MONTEREY, California (transcendmagazine.com) -- A blazing hot california sun set the tone for today's downhill event. It has baked the track into a slippery, dusty, super speedway that required not only tons of cornering skill, but the lungs of a champion.
Mick Hannah (AUS - GT) put a stamp on his downhill comeback, winning on a course that required raw leg speed to the podium. He stopped the the clock at 2:08.1. Greg Minnaar (RSA - Santa Cruz Syndicate) was second, .1 second back. Countrymen Andrew Neethling (RSA - Trek) was 3rd with a 2:08.8. Old Guys Brian Lopes (Ibis) and Eric Carter (GT) were 5th and 6th, proving that you are only as old as you feel, trouncing a field of kids half their age in some cases.
Hannah talked about his run while celebrating afterwards: "My run was good, but I didn't think it was good enough to beat Greg. It turns out it was, just. It was pretty slippery, but the main issue I had was a bit of a jump in the top rhythm section, I missed the landing into the berm and ended up on the top of the berm and got a bit messy. It worked out in the end."
For the ladies it was Tracy Moseley (GBR - Trek), fresh off of her win at the first world cup in South Africa last weekend, who set the fastest time at 2:21.6. Melissa Buhl finished off a great weekend of work with a second place finish. Local Norcal rider Kathy Pruitt (Jamis) was 3rd.
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