{"id":257864,"date":"2026-08-14T20:16:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/14\/pro-bike-checks-what-the-pro-men-rode-to-victory-at-the-downieville-classic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T20:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:16:43","slug":"pro-bike-checks-what-the-pro-men-rode-to-victory-at-the-downieville-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/14\/pro-bike-checks-what-the-pro-men-rode-to-victory-at-the-downieville-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Bike Checks: What the Pro Men Rode to Victory at the Downieville Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Yesterday, we covered the pro women\u2019s winning bikes from last weekend\u2019s Downieville Classic<\/a>. Today, we\u2019re back with the rigs the pro men rode to their respective victories<\/a>. It was an exciting two days of racing, with Andrew L\u2019Esperance taking the XC win in his first Downieville appearance, and enduro specialist Marco Osborne claiming the DH win. In the end, consistency was king, and Tobin Ortenblad\u2019s 2nd place finishes both days earned him the title of All-Mountain World Champion.<\/p>\n

Tobin Ortenblad: 2nd XC, 2nd DH, 1st All-Mountain<\/h2>\n
<\/a>
Tobin Ortenblad riding the new Blur 5. (photo \/ Santa Cruz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Known by many as the people\u2019s champ, Tobin Ortenblad has raced the Downieville Classic numerous times and has had his sights set on the All-Mountain title for years. The Santa Cruz team rider has come pretty close, too, working his way up from 6th in 2023 to 4th in 2024 and 3rd in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here the last four or five years and had mixed results, mixed luck, flats, mechanicals, lack of fitness, you name it<\/em>,\u201d said Ortenblad in a post-race interview. \u201cI was 2nd yesterday, so I knew I had to beat Andrew today. I rode how I knew I could to go fast, risk it a bit, but made sure to really be on the pedals hard every time I could.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"