Courtesy of Virtual Descent here is a video of the upper part of the racecourses that will be used in the upcoming Fluidride Cup #1.
Disclaimer: WILL BE MUDDIER!
Archive for the 'Races' Category
We have been entertaining the idea of changing the course venue for the # 2 Fluidride cup at Ski Bowl. Mt Hood has been hit hard this year with snowfall and it is looking like there will still be some coverage come race time in May. This is why there have been some recent changes to the schedule on the FR Cup Page.
After careful deliberation we have come to the decision to stick with the original schedule and Venues. The second Fluidride Cup will be held on Mt Hood as planned regardless of snow level. If the regular courses cannot be used, the race will be held on the Bridal trail. If the snow level prevents a slalom to be held, the slalom series wil be converted into a best 4 of 5 race series. If the Bridal trail is used, bring your 6″ trail bikes as this more Super-D trail than DH. Continue reading ‘Fluidride Cup updates’
“” The King Took Back His Crown”"
Hi everybody I´m Javier Araya, writting from Chile and i´ll write a few words about the biggest race of the year in Chile.
That big race has been placed in Valparaiso since 2003 and it´s the biggest downhill event in the country in terms of crowd and “glamour”. Riders came from several countries like Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and the last years more riders from US and Europe had visited us.
The course this year was like always, full of stairs, steep sections and jumps… creating a lot of nice spots to see the riders skills and also creating too much stress on the bikes sometimes…. the race was full of flat tires, broken rims and derailleurs.
Today was the 3rd of five races at Mt Hood.
We were all surprised by the weather this weekend. everyone arrived Sat am to clouds and light sprinkles, with a forcast of HEAVY rainfall expected for Sun. Practice was fun with only a few injuries to report. Everyone seemed eager to get runs in while the conditions were decent. The full course was used this time. I love the Hood course from the upper chair. It has a little bit of everything, so much so that it’s a really hard one to set your bike up for.
The turnout was really good considering Crankworx was opening this weekend as well.
In the Pro mens class we had 7 fast riders, all capable of pulling off a win with a good run. A best of two run format this time allowed you to toss out your slower run, which can end up in some hairball experiences if you blow your first one and have one more chance at victory. Sunday morning proved to be a good sign of the days weather with bluebird skies. We had no idea we were going to race on some of the best conditions I have ever seen at Hood.
Lars had pretty solid first run only to have a dog walker going for a stroll on the bottom part of the race course. Sorry fido that was a close one. (4.04.67) Darryl Young pulled off the big w in the first round besting Lars by .5 sec’s or so. (4.04.08) Nathan Riddle made the trek up from Ashland straight to 3rd place 1sec off first. (4.05.2) Simon had a small interaction with a rock gap and his right crank arm met it’s demise. Zeb had a safe run into 5th or 6th place. Brian crashed out in his first run as well. With a race this tight anything can happen, and you have to be on it knowing that your competitors are right there ready to take it from you.
In the second run Darryl had a decent run with a few minor mistakes to declare but still shaved 2.5 sec’s from his first time. Lars Had a good run with a few minor bobbles, but no dogs this time, and dropped 3.25 seconds form the first run. Just barely enough to take the win. Nathan cut his time by 1.5 good enough to retain 3rd place overall. Simon had some tech issues up top and decided it was safer to run chainless to to the nature of the issues, with a time of 4.24 without a chain I can only speculate how well he would have faired, and it woulda been a good one. Zeb reduced his time by 2 seconds placing him in 5th. Brian stayed up this time and placed 6th. Jerry battled his way into 3rd place in expert.
Overall everyone had a killer time and a big thanks to Petr and co. for putting on these great events.
1st Lars 4.01.26
2nd Darryl 4.01.97
3rd Nathan 4.04.27
4th Kim 4.12.73
5th Zeb 4.16.49
6th Jason 4.16.65
7th Simon 4.24.80
June 9/10
Today was the second in a series of five races at Mt Hood this year.
Due to heavy snowfall this winter the upper bowl was un-rideable, and racers were started from the top of the lower chair. The weather was pretty standard for this time of year raining non stop both days which made the course very interesting to ride at speed. This was also one of the most competitive Pro fields at Hood in some time. With both factory team Maxxis riders Luke Strobel, and kiwi Cameron Cole in attendance.
The race was a best two of three run format.
In the pro field Lars won the first run, with Cam in a close second. In the second run Luke countered with the fastest time yet. With Cam in second again, and Lars in third. In the third run Luke showed consistency with a winning time again, lars in second, and Cam in third.
Overall results: Luke 1st, Lars 2nd, Cam 3rd, Darryl 4th, Kim 5th, Zeb 6th.
Jerry also placed 6th in expert 19-29 rounding out the Fluidride team.
We are all looking forward to racing the full course in July. See you there!
Round #1 of the Mt Hood series took place on Saturday May 5th. The rain, wind and snow which had blown in on Friday all cleared out, leaving us a perfectly watered course which wound through pristine forest a few miles below snow covered Ski Bowl, where the rest of the series will be contested throughout the summer months. Over 125 riders made the trip to Mt Hood for the first event of the series, which went off without a hitch.
The event was a two run format, with the fastest of the two runs counting as the final result. Simon Lawton (Pictured on right) of Fluidride/Iron Horse set the fastest first run at 4:14, with with Cannondale/Bear Naked rider Kim Eakin (center) just two tenths of a second back. Kim was determined to go home with the race win, and set a smoking 4:10 on his second run. Simon answered with a 4:12, good enough for second place and the Silver medal. Kim took home the largest portion of the $1,240 race purse which was a result of great rider turn out and donations by Shiloh Cyclery and Fluidride.
Fluidride’s Jerry Knight also had a great ride, handily winning the 19-29 Expert race with a very respectable 4:24 run time.
The next Ski Bowl race will be held June 9th and 10th, on the mountain at Ski Bowl. Due to heavy snow in the top bowl at Ski Bowl, riders will most likely contest the 3 minute plus technical Bottom Bowl portion of the Ski Bowl course for event #2. Riders will have three race runs, with their best two combined for their overall result. Be sure to support what has become one of the best regional series in the country. See you Saturday June 9th…practice starts at noon.
The Valpo urban dh is unlike any other race around. Check out the video to see why!
