Race RECAP: Racer H @ Sea Otter Classic 80k Fuego XC MTB

Mudclub Racer J @ Sea Otter Classic 2022

Sea otter Fuego 80km synapsis

Loose dusty dirt and sandstone with way too much climbing and exposure to sunlight; week of sea otter conditions were brutal for practice day 1, 90f+ with alot of sun; the surface material was too deep and loose not optimal for tiny knobs even with large volume 2.4 maxxis aspen tires. Day 2 of practice saw the initial run in 6 miles for the bontrager XR2 tires; knob size/density and compound fit the terrain of sea otter perfectly; I just wish they had better sidewall durability like a maxxis. This years sea otter loop IMO favored a comfortable short travel efficient climbing bike as the elevation is 3200ft per lap and there are some rougher descents where I had fun chasing down a gravel biker running the 40km (one lap only) event; the gravel bike was faster for flatter boring uphills but sub optimal for rougher higher speed descents where a small anount of travel and composure in rocky/sandy situations was super useful. Some pros were on hardtails and it would have been a good choice to run the scott scale if my lower back could take it.

the Fuego 80/40km races started at the same time and was honestly too
many people to funnel through the initial section bottleneck into
singletrack; it made for very entertaining strategy as we managed to
pull to the front 20% of the group entering and change up the initial
pace to save energy for the first 5 miles; the initial grassland
sector post laguna seca track exit was minimal passing and had a
decent amount of ups and downs, the solution was to pull pace uphill
and pump downhill for extra pace to not burn too much energy during
the start of the opening lap; it worked well.

After the first section of climbing there was a connector leg with
extended top speed; made up all positions lost in slowing down
climbing pace with dropping and tucking for highest top speed during
coasting; this was a continual theme for many paved section connectors
the bike had been setup with front/rear fenders to clear debris at top
speed in anticipation for max speed.

the XR2 tires 2.25 are on the narrow side compared to a Maxxis Ardent
or Aspen 2.25, about the same as a Schwable 2.25 (when brand new no
race hours) were amazing on the transitions from rock to sand back to
rock through random surface changes; paired well with the chassis flex
of the Supercaliber; would like to try them on a scott scale if avail
in a larger 2.4 or 2.5 size

Mechanical setup deviations from off the shelf for the race week
purchased Privateer funded Supercaliber 9.6 (2021 closeout)
Fox 32 step cast performance 2021
Shimano SLX crankset and 30T front chainring
Shimano SLX rear derailleur
Shimano XT chain
Raceface dropper lever + Special-ed control dropper post last minute
replacement for failed PWN dropper post, updated post race to test the
crank brothers Highline 11 pre production now racing on highline 7
production unit.
Bontrager carbon bar 760mm
Shimano MTB cable housing shimano coated cables

Brilliant machine; handles like a modern carbon top end hardtail but
even better on your spine and goes faster over all things with much
better braking zone options.
Not much desired for change in the setup; will explore some setup options.