By Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Hundreds of mountain bikers from far and wide, from novice to North America’s top pros, will head to the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend for the 10th annual Northwest Cup downhill mountain bike races.
This is the second race this season to be held at Dry Hill just west of Port Angeles. The first one, held in April, had more than 400 competitors from all around the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
When Scott Tucker and Casey Northern began the Northwest Cup about 10 years ago, they never imagined it would turn into such a big deal.
“We had about 200 the first year, which we thought was pretty fantastic,” said Northern.
Now, the event has roughly tripled in size and is part of a national series of downhill races.
500 racers expected
These races being held Saturday and Sunday are a little more serious. They are part of a national downhill race circuit across the West, attracting a number of pros from all over the U.S. and Canada.
“We’re going to have 500 racers at least,” said race co-organizer Scott Tucker. Expect to see trailers carrying mountain bikes arriving in the Port Angeles area beginning today.
Seeding races will be held Saturday while the finals will take place Sunday, beginning around 9:30 a.m. The top pros should start racing around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m.
There’s a total of three downhill courses on Dry Hill for beginning riders, intermediate and expert. They are all roughly about a mile long and they drop as much as 1,000 feet in elevation.
Northern said the Port Angeles race is unique for the national downhill series.
Most of these races are held at ski areas such as the Mount Hood Ski Bowl in Oregon, the Silver Mountain Ski Area near Kellogg, Idaho and Stevens Pass east of Seattle.
Some of these areas are pretty remote and out in the middle of nowhere in ski resort areas that might not have many amenities, especially in the summer off-season. Whereas, the Northwest Cup is a few miles outside of Port Angeles with all of its restaurants and lodging.
“We’re just very lucky in our setup. Port Angeles is like our [ski] village,” Northern said. “We’re using the entire town” to attract riders to the area.
Northern said the quality of the Dry Hill’s tracks also keeps riders coming back year after year. Of all the events in the national downhill racing circuit, Port Angeles is the biggest one.
If you want to attend, the races will take place at the Dry Hill Mountain Bike Park off Walkabout Lane just south of Highway 101 about two miles west of Port Angeles. Parking is limited and requires a Discover Pass. Carpooling is suggested.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
