Collegiate National Championship Results

I said it last year and I'll say it again. I love collegiate cycling. It's how I got my start, and it's such a great way for riders to start and continue their careers while improving their usefulness to society. I can't wait until I go back for my PhD when I'm 50 and get schooled by a bunch of whippersnappers on the racetrack.

Enough about me. What went down last weekend at Northstar, CA was that Sage Wilderman won the Women's Division I Omnium by winning the Division I downhill race, taking 3rd in short track, 9th in 4X, and 5th in cross country. Johanne Tuttle won the Division II Women's Omnium by winning the Division II 4X, taking 2nd in downhill, 5th in cross country, and 6th in short track. That's a lot of racing for a weekend. Christen Boyer finally got the downhill win she's been looking for in the Division II downhil race, and Emma Millar won the Division I 4X.

For more information about collegiate racing, visit USACycling.org.

Division I Women's Omnium
1. Sage Wilderman (Fort Lewis College)

2. Lizzy English (University of Nevada-Reno)

3. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College)

4. Jill Behlen (University of Wyoming)

5. Deidre York (University of Colorado)

Division I Women’s Downhill
1. Sage Wilderman
2. Emma Millar (FLC)
3. Elizabeth English
4. Deidre York
5. Heather McFadden (CSU-Chico)
6. Sabina Kraushaar (FLC)
7. Neven Steinmetz (CU-Boulder)
8. Nicole Tunnell (CSU-Chico)
9. Jenna Kowalski (Cal Poly-SLO)
10. Chloe Jackson (Lees-McRae)
11. Hannah Trimble (Lees-McRae)
12. Jill Behlen
13. Chantel Coleman (FLC)
14. Rose Long (U of VT)
15. Andrea Kelchlin (Northeastern)
16. Erica Zaveta (Lees-McRae)
17. Jena Greaser (UConn)
18. Carla Swart
19. Catherine Cresalia (Cal Poly-SLO)
20. Sara Lukas (Lindsey Wilson)
21. Sally Hermansen (Cal Poly-SLO)
22. Brittany Engleking (CU-Boulder)
23. Sara Hanson (SDSU)
24. Jessica Baker (Lindsey Wilson)
25. Madison Pitts (Lindsey Wilson)
26. Kristin Jo Markham (Lees-McRae)

Division I Women's 4X
1. Emma Millar
2. Neven Steinmetz
3. Madison Pitts
4. Allie Dragoo (Lindsey Wilson)
5. Chantel Coleman
6. Jill Behlen
7. Jessica Baker
8. Nicole Tunnell
9. Sage Wilderman
10. Deidre York
11. Chloe Jackson
12. Hannah Trimble
13. Sabina Kraushaar
14. Heather McFadden
15. Jenna Kowalski
16. Sarah Lukas

Division I Team Omnium (guys and girls)

1. Fort Lewis College – 671 points

2. University of Colorado – 589

3. Lees-McRae College – 555

4. California Polytechnic – 446

5. Lindsey Wilson College – 409

Division II Women's Omnium

1. Johanne Tuttle (Brevard College)

2. Julia Tellman (Brevard College)

3. Rachel Millsop (Union College of Kentucky)

4. Courtney Steen (Colorado School of Mines)

5. Christen Boyer (Colorado School of Mines)

Division II Women's Downhill
1. Christen Boyer
2. Johanne Tuttle
3. Courtney Steen
4. Becca Parish (Warren Wilson)
5. Rachel Millsop
6. Julia Tellman
7. Ileana Anderson (Warren Wilson)
8. Nina Otter (Warren Wilson)
9. Elisa Otter (Warren Wilson)
10. Sarah Duncan (Brevard)
11. Caroline Decosimo (Brevard)
12. Tallulah Winquist (Warren Wilson)
13. Aubrey DeLone (Warren Wilson)
14. Maria Esswein (Union College)

Division II Women's 4X
1. Johanne Tuttle
2. Courtney Steen
3. Ileana Anderson
4. Christen Boyer
5. Julia Tellman
6. Becca Parish
7. Nina Otter
8. Rachel Millsop
9. Tallulah Winquist
10. Sarah Duncan
11. Elisa Otter
12. Caroline Decosimo
13. Aubrey DeLone

Division II Team Omnium (guys and girls)

1. Brevard College – 663 points

2. Union College of Kentucky – 533

3. Warren Wilson college – 501

4. Colorado School of Mines – 401

5.Montana State University - 284

Race for Tara 3 Results

I've been searching for more results from this weekend's race, and this is what I was able to find. If anyone has any more classes or details to add, please leave a comment!

Everyone's Facebook and Twitter posts are really positive and excited about the turnout to the race. It's great to see such an incredible group of girls out racing together in October! Tara even raced her 4-wheeler! Apparently the raffle was huge, as was the turnout on the men's side too. Congrats to everyone for making this event so successful!

Here's a little insight into the race from Joy Martin: "Emily's shifter was broken, she was a good sport and raced anyway. Lizzy is an XC and endurance racer. There was a lot of pedaling in the course, and all the ladies had DH bikes, so it was a bit rough pedaling the heavy bikes. Some of the technical sections I needed my DH bike for though and I think we all felt that way."

For more information, visit RaceforTara.com and check out this Decline magazine article.

Pro Women
1. Lizzy English
2. Joanna Petterson
3. Anka Martin
4. Tasa Herndon
5. Joy Martin
6. Lisa Myklak
7. Cierra Smith
8. Emily Johnson

Northstar-at-Tahoe Downhill Series Finals

This weekend is the Race for Tara 3 at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort in California. Last weekend was the final race in the summer-long downhill series. For the first time in the series, Tasa Herndon did not race, making this the only race she didn't win. The honors went to Cierra Smith.

Pro Women
1. Cierra Smith
2. Elianne Furtney
3. Lily Kuehne
4. Adrienne Garbiel
5. Kelly Moore

Junior Women
1. Ruby Tidd
2. Sophie McGuiness

Women 29 & Under
1. Mollie Sitkin

Women 30-39
1. Regine Bertschinger

Women 40 +
1. Gale Derosa

More Fall Racing!

If you haven't gotten your fill of racing yet this year, there are a slew of events still to come in October and November. We've already mentioned the final race in the Northstar downhill series this weekend, and the Race for Tara 3 at Northstar on Oct. 10-11th. Here are a few more you may not have heard about:

Fall Tilt 12-Hour Endurance Downhill Race
Telluride, CO
October 2-4
VisitTelluride.com

Snowshoe Downhill Series Finals
Snowshoe, WV
October 2-4
Ride.Snowshoemtn.com

Gravity East Series #10
Mount Snow, VT
October 3-4
GravityEastSeries.com

Red Bull Burner 12-Hour Downhill Race
Angel Fire, NM
October 10
RedBullBurner.com

Gravity East Series Finals
Plattekill, NY
October 10-11
GravityEastSeries.com

Diablo Gravity Series Finals
Vernon, NJ
October 17-18
DiabloFreeridePark.com

Lagrange Fall Classic Downhill
Weaverville, CA
October 17-18
TeamBigfoot.net

NY State Downhill Series Finals
Plattekill, NY
October 24-25
Plattekill.com

Diabloween
Vernon, NJ
October 31
DiabloFreeridePark.com

18th Annual Southridge Challenge
Fontana, CA
November 21-22
SoutridgeUSA.com

Northstar DH Race Series Results

To get you ready for the final race in the Northstar-at-Tahoe summer downhill race series, which will be held on Livewire on Oct. 4, and to remind you once again about the Race for Tara 3 on Oct. 10-11, here are the results from this summer's races. Going into this weekend's race, Tasa Herndon remains undefeated in the series. For more information, visit NorthstaratTahoe.com.

Downhill #4
September 20, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Robin Embrey
3. Karin Hanzi
4. Heather McFadden
5. Adrienne Garbiel

Women 29 & Under
1. Mollie Sitkin
2. Keri Albrecht

Women 30 +
1. Kathy Chevron
2. Jody Flood


Downhill #3
August 9, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Danielle Griffo
3. Robin Embrey
4. Adrienne Garbiel

Junior Women
1. Ruby Tidd

Women 29 & Under
1. Mollie Sitkin
2. Keri Albrecht
3. Christina Telezinski

Women 30 +
1. Jody Flood
2. Ivy Lui

Downhill #2
July 26, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Karin Hanzi
3. Cierra Smith
4. Danielle Griffo
5. Adrienne Garbiel
6. Kelly Moore
7. Christine Kelly

Junior Women
1. Sierra Perrella
2. Ruby Tidd

Women 29 & Under
1. Keri Albrecht
2. Mollie Sitkin

Women 30 +
1. Kelly Johnson
2. Ayshe Tuncer

Race for Tara 3: October 10-11

The third Race for Tara will be held October 10-11 at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort in Lake Tahoe, CA. This year's race is a true downhill race, and there's a $2500 pro prize purse.

Apparently the course for this race is no average Northstar race course. It's about 4 miles long and descends 1800 feet. There are separate courses for Pro/Expert, Sport/Beginner, and 4-wheels.

The race will raise money for the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery Fund and the Christopher Reeve Spinal Cord Research Center.

Come to Northstar for some awesome racing for an excellent cause! For more information, visit RaceforTara.com.

Northstar at Tahoe DH #1 Results

Northstar's first downhill race of the season was held last weekend. Tasa Herdon took the decisive win for the pro women on a course that started on Karpiel and rand through Dogbone. The next race will be held July 26 on Gypsy. For more information, visit NorthstaratTahoe.com.

Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Kelly Moore
3. Adrienne Garbiel

Junior Women
1. Cierra Smith

Women 29 and Under
1. Danielle Griffin
2. Christina Telezinski
3. Mollie Shkin
4. Keri Albrecht

Women 30+
1. Kathy Chevron
2. Kelly Johnson
3. Ayshe Tuncer
4. Jodie Flood

Northstar-at-Tahoe Livewire Classic

Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA hosted their final downhill race of the season on Sunday. The Livewire Classic ran for its second year in a row down its namesake trail. Livewire is a jumpy, flowy trail with a decent share of pedaling. Asa Salas took the win on her home turf in one of the biggest Pro Women's classes of the year at Northstar. The race concluded Northstar's riding season as well. For more information about riding and racing at Northstar, click here.

Pro Women
1. Asa Salas
2. Christine Kelly
3. Tenille Smith
4. Tasa Herndon
5. Robyn Embrey
6. Sebray Gossett
7. Paula Santerior
8. Kelly Moora

Junior Women
1. Lainey Aldridge
2. Cierra Smith

Women 29 & Under
1. Sara Horne

Women 30+
1. Elianne Furtney
2. Lilly Kuchne
3. Colleen Carnathan

Northstar-at-Tahoe Downhill #4

The fourth race in the Northstar, CA downhill series was held on Sunday. The race ran down the long and flowy Gypsy trail, and was well attended. In the closest race of the season so far at Northstar, Tenille Smith edged out Asa Salas for the win. Tasa Herndon keeps her points lead going into the final race of the season, which will be held October 5 on Livewire.

Pro Women
1. Tenille Smith
2. Asa Salas
3. Tasa Herndon
4. Robin Embrey
5. Paula Santerior
6. Gretchen Sylvestre
7. Naomi Murray
8. Cristy Gott
9. Bernadette McElray
10. Kerry Howe
11. Kelly Moore

Junior Women
1. Cierra Smith

Women 29 & Under
1. Danielle Griffo

Women 30+
1. Sally Mello
2. Colleen Carnathan

Northstar-at-Tahoe Downhill Race #3

Tasa Herndon is undefeated so far at the Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA downhill series. She had no challengers at last Sunday's race, which was held on one of the mountain's hardest courses, Dogbone. The next race will be held on September 14th on the fun and flowy Gypsy trail.

Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon

Women 30+
1. Cristy Goff
2. Colleen Carnathan

Women Under 29
1. Naomi Murray
2. Danielle Griffo

Junior Women
1. Cierra Smith

Northstar-at-Tahoe Downhill Race #2

The second Northstar-at-Tahoe downhill race of the season was held on the long and dusty Boondocks run yesterday. Tasa Herndon continued to rule on her home turf, taking the Pro Women's win. She won the first race of the series as well. The next race at Northstar, CA will be held on August 10. The pros and experts will run on Dogbone, top-to-bottom. That one could hurt.

Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Fianna Conden
3. Asa Salas
4. Tara Johnson
6. Sebray Gossett

Women 29 & Under
1. Bernadette McElroy

Women 30+
1. Colleen Carnathan

A Northstar Tuesday

After putting some big wide bars on my Giant Glory, I've waited patiently for the perfect, bluebird, smoke-free day to try them out. Today was that day. OK, to be honest, work and a bunch of other stupid stuff got in the way before the smoke did. I rolled up to Northstar to meet my friend Ben.

I had two goals today: 1. Check out the bars and see how many bolts I forgot to tighten while installing said bars. 2. Stay upright. The Downieville Classic is just over a week away, and I'm at enough of a disadvantage when I'm healthy. There's no need to go taking myself out now.

For those of you who've ridden Northstar, you probably know how difficult it can be fulfill goal #2. So my plan involved numerous laps on Livewire, Gypsy, and Karpiel-to-Speed Control-to Pho Dog. After a few laps, Ben and I ran into Kathy Pruitt and Cam McCaul. They were taking a little vaca and riding Northstar for the first time. Kathy was on my goal #2 program, having ridden all the gnar-Star stuff on Monday with a crew of friends, and needed a fun flowy day to get stoked for the rest of her action-packed summer. It was so fun to ride with them!

I couldn't believe how blown out some of the trails had gotten since I'd been there two weeks ago. Boondocks is a complete sandbox, so the upcoming race on that trail should be interesting. All-in-all, it was a successful day. I stayed upright and was super stoked with the new bars. (They stayed upright too.) It took a few runs on some tighter stuff to not feel like a complete beater cornering at slower speeds, but they felt awesome immediately on the fast jumpy stuff like Livewire.

Now it's all smokey again and it'll be after the Downieville race that I get back on the Glory. I can't wait!

Northstar-at-Tahoe DH #1 Results

The first race of the Northstar, CA season took place on Sunday. Tasa Herndon used her local knowledge to take the pro win without a warmup run. She has Northstar dialed.

Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Sebray Gossett
3. Kelly Moore

Women 30+
1. Kathryn Martin
2. Colleen Carnathan

Women 29 and Under
1. Gretchen Sylvestre
2. Robyn Embrey
3. Danielle Griffo
4. Johanna Fogolin

Buy a Summer Tahoe Card, Get a $20 Freeride Foundation Gift Certificate

We've teamed up with SnowBomb to create a sweet deal for Summer Tahoe Card buyers. When you buy a Summer Tahoe Card for $24.99, you get a $20 Gift Certificate to Freeride Foundation. It covers product, shipping, and applicable tax. Any value that you don't use on your first purchase stays in your account until you choose to use it. Also, once you log on and enter your Gift Certificate code, you can email any amount of your Gift Certificate to a friend.

Of course, you get more than just the $20, you get a free lift ticket to Northstar-at-Tahoe, and also one to Kirkwood, plus a lot of other awesome stuff. Even if you don't live in the Tahoe area, if you think you'll ever pass through and spend a day at on of those mountains this summer, you save yourself tons of cash by grabbing one of these cards. Visit www.SnowBomb.com to see all the radness you can get for $24.99. Nice infomercial, eh?