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NEW STUFF FROM JULY 6 & 7:
Downieville, California
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Dowieville, California. Home of the Downieville Downhill.
Dropping 5,000 vertical feet in 16 miles, the Downieville Downhill is the longest and most
demanding downhill race in the nation. The course features the world famous Butcher Ranch,
Third Divide and First Divide Trails. This speed-greed thriller is guaranteed to leave downhill
fanatics begging for the finish line. Winning times have averaged more than 41 minutes, making the
Downieville Downhill the "Ironman" of downhill races. Course speed record belongs to Mark Weir
with a blazing time of 40 minutes and 54 seconds.
The DH course is insane - lots of techinical stuff, water, rocks, dry stuff -
every condition in one 16 mile stretch.
You shuttle to 7000' feet and drop over 4000 to Main Street in Downieville. In the process you climb 500', but it really
isn't much of a problem. It only hurts for 10 minutes or so.
It takes a reasonably fast rider (say, me on my Bullit) about 1.5hrs to get down the hill.
I think I could shave off 15-20min from my time to maybe 1hr 10-15min or so without busting my ass.
That said, the race record seems like an insane accomplishment, particularly if you've ridden some of the stuff.
I guess if you're on a 8" travel DH bike you can ignore most of the rocks and drop offs, but the very real
possibility of taking a header off one of the old prospector trails that make up about 25% of the lower section of
the course would slow my ass down. These sections are covered in loose shale and
drop off a couple hundred feet into the 3' deep, rocky, cold, Yuba River.
If you got off line, you'd fall till you hit the water, which would give you all the
impact absorbtion of a nice, soft, parking lot. Another way of saying "significant penalties early for withdrawl", from the
race, that is...
The pics are pretty limited, since I forgot all three of my cameras and had to buy a disposable when I got there. Speaking of
buying stuff in Downieville, this is a genuinely nice place to visit. Food & lodging are CHEAP & high grade, and the
town's vibe is great. One bar, one pizza place, one diner, one general store with an awesome deli. All excellent and
a bargain. After living in Silicon Valley for 6 months, it's nice to go someplace where they don't immdiately attach the
"Wallet Vac" the minute you drive into town. We primitive camped along the river in an incredible spot, but there are
plenty of other alternatives, and even the foo-foo B&B's were less than $100/night. Nice.
Anyway, Downieville was the most fun I've ever had on a mountain bike. Next season is a few months away, but within the
confines of my tiny brain,
I'm already there.
CWB
