Sol Vista MTB Nationals, Granby Co.

July 26th, 2010 4:52pm

Another national championship is complete, the winners crowned and the riders have all gone home. Hardware hanging around their necks or battle scares on their body. Stories of would have, could have and should have will be recounted until next year. Racing and competing after all is about getting in the game and challenging yourself to be the best you can be - win or lose. The cross country crowd will relive the horror of Wentz's Way - a technical descent through the thick forest that challenged more than half the field, or the altitude that took it's toll on many flat-landers including pro woman Katie Compton, who was decisively leading before being slowed to third by her asthma.

Downhillers will be searching for photo proof of their daring deeds on a fast courses that launched them into the stratosphere multiple times. Fans, photographers and pro's alike loved the triple doubles near the bottom of the pro course where riders had to hold their collective nads while they hucked 45 foot gaps between trees. 4-cross racers will relive their final race over and over again in their head with such great detail they can tell anyone who will listen what one moment took them to elimination. Elimination, its what separates 4-cross from other forms of MTB racing. They live on the edge. Looking for anyway to get the hole shot, steal an extra pedal stroke or block a rival. And for that they got to do battle on probably the best course of the event. Designers waiting to see if the course that took three months to build would prove enough of a challenge. Both the course and riders didn't disappoint the crowd that lined the event. In the end it was a 16 year old high school student that ruled the day and could continue to do so for quite some time if he doesn't get side tracked by the usual distractions that taunt teenagers. Sol Vista and the team of course designers were able to pull off a pretty good show for their first year. Although the XC course lap combinations seemed to change every hour for all non-pro classes, whatever lap combination you ended up racing, the course delivered a national champion caliber challenge. There was more fire road than necessary on this mountain, but the challenge of the climbs, altitude and saddle time was better than years past. I especially liked how the course designer threw in a real descent on the XC course. His rational, "it's supposed to be a national championship right?" - Bravo. Same goes for the 4-cross course. multiple line corners and strategically placed jumps with flat landings made for excellent racing.

As racers we were glad to contribute to the economy of the sleepy town of Granby. Not exactly a resort destination, what Granby lacked in modern hotels/motels, it made up for in hospitality. Everyone we met there was friendly and glad to have us. The minimal restaurant fare was quite good and reasonably priced. By the end of the weekend, the help at Triple C's breakfast spot was on their last nerve. Apparently a bit more business than they anticipated. Fraser was definitely up to speed with a good resort mix of bike stores, restaurants and tourist shops, but not the quaintness or low prices of Granby. Both towns are just a short drive from Winter Park Resort where Crank Work Colorado will be going off in a couple of weeks. If you're going to make the trip up here, bring every bike you have or rent one because you can ride every type of terrain on Sol Vista and Winter Park. Winter Park sports more gravity related runs than Sol Vista with their goal to be the Whistler of the US.

Commentary - The National Champion Roast In America, calling yourself the National Champion means something. It is a special title for sure. If I won one, I would probably print business cards with my title being "National Champion" and strategically drop them at every bar within a 50 mile radius of my home town. But like everything these days, it seems that titles can be misleading. Like winning your class of 15 people. A win is a win for sure, but getting the title of national champion by beating 14 guys that you race every weekend is a bit misleading. What happened to racers all over the country coming together for a real arse whopping and seeing who really is the best on a given day? Maybe we should be asking, how does USA Cycling rectify the situation? Afterall, they put on the event, they take our $60 hard earned dollars plus your annual dues and for what? For another chance to race your friends for the "National Title". While I think $60 (plus $5 for parking every day) is a high price for a MTB race , I can usually find some rational to justify the cost; A free t-shirt (not really free, but I am rationalizing here) another water bottle or a sample food product. After the first couple of times, the chance to race for the prestige of the National Championships and being able to drop said fact whenever possible in a social situation, soon wears out. Why? Maybe the experience doesn't justify the cost. Not a good long term plan to grow the championships. Now keep in mind that this brow beating of the USA Cycling event does not include the Professional classes in anything. At that level, the fields are large, the competition is truly national and the winners get the perks that go along with the results. What they don't get is a decent prize purse. For the amount of training that the pros are required to undertake to race at that level, the amount of money they win is an embarrassment. Perhaps some of our entry fees should be taken to buy them a six pack and steak dinner if they win. That would be a good rationalization for spending sixty bucks for entry. At least I would be supporting a rider trying to eek out a living as a cyclist instead of supporting an organization that appears to be stunting the growth of the very sport it wants so badly to control. Cycling is not the first sport we've seen this happen to. It is an affliction of non-main stream sports. Beach Volleyball went through this and staggered on the ropes for a decade because people at the top wanted to siphon the money out of it before it was there. On the other hand, snow boarding has fewer participants than cycling but generates tons of press, TV coverage and cha-ching for their competitors. Why? It's called marketing exposure and USA cycling wants to control that also but doesn't know how. So while they stunt the coverage that others are willing to extend the sport, we will continue to have events that are expensive, national caliber athletes that can't afford to be competitive on a world scale and amateur titles that will be good for business cards in bars.