Oregon Enduro Series Race #3, Hood River Re-Cap

The Oregon Enduro Series came to the Hood River trail network known as Post Canyon the weekend of July 14-15, 2012. The general trail report from Friday's practice was that the trails were super dry and dusty but a round of thunderstorms that rolled through early Saturday morning as racers arrived took care of that issue. The trails were in superb condition for racing as the field of hundreds of racers that included a Pro class about 40 deep prepared to shred.

Saturday's race included four shorter stages ranging from .9 miles to 2.6 miles in length while Sunday incorporated two longer stages, the first with just over 2 miles and a final stage of 3 miles. Racers were treated with a variety of trails from steep rock gardens, small drops and tight treed sections to wide open speedways and clear-cut areas with expansive views of nearby mountains and the mighty Columbia River along with a few climbs.

Although there was a small timing snafu that caused the Pro Men's podium to be re-shuffled after the presentation everything seemed to run pretty smooth. There are two more races left in the 2012 series: Race #4 at Sisters, Oregon (near Bend) on August 26 with the final race September 8-9 on the West slopes of Mt Hood.

Class Winners:

Cat 1 Men (19-39) Andy Olsson
Cat 1 Men (40+) Eirik Schulz
Cat 2 Jr. Men (13-18 ) Kendall Smith
Cat 2 Men (19-39) Tony De Cordoba
Cat 2 Men (40+) Greg Satterfield
Cat 3 Men (open) Wade Sprowl
Cat 1 Women (open) Jennifer Johnson
Cat 2/3 Women (34-) Virginia Matthys
Cat 2/3 Women (34+) Patricia Lenz

Pro Men

1) Curtis Keene
2) Aaron Bradford
3) Chris Johnson
4) Mason Bond
5) Mark Weir

Pro Women

1) Kelli Emmett
2) Alice Pennington
3) Carolynn Romaine
4) Mary Moncorge
5) Lindsay Trimble

Oregon Enduro Web Site | Click here for full results

All Photos © Mike Albright
More at http://www.mikealbright.com

Matt Slaven (Kona) slaying a drop on stage #5. Side-saddling with style!

Saturday's race included 4 stages ranging from .6 to 1.5 miles in length with non-timed transition stages between each. This is what the riders were treated to at the transition before stage #1: Kingsley Reservoir with a passing thunder storm.

The rain/thunder storms that rolled in Saturday morning really helped knock the dust down for the rest of the weekend. Here #83 Leif Olson shows how it's done on stage #1. Leif finished in 5th place in the Men's Cat 1 category.

Sunday's stage #5 included a nice, technical rock section near the top. Cat 1 racer Adam Aguilar concentrates on the task at hand.

Just a few of the dogs at the 2012 Oregon Enduro race in Hood River.

Pro Woman racer Tina Brubaker didn't have the best results in Hood River but she made up for it with her intensity.

Giant Bicycles Pro racer Timmy Evens riding with the 'eye of the tiger'.

Mark Weir (Team WTB/Fox/Cannondale) ready to chew up some more trail.

This is the hardware (along with the great prizes from series sponsors Shimano, GoPro Fox, Bell, Suntour, Santa Cruz and others) the all racers were gunning for.

The Oregon Enduro wouldn't be able to operate without the help of the many volunteers. Here an unidentified rider throws some dust off of his rear tire at the start of stage #3 while timers and recorders look on

Eirik Schulz had a decent weekend riding for West End Bikes/ Specialized out of Portland. 1st place Cat 1 Men 40+ with a total time of 33:03.

It wouldn't be Hood River without majestic Mt Hood. Here's a shot of the shady side.

Kenny Burt gritting his teeth entering the upper rock garden on stage #5.

Matt Jagger pulls a power wheelie on his way to an impressive 2nd place in the ultra-competitive Cat 1 Men 19-39 category.

When he's not hammering down hills Thom Weeks helps manage race-sponsor bike store Santiam Bicycle with locations in both Salem and Tigard, Oregon.

Giant's Carl Decker: The Man, The Myth, The Mustache!

Cat 2/3 Women (35+) overall race winner Patricia Lenz rides out of the clouds and negotiates a tough section that saw some of her competitors get off and walk.

Lindsey Trimble (Rocky Mountain) made the trip all the way from Buranby, BC to show off her skills on the technical Hood River trails. 5th place Pro Women.

Overall winner of the Cat 2 Men (40+) category Greg Satterfield negotiates the fast clearcut section at the start of stage #3 with another racer starting the stage 1-minute behind.

#13 proved to be both a blessing and a curse for Giant Bicycles NW sales rep Paul LaCava. Paul was sitting 15th after Saturday's 4 stages but mechanicals kept him from his goal of getting into the top-10 in the Pro Men category.

The volunteer course marshal (right) told me the main reason she wanted to help out was to scope out the best lines next time she rides her local trails. Pro racer Jon Buckell shows her the way while another spectator looks on.

It's not all fun and games, or is it? Heather Pola with tutu and armor on the way to 2nd place in the Women Cat 2/3 category.

Devinci Porn

Rick Searcy pedals toward Mt Adams located across the Columbia River in Washington State.

#127 Matt Christensen takes advantage of an exposed root to catch a little air during Saturday's competition.

A little motion blur with Jeff Roberts at the helm.

Kelli Emmett came all the way from Colorado Springs to stand on top of the podium in the Pro Women's category with an overall time of 36:24.

Nick Gibson takes advantage of a late start time to take a Sunday morning practice run on stage #5 while clouds roll through the Post Canyon trees.