INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN (Ontario, California) 29 March 08 Snakes are a hurdle at mountain bike race (Josh Dulaney) {Excerpt}
Fontana: Mountain biker, meet rattlesnake.
The National Mountain Bike Series - which draws thousands to Southridge Park to watch professional riders spin their spokes in downhill and cross-country mountain bike racing - wraps up its stop in the city today.
Probably not soon enough for two Canadian contestants who've seen far too many of the venomous critters on the local trails.
Shane Hollingshead and Matt Paziuk of the Norco Factory cycling team based in Ontario, Canada, saw between six and 10 rattlers Friday during their warmup for the Professional Men's Cross Country race at Southridge Park.
"The big one," Hollingshead said, describing a 5-foot snake. "We waited for it to move (across the path)."
Why didn't they just "bunny-hop" the rattlers? Some of the snakes were seen on uphill slopes, Paziuk said. "In the race, if we see them, we'll bunny-hop them," he said.
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Snakes are a hurdle at mountain bike race