Cardenas schools riders at PIC

After most races on the professional circuit, the professionals and top amateurs pack their bike boxes and suitcases and head off to the next locale, but a large number of them have opted to stick around following the XTERRA Saipan Championship in hopes of winning in this weekend’s 17th Tagaman Triathlon.

While the local community has offered several activities for them throughout the week during the 2nd Annual Saipan Sportsfest, some of the big name athletes have seen fit to give back by hosting clinics aimed at sharing their vast knowledge and experience in the field of triathlon.

On Tuesday, Courtney Cardenas hosted a bike clinic that mainly focused on maintaining the two-wheeled machines, changing tires in a race, and repairing a broken chain—and he knows his stuff.

The former bike mechanic is the husband of 2004 XTERRA World Champion and three-time XTERRA Saipan champion Jamie Whitmore, and he alone makes sure that her bike is always ready for the next race.

According to Cardenas, flat tire changes should only take two minutes. He explained the advantages of changing tires in a race situation, as he said that his ability to quickly make the change proved to be the reason he was able to win his age group in 2005.

“Last year I flatted and I still took first overall [in my age division]. I was chasing my Japanese friend here and I hadn’t seen him all day and I flatted on the road right where we hit the pavement. I could have rode the flat down, but decided to change the tire then because I figured that it would be quicker to change the tire and hammer down the hill than to ride that pavement down hill on a flat. I ended up catching him and eventually beat him because I took the time to change the tire. It took me 1:13 to do it. If I would have rode it down I probably would have lost two minutes and probably wouldn’t have seen him until the beach and wouldn’t have caught him,” he said

Cardenas employed a hands-on approach to the session so that his students could get the most out of his class. By the time that the clinic was over, all who attended were able to change a flat, repair a chain, and were armed with a variety of tips and tricks to help them maintain their bikes throughout the year. They also left with Cardenas’ credo, “A happy bike is a clean bike.”