(Yours Truly)Year two of Red Bull's mass start down hill event kicked off without a hitch today. Course designers have pulled out all the stops to ensure the 5,000 feet of vertical descending is a crowd pleasing and unrelenting experience for all.
Today we finished up registration and had a nice bit of practice in the morning. The conditions were extra greasy with a side of fun. Being the thin skinned Californian I am, I have been regretting my selection in gear all day as the mountain has been foggy, damp and did I mention cold?
With so many riders the qualifying round today took several hours to get through yet it all ran smoothly and we are now seeded for race run tomorrow. I went off just about last today, and had the pleasure of starting just behind Chris Kovarik. That was the last time I saw him until I got to the bottom and pulled my helmet off all blurry eyed and out of breath. Lactic acid really starts pumping on a 15 minute plus black diamond trail. There is no resting on this track. Even on the access road sections speeds are so high and visibility quite low, that if you sit down and lose focus, a skull sized rock will bring to back to earth in a hurry.
Although the course is very demanding physically and mentally, all riders were smiling at the bottom and excited for tomorrows finale. Here are the top results after qualification today.
Pictures to come soon...
1. Chris Kovarik 13:14
2. Steve Smith 13:25
3. Tyler Morland 13:36
4. Curtis Keene 13:40
5. Tyler Allison 13:51
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