Ryan and I recently got back from our first trip to Sea Otter Classic, a cycling festival, expo and race put on each year in Monterey, California. We had a blast and look forward to returning in the future, here are the top 5 reasons you should consider attending next year!
- Monterey, California
The location of Sea Otter classic is reason enough to make the trip. Monterey is on a beautiful peninsula on California’s rugged central coast. There are endless activities and attractions in the area and the landscape is unreal. Even the views from the Laguna Seca Raceway parking lot were beautiful and calming. Not to mention the weather in April is typically 62 degrees and partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain, ideal racing conditions!
- Racing, racing and more racing
Sea Otter puts on a race for every type of cycling discipline you can imagine. From downhill, to road and cross country mountain biking, there is a race for everyone. The races are well organized and have great courses. The caliber of competition is also a notch up from most local races, participating in a race at Sea Otter gives you a chance to see how you stack up against cyclists from all over the country. Here are some of my favorite photos Ryan snapped during my race.
- Free Swag
I am normally not a big expo fan, at most expos I end up coming home with useless wristbands and cheap pens. Sea Otter, however, has what should be considered the gold standard for all expos. We got a ton of awesome swag (Pactimo t-shirts, a Pactimo bag, a Liv Giant trucker hat, Thule socks, Salsa coozies, a Subaru buff, Hand Up gloves, beer, tons of stickers…) and it was all free! We also got to talk with reps from some of our favorite companies. The awesome folks at Pactimo chatted with us about our team’s custom kits, which they have been making for years, and I got to introduce Ryan to Pep (Cori), the amazing Salsa rep, that recently helped me get my new Salsa Cutthroat.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BETzxgPmU0a/?taken-by=handupgloves
- Trials Demos
Throughout the weekend, trials demos are put on by some of the best known names in sport, such as Danny MacAskil and Ryan Leech. I’m sure you have seen their videos on social media, I I have never really understood why people spend so much time watching these videos, but after watching the demo in person I was blown away. I was in awe the entire time we were watching Ryan Leech and inspired to work harder at improving my bike handling.
- The Pro Cyclocross Race
This race, will by far, be the most entertaining cycling race you have ever witnessed. Heck, it may be the most entertaining 45 minutes of your year. Watching a peleton of cyclists barrel into gravel pits like a freight train and hearing the outrageous one liners from the announcers, ‘she’s knocking on his door like a bill collector!’, will have you smiling for the entire race.
So mark your calendars, Sea Otter 2017 is April 20 – 23!
Goolds Gone Wild 
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