STATE GAMES 07

The Oregon State Games mountain bike races have been a mainstay for great competition here in the Northwest for many years. In 1995, I first raced this event held at Mt Hood Skibowl and have had the pleasure of doing so many times since. Last year, I won the cross country race and this year I returned hoping for another good result.

SkiBowl is one of the best venues for MTB racing anywhere. While the rough, technical tracks may keep some riders away, there is always a good battle on the lower slopes of Mt Hood. This year was no different with Erik Tonkin (Kona), Spencer Paxson (Disco); Luke Pennington (S&M); and a resurgent Steve Carwile (Capitol Subaru) in attendance.

Promoter Petr Kakes didn’t disappoint with two trips up to the top of the ski hill and a variety of challenging trails to ride during the 2+ hour event. After the start lap, Erik and Spencer had opened a decent gap on Steve and I who were chasing some seconds behind. By the halfway point of the first full lap, Steve had slowed a bit and Luke had joined me in chasing the leaders. By the beginning of the second lap, we had caught Spencer, but at nearly the same time Luke flatted leaving me to chase solo. I passed Spencer, but lingered about a minute off the pace of Erik the remainder of the race.

After some tough love at the Cascade Classic stage race earlier in the week, I was satisfied to come second. Erik and I have raced so many years together, and I have so much respect for him on and off the bike. Seeing him win another well fought duel still makes for a happy day. The included photo says it all!

Steve held on to finish 5th in just his second race back after a year off from knee surgery. Capitol Subaru Cycling’s Mike Romasco finished third in the masters and Mark Rasmussen had to end his race early with a broken chain. It was a sunny day on the mountain and good fun was had by all!