Last Wednesday April 19 was the season opener for the NW MTB Series, aka the “Wednesday Night World Championships.” The weekly event continues to grow in popularity and once again set a new opening day attendance record despite cool, rainy, and muddy conditions.
Event organizer Russell Stevenson attributes the event’s growing popularity to the fact that it’s a recurring event during the week with easy access from Seattle and the surrounding suburbs.
The evening starts at 5:30 with a race for kids 10 and under. This is a change from last year–some of the juniors are so skilled that it works better for them to ride with the adults in the 6PM or 7PM races.
The scene is similar to a cyclocross event in that the course consists of a single lap that twists and turns through the park, then passes through the start/finish area. The event is divided into three self-seeded races:
5:30pm Race
Kids (6-10yr) – 2 short laps, about 20min
Russell expect this category to grow quite a bit as word gets out about this option for the young ones.
5:30 PM Race Flickr Album
6pm Race
Cat 3 (Sport) – 3 laps
Cat 4 (Beginners) – 2 laps
6:00 PM Race Flickr Album
7pm Race
Cat 1 (Expert/Elite) – 4 laps
Cat 2 (Sport/Intermediate) – 3 laps
7:00 PM Race Flickr Album
Although mountain bike racing is the reason folks show up, the social aspects of the evening are the real highlight. Russell and his staff create a festive atmosphere with tiki torches and a fun, community oriented-vibe, where friends hang out after their races.
The series is held on the trails at North SeaTac Park, and the course changes from week to week. Some of the courses, like the 2015 finale, include formidable terrain.
Since the series launched, Russell and a team of trail volunteers have gradually expanded the course options by adding connectors between the main trails, which gives them a way to change the course flow from week to week. They have also gradually added technical features that skilled riders can use to gap the competition.
A big logistical upgrade this year is that the NW MTB Series will be using the same RFID timing chips as MFG Cyclocross and several other regional mountain bike races. This, combined with online registration and an overall move from paper to computer tablets, makes the results more accurate for the competitors and easier to manage for the race officials.
Trek Bicycle Store Southcenter is on hand with tech support and staff, and Trek Bicycles is supporting the series with prizes. This year’s other sponsors include:
Bontrager
Clif
Crank Brothers
Full Speed Ahead
Harbour Homes
Save Our Soles
Schooner Exact
Voler
WD40 bike products
Western Specialty Contractors
Competitors vie for a flashy leader’s jersey. After week one the leaders are:
Cat 1 Men: Sterling Quinn
Cat 1 Women: Heidi Wood
Cat 2 Men: Michael Swale
Cat 2 Women: Jackie Logan
Cat 2 Junior Boy: Connor Gizinski
Cat 2 Junior Girl: Callah Robinson
Cat 3 Men: Bryan Smith
Cat 3 Women: Keelin Pattillo
Cat 3 Junior Boy: Aidan Cordero
Cat 3 Junior Girl: Phaedra Franklin
Cat 4 Men: Jacob Cooper
Cat 4 Women: Michelle Jack
Cat 4 Junior Boy: Jakob Buchanan
Cat 4 Junior Girl: Madisyn Kallinger
Kids Boy: Luca Erbeck
Kids Girl: Brooklyn Partridge
The series runs through August 16.
