Last weekend was the final race of our US Cup XC Series in Big Bear, CA. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been up to the mountains to race, and the conditions didn’t disappoint – sunny skies, cool breezes and lots of alpine trees.
Willie (Zuckerman) and I made the drive up for the XC race, while Mykyta (Yurtyn) raced for round 2 of the 50 mile endurance event, which is part of the Pro Ultra Endurance Tour.
The course was classic Big Bear: long climbs, fun and flowing single track, followed by more longer climbs. We’re normally pretty comfortable climbing, but some sections of the course topped out at 8,000 feet leaving all the sea level riders gasping for a bit of air.
Wille had a great ride, taking the only podium of the day – 3rd in her women’s field. I had a solid race and came in for 8th. Mykyta unfortunately fought some stomach problems from the heat and altitude and pulled the plug after one 25 mile lap of his 50 mile race.
This race also was a good test event for the State XC Champs coming up in two weeks. But first, we have a little 12 hour race this weekend!
By Tim VanGilder, Troupe Racing Company
