Downieville All-Mountain Race Recap - Jordan Lopez

Hey Everybody,
All I can say is - "WOW...I'm glad that's over".
"The Downieville All Mountain Classic" is a race unlike any other and it tests every rider differently, but tests you none the less.
In climbing over 3250' in 20 miles on day one, riding through several rivers, mud pits and descending through snow drifts and loose rocks and waterfall...Downieville has it all.

XC:
Up until this point and with my season being primarily up in Oregon for the Oregon Super D Series and other Southern Oregon events, my training has been focused primarily on intervals and keeping a high pace for 25-40min. With this being said and with the Downieville XC being 1hour & 50min long (first hour is climbing), this race worked me over. I was ill prepared for this climb and I know that my race run this and the following day suffered for it. I finished in 36th overall for the day, but I knew the following day would be my saving grace.

DH:
The downhill course for 2011 was significantly shortened, 17miles to 14miles, due to a high snow volume on Sunrise Trail, and the course was a bit slower than previous years. This lack of speed was due to the myriad of issues previously mentioned. In my race run my focus was to try and stay smooth and get over and through the rough sections that were ending other riders runs. I had one good "get off" in a shale section on "1st divide" where the bike came to a stop and I jumped over the bars and ran down the hill. I finished the race in 22nd place overall with a time of 42:33.7. There were section on the course where I could have gone faster and pushed harder, but my desire to finish the race in one piece superseded my desire to go faster.

All Mountain Finishes:
XC - 36th
DH - 22nd

I want to thank you all for your support and products that have gotten me to this mid-point in the season:
PO1NT Stem - 90mm stem was perfect for the long climbs and rolling flats
Honey Stinger - Gave me the nutrition and quick energy I needed pre, during and post race
GAMUT USA - Guided my Chain and Protected my Drive system from the millions of rocks that were out to kill it
Enduro Fork Seals - Kept my forks, pivots and shock working smooth and consistent through all the grime and mud
ODI Grips - Kept my hands on the grips through the jarring of the dissents
CrankBrothers - Easy access into and out of the pedals through the mud sections and my wheels never bent or slowed down
Monster Energy - Helped me get back up and feel some semblance or normal after the abuses of each days race
Formula Brakes - Helped me control my speed and never faded at any point of the race

I now have a few week off before my next race, Oregon Super D #3 - Oakridge, and during this time I will continue to put in the necessary work to keep me near the top of the finish board

Thank you all again