Test your speed skills against your peers in this anaerobic hammer fest. The Sea Otter Short Track course is fast with two gradual climbs. Officials will pull all riders with the threat of being lapped. All categories will race 17 minutes plus 3 laps.

2006 Sea Otter Classic XC Course Reveiw

by Olivier Bock
MB Rider and Team Manager

MTB XC 06The Sea Otter XC course, redesigned for 2006, is sweet! But for those of you who have gotten the thing wired over the years, it's time for a rethink. The start, so critical in years past, is considerably easier with no major climbs until at least 3 miles in to the race. The entry into the singletrack will occur after a long and wide fireroad section with plenty of rain ruts to keep things interesting.

If you don't make it into the singletrack first, that's ok, relax, because there are plenty of passing opportunities up ahead. So enjoy, because this is some great new trail, fast, sweeping, like the Sea Otter of old before it got so blown out. The downhill trail transitions into an uphill trail, just across a road. Windy and fast, with some sand, there are passing opportunities if you are willing to exert yourself. This first hill will be power central, as groups paceline their way out of the woods up onto a plateau, where the first technical descent awaits...

Technical? We called this sandy descent "the beach". Keep your hands off the front brake, point your bike downhill, and hold on! This is steep and deep, with some whoops and turns; it's fast, really fun and delivers you to the low point on the course. From the bottom another singletrack climb awaits, winding up through madrone and manzanita to another plateau. Gaining nearly 500 feet of elevation in 3/4 of a mile, this is one of the toughest climbs on the course.

From there things open up, and double track quickly leads to a gravel road, taking you down to the base of a fireroad, where you begin a fast, smooth climb up another 300 feet in 1.3 miles. At the top, turn left onto some familiar singletrack (24hrs, or Sea Otter 04) which winds and rolls, eventually sending you down a series of tight, loose turns, dumping you at the bottom of "3 *****es", but in reverse.

That's right, the "3 *****es" backwards. They are considerably easier in this direction, although the first one is pretty brutal. Watch out for deep rain ruts on the back side of 2nd ***** (stay left), or your race could end early.

The next section will be familiar to veterans of the race, only this time in the other direction, but quickly you are on new ground, taking a few off-camber turns down to the next, and last, technical descent (another sandy beach). Same as before, no front brake and you will live.
MTB XC 06

One more switchback trail takes you up to a plateau, and then back down to a nicely paved road. Climb out on the road (that gets really steep) and tie back in to the old course, backwards.

The climb home is still long, but it is broken up by moderate climbs, rollers, and false flats. The wind will be a factor, and the climb gets hardest near the top, where you climb what used to be at the very start of the course and drop into a short section of singletrack before tying back in to the raceway to the finish (or the start of your second lap).

Considerations? This is a fast course, faster than ever, and "roadies" will do well (as usual). Less bumpy than the old course, a hardtail is the recommended tool. Tire choice will be important; for control on the "beaches" and fast rolling on everything else, look for high volume and low rolling resistance. Thinking single speed? This course seems custom made for the event, I'm guessing a 34x16 will be the gear under the strongest legs this year.

Overall, the Sea Otter XC has lost none of the magic that makes it into a world-class cross-country venue. The trails are awesome, the scenery and landscape are beautiful, and the racing will be as exciting as ever. Look forward to some tight finishes in the Pro events. This is going to be fun. I can't wait!