Day two marked another great day at the Sea Otter Classic. In fact it was even better weather than the day before with temps in the low 70′s and no winds. One of the races which ran almost all day long was the Dual Slalom finals. Dual Slalom may be one of the shortest type of race you will ever watch. It is however one of the most excitement packed events in existence. Imagine for a moment being on the scariest roller coaster you’ve ever been on. Now imagine having no rails and having to drive the train down the track. Now add in some jumps. That is what Dual Slalom is all about. It is a quick race to prevent being eliminated and then you huff it to the top of the mountain and do it again until you come out the winner.

This year’s course was tight and technical at the top and then dropped into a steeper descent almost straight into two large jumps. Dual Slalom is a gravity driven sport but that doesn’t mean the athletes don’t pedal. More then a few races were determined by how hard the competitors pedaled at the end of the races. Tyler Marshall from Downieville, California beat out the competition in the Category 1 Men 18 and under. Sandra Ross from Redding, California won the only Category 1 womens group while racing in a plaid miniskirt.

Written by Bryan Sheasby

Photo by Bryan & Jamie Sheasby