A sea otter is a cute, furry little creature that’s easy to love. The SeaOtter Classic is a giant fun-filled event that ran four days, March 21-24,at Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Northern California. Despite its massivesize and success, it’s easy to love because it’s friendly andall-inclusive. According to event organizers GaleForce Sports Marketing,some 60,000 people-fans, racers, and exhibitors-attended the 12th annualSea Otter, to make it the biggest bicycle event in the U.S. Evenrepresentatives from the Tour de France traveled to the Monterey Peninsulato see how American flair can shine up the venerable French institution.The power of this event is such that, like Elvis and Marilyn, just say “theOtter” and people know what you’re talking about.

Expo-licious

The Expo has always been one of the main attractions of the Sea OtterClassic, where fans can see the latest products and get some really sweetdeals on new accessories, components, and even complete bikes. Not evenchilly temperatures and rain dampened people’s spirits this year. At leastthe weather complemented the little bit of Canadian North Shore that wasimported to California, thanks to the Flow RIDERS from B.C. A pair ofelevated trestles, including one about four metres high, attracted crowdswho watched guys take some mighty big hucks. A definite rush.

Manufacturers’ sneak peeks to the press were few, but there wereexceptions. SRAM had some new goodies for the public to feel, including thenew X.0 rear derailleur, R9 road cassette, and hollow-pin chains for roadand mountain bikes. RockShox showed its 2003 Boxxer fork line that willexpand to three models. The current Boxxer will be the Boxxer Team in 2003,priced at $1,100 (US). Priced “less” than the Team, the new Boxxer Race hasadjustable travel (six or seven inches) and Easton stanchions. Thetop-level World Cup has seven inches of travel, adjustable dual-coilsprings, and titanium-nitride-coated Easton stanchions.

TruVativ’s new GigaPipe bottom bracket is a further evolution of thecompany’s ISIS Drive, with different cartridge bearings and a largerspindle diameter for greater stiffness and less weight. The company isusing heat-treated 7075 alloy for its new Holzfeller (“woodcutter” inGerman) cranks for freeriding, downhill, trials, and BMX, and also forimproved Team Stylo cranks. The new BB and Holzfeller come out in June; thenew Stylo arrives in August. The Hussafelt crankset gets a newpatent-pending chromoly-threaded pedal insert that will be seen soon.

Doing it in the Dirt

Though Sea Otter doesn’t count toward any UCI or NORBA points, many of theworld’s top riders always attend to size each other up and put on a showfor the fans.

The cross-country riders spent the weekend competing in the four-round MTBStage Race for overall general-classification honours. The kickoff beganwith Thursday’s Stage one Fat Tire Criterium at nearby Monterey’s CanneryRow, with riders on their cross-country bikes on pavement sporting knobbiesinstead of slicks. World champ Roland Green (Volkswagen/Trek) was deniedthe win when Steve Tilford-a name from the past!-headed a group break atthe finish and claimed victory for himself. on the women’s side, it was thebattle of the Alisons-Dunlap (Luna Chix) versus Sydor(Volkswagen/Trek)-with Dunlap winning. The Stage Two time trial belonged toCaroline Alexander (Great Britain), but it wasn’t enough to knock Dunlapoff the top of the overall standings. Bart Brentjens (Giant) did spankGreen with an 11-second lead to take the men’s GC lead. Saturday’s StageThree short-track saw the women’s race go to Sydor, who nailed Dunlap onthe descent leading into the finish, while Green was upset in the men’s event by Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru/Gary Fisher).

Sunday’s Stage Four took the pros two laps and 58 kilometres cross-countryfor some intense racing. Brentjens led Green going in, but the champ ledthe racing almost from the start. A break quickly developed on the firstlap, with Green and Brentjens taking a handful of riders with them. Greenpicked up the pace on lap two to blow away the lead pack-except Brentjens,who failed to go away quietly. one last climb to the finish was all it tookfor Green to not only make his escape from Sir Bart, but to also build asizeable lead to win the stage and the overall. The women’s cross-countrywas a three-way duel between Sydor, Dunlap, and Alexander as they brokewith a small group of riders on the first lap. It all came down toAlexander and Dunlap in the end, with the world champion allowing theBritish rider the win, while claiming the overall crown for herself.

The dual slalom, mountain cross, and downhill were an open-and-shut casefor Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo/Cannondale), who simply dominated; theonly difference in each race was who was riding against her. In the dualand mountain-cross finals, Katrina Miller (Jamis) was second, while MaxineIrving (Turner) and Tai-Lee Muxlow (Dirt Works) ran two-three respectivelyin the downhill.

Canadians….

The men’s gravity events offered more drama. Nathan Rennie (Yeti/PearlIzumi) and Eric Carter (Mongoose/Hyundai) placed ahead of Cedric Gracia(Volvo/Cannondale) in the downhill final. But the dual-slalom finalprovided more excitement when Mike King (Haro/Lees Dungarees) was justmetres from certain victory when he crashed. Gracia was the surprisewinner, while King received his second-place medal as he was taken away tohospital for treatment.

If that wasn’t enough, the men’s mountain-cross final stole the show. BrianLopes (Fox/GT) led the charge, followed by Wade Bootes (Volkswagen/Trek),Gracia, and Carter. Gracia crashed and was hit by Bootes, who also wentdown. Carter, who avoided Gracia, went down a few metres later. With Lopesthe winner, the real race for second began as the three riders remounted.Bootes dashed in for second, followed by Carter and Gracia. Fortunately,all four were still laughing when the podium presentations were madeafterward.

Hitting the Pavement

For the pro/élite roadies, the first day of action on Thursday had not one,but two, stages-a tough 27.4-K Stage one time trial in the morning,followed by the Cannery Row Criterium that afternoon. The time trial tookriders out of Laguna Seca Raceway and into the punishing hills of theadjoining Fort Ord Recreation Area. US Postal’s David Zabriskie took thestage about 13 seconds ahead of Chris Horner of Prime Alliance, whileRona’s Genevieve Jeanson clearly dominated the women’s TT. The afternooncrit in Monterey belonged to Mercury’s Gord Fraser and Katrina Berger ofthe Cannondale/Cycling USA team.

Friday’s Stage Three circuit race through Fort Ord emphasized team tactics.Saturn’s women’s team overhauled the peloton to knock Jeanson off and givethe GC overall to Lyne Bessette, though Talgo America’s Susan Palmer-Komar(former Canadian champ) took the stage. The men’s race was more strategicas the Prime Alliance squad set a hot pace against breaks by the Postal andSaturn teams; Prime Alliance’s Chris Horner benefited from the effort withthe GC lead.

Because of the damage inflicted by Prime Alliance on Friday, the men’s GCwas a done deal at the start of the Stage Four circuit race on the LagunaSeca Raceway. All Horner had to do was hang with his teammates, who set thepace to keep the pack controlled. Few riders dared to break, and Saturn’s Mark McCormack won the battle, with the war going to Horner. Bessette tookthe women’s final stage with relative ease, thanks to her fellow Saturnriders, and claimed the GC crown. In the end she displayed an exercise instrength as she let Jeanson lead out the final kilometre before reeling herin 60 metres before the finish. Clearly impressive!

12th Annual Sea Otter Classic
March 21-24, 2002-Laguna Seca, CA

MTB STAGE RACE
Men: Roland Green (VW-Trek) 3:32:32; 2.Bart Brentjens (Giant Bicycle)3:33:10; 3. Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru-Gary Fisher) 3:34:50; 4. FilipMeirhaeghe (Specialized) 3:35:49; 5. Rune Hoydall (Giant Bicycle) 3:37:38;Other Canadians: 6. Geoff Kabush (Kona) 3:37:47; 7. Mathieu Toulouse (GearsRacing) 3:38:35; 8. Chris Sheppard (Haro Lee Dungarees) 3:38:40; 23.Andreas Hestler (Rocky Mountain) 3:46:05; 28. Peter Wedge (Kona) 3:47:04;47. Kris Sneddon (Kona) 3:52:33; 51.Julian Hine (Gears Racing) 3:54:19;Women: 1. Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) 4:02:30; 2. Caroline Alexander (GB)4:02:59; 3. Barbara Blatter (Specialized) 4:03:35; 4. Alison Sydor(VW-Trek) 4:08:31; 5. Chrissy Redden (Subaru-Gary Fisher) 4:08:37; OtherCanadians: 18. Heather Cole 4:26

MOUNTAIN CROSS
Men: 1. Brian Lopes, (Fox/GT); 2. Wade Bootes, (VW-Trek); 3. Eric Carter(Mongoose/Hyundai); 4. Cedric Gracia (Volvo-Cannondale) Canadians: 33T:Jordie Lunn (Sun Race/Santa Cruz);Women: 1. Anne-Caroline Chausson(Volvo/Cannondale); 2. Katrina Miller (Jamis Bicycles); 3. Tai-Lee Muxlow(Dirtworks); 4. Sabrina Jonnier (Intense Cycles)

DUAL SLALOM
Men: 1. Cedric Gracia, (Volvo/Cannondale); Mike King (Haro/LeeDungarees);Brian Lopes (Fox/GT);Women: 1. Anne-Caroline Chausson(Volvo-Cannondale); 2. Katrina Miller (Jamis Bicycles); 3. Sabrina Jonnier(Intense Cycles);

DOWNHILL
Men: 1. Nathan Rennie (Yeti Cycles/Pearl Izumi) 1:23.4 ; 2. Eric Carter(Mongoose/Hyundai) 1:24.4; 3. Cedric Gracia, (Volvo/Cannondale) 1:24.9 ;4. John Kirkcaldie (Maxxis) 1:25.1; 5. Chris Kovarik (Intense Cycles)1:25.2; Canadians: 14. Dave Watson (Foes/Sombrio/Manitou) 1:28.4; 27.Jordie Lunn (Sun Race Santa Cruz) 1:30.0; 30. Dustin Adams, (Kamloops, BC)1:30.2; 56. Regan Pain (Team Rotec) 1:37.0; 57. Gareth Dyer (SantaCruz/Oakley) 1:39.3; Women: 1. Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo/Cannondale)1:31.2; 2. Maxine Irving (Turner Bikes) 1:37.3; 3. Tai-Lee Muxlow(Dirtworks) 1:37.6; 4. Fionn Griffiths (Team Ancillatti/rockyournokia.com)1:37.9; 5. Tara Llanes (Yeti Cycles/Pearl Izumi) 1:38.6;

SPEED TRIALS
Men: 1. Aaron Chase, (Giant Sram/Toyota); 2. Jeff Lenosky, (Giant); 3.Christiano Santos; 4. Andrew Fulton; 5. Lance Trappe (Volvo-Cannondale);

ROAD RACE
Men: 1. Chris Horner (Prime Alliance) 8:13:11 ; 2. Henk Vogels (Mercury)2:35; 3. David Zabriskie (US Postal Service) 3:12; 4. Scott Moniger(Mercury) 4:07; 5.Adham Sbieh (Mercury) 4:14; Canadians:12. Mark Walters(Naviagators) 6:51; 13. Michael Barry (US Postal Service) 6:51; 15. CharlesDionne (7UP/NutraFig) 8:44; 17. Gord Fraser (Mercury) 8:57; 21. EricWohlberg (Saturn) 10:05; 46. Nat Faulkner (Kissena) 25:53; Women: 1. LynnBessette (Saturn) 5:46:47; 2. Kimberly Bruckner (Saturn) 3:03; 3. SusanPalmer-Komar (Talgo America) 5:28; 4. Karen Bockel (Rona) 6:33; 5. KimAnderson (Cannondale/Cycling USA) 7:21; Canadians: 6. Genevieve Jeanson(Rona) 7:53; 14. Nicole DeMars (Bianchi USA) 29.32; 16. Erin Carter (TotalTrainer) 29:58; 18. Amy Jarvis (Rona) 33:26; 20. Cybil DiGuistini (DietRite) 33:36; 26. Anne Samplonious (Talgo America) 37:16; 31. Giselle Trahan(Total Trainer) 45:50; 33. Andrea Hannos (Rona) 47:03; 40. Ivana Bisaro(Voler) 1:04:48; 44. Allyson Fox (Amoroso’s /HH) 1:11:36;