Men's Pro finished with an exciting weather element of a solid downpour. But it didn't seem to bother the top 10 finishers too much, Dunbar Cycles Kent Faubert crushed his race run to take the win just as the cloud unleashed some wet fury. PerformX/Commencal's Luke Steven's magically reappeared like the leprechaun in Lucky Charms to claim 2nd and let everyone know- he likes this track! Freehub Mag/Transition rider Victor Smith finally tapped into his full potential and just barely ousted Diamondback DF5 Pro Charlie Sponsel for 3rd, while Victor's teammate Trevor Parson held onto fifth for his first pro podium.
NW Cup #4 Pro Men's Podium
Freehub Mag/ Transition Rider Britney White navigates the boulder zone at Skibowl
The women's pro field is super small, so small both entrants earned podiums. Deity's Michelle Benson was the bridesmaid in this situation taking 2nd and Freehub Mag/Transition ripper Britney White get's her first NW Cup Pro Womens' win.
NW Cup #4 Pro Womens Podium
Dirtcorp/Trek ripper Nick Clarke taking the Jr Expert win! Also his dad Andrew Clarke also won his category in 40+ Cat2- I think they are still hi fiving each other!
Now in Jr Expert we had some race drama. Qualifying first was Transition rider Kole Wetherell who was a 'shoe in' for the 'easy win' at this venue. He is local. Well in the finals- he never made down to the finish on his bike. Instead he was escorted to the finish line where he showed us a one inch deep hole in his hand from a wicked crash. 10 stitches deep. Therefore - Dirtcorp's Rider- Nick Clark earns his first JR Expert win with his sub 4 min time at Skibowl. Very hard to do. Singletrack Minds racer Corey Craig muscled his way into 2nd and Port Townsend youngin Kasper Dean earned his way onto the podium for third.
NW Cup #4 Jr Expert Podium
Kole Wetherell has the crash on his Instagram (kdubsteezy) and it's brutal!
This track hasn't changed much in a decade, no reason to fix something that challenges the best riders in the area. Diamondback DF5 Pro Charlie Sponsel has a long history of racing here, enroute to a solid 4th place in pro men's.
GoHuckYourself dot com rider Lucas Chalcraft negoitiates one tough zone of roots before descending to the log drop at Ski Bowl
Freehub Mag/Transition TM Matt Orlando kept himself upright and earned a top 10 check!
When you write the articles, you can edit yourself into them- I grew up at this resort, my mom ran the ticket office just so I could ski as a child. Skibowl is a very special place to race- its unchanged, its raw and it scares every racer that signs up. This was taken during our practice on Sat, but its the best photo I've ever seen of myself so I'm using it. Thank you Greg Tubbs for always attending races and for always getting the good shots.
Dunbar Cycles rolled the whole crew down and Kent Faubert sails to victory on the legendary Mt Hood Ski Bowl DH track!
FULL LIST OF RESULTS HEREThe NW Cup 2013 Race Season is brought to you by these amazing sponsors. Please think about them when deciding your next purchase!Next NW Cup is July 12-14th at Mt Hood Skibowl, it's also a MTB Grand Prix Tour stop as well, so lots of good racers are expected to attend. Stay tuned for more course previews uploading next week.
Mt Hood Skibowl is a family adventure destination with Zip Lines, Malibu Raceway Virage Go Karts, Bungee Towers, Alpine Slide, Horseback riding, Mini Golf, Batting Cages and scenic hikes for all abilities. Check out Mt Hood Ski Bowl's website
HERE! Photos by Greg Tubbs of Grubworks Media and Ruandy AlbisurezStay tuned for video from this event.