Sea Otter Classic
4.19.2008

The Sea Otter Classic is one of the largest cycling events in the nation. It is held in April at the legendary Laguna Seca race track near Monterey, CA. The event has become a sort of industry trade show that is open to the public. Cycling-related companies from all over the world bring their latest products to show off to consumers. All of Inland Construction’s industry partners had products on display: Magura was showing off a new even lighter-weight Marta made of magnesium. DT-Swiss was sporting their beautiful new carbon road and mountain bike clincher rims and wheelsets—the mountain bike rims will be used by Inland Construction this season. Hutchinson was showing off their new tubeless road setup, and the new Toro mountain bike tire which was tested by Charlie Pendry last season. Fuji had their complete product line-up available for anyone to test ride in the demo area.

Of course the races at the Sea Otter Classic attract the nation’s, and sometimes the world’s, best riders due to many of cycling’s corporate elite being present. This year the course was dry and fast. It was a welcome change from the rain and mud riders had to deal with for the past two years. The short-track at the Sea Otter Classic is wonderful for spectators; since there are no trees on the course most of the course can be seen from one vantage point. Only Matt Rotroff and Charlie Pendry were in attendance this weekend as Lucas Livermon was recovering from a cold that kept him at home in NC. Pendry finished 11th in the short track after having some difficulty in the log jam of riders at the start. He moved up quickly in the first few laps, and by the end of the race he was still slowly picking off riders and minimizing his losses to the riders at the front. Rotroff finished 34th after his best showing in a pro short-track race in his short career.

4.20.2008

The cross country course at the Sea Otter Classic is an epic 19 mile loop consisting of fast singletrack and open fire-roads. The exposed nature and lack of trees on the course meant the wind would play an important role in the cross country race. It was strong enough at times to force groups of riders to ride in echelons. Pendry was looking for a good result and found himself well inside the top-20 with a strong group of riders to work with including Ryan Woodall and Eric Tonkin at the end of the first lap. A mishap with his chain early in the second lap damaged his front derailleur and forced him to slow. He was nearly caught by Matt Rotroff who raced a very steady race in his first attempt at the Sea Otter Classic. Matt finished strong in his first attempt at a race that is historically harsh for first time competitors.

Caraway Hills/Youth Unlimited Omnium
4.12.2008

After racing two weekends on the opposite side of the country, it was time for the Inland Construction Pro Mountain Bike Team to return to racing in North Carolina. The Caraway Hills Off Road Omnium, a stop in the Southern Classic Series near Asheboro, NC, gave racers the chance to compete for a multi-event omnium that offered great prizes. The racers would have to compete in a NMBS-style short track, a super-D, and a traditional cross country race. The purse offered in the Pro/Expert race attracted a serious contingent of talent from across the Southeast.

The short-track was a two minute lap that offered an entertaining mix of a wide open dirt section with a fun and fast wooded singletrack. Charlie Pendry attacked the front group on the second lap and never looked back. He rode solo for the next 18 minutes to take the win over Collegiate Short-Track National Champion Mike Anderson (Lees-McRae). Lucas Livermon and Matt Rotroff both finished the race strong to pick up omnium points.

Saturday afternoon brought heavy rain to what had been a beautiful day. The super-D course was transformed into a sloppy mess. A Le Mans style start added to the chaotic nature of the race, which was less than five minutes from start to finish. Riders struggled to ride sections that had been fast in the dry only an hour earlier. Aaron Bradford (Lees-McRae) made it clear of the chaos to take the win. Pendry lead Inland Construction with a fourth place, and Rotroff and Livermon followed closely behind in that order.

4.13.2008

Sunday’s cross country race took place on a fast course that was drying from the previous day’s rain. The Caraway Hills course offered riders a World-Cup style challenge with multiple short and steep climbs, fast and twisty descents, and great spectator access to both the singletrack and the open sections. Pendry started the day with a narrow one point lead in the omnium over Lees-McRae’s Aaron Bradford. Pendry took the hole-shot into the woods and never relinquished the lead. He managed to build a three minute advantage over Seth Kemp and Travis Livermon. Young Matt Rotroff put in an impressive ride by staying in the top-five with Robert Marion until he punctured his rear tire. He still managed to finish seventh. Lucas suffered from tired legs most of the day, but his 11th place was still good enough for mid-pack in a very competitive field.

Several of Inland Constructions club members were also in action on Sunday. Jason Scislowicz took sixth place racing in the lucrative and hotly contested Expert 30-39 category. Steve Sherman demolished the Sport 40+ category, while son Eddie rode an entire lap of the XC course to take third in the Junior 12 and under category.

NMBS #2
4.4.2008

After a successful weekend in Fontana, CA, the Inland Construction Pro Mountain Bike Team traveled to the next stop on their calendar: the NOVA National, held on the desert trails of McDowell Mountain State Park near Fountain Hills, AZ, served as the second race in the National Mountain Bike Series. The format for the race consisted of a time trial style Super-D race on Friday, a short track race on Saturday, and the traditional cross country race on Sunday.

The Super-D course was a wide open double-track affair that was generally downhill, but it included a few steep uphill pitches. The course took the riders just under 20 minutes to complete, and it offered very few opportunities for a rider to recover if they pushed too far into the red. For a team that tends to be oriented towards courses with considerable climbing, the team knew that they would have to push the limits in order to do well. Livermon and Rotroff both recorded respectable times early since the riders were seeded by NMBS standings. Pendry, who started later, miscalculated on an early fast turn and ended up taking the long way through the desert. He regained his composure, chased down Manuel Prado who started in front of him, and finished with a respectable time that placed him 25th.

4.5.2008

The short track took place late on Saturday afternoon as the sun began to set and the desert began to cool. The conditions were perfect, and Inland Construction fared quite well on a tight course consisting largely of singletrack that made moving forward through the field difficult. Pendry, who had the benefit of a better starting position, finished 16th. The course included a very steep pitch that forced most riders to dismount, and a very short run into the singletrack from the start which created chaos on the first laps as riders scrambled for the hole-shot. Rotroff made it through the carnage unscathed and bettered his Fontana result with a 49th place finish. Livermon also built on his form, bringing it home in a solid 61st after dealing with the first lap incident.

4.6.2008

The cross country race is a brutal march across the sandy Arizona desert consisting of flat and rolling terrain and twisty singletrack that varies from rocky to smooth—riders face all of this while dodging the indigenous cacti. Pendry and Livermon both had a difficult day in the heat, with both joining the long list of riders who retired from the race. Rotroff toughed it out through two flats caused by an excursion into the cacti to finish 62nd.