Last Saturday I had my first race in Arizona. The McDowell Meltdown is the first race of the 2007 AZ Championship series. I decided to race Beginner (11miles) since I never got a chance to pre-ride the course and dont know the competition here. The next class was Sport which was 20 miles. ASU has a tent setup at the race so I hung out with them guys. Most of them are racing Titus's and Trek's. I was the only Turner dude. My race started at 10:00AM. Looking around the startline everyone seemed really competitive and serious. Me riding only once a week was a bit scared! The course consisted of 2 different loops. One 'long loop' which is 8 miles and one 'sport loop' which is 3. The entire course was singletrack which is makes it fun but passing a bitch especially with sharp desert rocks anc cactus everywhere. The long loop was very flat with a few climbs and downhills. I was in my big ring probably 40% of the time. The sport was really fun with lots of rolling hills and a bit more technical. The course is literally in the middle of nowhere with just desert and mountains around you, really different from SoCal. I felt ok for the race but did get passed quite a bit. Being the in the beginner class people dont really know the trail etiquite as they will pass whenever and screw up your lines. On the hills I was always got stuck behind a slow guy who made me lose momentum and dismount which was very annoying. I survived the course with no falls or mechanicals thankfully. I left early after the race so I didnt get to see the results but they should be up on the website in a few days. Im guessing I finished in the middle of the pack. I know for fact it did take me exactly 1 hour to finish though. McDowell Regional park is a cool place to train or ride but not worth it for the Spring Fling as its easy trails. Heres some pics my GF took. BTW Im rocking an old ASU jersey I got from PainFreak. The ASU team got a kick out of that! thanks Mike. mbaa2007
Ok, I'll be the 1st one to say this..........nice lycra bubb! Good write up though, post back when you find out the results!
Here is info and pics from the "Long Loop". It's a very fast course and not much climbing. Matt, are you going to be racing when you get back to the OC this summer? Geoladders -- McDowell Competitive Track
I'll be there for NMBS (at McDowell) on March 31st with a bunch of OC guys. There is usually Big Bear and Rim Nordic Races from June-August to race when you are back from ASU for the summer.
You're welcome Matt. It looks real good on you, but it would of looked even better with you on the podium. C'mon my man, forget those books and get out and ride more.
Matt, do not listen to Mr. Pain, now go do your homework! And you have my permission to let her touch your bike. You never know she might enjoy it and want to take it out for a ride.
cool jersey ... congrats on your first az race! i hope to race there in the next year too. have you been going to south mountain more since you got back from so cal? take advantage of it!
Nice job with the gallery pics on Geoldders! I'll be taking Lacey to the NMBS there in a couple of months. She'll be racing Sport. Any ideas how many laps she'll be doing? It looks like the longest loop is around 20 miles, do you know what the elevation gain is like? If you're around in the summer, the Rim Nordic series Rim Nordic Ski Area - A Southern California Cross Country Ski Area - Mt. Bike Racing Page is a BLAST!!
I only mapped the "Long Loop" for GeoLadders. The other two loops are much shorter. Elevation gain for the Long Loop is on the GeoLadders link. Here is another course map link (PDF format): http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/mcdowell/pdf/mcdowell-competitive-track-3d.pdf
