That One Time I Raced Levi Leipheimer
After our ride in Annadel, my guide and I rolled back through Spring Lake Park where we grabbed a quick beer at the Lakeside Grill. Once we downed our beers, we headed over to Howarth Park to check out the weekly Dirt Crit series.
On most Wednesday evenings from May to August, you can come out and race the 0.75-mile course against locals. Like a road criterium, the course is short and relatively flat. There’s a slight climb from the start that lasts about half of the lap. Once the climb tops out, there’s a chunky rock garden that is known for shredding tires. Beyond that, there’s some swoopy singletrack to take you back to the start.
I rode the course a couple times with Chris from the Bike Peddler, who organizes the race. He first started coming to the crits years ago when he moved to Santa Rosa. The dirt crits were actually his first foray into mountain bike racing. He helped out as a volunteer at the races and when the former organizer was ready to move on, Chris took over.
Former pro road racer, Levi Leipheimer, is a Santa Rosa local and a regular at the Dirt Crits. As in, he wins it almost every week. Chris offered me a number in case I wanted to race. I was waxed from my ride earlier in the day, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to say I was in a race with Levi… even if I wasn’t exactly racing him. There’s no settling into a nice pace during a crit–you go ballistic from the gun. Our group was supposed to do the circuit 9 times, unless we got lapped by the leaders. I figured I would do a couple laps and then pull off. But once we were racing, my competitive side took over.
By the third lap I was cursing the small climb, as it seemed to have grown substantially taller and steeper each time around. Riders I had passed earlier were now blowing by me. Somewhere around halfway through, Levi and another rider glided past me as smooth as could be. Determined not to get lapped twice, I picked up the pace as best I could. After eight laps, it was finally over. I finished 13th out of a field of 17.
Like most mountain bike races, the atmosphere was laid back. There were equal numbers of racers and folks just hanging out. People bring coolers and grills–it’s pretty much a cookout with a bike race. I chatted with the locals, and they shared their beer. Some riders from the previous night were there as well. I wanted to be more social, but after a 20-mile ride in the blazing sun, and then a 6-mile sprint during the crit, I was thoroughly smoked.
Lake Sonoma
About an hour northwest of Santa Rosa sits Lake Sonoma. It’s a 2,700-acre lake that acts as a reservoir for Sonoma County. Everyone I talked to about riding here warned me about the tough climbs and exposure to the sun. For the most part, tree cover is sparse. If you’re riding here during the height of summer, you’re going to need to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
If you were to circumnavigate the entire lake, you would cover 25 miles and 5,500 feet of climbing. That’s an average of over 200 feet of climbing per mile–a stout ratio. The climbs here aren’t long, either. Instead, it’s a never-ending series of steep punches up, followed by steep descents. Essentially, I could leave the bike in an easy gear and just coast the uphills until I needed to pedal. There isn’t much here in the terms of rocks, roots, or other technical features. It’s pretty buff, although there were some loose corners that had me praying for my tires to hook up.
The best part of the ride here has to be the views of Lake Sonoma–it’s simply gorgeous. At certain points, you’ll be right on the shore of the lake, so a mid-ride swim isn’t out of the question. There are a handful of campgrounds around the lake, making it a good candidate for an overnight bikepacking trip.
End of the Tour
Santa Rosa has a lot to offer mountain bikers: easy access to trails, plenty of bike shops, and a welcoming riding community. Apart from the trails, there are quiet roads to ride on, nearly endless gravel, and plenty of other activities to occupy your time. Add in the excellent food, beer, and wine choices, and I see why many riders choose to call this place home.
For an overview of Santa Rosa, California, and Sonoma County as a whole, including travel, lodging, eating, drinking, off-bike activities, and more, be sure to check out my companion article.
