. Again, this is for information only. The club will not be involved in carpooling or coaching at these races.

Should you want to participate in any of these races the two that don't conflict with our schedule and are close are the Fontana City National on Saturday March 28th and the Santa Ynez Valley Classic in Los Olivos on Sunday April 26th. I believe the Santa Ynez race takes place in the same general area as our League race the following weekend. I will schedule practice both weekends on the non-race days to facilitate you being able to race should you want to.

If you want to do either of those races you will need to pay race entry ($35 in advance or $40 day of race). You will also need to buy either a USA Cycling Junior Mountain Bike Only license for $30 (good through 12/31/09) OR a one-day license for $10.

Since everyone on the club is 18 or under the USA Cycling classes you would register to race in are Cat 3 Men 15-18, Junior Men 13-14, Cat 3 Women 15-18, or Junior Women 13-14. Your "racing age" is your age on December 31st of the current year (for example, if I am a male currently aged 14 with a birthday on September 21st my "racing age" for calendar year 2009 would be 15).

You can either download the pre-registration form from the race website and mail it in with a check OR pre-register online. Additionally, you will need a USA Cycling Release (DOWNLOAD HERE) AND a Team Big Bear Release (DOWNLOAD HERE) signed by a parent or guardian to present at registration.

It appears the Fontana cross-country race is on Saturday at 11:00 AM and the Santa Ynez cross-country race is on Sunday at 8:00 AM.

If you want to get a good laugh you can see me "racing" in Fontana on Saturday at 11:00. Heck, maybe you'll even get the chance to pass me!

Coach Matt

Race #1 Report

GUSD Composite had a great weekend of camping, riding, and racing at Vail Lake in Temecula. Here's the blur of the weekend we had!

We left CV at 12:30 on Saturday and headed to the race. We arrived at about 3:00 and got started setting up camp. Reilly's dad Ken discovered a "smelly" problem in the campsite which we quickly took care of! After that it was all about pitching tents, getting stoves and lanterns ready, and positioning the food! We then set out to pre ride the course. We discovered it was a great rolling course with hills that were mainly rideable (except for Marine Corps hill --- but that's another story) and single-track that was swoopy and and fun! After pre-riding everyone got cleaned up and started preparing dinner. As the sun dropped --- so did the temperature! We had dinner then sat around the campfire eating Banana Boats (a VERY healthy desert) and talking about goal setting, race expectations, and race tactics. Everybody went to bed with a stomach full of food and butterflies. Sunday morning everyone awoke to freezing (literally) temperatures. That didn't stop us from turning our camp into a waffle kitchen! Morning was a blur of cooking, cleaning, registration, nerves, and excitement. The girls races began and Pam gave it a great shot before a swamp monster came running out of the bushes causing her to tumble and taking her out of the race. Rumor is that Pam is already planning her assault on the Warner Springs course. The boys then took to the course and worked VERY hard! Weston came out our top finisher, Reily rode safely and solidly, Eric gutted it out but was still suffering from the after effects of a banged up arm, Greame got his money's worth, Armen spent time going backwards, and Hunter figured out that 3 laps is a lot longer than 2 laps. We ate some free BBQ courtesy of the SoCal League, packed up our camp, and headed home. All in all, it was a great learning experience for a group of first time racers and a fun weekend!

Below are some snapshots of the weekend and for some REALLY GOOD photos of the weekend click HERE for Coach Banner's photos or click HERE for Mike Leum's (Hunter's dad) photos!

Results are up! Click HERE to see them!

The crew ready to roll out

Setting up camp

Base camp is set

Piles of sandwiches for dinner

Talking shop around the campfire

It was a COLD night

Waffle making octopus

Waffle carb loading around the morning fire

Race day strategy with the bigwigs(League founder Matt Fritzinger and course designer Jason Ranoa)

Specialized Pit Zone team photo

Eric setting out on lap 2

Reily rolls across the finish line
















2009 So. Cal High School League - Vail Lake from ChannelMTB on Vimeo.

Vail Lake Challenge Race Information

The first race EVER of the SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League is this Sunday March 8th. Here is (hopefully) everything you will need to get yourself ready. Each named item will link you to that item so you can download it and print it out:

• RACER packing list
• COACH/SUPPORTER packing list
• Club weekend itinerary
• League race information
• Race course map
  

If you have not pre-registered for the League and Race #1 at Vail Lake the online registration is CLOSED! If you plan on racing you MUST print out THESE FORMS, complete them, have them signed, and bring them to the race!!!

1st Race ONE Week from Today!

The NorCal League had it's first race today. From what I've heard, it was a great success. What that means is we have ONE week until the FIRST EVER SoCal League race! So today's ride was maybe a little bit longer and a little bit more difficult than we've done. And the riders responded! Many of you made it to the Brown Mountain saddle (a hard climb) for the first time followed by a real eye opening experience being guided down El Prieto by Coach Banner. Most of you don't know but Coach Banner is responsible for much of the work done yearly to keep El Prieto such an incredible, beautiful, challening little trail so close to home! By the end of the season I'm positive everyone will make it to Brown Mountain saddle at least once!

Remember --- Wednesday we'll be doing two short time trials so many of you can get a first time experience really "pushing" yourselves and everyone can get a "baseline" time so they can see how they improve over the next 2 months!

New Jerseys!

Most of the club sporting our new jerseys enroute to practice in Cherry Canyon.

1st Cherry Canyon

Graeme, Reily, Armen, Coach Banner, and Daniel pose at the top of Cherry Canyon

We had a nice ride in Cherry Canyon. Got used to going uphill. Did a little bit of challenging yet fun single track. Started to get oriented in what will be our usual mid-week training area!