This year was the first time I gave myself time to see the community there, and it was much more unique than I had imagined. Downieville is an old gold-mining town that thrives as a mountain biking community now, with 2 bike shops and competing shuttle services. The food was cooked by the local fire department, and there are numerous inns, cottages and campsites next to the Yuba River to stay in. There was also a ramp-jumping contest into the Downie River after the downhill race on Saturday, that the race promoters loan a bike to the participants for. That event left me with a good impression of the Downieville atmostphere. 200 people, kids and all, lined up on the banks to oooh and aaaah when some knuckleheaded kid launched into the air on a bmx bike, did a flip and flopped into the deep end. Crazy. But fun.

I had brought a Norco Fluid up to the mountains for the pre-ride and had lots of energy left when I was done, it was such a smooth ride after the shuttle took us to the top.  There could've been a radio antennae on my head for all I knew, so many songs flooded my memories.  Sweet ridin', for sure.  After much debating, I decided to race on my hard-tail because the terrain was so dusty and loose; I wanted to feel the bumps since I couldn't see them. My instincts can react faster if I can detect the terrain in my legs; I think that must be how the blind rider picks his lines. The trails are maintained not only by the locals, but also by habitual tourists. The results are eco-sensitive and yet VERY technical. What you end up with is a 5 mile fire road climb after a paved road out of Sierra City, and then 25 miles descending on baby heads, over roots and slate rock, winding, wooded singletrack next to a 200 foot drop with a few creek crossings. You have to be on your toes, indeed. I never let go of the handlebars: just pointed the bike and hung on. By the end, a friend started to take my bike and I instinctively pulled it away. It was also keeping me from falling over after the finish.

In short, I handled the race a lot smoother on the hardtail, but was totally fatigued and beat up at the finish. I was able to resist the pain and let stamina and adrenaline keep me afloat until the end. I finished 30 minutes faster than my previous year, and didn't finish last in my first Sport race. My time was 3:58, despite the inaccurate timing on the web results. Most importantly, I had one of the most fun races of my life.

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