Slip and slide...right into the drink if your bike handling skills aren't up to snuff
MONTEREY, Calif. (March
3, 2008) Competitive cycling will have a new name at this year's Sea
Otter Classic. SRAM "Dual Stunt" adapts a Dual Slalom race format to a
flat course featuring wood and dirt obstacles. How it works: two racers
compete side-by-side on identical 400-foot long courses scattered with
notorious North Shore-style elements like wooden bridges and dirt
jumps. The timed event pits competitors against each other where the
maximum time differential can only reach 1.5 seconds. The slower racer
either makes up the time and advances or concedes defeat – same as in
Dual Slalom. The semi-invitational event kicks off on Friday, April 18
with qualifying rounds.
"This
is a sport that originated in mountain biking and is specific to
mountain biking," said Jeff Lenosky, who will build the Dual Stunt
course along with fellow racer Kyle Ebbett and Ray Petro of Ray's
Indoor MTB Park. "It really doesn't favor one discipline over another -
you can have a podium filled with a trials rider, a dirt jumper,
freeriders, or a world champion downhiller, it's really across the
board. If you're a good bike handler, then you could really excel at
this discipline."
Still unclear about Dual Stunt? Have a look here at an event that Lenosky designed, which is similar to Dual Stunt.
To
race Dual Stunt, racers could compete on pretty much any kind of bike,
according to Lenosky, but he adds that the ideal bike would be a
freeride hardtail. To try it out, the Dual Stunt course will be open in
between racing for practice sessions. 64 is the maximum number of
racers allowed for the debut event. Contact Jeff Frost, director of
athlete and sponsor services, at
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for invitation information.
Dual Stunt continues on Saturday with elimination rounds and ends on Sunday, April 20 with finals.
As the name implies, the Thule Adventure Challenge
will dispatch participants on an adventure around the Fort Ord trail
system to challenge themselves in three elements: mountain biking,
trail running and a special test to be announced soon at seaotterclassic.com.
Individuals
or teams of three will step to the Start at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 18
to compete in a light navigation race that will see most teams finish
with times between two and three hours. Race director, Todd Jackson,
predicts the winning team to arrive sometime around 10 a.m.
"This
year's event will be very light navigation," Jackson said. "Most events
at Sea Otter have a marked course; some of this course won't be marked,
you'll have to figure out where you're going and you'll have to pay
attention to the written word a bit."
The
Adventure Challenge is suited to anybody interested in multisport -
from beginner to novice up to advanced - who just wants to have some
fun. The three-person team category provides an ideal opportunity to
race with friends or, soloists can challenge their friends to a
score-settling, head-to-head race for bragging rights. Back again for
2008, the "Warrior Cup" is a specially designed trophy awarded to the
top military team. Gear requirements are minimal: a bike, helmet and
running shoes should do the trick - a sense of humor and good spirits
are optional.
What you need to know about the Thule Adventure Challenge:
Mountain Bike: Approximately 5-7 miles on the Fort Ord Public Lands BLM trail system. A mix of singletrack and fire road.
Trail Run/Foot Travel: Approximately 3 miles in and around the Fort Ord Public Lands BLM trail system.
Special Challenge: Elements will be announced here after March 3. These elements will require NO additional gear on your part and NO special training.
To register for the Thule Adventure Challenge, go here
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