Chico Race Weekend - by K. Pearsons

Even though nationals have come and gone, the WCCC is still gearing up for our State Championships. This weekend’s race was hosted by CSU Chico at the Oroville Dam Spillway in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Saturday morning started off with the spectator friendly short track of sweeping dips and turns through the trees. Men’s A Justin Graves and Women’s A Katelyn Hill took first for the Humboldt State’s lumberjacks. Following short track, the fast and furious downhill race continued through the afternoon with Justin Graves taking his second win for the day as fellow teammate Ali Osgood won women’s A’s. Attendance at Sunday’s cross country was lower than usual (as expected since Nationals was just last week), but those who did race were rewarded with plenty of single track descents, a short uphill, and, if they found time to look up from the trails, a nice view of Lake Oroville. Eliel Anttila won the Men’s A cross country race for UC Berkeley. Once she started, Erika Pearsons of CSU Sacramento never even saw the competition as she soloed the whole race to take first in women’s A’s. The weekend closed with clouds rolling in and the wind picking up as riders descended the flowy Super D course. Chico’s own Dane Petersen, Andy Garzoli, and Lowen Lewis-Quigley swept the men’s fields while Humboldt’s Ali Osgood and Sara Schneider swept the women’s fields. Next week’s race is the last race before the WCCC Championships and will be hosted by UC Davis in Auburn.