NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League
eNews 5/9/08

Contents:
1. STATE CHAMP INFO IS POSTED
2. CAMPING AT BOGGS
3. STATE CHAMP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
4. WHOLE ATHLETE JOINS INVITATIONAL CAMP
5. LOST AND FOUND

1. STATE CHAMP INFO IS POSTED
Race number six, the State Championships and Series Final is coming soon
(Sunday, May 18th). Race information has been posted at:
http://www.norcalmtb.org/race/index.htm

2. CAMPING AT BOGGS
There is a $15 fee per car and per night and this can be paid online.
Online payment closes Friday 3:00 PM before the race. Please purchase your
camping permit ahead of time, thanks!
http://www.norcalmtb.org/join/payment_races.htm

3. STATE CHAMP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Our final event is our biggest production of the year and we need plenty of
help. Please let us know if you can volunteer to help with the following:

1) Race Set-up on Saturday
2) Parking on Sunday morning
3) Course Marshaling during the race

Please contact nadine@norcalmtb.org. Thanks for making everything
possible!

4. WHOLE ATHLETE JOINS INVITATIONAL CAMP
In the pursuit of helping you achieve your personal best, Whole Athlete
integrates the latest research in exercise physiology with yoga, nutrition,
and sport psychology. Our goal is to help you reach your goals while living
in balance with other areas of your life such as work, school, family and
relationships. Dario Fredrick of Whole Athlete is joining the League staff
at the invitational camp to provide weekly training advice leading up to
the camp, professional bike fits, talks on nutrition and training, yoga
class, coaching and ride support. Whole Athlete is a proud sponsor of the
NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League, more about Whole Athlete is
available at www.norcalmtb.org.

There are 10 spots left at the camp,
sign-up soon if you plan on attending.

5. LOST AND FOUND
Some of these things may have been picked up, but over the season we have
found the following:

One black/green Camelbak HAWG
One blueish camelbak hydropack
one skate helmet with stickers
one pair of cannondale gloves
two CO2 cartridges
one black vest with the name "Kirby" on it
one pair of womens "edge" gloves
one pair of specialized gloves
one pair of answer gloves
one pair of microlite "lowdown" glasses
one pair black womens glasses
bell visor
Lowepro camera case
Olympus lens cover
one fox fingerless glove
one book "Three"

Be sure to stop by the League registration tent to reclaim your belongings,
thanks!

Greetings fellow riders,

Registration for our 2nd annual Chileno Valley Cycling Classic is now
open! The Chileno ride is a 40 or 60 mile road ride to raise needed
operating funds for the High School Mountain Biking League. Graced with
breathtaking scenery, gorgeous roads and challenging but not overwhelming
climbs, the Chileno Valley Cycling Classic exemplifies cycling in coastal
Marin. The Chileno Valley Cycling Classic will be held on Sunday, September
28, 2008 as an impeccably supported ride. It will offer both recreational
and competitive cyclists the opportunity to participate in a meticulously
organized ride, and enjoy an amazing post-ride feast.

This ride is limited to the first 100 sign-ups  to join be sure to
register soon. It is free to register, but we do require that riders agree
to raising a minimal amount of sponsor pledges (an amount that is not hard
to raise!). In addition, participants that register and raise $50 by June
1st will receive a free NorCal belt buckle! More ride information and
online registration is at:

http://www.norcalmtb.org/events/chileno/index.htm

We are looking forward to riding with League riders, parents, and
supporters on this ride in West Marin -- long considered one of the
most idyllic places to ride a bike!

Sincerely,
Matt Fritzinger
League Director

RACE 5 HIGHLIGHTS – 2008 NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Contact: Katie DeClercq katie@norcalmtb.org Tel: (510) 653-2453
www.norcalmtb.org

PDF Version availablet at: http://www.norcalmtb.org/about/press.htm

Full results are available at www.norcalmtb.org.

Photo highlights available at: http://www.norcalmtb.org/img/2008_race_5/

Oakland, CA – Racers from the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League were
greeted with a cold and foggy wind this past Sunday in Toro Park, Salinas.
However, with 800 feet of climbing per lap riders warmed up quickly as the
race got underway. The large climb was followed by a roller-coaster single
track with off-camber turns and challenging drops, but ultimately it was a
race that favored climbers.

In Freshman boys (Division II), Tony Smith of Marin Catholic beat out his
competition to take first place once again. Teammate Max Rehkopf took
third place, while Andrew Taylor (Contra Costa) split up the boys to take
second. In Division I, Jimmy Winne of Woodcreek had a strong finish,
beating out Chris Bennet (El Cerrito) who took second, to regain his
leaders jersey. Matthew Koenig (Independent) took third place.

Victoria Yoham of Marin Catholic seems to be unstoppable as she soloed into
the finish line well ahead of her competitors to take the gold yet again.
Katherine Pollard (Roseville) came in second place, while Mary Brosnan (San
Rafael) improved to 3rd place, just two seconds ahead of teammate Lauren
Freudman.

In Division II Sophomore Boys, Will Patterson of Branson High had an
impressive finish as he beat out Ryan Potter (Oakland Comp) in the final
sprint to the finish line. Jonathan Weeks (Marin Catholic) took the third
place spot. In Division I, San Rafael's new rider Quinlan Brow continues to
surprise the crowd. In only his second race, Brow gapped the other
Sophomore boys by an impressive 1:20 margin. Colby Pastore of Casa Grande
had his best finish this season by taking second place. "Jack Ketcham put
up a good fight at the end with me and we battled to the finish. As for
Quinlan Brow, that kid is a good rider. We stuck together the first lap and
then in the second lap he got away from me," reported Pastore. Jack
Ketchum's (Drake) third place finish gave him the edge he needed to take
hold of the leaders jersey.

Carolina Gomez-Villafane of Los Gatos and Lauren Catlin of Drake took first
and second (respectively) in JV girls yet again. No one has been able to
break these two from their rightful spots, but Charlotte Perry-Houts
(Albany) is moving up quick as she took third place, which is her best
finish yet.

In JV boys Division II, Ben Sukys attacked right away on the first lap on
the hill climb. Luckily for him, this separated him enough from his
competitors to give him the lead the race. Marcelo Quiroz (Independent)
didn't let a crash slow him down too much as he powered through to take
second place. Matt Dion (Foothill) followed closely behind Quiroz to take
third. In Division I, Clayton Herrick (SanRafael) was able to stay close
enough to teammate Niko Kaplanis to regain the leaders jersey with a solid
second place finish. "We had planned to cross the finish line together, but
then I decided to take off on the last lap," reported Kaplanis, who took
first place. Herrick reported the same unraveled plan, but seemed to be
okay with it since he did admit that he was drafting off of Kaplanis for
part of the race. Riley Howard of Casa Grande worked hard to make his way
back to top three again. "The first lap was a little grueling, but the
second and third laps felt great. I just powered up the climbs. Daniel
Rotheram (Woodcreek, 4th place) and I were riding together, but on the
third lap on the climb I started to pull away as I made my final move right
before the downhill," reported Howard.

Christine Weir (Nevada Union) took first place in Varsity girls again, but
this win came with a little more of a price as Lainey Aldridge followed
closely for most of it. "I was so worried since Lainey is such a good
downhiller. I kept looking back to see if she was there, and for most of
the race she was," reported Weir. Aldridge (Harbor High) was very pleased
with her second place finish and her skills throughout the race. "I had the
best downhill ride ever. It was crazy, but super fun." Susanna Nordrum
(Redwood) took third place.

Competition amongst Varsity boy riders is becoming fiercer than ever. It is
truly testing the will and determination of these young boys who all want
to do their best and accomplish their goals set out for the season. The
usual pack of 10 lead riders after lap one was not the case at this race.
Right away, top riders Jon Bennett (El Cerrito), Nate Byrom (Nevada Union),
Will Curtis (San Rafael), and Daniel Boyes (Marin Academy) split off to
make up the lead pack. After lap two, Byrom had gained himself a good lead
from the other three on the descent. The pack of four came in together
again after lap three. In the last lap, Bennett's tactics played out well
for him to give him the first place finish. Bennett reports, "The finish
played out well for me. My plan was to put a large gap between myself and
the rest of the pack coming up to the last descent. Since Nate is a
talented descender, and the fastest in the leading pack, I new I needed
more time to get down the hill. I think if Nate had not crashed on his
final descent, the race could have come down to a sprint finish. I'm really
happy for Will and I know that he's happy with his finish. I'm glad he did
so well this race. He's been working hard and it shows." Even with Byrom's
unfortunate crash, he still managed to take an impressive second place.
Curtis had a remarkable race that led him into third place, his best finish
yet. Daniel Boyes followed closely for fourth place.

The San Rafael High School mountain bike team took first place at race 5 to
extend their lead in Division 1. An overall win for the race series is
looking good for the Bulldogs if they can keep the momentum at the State
Champs. Drake took second place, which keeps them as a good contender for
the overall series. Both schools need to keep an eye out for Nevada Union,
who took third this past Sunday, and is not far behind in points in the
overall total.

Marin Catholic Mountain Bike Club is leading the pack in Division II team
results. Their win at race 5 has put them almost out of reach from their
two main competitors, Contra Costa Composite and Salinas High School.
However, Contra Costa's second place finish on Sunday will be keeping other
schools on their toes. Tamalpais High had impressive finishes this race by
their riders to give them the third place trophy.

The sixth and final race of the League's series is just around the corner.
The State Championship race will be held on May 18th at Bogg's Mountain
(near Calistoga). Anticipation will be hovering all around that day as
results pour in through the finish line, as this race could be the make or
break for many riders in their overall series standings.

The NorCal High School Mountain Bike League is a non-profit organization
open to students from both public and private schools. The League exists
because of generous donors and sponsors such as Clif Bar, Inc., CamelBak,
Fox Racing Shox, Trek Bicycles, Ritchey Bicycle Components, Creation
Engine, Galaxy Granola, Mike's Bikes, The Pedaler, Paradigm Cycles,
HappyGoFun, REI, Mountain Hardwear, WTB, Tecnu Extreme, Touchstone Climbing
Gyms,Vanderkitten, Whole Athlete, Maxxis, BTC, Dream Works, and NCNCA. The
League provides coaching and camaraderie to help students achieve both
competitive and non-competitive cross-country mountain biking goals in a
safe and enjoyable manner. Each season includes a Coaches Training
Conference, winter riding camps, the six-race series, and a variety of
summer camps. For more information visit www.norcalmtb.org or call (510)
653-2453.

NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League
eNews 5/2/08

Contents:
1. NO FOOD SERVICE AT RACE #5
2. IMBA CONTEST CALLS FOR SHORT FILMS
3. DON'T BUILD ILLEGAL TRAILS, VOTE FOR THEM

1. NO FOOD SERVICE AT RACE #5
Unfortunately we are not allowed to have a food vendor at Race #5 -- so be
sure to bring your own lunch for this Sunday's race!

2. IMBA CONTEST CALLS FOR SHORT FILMS
IMBA is soliciting films from around the world for its first-ever
"Celebrate Singletrack" short-format film contest. Send in your three to
five minute film or video celebrating the spirit of mountain biking.
Submissions should feature riding footage "that highlights the people,
places and trails that inspire knobby-tire enthusiasts" with bonus points
going to those who showing IMBA clubs and volunteers and success stories.

The top ten entries will be featured on the "Celebrate Singletrack" DVD to
be shown and judged during the IMBA World Summit in Park City, Utah, on
June 20. For more information on how to submit your film, visit
www.imba.com. The deadline for submission is June 10.

3. DON'T BUILD ILLEGAL TRAILS, VOTE FOR THEM
Not only will building illegal trails get you disqualified from League
competition, it will get you arrested. Here is an article about a recent
arrest. On the same webpage is also an opportunity to voice your opinion
about the need for more mountain biking trails. You can vote for new
trails at:

http://www.marinij.com/ci_9127375?source=rss The League
continues to advocate for new and improved mountain biking trails. Having
riders who respect the rules and are courteous to other users is our
greatest asset. Remember to go extra-slow, and say 'Howdy' when passing
other users.

NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League
eNews 5/1/08

Contents:
1. LYNCH CANYON HCTT REPORT
2. VOLUNTEERS FOR CARRERA DEL TORO
3. CLIF BAR WRAPPER RECYCLING PROGRAM
4. NORCAL LEAGUE BELT BUCKLE
5. MH SYNCHRO JACKET SALE

1. LYNCH CANYON HCTT REPORT
Last Sunday 24 riders gathered to test themselves, against the clock, up
the Lynch Canyon Hill Climb. Caity Dickson won the high school girls
division while her San Ramon Valley HS teammates Jacqueline Kabel and Erica
Bilodeau rounded off the girls podium. Ryan Potter (Div II Sophomore
leader, Oakland Composite) won the boys division with the fastest time of
the day of 15:00 flat. Ryan was followed by Andrew Taylor (Contra Costa
Composite) and Andrew Duensing (San Ramon Valley HS). Devin Young (Oakland
Composite Coach) won the 35-up men and Becky Brain (Contra Costa Composite
Coach) won the 35-up women with the top women's time of the day. Donna
Woods and John Elgart both won their respective 55-up divisions, and
Antonio Miranda won the open men's division. We look forward to seeing
this test of strength become a part of League tradition! Full results and
photos are available at http://www.norcalmtb.org/events/HCTT/index.htm

2. VOLUNTEERS FOR CARRERA DEL TORO
We are in excellent shape, but here is what we still need:

1) 2nd Wave Course Marshals: 2 people (11:45- approx. 3:00)
2) Finish Line Support Crew: 1 person (12:30-3:00)
3) Scoring: 1 person (12:30-3:00)
4) More help talking down the venue on Sunday

Please contact nadine@norcalmtb.org to join the crew. Thanks!

3. CLIF BAR WRAPPER RECYCLING PROGRAM
Think about how many energy bars you go through every year? That's a lot of
waste, isn't it? Every year millions of non-recyclable energy bar wrappers
end up in our landfills. TerraCycle and Clif Bar are working together to
change that by converting the used wrappers into unique accessories and
other upcycled products.

The League is signed up for this Wrapper Brigade program which not only
allows all of us to save energy bar wrappers from taking up space in our
nations landfills, but also means that Clif Bar will donate $.02 per energy
bar wrapper to the NorCal League!

So save those wrappers (Luna Bars, Clif Bars, and Builder Bars only), and
bring them to the next race and State Champs. We'll have a big bag to drop
them off in (at registration). And, this will be a continuous effort for
the League. We'll pick it up again next year, which means that you can save
wrappers all summer!

Remember, every wrapper counts towards less waste and more support for the
League.

4. NORCAL BELT BUCKLE
Once again, the League is making the impossible become possible. You'll
want to stop by the League merchandise booth and see this $20 apparition --
the official NorCal belt buckle.

5. MH SYNCHRO JACKET SALE
At Race #5 only we will drop the price of our NorCal Mountain Hardwear
technical jackets to an all-time low of $135. This $200 ice-climbing
jacket is made of an amazing wind-proof, water-proof, flexible material
called Conduit and is perfect for almost every NorCal day. It is also the
coveted letterman jacket of the new millennium high school athlete.

NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League
eNews 4/30/08

Contents:
1. RACE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
2. SATURDAY PRE-RIDE
3. LODGING FOR CARRERA DEL TORO
4. INVITATIONAL CAMP UPDATE
5. NORCAL NEEDS CAMP STAFF
6. NEW RACE PHOTOS POSTED
7. WFA-MTB TRAININGS
8. MARIN MOUNTAIN BIKE FILM FESTIVAL

1. RACE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
Believe it or not, Race #5 is just around the corner. For more information
or to register go to: http://www.norcalmtb.org/race/index.htm

2. SATURDAY PRE-RIDE
The course is open this Saturday for pre-ride. Keep in mind that this
trail is not regularly open to mountain bikers. As always, yield to all
other users and be courteous to the staff marking the course. Thanks!

3. LODGING FOR CARRERA DEL TORO
The sponsoring hotel for race 5 is the Bay Park Hotel, the same great hotel
as Race #1. The owner of the Bay Park is a big fan and supporter of the
League, which led to the sponsorship. We hope to keep them on our side for
years to come by supporting them as well. So if you're looking for a hotel
to stay at for race 5, the Bay Park Hotel is the place to go! NorCal
families get a discount on reservations by calling Yvonne at (831)
649-1020, or by going online at www.bayparkhotel.com (click online
reservations, check rates and availability input dates and under the dates
click the + sign and a space will show up for the access code - type in
NORCAL (must be upper case) and special rate will show up.) Thanks!

4. INVITATIONAL CAMP UPDATE
The NorCal Invitational Camp set for June 16-20 is currently half-full. Be
sure to let us know if you plan on attending (Contact beth@norcalmtb.org).
This epic racing camp is being held at Kirkwood and is a qualifier for a
special NorCal team that will be "Pros for a Day" with the Subaru-Gary
Fisher Team at the Deer Valley Utah national series race. More info is at:
http://www.norcalmtb.org/race/invitational_camp.htm

5. NORCAL NEEDS CAMP STAFF
The NorCal League needs a few more coaches and ride leaders for our summer
camps. Here's what we are looking for:

1)High school or alumni racers to be mentors and ride leaders for the day
camps.
2)Team coaches to be lead instructors for the day camps.
3)Team coaches to be lead instructors for the invitational and open camps.

These jobs require highly qualified and motivated individuals that are
willing to work hard. Please check out our camp webpage at
http://www.norcalmtb.org/race/summer_camps.htm to get the full details on
dates, locations, etc. Send Katie and email if you are interested at
katie@norcalmtb.org. Thanks for your help!

6. NEW RACE PHOTOS POSTED
New galleries from the South Bay Invitational by John Mallery and Robert
Lowe have been posted, enjoy!
http://www.printroom.com/studio_homepage.asp?userid=&domain_name=norcalmtb

7. WFA-MTB TRAININGS
Our next Wilderness First Aid for Mountain Bikers training is scheduled for
August 23-24, 2008. This course is designed specifically for high school
mountain bike coaches, parents and course marshals and is essential
training if you ride with kids. We will be requiring this certification for
head coaches in the 2009 season and strongly encouraging all assistant
coaches and ride leaders to get it as well. A second course will be offered
January 24-25, 2009. Email beth@norcalmtb.org to get your name on the list,
thanks!

8. MARIN MOUNTAIN BIKE FILM FESTIVAL
Join Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin at the San Rafael
Community Center on Sunday, May 18, for an exciting night of food, drink,
live music and movies provided by independent film makers and bike
enthusiasts. The evening will feature the Marin premiers of THE WAY BOBBY
SEES IT (www.poisonoakproductions.com ) a gripping documentary about a
blind mountain bike racer on a mission to race the Downieville and SEASONS
(http://www.thecollectivefilm.com/) that follows seven of the worlds top
mountain bikers through the course. Shorts include: Trial and Error,
Stronger Than Dirt and Hiker Biker Conflict (by Drake HS students!),
Mountain Mayhem. For more info go to:
http://www.access4bikes.com/eVents.html