Once the race started things got interesting. It was surprising to see only one pass during all of my spectating. The staging of the riders was well thought out. It was cool to see how it panned out, and I got to witness some great riding. One rider (with bar ends) pulled a huge two wheel drift in front of me, a few were grinding in the top gear while tucked on the fastest section. Ken Foraker, an amputee with one leg, came ripping out of a long drawn out turn and stood up to pedal out like a champ. Bless his heart, but Tattoo Lou slid out in front of me and snapped his handlebar in half. He got up and finished with half of a bar and a massive grin, then raced the Pro GRT the next day. That’s grit right there.
As far as the race itself went, Leigh Donovan took the top step for the women by over eight seconds. Interestingly enough when I chatted with her she expressed how nervous she was about this race. Even in her prime she had never won here. It was always that one track she couldn’t conquer. She was stoked to feel the butterflies again, squash them and take it down. Brian Lopes took the win decisively by five seconds wearing a black skinsuit and a visorless full–face lid, appearing to pay homage to John Tomac, only on a 29” wheeled carbon fibre XC bike. As if most mountain bike enthusiasts weren’t already impressed enough by Lopes, this solidified what a savage athlete he truly is, was and will be. After not riding the track in 15–20 years Brian smoked the likes of Kyle Strait and Mikey Haderer, both of which are nearly two decades younger than him. No disrespect to them, but this speaks volumes about Lopes’ prowess and timelessness. The man is one of very few that can span his dominance over multiple generations. Regardless of what you think, he is a beyond capable despite his age. Impressive to say the least.
After the downhill race wrapped up, in the typical style of the heavily missed NORBA races, everyone grabbed beers, cameras and loved ones then headed up the hill near the chairlift to watch dual slalom as the sun set. It was a blast to watch. Dual was/is such a spectator sport! Not the place to rant about that, but it was great to see everyone really getting into an event that really has it all.
Props to the people who set this up and got so many big names on one big mountain. Ten events, stacked roster, both old and new, held on an iconic mountain, and great vibes all around. I can’t wait to see what next year’s venue will hold. I expect that it will just be bigger and better, so if you are a legend, big timer of the past, or even a newcomer to the sport, make a point to get there and take it all in. You won’t be disappointed.
