# Flyin' Brian 'Super D' Whack-A-Mole recap



## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

First off, let me start this by saying that Sunday's event was not a Super-D in the current interpretation of the term. Far, far from it. Nor was this IMO a 'Trail Bike DH.' To be honest I don't know how to describe this event yet but it definitely deserves its own term and category. With the need of 6 aide stations over a 5.2 mile course I think you get the idea.

Those of you fortunate enough to have ridden Dark Hollow and all of its variations over the past decade know that it is no longer a buff and easy piece of single track-quite the opposite now. With all the rain and reroutes it is a technical boulder field mixed in with fairly technical and challenging 'easy' sections. Riding it for fun is a challenge. Racing it may just be completely insane.

*Practice:* I showed up Saturday afternoon and met up with my brother and Cathy Crusher for a practice run. Myself and the bike felt fine. I felt I was riding fast I was confident and getting psyched for the next day's event. Then one tiny mistake. A hesitation at rolling over a rock as opposed to launching off caught me going over the bars in the dark, wooded technical section. I came down hard on my upper left thigh and for a split second I thought I had broken my femur. To add insult to injury, it was my first crash all year. My left forearm was mildly bruised. I had a golfball sized hematoma on my left shin. My quad was severely bruised and my left thumb-which I use to activate my Gravity Dropper was hyperextended. I shook it off and cautiously rode my way out. I was done for the day and had a hot date with a bottle of Advil.

*Race Day:* I was surprised at the turn out. All things considered it was decent for a first time event like this and considering I believe last years Super D scared away some other potentials. More so, I was surprised at just how many guys were rolling up on full blown DH race bikes. Sundays and El Cuervo's, what have you. For a moment I felt a bit under gunned on my 5" Spitfire. 
The turn out of Pro's was very decent. In year's past it would be an act of god to get a Pro out to race a Super D. But there they were in their skin suits, full face helmets and 5.10's on flat pedals all on pinner 5" bikes with DH casing tires. The apprehension about my bike went away. 
The 30-39 Cat1 Men's consisted of myself, Krispy, Summit and another guy on an Iron Horse Sunday. It was a mixed bag of bikes in our class with mine being the smallest, Summit on a more appropriate Slope Style and Krispy on his secret Reign X setup with a 38 ring. We were all sporting the Carl Decker Lego Man XC Super D look. 
Krispy went off first and that was the last we saw of him. With 2 minute intervals it's a lot of time to make up to catch the rabbit. Mr. Iron Horse Sunday went next and despite the 'uphill' start, he was hauling the mail. I was next. Then Summit giving chase. 
I rode the top fairly decent and quick. Got a little squirly on the very first right hander and almost cased the big rock on the outside. But I got it together and led into the first switchback. On practice day I tagged my driveside pedal hard enough that I almost went over the bars and it took a good chunk of metal out of it. I knew going there to not run my brand new XTR pedals as they would be worthless afterwards, so I swapped them out for the old pair. After practice I swapped them out for a pair of DX platform clipless as I would be tagging my pedals all through the second techy section. Right before the race Tim Morris and I walked this first upper tech section as we were both striking pedals and found some lines way off to the left instead of inside to the right. This proved beneficial as I cleaned both sections without incident and headed over to the meadow and the short false flat climb.

Here I raised my seat took a swig of water as my mouth was completely dry and then as soon as I spit the Camelbak hose out of my mouth I was on the high speed fireroad. Don't let the term 'fireroad' fool you. It is washed out in sections and super loosey goosey. Apparently it laid claim to Pro Naish Ulmer who decided it would be best to play Superman on it. With the fireroad quickly behind me I was in the thick of the *****. And for some reason I just shut down mentally. I was completely gripped, couldn't relax and starting making mistake after mistake. Eventually I came up to the rock that took me out the day before and hit it at speed. I quickly found out why I hesitated the day before as my 13" BB just jammed the bashguard into it and I almost came to a complete stop. Sloppy riding led to a couple of low speed get-offs and I forced myself to shut it down. After my final get-off I heard the slap of a chain and saw Summit come screaming by. He was flowing through the tech almost effortlessly. His body was slung low and it appeared that he was off the brakes and just letting the bike do it's thing.

After that I just cruised the remaining half of the course and just had a bit of fun. I knew it was over with a rider passing so I just tried to enjoy myself. Eventually Scott Crabill came screaming past on the last sketchy, off camber corner and pedalled off.

In the end, I took *EDIT:* Fourth Place out four riders. Apparently the guy ahead of me on the Sunday ended up seperating his shoulder somewhere towards the end of the course *EDIT:* and still manage to crush it (results were just posted). Krispy took the win and one of the faster times of the day. Summit finished with a very respectable time. 
*****************************
It'll be interesting if Ron can pull this event off again next year. I think that once the word gets out this event could be huge. I would just offer up the suggestion that he not try and pigeon hole or define it as a Super D, etc....as the current race terms offer no real definition as to what it really is. It's too short and waay too technical to be an Ashland or Downieville. It's technical enough to be a 'mega' something, but doesn't offer up the length.

In talking with Krispy, etc... I don't even know how one could train for an event like this up here. Unless you live close to Brian Head or can afford to travel down there on weekends, we have nothing like Dark Hollow up north to practice on. I guess you could ride the stairs behind the University Library and have your friends throw medicine balls at you, but no where do we have a system of trails that require your brain to not turn off or blink for a second for 20+ minutes straight and leave you completely drained and achy afterwards.

Despite the fact that I can barely walk up a few stairs or lift my left leg high enough to get my sock off and how much I've cursed at how sore my arm, thumb and the rest of my body are right now. I can't stop thinking about what it meant to be a part of an event like that and what I would/will do differently next year.

Hats off to Ron for making it happen.

*For those interested, bike set up (for better or worse):*
2010 Banshee Spitfire w/RP23
Fox Float 150 QR15 
4" Gravity Dropper Turbo
Easton Haven wheelset
Maxxis Exogrid 2.5" single ply front converted to tubeless w/Stans. 
Maxxis 2.35 High Roller LUST w/Stans
Race Face Atlas lowrise bars cut to 30"
Shimano XT crankset (now with a nice long gouge in one arm)
34 single ring mated to an SRS+ (probably better served with a 36 ring if you can keep your legs from getting too chooched before the last few micro climbs). 
SRAM XO mid cage rear derailleur (I wouldn't run your fancy derailleurs-this one took a big strike and luckily still works).

Next year I would probably run a full 2-ply DH front tire and perhaps the same on rear or an Exogrid converted to tubeless. I would also entertain running flats and a full face foregoing the standard Legoman look. Despite the fact there there are a handful of climbs, they are super short. In most cases people were just hopping off the bike and running up the steep, rocky 6 feet or so. The two 'extended' climbs are short lived and just more of an annoyance than anything. You don't have to be a fast climber to win this race, quite the opposite from your ho-hum Super D's which are now just glorified XC short track events and offer up nothing except the chance to sprint on buff single track on your XC bike for 14 minutes.

Upper, 'non-techy' section of Dark Hollow circa 2009 (I believe this was the section right after you get through the first two techy switchback sections at the very top a little ways before the climb up to the fireroad, right beyond the rider ahead of me was the second aide station/checkpoint):


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## NoahColorado (Aug 3, 2004)

Sounds fun! Wish I would have known!


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

....deleting extra long review i've been working on all day....

excellent post....

and to think i was going to make a mega post about this and kindly ask you not to muck it up with pics of chumley's mom so i could cross post it on other forums....

Krispy the top 5/ expert winner/ pro loser


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> ....deleting extra long review i've been working on all day....
> 
> excellent post....
> 
> ...


I'm too beat up and sore right now to do anything along those lines. I'm still sitting here debating about what to run next year and it's only been a day. 
Full blown DH tires? Flats? Full face? Go all Mark Wier and skinsuit it? It's a super tough race to figure out even before you're in the start gate. Just the mental fatigue of having to be 'on it' for 20+ minutes is just insane. You cannot think about anything else other than where you're at and what you're doing at that exact moment or else you're going to get spanked. All the while your cardio is through the roof as you're starting above 11,000 feet. It's just insane. I don't think there is anything like it here in the States.

The only definition I could come up with right now about the race was 'Whack-A-Mole' as that is almost what it feels like. Crazy.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Haha freakin awesome writeup! I'll post some thoughts up later - also got some POV chasing pro Matt Johnston down the course Sat night practice, so will post something from that if it turns out. 

And FWIW I am a big fan of the Legoman SuperDork getup. Tried it at Sol Vista and I'm never going back.

P.S. slc, have you raced the Ho-Down Super D? It's not as gnar as Dark Hollow, but pretty similar in length and still pretty damn tech. And of course lacking the altitude component of Bri Head. You should do it this year if not.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

I would definitely let Ron know how you (or anyone who was there/wants to do this in the future) know how much they liked it. From what I understand it was an undertaking to get this to happen and quite expensive. You can PM me for his email if someone doesn't have it.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

OK..

So i'm feeling like i've smoked crack through a redbull can on the drive down- i've got goose bumps and it's 93 degrees in Beaver Ut. I'm staring at my bike through the rear view more than i'm wtching the road. Beastie Boys circa "93 is cranked to 11.

Sneak in a practice run at sunset fri eve. Feelin pretty good.

Saturday i've promised myself that i'm taking ti easy so i don't drain the legs! Run 1 goes great. Run 2....i've got MJ the pro downhiller behind me and he can corner like...well let's just say he's qualified for a world cup...i'm puttin the hurt on him during the short ups just so he isn't rubbing my tire on the descents. At one point i've got him by a lil bit so he "leans back and starts choppin broccoli" . Damn it he caught me again and i'm going beyond race pace because i wouldn't risk going this speed during my actual run. i explode. Sprained wrist (not my bad wrist, just the other bad wrist) and it's turning purple. I've got raspberries on 6 parts of the body. The secret Reign X is all bent up. Good thing i bring spares to races.

Sat eve- i'm getting drunk, and i bummed a pain killer off a guy in the pits. I don't know if i can race but the beer will get me through the night. I figure if i can race then i'll run the front tire super soft, so in my haze i glue my tires onto the rim at the campsite. I stay up as late as i can drinking. Nothin like sleeping on the ground all wounded. Come to find out later the pain killer is some experimental drug they give to heroin addicts. I travel into another dimention in my tent that night, dreaming of racing with one hand on a Stingray. 

I awake and still feel very wierd and coffee isn't helping. I get an EMT to tape up my wrist and it almost feels barely OK. I say screw it i'll try to race. Thank you adrenalin!! Somehow my hand is working OK and i lay the wood while sticking to the ground and not catching one inch of air to keep the wrist pain at a minimum.

I didn't break 20 minutes, but i won expert overall and got top 5, about 1 minute off the fastest time. I knew it would be tough but faced with adversity it's now even more memorable than ever.


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

Great write-ups guys. This was definitely the coolest race I've done on a MTB and I can't even begin to remember all the races I've done. I'll have to get some thoughts together about my Dark Hollow weekend and add them to this thread.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

Wanna hear somthin funny? The guy with the million dollar motor home and the hummer, he's a super d specialist type (the 29er hardtail/lycra type- not the Legoman X- DH'er type) and he didn't race.

Gotta love Dark Hollow!


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Wanna hear somthin funny? The guy with the million dollar motor home and the hummer, he's a super d specialist type (the 29er hardtail/lycra type- not the Legoman X- DH'er type) and he didn't race.
> 
> Gotta love Dark Hollow!


So. Awesome.


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## murd (Oct 30, 2008)

Where was the start and finish of the Super D?


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Start was on top of the hill - just after the steepest part of the climb from the parking lot. Finish was where Dark Hollow singletrack meets second left hand canyon road (?)

OK... here's my blog entry!

I’d been thinking – no, obsessing - about the Dark Hollow Super D since the misery that was the Sol Vista, Colorado National Championships Super D. That experience, one of an enforced mass-start sprint to our bikes, choking on dust, and pedaling what amounted to a glorified XC course, had me doubting the future of the discipline formerly known as Super Descent.

But I knew that with the right race, with the right track requiring a balanced mix of bike handling skills and pedaling fitness (and a time trial format), I could really find my strength in mountain bike racing. So I focused on Dark Hollow. I rode cross-country a lot. I pushed my middle ring on every climb I normally grannied. Dry Gulch to Bobsled, everything on the Crest but Puke Hill… I forced myself to max out and suffer. I even rode the Snowbird tram and did sprint intervals at 11,000’ elevation, nearly puking in the process. It was the most I’d ever focused on, or trained for, any event in my life. That is, until the weekend prior to the event. 

A buddy and I rallied for Brian Head early on a Saturday, intent on camping and getting a jump on learning the Dark Hollow course. Instead, monsoon moisture shut us down. And for some reason, it mentally crushed me. I was coming off a full week of schmoozing at Outdoor Retailer, and suddenly found myself unable to ride, committed to other events, and I stopped training. I drank too much beer. I nearly gave up. 

Saturday morning of race weekend I was on the road by 7:30AM, a minor miracle. I felt like a cornered animal must, kinda terrified but ready to lash out and attack whatever needed dealing with. Contained panic. And I felt out of shape and slow. 

Practice that afternoon both put me at ease, and on edge. I lucked into a lap with the Go-Ride boys, a good omen right off the bat. And like usual, without any cruxes to worry about, I flowed the trail the first time through like I already knew it. Of course Krispy and MJ, battling it out in a premature battle royale, were long gone – [email protected] not far off their pace. But Joss and I rallied and I was feeling good. Still, knowing the monster only added to the anticipation. 

After some food and downtime, I shuttled back up for a run with my Chainsmoke Racing teammate Carter Lee. After a quick pedal through the flats up top, we dropped in to the first technical rock garden. Railed through the turns and nailed a rock gap I’d noticed the first time… then heard the hiss of a flat tire. As soon as I pulled off, I heard Carter’s yells of pain echoing through the woods. ****. Running up a steep-as-balls trail at 11,000’ ain’t easy, and I only managed about twenty steps before slowing to a walk. I found Carter 50’ down the side of the mountain, off the trail, his helmet crushed on a boulder. He was awake, alert and in pain, so I accompanied him back to the trailhead where he was able to get a ride back to rest and recovery at the resort. Scary stuff. More clutter for my headspace—don’t. fall. there. I managed one more practice lap that evening, a more leisurely ride inspecting sections with MJ playing coach to his Cannonball Racing crew. A much better note to end the day with. 

Sunday morning, I was just calm. A bit nervous, but calm. And somehow, somewhat confident. A mellow spin up to the peak of Brian Head was the perfect warm-up. Then rolled to the start line. At first I was relieved to be in the sweeper spot for Cat 1 30-39, knowing the gunners ahead of me. That was, until I realized that Scott @ Go-Ride was right behind me. Back to being the bunny. 

The first few minutes of the race were all concentration. Pedal. What’s the line on the next corner? Push to turn. Stay loose, low, elbows out. Pedal. PEDAL. Drop into the first rock garden, through the switchbacks, vision, stay loose, flow it, let the bike do the work. PEDAL. It was a couple minutes past the first technical zone that I started to smile. Downhill races don’t give you time to think, but Dark Hollow did. I had time to realize exactly where I was: racing, rallying, pushing my limits on one of the best, shuttled trail rides in the country. In perfect weather, racing against good friends, in one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. 

And it all just flowed from there. Turned in my best performance of the year—both mentally and physically. I never completely blew myself up, though maybe I should have. Had a few close calls, but recovered them all. Scared me a bit/surprised me a lot seeing slcrmr on the side of the trail, asked if he was OK, he just shouted encouragement so I rolled on. Pedaled through all the tricky ups, cleaned all but one step-up over a tricky rock. Lost maybe two seconds there. Otherwise, couldn’t have been happier with my run. Turned in a 21:50, good for 2nd place Cat 1 30-39. And yeah, I’ll take 2nd to Krispy any day, even if he smoked me by 1:30.

P.S. Healing vibes to Dave who separated his shoulder in his race run… this was his first-ever Super D. He is a ripping rider, a regular on the Cat 1 DH podium and a super good guy. He actually rode out his race run on a jacked shoulder and even stuck around for awards. Just amazing.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

slcrockymountainrider said:


> Got a little squirly on the very first right hander and almost cased the big rock on the outside.


Heh. Pretty sure I smashed my left pedal into that rock every single time I rode the trail this weekend.


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Congrats on the good runs guys. Great write-ups all. Made me want to be there. Sounds like a perfect venue for the Knolly.
Love to see that POV footage when you get a chance to post it up, Summit.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

You know, even after reading all this and my own words it still doesn't lend any justice to this race/course. Like I mentioned, it's one thing to go out on a group ride and take a trip down Dark Hollow with your friends. It's completely different to try and do this at race speed with all the pressures, etc... that come along with competition. Adding to that, besides the first climb up to the dirt road, you really don't have too many spots where you can just let go and relax. Even that nice, flat meadow towards the middle is basically a 14" wide U-shaped wedge of a trail that just grabs at your front tire. I ended up hopping up into the grass as I felt it to be a bit quicker and less sketchy to deal with wet grass than a manicured rut. 
What makes it even that more challenging is that you're hitting it right after a gully basically, littered with big, unyielding rocks. Like Krispy mentioned early on "You either have to play it safe and pick your lines or just go for it and monster truck over them all."

I'm glad I threw down the $$$ and made it down for this event.


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

murd said:


> Where was the start and finish of the Super D?


The start was at the top of the short climb from the parking lot and the finish was when the singletrack met 2nd left hand road. So, essentially 5+ miles of super fun singletrack with a 30 second section of highspeed fire road.


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

I was hoping for some detailed race reports. Did anybody jot down a few thoughts?


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

I got one....where the h3ll were you? 

Let's see...
JMH qualifications for Dark Hollow Super D...
1. Fitness - former Pro Roadie...check
2. Bike - 7" travel 29er....check
3. Travel - wife rides too, no kids...check
4. Excuses - ??????????????????????????????????????


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

awesome write-up!


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## mr. welcorn (May 14, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> I got one....where the h3ll were you?
> 
> Let's see...
> JMH qualifications for Dark Hollow Super D...
> 2. Bike - 7" travel :drumroll: 29er :drumroll:....check


There, that's better, I almost didn't know what you were talking about.


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> I got one....where the h3ll were you?
> 
> Let's see...
> JMH qualifications for Dark Hollow Super D...
> ...


Nobody _personally_ invited me.

BooYa!

Actually, I had a really lame ride to do in the Uintas, which I can't recommend to anybody unless their idea of fun is riding UP moose hollow twice, like it was a few years ago with all the logs, and then riding down a boring meadow trail lined entirely with old-growth thistles. Don't worry, there were sheep everywhere.

Yeah, the race sounds like it would have been a better choice.

Oh, and it's only 5" of insane :drumroll::drumroll:29er:drumroll::drumroll: travel.

And I think MTBR will let you say Hell. But that doesn't mean that you don't have very good personal reasons for not using strong language, and I respect the $hit out of that.

JMH


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

*What Tires For Dark Hollow Super D?*

I think this is one of the few places where the dreaded _'What Tires For....X'_ is actually appropriate. Or more appropriately, _'What Bike For Dark Hollow Super D?' _

Like Krispy eluded too, no one showed up on wagon wheels so that may be the 'X factor' with this event as the bike selection was all over the spectrum - minus hardtails and fixies. Like any trail the bigger wheel would probably excel in spots and be a burden in others. But even like the smaller wheeled bikes, you'd want the mental security of knowing they weren't going to fold at any given point.

At the start seeing all those DH rigs pulling up I was second guessing my choice, but after dwelling on it for a bit I don't know how much of an advantage one would have in any particular age group/class on a big bike. Obviously, the pro's showed up on small travel, light bikes and made due. But in some of the CAT 1/2 classes, a full on DH bike (or the opposite) could set you apart from the guys/gals you're up against.

It would basically boil down to how small/light of a bike could you personally run and feel comfortable riding that course at speed. And then making tweaks like tire choice, etc... to dial in the comfort/risk factor.

PS, I received an email from Ron explaining that this is how he envisioned Super D as being. Too bad NORBA and it's current incarnation have taken and bastardized the event into another XC deal. I would still urge him not to label it as such in the future as I think it gives the wrong impression and could scare away people who would otherwise be attracted to an event like this. Anywhoo.

BTW, JMH I personally invited you to this when I said "Hey, did you watch Friends last night? Freakin' awesome. I have it recorded on betamax if you want to borrow it.' Apparently you misinterpreted this.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

slcrockymountainrider said:


> PS, I received an email from Ron explaining that this is how he envisioned Super D as being. Too bad NORBA and it's current incarnation have taken and bastardized the event into another XC deal. I would still urge him not to label it as such in the future as I think it gives the wrong impression and could scare away people who would otherwise be attracted to an event like this. Anywhoo.


Personally I would keep it labeled as a Super D. That race is what Super D is all about - long, overall downhill with a few quick ups and some flats where pedaling fitness is a key component to placing well.

No one goes to Downieville expecting a mellow XC pedal through the woods. While bikes have gotten smaller and lighter for that course, no one is rocking a hardtail (at least no one in contention). We just have to build a similar reputation here in Utah. The racers will come.

Basically, Ron is spot on and I don't think we should walk away from the Super D name just because USAC has bastardized the event into what is essentially a point-to-point cross country race with a net loss in elevation from point A to point B... but lots of climbing in the middle.

Downieville, Ashland, Moab, I've heard great things about the Oregon Super D series as well... they are all in the same vein. FOR SURE Dark Hollow is on the gnarly end of that spectrum, which balances out great with more rollercoaster buff trails like Ashland. Let's fight to keep Super D what it should be.

----
Also, Ron mentioned at awards that they are heading up to do some trail work and routing for a potential big new Super D at Pomerelle that would descend all the way to the valley, along the same lines as the downhill/tech/length as Dark Hollow (maybe longer?). I believe he said the date was sometime in late August. Could be the beginnings of a legit, Intermountain Super D series.


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## monkeywrenchMoose (Feb 23, 2010)

I am so bummed I missed this!! I crashed the week prior in Breckenridge and sliced my knee open real good so I cant ride until this weekend. 

THIS sounds like the type of racing that I would excel at. THIS is what I envision Super D as being. This sounds like the type of race that really rewards the rider who can do everything well. It is semi close to Salt Lake and seems like a good venue. I have already signed up for the Ho-Down Super D which sounds very similar to this, albeit a little less technical and a little lower altitude. I will definitely be doing this next year. Hope to see all you guys at the Ho-Down. 

Does anyone know of any good video of the course?


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

P.S. re: tires, I was EXTREMELY happy with my big 2.5 dual-ply full DH tires + 6" trail bike combo.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

Quotes from people that don't dork out on the Net..

Pro women's winner- "That truly was the best race I've ever done! Hopefully we'll be able to do it again next year! "

Pro men's 4th place- "That was right up there with the Mt St Anne WC in terms of the coolest race i've ever done. I've been racing for 20 years and never done anything like that!!! I'd consider selling my DH bike to build a SD specific bike if there were more races like this"


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## monkeywrenchMoose (Feb 23, 2010)

Summit, curious as to what bike you are riding? Would this be doable on a Spesh Pitch?


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

Maybe if he just changed it up a bit to 'Super Downhill' or 'Super Descent', instead of just 'Super D.' I get the reasoning behind it, it's just that all the media coverage, like that in MBAction, our past Utah State Super D series courses, etc... have put a different idea of the venue into people's minds. 
When I first starting racing Super D back in 2006 the turn out was quite decent. At the Deer Valley NORBA event the next year there were like 300 participants. A year later at the very last DV NORBA event it died off, even though the course was (from what I understand) the most technical Super D course at a NORBA event ever-_Carl Decker raced it on a Giant Glory in his Legoman get up._ But by then it was too late. Too many lame, XC oriented races filled with climbs that suited hardtail 29'ers and racers with zero technical skill. Those of you who raced Wolf Creek last year will know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, my two.5 cents.


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

JMH said:


> Nobody _personally_ invited me.
> 
> BooYa!
> 
> ...


Everyone on the 29er forum knows a 5" 29er rolls at least as well as a 7" 26er. :thumbsup: I'm calling Shenanigans.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

Although i didn't flat, and like light tires, my Maxxis Minion EXO (850g) and Schwalbe Big Betty FR (890g) tires were pretty spot on. I got a little loose in spots and would be willing to try DH tires.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

monkeywrenchMoose said:


> Summit, curious as to what bike you are riding? Would this be doable on a Spesh Pitch?


I was riding a 2008 Intense SS, 2-ring setup, Elka rear and Lyric Solo Air DH 170 up front. And it just so happens I just picked up a Pitch Pro on the cheap for a more XC-friendly setup... so should be able to tell you shortly either way. The Cat 1 men's 19-29 winner was on an Enduro Comp (beat me by like 1.5 seconds, agh!), which has very similar travel/geo... I bet the Pitch would do great there. And it'll shred in Moab. See you at the Ho-Down!

Oh as far as vids, I started editing last night. Hope to have something posted later tonight. I just couldn't post up 20+ minutes of unedited POV trail riding... pure torture.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

2nd place pro ran Kenda 2.35 Carters, DH rear and DTC front.

1st place pro ran (luckily/amazingly) 2.35 Small block with a DH tube and high pressure rear, Conti triangle pattern 2.2 front (mountain king?). He run what he brung though and i truely feel he got lucky! 140 qr fork, seatpost waaaay high, 3 rings!!!!


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> Everyone on the 29er forum knows a 5" 29er rolls at least as well as a 7" 26er. :thumbsup: I'm calling Shenanigans.


Technically speaking, you're not quite correct...

Nobody on the 29er forum knows anything.

JMH


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Although i didn't flat, and like light tires, my Maxxis Minion EXO (850g) and Schwalbe Big Betty FR (890g) tires were pretty spot on. I got a little loose in spots and would be willing to try DH tires.


Best way to test your tire choice would be to just run your bike into a set of concrete steps over and over again and see what the flatting/bursting point is. 
I noticed after my janky practice run that a brand new 2.35" High Roller LUST had a nice gash in the sidewall. It wasn't deep enough to flat but that was after one run.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> 2nd place pro ran Kenda 2.35 Carters, DH rear and DTC front.
> 
> 1st place pro ran (luckily/amazingly) 2.35 Small block with a DH tube and high pressure rear, Conti triangle pattern 2.2 front (mountain king?). He run what he brung though and i truely feel he got lucky! 140 qr fork, seatpost waaaay high, 3 rings!!!!


It had to be his head to toe black skin suit that was the kicker there. I guess that still shows that the XC guys can still be a threat at an event like this. Make up time in other areas. Also speaks volumes (or not) about bike/tire choice.


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## Evan55 (Jul 23, 2009)

legoman look = XC lid with goggles?


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

Evan55 said:


> legoman look = XC lid with goggles?


None other than the man who made it famous. It was a bit funny watching him race the last Deer Valley NORBA Super D in this get-up on a Giant Glory.


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## Evan55 (Jul 23, 2009)

please no. please please no.....









anyway, sounds like a super fun event. I say keep it as SuperD and fight the norba nimrods watering down the term.


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## bhd (Aug 17, 2010)

http://www.utahdh.org/flyin_brian_sunday_super_d_100815.pdf

Whack-a-mole results are posted.


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## murd (Oct 30, 2008)

Very nice! Are the winning times posted up anywhere?


Edit* Spotted them at the bottom. Thanks!


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## joelsman (Apr 4, 2006)

maybe AMD for a name.
All
Mountain
Downhill

that race sounds super fun.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Put a little edit together from Saturday practice.

teasers...
shaka @ 0:39
legomen @ 1:32
faceplant @ 1:40






Thanks to Joss for mostly playing rabbit, probably unknowingly.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

Dude! Nice job on the vid! As usual, the rocks don't look like much via helmet cam. The singletrack looks sweet though!!!


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Thanks man, yeah the jiggling of the helmet cam at least gives you an idea of the roughness... stupid POV smoothing everything out...


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

Yeah, I didn't stick around for awards as I needed to meet my new nephew for the first time. Initially I was told I took a lack luster Third and after just sort of relaxing and riding for riding's sake I didn't feel it was an earned Third, especially after a guy was taken out with an injury. But I just found out he crashed towards the end of the course and managed to finish so good on him for nutting up and crushing it out of there. Edited OP here and the cross thread in the Utard Forum.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

joelsman said:


> maybe AMD for a name.
> All
> Mountain
> Downhill
> ...


I think that's a great name for something like this. Super D sounds cool, but I don't need to rehash what I think of those events now.


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## derby (Jan 12, 2004)

*Avalanche DH*



slcrockymountainrider said:


> I think that's a great name for something like this. Super D sounds cool, but I don't need to rehash what I think of those events now.


Have you seen the Avalanche DH series in Europe on the Universal Sports Channel (cable)?

Your race sounds similar in length and difficulty some of the Avalanche races have in some sections. They use mostly 5 - 6 inch travel since there's lots of pedaling, wearing pads, and a mass start from the top of a ski lift access to the town finish below.

Great writeups! I've got to get to BH someday soon.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

derby said:


> Have you seen the Avalanche DH series in Europe on the Universal Sports Channel (cable)?
> 
> Your race sounds similar in length and difficulty some of the Avalanche races have in some sections. They use mostly 5 - 6 inch travel since there's lots of pedaling, wearing pads, and a mass start from the top of a ski lift access to the town finish below.
> 
> Great writeups! I've got to get to BH someday soon.


Yeah, I've watched all of those on Freecaster.tv. To be honest, this was waaay more technical than those events (at least the one's I've seen), especially those held in England. The only real similarity is that those are held primarily on trails with very little or no climbing.

Not to take anything away from those events, as they look super fun, I doubt someone like bhd could show up on a full blown DH rig and still eek out a decent time (even without a seperated shoulder) at one of those.

BTW, I just found out *bhd* is Mr. Iron Horse Sunday in the coveted 30-39 CAT1 class. I didn't know his name until the results were posted late yesterday. He managed a seperated shoulder after the last check point/aid station and still managed to finish with a respectable time-all the while nursing his shoulder and managing what I can only guess was a 40+ lb bike. The terrain that he had to walk/ride out at that point was not all downhill and he still had to climb out of the creek and up the last, short, root infested pitch before descending to the finish. That's pretty epic IMO. He put up a post about in the Utah forum a little while if you want to read about all the details.


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## V-Dub (Jan 27, 2004)

A few photos from the event. . .


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

Hmmm 50/50 Legoman/ Fullface-goggles with the nice addition of one fullface with glasses!


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Nice pics V-Dub! You weren't there were you??

I kinda like the sounds of BriAvalanche...


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## V-Dub (Jan 27, 2004)

Nope, just the desk jockey put in charge of getting the photos up on the interwebs.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

V-Dub said:


> A few photos from the event. . .


Jeez. Well at least I looked good. Can't tell from the photo but my front wheel washed a bit and for a second I thought I was going to tag that big rock on the first right hander.

I like Joss's terminator goggles (at least I think that's him?).

Too bad there weren't any photogs down lower. The last few give an idea of what you get into after the top, flaty warm up section. Mr. Iron Horse Sunday sprinted that section like he was on a 4" bike I can only imagine how nice it would have been to be on a bike like that Sunday coming off the top of the mountain through all that chop. I was already tired at that point with the 11,000+ ft starting elevation. The first photo is him (bhd) in the start gate sans goggles.


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

Here's the only photo I have of the race. I'm celebrating my victory over myself with my son, Caedan.


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Hmmm 50/50 Legoman/ Fullface-goggles with the nice addition of one fullface with glasses!


50/50 with packs as well. I ran an abridged version with just a couple swigs of water, spare tube, CO2 and pump. Even running tubeless I didn't want to get stuck having to walk out all that way in clipless shoes with a flat.


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## kidwoo (Aug 11, 2004)

Man that sounds like what super D races should be. INDIVIDUAL TIMED


Most of the reason I don't race super Ds is because 1. running to your bike isn't bike riding and 2. Throwing fifty guys on sigletrack at one time is just stupid.


That trail looks awesome.


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2005)

kidwoo said:


> Man that sounds like what super D races should be. INDIVIDUAL TIMED
> 
> Most of the reason I don't race super Ds is because 1. running to your bike isn't bike riding and 2. Throwing fifty guys on sigletrack at one time is just stupid.
> 
> That trail looks awesome.


WE EVEN HAD 2 MINUTE TIME GAPS!!!! I still caught a guy on his DH bike though, hehe.


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## PepperJester (Jan 2, 2003)

Looks like a really good time!


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

Bump for this year's event, Sunday August 14. Stokered!


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## TitaniumV12 (May 16, 2011)

Wow this stuff looks like a high speed blast and hop friendly at sections times!


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## bhd (Aug 17, 2010)

So, last year I gave it a go on my DH bike. I remember it being really fun up until...pedal, rock, tree, shoulder. This year I threw a 9 speed cog and chain guide on my 4" slopestyle bike (no dropper post). About halfway through chunder forest it was no longer fun. My hands were going numb, and I knew the guys on bigger bikes would be carrying much more speed than me. I turned one ear behind me so I'd be able to quickly get out of the way of the two chasing me (Jody on his Demo 8, and Krispy behind him). Why Ron started me first in a Super D is beyond me. I might be OK on a shorter DH course, but...

I came into some runoff/mud and thought I had a safe line picked, when my front tire vanished and I ragdolled. That put out whatever fire was left in me. I got up and made sure nothing was broken (whew), and heard chain slap in the distance. Jody was coming, and he found the same mud hole as me, just about went OTB. I don't know how he saved it, but he did and kept charging. I got moving again and again kept one ear behind me so I could get out of Krispy's way. I heard him coming just after the 2nd creek crossing, and got out of his way. He charged up the hill and was gone.

After two years and two different bikes, I'd say if you don't have a 6" bike, use the big bike. Oh, and train a bit for this one. It's long.


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

bhd said:


> After two years and two different bikes, I'd say if you don't have a 6" bike, use the big bike. Oh, and train a bit for this one. It's long.


... and it's advisable to run 2-ply tires. I flatted after the first rock garden, super lame. Still a really fun weekend though!


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> OK..
> 
> So i'm feeling like i've smoked crack through a redbull can on the drive down- i've got goose bumps and it's 93 degrees in Beaver Ut. I'm staring at my bike through the rear view more than i'm wtching the road. Beastie Boys circa "93 is cranked to 11.
> 
> ...


man that is a Shiver Hall of Fame Story !!!


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Summit said:


> ... and it's advisable to run 2-ply tires. I flatted after the first rock garden, super lame. Still a really fun weekend though!


Dang. I missed this one again. Sounds like a killer fun time.

They planning any other Super Ds in Brianhead (or up north for that matter) this fall?


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## Summit (Mar 25, 2004)

KRob said:


> Dang. I missed this one again. Sounds like a killer fun time.
> 
> They planning any other Super Ds in Brianhead (or up north for that matter) this fall?


All I'm aware of in Utah is Wolf mtn over Labor Day weekend, Moab Ho-Down Halloween weekend, and a Humdinger somewhere in between the two...


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## Bortis Yelltzen (May 18, 2004)

Summit said:


> All I'm aware of in Utah is Wolf mtn over Labor Day weekend, Moab Ho-Down Halloween weekend, and a Humdinger somewhere in between the two...


Humdinger blog has been updated with date for 3rd event.


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## murd (Oct 30, 2008)

Are the 2011 results and times posted anywhere?


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