Nor-Cal So-Cal showdown , Bakersfield

This two day event has been a tradition here in Bakersfield for seven years now- a race to see who has the best-or most CX riders. With the long drive making it tough for Nor-Cal riders to be at the event the So-Cal contingent had a definite edge in numbers. Nor Cal definitely had the edge in quality. The men's A podium was all Nor Cal ( Andrew Juiliano lives in Santa Barbara but we still claim him as Nor-Cal ) except for Jamie Driscoll who is from Utah.

Having raced the day before to third place, Max Judelson was aiming to do better than that - or die trying !  Max attacked often during the race and was the main animator. Andrew had a flat on the first lap and had a bit of a chase to get to the front group which was almost immediately getting clear from the bulk of the 20-odd riders.

 Andrew made the lead group and as the race wore on the group eventually got pared down to four riders: Jamie Driscoll, Cody Kaiser ( the previous day's winner ) Max and Andrew. The group stayed together until just before the last lap started when Jamie Driscoll lit it up and only Cody Kaiser could stay close. Max and Drew rode hard to keep the leaders as close as possible. In the last lap it was a drag race between Max and Drew that tested both to their limits. It was exciting to watch and until the last finishing straight it was hard to know who would come in first. Drew made a move on the last runup which proved enough to beat the resilient Max. They came in 3rd and 4th for podium spots and some cash. It was a very strong showing against a couple of major national names.

 Drew crossing the line completely spent.

 Max looking about 20 years older after the one hour race !

 The men's elite state championship podium.

In the last race of the day, a very tired Dylan Gong managed to stay at the front of the cat 4/5 race and come in second after a weekend of much racing. Next year maybe we can get the trophy back from So-Cal !

Nor-Cal district championships

The team really killed it at the districts even though many of our racers were not able to make the trip. I was not there so I did not get any photos but several of the main protagonists are in this photo.

Men's A race:  Max Judelson   2nd.
Women's A race : Campbell Steers   1st.
Single speed A race :  Kailin Waterman  2nd.
Single speed B race :  Jamaica Lambie   7th.
Open C race :  Dylan Gong 2nd.
Men's 35 A race : Dean Poshard 12th.
Men's 55 open : Greg Foy 11th.
Men's 45 B race: John Vahlberg  9th.
Michael Schaller 22nd.
Junior men
17-18
David Kalcic 4th.
15-16:
Dylan Gong 2nd.
Brian Kalcic 5th.
Emmett Tuttle 6th.
11-12
McEwan Tomkins 1st.
Ronan Lambie  3rd.
Junior women
11-12
Shantelle Tupaz  2nd.

Many medals and two district champions !

BASP race, Coyote point

 The Coyote Point race has been a bay area staple since 2003 when an actual UCI event was held there. The iconic bay front course with views of San Fransisco bay and right below the glide path of jets landing at the airport has provided much good racing drama over the years. This time was no exception as the races were very fast and the competition really tough. To start the day the masters B men lined up in the cold morning. Our only representative was Michael Schaller, coming in at 18th in the 45 B race. Next up were the 35B and 55 + races. We had a full crew in the 55+ with Greg Foy nearly taking the win coming in 2nd. I finished 11th, Rick Ortenblad battled his single speed to 14th and Mark Hubbell flatted in the last lap to come in 16th.

 Ben Dodge had a very full day, racing twice and working support. He would finish 9th in the 35 A race and 26th in the elite race.

 We did not have the full women's team as injuries and travel have trimmed the roster but we still had Allison Peck make a strong showing in the elite race coming in 6th after an excellent start. Alexis De Zubria would finish 9th in the women's B race.

 Some great riding was done by two of our juniors in the elite race. Both had to start in the back of the large field but they worked their way forward with Emmett Tuttle finishing 14th and Noah Hayes finishing 20th. Veterans Ben Dodge and Dean Poshard went 26th and 29th.

One of the most if not the most exciting rides of the day was Kailin Waterman opting to race the single speed A race. He had no idea how he would ride but was always at the front and nearly pulled of the win-just beaten at the line by 4 seconds for an impressive 2nd place.

 Our junior team was as good as aways with Dan English coming in 2nd, Sean Uusitalo 4th and Ayden Uusitalo 10th in the junior 10-14 age group.

 In the 15-18 age group there was strong riding from Dylan Gong (3rd)who used the C race early in the morning for a warmup.Caleb Ohare overcame a mechanical to finish 4th.

 The elite podium.

The single speed A podium with Kailin Waterman .