Marin Bikes Blog

9/05/09- Whistler, British Columbia Canada. Marin Bikes and Red Bull rider Shaums March captured a thrilling 2nd place finish this past weekend at the Red Bull Exodus held high atop the mountain on Whistler Peak. The Exodus is a mass start downhill race that drew over 125 riders to race both against the clock and each other.

This year proved to be special with rain and heavy fog shrouding the mountain top, transforming the already technical course into a mud strewn ribbon of dirt, rock and wood that dropped over 5000 vertical feet from the summit to Whistler Village below. With 125 riders banging handlebars and sprinting to get the clean line down through the tricky conditions and low visibility, Saturday’s event proved to showcase who the best riders on the mountain were

“Officially” retired, March resides in Squamish, British Columbia where he operates Mad March Racing, a riding and racing skills camp that teaches riders how to build and improve riding skills. To help keep his skills honed and to illustrate his methods to students Shaums competes in select events each year. Along with conducting local camps, Shaums travels to events throughout the US and Canada and has a network of satellite camps to educate riders on their home trails.

Below is a recap of the event from the man himself:

RedBull Exodus Race: With not knowing much about the race, it sounded really exciting to race against 150 men and 50 woman in a Mass start event. Sweet, Easy. thats got my mane all over it!

Ok, so now you have to realize that this is at 7000+ft in which there is a straight sprint and jockeying for position for the first 5 min down the fire road. Yeah, with 150 riders sprinting to the tight single track, you have to hold your wit about you and still ride as fast as you can.
Here’s how it went.

The qualifying runs were held on Friday with one a minute interval between riders using only 3/4 of the race course, many of the famous double black diamond single tracks were used in this epic race. I came in with a safe and clean 9th position qualifier which meant I was on the front row of the mass start the next day. Just where I wanted to be.
The morning of the race was the end of the nice summer weather we were all loving. With torrential rain the night before and continuing into the morning we knew all the trails would be slick, but as soon as I got out of the car in the parking lot I also thought about how cold it was going to be 5000ft higher up on the hill!

This event had a different twist to it, A mass start, atop of Whistler Mountain, “The PEAK”, brushing elbows and bars with 150 riders.

Arriving up at the round house 3/4 way up and stepping out of the Gondola I now was feeling the less than comfortable temperatures and could see a heavy fog blanketing the mountain, I caught up with the Redbull crew and many others there who were happy with not only my appearance but stoked to see the new Marin (now with new decals!). I jumped on the last chair to the peak, and the chair and I disappeared into dense fog, The fog was so thick that it threw off your equilibrium just seeing cliff rocks pass under your feet. At the top of the mountain the temperature had dropped a few more degrees and now you could hardly see twenty feet in front of you; a true Redbull race!
As all the riders made there way to the top it got crowded and riders were all dancing around trying to stay warm while keeping gloves from getting wet and goggles from fogging up.

With the starting count down Brett Tippie pounded a Redbull and gave the signal to fire the shotgun for the start.
I was cold and stiff but the shotgun got the adrenaline going in a hurry! My start wasn’t the best but I managed to stay in the top ten for the first 100 yrds. I was feeling pretty good as the riders were all fighting for lines and I seamed to have my own line that no one was wanting to follow. As the hill got steep and the speeds increased riders got scetchy and I was not wanting to get caught in there mess so i made my move and passed 2 riders on a slight right turn and another 4 on a tighter left. There were two more up to first and it seamed that they were not wanting to pin it not knowing the road ahead, but I wasn’t willing to wait. I was looking deep into the mist ahead to find lines early and then it came; a right hand G-out turn to an uphill and I saw both the riders drift out wide to miss a puddle and i made my move bunny hopping the puddle getting my gears and the inside line which launched me out front. I was out front-Holly S%#@!! As I was sprinting up the rise I was looking as far ahead as I could and seeing one more down into another right turn up hill which bigger this time i hammered down the hill into the turn and up the hill, thinking they were right on me I had a quick glance and it looked like a Mob was chasing me! I had 30yrds on them as I crested the hill at a walking pace, thinking they were going to shoot past me at any second. I didn’t want to look back (“just keep going!” I thought) as I was getting my gears & picking up speed and heading back down the hill I had maxed out my speed and I was in a tuck coasting taking a split second break I looked back and saw no one!! “Oh S%#@ did I miss a turn?!” I slowed down around the next bend and was looking for any sign of a race course and coasting down i finally saw a guy standing next to some tape that was blocking off the turn he was on. “Ok ok, I’m in” I thought so i picked up the pace again and spun out my gears into the next section which i happened to see Seb (he told me later) with a radar gun which read 47mph as I went past. My gears where maxed out and I was tucked and pumping as much of the road as i could to maintain my speed, I could see the Round house the 1/3 marker I knew I was no where near done but I could feel my heart pounding, lungs burning and my legs shake. Passing the lift near the new peak to peak gondola I was going pretty quick trying to rest my body & breath and was not thinking there would be any major sections for another few hundred yrds, but I was wrong; they threw in a chicane (a hard left over 90 degree turn heading up the hill). “Ahhhh!!!!”, as I hit the brakes held my turn and shifted gears and went into the tape and off the course, I was able stay on the bike and not break the tape, but I was shifting and still off the road with the tape rubbing my arm. I pulled back on the course just as i got the the 180 degree right which put me back down the hill, I saw all the riders come down the last turn and repeat my same mistake but they were close and I was hit with another shot of adrenaline to get me peddling hard towards the single track with two more small tight turns before the last pitch into the Garbonzo trails. I was over amped and needing to lower my heart rate and be ready for the double black diamond trails, which were going to take a min of 13:44, which was Justin Leov’s time. As I shot into the “Original Sin” trail I was going faster than I ever have entering that trail, holding on and trying to focus far enough ahead. I made the first section clean and hit the rock hill and cleaned that too.

The fatigue was really setting in, and I was looking back even more trying to spot anyone, but I saw nothing as I headed down into “Blue Velvet” and then into “In Deep” where I was riding my regular line and saw a rider shoot past me on a “nana” line which I never ride (my bad, I guess!). I was tyring to pin it to beat him where they met but was half a tire length behind so i had to break so i didn’t run him down and crash us both, but i was right on him dropping in to the hardest part of In deep I took the rock roll and he rode the shoot. I was amped and needing to chill so I wouldn’t blow a section, so I held on to his wheel as much as I could and then when he got on freight train I just tried to hold our distance. As we hit “Side Track” my eyes where going crossed and I needed to rest, so i was back to pumping the jumps and breathing on the straights, I could see him for most the way down and then he was gone… “S#@!!” I was mad I was feeling better and knew i could sprint the bottom of “No Duff” along the flats. As I came out to the bottom flat i saw him just turn left out of the trees at the end of the straight, so I sprinted to catch him. As we hit “World Cup Singletrack” I had already made up 40 yrds and going into “Ho Chi Man” I was again pushing it and gaining ground. I could see the writing on his Jersey and the bone yard was just around the next corner. We both were sprinting as hard as we could like two heavy weight boxers fighting it out on there 12th round. He was looking back trying to keep his lead and I was gaining. Less than 50 feet from him going into the bone yard and we were both trying to hold it together and not make mistakes getting to the last 5 turns. I was hoping for a small mistake, knowing I could not make it up from here but he held his composure and beat me across the line by 2.77 second…..Ughhhhhh.

The most exhilarating and tiring race I have ever done!

Oh, just another note, It took me twice as long to write the story than it did to complete the race!
…I think I’ll stick to riding:)
Shaums
Jerome Clementz 21:01min
Shaums March 21:03min
Jack Redding 21:04
James MCskimming 21:13
Paul Stevens 21:14