Graves victorious in Sea Otter downhill

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Jared Graves (Yeti) won the elite men's downhill at the Sea Otter Classic on Sunday morning. He crushed the competition, winning by 3.2 seconds on a course that included plenty of pedalling. Andrew Neethling (Giant) rode to a strong second place while the 20-year-old Tyler Immer finished third. Bryn Atkinson (Transitions) and veteran Eric Carter rounded out the top five.

"My run was good. I tried to keep it smooth and pace myself from top to bottom," said Graves. "I was pacing myself and there were some places I could sit up and afford to lose a bit of time and get some rest.

"You never know on this track when you're out there. The wind had picked up since this morning's practice so everything was feeling a bit slower. In the back of your head, you know it's the same for everyone. I felt confident going into the finish, but you never know."

Graves was racing the same bike he used in the dual slalom - a relatively shorter travel rig that most used - with three inches of rear suspension and five inches of front suspsension.

Graves' downhill win came the morning after he also won the dual slalom. "This weekend was everything I'd hoped for. I get straight on a plane from here and head to South Africa. Four cross World Cups are my main gig this year, but I'll do a few downhill World Cups too."

Neethling put together a run he called "solid". "I tried to keep it smooth at the top, but I was feeling that headwind at the bottom - it hurt. I wish I had a bit more leg speed at the bottom, but apparently I was carrying a pretty good pace. All in all, it was good and I hit most of my lines.

"It's hard to beat Graves. I had the right bike for the job. I just needed some four cross legs at the bottom."

Neethling is also headed directly to the World Cup, which also happens to be in his home country of South Africa. "To be honest, all that's on my mind is the World Cup next weekend. I was trying to conserve energy, but once you're in the gate, you just go for it. I wanted to come here and show I had some consistency."

Immer impressed everyone by logging his best ever Sea Otter finish in third. "Last year, I got 12th and I wanted to up it. I'm proud of myself," said Immer. "My run was good. I saved some energy up top and kept it for the bottom so I could pedal. The bottom was so flat this year."

Like the women, the men agreed the extensive course changes were for the better.

"The course changes were good. It was safe for the amateurs but we could have a bit of fun on it and carry a bit more speed," said Neethling.

"The course was good after the changes. It flowed so well," said Immer.

The first fast time to stand for awhile was Phillip Kmetz in 2:19.3. Shaun O'Connor beat him at 2:18.9, but didn't spend long in the hot seat as Eliot Jackson soon took over with a 2:17.8.

Jackson's time held up until the final dozen riders, when Bryn Atkinson bested him with a 2:16.1. Immer was next to the top of the standings with a 2:15.9 before Neethling (2:15.1) and then Graves (2:11.9) clocked the fastest times.

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