Sea Otter Classic Mountain Bike Race, Mountain Biking, MountainZone.com, 2002

Two down, two to go. With the sun playing hide-and-seek and the weekend just beginning, stage two of the Sea Otter Classic's XC stage race got under way Friday, as two of the world's best racers, one American and the other Dutch, took the lead overall in the four-day contest.

Current World Champion Alison Dunlap (USA, Luna Chix) and former rainbow stripe wearer Bart Brentjens (NED, Giant Bicycle) began the overall GC (general classification) competition for real, taking the top positions overall.

While the weather remained cool and wet on the sprawling Sea Otter venue, racing heated up after two of four cross-country stages this weekend. After Thursday's street criterium and Friday's time trial, Dunlap and Brentjens received their leaders' jerseys as they headed into Saturday's short-track event.

Dunlap may have won the crit Thursday, but it was a British veteran rider Caroline Alexander (GBR, GBR Nat'l Team) who took the stage win on Friday. Alexander beat Dunlap by just one second in the individual time trial, not enough for the overall GC lead.

Brentjens topped the current men's World Champion Roland Green (CAN, Trek-Volkswagen) by 11 seconds on the men's side, completing his five-mile mini-lap in 17 minutes, 51 seconds. The TT format is such that riders go off solo against the clock, riding alone unless they're fast enough to either catch the rider in front of them or be caught by a faster rider behind them.

It makes the TT a mental race, as riders have little reference point with which to work and rely solely on their own motivation to get across the line as soon as possible. When riders say they are riding "within themselves," that's what they mean.

Brentjens scorched the men's stage and was the only rider able to break the 18-minute mark. While Green finished 2nd, 3rd place went to another Canadian, Seamus McGrath (CAN, Haro/Lee Dungarees), who was 14 seconds off the win. The final 30 men raced in rain, but the conditions had little effect on the results, with all the top finishers coming from this group.

"This is my first mountain bike race of the year, so it is hard to know what to expect," said Green. "We had a little rain on the course, but it wasn't a problem. I had a good ride with no mistakes, and I am in good position for Sunday's main race. Bart is the main competition, no question, but I am always really stoked to do well at Sea Otter."

Brentjens' victory vaulted him into the overall lead, two seconds in front of Australian Paul Rowney (Yeti), who finished 6th in stage two. The stage race continues Saturday at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area with the Short Track, a crowd-pleasing, fast-paced sprint around an enclosed circuit.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent