Ninja’s First Race of the 08′ Season
by takahashi the ninja on March 10th, 2008
I figured the best way to get back into shape for the season is to start riding (which I did about 2 weeks ago) and racing, so I decided to head out to Toro Park for the CCCX (California Central Coast) DH Series #1 race on 3/9/08. For those of you who don’t know where Toro is, it’s about 5 minutes east of Laguna Seca / Sea Otter Classic on Highway 68. It’s a fun race series because the course changes every race… You never know which network of trails you’re going to be riding on until you get there…
Once you start getting closer to the coast, the scenery starts getting pretty! I decided to leave Saturday morning to practice before race day on Sunday. It was a nice, relaxing and scenic drive to Monterey - It took me about 4 hrs to get there from my home which is nestled in the Sierra Foothills.
Once I arrived, I went to registration, got my number plate, and got some instruction on how to get to the starting line… No Shuttles here! You either have to pedal, or walk to the top - I didn’t mind… my main focus is to get get a workout in, so walking to the top for 45 minutes is not a big deal to me. I decided to go backwards and walk up the course, that way I could inspect the course as I went up.
Once I got up the first hill, it opened up a bit and I could see the tape along the neighboring ridgeline. I started to get excited, that feeling of racing… that buzz you get when you have a challenge in front of you, and you’re figuring out how you’re going to get down the run as fast as you possibly can… what lines you’re going to take, where you’re going to pin it, and where you’re going to try to conserve. I love the thought process of analyzing a DH course. It’s all good!
The weather was pretty nice, it was sunny, but that afternoon ocean breeze started kicking up around 2:00, which made it nice when you’re sweating and grunting up the hill! I took my time going up the hill to look closely at the terrain, and where I thought the fastest lines would be. Stopping every so often to sit and talk to other racers that I haven’t seen since last season. That’s always fun - catching up and seeing what everyone has been doing in the off season…
I made one full run, and then practiced a couple sections a few times on Saturday. Afterwards, I headed back down the hill to relax, talk to a few people, and then break out my new Truck Tent to figure out how to set it up. I didn’t want to wait until it was dark to be trying to figure that kind of stuff out… After about an hour of trying to figure out what went where, i finally got it… Yay! It’s nice when all the pieces that are supposed to be there, actually turn up and it all works out 
Sunday came and luckily I remembered to set the clock forward ahead of time, so I didn’t end up waking up an extra hour earlier Slept well in the new tent, and was very happy with that purchase… Got another practice run in on Sunday morning after it warmed up a bit.. got to eat a bit of food, and then headed up the course for my race run. I made sure I walked slowly and didn’t exert any extra energy on my way up… At this point, I already new the lines I was going to take, and was just going over everything in my head. Shortly after, it would all be a blur, and would be finished.
The course was fairly short, it was about 1.8 miles and dropped 1000 feet. The top section was the fastest part of the course, it’s got some rollers on it that are fun when you’re going 40+ mph. I found that I was spinning out on this section… need to put a bigger chainring on for the next race. After the high speed rollers, the next section consists of about 6 really tight switchback turns. The dirt was dry and pretty loose…playing with tire pressure the day before was beneficial in getting the right amount of traction out of the tires on some of the off camber switchbacks and loose turns.
Next section is fast singletrack that had some fast high speed turns that you end up just railing - fun stuff. The High speed singletrack leads you to the bottom of the course, this is where the fitness part comes into play… the bottom is fairly flat and requires you to pedal hard! There is a short slightly uphill section, and then singletrack that is rolling and swoopy! They added an additional section that was bbout an extra 150 yards of pedalling to the finish line! Since I haven’t been riding and racing over the winter, this is where I felt it… my quads were burning and my lungs felt like they were about the size of a ziplock snackbag - small size!!! LOL
Overall, I had a good time! I only get stronger with each outing, and I got to work on my fitness, and have fun doing what I love. I ended up taking 2nd Place, and considering it’s so early in my training, I was happy! I also got to fly the new EVOMO Colors!!!
After the awards ceremony and medal receiving, it was time to pack up and make the 4 hr drive home. The race wrapped up earlier than they usually do, and they seemed really efficient in getting the times tallied and figured out! Props go out to Keith & Rod for really putting on a fun race!
Leaving Monterey, the traffic was the usual Sunday flow of people coming from wherever they went on the weekend. Until I hit the 152 in between Gilroy and Interstate 5. After a long day of riding and racing, I just wanted to get home!
I wasn’t sure if there was an accident, or what was going on… All I know is I didn’t like seeing brake lights! This didn’t make me happy at all… hence the face in the pic below…
Luckily the traffic turned out to be caused by cars wanting to turn and cross our traffic flow… so after about 15 minutes, I was back on my way! I decided to stop and take some pics of the sunset at Merced… couldn’t pass it up! 
All in all, it was a fun weekend… I love this stuff! I’ll be back for race #2 the weekend of 3/22/08 and then making the Trek down to Southern Cal at Fontana for the National Series (NMBS #1) Season opener! By the time Sea Otter rolls around, I’m hoping to have a good fitness base by then!
Until next time… Happy Trails!
Michael “The Ninja” Takahashi
March 10th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Great post! Congratulations on your podium spot. Sounds like a really good early season conditioning course.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
That looked like an exciting, as well as a productive weekend.
Heading home in the traffic, and the face you were making, reminded me of “the little Ninja” growing up, and making the same face, when I made you eat something you didn’t want to eat.
Keep on training, and you’ll be the top dog on the podium, in future races.
Oh, and …………………just remember to keep the rubber side down!
Dad
March 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Great job brother. Killer Photos! And hello to Papa. T, we ran into him last fall in Malibu Canyon. Small world.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:59 am
hahaa killer blog!! Love the pics too,
and congrats on the podium!!
Oh yeah, and reaaalyyyy cool helmet!!