Every year the second stop of the NW Cup plays host to a US National race that has rapidly become known as the "Underworld Cup". As Sea Otter is usually scheduled within a week of this event, it has made it convenient for Factory Teams to travel north for a bit of early season training on a proper track. But for us locals it's our one shot to see if we can best the sports biggest names on a track that we have the skill and course knowledge to contend on.
We took a casual approach to the weekend. Opting out of Thursday practice in hopes of conserving energy for race day. Once we got there it was all business. We knew the lines it was just a matter of dialing them in for when it counts. If one of us found a way to shave an extra second or two it quickly became team knowledge. As a team we make sure that everyone has an equal shot at PA glory.
Since qualifiers happen on Saturday at a venue this size it meant getting up to speed quickly. Not a problem at PA. Once you drop in it really just a matter of how fast you want to go. A reality that at times can result in a bobble filled run or even a crash. I think for most of us the approach for qually's was to have a nice steady run to build on for Sunday. A game plan that failed all of us but Victor who pinned it to a solid 30th place qualifier.
The night before the race the rains finally came. Turning the dry hard pack back into the hero dirt we all love. It was just the thing the team needed to carry a little extra confidence into the final. Knowing that you could hang it out there a bit more made all the difference as PA is an all out race from start to finish. No holding back here. On a two and a half minute track you pretty much just gotta roll the dice. And we did exactly that. Although each of us may have experienced a moment or two of near death we all managed to hang it out there and put down respectable times all within a few seconds of each other. It was the perfect confidence builder going into the third and final PA round of the NW Cup. A venue that should be much less likely to attract half of the world cup's uber pro's. All in all the race was a success. No injury's, no broken bikes, fast times and big smiles. Team Freehub rollin' foreword!
RACE RESULTS
Matt Orlando- 28th, 2:34.66
Victor Smith- 30th, 2:34.80
Evan Geankoplis- 36st, 2:35.98
Trevor Parson- 38th, 2:36.46
Britney White- 9th, 3:07.01
Thank you to our sponsors: Freehub Magazine, Transition Bikes, Royal Racing, Race Face, Smith Optics, Five-Ten Footwear, Continental, SR Suntour, Park Tool and Shuttle Nuts Bike Racks.
The following photos and captions by: Reily Kintzele
