I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off on my phone. It was 7 a.m. and I'd only got about five hours of sleep. I packed up my things, and loaded up the car. As I made my commute to the Cow Palace I knew it was going to be a crazy day.
The 2nd annual AT Showdown was going to be awesome!
As I arrived, the parking lot was already starting to fill up with vendors setting up for the Ride SFO expo and riders gearing up for the Showdown. I made my walk from the parking lot to the course and the riders were already working on the course before practice.
Practice was to kick off at 10, but things fell a little behind and practice started at 10:30 a.m. Many of the riders were sore from practice the day before, but all of them were excited to get on their bikes and ride. The riders were getting pumped and tricks were starting to get dialed for qualifying.
At 12:30 p.m. the course was closed and practice was over. The riders gathered for a quick meeting and quick lunch. The track gets a quick groom before qualifying is to begin.
Qualifying was to start promptly at 1 p.m. As the time got closer the riders started to make their way to the top of the hill. And soon enough the Showdown began. Riders were judged on two runs and riders would keep their best score. The riders really pushed their limits since the competition field was stacked.
After all the riders took their two runs, there was a short break for the judges to tally up the scores. Anticipation was high with riders hoping to make it in to the finals. Soon AT announces the top 16 riders that would be going to advance out of 38 that came to compete.
With the top 16 making their way to the roll in ramp, it was going to be an hour-long jam session. For an hour straight the riders really pushed their limits and never let off the gas. Towards the end, the riders were winded, but still cranking hard to put in their best runs.
Finals were over and the riders were exhausted. But immediately after finals was best trick. And once again the riders worked their way to the top of the hill for best trick. It was a quick session and the competitors were getting creative and going crazy with best trick. In the middle of best trick, another event was created - whom ever had the best whip would receive 1000 dollars.
With the crowd getting louder and louder, the riders would go even bigger. There was some big tricks thrown, but there were also some crashes. And in the end there was only one who claimed the top spot. Your
2nd Annual AT Showdown winner was Greg Watts, second place was Josh Stead, third Jamie Goldman, fourth Casey Groves, fifth Paul Basagoitia, and sixth was Tyler McCaul. Best trick went to Josh Stead with a double back flip and Stead was also crowned king for best whip.
After the Showdown was over, things started to wind down. The 2nd annual AT Showdown was sweet with so many riders coming out and fans coming out to support the event. I can't wait to return for next year's event!
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Long Nguyen Special Thanks from AT Himself:
Trevor Neils, Tyler Neil, Mike Lindsey, My mom, Dirk, Jeremy, Rich Neil, Greg Watts, Casey Groves, Anthony Adolfo, Phil at Ride SFO, Adidas, Marin Bikes California, Adrenln Industries, X Fusion, Camelbak, GoPro, thehive, Gravity, Ride SFO, Decline, SDG Components, GEAX, Formula, Skullcandy, Pinkbike.com
Fun Pick:
