Race Report: California Dirt MTB Series, Riding High at the Ranch - Pro Men XC

Race: California Dirt MTB Series, Riding High at the Ranch - Pro Men XC

Date: May 24, 2025

AVRT racers: Jon Wells

Top Result: Jon Wells, 3rd Pro Men

Course: 21 mile loop in Susanville, CA with almost 3k feet of climbing. There was some dirt road in the first mile but otherwise it was entirely single track and one large loop for the race.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14583406869 

Nutrition: One bottle of 100g carb mix plus water cups at aid stations. Also put down another 100g carb bottle during my warmup to preload.

Race Recap:

Race is almost entirely on single track so getting a good position into it was key since passing was much easier on the dirt road section. I got out pretty well and was riding in the front 5 spots for most of the dirt road until former pro roadie Stefano Barberi launch a big attack in the final minute prior to the single track that shattered the group, leaving me around 6th into the single track.

This section was ~15min climb and 5 min descent before we took on the longest climb of the race up to the high point. This section felt super hard as we all tried (unsuccessfully) to keep Stefano’s pace. I was riding alone and getting into my own zone by the time we started the long climb. There were several people who I picked off on the course of this long climb who had gotten out too hard until I was up to 3rd.

There are a few rollers over the top which looked easy on the elevation profile but they were really challenging on tired legs. I was riding this section alone and trying to hold position. Eventually I made it to the final descent, ~15 minutes continuous downhill back to the start area. The downhill was very loose with lots of flat corners and was a little bit terrifying to be hitting all out but we made it down in one piece and held onto my same 3rd place spot. Stefano ran away with it, beating 2nd by over 8 minutes in a 100 minute race. I came in only a couple minutes behind second but had definitely given it everything on the day, as I began cramping quite badly as I was coming into the finish area.
-Jon