Sea Otter Classic 2014
It all began...
Ryan and I started the 2,000 mile round trip journey from
Ketchum, Idaho to Monterey, California and back on Tuesday, April 8th. In order
to pick up the rental vehicle 12 miles from our apartment at the Friedman
Memorial Airport in Hailey, we left from our apartment via road bikes at 8am in
32 degree weather. The mini-van we had reserved turned into a Suburban, as they
only had Suburbans available. After leaving the airport, we discovered that the
oil change indicator was lit and exchanged it for another one. Luckily, the
exchanged Suburban only had 2,000 miles on it, and XM radio, which certainly
came in handy!
Once the vehicle was loaded with our bikes, gear, and dog,
Apollo, we hit the road towards the Sierra Nevada’s. It was a long journey
through the Nevada plains, with pit stops at dumpy gas stations. What we found
most shocking and disturbing, was that casinos and or slot machines were
available at every gas station and convenience store. Each small mining
community seemed to indulge in the gambling culture. Gross.
Lunch was had on the road and we made a stop in Truckee, California
to eat some very good pizza for dinner. We made it all the way to Sacramento,
California by 10pm. On the fringe of the downtown, the Motel 6 was most
certainly not the nicest of accommodations, but it sure beat having to set up
camp after a long day driving. It felt bizarre for us to be in T-shirts at this
time of night. This is because once the sun goes down in the high alpine desert
temperatures drop below freezing. It proved challenging for Apollo to go to the
bathroom at the motel because there was very little grass.
Loading up the Suburban, wow, that's a lot of stuff!
My Dad made this lucky Sun Charm for me :)
This sign was on the building of the Motel 6 outside of downtown Sacramento...
What a long, strange trip it sure has been, and it has barely started yet!
But don't worry, we found grass!...
Luckily, on Wednesday morning, April 9th, we found a very nice park
for Apollo to run around before exploring downtown Sacramento. We enjoyed a
delicious breakfast while seated on a bench alongside of the Capitol Building.
Afterwards, we headed to San Francisco for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Although there was still thick cloud cover over the city, it was enjoyable to
take some pictures of the scenery and see seals in the harbor. Apollo was not
quite sure what the honking noise was coming from!
From San Francisco, we took the scenic route along the coast
towards Monterey on California Route 1. There was still cloud cover over the
ocean until about 11am, which we found to be the trend during our stay in the Monterey
coastal area. Once the sun broke though, it was nice and warm. We found a nice
park in Aptos to eat our lunch that we had picked up in Santa Cruz. Then, we continued
onward to the Leguna Seca Raceway. This was the location of the Sea Otter
Classic exposition and race courses. It was finally time to get onto the bikes
and pre-ride the cross country mountain bike loop.
Once pedaling, our bodies immediately felt slimy, as we were
not use to the humidity! The course started out with a very fast, loose gravel
decent, continuing on with another paved descent. A right hand turn finally
dumped us onto single track that was smooth, hard packed dirt. It was also
somewhat shaded. The majority of the course played out to be repeats of the
fast, loose gravel and pavement descents and flowing single track climbs. The
most challenging section of the course for me during the pre-ride and the race
itself, was a mile long section of wide open gravel roads with short, steep climbs.
Capitol building and interesting bridge
Finally seeing the Pacific coast...
Ummmm, hey there snake!
Beautiful architecture
Expo! Expo! Expo!...
By the time we arrived back at the car, the clouds were
blanketing the area again and to our upset, we discovered that the home we had
booked to stay at over the next few nights through “Airbnb” was 50 minutes away
in Watsonville, not 20 minutes away in Marina. However, the home was beautiful
and the owner very nice. It was a perfect place for Apollo to run around freely
and for us to cook our meals.
Thursday, April 10th, was a chance to ease into the day.
After a solid breakfast, we traveled back to the Leguna Seca Raceway. We did a
very short ride consisting of leg openers and then watched some of the road
bike and dual slalom racing. It was our first day to explore the expo.
Wonderful connections were instantly made with various exhibitors. The entire
day went by so fast and we ended up sunburnt!
Stunt show
Bike is all ready to go!
Official Avex Hydration sponsored athlete!
Ouchies
Where the heck is the short track???...
On Friday morning, April 11th, it was time to race in the
women’s pro short track event. I remembered to apply sun screen this time! Once
at the venue, the short track course was not very well marked. There were no
maps prior to the race that showed even where the course was going to be. Luckily,
I spotted some other female riders exploring some taped off sections within the
race-track area. Unfortunately, I did not get the warm up that I had quite
anticipated, and my nerves were flying. I also did not get a great starting
position, as they only called up the top 20 women and filed in on the 4th row
back. When the gun went off, it was quite the battle to move up! I had to be
safe and smart and made sure to pass riders with precision. With 2 laps to go,
there were 2 other riders sitting on my wheel and 2 riders about 15 seconds ahead.
I knew at this point it was more important to stay focused on the 2 riders with
me and make sure that I beat them to the finish line. It was all about tactics
now. I knew that if I let either of them get around me, I would not be able to
make my aggressive finishing sprint on the pavement. Therefor, I controlled the
pace very easy at the front and when it was time to unleash my sprint, I did so
with all my might! I pulled it off easily and took 15th place out of 29
finishers. I was very happy with my result, considering it being the first
“race” of the season and being stuck at the back off the starting line.
After the short track, I immediately hit up Elevated Legs and
gave my legs a solid squeeze. It was then time for some more expo wandering, building
connections with potential sponsors and learning about new products.
Thanks Club Ride :)
Ladies and gentleman, the main event!...
Saturday morning, April 12th, was my main race; the women’s
pro cross country mountain bike. After a 10 minute session at Elevated Legs,
using a lower psi setting, the blood flow was already in my legs and all I
needed to do was get my heart rate up and pumping before the start.
Once the whistle blew, it was certainly intense. Women were
bumping tires on the racetrack, trying to move into an ideal position. I even got
handlebars into the side of my butt! I sure was glad that I was able to stay up
right! When we turned the corner off the pavement and onto the dirt, I was on
the inside. A girl could not keep her traction and had to unclip. This caused
those of us behind her to come to a stop. As riders were passing me, it was
hard to keep my calm. The first descent was as scary as I had predicted it
would be with 45 riders flying down it, all trying to move to the front for the
single track section. There was a rider face down in the gravel and tires were
screaming by within centimeters of her body. It sure got my adrenaline and
nerves through the roof, but I made sure to keep a steady wheel. When we hit
the single track, it was quite frustrating to be stuck behind a line of bikes and
no place to pass. Eventually though, there were areas to make moves and I did
so with power and concentration. Soon enough, I broke away from the masses and
rode solo in 14th place until coming back into the race track to start the 2nd
lap. I ended up working with two No Tubes riders and a Topeak rider for almost the
entire 2nd lap. We had a good time briefly chatting and even singing Johnny
Cash, “Ring of Fire.” We all worked together well, rotating pulls at the front.
With 3 miles to go, on the wide open gravel section that I had doubts about when
pre-riding, I hit a wall. I felt myself slowly start to fall off the pace and I
was unable to maintain the necessary power output. However, I continued to dig
deep and despite seeing a few riders within a minute behind me, I knew that I
could hold them off. I ended up placing 17th, less than a minute behind the No
Tubes and Topeak riders. There were 40 finishers. I was extremely happy with my
result, considering that I had not been able to ride more than two, 10-12 mile
rides on the dirt trails in Idaho so far this spring. Most of the other women
have been training close to all season long, half of them most likely already
having competed in March races.
The Dual Slalom was packed!
Wait, I still have MORE RACING??!!...
The day was not over yet! I still had one more event to
compete in, the elite women’s cyclocross. There were only 14 riders, but all of
them fast! The two No Tube’s women I was riding with in the cross-country race were
the only other two as crazy as I to race cross after the already long day in
the saddle. I simply wanted to get everything out of the trip that I possibly
could. It most certainly was not my best cross race, but it still was fun! The
course was identical to the short track, besides having two barrier sections
added. I ended up 6th.
It sure felt good to be done with the weekend’s racing, but
at the same time I couldn't have been more excited for the rest of the season! Ryan
and I spent the evening with my friend Joy and her husband Graham. We had a
very nice dinner at an All American Restaurant. However, a hiccup occurred in
the plan for the night. The Motel 6 was supposed to reserve us a room with two
queen beds, but it ended up being one. After finding out that every motel/hotel
in the area was sold out for Sea Otter participants, we ended up just going
with it and our friends slept on their air mattresses. Both Ryan and Joy were
racing at 7:30am, so it was a short night of sleep.
It's just part of bike racing...
Ryan began his mountain bike race at 7:40am. He was riding
in the middle of the pack along with two riders on the first road section.
After entering the single track he pulled away from those two riders and caught
two more. He rode with these two riders for the next twelve miles or so as he
weaved around tandem bikes and other riders who left the start with an earlier
wave. At about mile 16 of the 24 mile loop, his chain broke! It was quite a
bummer to have a mechanical, because it was his only event of the weekend.
We got to watch Joy finish her race and then after a short
time walking around to a few more expo contributors, we started the journey home.
Our night was spent in Sacramento with my mom’s cousin Tom Page and his wife
Joanne. It was a wonderful evening of food, conversation, and laughs.
And in the blink of an eye, it was all over...
On Monday morning, April 14th, we made the 12 hour trek back
to Ketchum. Yes, it was sure a lot of time spent driving and money spent on the
journey, but it was more than worth it. The experiences and relationships we
built along the way are invaluable and this trip forever will be a part of our
life’s memories. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to writing more about
the professional mountain biking journey that lies ahead!
Good night moon! Little did we know it was soon to be the lunar eclipse and "Blood Moon"
For financial support, BIG THANKS TO:
- · Ryan O’Hara
- · Mom & Dad
- · Paul O’Hara
- · Valerie O’Hara
- · Pippa Bond and family
- · Leandra Fremont-Smith and family
- · Ali Long
- · Domnarskifarm.com
- · Ashley Yagla
- · Kerrin McCall
- · Amy Wilde
- · Jordann Wine
- · Ina Kelleher
- · Dina Cline
- · Thomas Budd
For product support, BIG THANKS TO:
- · Scott Bikes: http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/
- · Play Hard Give Back: www.playhardgiveback.com
- · Club Ride: http://www.clubrideapparel.com/
- · Sturtevants/Sturtos Bike Shop: http://sturtevants-sv.com/
- · Avex Hydration: https://www.avexsport.com/
- · Lizard Skins: http://lizardskins.com/
- · Elevated Legs: http://92fifty.com/legs-holder/purchase
- · Primal Wear: http://www.primalwear.com/
- · Osmo Nutrition: https://osmonutrition.com/
- · Scratch Labs: http://www.skratchlabs.com/
- · Birzman Tools: http://www.birzman.com/
