Fluidride Cup #2 @ Mt. Hood Skibowl
Photo Credits – Tim Zimmerman
Although the Fluidride Cup series started over Memorial Day up in Whistler, BC, this round is the first for the 529 crew. In most instances, we’d be at each and every round, but over Memorial Day, we’ve got a tradition of heading down to Bend, Oregon to get in 3 or 4 days of epic riding with a ton of friends from the Seattle and Reno areas. But this past weekend we were back out in force with 4 riders, Eric Loney, Kole Wetherell, Clinton Fowler, and Rob Bangerter.
Unfortunately, Rob Bangerter, out for his first ever weekend of downhill racing, made it a short one. After successfully maneuvering some of the more challenging features of the Cat 2 course, he took a dirt sample on the small but technical double jump towards the bottom of the course. After getting checked-out by a friendly doc, he decided to make the trek home and have his shoulder check-out before doing any more damage. We’re looking forward to Rob coming back down to Mt. Hood for the finals to give it another go!
On a more positive note, the course conditions were absolutely perfect this past weekend. The dirt was tacky and confidence inspiring. Unlike the latter races in the year, this is one time at Mt. Hood where you can put the bike where you want it and simply rip. While we may have only been riding the bottom half of the mountain (so would say the better half), having two runs for a combined time makes it worth the entry for sure.
Continuing the positive, Eric Loney and Clinton Fowler had great days of racing. Clinton Fowler, fresh off a 2 year hiatus from downhill racing scored a second place finish in Cat 2. Not too shabby given he’d ridden a mere 3 days of actual downhill the past 2 years. Eric Loney also had a great day, finishing 2nd in Pro Men. Had it not been for an amazing day for ‘Mountain Man’ Keith Thompson, Eric might have sat atop the top step for the first time as a Pro. While it didn’t happen this weekend, there’s no question the hard work is gonna pay off in the near future.
Last but not least, Kole Wetherell finished 8th after taking some dirt samples in his practice runs on Sunday morning and then again in his first race run. It was definitely not Kole’s day, but he regained his confidence in his second run after an inter-team ‘slay the air particles’ contest was layed down. While it’s still questionable who won the contest, the good news is that Kole’s got the swagger back and will be ready to go in 2 weeks when we all return to Mt. Hood Skibowl for Fluidride Cup #3.
Till then, get out and ride your bike. Summer’s here in the pacific northwest and the trail conditions are prime!
