The 2006 CCCX Mtn series ended July 2nd on a perfect day for Mtn Bike Racing. The good trails and nice weather left riders wanting more races and looking forward to next year and the fun riding and competition that comes along with bicycle racing. With the NORBA U.S. National finals in 2 weeks from the CCCX final race, surely some CCCX racers will be on form and claim podium spots at the National Championships. High division winners were Larry Hibbard(Family Cycling Center), Nick Kintz(Joselyn's), Brock Dickie(Buy-Cell.com), Brad Williamson(Family Cycling Center), Gary Anghinetti(Penn Velo/Kenda), Micah Mozel(Joselyn's), and Kathleen Bortolussi(Velo Bella). These racers posted series wins in the top divisions and proved themselves to be some of the finest bike racers on the Central Coast. Series MVP honors went out to Micah Mozel and Birgit Johnston(Mother Of 2) who dominated their respective division and were the only two racers to post 6 wins in the 7 race series. The CCCX series has a great group of sponsors- Family Cycling Center, Calabazas Cyclery, Scotts Valley Cycle Sport, Ritchey, The Vitamin Shoppe, Pegasus Bicycle Works, Cal Giant Inc.,Sea Bright Brewery, Central Coast Screen Printing, Assured Photos, XS Sport & Energy Drinks-Nutrilite Vitamins, Fox Racing Shox- and the series appreciates their fine contributions. The CCCX Series would also like to thank each and every racer who competed during the year. Each athlete is a winner for simply trying their best and giving it a go in the difficult sport of bicycle racing.

Here is a review of each division:

Pro-Semi Pro Men- Larry Hibbard was the dominator in this group taking 5 wins in 7 attempts. His incredible riding put over 40 points into 2nd place when the final series total was added. Hibbard races extremely hard and showed all the other riders his rear tire in most races. Hibbard is a true racing legend and the CCCX series was honored to have him attend all the events. Second place in the division went to Jason Rahlwes(Fox Racing Shox). Rahlwes rode his Fox Shox to consistent finishes in each event and this led to his 2nd place overall ranking. Rahlwes has proved himself to be a fine Semi-Pro racer and looks to have many more good races under his belt. Mark Howland(Black Market Racing) was third in the final point total. Howland showed great form in the final races and was near the front of the action in the final races of the series. 20 racers received points in this division.

Expert Men Under 34- Nick Kintz added the expert CCCX title to his Nor Cal high school Mtn Bike crown making the 2006 season a success for the young talent. Kintz raced well during each race and posted one win and four other top 3 placing during the year. Kintz was topped by his team mate Mark Faulkner(Joselyn's) the final three races. But Faulkner missed the first two events of the year leaving him short points in the final total. In the end Faulkner was riding incredibly strong, yet the series most consistent rider in this expert division was Nick Kintz who attends Calvary Chapel high school. I would not be surprised to see the fast riding Faulkner place very high at the Norba National finals coming in 2 weeks, as his form is very strong after the final 3 races of the series. Scotts Valley Cycle Sport racer Brent Carkeet finished the year motivated and claimed 3rd place in the rankings. Carkeet is a climbing ace who has fine technical skills as well, and he looks to continue his fine expert riding in the future. Carkeet could also find a place on the National podium as his riding is going very well at the moment. Greg Heinz(Bay Bikes) finished the rankings in the 4th spot even though he missed the final three races due to injury. Heinz was involved in a high speed get off at the Sea Otter Classic which led to knee problems and rehabilitaion. Hopefully Heinz will make a full recovery and continue his great riding. San Francisco racer Mike Orenich(Sycip) rounded out the top five podium in this group. 22 racers received points in this division.

Expert Men 35-44- Brock Dickie had a stellar 2006 CCCX Mtn Bike series posting 3 wins and 3 second place finishes on his way to the title. In the end, Dickie was surrounded by his Buy-Cell.com team mates in the final race and he controlled the affairs with his strong riding and aggressive tactics. Dickie topped 2nd place in the series Tim Johnston(Father Of 2) by 16 points when the final total was added. Johnston had a great series and proved himself to be one of the strongest riders in all the competitive expert fields. Johnston posted 2 fine wins along the way to his second place overall ranking. Keith DeFiebre(Bay Bikes/Ritchey/Calabazas Cyclery) finished the year in the third spot of the rankings for this fast riding expert group. DeFiebre was the winner of race #2. Mike Holk(VT) of Salinas stepped up from the Sport division and showed great form taking 4th place in series standings. The incredible Holk was riding very strong the last 3 races and showed he can compete at the expert level. Redwood City racer Brian Kane claimed the last podium spot finishing the year ranked 5th in this largest expert division for the CCCX series. Kane raced very consistent all year leading to his podium finish in the final standings. Miles Wadsworth(Family Cycling Center) also had a solid race campaign showing great ability throughout the season. Wadsworth had three 3rd place finishes in his six race attempts. 31 racers received points in this division.

Expert 45-54- Family Cycling Center racer Brad Williamson was the series winner in this group. Williamson started the year riding super strong and his nice pedal work earned him the series title. Williamson was the winner of race #1 and also finished top 3 in four other races. The Aptos racer also uses BMX to fine tune his skills and some weekends he would compete in both BMX and Mtn Biking. William Hall(LGBRC/Specialized/Easton) raced well all season yet missed the final race showdown for the series crown and this placed him 2nd in point standings. Brett Lambert(Scotts Valley Cycle Sport) posted 3 strong wins during the year. Lambert is incredibly strong and if he competed in all the events it would have been quite a showdown between himself and the other riders for overall honors. Scott DeLaurentis(LGBRC/Specialized/Easton) and Scott Martin(Bike Trip) made up the rest of the top five places in the standings. 15 racers received points in this division.

Expert 55+- Gary Anghinetti was the top rider in this group of racers. Anghinetti, riding out of South S.F., took four wins during the year and two other 2nd place finishes. This distanced himself from the rest in the final standings by a large margin. Richard Wadsworth(Family Cycling Center) ended 2nd position in the point standings. Wadsworth was a worthy finisher in this group and he had consistant rides during every race he entered. Larry Broberg(Bicycle Trip) was also a dominate rider in this group. The fine riding Broberg posted two solid wins during the 2006 CCCX race season. 5 racers received points in this division.

Expert Single Speed- Micah Mozel almost ran the table in this strong riding group. Mozel had 6 wins in 7 races which led him to be named one of the MVP racers of the entire series. Mozel always found a way to ride strong and have no single speed trouble on his way to his fine wins. Mozel is tactically savvy as well as physically fit and this is a hard to beat combo when it comes to racing. Second position in the series was Eric Ebberoth(Bay Bikes). Ebberoth placed in the top three the final six races, showing great strength for a high school student. Ebberoth uses a world class coaching group to test his fitness and lay out his training schedule. third in series standings was Jeremy Loader(Joselyn's). Loader started the year with two 2nd place finishes and held on the final races to secure his top three series standing. Applying pressure to Loader for that top three ranking was team mate Scott Vogelmann(Joselyn's). Vogelmann had consistent rides during the entire series and ended up 1 point shy of a top three finish in overall series standings. Taking the final podium spot in 5th for the series is smooth riding Pat Schott(Black Market). This single speed group is very strong and just making the top five shows great riding ability. Thus showing that Mozel, Ebberoth, Loader, Vogelmann, and Schott are some of the top riders from the Central Coast. 17 racers received points in this division.

Expert Women- Janel Lodge(Black Market Racing), Beverly Chaney(Roaring Mouse Cycles) and Kathleen Bortolussi all posted wins during the 2006 CCCX season. However when the dust settled it was Bortolussi who claimed the series title and a Fox Racing Shox for her efforts. Bortolussi won the series by a mere 2 points over second place Chaney. Chaney should ride very well in her age group at the NORBA national coming to the bay area. I expect her to take a top 3 position in that event. Strong riding Lodge finished third in the final standings. These ladies showed great skill during the season and look to further their rivalry in future CCCX events. 13 racers received points in this division.

Sport Men 34 & Under- Riding out of Belmont, fast Chris Sallen took the series win with two fine rides to end the season and boost his point total. Sallen had two 3rd place rides to end the season and combined with his consistency during the year he took top honors in series standings. Riding out of Salinas Darren Chamberlin(MAKO/Galaxy Granola) also finished the year riding strong and took the second spot on the final podium. Chamberlin used great rides in the final three events to position himself to collect some nice prizes when all the totals were added. Riding out of Martinez, Danny McNaughton took the third spot on the podium. McNaughton found some good form in races #'s 4, 5, & 6, where he took two second place finishes and a race win. These three riders had the best attendance and were the most dedicated in this group during the CCCX 2006 race season. 50 racers received points in this division.

Sport Men 35-44- Monterey racer Chris Marsiguerro(Joselyn's) topped this strong division and showed he is a true fast racer along the way. During the season Marsiguerro took two great race wins and three second place finishes. The incredibly strong Marsiguerro has a personal coach providing work-out instructions and race tactics. The Monterey racer can be viewed doing Mtn Bike rides and Road rides on the same day when his training sessions are active. this dedication led to a fine series win. Riding out of King City, Alexander Rouch(Joselyn's) took a fine win in the final race and claimed the second spot in series standings. Thus giving Team Joselyn's the top two places in this division that had the most racers at each race of the series. Peter Gilberd, from San Francisco, often fought hard with the Joselyn riders and banged bars and shoulders with the front of the group on his way to a great third place in series standings. Gilberd was only 1 point away from 2nd in the series when the final point total was complete. Gilberd was the race winner in races #1 and #2. Lean and mean Bill Tuer, riding out of Boulder Creek, found some great legs late in the season and this propelled Tuer into 4th in final series rankings. Along the way Tuer's incredible leg strength snapped his bike into pieces in race #6, yet he still finished to claim precious points for his overall total. Bryan Arp(Beyond Limits), who rides out of San Francisco, took the final podium spot in this talented and well attended race group. Arp's fifth place series finish was based on consistent riding and finding his best legs late in the race season. Arp's fine race #7 ride gave the San Francisco racer a 2 point cushion in making the final podium spot. Other racers to make a push for the podium and have some great rides during the year in this group were- Troy Doolittle(Top Dog Illustration), Tim Simanski(Roaring Mouse Cycles), Marina resident James Lopez, Grant Stoner(Team Santa Cruz/SCCCC), Monterey resident Eric Sassman, and Scott Starling(MVV)- finishing in that order in series standings. 86 racers received points in this division.

Sport Men 45-54- Berge Lokmagozian, a Monterey resident, took high honors in this group for the second straight year. Lokmagozian posted 4 wins along the way to his dominating series point total. Lokmagozian is a fine racer who rides the road very well too. Lokmagozian will be racing the expert division next year as the other riders in the group have petitioned the promoters to do a mandatory up-grade to the 2 time sport division champion. There will be no three-peat in the sport division for Lokmagozian as his strength and skill is superior and he is a expert racer. Best of the rest was Salinas native Peter Sherrill(Mt Whitney Wheelworks). Sherrill had steady efforts in each race he competed in, and finished 8 points clear of the next placed rider in the series standings. Dan Nelson(NTP Racing) was that third placed rider in series points. The San Francisco resident Nelson used consistent finishes in each race to achieve his fine point total and get some nice prizes for his time and dedication. Los Gatos racer Tom Jakaby took fourth in the series as his form seemed to get better and better as the year progressed. Taking the final podium and awards position in this fast riding group was tennis star Robert Estrella(Joselyn's). The athletic Estrella ended the year on a high note taking a 3rd place medal home in the final race. 40 racers received points in this division.

Sport Men 55+- Bob Nanninga(Team Singletrax) was the dominate rider in this group of racers. Nanninga posted four straight wins during the year which positioned himself in the top spot in the rankings. However strong riding Ronald Riley(Team Santa Cruz/SCCCC) upset the series winner Nanninga in the final racing putting almost 2 minutes into the series champion. Riley finished the year second place in series points. Joe Radoslovich(Coast Range Riders) took 3rd in series rankings and taking a win as well as a 2nd place race finish during the season. 5 racers received points in this division.

Clydesdale- Russell Carmick(Bike Route) ran the table in the final four race posting four straight wins to end the season. carmick was the disserving series winner in this "big boys" division. Carmick also added two 2nd place finishes during the year to max out his winning point total. Soquel resident Chris Baker was amazingly consistent during the year. Baker seemed to always be at the front of affairs and he took home six custom CCCX medals during the year to add to his trophy collection at home. Baker edged out third place series finisher Mike Colombani(Scotts Valley Cycle Sport) by 13 points in the final series point total. Colombani raced extremely well during the entire season and his Scotts Valley Cycle Sport group was one of the strongest racing teams during the year. Colombani raced at the front in most events and finished the year out well taking medals home in his last four races entered. Daymon Prewitt of Marina, and Bernard Carroll of San Leandro also had fine racing seasons in this group. Another racer Tor Roberts(MBRT/Don Chapin) also raced great to open the year winning the first 3 races of the season. 10 racers received points in this division.

Sport Single Speed- Max Hinckley(Bobcat Bicycles) took three solid wins during the year on his way to the series title. Hinckley needed some cyclo-cross running skills to finish out his last race when he had single speed gear issues. Hinckley posted the first ever CCCX series win from a Bobcat Bicycles racer. Allan Sherlock(Team Wrong Way) edged out Eric Thunstrom by only 5 points to claim second overall in the series. Sherlock's best result was a strong 2nd place finish in race #1. Meanwhile, Thunstrom used his cyclo cross rig during all the single speed races. His skinny tires and drop bars led to fast acceleration and constant speed thus landing a tope 3 finish in series rankings. Michael Mann(Team Performance) was perhaps the most dominate rider in this group over the last 5 races, but he could not match hinckley's consistency throughout. Steve Kelley of Salinas took the final prize position claiming fifth place overall in the rankings. 28 racers received points in this division.

Sport Women- Birgit Johnston of Los Gatos showed amazing determination and athletic prowess in riding to 6 wins in 7 attempts. Johnston was awarded co-MVP of the series for her domination of her division and posting those 6 hard fought wins. Johnston seemed to be on another level compared to the other riders in her group, and her only slip was dropping 1 minute to race #5 winner San Anselmo racer Kathleen Baker. Except for that one defeat Johnston was untouchable in her group and was one of the lucky female racers to take home a Fox Racing Shox for her fine Mtn Biking efforts. I expect johnston to have a fine Norba National Championship race in Sonoma. Jesse May Campbell of Monterey found her best legs in the final four races of the year and this great riding led to her overall second place finish in series standings. I also expect the fine riding Jesse May Campbell to race well at the Norba National in Sonoma, maybe she will win the single speed National championship??. Hot Flash Chicks sponsored racer Henrietta Stern used steady riding and great endurance to achieve her 3rd place overall finish in this division. Stern saved her best for last and claimed her highest race finish in the final event of the series. Stern is a inspiration to all riders for her great competitive spirit and her proper racing style. I do expect Stern to make the podium at the NORBA U.S. championships coming to Sonoma in 2 weeks. CCCX series favorite Daphne Hodgson(Velo Bella) used consistent rides in each event to stake her claim for a overall podium finish. Hodgson is a local racer to the trails in Ft Ord and she used home field advantage on the way to her overall 4th place finish in the series rankings. Julie Starling(Velo Bella) claimed the final podium position finishing 5th overall in this group. Stacy Palermini(Top Dog Illustration) also had a great racing season posting four fine finishes during the seven race series. 27 racers received points in this division.

Beg Men- Marina Cycle & Skate racers were the power brokers in this division. Gerardo Ceda and Nathan Wood placed 1-2 in standings, with the fast riding Ceda taking the title home to Marina. Ceda had 2 wins during the year and placed in in all the races he entered. Wood ended the year riding very well and his top finishes came in the final four races. Mark Engen of Monterey raced very well all season long and his point total was good for third place in the series. Brian Griffin of Del Rey Oaks finished 4th in the standings topping Josh Sorci of Marina by a mere 3 points when the counting was done. These top five riders made for a Monterey County sweep of the podium places. Antonio Zamora(Pushing 24) rode to wins in the final two races, but missed the first part of the series costing the Salinas racer a higher series ranking. 37 racers received points in this division.

Beg. Men 35-44- Marina resident Mark Molchan(Trey's True Wheels) could be seen scouting the CCCX courses the days before the event with his young son. Molchan would push his young child in a walker making it fun for the Jr. Molchan as if it was a amusement ride. This re course inspection must have helped as Molchan ended up series champion in the end. Molchan was never out of the top 3 places and he took 2 wins along the way to his series win. However, fast riding John Gamble of Seaside almost stole the series on the final race. Gamble won his last two rides in the series but ended up 3 points shy of the series crown when the points were totaled. Another rider in this group to race very well was Scotts Valley Cycle Sport racer Thomas Hogye. Hogye was the winner of race #6 and ended the year with a solid third overall ranking. Riding out of Salinas Jeff McGrath(The Western Stage) and Roger Monroe filled out the final podium places having consistent seasons along the way. Other racers to make a impact in this division during the year were Peter Catalano of Felton, Mike Barajas of Scotts Valley, and John Kieser of Monterey- finishing in that order in series standings. 44 racers received points in this division.

Beg Men 45+- Racing out of Modesto, Curtis Colaw(TROGS) claimed the series overall title by racing steady and consistent during every event he entered. Colaw ended up with many CCCX custom medals as he never finished out of the top 3 during the year. Colaw look to be a sure bet to move into the Sport division after having such a great season of racing. Kent Littlehale of Saratoga also seemed to be always riding near the front of the field, and his consistency led to a 2nd place series finish. Littlehale had his best rides in the final 4 races of the series. Daniel Chollet(Captain Kana) finished the year 3rd overall in series standings. Chollet never finished below 5th place in the final 6 races of the CCCX season. Riding out of Cupertino, J.L. De Jong had some fine rides during the year and his steadiness led to a 4th overall series ranking. Bob Horne(MBTR-ADA) claimed the final podium and prize position with a fine fifth place series finish. Other riders to have a solid series were Michael Rosa out of Milpitas, John Paul Vierra McEldowney(Cool Cycling), and Greg Dion(Real Bicycles) in that order. 35 racers received points in this division.

Junior boys 14-18- Menso De Jong(Syndicate) and Jeremy Blalock(Joselyn's) had a series battle that went down to the finish of the final race. De Jong used his size and age and strength advantage to just put a few seconds into the hard charging Blalock and claim the overall series crown. The final race was decided by only seconds and since De Jong won the final two races it was enough to claim overall in the series. Scotts Valley Cycle Sport racer Taylor Shamshoian was the next placed rider in the series taking 3rd overall. Shamshoian was consistent all year and looks to develop into a great all around racer. Tristan Littlehale( Santa Cruz Syndicate Jrs.) was next in the series standings. Littlehale, riding out of Saratoga had his best rides toward the end of the series. Dylan MacDonald(Kirby High School) claimed the final podium and awards position in the group. Also having a good series of races was Jack Fogelquist who rides for Scotts Valley Cycle Sport. 56 racers received points in this division.

Beg. Women- Michelle Monroe who is a Salinas resident rode her way into the series crown with outstanding back to back wins in races #6 & #7. Monroe was super consistent all year long and her great skills and determination led to a fine Fox Racing Fork award for her series winning efforts. Ayshe Tuncer of Aptos claimed second overall in the series. Tuncer was very steady during her rides and her consistency led to her great 2nd overall series finish. The amazing Lorri Lee Lown(Velo Girls/Tri Flow) kept improving in each race, and in the end claimed a disserved 3rd overall in series rankings. Lown who rides out of San Mateo possibly over trained going into her final race, but still finished high enough to claim the final awards position for her division. Lown is also a high school cycling coach and a great ambassador for the sport of cycling. Another rider who disserves mention is Kristin Roberts(Monthly Cycle). Roberts blasted her way to four straight wins to open up the series, but took maternity leave from racing and looks set to continue her great riding next season. 38 racers received points in this division.

Junior Boys 13 & Under- Maximilian Burkhardt(GBK) used a race win at race #4 and consistent finishes in the other events to claim the overall title in this futures division. Burkhardt also had three other top 3 finishes during the 7 race series. Eli Riedl(Knuckle Heads) seemed to always be finishing near the front of the group. These high finishes equalled enough points to put the Pacific Grove racer into 2nd overall for the series. Derik Thunstrom(Bicycle Trip/SCCCC) showed great promise in his future rides and used great skills to claim 3rd overall in this tuff division of junior racers. Carl Dawson(Kirby High School) was one of the dominate riders in this group. The fast riding and aggressive dawson claimed 2 wins during the year to position himself 4th in series rankings. Riding out of Roseville, Jimme Winne showed great ability by never finishing out of the top 2 in his four race attempts. Winne had 2 wins along the way and ended up 5th overall in series points. 27 racers received points in this division.

Junior Girls- Jesse Blalock of Monterey used to show up to the CCCX races and ride and just watch the races, waiting her turn to take part. This season she stepped up to the plate and hit a home run winning the series in her first try. Blalock was never out of the top three in her races and took 3 wins along the way to her overall series crown. I expect the fine riding Blalock to win her division at the NORBA Championship race in Sonoma. Second place in the rankings was CCCX series favorite Tania Lokmagozian. Lokmagozian was the winner of race #3 and had 4 other top three finishes during the year. Lokmagozian also showed great character by helping out at some of the CCCX events with scoring and awards. Calvary Chapel High School racers Katy Kintz and Erin Rakoczy were next placed in series points. Katy Kintz was taking part in her first year of racing and even showed up with a new trek bike to keep her speed up and her skills developing in the right direction. Nicole Ogata(NRL Racing Team) claimed the fifth position in the series rankings in this group of junior female racers who seem to have a great future for mtn bike racing. 10 racers received points in this division.

Report by

Dusty Downs

Cycle Sport International