Originally Posted by dminor
Looks like it's a real peddler's course - am I right about that?
I'd say it's much more of a peddler's course than a 'point it down and go' course.
That steep section (after the gap jump you see in a few of the pics) is at the top of a pretty good saddle. A lot of speed is built up heading down it, but far from enough to carry you up the other side - some folks (more the semi-pros and some women who didn't carry speed all that well) were working pretty hard to get out of it.
The whole Sea Otter experience is amazing - I can honestly say that I have never seen that many bikes in one place in my life. Over 10,000 competitors and 50,000 spectators over the four days. Heading through the paddock area with all the manufacturers/teams was pretty cool and I got a couple questions answered from the folks at Race Face and Specialized, though I never did see the Sun folks that I really wanted to see. Shimano and Manitou had wrenching help available (I think SRAM did too) for non-team competitors who needed assistance, and tons of places were showing off the latest and greatest stuff - TONS of real-world bike porn all over the place.
Whether it's DH, XC, 4X, DS, or Road, there's something for everyone of all ages that rides a bike at the Sea Otter.