Back in the Heber Valley for another UCI race at Soldier Hollow

It may just be my longest-running annual pilgrimage as far as bike races are concerned: Since 2017, I have been part of the SoHo Bike Fest in one function or another (excluding the COVID hiatus, of course). I love coming out to the beautiful Heber Valley, just about an hour up the road from Salt Lake City and past Park City. While Heber City has grown over the years and added many new businesses mainly along US-40, Midway—located in the northwestern part of the valley, among small volcanic domes—has maintained its Swiss charm and quaintness. As in years past, we were housed in the Zermatt, a decent hotel that is slowly starting to show its age in the carpeted corridors, the straight shower-curtain rods, and the 1980s decor of the clean-but-tired guestrooms. 

But we didn't spend much time in either the hotel (sleep only) or the towns of Heber and Midway (two dinners). From the time of my arrival on Thursday afternoon until Sunday evening well after 8 p.m., I and our crew were at the venue, with some folks pushing even longer hours. For this year's edition I was a simple crew member; the UCI PCP was Jim from Canada, while Justin (see last week's race report from Idaho) was the assistant chief, responsible for the amateur portion of the event). Rounding out the crew were Tobin from Telluride, our race secretary; Holly, our Utah-based finish judge; and Kris, another crew member also hailing from the Beehive state. (We also were lucky to be joined by Arden, a freshly minted USAC official who volunteered to get some experience, and Kris' partner, Darcy, who pitched in by playing runner between start and finish, relaying paperwork.)

From left, Holly, Tobin, Justin, Jim, moi, and Kris

All of us established commissaires had worked together on numerous occasions, helping the race run smoothly. Sure, there were the usual registration issues as well as the occasional results glitch, but overall, it was a well-oiled machine. Jon and Devon from One2Go Timing were also known entities, and only the announcer, Matt, was new to the event. (He may have worked SoHo in 2024 when I was here for anti-doping during the PanAmericans and didn't see or hear much of the outside competition.)

Justin, always working—even at dinner

Kris, Devon, and Holly during packet pick-up

Holly at the finish line

During registration with two local volunteers

SoHo always has a very ambitious schedule that incorporates both the UCI crowd as well as amateurs, with special emphasis on sheer countless numbers of junior categories. Overall, an estimated 700 to 800 individual racers participated in three days of short track (XCC) and cross country (XCO) events, and about a half dozen nations were represented by the 120 or so UCI pros. Soldier Hollow was the venue for the Nordic events of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and with an eye on the 2034 Winter Games its facilities have already been updated and expanded. Bringing a UCI World Cup next year to SoHo will be yet another testing opportunity for the crew around GM Luke and Josh, the actual Race Director.

Eighty riders waiting for their call-ups for the XCO

Seeking shade before one of the women's XCO starts

One of many short track starts

For a cross country race, this may be one of the most spectator-friendly courses that I know. Fans can watch the racers for almost one minute climbing up an asphalted path (in the winter the basis for one of the many loipes) and then enter singletrack, heading in a diagonal pattern up the hillside and stretching out the field in a most brutal way. The 5K-long race course passes twice through the biathlon stadium where the feed/tech zone is located, allowing spectators to cheer on their racers (and support personnel to hand up water and nutrition) about every seven to eight minutes. And finally, looking toward the south side of the course, those with binoculars or good eyesight get a chance to follow the progress of the leaders for several more minutes. The layout of the finish is excellent and makes up for some of the lack of sexy race infrastructure at the XCO start. Seriously, no banners? Not even tape across the start line? C'mon folks!

Not the most impressive UCI XCO start area

Luke (left) and Josh at one of many
awards ceremonies over the course of the weekend

SoHo's Olympic biathlon stadium

For a ski center in Utah—at an elevation of about 5,600 or feet or 1,700 meters—the temperature was very high, pushing close to the 90°-degree mark. The mornings were cool and absolutely wonderful, but by noon the unrelenting sun was baking racers, spectators, and officials alike. I was glad I had brought a spray bottle of SPF-50 sunscreen, applying a fresh layer every three or so hours. Each time the racers passed through the feed zone they would take up ice socks and dump a bottle of water over their heads. For those of you unfamiliar with the rules, for safety reasons support personnel are not allowed to spray water on their riders, but the racers can douse themselves. Some of the slower riders looked positively miserable toward the end of their race. It was so hot that we decided to shorten by a lap a few of the mid-afternoon amateur races to keep riders safe.

Wrapping things up, it was another successful Bike Fest out there at Soldier Hollow. We celebrated with a few cold ones at Melvin's Public House in Heber City after the final finisher had crossed the line around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday night, exhausted but exuberant that she had completed her three-lap race against one solitary adversary.

Team Trusty Switchblade's Sarah Umberhandt celebrating her
second place in the women's Cat.2 40+ event ...

... while Kris, Justin, and Darcy celebrate the
end of the race weekend in front of Melvin's Public House

Monday morning, Jim and I piled into Tobin's Jeep and headed down to the SLC airport to be dropped off for our respective flights. Instead of playing the Russian Roulette upgrade game I had paid $100 for seats up front, a good decision with a plane full of locals and their many children.

Without any flight delays I was back in Lubbock a little before 8 p.m., and I was grateful that Sandy, on the spur of the moment, had decided to pick me up. Three days at home until vacation!

Jürgen

Good bedfellows: NAEC and USAC—2025 National Enduro Championships in Idaho

It's an interesting life I lead. One day I am at sea level in the sweltering heat of the tropics, and a few days later I am riding North America's longest single-stage gondola to an elevation of 5,700 feet, swaddled into my Patagonia nano-puff hoodie. Sandwiched in between were two 100°+ F days in Lubbock and four flights altogether. It's crazy, but I'm certainly not complaining.

About six weeks ago, USA Cycling contacted me to check on my ability to act as Chief Referee for this year's National Enduro Championships, and my schedule allowed me to accept the assignment. Breaking from tradition, USAC this year was not the actual organizer of the race (as in the past at, for example, Mammoth, Winterpark, and Snowshoe, all of which had various Enduro issues). Instead, the race was farmed out to a well-established race series, the North American Enduro Championship, or NAEC. I had been in contact with the owners and co-race directors of this series, Tony and Melina, and the vibes ahead of the event had been excellent.

When I arrived on Wednesday (yes, two days after my delayed return from Guanacaste), Tony picked me up from the airport in Spokane, WA, and together we drove to the venue in Kellogg, ID. During the hour-long drive he filled me in on his series and how the symbiotic relationship between NAEC and USAC had come to life and how this championship was going to be significantly different, at least in the way of its administration and execution. No wonder that instead of a crew of six, seven, or more commissaires I was going to be able to rely on only my old friend Vicki from Alabama as well as two freshly minted officials who also happen to work for the NAEC. Their referee shirts were still in the mail.... You get the drift.

Local officials Josh (l) and Sean, as well as Vicki and Justin, who represented USAC
but was not a crew member

Let me be blunt: Tony and Melina are running an incredibly successful series, and the best thing that USAC, from my perspective, could have ever done was exactly what they did do: piggy-back onto NAEC. I've been around the block often enough to know when not to interfere with a race director who knows much better than I do how to run a successful event, and so it was easy to step back, keep my eyes and ears open, occasionally consult with Tony or Melina on certain issues, and otherwise look as if I had things under control without having to lift my fingers too much.

Melina and Sean, my Finish Judge

OK, that might be simplifying things a little bit too much, but in all honesty, this was one of the easiest assignments I have ever had with USAC. I had ample time to ride the gondola up the mountain to some of the starts and finishes (the Pro riders had to complete altogether seven distinct timed stages over the course of two days, and the amateurs had five total stages, also distributed over Saturday and Sunday) and enjoy the views from the top. That was especially true on Wednesday afternoon, after my arrival, and Thursday, with the weather slowly turning from deep blue skies and nothing but sunshine to high-cloud activity the closer we got to our official practice on Friday, when drizzle and then rain moved into the mountains.

Xerophyllum tenax, or bear grass

One of our stages on Saturday started at the highest point of Silver Mountain Resort, just below Kellogg Peak at 6,297 feet. It was the day of the summer solstice, but you wouldn't have known it up there: Fog and mist were blowing up the mountain side, and rime ice was forming horizontally on the windward-facing trees. Believe me, I was glad that I was not the starter up there!

This particular race in this particular location has been in existence for ten years, and it appears that it attracts moisture like a flame attracts moths. But the racers didn't seem to mind. They are a grimy, happy crowd who love epic conditions, and there's much story swapping while waiting in line for the gondola ride to the top or at the start line, or simply hanging out at the base once finished, PBR, Rainier, or an IPA in hand. Nope, this is not antiseptic track racing or prima donnas hunched over on skinny-tired road bikes. This is mountain biking pure, where self reliance, broken bike parts, and lots of bruises are de rigeur.

Vicki and I were joined by my long-time friend Justin, who was not part of the officiating crew but rather represented USA Cycling and its mountain bike program. Justin is the expert on anything that's somehow related to qualifications for nationals, the selection process for the World's team, and or how to fix problems with an online USAC account. Having Justin at a race means that we don't look like totally idiots because as "normal" commissaires we just don't have his daily exposure to the mountain bike world's problems.

Justin and Swissy, who is always with him when on assignments

Despite really not working much we spent most of our days at the venue from 7:00 a.m. to about 9:00 p.m. But the days went by quickly with answering questions, rubbing shoulders with event sponsors, high-fiving athletes who recognized me from previous championships, and in general doing a lot of good-natured PR work on behalf of USAC, which doesn't necessarily have the best reputation in the Enduro world. Without wanting to brag, I think we did a really good job at that. I heard not one single negative comment all weekend, and we had only two minor disciplinary issues that turned out to be unfounded duds. With a total of 483 race starts over the two days, that's pretty much unheard of.

The start area with a minute to go. Enduro is, let's say, laid back!

Racers slowly rolling out of town on their opening transition stage

The race director, Tony, addressing the rapt audience during the pre-race meeting.
Notice the safely tucked-away can of Rainier.

Good thing alcohol comes not only in the form of Rainier but also in
spray bottles to fix booboos on the oversized checks!

NAEC rules say that temps have to be below freezing
before Tevas and Birkenstocks are retired ...

All newly minted 2025 US Enduro champions, in all age groups and categories, with the happy race directors happily in the middle

So, to wrap it all up and get this posted before I make it back late tonight, the 2025 USAC Enduro National Championships were one solid success. From the time that I was picked up at the airport, throughout the five days I was on the ground, and my final good-bye this morning, it was the perfect race experience for me, and I can't thank Tony, Melina, their crew, and of course Vicki and Justin enough for such positive impressions.

Jürgen