2014 Downieville Classic

‘Racers sink into the river, letting their tired legs relax as the dust washes away. Small moats and rocks are situated strategically to nestle cold beers in the shallow water. Locals sit on a bench in front of the drug store with cardboard boxes half-full of Busch cans. The heat is intense, so bright and strong that dust settles around sunglasses and goggles and then runs in muddy lines down cheeks and settles at the corners of riders’ mouths.

In the evening riders gather around camp fires swapping stories, tales of dangerous rocks and fabled drops that have ended even the most experienced athlete’s otherwise perfect race. The partiers wander into the St. Charles, the infamous, “top 3 bars in America,” where people have been telling gold fables and fishing tales for ages. And now biking stories with similar exaggerations are encouraged by cheap whisky, rounds on friends and co., and the euphoria of surviving the day.

 

You can see the unmentionable, the wildest Downieville stories untold, in the eyes of the old timer. We came for a race and found our family. Maybe we won’t see you again until next year but when we stare bleary-eyed at our computer screens Monday morning we remember, these are my people.’

The Kitsbow team was lucky enough to attend the 2014 Downieville Classic. It’s amazing how Downieville can serve as a retreat, conference, vacation, reunion, and a party all in a few days. We hope to see you next year, we’ll bring the coffee.

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