Updates from Team Houseman Racing

Fontana City National Race Report:

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:42:24 GMT

Having a national event where you can sleep in your own bed at night, is a good thing! Last weekend was the Fontana National, and thanks to Donny Jackson, and the Sho-Air crew for putting on a solid event.

I headed out Friday mid morning to catch the 2pm pro DH practice. Since my Intense 4X bikes weren’t quite finished, I was going to race DH and Super D on the weekend. After dialing in my Intense M6, I was ready to shred a few runs on my local track! Donny had laid out a few new sections on the top ½ of the course, which were fun and challenging. It was a tough choice on which tires/tubes to choose, because the course had a little bit of everything in it. After doing 1 run on 2.35 single ply Invaders, I went with the 2.5 dual ply Edge up front with the 2.35 dual ply Invader on the rear. I did 4 practice runs, and I felt solid from top to bottom. After doing some tuning on my Fox RC4 rear shock, my setup was feeling awesome!

Saturday was Super D. I managed to get 1 practice run on Super D, and one run on the DH. For some reason both practices overlapped, and not too sure why? The Super D wasn’t what I’d expected, with some major climbing to be done! This would be my 2nd ever Super D race and I knew it was going to hurt! There were 20 pros with some of the best XC racers ready to throw it down. For the start, they made us sit down with our backs to our bikes, about 20 feet away. With a count down of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, …GO! We were off. I tried to pace myself in the beginning, but my competitive side got the best of me as I tried to stay within sight of the leaders. Bad Mistake! ½ way up the 1st climb, I was toast. Tongue dragging on my front tire, legs burning, lungs wheezing, I slowly watched the riders ahead of me just pull away. At the top of the 1st climb I was a good 30 seconds behind the pack! I decided to just grind it out, and see if I could catch anyone on the decent. I managed to catch up to one rider, who kindly got out of my way, only to blow right back by me on the next uphill. My goal was to not get last place, but I didn’t accomplish that. I was 20th place out of a field of 20. Man was that a tough race! I had fun though and appreciated the cheers as I crossed the line! I’ll be back!

Photo by: Craig Glaspell

Sunday was DH race day. I managed to squeeze in 3 runs during practice, and I had my lines dialed. My Intense M6 was working so good, sucking up all the rough stuff with ease! Race run went like this; Started off steady, and hit the first section pinned. I got into a nice groove early on and tried to maintain my speed through the rough sections. Approaching the waterfall / Rock section I could hear the crowd screaming! It was pretty dang loud as I went thru, and man that feels good! Thanks to local fans cheering me on, definitely a cool feeling having that kind of support! I hit the bottom road section pretty fast, and my legs were feeling surprisingly good. I tried to save enough energy to really throw down a mean sprint on the wall. When I hit the wall, I stood up and gave it everything I had. All I could think of, was my brother EC, and how fast he’d be going, which gave me some added motivation! I came thru the finish with a solid time, putting me in 8th place for the day. Super happy about my run, and also stoked to see EC take the win!

Next event is Sea Otter….See you there!

Thanks to my Sponsors!

Fontana #5 Race Report:

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:46:40 GMT

Last weekend was round #5 of the Fontana Winter Series. Good weather, old school course design, and plenty of friends, always makes for a fun race! I also decided to race Super D for the 1st time, on my brand new Intense Tracer.

Saturday was DH practice and Super D race day. After tuning up the Tracer, I did 2 practice runs on the Super D course. It was a really fun course, but I knew it was going to be leg burner! I decided to leave my flat pedals on just for the fun of it, but now I wish I would have gone with the clips! I rode the pro class and finished 5th, making that my 1st Super D podium!

My Tracer was the perfect bike, and I can’t wait to try it again! I then took out my M6 for a few DH practice runs. The course was vintage Fontucky style, with tough turns, sneaky ruts, and lots of pedaling! I did 3 runs and called it a day.

Sunday was DH Race Day! I decided to try the 2.35 Single ply Intense INVADER tire on the front with the Semi Slick ZERO on the rear. It felt fast on the course, but I did have to keep it safe in a few spots. I did 2 practice runs in the morning, and I was amped to go for my Race Run. In the race I felt like I had a really solid run. I cleaned the top section pretty smooth, but I probably should have gassed it a bit harder on the wall!

I ended up 7th on the day, which was a bit disappointing, but I had so much fun riding its all good!

See you at the next one!

Rich Houseman

Photos Courtesy of: Monique Spalding & Courtney Peters
Filming Courtesy of: Gary Houseman

Fontana #4 Race Report:

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:55:17 GMT

I packed up my Intense M6 and headed out to Round #4 of the Fontana winter series last weekend. It had been raining on and off over the last 2 weeks, but the course was in mint shape! Always nice to see some dark, loamy, So Cal dirt! We don’t get it too often!

Saturday’s practice was really fun, and after 5 runs I felt pretty dialed on the course. I put on 2.35 Intense single ply tires front and rear, to get some extra rolling power, for the fast Fontucky course! I’ve also been testing the new Fox RC4 rear shock, which is absolutely sick! Thanks Fitzy.

Sunday we were treated to a freshly watered course, with most of the track having unbelievable traction. I did 2 practice runs, and was ready to race. I was following my older bro EC down in the final, so the pressure was on! My run went really good on the top ½, but after watching some video footage, I wish I would have pedaled like my boy EC! I had made a bobble in the bottom rock garden that cost me some time, but overall I was happy with my race. I ended up 7^th on the day, and had blast doing it! Special shout out to Greg Lenac from Fox Clothing who took the win in his class, making that 2 for 2! Must be the THR coaching!

See you at the next one!

2009 Sponsors – Thanks for the Support!

Fox Clothing Bio Link

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:12:33 GMT

http://www.foxhead.com/us/mtb/team/?id=15402

Team Houseman 4X Clinics

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:03:51 GMT

National Mountain-Cross Champion Rich Houseman will be teaching 4-Cross/Mountaincross skills clinics during the 2009 Southridge Winter Race series in Fontana, California. The clinics will take place on Saturdays before the 4-Cross event. Rich will be teaching race fundamentals on the Southridge race course, such as starting gate technique, cornering, jumping, passing and more. The skills clinic costs $75 per person, and is limited to a class of 10 riders. The Southridge Winter race series begins January 10, 2009. Visit www.southridgeusa.com for directions and race info. Visit www.teamhousemanracing.com for clinic registration and information.

End of the year news and Schladming results!

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:00:04 GMT

Hey guys,

Well the end of the season is finally here and what a year it has been. I want to thank everyone for their support, it was an awesome first year of racing and I couldn't ask for much more..

The last time I wrote I was in Sol Vista for the MSC G3 race. I ended up winning all 3 stages for the overall. My teammates Chris and Joey finished 2nd and 3rd making it a top 3 sweep for the Yeti team! After Sol Vista I headed to Schladming, Austria for the final round of the World Cup Schedule. It was my first time in Europe and we had a great time. The track was super fun and with all the rain, it made for quite a race. I felt good in practice and knew I could finish strong if I had a clean run. Well my run ended up pretty good and I finished 8th in the finals, my best result of the year. To top it off Justin finished 6th and Sam got his first world cup win! With all three of us in the top 10, we (Yeti) were the top team for the weekend and moved up to 3rd overall in the team standings for the year. We look forward to going up another few spots next year!

After getting home from Austria I headed back to Keith and Taf Darners house to relax and hang out for a while. I went to Interbike in Las Vegas a few weeks ago and thats always a good time. I raced the first ever Arena Mountain X race, which was held inside of the South Point hotel and Casino. It was a cool event and I think it really has a future if things are done right. I was having a hard time with my gates all night but managed to get 3rd against a pretty stacked feild of 4x racers including the World Champion (Rafael Alvarez) who finished 2nd.

Other than all of that, I just signed on with Yeti to race the full World Cup schedule through 2010! They have an awesome team and I'm super excited to be on the program for a few more years. I'll be going back home to California in a few weeks to start preparing for next season. I have a strong program for the off season and I can't wait to show it off next year! There are some big things happening in the next few months so I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on whats going on. Thanks again to anyone who has helped me this year, I way appreciate it.. See ya at the races!

Thanks to my sponsors- Yeti cycles- Fox Shox, Monster Energy, Smith optics, Freestyle watches, Nema, 661, Dylan Dean designs, and Loopd.com

Photo by Sven Martin

Read more

End of the year news and Schladming results!

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:00:02 GMT

Aaron Gwin News:

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:31:03 GMT

End of the year news and Schladming results!

Fontucki #3: YETI SoCal Race Report

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:28:54 GMT

Last weekend was the 1st official race for the SoCal YETI Regional Team. The boys got their 303's before the event and were so stoked to be riding the YETI colors!

Judging by the results, I'll say that they liked them! Kevin Aiello continued his terror on the JR X field, with a commanding 5 second win. This would have put him top 10 in the Pro class!

Aaron Gwin came through with a 2nd place behind Kovarik in the Pro mens field. Although only his 3rd DH race ever, "Gwinny" has been making his mark out here in SoCal! Keep your eyes on this kid throughout the year!

Both riders commented on how good their 303's pedaled, and how well they tracked through the rough stuff. With a little more tuning, and training, look for these guys to be stepping on podiums all year long!

See ya at the next one!

Big HOuse
YETI SoCal Team Manager

Ridin with the boyz

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:32:19 GMT

I spent all weekend chasing around the youngsters! Gwinny, Knucklehead, and I rode the pump track Friday evening and DH all day Saturday. Good stuff!

Norba Finals: August 12-13th Snowmass, CO

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:26:53 GMT



\| home \| race report \| bio \| contact \| rkm \|		2006 archived: \| 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 \| 8 \|

Going into this weekend there was some major pressure riding on my shoulders. I was sitting in 2nd overall in the 4X series just 7 points back from Jared Rando. I needed to finish ahead of him to secure the NORBA National Title. Luckily, I had my wife with me who tends to be my good luck charm! We arrived into Aspen Airport on Wednesday, and the boyz picked us up. The "Crusher" Ross Milan was along for the trip and it was good to see him back under the YETI tent! After getting the trailer all set up, we checked into the condo and chilled out for the rest of the night. Thursday we had DH, DS, and 4X practice. The DH course was basically the same as the previous 2 years, although it seemed a bit faster and more wide open. I only did 2 runs because I was having some brake problems. My focus was on the DS, and 4X so I wanted to get everything dialed for those races. The Slalom course was awesome! They made quite a few jumps and berms, and a fun rhythm section at the bottom. It was pretty short but a very fun course to ride. I chose to ride my YETI 4X bike, as I always feel like I can turn better with some suspension. After a couple runs I was feeling super fast and I knew it was going to be a good course for me. We moved onto the 4X course next. The course had a similar layout as last year, except for some new jumps down the first straight, and a few doubles on the last straight. I chose to ride my YETI DJ for this course, because I knew the start was going to be important. During practice I felt like my gates were unusually good?! I had been practicing the NBL command at home with EC and it felt like I had it down! Friday was DH practice in the morning then Dual Slalom in the evening. I made a few changes to my DH bike that made my runs a little better. I did 3 runs, and called it a day for DH. We had practice and qualifying for DS around 1:30pm. Then, they were running the finals under the lights at 7pm. The Slalom actually didn't count towards the overall points on the series and was basically just an exhibition race. It looked like the guys to beat were going to be Greg Minnaar, and Andrew Neethling. I ended up qualifying 1st after 2 really good runs. Minnaar was 2nd. We then had a pretty long break before the finals, and I took about a 2 hr nap. I was stoked to get the finals started, because I had some pretty good confidence after my qualifying effort. I breezed through my first 2 rounds, and then had to face my teammate Justin Leov in the Semi Final. I actually owed a bit of redemption to him after he smoked me in slalom at Sea Otter this year! I had 2 solid runs and moved on to face Greg Minnaar in the Final. The atmosphere was really good, and the fans were super loud. Everybody had these cow bells and it was hard to even hear the gate command. In the first run, we were neck and neck and I ended up winning that round by .034 seconds! I was stoked because I was on the slower of the 2 courses, and I knew I could take him on the faster course. In the final run, we once again hit every turn in unison. Going into the final flat turn, I pushed a bit harder than I had before. It pushed me wide, and I ended up planting my front wheel in some soft dirt. I went over the bars pretty hard, and handed the win to Greg! Luckily I was alright as it looked lots worse than it was. It was a fun race though, and we gave the fans a good show! Saturday was the big day! I woke up in the morning with a bit of a cold, which put a scare in me! I decided to take the day off for DH and rest up for the 4X in the evening. After sleeping most of the day I was ready to go! I called EC right before I went out there, and he told me, "Just make up your mind, and handle it." It had rained during the afternoon, and the course was a bit slick for practice. I decided to keep my dry tires on, because I knew it would dry up fast. I waited in the qualifier till towards the end, to ensure the course was as dry as possible. I think it was a good move, because I qualified 1st! This gave me loads of confidence going into the finals. Rando had qualified a few spots behind me, and I was close to a second faster than 2nd place qualifier Cole Bangert. So I knew I was on pace. They only took 16 men, so that meant only 3 rounds of racing. In the first round I had a kid named Michael Hughes who got the holeshot and beat me to the first turn. I was a bit nervous riding in 2nd and I even had a kid dive on me in the last turn! I advanced to the semi final to face Rando, Cody Warren, and Michael Hughes. Big round to say the least! I had gate choice and chose lane 1, Cody was in 2, Rando 3, and Hughes 4. I got a pretty good start and so did Hughes. On the first jump Hughes took a huge digger and I was to the first turn 1st. I pretty much rode to the bottom; only too see that Cody had finished ahead of Rando! Basically that meant I had won the championship right there! So in the final I faced Dale Holmes, Cody W. and Ryan Sutton. I chose lane 1 again, and Dale was 2. Dale got an awesome start and I was 2nd going into the 1st turn. I noticed Dale's left foot had come unclipped so I pushed right up to his back wheel going around the 2nd turn. I dove on him going into the 3rd turn and took the lead. I cruised to the finish to take my very 1st 4X win, and my very 1st Norba National Title! This was my biggest day as professional MTB racer! I want to say thanks to everybody that has supported me over the years, all my sponsors, and especially my wife Hillary. Sunday I ended up not racing the DH, and I just rested up and stayed safe for the Worlds next weekend! Hopefully, I can get some hardware in New Zealand! Thanks to these Sponsors: \| Yeti Cycles \| Fox Shox \| Scott Eyewear \| AXO \| Shimano \| Maxxis \| DT Swiss \| MRP \| Control Tech \| \| Topeak \| Chris King \| Thompson \| Monster \| Kicker \| ODI \| Dylan Dean Designs \| Finish Line \| \| Fizik \| Toolshed \| Signs and Logos.net \| SponsorHouse \| - Big House