Team Work-How we do it.

Today the some of the world famous MtnBikeRiders Racing Team Riders, headed out to Fontana to test ride the Super D, DH and XC course in order to prepare for next week’s race.

First up was the Super D course that was used last week in which Joe Solancho placed 4th in his category. So the group hit the single track at a pretty brisk speed. We also encountered these “bridges” that Moe and Joe had talked about last week. Basically these things are small bridges put in place in order to ride a small gap between the trail. One such bridge was pretty gnarly. You have to go down a steep hill then hit the bridge.

Here’s Kim Finch tackling the steeps.

Then we were off to the lower rock garden. I was leading the way and decided to pull aside to wait for the group. Joe took lead but when he was about to roll through a small drop, his front wheel got planted into a small divot and went over the bars. We all rushed to give him aid and luckily he was only banged up just a smidge. While we were there, we took advantage of the area and decided to practice the technical and rocky area.

One thing we did was place my helmet and goggles on the trail to give each rider an idea on which direction to take…basically it was their guide for the best line. Joe,Val and I stood by the sidelines to make sure that if any of the riders were to fall, we could catch them.



Priscilla was sporting the POC Cortex DH helmet just for added protection. Besides I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her pretty little face in the event of a spill. By the way I have to say that I’m super proud of Priscilla. She was able to tackle the bridge and the rock garden with ease and confidence.

Then it was Val’s turn. I decided to do some drastic measures in order for him to learn to pick the proper line. You have to understand, on 2 previous tries he had, he veered to the left and had the potential of going over the bars if he hit a boulder. So I did something called tough love…see if you can figure it out. Don’t worry, I blurred out the photo to protect innocent eyes…

After our rock session, the rest of the group headed off to do the XC course while Kim and I hit the DH. Fun times I tell you! What really was impressive was Priscilla and David’s workout. After the ride, they would climb up and down the road to the water tower…not an easy task. They did this to feel the burn and to build up their speed, strength and mad skills.

Anyhow I’m very proud of the team’s effort to work together and show each other the best lines and techniques. Constant encouragement also help boost morale in each of the riders through out the ride.