Race Report: 10th Annual Boggs 8-Hour

Raise the pines, BOOM! Giant – Bike & Bean Elite Cycling Team reports on über-popular race weekend in Lake County

By Ryan Gibson

Team Race Recap: Boggs 8 Hour in Cobb, CA / May 1-3, 2015

After twelve long months of nagging from our kids (“Is it Boggs yet???”), and the memories of pain slowly but surely fading as the nostalgic good times take primary presence in our grey matter, the 10th annual Bike Monkey Boggs weekend finally arrived! As usual, it did not disappoint.

Carlos, Greg, Angel, Coco, Cheryl and the rest of the rad Bike Monkey crew put on an epic weekend of racing and camaraderie that sticks with you like a cool scar … some pain, but like most things in life, the more it hurts the more fun it is. As in years past, there was the beautiful pine forest camping at Boggs Demonstration State Forest, Lagunitas brew, campfires, an outdoor movie, and great racing.

For the 10th installment (congrats Carlos!), these good folks decided to run the race in the opposite direction plus lengthen the 8-hour lap by a few miles and about 400 feet of climbing, culminating in approximately 12 miles and 1600’/lap (so some new singletrack!). We all loved the new course, which was filled with flowy narrow singletrack. That this event takes place in Lake County (just north of Napa near Clear Lake) year after year is something to be supremely grateful for … and we are!

As has become standard, the race sold out and the competition was tough. Lots of pros, both road and mountain, are sprinkled in among all categories, which are for the most part open (not age grouped). Again, this year the team opted to focus on our kids, good times, partaking a bit too much, and just raced Saturday’s 8-hour event (the weekend also includes a “Funduro” aspect with hillclimb and Super-D on Friday and Sunday).

This year we had team racers racing two person man and two person coed, and a three person women’s team with our sister Liv Cycling crew out of Larkspur Bike & Bean. The weather was as good as it gets. Cool at night and warm in the afternoon. Recent light rains knocked down what is typically legendary dust, and the trails were hero.

Our team campsite area, complete with sweet fire ring, hosted around 15 people and sported a canopy, hammock, and picnic table. The kids had a blast, rambling about the campground on their bikes like feral animals, dirty and dusty, sometimes a little bloody, and loving every minute of it. Oh, and they invented a cool new game called “Hammock of Death” – the moms would have loved it.

The racing was great this year … no mechanicals, no flats, and only one big crash. Ryan, charging hard in second place of the two person male category in lap six called for a pass on left on a fast downhill rocky doubletrack. Dude moves over, then randomly back into the line. Too late – fall down, go boom: broken ribs and dislocated shoulder. Ryan channeled Chuck Norris, popped it back in trailside, straightened his bars and finished his third lap. A shot of whiskey, a PBR and 800mg of ibuprofen later, and he was back at it for his fourth and final lap. Rule #5 folks.

Team racers were on Giant Anthems or XTC hard tail 27.5 bikes; some with droppers, most with fast to medium tires (mainly Conti Race King and X-Kings).

Full team results:

• Ethan & Lauren Hirschfield (yep, siblings, how cute): 3rd 2 Person Coed, 7 laps (32 teams)
• Ryan Gibson & Tsering Alleyne: 4th 2 Person Men, 9 laps (out of 81 teams!)
• Clinton MacDonald & Barry Frey (aka B free): 26th 2 Person Men, 9 laps (out of 81 teams!)
• Tom DeLacy and Mark Ridler: 30th 2 Person Men, 9 laps (out of 81 teams!)
• Dustin Slack & Dr. Paul Cameron (aka the tooth fairy): 43rd 2 Person Men, 9 laps (out of 81 teams!)
• Liv Chix of Marin-Bay Area: 1st 3 Person Women, 7 laps (10 teams)

Thanks to Giant Bicycles, Lagunitas Brewing Company, and Continental Tires.

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Giant – Bike ‘n Bean Elite Cycling Team is an offroad cycling team that focuses primarily on Enduro and cross-country races. Follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/GiantBikeandBean.