All-Mountain World Champion Keegan Swenson races down Third Divide trail on his way to a victory in the downhill
DOWNIEVILLE — Starting Thursday night, thousands of mountain bikers made their way to the Downieville area in preparation for the annual Downieville Classic Bike Race, a festival featuring two races over two days and culminating in the Downieville “All-Mountain World Championship.” Saturday’s cross-country race climbed from Sierra City to Packer Saddle, then descended back to Downieville. Sunday’s downhill race started at Packer Saddle and descended directly to Downieville.
The start of the Pro Men’s cross-country race, with winner Keegan Swenson front and center
Last year’s champion, Keegan Swenson, who races for Santa Cruz Bicycles, entered the Downieville Classic after a last-minute cancellation due to wildfire of a Utah race in which he was scheduled to participate. Despite his unexpected entry, Swenson was in top form and looked unbeatable.
Swenson crosses the finish line in the cross-country race
Saturday’s climb started at 8:30, and Swenson reached the top of the 8-mile, 3,000-foot climb in 46 minutes and 28 seconds. Swenson finished in 1:58:08, with the close challenger Cameron Jones coming in less than a minute behind.
Sofia Gomez-Villafane just after finishing the cross-country race
In the Pro Women category, Sofia Gomez-Villafane put up a convincing performance, finishing over five minutes ahead of Evelyn Dong with a time of 2:21:01. Last year’s all-mountain winner and six-time champion, Katerina Nash, placed third.
Swenson and Gomez-Villafane, who happen to be a couple, stand together on the podium. They were titled King and Queen of the Mountain.
Seven hundred eighteen racers participated in the Saturday race — a sold-out field, though potentially diminished by the heat. Categories included Pro, Expert, Sport, and Beginner, most of which were further separated by age group. The oldest participant was 65-year-old Christopher Lintermann in the Sport Men 61+ category, and the youngest was 13-year-old Nicholas Russell, competing in Expert Junior Men 13-18.
The Men’s Expert category just after starting Saturday’s climb in Sierra City
Sunday’s downhill race, reserved for expert and pro riders only, featured a staggered start from Packer Saddle, and, unsurprisingly, many of the same people at the top of the podium in Cross-Country were also successful in the Downhill. Swenson and Gomez-Villafane were fastest on the Downhill in the pro men and women categories, respectively, securing all-mountain championships.
Big cycling name Levi Leipheimer in Sunday’s Downhill race
More than just racing was offered over the weekend, with most festivities occurring Saturday night. First was the long-awaited return of Ron’s House of Big Air River Jump, which had not been held since 2019.
A high flyer at Ron’s House of Big Air River Jump
The river jump had 20 entrants compete by jumping off a temporarily constructed wooden ramp into the Downie/Yuba River Confluence. Contestants were judged subjectively on entertainment factor.
A local pushes the bike along in the Log Pull competition
Next, a Log Pull competition tested who could pull the heavy piece of wood down Main Street by bicycle the quickest. The bike was one-size-fits-all, so one contestant, who was too short to ride, decided to push the bike along.
Joy & Madness plays the main stage on Saturday evening
The last event on Saturday was a dance party featuring the 8-piece band Joy & Madness. The group played on a main stage constructed in the Community Hall parking lot, which was also used for podiums.
Vendors line Main Street on Saturday
Main Street hosted many vendor booths throughout the weekend, including GoPro, Muc-Off, Evil Bikes, Ripton, White Industries, MERGE4, Sierra Nevada, and others, which sold mountain bike-related products. Most vendors also donated prizes for podium finishers, raffle prizes supporting Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, and handouts to the crowd.
The Care Flight air ambulance stages at Empire Ranch
The Downieville Fire Department was instrumental in the weekend’s first aid operations, for which the Community Hall was turned into a functional clinic. Thankfully, the hall saw little use. Downieville Fire also organized meals, which were provided to riders free of charge. Many more doctors and trained medical staff were brought out for the event, including Doctor Rob Bixler, the event’s medical director.
Several volunteer individuals and organizations besides Downieville Fire were responsible for making the weekend go smoothly and safely. Many locals helped in the event setup and breakdown, which was managed by Breakaway Productions. More volunteers manned aid stations throughout the course, which kept riders hydrated and healthy.
Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher and Supervisor Lee Adams both praised the professionalism and communication of the event’s organizers. They noted that the fact that the event had taken place was barely noticeable after its conclusion on Sunday. Despite some issues with festival-goers, particularly on Saturday afternoon, the Sheriff said that the organizers immediately handled any problems he had.
Charlie McClelland crosses the bridge at the end of Third Divide
The 2024 Downieville Classic was the race’s 26th occurrence, and its success likely indicates it will return next year. Now in its second year of organizing the race (in collaboration with Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship), Breakaway Promotions has been received well by locals, who praise their response and adaptation to criticisms leveled at past iterations. It seems they’ve found a balance between bringing a popular and enjoyable event to town and respect for the local community.