NorthStar at Tahoe DH Race

By Curtis Christensen

The first weekend in October was the finale to the Northstar At Tahoe DH Series. Combined with this event was the Charity Race for Tara with proceeds going to the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery fund and Christopher Reeve-Irvin Research Center. Pro Category men Duncan Riffle, Mark Weir, Jason Moeschler, Carl Decker, Brian Lopes, Jordan Lopez and Kirt Voreis were amongst the field of other locals. Pro Women had lined up with Melissa Buhl, Sabrina Jonnier, Kathy Pruitt, Emily Johnson, Lizzie English,and Kellie Emmett.

Saturday the conditions were completely dry and dusty. The mountain hadn't seen water in over 30 days so the course was beat. Surprisingly it rained on and off Saturday night and throughout the morning Sunday. There were no practice runs Sunday and the mountain was closed during the race. It began raining again about 1 hr before the racers started.

Bicycle Emporium had 5 racers competing in their divisions which composed of Roger Lopez Exp 50+, Billy Damon Exp 30-39, Casey Sanchez Exp 20-29, and Tim Krentz Pro Open. "I am really proud of my riders, they showed up in the cold temperature below 60 degrees and raced down a track which at times had a stream running continually through it. Our new team member Chris Gable stuck it out the most, he rode the lift up with a trainer and bicycle, setup a warm up spot for Tim Krentz at the top of the mountain while the rain and wind at 8200' beat down on him. Luckily he hooked up with the Ski Patrol guys and sat in their warm booth for over 2 hours waiting. Chris missed the entire race as a spectator but when he heard the news at the bottom, he knew he did his job well! Tim was the only rider who had a bike to spin on at the top of the race run."

10.3.10 Race for Tara Results

1st Tim Krentz. Pro Open DH 9.42
2nd Brian Lopes 9.48
3rd Duncan Riffle 9.50
4th Mark Weir 9.53

10th Casey Sanchez Exp 20-29 12.06

1st Billy Damon Exp 30-39 11.15

2nd Rober Lopez Exp 50+ 15.06

1st Ron Sanchez (Casey's Pops) Sport 40-49 12.31

Northstar Overall Points

1st Tim Krentz Pro Open DH
9th Curtis Christensen Pro Open DH
2nd Kirstie Douglass Female 30+ DH
5th Tina Wilson Female 30+ DH

View Complete Roster Link

Stay tuned as this newly formed Bicycle Emporium PRO GRT DH Team takes shape for the 2011 Season. We have a solid roster for 2011 Pro/Exp Category and we are taking applications for any other interested parties. Contact Curtis Christensen 530 823 2900 or curtis@bicycleemporium.com for any other details or an application.