Josh Maurer - Santa Cruz California

-2009 Race Schedule and Results-

CCCX #1 - 19th Place / Pro Downhill
CCCX #2 - 22nd Place / Pro Downhill - 3rd Place / Chainless DH
CCCX #3 - 14th Place / Pro Downhill - 3rd Place / Chainless DH
Sea Otter Classic - 40th Place (of 56) / CAT-1 DH
CCCX #4 - 8th Place / Pro Downhill - 4th Place / Chainless DH
CCCX #5 - 10th Place / Pro Downhill - 6th Place / Chainless DH
CCCX #6 - 11th Place / Pro Downhill - 3rd Place / Chainless DH
CCCX #7 (finals) - Sunday July 5th - Salinas CA

6/30/09 - A bit of lame news but thankfully towards the end of the season for me. July 17th I am now officially scheduled for surgery on my left shoulder. This is the result of multiple dislocations over the last year and a half. This bad boy has popped out from everything from swimming, crashing while riding/racing, and even sneezing. The surgery is going to repair, tighten, and anchor the ligaments and everything that keep everything in my shoulder in place.

This is almost exactly the same as the surgery I had on my right shoulder 2 years ago now that I got from a dirt jumping crash (click here to see the x-ray from when that happened).

Thankfully things are nowhere near as bad as they were on my right shoulder, this surgery is going to hopefully be more of a preventative maintenance kind of thing. The biggest downside for me is that the recovery for this surgery can take some time and patience. After the surgery on my right shoulder, I was back riding and racing in a little over 3 months of recovery and physical therapy.

The plus side some of you might remember, I came back stronger than ever getting nothing but podiums last season in the Sport class. And my right shoulder is feeling awesome to this day =]

I also wanted to let all of you know, I am still going to be racing this weekends CCCX series finals and it is looking promising I can hold onto a top 10 overall in the series in the Pro class. I have been training hard for this last hurrah of the season for me.

I am super amped for this weekends race and hopefully pulling another great result in the pro class!

Stay tuned for a race report, results, and photos.

6/8/09 - Well this Sunday was CCCX #6 in Salinas CA. I went out on the local trails on Saturday to practice and ended up slipping a pedal off a decent sized drop towards the bottom of the run and nailing my shin/ankle with my pedal. Here is a photo (Warning, its a little um, bloody... so don't click if you are a little squeamish). After that happened I rode back to the car and headed home for some cleanup. Thankfully my wonderful fiance has a medical background and took great care of me. =]

The next day I was pretty sore but wrapped up the shin and headed out to the races. The course was about 2/3 all new never used course in the CCCX history. It was killer to have something totally different and challenging. The last 2/3 of the course were freshly cut, rutted, steep, and SUPER dusty. It made for a challenging run. I ended up getting 11th place with a 3'36''.38. I also got a 3rd place in my chainless run with a 3'56''.72 which felt a lot better on my shin, way less movement. =] I am pretty bummed with my pro result for this race, I know I could have been much quicker. It looks like I will be going all out for the finals to do my best to hold onto the top 10 overall in the series. The series points have not been posted yet, so I will have another update sometime this week when they are posted. Anyways, here are some photos!

(Click the photos to enlarge)

6/3/09 - This weekend is CCCX # 6 in Salinas CA. This is the second to last race of the series and I am currently sitting in 7th place overall out of 41 other pro racers! Only 2 points off of 5th place overall! I have been training pretty hard the last few weeks so hopefully that will pay off this weekend with another top 10 finish and just that much closer to 5th overall!

I also have a new quick video of one of me riding on one of the local trails in the early am before work filmed by my buddy Ben Vickery. Check it out!

This was also my first ride with the new Troy Lee Designs Rincon Jacket. This is new upper body armor from TLD and it is pretty awesome. The jacket was breathable especially at speeds. The fit was quite comfortable, especially with the kidney belt. The pads felt like they were heald in the right places on the chest, back, shoulder, forearms, and elbows. This is also one of the only body armor jackets out there that was designed to work with the Leatt neck brace I ride with. Super cool! Overall, I was very happy with the product! Can't wait to bring it to Northstar this summer for a little added confidence with all those rocks! =] Check it out!

Stay tuned for updates from this weekends race!

5/27/09 - Point One Racing Split-Second DM stem Review!

I just picked up a new Point One Racing DM (Direct Mount) stem. Figured I would post up a little review.

Weight - 128g for the 31.8mm size (including mounting hardware)
Price - MSRP $119

After the install on my Fox 40, I was able to drop my front end significantly from the previous set up I had with a regular stem + spacers. I also was able to knock off almost 2 inches of steerer tube. PUMPED. The front end of the bike is much stiffer than before. Very happy with the results! Just wanted to share!

Check out the site by clicking the logo on the left side of my site or clicking here!

Here are some photos of it on the ride (click to enlarge):

Thanks to everyone at Point One racing for getting me set up!

5/18/09 - This last weekend was CCCX #5 in Salinas CA. After coming back from an injury the week before my race run wasn't as strong as I had wanted it to be. But I ended up getting 10th Place with a 3'05''.02! This is my second top 10 finish! The course was SUPER loose, dry, dusty, and on top of everything, blazing hot. I also had a crash in my chainless run putting me in 6th place and sore from some scrapes and cuts. Nothing too bad though =]

I am still waiting on the overall points standings so stay tuned.

(Click on the images below to see larger versions)

Photos by Nate Phillips

I would also like to take the opportunity to introduce a new sponsor I picked up this week! Point One Racing! They are a killer new company making super light weigh components. Be sure to check out their products by clicking on the name above or the logo on the left side of the site! I will be posting up pictures of my new direct mount stem for my 09 Fox 40RC2 as soon as I get a chance to cut my steerer tube down a bit. =]

Thanks to all of my amazing sponsors for all of your help so far this season!

5/15/09 - This weekend is CCCX #5 in Salinas CA. The course description was posted up today and it sounds like its going to be a fun race! The description talks about a bunch of new lines made on the course that have never been used before to make a fast, steep, and challenging race. I cannot wait to get out there and ride it. I have been laying low this week because of a shoulder injury last Sunday. I am itching to be on my bike again! =]

Stay tuned for race results, photos, and a write up!

I also went out last Saturday and shot some photos with a friend of mine named Mike Mihalik. Check them out!

(Click on the images below to see larger versions)

5/12/09 - I came across this link today while browsing one of the biking forums online today.

www.pedalingforpits.com

The site hit home for me (being a Pit Bull owner with my fiance). The guy from the site is riding for an awesome organization called BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls). Please be sure to check out the sites and if you can contribute to an awesome cause and an amazing breed of dogs!

Here is Charlotte rocking some RideSFO gear:

Also cannot forget her best friend Haley:

5/4/09 - This weekend was CCCX #4. The course was one of the longest of the season being just about 3 miles long. I ended up getting my first top 10 finish in Pro! I finished with a 6'04''.75 putting me in 8th Place! I had a pretty solid run, but I know I could continue to do better if I work on my cardio some more. I also finished 4th place in the chainless category with a 7'08''.31, which was pretty difficult considering this is a course that requires more peddling that other courses.

I am super pumped for this weekends results and cannot wait for the next race. I have some training to do =]

Photos by: Nate Phillips and Breezyy

Thanks so much to all of my sponsors! Especially Tomac Mountain Bikes and RIdeSFO!

4/21/09 - Sorry it's been a couple days since the Sea Otter without posting. This Sea Otter Classic this weekend was lots of fun, it was great spending so much time out there (Thursday - Sunday). Lots of crazy things went down while I was out there. My buddy got his brand new bike stolen and a couple of my friends ended up crashing and getting pretty hurt. I also got to finally meet the man himself, Johnny Tomac! He was an incredibly friendly guy and it was a pleasure to meet and chat with such a legend!

Now to the practice and race report... It was really nice to have so many days for practice this week. It really gave me a chance to get comfortable on the course. The course this year was just about the same as last year. But this time, it was about 30 degrees hotter, more rutted, and more dusty. I finally was feeling good on the course on the end of Friday's practice.

Saturday I go down for my first run and end up crashing on a step up to table top jump. I ended up catching my rear end on the landing, going over the bars and landing flat bottom on the lip of the next jump. I dislocated my left shoulder, scraped my right forearm up pretty good, and bruised my hip/thigh. After the crash I decided to call it a day. The next day was race day and I didn't want to miss it.

Race day was hotter than the day before. I was still pretty sore from my crash and ended up having a bad run down the hill and got a 2:35.62 which put me in 40th place of 56 racers in my class. I really feel like I could have pulled a much faster result but my body was pretty wrecked from the crash the day before.

Over all the Sea Otter Classic this year was a ton of fun. I got to spend lots of time riding and hanging out with friends.

I want to thank Joel and Clarke from Tomac for all of the support. It was great seeing you guys and also meeting Johnny Tomac =]

I also want to give props to Phil at RideSFO for always getting me set up and looking fly in all my gear.

Now for some photos:

Stay posted for more photos as they come in!

4/13/09 - This last weekend was CCCX #3 in Salinas CA. The course was SUPER dry and loose which made for challenging race runs. I ended up in 14th Place in Pro DH out of 20 other riders in the class and 3rd Place in the chainless class! I felt pretty good in my race runs, but I still have a lot of room for improvement, which means, more training in the future.

(click the thumbnails below for larger photos)

Photos by: Nate Phillips and Rick Rasmussen

This next weekend is also the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey CA. This is going to be my biggest race by far all season long. I am VERY excited for it to say the least. I am going to get to take a few days off work, ride a bunch, hang out with friends, etc! What could be better?! =]

I am also SUPER excited to meet with everyone at Tomac and RideSFO! I will be spending some good time at the booths this week. I will be out there Thursday - Sunday! Can't wait!

Thanks to all of my sponsors for making this possible!

Also, the video from last week should be arriving anytime now! Stay posted!

4/7/09 - This weekend I got out to some of the local trails for a photo/video shoot! Here are some photos thanks to Sean Walton (www.evisionsphoto.com):

Video is still being worked on and edited by Michael Horn (www.tradewindshd.com). I will post it us as soon as it is available!

This upcoming weekend is CCCX #3. I am pretty excited about the race because of all the expected rain this week. The CCCX courses love rain. Without it, the courses are always super loose and dry. This weeks rain should make for killer traction on Saturday!

I also wanted to send out some major props to Joel at Tomac Mountain Bikes and Phil at RideSFO for making everything possible for me this season!

4/3/09 - New Gear Review - Troy Lee Designs Moto Shorts

I picked up a pair of the TLD Moto shorts through RideSFO not too long ago and from the get go I was impressed. I hadn't seen them in person before getting my pair and I was really surprised to see the quality of the shorts (compared to other brands I have owned). Also there is extra padding on the hips with the removable pads. The materials are thick but totally breathable. The shorts also give a great sense of protection, they don't feel too thin like other shorts have felt for me.

Once I put the short on, I noticed how comfortable they were. The hip pads actually provided more comfort and were not restrictive at all, the shorts felt great. The fit on them is super nice with large leg openings allowing for knee pads with no problems at all and a higher inner seem to not get in the way of the seat, but still be comfortable. The waist also is adjustable and quite comfortable with the Ratchet waist closure to give it a custom fit.

Another HUGE plus for the shorts are the pockets. The 2 LARGE zip/button pockets on either leg are big and angled just right so when you are pedaling, everything stays put and you don't have to worry about things moving/falling out. Especially with the added security of the zipper/button combo. It also has a rear pocket that sits right below the belt line that is long and has plenty of room. You can also leave the all of the pockets unzipped for extra ventilation.

Overall, I think these shorts are awesome and would totally recommend them to anyone. I am super pumped about them and could say with confidence, in my 5 years of riding/racing bikes, these are the best riding shorts I have owned to date.

Be sure to check them out!

Troy Lee Designs - www.troyleedesigns.com
RideSFO - www.ridesfo.com

4/2/09 - Well the race season is well underway now and I have 2 races this month. CCCX #3 and of course my biggest event of the season I race in, the Sea Otter Classic. Needless to say I am VERY excited about it!

I have seriously stepped up my training for this season. Some serious time in at the gym and out on the trails. Hopefully this will result in better and better results as the season progresses.

I also wanted to mention this Sunday I am going out for a photo shoot with Sean Walton (a professional photographer) to get some shots of me for the 2009 season on some of the local trails. I am pretty excited! Be sure to check out his site www.evisionsphoto.com. I will be sure to post and send out photos as soon as I get my hands on them!

I also wanted to thank my family and sponsors for all of the support so far this season! Check out all of the links to the left! =]

3/23/09 - This weekend was CCCX #2 in Salinas CA. This is my 2nd Pro race in my racing career and I am already noticing good improvements, even after being super sick for 2 weeks prior to the race. My fitness levels weren't where they should be because of this, but I still turned out a good race run in Pro! I pulled a 3 min 56 seconds that put me in 22nd place out of 28 total Pro racers.

I also tried racing the chainless class for the first time. This class is pretty nutty and a lot of fun after the first race run of the day. The chainless class races down the same DH course, but you have to go down the hill without a chain. So holding speed is crucial for good results. I ended up getting 3rd place with a time of 4 min 34 seconds! It was so much fun and super challenging. I am going to be racing this class for the rest of the season as well as Pro.

It was also my first race on my Tomac Primer 220! I haven't had any races where the Primer would be a good fit on the course yet, but I decided I could not wait any longer to race this bad boy! It performed amazing to say the least. Actually racing on the bike really made me see how this bike could be a top 10 finisher in the World Cup. =]

Now, here are some photos from the race:

And here is one from the chainless race and the podium for that! =]

Photos by: Nate Phillips and Rick Rasmussen

Overall, this weekend's race was tons of fun! I want to thank Joel from Tomac for all of the amazing support and Phil from RideSFO for everything. You guys are awesome and I cannot wait to continue to perform better and better this season!

I also will be picking up a Leatt neck brace this week for riding and racing with! Thanks again for the help Phil!

3/2/09 - Yesterday was CCCX #1 in Salinas CA. This was also my first time racing in the Pro class! Very exciting and scary for the first race. Unfortunately the conditions were not ideal when it was my time to head down the hill. It was windy and pouring rain. I pulled 19th place with a 3:14.74 soaked from head to toe and loads of mud in my eyes because my goggles became foggy and wet to use. Doh! After the first section (40mph+ fire road), it was pretty difficult to see so I did the rest of the course cautiously so I did't end up stacking and slowing my time even more.

Overall, it was a great first race of the season. I got to compair my time with all of the rest of the pro's in the class and got a good idea of where I have improved since last season. I am very excited to continue training and improving my skills! This is just the begining of the season and I have plenty of room to improve! =]

Thanks so much to Joel at Tomac and Phil at RideSFO for all of the support! You guys rule!

2/26/09 - Updates have been a little more sporadic these days, but I wanted to get an update up before my first race for the 2009 season!

Yesterday I received my pre-race care package thanks to RideSFO and Troy Lee Designs! In the mystery box was a sick new RideSFO/TLD Jersey, TLD gloves, TLD Moto shorts, TLD T-Bone knee pads, RideSFO shirt, and a bunch of RideSFO stickers!

Thanks so much you guys for the awesome pre-race care package! I am going to look hella fly with this gear on =]

mmmmm... new gear!

Since my last update I also sold off my Audi wagon for something a little more fun and different, I now have a 1991 VW Jetta GLI 2.0L 16v. The picture below is the day I brought it home. It now is equipped with a bike rack/fairing and heavy duty rubber floor mats so I don't mess up the cherry interior. =] So without further ado, here is my new race vehicle!

Keep an eye out for me and the car at the races!

Also next week (March 5th) is my 24th birthday! Wooohooo! I am also getting more tattoo work done on March 4th as a birthday present from my fiance. Pretty excited to start on my new piece!

Race report/photos will be posted late this Sunday evening or early on Monday! Stay posted!

-2008 Race Results-

* CCCX #1 - 4th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #2 - 1st Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #3 - 1st Place / Sport Downhill
* Sea Otter Classic 2nd Place (Out of 50+ riders) / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #4 - 2nd Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #5 - 2nd Place / Sport Downhill / Super-D
* Santa Ynez Valley National Race NMBS #3 - 4th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #6 - 1st Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX #7 - 1st Place / Sport Downhill / Super-D
* CCCX #8 (Finals) - 4th Place / 1st Place Over All in series / Sport Downhill
* Downieville Classic - 4th Place / Sport Downhill

-2007 Race Results-

* CCCX Race #1 - 6th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #2 - 10th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #3 - 5th Place / Sport Downhill
* Seaotter Classic - 12th Place (Out of 70!) / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #4 - 9th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #5 - 8th Place / Sport Downhill
* CHDH Race #2 - 7th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #6 - 10th Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX Race #7 (Finals) - 6th place and 4th overall / Sport Downhill

-2006 Race Results-

* Keysville Classic Downhill Race - 4th Place / Sport Downhill
* CHDH- 11th(?) Place / Sport Downhill
* Sea Otter Classic - 28th Place Sport Downhill - 17th Place / Sport Dual Slalom
* Firestone Downhill Race - 5th Place / Sport Downhill - Qualified for Nationals!
* CCCX - Downhill Series Race #3 - 6th Place / Sport Downhill
* Lagrange Fall Classic - 3rd Place / Sport Downhill
* CCCX - Downhill Series Race #5 - 12th Place / Sport Downhill