Cradled on the banks of the Columbia River lies the town of Hood River, OR. Steady winds channel up the Columbia River gorge all summer long making this a wind surfer and kite boarder's paradise. But it also supports a healthy network of fantastic trails no more than ten minutes or so pedaling time from downtown. Add in industry powerhouse Dakine, a few breweries, several bike shops, a community that supports all things mountain biking, and you have a recipe for phenomenal trails.
Absent at this race was the timing issues that plagued the series opener in Bend, OR. Race Director Devon Lyons was quick to point out that they had replaced some older hardware to try and avoid any additional failures there, as well as the OES opted to ditch their buggy software system in favor of using Excel. "
By making these upgrades, we should be able to eliminate all the issues we had at the first race, in Bend, OR."
In fact, timing did run like clockwork, with accuracy down to the 1/1000 of a second. Which made for some tight racing amongst all the fields. Of particular note was junior racer Duncan Nason; keep an eye on this kid: his overall time would have been good enough to place him 25th in the pro men's field.
Overall, the racing ran smooth, and riders had a great time with good, solid racing.
Full results here.Check out all of the images from the Hood River OES here. See you in August for Round 3.
MENTIONS:
@OregonEnduro /
@meagerdude
Where's the NW Cup Ski Bowlcrqce report??