Bert's Deer Valley National Update

The weather was great and the area is just gorgeous in Park City as several Backbone team members made our way there this weekend. The fourth stop on the NORBA National series, Deer Valley has some of the sweetest riding and picturesque views. Roger, Vanessa, Randy, Ara, Ryan (the broken one) and I all made the trip and if it weren’t so freakin far from So Cal we’d all definitely go there more often. Phew that’s a long drive!



Roger was as usual helping everyone all weekend long making his way to the venue at 6am each day to help Backbone racers and help out Jim at the Kenda booth. He swapped places from the feed zone to the Kenda camp all weekend. And yes, he too got to experience the trails of Deer Valley on Saturday afternoon.



Ryan made the trek up with us fresh out of surgery and with a tall bottle of pain meds. After we got him some food to mix with the high powered meds he was in better shape though still suffering through a lot of pain. One arm in sling and learning to perform routine tasks with one hand he helped Jim in the booth selling rubber all weekend. He also helped out the Sunday racers in the feed zone. Ryan almost had to make an early exit back to the LBC but stuck it out. Thanks Ryan!



The turnout for the amateurs cross country races at least the sport and beginners was pretty small at Park City . They were combining sport and beginners and sending off together with one or two in several age groups. Randy’s field had 12 and that was one of the larger groups.



Vanessa and I raced the Super D like cross country riders on Friday evening waiting almost an hour and half for our start time at the top of the mountain. The course was basically the same as last years and it definitely favored the downhillers and they all knew it with the fields larger than last years as the downhillers finally found a course they didn’t have to pedal any up hill or long flat sections. It started out fast with tight turns on ball bearing type stone that at high speed the downhillers eat up and the cross country riders try to keep from laying it down. I rode the Seven but put some larger Kenda rubber on in hopes of helping with the high speed cornering. I ran a couple of practice runs and thought I ran a pretty clean race from top to bottom but I barely kept it in the top ten coming across in 8th and not sure if that’s were I ended up or not. Vanessa’s first practice run left her with a comment something like, “I don’t belong on that course”. After waiting at the top and getting to run through the now ripped up turns she ran a clean run finished strong and certainly pleased to not come through the finish wearing some Utah soil. The results were ripped from the board so I’m not sure of her place either.


Randy’s cross country race went of early Saturday morning and he rode his first race of the year race at altitude like a champ finishing tenth and not feeling the best about his race legs but pleased to get the chance to ride such a beautiful course. The base of Deer Valley is about 7000’ and with 1300’ of climbing per lap it has a tendency to sap the power out of you. Thanks for making the trip Randy!



Vanessa, Ara and I went off first thing Sunday morning with my group the single speeders going off first. Ara’s group was not far behind and Ara set a blistering 41 minute first lap pace not far off the semi-pro lap times, then the altitude and the eighteen (around there) laps he ran on Saturday took its toll as he settled into an endurance race pace. Happy just to be out there he enjoyed himself as much as any of the podium finishers issuing fist pumps and Heeyahs to all spectators each time through. Vanessa started off several minutes behind Ara’s group and had a strong field to contend with as Utah seems to draw better national talent. As she came through for her third lap (which she had to do a little soul searching for) she was supposed to do an abbreviated lap but course marshals sent her out on the full loop and she rode it strong to the finish. Ara took her on a cool down ride, I’m sure talking about how much they loved and/or hated parts of the race. We all do it, and then a while later we’re ready to go do it again.



I had just finished the climb on my third lap when I heard a cracking noise as my chain dropped. I looked down to witness a severely bent chainring with only one bolt left holding it to the cranks. I had recently bought some shorter chainring bolts required for running only one ring on the crank arms and was not real happy to learn they were aluminum, designed I guess for the weight weenies. Well they can’t hold up to the kind of torque required for a single speed on the steep climbs. With each lap starting with a fairly steep climb the 32x16 gear ratio was too much for the chainring and the fatigue and stress broke the bolts and deformed splitting and bending the chainring. I wasn’t having an extremely great race at that point just out of the top five, but was feeling much better on the third lap climb. So needless to say I was very disappointed as I had to coast to the bottom of the mtn. letting the officials know I was a DNF. I rolled to my truck saw the back up bike (Ryan’s) in the back and thought I got ripped off from finishing my third lap so I pulled it down raised the saddle and locked up my broken singler in the truck and headed out to complete my third lap unofficially. It’s amazing how fun the course became when I could drop down a gear or two for the climbs and tight switchbacks. I passed several expert riders of various age groups as I felt like I was ripping up the course (it sure felt like it). I turned off through an opening in the finish shoot just before the start finish line and at least felt a little better about driving 700+ miles.



After the race we went and helped Kenda sell off some last minute inventory then headed back to shower, pack up and head south for our 11 hour ride.



Not the best results and races but it sure is gorgeous there, so I’m sure we’ll forget about the long a__ drive and be back next year for more.



Thanks again to Roger for all his help and Ryan and the rest of the Backbone team riders who made the trip.