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FONTANA, Calif. (February 12, 2008) - This last weekend marked the
3rd round of the 14th Annual Southridge Winter Series
presented by Shimano. Shimano or event
organizers must have added a little something extra to the mix, as the weekend
was the first worry free race of the year.
With clear skies and temperatures in the 80’s… you couldn’t ask for a better setting for
some exciting mountain bike racing! Even
here in southern California, residents were a bit surprised at the warm
climate.
MOUNTAIN CROSS
This weekend’s MTX racing was sure
to be exciting.. With Rich Houseman
attending the Supercross race in San Diego, and series leader, Eric Carter, out
of town, it was a crapshoot for the win.
Riders knew they had a shot for the day’s win, which lead to many battles
& exciting racing. In their heat
rounds, John Hauer & Ryan Condrashoff battled to the front and held off
their competitors. During the finals,
riders fought out the gate for positioning to the first turn. With no one backing down, and only a few
lines to fight for, a huge crash ensued.
John Hauer, Ryan Condrashoff & Dan Cortina collided & tumbled in
the first straight. In game of speed and
inches, this mistake was costly. Chad
Lorrain (Brodie) was the only rider to avoid the collision and cruised to the
victory. When the dust settled, riders
slowly made their way down the track with minor bumps and
scrapes.
PRO
Men
1 Chad
Lorrain
2 John Hauer
3 Ryan
Condrashoff
4 Daniel
Cortina
DOWNHILL
The weekends downhill course was
familiar to many riders, as it has been used in a variety of races, including
previous California State DH races.
Following the course of the shuttle road, the downhill track was full of
loose and flowing turns for the first two-thirds of the course, then made its
way into two technical rock gardens.
Riders had to hold precise lines as not to slide out through the rutted
turns or tumble through sharp rocks. The new rock section was technical enough
that it was difficult to fly full speed into the maze of rocks, yet even at a
slower pace, many riders found themselves catching their front wheel in crevices
& thrown over their bars. More than
a fair share of riders were having trouble with the deceiving rock garden. Several riders made trips to the medical tent
and some of the worse cases landed ambulance rides to the local hospital. At
least one rider was knocked unconscious, and a few deep cuts and a broken arm
was reported. Fortunately, most riders
made their way safely through the course.
Once past the rocks and the final drop exiting the section, riders got a
small break as the rode “the wall” a few meters before entering the final rock
section to the finish line. To the
appreciation of many racers, event organizers elected to end the race after the
final rock section, removing the infamous “wall” from the weekend’s course.
NOTES:
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  *There must be something over in the Team Houseman water… Both Rich & Gary clocked the exact same time, even without riding together the entire weekend. Photo: Jerry Kasai
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 *Aaron Gwin… 3rd career race with a 2nd place result. If Gwin’s speed & talent not yet astounds you, it will. At just shy of 2 seconds behind World Cup veteran Chris Kovarik, Gwin is sure to be a contender in this years NMBS! Photo: Jerry Kasai
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 *Waylon Smith is probably one of the most gifted & dedicated riders you’ll ever meet. On Saturday, he won the Pro Super-D race. Then on Sunday, Waylon raced Pro Downhill (placing 3rd), then immediately left after his run to drive nearly an hour away to race a Cat 1/2 Road crit for 90 minutes. Let’s also not forget that he rushed back to Fontana to accept his 3rd place podium for his downhill result! Photo: Orven Zaragoza
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 *For yet another weekend, Jr X phenom Kevin Aiello doubles up for the weekend, taking the MTX & DH victories. Kevin's DH time would have placed him in the top 10 in the Pro Class. Take a look at the top 6 riders… more than a few of them were relieved that Kevin didn’t beat their time! Photo: Dylan Dean
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 *Canadian Katrina Strand is in town visiting her fellow countrywoman Claire Buchar. Both women have been blitzing the short Fontana course, & dominating the competition. Photo: Jerry Kasai
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PRO Men
1 Chris Kovarik
00:01:47.64
2 Aaron Gwin
00:01:49.35
3 Waylon Smith
00:01:49.50
4 Ian Odom
00:01:49.51
5 Ryan Condrashoff
00:01:50.12
6 Brad Benedict
00:01:51.15
7 Ben Furbee
00:01:51.65
8 David KlaassenVanOorschot
00:01:51.80
9 Gary Houseman
00:01:52.44
10 Rich Houseman
00:01:52.44
PRO
Women
1 Claire Buchar
00:02:02.60
2 Katrina Strand
00:02:10.58
3 Gabriela Williams
00:02:14.33
4 Lauren Peterson
00:02:14.58
5 Jenna Kowalski
00:02:16.84
SEMI
Pro
1 Nathan Wright
00:01:56.03
2 Preston Moore
00:01:56.53
3 Travis Mcgee
00:01:58.09
4 Craig Harvey
00:02:00.00
5 Jorden Loomis
00:02:01.07
Jr
X
1 Kevin Aiello
00:01:51.60
2 Connor Bloum
00:01:56.68
3 Matt Kuys
00:01:56.88
4 John Keep
00:01:57.14
5 Brad King
00:01:58.26
For a full list of results, check out SouthridgeUSA.com.
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There were some new faces leading the charge! John Hauer takes his heat win & looked great going into the finals. Photo: Dylan Dean
Ryan Condrashoff was having stellar runs, breezing through his rounds, and was looking good for possibly his first Fontana victory... Photo: Dylan Dean
...until he was caught up in the MTX finals crash. Ryan gives us a "thumbs up" while getting bandanged up before heading out for some more DH runs.
Photo: Dylan Dean
Even with an extra $100 to anyone who could best Kovarik's time, CK was untouchable.
Photo: Orven Zaragoza
Want to know where all the action is? Look for the crowd! Photo: Orven Zaragoza
Preston Moore blasts over the drop at the end of the first rock garden. 2nd place Semi Pro class.
Photo: Jerry Kasai
Whoever said Fontana was an easy course...
Photo: Jerry Kasai
...which lead to frequent trips to the medical tent & hosptial for a few riders. Photo: Orven Zaragoza
Claire Buchar impressed more than a few guys as she tore up the technical rock garden. First place Pro Women. Photo: Orven Zaragoza
They boy's got skills! John Hauer shows off a trick he learned earlier in the week while waiting for the podium. Photo: Dylan Dean
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