All photos courtesy of Greg Tubbs at Grubworks Media Productions.
After a short 3 week break it was time for another crack at Mt. Hood. This time around we took the dirt bag approach. We traded in our plush 2 story condo for tents and sleeping bags and set out for some good old fashion parking lot pimpin'. We occupied a small nook in the outskirts of the parking lot and called it home. With the pits just a stones throw away and the town of Govy within pedaling range, we had it made for the weekend. With the track still fresh in our minds from the previous race, there was no need for a track walk. The knowledge of a dry track was all the comfort we needed. After a few practice runs the consensus was that it was rough, loose and scary fast. Everyone seemed to go for the energy preservation approach, taking maybe 2-3 runs a-piece. When it's this rough every run adds up come Sunday.
The downtime before Saturday's practice was filled with a fair amount of bike maintenance. Fork overhauls, tire swaps, and shifting adjustments are all too common here. This course eats bikes. By the time practice started it was now almost too hot to ride so most of us waited it out for a bit under the shade of our pop up. Those who decided to brave the hot sun deemed the track "rougher than ever before". The once tacky track was now nothing but dust that seemed to dissipate more and more with each run, exposing new holes and rocks just waiting to hook pedals or derailleurs. Everyone seemed to keep it energy efficient, again only taking a few runs a piece before retreating back to the pits for some shade. That night Evan, Trevor and myself took a shuttle lap down from Timberline with Scott Tucker of the NW Cup. It was a nice way to clear our heads before race day. The trail brought us right to our camp, just in time to grab dinner at the Ratskeller and call it a night.
On race day everyone awoke confident and ready. There was no doubt in anyones mind that this was our race to win. We had been primed for this since the last time we raced at Hood and we were going to prove it. After getting an early morning practice lap in it was back on the lift for qualifiers. Although it was just qually's I could tell everyone wanted to make a statement going into finals. And after the dust settled from qually's it was a Team Freehub 1-4 sweep with myself in 4th, Trevor in 3rd, Evan in 2nd and Victor in 1st. Britney also claimed the one spot going into finals setting the stage for yet another double podium. Statement made!
There are few moments in racing that compare to standing at the top with your team as the last racers on course. Shred vibes are at an all time high. Our goal from the start of the weekend had been to get everyone on the podium, and although difficult it was not out of the question. I dropped in with my usual train of thought "stay on your bike" which almost worked out for me until the lower woods. Couldn't really tell you what happened as I think I rang my bell a bit. It was enough of a digger for me to pull off and let Trevor go by. I watched as he ripped by on his way to a 3rd place finish! Victor and Evan kept the trend going both grabbing podium spots behind Trevor. 3 out of 5 podium spots covered by Freehub. Britt managed to win her race despite a nasty crash atop the course making for our second consecutive "double podium" on the man track that is Mt. Hood!
As a manager and athlete I couldn't be more proud of this team. Simply being a part of this group of riders let alone leading them is the greatest opportunity I have been presented with. I believe we are on the brink of becoming something truly great and I can't wait to witness it all first hand. But 2013 is far from over, so on behalf of Team Freehub I say bring it on!
-Lando
RACE RESULTS
Trevor Parson- 3rd place, 3:51
Evan Geankoplis- 4th place, 3:53
Victor Smith- 5th place, 3:55
Matt Orlando- Crash Out
Britney White- 1st place
We would like to thank our sponsors:
Transition Bikes, Race Face Components, Royal Racing, Smith Optics, Five Ten Footwear, Continental Tires, SR Suntour, Park Tool, Voke Tab, One Ball Jay, and last but certainly not least Shuttle Nuts Bike Racks.
Special thanks to the NW Cup for hosting the most badass race series in existence.
