2010 Over The Hump Series (Merged threads)

I ride through Santiago a couple times a week on road...looks like the singetrack that was cut below the "bottleneck" is still above shoreline. I believe when we worked it last year it was marked out to be above the high water mark...it will recede as the summer goes on.

The road into the lake at the bottom of the initial descent before the off-camber right hander will have a little less margin for error now.

 

The 2 last year were absolutely awesome for weeknight fun. Hope they are as cheap and as crowded as last year!

 

Sounds like fun. I plan to make it out.

 

What about the roads leading to the back half of the course. When I uploaded my tracks to topofusion last summer, those were the ones that were shown to be "underwater." (Maps were actually not google maps, but older color aerial photos).

Either way, looking forward to doing most, if not all of them!

 

I want to race in them, I probably don't have a great chance of winning, but just finishing on my first race would be cool. I would also love to help out with the races if I can't race or don't.

 

anyone remember how much registration is for these? it was fairly cheap ($20?) but registration doesn't open for another 10 days so i have no clue how much moola to set aside

 

um http://overthehumpseries.com/general-info/

 

I will probably do a few this year again but I dont think i'll do able to do all of them since that can get pretty expensive and as of the moment i'm seriously BROKE!

 

This year it's $25 for pre-reg, or $30 for race day. Last year they sold out both races so race day registration would be a gamble. I think last year it was $20 pre-reg and $25 race day.

All the pricing info is here - http://overthehumpseries.com/general-info/

 

I think Topofusion is downloading older aerials because Google Maps shows a different view of the terrain.



But as I said, looking forward to the series.

 

I'm considering doing this for my first mtb race. Anyone have any tips?

 

Pedal fast, pedal hard, pedal long.

 

Don't get overwhelmed at the start, don't get discouraged by your results.

They break down the categories to even bigger groups than typical races (wider age groups) so it was a heck of a mass start compared to most other races. And due to the size of the field in each category, you could be just minutes from the leader, but not even come close to the podium. It was a great venue and well run race they had going on last year. I took some family to watch the 2nd race I was in, and they all commented on how much more spectator friendly this race was. Very few negatives to mention about the 2 races they held last year.

 

I raced the first series and had a blast! It was my first race, it was also my first experience with sandbaggers. There was a huge turn out, more then they expected. It was great to see a lot of local riders and meet some new riding partners. If you go into it wanting to fave fun and knowing you might not make the podium you'll do fine.

 

What JoJon says...

It was also my first experience with sandbaggers that are assholes as well. lol

I just found it funny how more people were competitively aggressive at this race than at races at the national levels... sad... sad... sad...

Dont let my comment discourage you though, these assholes only make the race more fun. They sure made me laugh. lol

Definitely a good first race. You don't need to be insanely fit or have krazy handling skills to do this race... although you will be rewarded if you do. There are no hike-a-bike sections. The downhills are short and the terrain is "smooth". It's true XC riding/racing.

 

How slow is slow? I'm afraid I'll be holding up the event. Hauling 260lbs causes me to hit my granny 1-1 on just about any incline. I was a spectator at the event last year and thought it tougher than people made it out to be.

Anything to pay attention to for a first timer? I.e. - trail etiquette in announcing your intent to pass, or passing on the left, keeping distance with the guy in front of you so you don't crash, etc?

 

Etiquette? Hmm, interesting concept.

Common sense is really the important rule. Have fun is the only other one I can think of. The having fun part should automatically cover the etiquette piece.

Seriously, OTH last year was my first experience with the short course races and I had a blast. I went on to do several more through the fall and came to appreciate the Irvine Lake venue. There've been some comments here about aggressive riders and poor attitude, but I only saw that once where the more experienced folks got a little testy with the traffic jam where we dropped off into the first single track. I'm sure I contributed to the jam, and hope a bit that they've worked the course to put that further into the route or lessen how abrupt it changes from fireroad to singletrack.

I found that you didn't have to worry too much about passing since your own well being means you don't try dumb stuff. There is plenty of space to pass on double track or fire roads if you're nervous about it and very easy to just wait it out on the singletracks unless it's obvious you can make it safely. Taking someone else out is definitely to be avoided and so keeping your distance is just smart riding. Asking for a pass, "on your left" or whatever, is good, but if you are in granny gear on the climbs then you probably don't have to worry too much. The downhills and singletracks at Irvine move pretty quick and aren't long enough that you need to worry about intricate passing technique. Just wait for an opening or fireroad. More important is keeping a sane line while someone else passes you.

By far, the thing that best helped me with my first race was pre-riding the course. Take it slow, give yourself time to complete it, and that way the one lap works well as a warmup and doesn't take all that much out of your endurance. Knowing what comes next while riding with 100 other people around you is worth anything it might take out of you.

As for holding up the event. Don't worry that, but recognize it *is* a race. Before and after at Irvine was really mellow. During the race it's pay attention to business and do the best you can while still having fun. The only advice I guess I'd give on this is to make sure you can do the distance and elevation without stopping in a social ride before you consider trying to race. I guess that would be maybe 8 miles and 1500 feet for the OTH beginners events? Try riding a couple of laps in Whiting or Bonelli without stops as equivalent territory. If you can ride up Mustard Road without walking you can certainly do anything at OTH.

Finally, you might find there's surprisingly little difference between a good honest training ride and your race pace. I found that 'racing' a certain route might only get me a few minutes over something I rode at a safe but hard pace. For your very first race I'd suggest you have only the goals of getting through it without crashing or stopping. That worked pretty well for me. It was pure bonus that I ended up winning beginners for my age group.

 

I'm there for the series hopefully. Discussion is taking place about opening up a pro class! woot woot!!:bang:

 

Sounds like fun! Heard it was great last summer!

 

XCRider's Comments +1...

I was one of the beginner "Sandbaggers" as OTH was my first return to dirt in many years, but I was fit enough to do double-c rides on road. Karma caused a flat tire in the first race and rode to 3rd in the second...needless to say, I've moved up.

That being said...this is a great course to learn racing on...most of it is open enough that normal trail etiquitte should suffice and average handling skills. If you ride Peters Canyon, that's about the handling/fitness level you need. Most of the passing is on the one climb where there's some room for 3 wide, but anyone that good in this series should be calling out a few bike lengths ahead and saying a few words of encouragement as they pass you. I know that both Sid and Manny at both races lapped most of the beginners while they were on lap one and set a great example for the rest of us to follow that while this is a race, getting everybody excited about racing helps all the other events as well.

Only way I see a pro class opening up is if the loop adds a mile or two that helps space out the field so everybody can get their laps in before dark. That would help some of the congestion as most of the beginners on lap 2 will be lapped by the sports and experts starting ahead of them.