| OCR Text |
Show Page 4, Wasatch Canyon Reporter, Mid June - Mid July PHOTO BY DAVID ADAM PECK/WCR © 1995 Rock, Shock, and Roll: Grundig World Cup of Mountain Biking in Vail by David Adam Peck | Staff Writer Spectators i in Vail watch as two racers compete in the dual slalom event. Rock, Shock, and Roll: Cup The 1995 Grundig World of Mountain Biking in Vail ae two | LeU contro- “the competition and gave the weekend an atmosphere reminiscent of European. skiing’ events. Reggae music echoed from the PA system off the mountainside, and the mood remained upbeat even during several snow squalls. Normally the off- _ versy, and raw athletic mastery which was humbling to behold. The big guns were out in force: Missile,” of more thronged the race courses is a perfect arena for a mountain bike competition, and last weekend’s World Cup provid- “the. days (weather we in Utah can all relate to recently) thousands one wishes to describe it, Vail drama, their largest event ever, bring- ing 40,000 spectators to the valley. This year, despite snow, graupel and hail on the first Many would argue that “Vail Mountain” is in terms contradictory; that Vail more closely resembles a hillock, mound, bunion, or pimple than a mountain in the Wasatch sense of the word. However topographically quantitative ed excitement, mountain bike World Championships, and it was season in Vail, this June week- end packed the bars and restaurants. “This is as many people Lung,” as I’ve seen in town in the last Tinker, Rishi and Ranjeet. Laymen might assume a World Wrestling Federation event, but Vail saw the full cast of moun- month, combined,” said one longtime local. tain biking’s finest; scars, tattoos, and all. The nucleus of the action centered around Golden Peak, the site of the equipment Expo, Last year Vail hosted the and the finish of all the events “ POWDER BEACH REALTY ~ "Salt Lake Valley ¢ Snowbird/Alta (801) 944-9444 Park City ¢ Deer Valley (801) 645-9444 fern Baird Principal Broker but the cross-country. Hundreds of manufacturers set up booths to display their latest and greatest, including complete bikes, frames, shocks, components, of the event, Paul Mitchell hair products, had a mobile salon muddy course. Last year’s route, beginning on the China set up and offered ten dollar Wall of the back bowls, had to be abandoned due to excessive cuts; the waiting list was an hour long. Adjacent was a row of massage chairs and tables, where practitioners rubbed for free. This was the best-kept wheels, and clothing. For those with pseudosexual equipment envy, the Expo was a good place to avoid, whereas it was the techno-weenie’s Mecca. Representatives and team riders could be seen everywhere weighing bikes and parts, comparing trade secrets and cheerfully telling window shoppers why their 1994 bike was already obsolete. Meg Leferriere, a local Pacer. who ~iimished . 3a respectable fourth in the citi- secret at the event, except possibly the viscosity of Tomac’s chain lubricant. Staff photographer Jim Holland was the unfortunate victim of the only -zen’s hillclimb, commented — “There are ten year-olds here course, john -Tomac posted the fastest time early but was edged out by Myles Rockwell, who had started out of order and ridden the course later in the round, when it had dried considerably. keep a stiff upper lip the remainder of the weekend. The most dangerous of the events, the downhill competition, kicked things off for the pros on Friday on a fast and Protests were overruled by the race committee and Rockwell’s time stood, giving him the win. — Afterward he claimed the — course was less technical and creative than those in Europe. Results of the 1995 Grundig World Cup of Mountain» with.” Occasionally a rock star like John Tomac would wander by, parting the crowd like Moses and commanding the ear of all, E.F. Hutton-style, when mentioning equipment or riding technique. Homegrown Utah companies were aptly represented by Alfwear and Fishlips bicycles. Locals and Women’s Downhill: 1. Kim Sonier, USA 2. Elke Brutsaert, USA 3. Marla Streb, USA Men’s Downhill: 1. Myles Rockwell, USA 2. John Tomac, USA 3. Mike King, USA Women’s X-C: 1. Julie Furtado, USA 2. Paola Pezzo, Italy 3. Alison Sydor, CAN Men’s X-C: tourists alike bought Alfwear fleece like junkies: by Sunday, queries of “Did you call each other up before dressing this morning?” were - heard 1. Thomas Frischknecht, SUI 2. Tim Gould, USA Vailwide. One of the main sponsors much snow? On the new bad haircut, but managed to ~ Biking, Vail, CO June 9-11 with better bikes than I race snow. When was the last time Vail had to complain about too. _ 3, Ranjeet Grewal, USA On the women’s side, pre-race favorite Missy “the Missile” Giove, affectionately known as the Dennis Rodman of mountain biking, was resplendent in her trademark nosering and peroxided hair. Proudly bearing her dead pet piranha around her neck, she smoked the upper course but suffered a flat tire, giving Kim Sonier the win. The black sheep events of ‘the competition, trials riding and dual slalom, were held on Saturday. Purists often treat these events like the proverbial ‘redheaded stepchild, but they captivated spectators for the awesome. bike _ handling required. The slalom is close kin to pro ski racing, held head-to-head with dual elimination style. The racers charged, barged, out flew down as having and deepest and sometimes of corral gates and a course described the biggest burms ruts on the circuit. Whereas slalom bikes are near- | } ipa: j just | ly as technologically whizbang as their downhill counterparts, most racers wore tennis shoes or Vans (clipless racing shoes are too restrictive for the sudden directional changes in slalom) in a seemingly schizophrenic mix of high tech and pop culture. The other Saturday ‘Lite _Foop COTTONWOOD ALTA, UTAH TASTES BETTER AT CANYON 8600 FEET competition, trials, entails riding up, over and through a tricky obstacle course of boulders and logs without touching any body parts to the earth. This is the self-admitted “skateboarding of mountain |
