It’s been a few years since I’ve ventured into Capitol Forest, and I have to say my most recent visit left me wondering why it had taken so long to get myself back to this magical playground of endless singletrack. Since my last visit, the Friends of Capitol Forest have been hard at work creating hundreds of berms and jumps, and have greatly improved drainage of the trail system. The trails, much like the race organization were dialed to day the least.
I met up on Saturday with Fluidride/Virtual Descent rider Nathan Riddle, who had made the long drive from Ashland Oregon for his first ride in Capitol Forest. After our first run in mixed rain and snow, it became apparent that I’d have to quickly make some custom fenders in order to keep my vision in check. After some quick fabrication from old tubes and plastic bottles, we enjoyed a second run down the course, which was a mix of muddy forested singletrack, and muddy open singletrack, mostly downhill, with a few quick climbs thrown in to check our fitness. The course was a blast with lots of great turns, a few jumps, and some nice rooty bits.
Sunday: Race Day
The weather on Sunday was pleasant, with broken clouds, and no rain! What a pleasant surprise after a full week of grey skies and rain.
On the first run, Nathan quickly showed why he’s one of the top Super D racers in the country by putting down the fastest run on some muddy trails far from home. Aaron Wilson, a pro hare scrambles moto racer was hot on his heels, only 3 seconds back riding on flat pedals with running shoes!
The second run served up some peanut butter conditions with the track’s mud curing up nicely to ensure a good workout. After getting my lines sorted on the previous run, I had even more fun on this run than on the first. My Iron Horse 6 Point was working really well, and having my Maxxis Medusa mud tires was a true blessing. I could literally hear my tires cutting through the mud into more tractable ground, and never had my tires pack up. My new Fox 36 talas front fork and DHX 5.0 rear coil which I’d swapped out the old air shock for kept the ride smooth through the NW muck. This kind of racing is a great way to test products replaced over the winter; a torture test to be sure. I was also really glad to have my Gravity Dropper post on the bike, and must have used it at least a dozen times on the ride. If you haven’t tried a Gravity Dropper post, you don’t even know what you are missing!
The women’s category served up a few surprises, especially to Casey Stamm, as she won the overall with her winning time in the Expert class in her first gravity competition outing. Nice job Casey! It was great to see so many female competitors ripping the nw goods.
The event ended with a great barbeque and lots of time to catch up with fellow riders after a long winter. With a turnout of over 120 riders in rainy conditions, I think it’s safe to say that our sport is alive and well in the Northwest. Everyone seemed to me even more pumped than in years past. Be sure to mark your calendar for September 6 and 7 to catch the next one, or go to www.capitolforest.com for more info and complete race results, or to volunteer time to help with the amazing trails.
A big thanks go out to all the crew at the Friends of Capitol Forest!
Men’s top five:
1) Nathan Ridddle 14:23
2)Aaron Wilson 14:26
3)Bernie Miller 15:09
4)Simon Lawton 15:15
5)Matt Jagger 15:16
Women’s top three:
1)Heidi Granthem 19:28 (Casey Stamm 1st overall after winning her first gravity event in the Expert Class.)
2)Denise Taylor 19:36
3)Joy Mutoli 19:51
0 Responses to “Capitol Forest Super D March 16, 2008”