Ready to Rumble

As the Winter months come to an end, riders from across the globe begin counting down the seconds until the race clock starts ticking and their off season comes to a close.  For most, this transition takes place upon the kickoff of the Sea Otter Classic cycling festival just outside of Monterey, CA during mid April of each year.  For myself, these beginning months have brought forth exciting changes; adding a new bike to my quiver with Specialized's Stumpjumper FSR 29 has created new confidence in my riding and should make for the perfect enduro race weapon.  For this year, my primary goal was/is to focus on the small details which can either jump you forward in progress or hold you back.  Personally, this comes in the way of time management and making your efforts count. I struggled last year between schooling, riding, work, and social life which created times of giving up or "do it tomorrow" issues.. This is something that I have paid greater attention to this year and even after only a few months, I can see how it is benefiting every aspect and allowing much better improvement in my biking than ever before.  

Coming into my first event of the year at Sea Otter, which would be the Enduro race, I was pushing to be near the top 10 in the Pro field as the mix of top athletes and fairly short stages would keep times fast and close.  With racing comes a bit of the unknown, lining up behind the tape, no matter how prepared you may be, you can never be completely sure what lies ahead.  Just about a minute into the first stage, heavy breathing, burning legs and eyes glued in front trying to keep speed and control working together, a mechanical error between the chain and cassette left me relying on momentum to finish the stage and lose valuable time against the others.  But hey! That's part of the game and a quick fix at the bottom left everything running smooth for next 3 runs of the day.  In the end, my result would show up at 23rd place, on paper isn't the best but with the top 10 being only 30 seconds ahead, I'm pleased with my efforts and left wondering what could have been 😊

Next up was the famous Downhill event!  Known for being very short, high speed, and not very technical, the 0.9 mile course brings out the best in the world where 1st and 50th could be separated by as little as 5 or so seconds...but also can be a lifetime of distance out here. With the dry, hardpack conditions where thousandths of a second make a difference, bike set up is key.  I outfitted my Stumpy 29 with Specialized's Purgatory and Fast Trak tires front and rear respectively.  The Fast Trak is traditionally an XC tire but with the new 2.3 sizing option and updated Gripton compound, it screams speed on this terrain.  A 34t chainring up front with increased air pressure and compression in my FOX 36 fork made things ready to go!  The last sprint across the finish, 2 minutes and 13 seconds later left me satisfied with the run I had as well as the breakdown in my head of what could have made it better.  32nd out of 85 in this race was definitely something to be proud of, very short seconds away from the best of em. Next year, the goal is top 20!

BIKE CHECK: I couldn't be more stoked on how this thing came out, beyond thankful of Scotts Valley Cyclesport and Specialized Bicycles for making it possible! 

-Specialized: Stumpjumper 29 Large frame, Command dropper post, Power saddle and Butcher 2.3 Grid casing tires

-Praxis Works: C32 wheels, Cadet 170mm cranks, 32t chainring with 11-40t casette and PF bottom bracket.

-Gamut USA: Cillos TR 760mm bar with Cillos 50mm stem

-FOX: Float 36 150mm fork

-Stikrd: Custom fork/wheel decals 

-Other: Shimano XT derailleur, shifter, pedals. ODI eilte grips, KMC chain, SRAM Guide RS carbon brakes with 203mm/180mm rotors


Thanks for reading and catch ya on the trail!

-Nicky D

Instagram:@nickyd358
Twitter: @nickyd358

Sponsors: SV Cyclesport, Specialized, Praxis Works, Gamut USA, Smith Optics, Hammer Nutrition, Monster Army, Stikrd, FOX, KRAWL Clothing.