2015 KMC Chain Winter Series, Race Weekend #2

What comes to mind when you hear the name Fontana? Steel? Rednecks? How about wind? The Kaiser Steel Mill closed up shop in the 1980s. Rednecks might more accurately be substituted with Blue Collar (although the ever-popular nickname, Fontucky, refuses to go away). The one thing that has remained true is the wind.

This mornings cross country race was delayed until the afternoon due to that wind. I don't know what it was like in the morning, but it was still blowing fiercely at three in the afternoon when the XC racers got their call up to start. One good thing that did come from the delay was that I got to see some of the first round Super D action, at least at the lower end of the course.

"Don't do it.!?" If anyone had asked my advice about today's race, that may very well have been the short and sweet response. Few, if any, would have taken those words seriously. It is just not in the nature of the mountain biker to back away from a challenge. And anyway the winds, with gusts of seventy miles per hour, would have probably been blown away as soon as I spoke them. No, earlier than that I think. They would have been swept clear of my mind as soon as their thought was formed. It was that windy.

Expert Men 43-50

Alfred Pacheco (Buena Park Bicycles) was killing the course and the competition both. seems to be a regular thing for him.

You can view a selection of one hundred seven photos in the Flicker album here.

As usual, if you see a photo you like feel free to download it (credit where credit due, of course). Want more? Go ahead and order your own copy of the CLR Effect racing annual. There are two editions available right now (2013 and 2014), and you can preview them by clicking the 2014 Seasons in the Sun Book Preview button near the top of the right hand column.