Sea Otter

Justin's/Titus sent 8 riders out to the classic Sea Otter race in Monterey California. To complete the weekend we parked ourselves right on the waterfront on Cannery Row of John Steinbeck fame & enjoyed fabulous fresh fish, perhaps combined with too much fabulous wine. The Sea Otter is a complete spectacle - a huge collection of road, MTB, & BMX races combined with the biggest outdoor bike show in the US. The weather was perfect, which is apparently rare as the even is known for rain, mud or scorching heat & high wind.

Thomas Dooley nears the finish of the 40 mile race

The cat 1 course was a very fun fast 20 mile loop with 3500 feet of climbing per loop. There was a bit of everything, starting off with a lap of the motorcar raceway. Much of the course was single track - very fast & smooth but tricky to keep your speed up on. The gravel road descents saw speeds over 40 mph - quite a wild ride. The climbs were short & punchy - all middle chain ring - but the climbing did take a toll on our legs.

The fields were bigger than any of our Colorado races. The race started fast & did not slow. The oxygen rich environment allowed really high level efforts with good recovery. That certainly helped the lungs but the legs were screaming. 

Drew Geer on the grassy finish stretch of Sea Otter

Mike Hogan battled the fit California field to finish 3rd in the 45+ field, followed closely by Thomas Dooley in 4th & our new teammate Jim Reuter in 14th. Mark Gouge is riding into great form with a 7th place finish in the 50+ field, with Drew Geer in 12th & John Bliss in 15th.  For the ladies, Michelle Bliss was 11th in the 45+ field.

We had our pro-level support with us as Mike Worth brought the Titus truck & kept our bikes running perfect & fast. We actually set up dual support as we used Todd Gold to transport the bikes as well as provide support. That is a fantastic service & highly recommended if you have the chance.

 Mike Hogan riding to 3rd place

John Bliss in his first race of the season

The following day, Mark Gouge was back on a road bike in the 10 mile Gran Fondo - a classic eurostyle mass start road race with no category breakdown except men & women. He finished 9th overall. Toni Geer, unable to get a road bike, grabbed a full suspension Titus FTM & rode to 7th place in the Grand Fondo. No surprise there - after all it was a Titus.

Michelle Bliss

It may be best to skip next year. It was so perfect & given the history we may have just picked the finest Sea Otter weather in history.

Next up:
The Mountain States Cup opener in Fruita & the Whiskey 50 in Prescott Arizona