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The NMBS rolls into the Santa Ynez Classic

Published: Apr. 28, 2007
The Santa Ynez Classic is drawing more attention this year
The Santa Ynez Classic is drawing more attention this year

Southern California’s picturesque Santa Ynez Valley is internationally renowned for its miles of grapevines and upscale wineries. But this weekend it’s the area’s singletrack earning the attention, as the National Mountain-Bike Series rumbles into town for the April 28-29 Firestone Santa Ynez Classic mountain-bike festival.

In its eighth year, the Santa Ynez Classic has become the largest off-road festival in Southern California. The weekend features cross-country, short-track, downhill and Super D competition. New for 2007, all the events are part of USA Cycling’s National Mountain-Bike Calendars. The downhill also boasts points for the American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC). The festival’s cross-country and short-track races are also part of the 2007 NMBS schedule.

“I’m definitely excited to be part of the NMBS, this is huge for us,” said Mike Hecker, the event’s founder and chief organizer. “Getting this race on the national calendar is something I’ve been trying to do since day one.”

Outsourcing the NMBS
The festival’s partnership with the NMBS marks a turning point for the series: It’s the first time the NMBS, in its latest edition, has outsourced race organization. Formerly called the NORBA National Series and the National Championship Series (NCS), North America’s premier off-road series has operated under Jeff Frost of Blue Wolf Events and Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear since 2003. Each summer Frost and Spiegel load up a semi trailer and roll from venue to venue, organizing each event themselves.

At the Santa Ynez Classic, Hecker and his team are the chief organizers.

Barry Wicks
Barry Wicks

“It’s going to be an interesting step for us,” Frost said. “In a lot of ways this is more ideal, and something we’d like to do more of in the future. We can spend more time entertaining potential sponsors, not running around putting up fencing. ”

The Santa Ynez Classic also gives the NMBS another foothold in the lucrative Southern California market. The series lost its marquee So Cal event in 2004 when the Snow Summit ski area outlawed downhill racing. The NMBS returned to Southern California in 2006 with a round in San Bernadino’s suburb of Fontana. For 2007 the Fontana NMBS falls the weekend after the Santa Ynez Classic — the scheduling should boost participation numbers for both events.

The Santa Ynez Classic has already seen a jump in numbers. Pre-registration for 2007 is double that of 2006, when 900 racers showed up.

“I printed out 1200 race numbers. I hope that’s enough,” Hecker said.

Hecker, a former semi-pro cross-country racer who currently runs a tree-care company, began the Santa Ynez Classic in 2000 as a way to stay involved SoCal’s community of off-road racing. Then called the Firestone Winery XC festival, his race attracted 189 racers in its first year.

The race owes its namesake to the Firestone Ranch and Winery, which has hosted the festival on its grounds since day one. The event was labeled the Firestone Walker in after the winery’s brewery in 2003. Hecker added a short-track event that year, followed by downhill in 2004 and a marathon cross-country in 2005.

Gould has had an amazing early season
Gould has had an amazing early season

This year the festival’s expo and staging area heads to the nearby Ted Chamberlain Ranch, although the cross-country loop still crisscrosses the Firestone winery.

Pared Down XC field
The NMBS sought out the Santa Ynez Festival after Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, dropped its affiliation with the series for its July 6-8 Cougar Mountain Classic. The raceway’s late-season decision opened a hole in the NMBS schedule, and Frost and Spiegel hurriedly roped in the Santa Ynez Classic.

The late entry into the NMBS calendar meant that, while the Santa Ynez Classic will award prizes, it will not carry UCI points for the cross-country race. UCI points are currently a hot commodity for cross-country racers hoping to make the U.S team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Opting to chase after points, Americans Olympic hopefuls Todd Wells (GT), Jeremiah Bishop and Susan Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen) will forego the Santa Ynez Classic for Maryland’s April 29 Greenbrier Challenge a Category 2-rated UCI race. Americans Adam Craig and Kelli Emmett (both Giant) have opted for a rest week after the April 22 World Cup opener in Houffalize, Belgium.

Present at the Santa Ynez festival will be 2006 cross-country champion Barry Wicks and second-place finisher Ryan Trebon (both Kona). Wicks, who beat his teammate at the line, said the cross-country course holds a few surprises. “Last year we came around a corner and there was this huge bull just standing in the trail,” he said. “We stopped and looked at him and he looked back at us. His hoofs were putting four-inch deep tracks in the hardpack.”

Barring any encounters with livestock, the rider able to maintain the most speed on the ultra-fast, non-technical course will win the 2007 Santa Ynez Classic cross-country race. The course bisects the Firestone vineyard before sending riders on six steep ascents. Following each climb are off-camber singletrack descents that test a rider’s high-speed skill and courage.

Bike selection could help determine victory in the men’s cross-country. Wicks and Trebon will ride their Kona hardtails, while current NMBS leader Geoff Kabush will race on his full-suspension Litespeed Sewanee. Looking to score his first major cross-country victory on a bike with 29-inch wheels, 2006 NMBS cross-country champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) will ride his Gary Fisher 29er hardtail.

In the women’s race, the pro field will try and hold the wheel of Luna’s Georgia Gould. Gould, winner of the 2007 Pan American Championships and the NMBS opener in Fountain Hills, AZ. Gould won the April 15 Sea Otter Classic cross-country race by nearly five minutes.

The pro men will tackle three laps around the 13.1-mile loop while the women will complete two. Stay tuned to www.velonews.com for news and updates from the 2007 Santa Ynez Classic NMBS race.

2007 Santa Ynez ClassicSaturday, April 28
7:45 am: open women STXC
8:30 am: expert men STXC
9:15 am: junior expert men STXC
10:00 am: semi-pro men STXC
10:45 am: pro women STXC
11:30 am: pro men STXC
1:00 pm: Downhill (all categories)
5:30 pm: Super D (all categories)Sunday, April 29
8:00 am: sport XC
8:30 am: beginner XC
11:00 am: expert XC
11:00 am: semi-pro XC
2:00 pm: pro men XC
2:10 pm: pro women XC

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