"F*ck, you're everywhere!"
It was the third time the racer had passed me in just the first lap, and seeing the same old guy at three different place along the long climb must have been kind of surprising. When you know, and can take, the shortcuts getting up the hill it does make it possible to see the race pass by multiple times as it winds its way up; not the fastest guys mind you, but... well, maybe the guys a little off the fastest pace. It is the way of this race, and the rocky rutted route it follows up and around the Jurupa Hills' Southridge Open Space.
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| the Gathering before the start - Southridge Winter Series 2023 |
This Saturday morning dawned grey and smelled of rain. Though the rain would not arrive until after all the cross country (XC) competitors had finished up their laps, it could be seen coming in from further away - the enduro and downhill riders would have to deal with it during their afternoon race (enduro) and DH practice runs (as usual, the DH race is on Sunday).
Looking down from the bluffs above the start line I watched as everyone came to a stop and turned. The national anthem started and played through before activity started up again. The XC racers began to congregate at the start, and the rock and roll anthems sounded through the speakers - All the Young Dudes - and I thought, yeah, it is a game for the young dudes (and dudettes, though I didn't notice any on the course today) and, later, I looked at the faces of them as they passed, and yes they were, by and large, young. The song seemed especially appropriate.
The Southridge Winter Series began it's (I believe) thirty-second year of providing early season competition to southern California's mountain biking community. The series will continue every other week, for six weekends through the month of March. As for this morning, Jason Hladey was the clear ruler of the Pro roost, shouting out an emphatic statement that anyone who might think of challenging for the series championship would have to go through him, finishing the three laps nearly nine minutes ahead of 2nd placed Jason Perez, with Joshua Tootell another three minutes back. As the series continues on, those young dudes in the Sport U14 group are going to have a nice little game of "who's fastest" before things can finally be sorted out - that is going to be one to watch as well. Hopefully some of the other categories will fill out over the next three months (you don't have to race every weekend to contest the series overall), the threat of rain likely kept some people away, in hopes of drier weekends ahead. Whatever the case, the 2023 Southridge Winter Series got off to a good start and ought to only get better.
A selection of ninety photos are in the race album.
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