For a country with basically zero border patrol Andorra is quite possibly the coolest country I have ever visited, stuck between the border of Spain and France you would hardly know it exists, if it wasn’t for the Downhill World Cup round being held there for the first time in 2008 I doubt I would know it exists.
Coming into the 3rd round of the Downhill World Cup I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from Andorra after racing there last year but for Ryan, Mike D and Theo it was a whole new experience for them so it was cool to show them around the parts I knew. The sun came out for the first day of practice but it ended up being a pretty rough day for Ryan and myself with crashes catching us out as the course got dryer and faster.
Qualifying was really tight in Andorra and you couldnt afford to make any major mistakes, Ryan didnt have a great run but managed to make it into the finals 77th place, my run went pretty well apart from a small moment where I was heading straight for a spectator on the side of the track but still putting in enough for 64th.
The forecast for race day was rain but we woke up to another fine day so I was just hoping it would hold out for the rest of the day. Luckily after a good morning practice the sun was still out and we were both feeling confident heading into the finals.
Ryan was 3rd out of the gate for finals and after a good run went straight into the hot seat where he got to hang out for a while in front of the cameras until he was knocked out by one of the young australians. My run went pretty well apart from stuggling a bit with the first part of the track until I got into the tree section where I felt really good and I ended up coming through the line second just .01 of a second up on Ryan. My time ended up placing me in 47th with Ryan right behind in 48th.
Do you ever dream you could head out to the local park to play on a pump track, practice riding some skinnys, or take turns hitting some wall rides & jumps with your friends? Maybe you just wish there was well-made, legal singletrack within your city parks.
SF Urban Riders has been hard at work, pushing those dreams that much closer to reality.
The group has undergone a fair amount of growth and development over the last year, and along with officially becoming a non profit chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), has selected an interim board of directors and launched a completely revamped website:
SF Urban Riders is hosting a public meeting and social this coming Wednesday, 5/27/09 from 6-8pm at Sports Basement Potrero Hill. Come out to meet your fellow mountain bike advocates and get involved with the development of trails and bicycle skills parks in San Francisco. SF Urban Riders will be showing off their newest conceptual maps for McLaren Park trail and bike park improvements, giving a tour of the website and seeking public feedback and suggestions. This will be a BYOB event.
rideSFO
