If nothing else, mountain bikers are good at inventing new ways to compete on their bikes. The latest, the "Dual Stunt" format, will be featured at this year's Sea Otter Classic. A dual stunt adapts a dual slalom race format to a flat course featuring wood and dirt obstacles. Two racers will compete side-by-side on identical 400-foot long courses scattered with notorious North Shore-style elements like wooden bridges and dirt jumps.
A maximum time differential of 1.5 seconds means slower racers either make up the time and advance or concede defeat - just like in dual slalom races. The semi-invitational event will happen Friday, April 18, beginning with qualifying rounds. Elimination rounds are scheduled for Saturday with finals on Sunday.
"This is a sport that originated in mountain biking and is specific to mountain biking," said Jeff Lenosky, who will build the dual stunt course along with fellow racer Kyle Ebbett and Ray Petro of Ray's Indoor MTB Park. "It really doesn't favor one discipline over another - you can have a podium filled with a trials rider, a dirt jumper, freeriders, or a world champion downhiller, it's really across the board. If you're a good bike handler, then you could really excel at this discipline."
Lenosky adds that racers can compete on pretty much any kind of bike although he points to a freeride hardtail as the ideal bike of choice. Interested potential racers should contact Jeff Frost, director of athlete and sponsor services, at frosty@seaotterclassic.com for invitation information.
