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Deer Valley-ditch MTX- race SD!

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
So as most of you may allready know the Deer Valley MTX track is a BMX track.

If you don't have a hardtail and shaved tanned calves consider racing Super D instead! The course is almost all downhill and almost all narrow fast singletrack. A MTX bike would be fun or a trail bike or maybe even a freeride bike for this trail.

It's friday afternoon -same time as MTX and is AT DEER VALLEY not 1 hour away in SLC.

Lets get all of you Troy Lee baggy short wearin studs up there and pounce the XC riders!


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leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
So the ABA was interested in doing some mtb gravity events a la Eric Carter and Rad Canyon had this extra room next to their world class BMX track and they needed to use it or lose it since it's sorta public park type propery so they built this 2nd 'mtx' track for us to practice on and have a weekly series. That sounded great. They said they were going to dump huge amounts of dirt and make it all just barely downhill all the way. So they made this track which is not at all downhill except for the 30 foot paved starting hill. Then Deer Valley did not want to put up a track and Norba came up with this great idea to have it at Rad Canyon.

Awesome.

Well that's 3 stories mixed into one but there you have it.
 

JeffD

Monkey
Mar 23, 2002
990
0
Macon, GA
Transcend said:
Sounds like typical norba to me! Thanks for screwing things up further, ABA.
Uh, how did the ABA screw anything up?

Although it's not traditional MTX (if there is such a thing), I think that track looks cool to have as a practice track.

Also, good to hear that the SD isn't just an XC pedalfest. Between DV and Sugar, SD seems to be going in a better direction than some of the 10+ minute courses.
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
It is a fun practice track!

I just don't want everyone hatin on us Utahns that's why i'm gettin the word out now.

That track is a 40 minute drive without traffic from our shop which is in the center of the valley. DV is 30minutes from here.

The SD last year was one 1 minute climb and then most of the sport DH course. Then TBB almost had it go up then down a dirt road, now it sounds like almost no climbing and it starts by the DH and traverses to Deer Crest Downhill which is narrow and fast but peddely. Hope it is as good as it sounds. I'm taking my ASX and my 575 up in the morning to see which is faster if the course is marked.
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
What was Sugar like?

I saw Sam Hill got 5th at Vermont in 6 minutes or so. That MUST have been good, i like em a little longer though.
 

JeffD

Monkey
Mar 23, 2002
990
0
Macon, GA
leprechaun said:
What was Sugar like?

I saw Sam Hill got 5th at Vermont in 6 minutes or so. That MUST have been good, i like em a little longer though.
Long gradual flat/climb - about 1/3 mile - then dropped into parts of the old sport/ex DH course (including a 5' rock you have to ride up then drop 4' to flat off the back of) followed by some straight down the slope w/old school HIGH speed turns to the bottom. Long travel FR bikes ala ASX were ideal but aside from the long grind at the beginning, DH bikes were right in the mix.
 

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
Transcend, your incorrect with putting ABA's name into this equation.
NORBA actually came in and bulit that course on thier own.
the only connection is the courses are in the same area, even if there was a connection it would still not be an ABA issue.
First off, Hats off to NORBA for building a dedicated mtx course that kids could come ride bikes on and stay out of trouble, even if it is not the end all sterotypical course, i only see that in a positive light. any place we can ride bikes legally with support from the city/county is awesome.
Hypothetically speaking, if ABA was to have built that course and NORBA was to use it for a national...that would fall on NORBA as a decision they choose to make.
 

DylanDeanDesign

Turbo Monkey
Dec 10, 2004
1,097
0
San Diego area, California USA
cool idea of making a dedicated mtnx track in salt lake....but if it's the same as the one in the picture......i'm not too impressed. looks more like a bmx track that hasn't been attended to than a mtnx track. a little vert would go a long way. i'm not saying it wouldn't be fun...it's just not mountain biking

still a stupid idea to have the event so far away from the resort. I'm not against having 4x races in the city....would actually be a cool idea - bring more spectators....but when the main event is in the mtns...you cannot have a split venue (of this distance). Durango a few years ago was somewhat similar. cool idea to have it in town, cool track....but too much of a pain in the ass. of course what made it worse was the XC course/pits were in town as well - it made the resort was a ghost town

just my 2 cents
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Hey Krispy, what trail are they holding the Super-D on?

The MTX track at Rad is in the suburbs...not really SLC...pretty far away from everything.

~nate
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
blue said:
Hey Krispy, what trail are they holding the Super-D on?

The MTX track at Rad is in the suburbs...not really SLC...pretty far away from everything.

~nate

Last year it was basically the Sport DH course, with alittle wide open loose rock road start from the top, then alittle climb up to the start of the sport course, then it down with a couple detours to give it some length...was a fun course.
 

SPrider

Monkey
Feb 18, 2005
135
0
mtn x sounds fun and all but the hour drive sucks, i think i will do my first super d, how long do you think the course will be? in mins
 

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
17
NM
Bicyclist said:
Now that would be fun! :thumb:

I miss my TTR 125L. :(
me too. L big wheel
i had stiff springs, excel rims and wide bars.

that thing was some fun stuff.
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
From what i understand the SD course is on the lower mountain, Starting near the NCS downhill, to 4 point,traverse by little niagra on the pro dh course and keep traversing to deer crest downhill which is on riders right of the lower resort and will come across onto the pavement to use the XC big finish area.

8-9 minutes i would guess, unless they throw us down the backside of the start and back up again to throw a climb in at the start which would make it 10-12 minutes.

There has ben no mention of a climb at the start but i would guess the xc guys will complain and one may get thrown in.
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
I don't think NORBA built that course. Rad canyon did and norba found out about it and asked to use it.

Now do we really think norba would go out and spend time and money they don't have to build something like that, or simply say hey here's a spot, throw up some flags...

Rad canyon has cash and built it just for us to have to play on, Either DV had their dirty hand in it or norba's understaffed crew saw an oppertunity to have a race on a track without doing any work. Very sad either way.
 

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
i actually spoke with someone from ABA today and brought this up to see if the ABA was involved.....they said that someone from NORBA was on hand and this course was built at the same time as the ABA was redoing the bmx track. i don't think they put any money into it, i sure hope not with the situation with prize money how it is. i think like you say leprechaun, the just came upon an opportunity.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Hmmm...I'm tempted to do the SD on my DH bike (You know, that beautiful IH with the Dorado from Wednesday...), but they're liable to do a climb. Perhaps the XC bike would be better...
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
Holy shizzlebiscuit the SD course is for real!
I rode it today and the is NO real climb,a few rises, flat spots, and 10 or so 180 degree turns so there is a lot of accelerating.

The course goes down a dirt road right next to the NCS DH course, instead of jumping into the double rock you keep going on the road to the right and under the ski bridge. Then you turn hard left and cross the DH course right above little niagra and onto 4 Point. The first minute you wish you are on a DH bike. Then it traverses across the mountain and you cross the DH course again above barny rubble and hook onto Deercrest. From here it's fast rolling singletrack. It is really fun. 8-10 minutes or so-i forgot my watch!

I rode my 575 and ASX an i think i'm faster on the 575 but my ASX is 37lbs. Many different bikes would be competetive like the average trail bike,slalom bike fr hardtail etc. i started with my seat down and never raised it- i guess i don't need the gravity dropper.I kept it in my 38t ring the whole time.I did spin out on a fast dirt road so i tucked. There's nothing too rough but a slackish head angle and a good fork and front tire is key. Quite a few drifty gravely or sandy turns. I blew off a traverse once and went into the bushes on a turn. If i had a Yeti 4X bike i would time myself against the 575 for sure!

See ya there boys.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
Sounds like a good time. Sounds like a course for a lightened up 224 with 36 tooth ring up front and a 12-32 cassette or even *gasp* a DRS and front derrailleur??
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
It seems you can sign up either.

I'm Semi pro DH but i've been racing Mens 30-39.

Funny thing is that if i had signed up pro at Brianhead i would have placed higher! But i was further behind the leader.

In Pro there are a handful of XC pros who are unbelievably fast, then there are pro xc dudes who cannot descend, and kirkaldie who gets a flat and rides his rim..he he..

In 30 Mens there are lots of fast ex racer types so the times are really tight, usually faster then all other Mens classes.

So if you are really fit and want to be a pro then race pro, if yer the average dher who is not super fit or want do better then maybe just Mens.
 

Threepointtwo

Monkey
Jun 21, 2002
632
0
SLC, UT
The only thing you need the front derailleur for is the last climb on the MTX course. I had to gear down, stand up and crank to get over the last climb. As far as it being an hour away from the venue - ha, you'll never make it in an hour. They are running it during rush hour Friday night so plan for at least an hour and a half.

I am actually pretty happy Rad Canyon built the track to train on but as a national caliber race course? That's a joke.
 

Fonzie18

Turbo Monkey
Threepointtwo said:
The only thing you need the front derailleur for is the last climb on the MTX course. I had to gear down, stand up and crank to get over the last climb. As far as it being an hour away from the venue - ha, you'll never make it in an hour. They are running it during rush hour Friday night so plan for at least an hour and a half.

I am actually pretty happy Rad Canyon built the track to train on but as a national caliber race course? That's a joke.
Sounds like a whole lot of UN-fun.

I'm looking at the schedule, ouch...there will be some bummed out people.

Expert DH practice: 12:00pm-3:30pm.
All Non-pro MTX practice(how many hours away?): 3:45pm-5-15pm.
Non-Pro quali: 5:15pm.

I wonder how cheap gas is in Utah, hopefully it's reasonable.



Hopefully it works out well.
 

DylanDeanDesign

Turbo Monkey
Dec 10, 2004
1,097
0
San Diego area, California USA
Fonzie18 said:
Expert DH practice: 12:00pm-3:30pm.
All Non-pro MTX practice(how many hours away?): 3:45pm-5-15pm.
.

those idiots. i think i really am gonna boycott the Deer Valley 4x. If i do drop by it'll only be to shoot a quick snap to show how idiotic it turned out....... well that is "if" i make it in time.

15 min to drive a little less than an hour.....not including rush hour traffic..... brilliant!
 

LaytonDH

Monkey
Dec 19, 2003
183
0
UT
For all those who are going to brave it out please note that the website in the Deer Valley/ Norba race info for the 4X track is wrong, instead of www.radcanyon.com, its really www.radcanyonbmx.com

So far as driving there, also keep in mind that 90th south in Salt Lake (the road you normally take) is closed for construction from Bangerter Hwy to Old Bingham Hwy, so you need to detour around that mess (follow the signs). To be safe, you really need to give yourself 1 hour from Deer Valley to get there during a regular drive, and 90 minutes during rush hour 4p-630pm. The only good thing I guess, is that you do not need any practice on the 4x track-its very non technical, and the less you ride (better rested you are), the better you'll do.
 

manwithgun

Monkey
Nov 4, 2004
257
0
leprechaun said:
It seems you can sign up either.

I'm Semi pro DH but i've been racing Mens 30-39.
.
Looks like we'll be banging bars then... Is it a mass start or single time trial like DH ?
 

altagirl

Monkey
Aug 27, 2002
160
0
Utah
Well DV is my local resort.

We went and rode the SD course today - on my DH bike, no less and it was a blast. One of those nice XC descents where I've thought "wouldn't it be sweet if you knew no one was coming the other way..." So it should be pretty fun to race!
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
I ended up accidentally having to roll down the SD course today after I stripped out my leftside crankarm (and attempting to outrun a thunderstorm). Nothing hairy at all. Just buff XC singletrack you can rip on. Ideal bike would be a 4 inch MTX setup with a 38 or 40 up front and clipless pedals. Saw a guy on a Yeti 575 riding it too...one of you childrens?