Bert and Ryan's Deer Valley NCS Report

Ryan Blanchette lunging at the line in Deer Valley, Utah

Well, we made it back about 3:30am this morning from Deer Valley, as I drive the freeways better than I race a bicycle.

The photo attached is of Ryan’s spectacular X-ctry finish…bested by .04 of a second by a rider from Cedar City, finishing on the podium in third place. Riders one, two, and three in his class where very tight at the finish, a great race for the under 14 class.

Ryan’s Super D ended with a flat ½ mile from the finish leaving him with an extremely disappointing (for him) DNF on a sweet long course better suited for downhillers. He’ll learn that it will happen again and unfortunately is part of racing. The Super D started at the top of the mountain with a downhill style time trial race start with 30 second gaps between racers. The top 1-2 miles was loose and definitely better suited for downhillers with a little more suspension and bigger tires. Ryan ripped the valve stem off and his hopes for a good finish vanished. We pre-rode the course 4 times only 45 minutes after my x-try race and Ryan felt like he had a clean run going.

My X-ctry race didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked. As usual I started off the back with about 58 in our start group and a course with very few opportunities to pass due to tight (but sweet) single track. So ¾ of the way through the first climb it opened up, still climbing and heart pounding somewhere out of my jersey I made a move and passed about 12-15 guys before ducking into the single track. I spent the next 10-15 minutes trying to recover as we dipped and weaved through some of the best single track on any course. Thinking I recovered we get to the next climb and the climb starts out with one of about three locations you can make a clean pass. It isn’t steep but lasts 15-20 minutes, so on the tail of a group of riders I tried to overtake too many and blew up as I tried to maintain a solid pace on the remainder of the climb. By the time I crossed the start/finish line of lap one I had been overtaken by just about every rider I passed. I continued to ride with no power for most of lap two and finally got my legs back under me somewhere around the end of lap two and very close to the back. I rode a good remainder of the race and at least tried to enjoy the course and was able to overtake only one or two riders before the finish ending up in 44th. Quite sure that was my lowest finish in my entire long racing career. Needless to say not happy with my race as the altitude got the best of me having raced only once in altitude this season at Big Bear 6 or so weeks ago and not racing well there either. Oh well they say “That’s racing” “some days you have it… and some days you don’t”



I had a nail biting descent down the Super D course as I knew I had to try to stay off the brakes in order to finish anywhere close to the remainder of my field. All but one in my class were downhillers and this course had no up-hills and the few flat sections were following high speed run-ups and didn’t require a lot of pedaling to close a gap. Not a course suited for a X-ctry rider like I used to be years ago. I ended up in fourth, four seconds from second and one or two from third. Happy I made it down with the rubber side down, I’ll live to fight another day!

I can only hope that the venue in Sonoma this weekend at sea level will suit me better. I’m sure the competition will only be more intense it being the Nationals! Sure glad I’m racing Semi-pro…it keeps you humble!

Bert and Ryan