Belphagor Tyranosaur

2^nd Annual Black Rock Flow Cup

30May2010

Words and photos by Wade Youngblood

Racers getting prepped at the peak of Mt. Brown.

Anyone who has wintered in the Pacific Northwest knows what it feels like when May rolls around – wild vacillations in the weather towards the end of spring leave you wondering when, if ever, the perpetual rain will end and give the trails a chance to get tacky again. Trail conditions around these parts are anything but predictable, but fortune smiled on riders bound for the 2^nd annual Black Rock Flow Cup this year. Intermittent rains followed by a dry spell of a couple days leading up to the race left the course in near-perfect condition.

Local shredder Chris Farm dropping in on his second run. Farm managed a blazing fast course time of 0:04:56.

The race takes place on Transitional Speedway (a.k.a. Sickter Gnar), an intermediate/expert level trail which wends its way from the peak of Mt. Brown down to Basic Training over a distance of about 1.5 miles. Riders of all skill levels compete on the same course, but alternate lines of varying degrees of difficulty dictate the fastest times down the hill – the most harrowing line is usually the quickest. Hundreds of hours of volunteer trail work over the past year have gone into making Transitional Speedway what it is today, and the overwhelming response from riders is that it is one hell of a trail.

Focus…

Proceedings kicked off with the first heat at 11:00 AM. All told, the race had 51 registered participants divided amongst several categories according to age bracket and skill level. The second heat began at about 2:00 in the afternoon, and ceremonies were held at 4:00.

Navigating one of the many rock gardens along upper Transitional Speedway.

Ben Kubas took first place in the men’s pro division with a time of 0:04:48; the fastest time on the mountain, however, actually went to Allen Thompson in the men’s cat 1 19-24 bracket – he ripped down the hill from start to finish in not more than 0:04:41. The third fastest time on the mountain went to Arbor Johnson of the men’s cat 1 juniors bracket, at 0:04:54.

Ben Kubas, first place finisher in the Pro Men’s Open category.

The weather couldn’t have been much better for the event; temperatures in the mid-sixties, overcast, but no rain. Everybody was in good spirits, as always seems to be the case at Black Rock, and riders and spectators were treated to some great food by the ladies from Paula’s Kitchen, a local restaurant in Falls City, who were selling burgers and hot dogs just about as quickly as they could grill them up.

Super dank race-day grub, courtesy of Paula’s Kitchen. Thanks for keeping us well-fed, Paula!

The festivities didn’t end with final ceremonies, though – Black Rock volunteer shuttle drivers spread the love around by continuing to give shuttles late into the evening. A shuttle ride to the top is just about the only thing that can make Black Rock any better than it already is!

Black Rock’s distinctive red clay makes for some truly epic “functional sculptures” – fastest man on the mountain, Allen Thompson, rails it.

Big thanks go out to Paula’s Kitchen, Norco, Transition Bikes, Dakine and all the volunteers with Black Rock Mountain Bike Aassociation for helping make the race possible.