Old Caz Hopper - 2013

The course has changed since I last did this event in 2007. It had also gone from a free to a fee status. The turnout was massive - over 300, and the clear cold weather meant there would be ice as well as mud. I started towards that back as that many riders of mixed skills in an open event looked like trouble waiting to happen until they got spread out by the many climbs. Trouble didn't wait around and on the first real curve on Bitner Rd at least 50 folks went down on the black ice in a little shady hollow. I picked my way through the debris- very happy to have the 2.0 Supersonics on my MTB. The typically grippy Continental rubber compound didn't seem phased at all by the ice. This was to be tested multiple times in the first section of the ride. After a bit of climbing we went down Willow Creek Rd. The dirt descent was fun if chilly. The bottom section of this road had lots of ice and claimed lots of victims, but my tires once again held tight and I was able to roll through at full speed without a wobble.
The next section was Hwy 116 up along the Russian River. Folks were flying up this smooth pavement in pacelines, but I decided to take an easier approach this early in and went piano in this section. The next climb on Duncan Rd. is short and brutal followed by some dirt with one crazy washout that actually had a rope in it to assist the climb out. Back to pavement and then the long and at times steep climb up Old Cazadero. The dirt descent off this was the best part of the ride for me with the MTB allowing amazing speeds and the jumps providing plenty of amusement - maybe a bit too much on the one I landed into a big mud hole. The crossing of Austin Creek at the bottom of this descent allows you to soak your shoes so you can have numb feet the rest of the ride. I hooked up with Ken and Grayson at this point - old Napa riding buddies. It was both good and bad. The good was seeing them and feeling part of a community of riders. The bad was riding at the tempo of the 8-10 man group we were in as we tore along the pavement towards the final climb back up Willow Creek. I like pacelines, but in retrospect should have either dropped off the rotation or out of the group entirely. I ended up toasting my legs and regretted it as they began cramping about a mile from the top of the climb.
All and all a good first competitive event for the year. I finished, and not DFL either. I choose the right whip for the event. While most went the cyclocross bike route the full suspension Santa Cruz Superlight with very light race tires performed like a champ. It both kept me off the pavement when things got icy dicey, but probably most importantly it insulated me from the impact of the rough roads and trails allowing me to finish with only my lower body in agony instead of the full Monty.