The men's championship round of the Jeep 48STRAIGHT Mountain Bike Series at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, featured two of the most dominant racers in mountain biking history- "E.C€VbCrLf Eric Carter of Temecula and Brian Lopes of Laguna Beach. Lopes and Carter have battled each other for nearly a quarter century, dating back to their BMX racing days before their transition to mountain bikes.
Brian Lopes (left) was the top qualifier and edged out Eric Carter (right) for the win at the Madonna Inn. E.C.'s consistent results from the previous two stops on the Jeep tour, combined with this second place finish gave him the overall championship. Photo: Ryan Cleek
Lopes, with four World Championships and nine National Championships, ended up outlasting his friend and rival to win the individual event title, but Carter, with a World Championship, 13 National Championships and over 30 career victories under his belt, earned the Jeep overall championship based on this race and previous stops in New Jersey and Utah.
The Jeep 48STRAIGHT dual slalom course was roughly 40 seconds long and combined a variety of jumps, berms and flat corners. Photo: Ryan Cleek
In what was labeled one of the deepest fields in the history of Jeep mountain bike racing, Carter would need every ounce of experience accrued during his career to maneuver through a bracket loaded with the world's top-ranked riders. And as one of the longest tenured Jeep racers, having competed in just about every race over the past six years, Carter knew it would take clean runs, some good breaks and the ability to avoid injury to capture the prize that had eluded him for so long.
Fionn Griffiths takes to the air while Melissa Buhl rolls the 40-foot step up jump. Griffiths took the win on the day, while Buhl's second place gave her the overall Jeep championship. Photo: Ryan Cleek
"It's funny because I didn't feel so good on the course, and never really felt I had my rhythm, but I guess I was riding a lot faster than I thought because I had some good runs and knocked off some great competitors,€VbCrLf said Carter. "I had to bust tail to get this done and am kind of blown away that I was able to execute like I know how. I'm somewhat speechless because I've been trying to get this title for six years now.€VbCrLf
Brad Oien (left) surprised Greg Minnaar (right) by slightly besting him in their first run of the opening round. But, it takes more than one good run to knock off the reigning World Cup downhill champion, and best all-around rider in the world. Minnaar recovered and eliminated Oien. Photo: Ryan Cleek
The first two rounds saw him get past Open Qualifier Logan Binggeli of St. George, Utah, and the surprising Open Qualifier Mike Haderer of Concord, Calif., who pulled the day's biggest upset by taking down Alpine, Calif.'s Cody Warren, a National Champion and winner of the first Jeep race of the season in New Jersey. In the semi-finals, Carter would have to contend with three-time World Cup Champion Greg Minnaar of South Africa, who won the second Jeep race in Utah. After losing the first heat, Carter stormed back to top Minnaar and earn a spot in the finals. Lopes day was equally brilliant, with wins over Open Qualifier Joey Backus of Mesa, Ariz., National Champion Rich Houseman of Temecula and four-time Australian National Champion Jared Rando. With the season championship in hand, Carter fought off injury to give Lopes a run for his money, but couldn't get the win. In the consolation heat Minnaar outlasted Rando to capture the final spot on the podium.
Racers could hit the 40-foot step-up double jump at a full sprint. Photo: Ryan Cleek
"I felt really strong at practice on Friday and came in first in the qualifier, which gave me a lot of confidence heading into today's race,€VbCrLf said Lopes, who was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame earlier this year and will soon be accepted into the BMX Hall of Fame. "I have really high expectations for myself, and was disappointed with how I did in the first race of the season. I wanted to redeem myself, and coming out here today against this caliber of athletes and getting the win feels really good.€VbCrLf
Former BMX world champion, and 2008 Mountaincross National Champion, Rich Houseman (left) faced 16-year-old BMXer and mountain bike new comer Mitch Ropelato (right) in the first round. Mitch looked impressive in the field of elite racers, but Houseman's experience prevailed. Photo: Ryan Cleek
In the women's competition, Chandler, Arizona's Melissa Buhl put an exclamation point on a brilliant Jeep season that saw her finish second in New Jersey and first in Utah, not to mention earning three U.S. National Championships (mountaincross, downhill and dual slalom) and the World 4-Cross Championship. Her second place finish in San Luis Obispo earned her the season championship, and further solidified her standing as one of the most dominant racers in the sport. Buhl earned victories over Leslie Slagle of El Cajon, California, and Lisa Myklak of Boulder, Colorado, before reaching the Championship Heat against Fionn Griffiths of Great Britain. Griffiths, a three-time World Cup winner who has never missed a Jeep race during the event's six year history, was dominant throughout the day, beginning with a win over Folsom, California's Joanna Peterson and a subsequent stunner over season points leader and National Champion Kathy Pruitt of Santa Cruz, California, to reach the finals. Griffiths pulled out the victory over Buhl to earn the individual event title. Pruitt topped Myklak in the consolation heat to earn third place.
First year pro J.D. Swanguen of San Diego, California, knocked out 2008 NMBS Mountaincross/Slalom champion Petr Hanak in the first round. Photo: Ryan Cleek
"I felt confident today because I really liked the speed and layout of the course, which matches my race style,€VbCrLf said Buhl. "This whole season has been amazing for me, and is by far the best I've ever ridden. I am having a great time, and I know that I'll now have a target on my back and I'll have to work harder and harder to stay at this level.€VbCrLf
In the semi-final, Greg Minnaar (left) beat Eric Carter (right) in their first run. However, Minnaar's bobble here opened the door for E.C. to make up the time differential, giving him the overall title and landing him a spot in the final against Lopes. Photo: Ryan Cleek
The championship winner at San Luis Obispo received $5,000, with cash earnings for each finisher through 16th place. The season champion received additional sponsor bonuses from Paul Mitchell and the keys to a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Overall, the prize purse for Jeep 48STRAIGHT topped $100,000, making it one of the highest cash payouts in the sport.
OVERALL CHAMPIONS
Men's Champion - Eric Carter - Temecula, California.
Women's Champion - Melissa Buhl - Chandler, Arizona.
Men's San Luis Obispo Results
1. Brian Lopes - Laguna Beach, Calif.
2. Eric Carter - Temecula, Calif.
3. Greg Minnaar - South Africa
4. Jared Rando - Australia
5. Kyle Strait - Costa Mesa, Calif.
6. Rich Houseman - Temecula, Calif.
7. J.D. Swanguen - San Diego, Calif.
8. Mike Haderer - Concord, Calif.
9. Cody Warren - Alpine, Calif.
10. Petr Hanak - Winter Park, Colo.
11. Mitch Ropelato - Ogden, Utah
12. Logan Binggeli - St. George, Utah
13. Neko Mulally - Reading, Pa.
14. Amiel Cavalier - Auburn, Calif.
15. Brad Oien - Fountain Valley, Calif.
16. Joey Backus - Mesa, Ariz.
Women's San Luis Obispo Results
1. Fionn Griffiths - Great Britain
2. Melissa Buhl - Chandler, Ariz.
3. Kathy Pruitt - Santa Cruz, Calif.
4. Lisa Myklak - Boulder, Colo.
5. Michelle Rivera - La Puente, Calif.
6. Stephanie Nychka - Gresham, Ore.
7. Joanna Peterson - Folsom, Calif.
8. Leslie Slagle - El Cajon, Calif.
The Jeep 48STRAIGHT event from San Luis Obispo will air on CBS Sports on November 1.
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