MUDSLINGER 07

This was one of the first races I ever competed in. Way back in 1995 I raced the ‘Slinger at age 18. It was muddy that day, too. I remember my Bullseye “sealed” derailleur pulley quit turning that day. 12 years later the venue has moved on but the vibe is the same. Mud, climb, gravel, muck, climb, roots, gravel, bog, climb… I got the holeshot and stayed out front for more than a lap. Erik Tonkin (Kona) again put in some real hard riding to bridge and then open a 30 second gap. As we descended toward the finish, I was able to cut the margin and finally make contact in the last singletrack. I let Erik pull the last two miles on the road (it only seemed fair for the defending champ to do the work) before slipping by at the finish. My first ever Mudslinger victory! I am stoked and to have raced hard to the end with one of the best all around riders the race has ever known was icing on top!