PORT ANGELES — The mud-speckled spectators of Port Angeles’ Dry Hill reveled in the Sunday afternoon drizzle.
Armed with bullhorns, boomboxes and cowbells throughout the second-growth timber, they didn’t seem to mind getting a little dirty during the pro finals of the Northwest Cup downhill mountain bike races.
With all of the odd heckles, they hurled at passing professional riders — including a random rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” — they dished a little dirt of their own.
As Jill Kintner of Transition Racing said, it’s all in good fun for a sport that continues to gain a foothold on the North Olympic Peninsula.
“You’ve got to have heckling,” said Kintner, a former Olympic bronze medalist in BMX. “That’s a part of the whole thing.
“It’s kind of a fun little experience when you cruise down the hill. There’s all kinds of close calls and excitement and people yelling, so it’s a really enjoyable experience.”
Of course, Kintner’s experience was a little more enjoyable than others Sunday.
The 29-year-old Seattle resident took home $500 after tearing down the pro course in 3 minutes, 16.91 seconds to win the pro women’s race.
Kintner was nearly six seconds better than her next closest challenger, Miranda Miller of Santa Cruz Bicycles (3:22.60), despite struggling to see through her mud-covered glasses most of the run.
All told, she topped a field of 11 women, which was part of a greater contingent of 103 professionals total who made it out for the weekend races.
Tied into the Pro GRT national circuit for the third straight year, the Dry Hill races have become a major stop in the North American gravity racing scene.
A lot of it has to do with the quality of the trails at the site, located just west of Port Angeles on Green Crow and state Department of Natural Resources timber land.
“I think it’s probably one of the best national courses,” Kintner said. “It’s so much fun here.
“Obviously, the scene helps. It’s just laid back and a good atmosphere and you’re in the peaceful woods.
“The trail just flows really smooth, and they do a good job of maintaining it, I always like coming here.”
The men’s champion, Danny Hart of England, also made a return trip to Dry Hill after racing there in 2009.
A World Cup tour racer, the 19-year-old led a trio of Giant Factory Off Road Team riders, who placed 1-2-3 among a field of 91 in the men’s pro competition.
Hart earned a $1,000 check for his first-place finish in 2:50.07 while teammates Andrew Neethling and Duncan Riffle won $300 and $200 for their second- and third-place marks, respectively.
“It’s a lot like home for me with the weather and the terrain,” said Hart, who also won a race in Portugal earlier this year.
“It rained a lot for the finals there. It was good to go not much slower than [Saturday] and give the Giant boys the 1-2-3.
“I couldn’t ask much more from the team really. I’m just glad to be on top.”
All told, 415 riders showed up for the races this weekend.
That’s the largest turnout in the four-year history of the Dry Hill races.
Considering all of the vandalism that was done to the trails last fall, it was quite a comeback for Dry Hill.
“It was amazing. For how many people were here, it couldn’t have gone much better,” said Kasey Northern, co-founder of the Olympic Dirt Society, which helps maintain Dry Hill.
“It’s one of our smoothest events, yet it was one of our biggest events.”
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Sportswriter Matt Schubert can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
