Racers rip into Lava

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LAVA HOT SPRINGS — More than 100 cyclists descended on Lava Hot Springs this weekend to take on the steepest downhill course in the Utah series and earn points that could win them national rating.

Jordan Gibson, 18, from Provo, Utah, came to Lava with five friends who also competed in the downhill event.

It was Gibson’s second year at the Lava Rama, but he said he didn’t finish the race last year.

“My bike fell apart,” he said.

This year Gibson spent the day hiking the course and he picked his line, or plotted his way down the mile-and-a-half long course carefully.

Dev Boshard, 18, also from Provo, said the two-day event was part of the Bomber Series which included racers from Utah and Idaho.

He said the course is technical and picking a good line would mean the difference between a fast run and a minor injury.

Micah Hantze, 17, a junior at Orem High School in Utah, placed second in the event last year and this year he modified his strategy for Sunday’s downhill race.

Hantze lowered the tire pressure on his custom Scott High Octane mountain bike and he rode and hiked the course Saturday.

He said the racing bike cost about $5,000 and he worked at a Provo bike shop to pay for it.

John McCabe, also with the Provo group, said it was his first time in Lava, but he felt confident about the race.

“I heard that the course is hard and rocky,” he said.

McCabe, 14, said he started racing mountain bikes this year, but he also competes in motocross racing and said he likes the rush.

Darren Lightfield, owner of the Wild Rockies Series, said Lava’s course, which paralleled the famous “L,” is the steepest in the series.

The Boise-based racing promoter said he brought a crew of 12 people to set up, officiate and shuttle racers up the hill during Lava Rama.

“There are great competitors from Utah, Idaho and Wyoming,” Lightfield said.

Carl Marcum, 26, from Meridian, won the Lava Rama Downhill in 2004.

Marcum, who’s raced for five years, said the sport is affordable and challenging.

“You can race at the top levels for a fairly low price,” he said.

Competitors at Lava Rama paid a $36 entry fee, which got them a racing number and a free T-shirt, as well as chance to earn points that could rank them nationally.

Marcum said the initial investment — the bike, (racing models are equipped with hydraulic disc brakes and high-tech suspensions) is spendy at about $5,000, but he said maintenance cost are low.

Marcum competed in the downhill event again Sunday and he had some advice for first-timers.

“Be consistent and don’t make any mistakes,” he said. “The slower you go the faster you go.”

Clint Larsen, 26, of St. George, Utah, said keeping speed down on the course, which descends 1,200 feet in three minutes, would be challenging.

‘‘It’s steep and it’s fast,” he said.

Travis Anderson from Park City said racers reached speeds up to 50 mph coming down the rocky sage-covered hill.

Anderson, 26, said he’s been riding for 13 years, but it was his first time at the Lava event.

“More than anything, it’s rocky and loose and hard to stay in control,” he said.

By Debbie Bryce - dbryce@journalnet.com

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