Ramblings: Jared Graves

Images: Shawn Spomer - 164productions foo's!

Ok…well…a new season and as always the traditional international season opener, the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Raceway in California was the place to be. This year has thrown me a fair few changes over the off-season with a new team; Factory Yeti, which also brings new bikes, new sponsors, new team-mates and a new part of the country to be based in, but I'm definitely more than happy with it over all.

I flew in for this years Sea Otter with team-mates, Paul 'Roy' Rowney and Trent ‘Trevor' Lowe and it was non stop laughs from the start! These guys don’t suit the typical XC pro stereotype, sure they take their racing very seriously, but they’re always up for something fun and are a non stop riot! Just thought I’d fill you guys in, but anyway on to the event.

Sea Otter is mainly a chance for all the companies to show off all their new products for the new season. More importantly it is also a great chance to catch up with all the other riders that you haven’t seen in 7 months, or in my case almost a year, so it was also a bit of a social event.

Over the first couple days, bikes were being assembled and everything set up, events started for me this year on the Saturday with the slalom. The course as always with its famous huge 180 degree berms was in top shape and loads of fun.

To the racing and so many people were looking fast and it was tighter than ever. My first round saw me up against former 2002 team-mate Cody Warren now riding for Haro, unfortunately for Cody he went down in our first run together which meant I had myself A 1.5 second advantage which meant for our second run basically all I had to do was keep it upright and I’dd be set. Which is what I did, so no real dramas there.

Onto the round of 16, which brought me up against north Californian ripper Ryan Finney, Finney was the fastest qualifier on one of the two courses so I knew he was going to be tough to beat. I definitely felt as though I stepped it up a bit in this matching and just got him by a few tenths of a second in both rounds to advance through to the round of 8.

That meant I came up against Cedric Gracia. I knew this was going to be super tough so I decided to give it all I had, and if I went down too bad. Our first round together saw a dead heat, and with both courses being the same time I knew I had a shot if I put a sweet run together. As I hit the 2nd last turn I thought I had him I was just in front and the line was only 20 meters away…and just as I thought that my foot pulled from my pedal, ahh crap!

Cedric just went past and got me by a bike length at the line, I was still happy though, to get that close to arguably the worlds most talented MTB rider, this gave me 7th place in the slalom after they did a count back type thing based on qualifying results.

The last 4 riders left then, along with Cedric were 3 Aussie's, Wade Bootes, Nathan Rennie and Mick Hannah, it was really cool to sit back and watch then. These guys were riding stupidly fast, Rennie and Cedric with his sheer aggression and Mick and Wade silky smooth, on the day though, silky smooth prevailed with Mick winning a tight fought final ahead of Bootes, and Rennie just taking Cedric in the run for third. The women also were looking super fast on the course, with Sabrina Jonnier taking the win ahead of Aussie Katrina Miller in 2nd and Tara Llanes pinned her way to 3rd

Sunday morning saw the Downhill being run, and once again the organises stayed with the 2.5 minute torture fest, this is truly the ga...errrr...silliest DH course ever invented, it is pretty good fun just to do practice runs on but when you have to sprint your bum of every inch of the way down and your whole body is screaming for a break by the 45 second point of the run it is just stupid.

This years course saw a few more corners and had a couple of fun sections, but as a race course it was just plain painful. Once again though, Mick Hannah destroyed the course in just under 2:35 to take the win, closely followed by Eric carter and Nathan Rennie in 3rd.

My run was pretty good, but I find it hard to get excited about a race run when you know what pain is coming, ah well, maybe I’m just a sook. Anyways, I tortured my way down the grassy knoll, to finish a leg killing 9th 4.5 seconds down, as I think I mentioned last year tough, any course where Sam Hill gets a decent run in and finishes around 20th is no downhill track. Once again as I think I said last year, take nothing away from Hannah, he’s in top form and is fit and deserved it.

In the women’s, Marla Streb said it was her bulk winter training which gave her the legs to take the women’s dh, followed by Sabrina Jonnier, and Tara Llanes in 3rd.

Finally came the mountain cross, and the BMX riders were out in force, I've heard things being said about the course being the “best EVER!!” though I think that’s a bit of an iffy call.

The course was fun to ride, good to pass and great to watch, but if you didn’t have big pistons to power out of the 40 meter drag strip start, forget about it (to be said in your best mafia Italian accent) (ed: pronounced “fuh-GED-aboutit”)

With all the opportunities for passing racing was fun, I got through the first couple of rounds no worries, taking a couple of wins, but came across the mongoose/Hyundai sandwich in the quarter finals of Brian Schmith and Eric Carter.

Using my finely developed psychic skills I correctly predicted my out of gate squeezing so instead of letting them ruin my race out of the start I set up a first corner pass on Carter, but then got stuck behind Schmith and BMXer Donny Robinson, I was looking for the pass but the set up I made in turn two ended up leaving the door open for Carter to pass me back.

I got him again on the last turn but 3rd place isn’t good enough to advance, so I was out, not to worry, I had fun, as it turn out Donny Robinson went all the way through to the final along with Mick Hannah, Mike King and Aussie BMXer and fastest qualifier Michael Robinson.

I was backing Robinson for the win as I knew he had the start and lane choice and was fast on the course, but it wasn’t to be, Donny Robinson got out in front, then Hannah took the lead for a second but bobbled on the last turn and left a drag to the finish which Robinson took by half a bike length.

Hannah was inches away from taking the clean sweep, but I’m sure he wasn’t too disappointed with 2nd, King took 3rd and Michael Robinson 4th.

Overall in the Gravity Omnium event where results are added together to get the fastest riders for the weekend Mick Hannah with two wins and a 2nd took the men’s overall title and in the women’s Tara Llanes took out the overall by one point after Sabrina Jonnier was eliminated in the semi finals in the mountain cross, super close, but that the way it goes. After consistent results I ended up 6th, which I was happy with, one step off the podium kinda sucks, but it has to be someone.

Random notes time

I have to start with Shane Wode...he’s FINALLY made it overseas to do the race season, after years plans to come but last minute cancellations due to various things. It’s really good to see him here and he has a pretty sick deal going with Foes/Funn.

Also, Yeti Team mate Jill Kintner, was looking sooo good on the mountain cross course and was possibly favourite for the win but had a massive crash on one of the jumps, which resulted in a precautionary trip to hospital.

She was all ok, just a bit bruised and beaten, good thing she has forever-loving Boyfriend Bryn Atkinson to look after her. Last reports say Bryn has been doing the right thing by her and bringing her breakfast in bed and giving her massages, what a nice guy.

Speaking of Bryn he ended Shaun Palmers charge for the sea otter slalom title, in a close contest, Palmer was a bit of a crowd favourite, and was a bit disappointed to be out first round, but being beaten by Bryn is no shame mate, its all good, hope we see more of Palmer in 04 and beyond.

Even though this is a DH orientated report I have to say a big old “good stuff!” to XC team mate Trent Lowe, who finished 8th in the pro XC. All the top guys were there and he rode himself into the ground, he’s set for a awesome season for sure.

That about it I think, starting with the 4x and XC only NORBA at Sonoma I have a race pretty much every weekend till the end of the season in September, so my reports might be a mixed race kind of deal, but ill still be getting you guys the inside report, plus a bit of juicy news every now and then.

Big thanks go out to Yeti Cycles, the other day I spent a day at the factory and saw the lengths they go to, to make the best bikes around. There will be new DH prototypes available for me drool over soon and I really look forward to a great season with them.

Also big thanks to my other sponsors FOX racing whose much anticipated new DH fork will be out sometime soon. Yeti is working closely with them and they are putting a lot of effort into some new mind blowing products, I’m really excited to be a part of that for sure. Also to Mike Redding at Troy Lee Designs, the new ‘04 kit is definitely the sickest and most factory around, nice work boys.

For now, I'm hanging out at Yeti Manager Keith Darners place in Colorado, this place is awesome! He has a 4X track on his property as well as a 7 mile XC loop, some of the biggest dirt jumps I've ever jumped and random bermed muck around slalom courses, as well as the new short course dh run I've just made myself. Definitely plenty to do to keep myself amused for a couple weeks…more to come soon once some more races are done, see yas then.

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