Details Announced for 2022 Strait Acres Slalom Invitational At Summit Bike Park by SnowSummitBikePark

15 Comments

WildboiBen (Aug 15, 2022 at 14:04)

Kyle Strait and Tom Delonge must be cousins.

aaronjb (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:12)

I wonder if Kyle's also chasing UFOs and UAPs.

WildboiBen (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:55)

@aaronjb: I hope so. That'd be tight.

suspended-flesh (Aug 15, 2022 at 14:02)

The BB Bowling Barn is a hoot. Rolled there a few weeks ago.

Mannra (Aug 15, 2022 at 23:51)

Is there a start list for the event anywhere? Looks awesome

Below threshold threads are hidden

vinay (Aug 15, 2022 at 14:34)

Last time I commented under such an announcement, I asked whether Anneke Beerten would compete. Rachel responded that she was out with a concussion sustained in a car accident, which would eventually end her career as a racer. After reading this article here I decided to check her website and obviously found a post announcing her retirement which also contained a link to her youtube channel. Which includes a some fairly recent videos showing her ride. Not her race pace obviously but definitely smooth with some proper jumps. Would she be able to attend the event this time around. Not to race but maybe just to ride and celebrate how far she has come with her recovery. She's been Rachel's team mate after all and also a bit of a legend.

11 0

aaronjb (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:11)

What are you going on about? I mean, maybe this is a fair question, but your approach is odd. Anneke retired due to a TBI as a result of a car accident - the details of which are terrible. I also suspect that, given the endless litigation she's mentioned, showing up to a sanctioned race may harm her ability to obtain the best possible outcome for her future.

She's currently on the other side of the country and has a great Instagram feed. She's an accomplished racer and legend of the sport, as you said, and doesn't have anything left to prove, TBI or not.

I love her current mission of passing on her love of riding to others.

vinay (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:40)

@aaronjb: If already showing up to a race will harm her then indeed, she shouldn't come. Not sure how my suggestion of "Not to race but just to ride and celebrate" somehow landed at your end as that she'd have something to prove.

Here's the article with in the comment section the conversation with Rachel on how she would have loved to have Anneke there too. www.pinkbike.com/news/photo-report-build-day-strait-acres-slalom-invitational-2020.html

bman33 (Aug 15, 2022 at 18:15)

@aaronjb: She recently moved to my adopted home town of Bentonville. She is still going thru treatment. However, she is making great impact here locally getting women into bikes, skills clinics, guided rides, and her all around radness. She is a fantastic human

5 10

aaronjb (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:16)

Genuine question: Is an invitational event like this at all interesting? A group of friends commercializing their backyard event that they control the attendance to?

I'll take the McCauls' Slopedurocross over this all day, any day.

braydonbr (Aug 15, 2022 at 15:37)

um.... maybe I'm understanding you wrong but this is at Big Bear and it's open to everyone to ride or attend. Slopedurocross is rad but this is not exclusive. This event is open to anyone who wants to ride one of Kyle's masterpiece tracks. My opinon is that I wish I saw more public events with the pros mixing and mingling with the general public, exactly like the Rachel and Kyle Strait are doing. just my two cents. cheers.

VersusTires (Aug 15, 2022 at 16:51)

It was pretty cool last year with some great racing. I think the Straits needed/wanted a bigger venue to prove their concept and it helped Snow Summit to produce a really good event. Sea Otter and GoPro Games also asked Kyle to create their DS courses because they saw how well it went at Snow Summit. Good times if you're around, it's definitely worth checking out.

Winter73Q (Aug 15, 2022 at 17:22)

Open to all who have money but it is rad what he is doing. Dual slalom is great for spectating and it is a true competitor race. I believe the invitational is left over from when he actually did an invite only race in his back yard. We need pros and big names to step up to take over competition or you will get the likes of USAC (whom only seem to care about xc), UCI who are allowing the likes of Discovery to come in and potentially kill the privateer racing and reduce the field of riders so they can broadcast on ESPN. Time will tell if he or the rest of the pros take the big pay and get bought out.

aaronjb (Aug 15, 2022 at 20:24)

@braydonbr: I misunderstood - I thought it was invite-only. Thanks for clearing that up.

Back to yelling at clouds now...

braydonbr (Aug 15, 2022 at 21:50)

@aaronjb: all good! Cause I agree with your point if this was a exclusive invite event. Cheers!