What do the top five gravity point leaders have in common? They all ride WTB Wheels, Saddles and Tires and are looking strong as the season has officially kicked off. Check out the excerpt from the latest e-newsletter from USA Cycling below.
WTB enjoyed a successful weekend in California’s Inland Empire at the official NMBS season kickoff in sunny Fontana. Starting two weeks before the Sea Otter Classic, this early-season national created an interesting vibe as dozens of international, world cup-level athletes showed up and new bikes were still being built. WTB racers Ryan Condrashoff, Brad Benedict and Amado Stachenfeld had been racing the Southridge Winter Series in Fontana prior to the event and were ready for a little extra competition.
Saturday’s mountain cross went well for Stachenfeld who took 5th in his first Semi-Pro race. Condrashoff, who had been racing a similar track throughout the winter, made it to the second round of 16 where he was in a stacked heat with the legendary Eric Carter.
Sunday was action packed. With rain coming down as we left the hotel, it was more reminiscent of a pro finals at any other national, but the track was unaltered, still dry and duffy. With a technical issue in his qualifying run, Benedict qualified in dead last, making him the first rider down the track in finals. He put up a blistering time of 2:27.85 and was in the hot seat for several minutes. Benedict’s teammate, Condrashoff, came in with 2:27.24 just in front of Benedict and putting them in 11th and 12th. Condrashoff says, “I’m stoked! Being just behind the guys that race the World Cups is great, not to mention me and Brad were the 3rd and 4th Americans. I couldn’t be more excited”
Condrashoff and Benedict both utilized WTB’s light and durable LaserDisc FR wheelset, Devo SLT saddles and a combination of Prowler MX Team DH and Prowler XT Race tires. Running the single-ply Prowler XT tire was an unorthodox, bold choice on the rocky course. But the weight savings allowed the two riders to speed along the relatively flat second half of the course known as the “wall”.
Not to be left out, WTB’s marketing manager Dain Zaffke took the win in the expert/open class in the Super D in convincing style. Check out the linked video above and pinnedmtb.com for the day-by-day break down of the weekend.
Check out the May 2008 issue of Bike Magazine. It’s a special, 170-page, 15th anniversary issue with their Editors’ Choice Awards. WTB’s Silverado Team saddle was awarded a spot in the glass trophy case. The Silverado is a real standout for endurance riding and racing, on and offroad. The saddle is available in three versions that range from the 190-gram Silverado SLT to the entry level Silverado Pro.
Charlie Kelly shreds Repack. Photo: Wende Cragg
KLUNKERZ, the critically acclaimed film that details mountain biking’s origins, will be showing at the Fairfax Documentary Film Festival on Friday, March 28th. The first showing, at 7:30 p.m., sold out quickly, so the festival added another showing at 10 p.m. This will be a special screening of the popular film, as the parking lot of the Fairfax Theater is where some of the first organized mountain bike rides in history began in 1974. Additionally, many of the cast and crew members will be in attendance and participating in a Q&A after the film.
Peri’s Silver Dollar, a local bar just up the street from the theater, is hosting a photo exhibit of Wende Cragg’s shots from 1976-78. There will be music by The RoadOilers, who contributed to the soundtrack of the film, as well as a vintage bike display. KLUNKERZ debuted in early 2007. It has now played in dozens festivals across the globe. According to filmmaker Billy Savage, “international audiences are amazed to see who this small group of hippie/athletes from Marin County created a pass time for the masses, a multi-billion dollar industry, and an Olympic event.”
photos: Ron Sawicki
WTB sponsored rider Monique “Pua” Sawicki just took 7th at the first World Cup Marathon of the season in Manavgat, Turkey. With a time of 3:45.37, she was just over 17 minutes behind the leader Pia Sundstedt of Finland. Sawicki has been a dominant force in domestic mountain bike racing, but this was her first time racing on the other side of the pond. Sawicki rides WTB Devo saddles and, depending on conditions, WTB Nano Raptor, Vulpine, Prowler MX or Raijin tires.
WTB-sponsored riders Max Plaxton and Kris Sneddon dropped by the office yesterday. The two Canadian XC racers got a full tour of WTB headquarters as well as a history lesson of our sport’s earlier days and a ripping lunch ride on some of Marin’s finest trails. Plaxton, who rides for Rocky Mountain’s pro XC team, and Sneddon, who rides for Kona’s factory XC team have been spending the winter enjoying California’s mild climate. The two riders are logging big miles right now, in preparation for a full race season of chasing UCI points. If all goes well, both Plaxton and Sneddon will be representing Canada at the Beijing Olympics. In case you’re wondering, Sneddon rides a Shadow V SLT while Plaxton prefers a Rocket V SLT.
WTB is proud to once again support Pinkbike.com’s DH team. We expect the team to tear it up this season in Canada, the U.S. and abroad. Stay posted to Pinkbike.com and WTB.com for updates throughout the season. Click the image above to read the report on Pinkbike.com.
Skiles Keith of Missingsaddle.com gives us an in-depth review of WTB’s Silverado saddle. About the sleek, cream/camo color, Skiles reports, “Urban camo is the new pink, so yeah, it’s hip.” Okay! Thanks Missingsaddle.com. Click on the image to read the entire review.
Check out the April 2008 issue of Mountain Bike Magazine. The issue’s Eye Candy section features ten pages of incredible, close-up looks at bike parts, including WTB’s new Prowler SS tire. Mountain Bike Magazine’s Ron Koch details the tire’s sipes and the traction benefits the small incisions achieve on hard-packed terrain. The issue also has a very entertaining feature story about an ongoing feud between WTB’s Mark Weir and legendary downhiller Jurgen Beneke. Click on the image to read the write-up.
Turns out even with freezing temps and pounding rain, the compound is still bustling and productive. WTB riders Ryan Condrashoff, Brad Benedict and myself took the opportunity of a day off from riding to rout a new downhill short track. With the already existing 5 corner track and a bit of consultation from infamous Downhill coach Scott Scharples, we came up with a new track that traversed the front yard including a longer more technical rock garden. Check out the shots from the track and stay tuned for the riding shots
