(Photos © Leonard Johnson/HotFootPhoto)
possible by Sellwood Cycle Repair.
The penultimate race in the Gran Prix Erik Tonkin series took place on Sunday. With a few days of rain leading up to it, the race venue — a motocross course in Washougal, Washington — was full of soupy, slick and thick mud. One section featured several treacherous mud puddles that masked holes more than a foot deep. It was impossible to see which puddles were safe and which ones would eat your front wheel. Not surprisingly, this section claimed countless victims throughout the day.
Looking to share these wonderful wipeouts, we found an excellent set of photos taken by Leonard Johnson of HotFootPhoto. We asked Leonard if we could share a few of his best shots here on the Front Page and he obliged. Check ’em out below…
And if you like those, check out some of the sequence shots in Leonard’s full gallery. You might also want to watch the videos from Merrill Stubing on YouTube. Merrill’s video below shows that even the super-talented and smooth “A” category racers had trouble navigating this disaster zone…
After a season with mostly dry and relatively warm weather, Sunday’s conditions were a treat for true ‘cross fans. The local ‘cross action heads to Bend this weekend for the big Deschutes Cup and the Gran Prix Erik Tonkin wraps up on December 14th with the Santa Cross down in Corvallis. Thanks for following our coverage this season and thanks again to Sellwood Cycle Repair for sponsoring it!
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
Nice job Jonathan, we’ll see you in the A+ next year…
Ah thanks Paolo. Sure felt good to end the season with a win! Looking forward to racing with the As!
Best. Race. Ever.
Jonathan staying cleaner than most!
http://leonardjohnson.zenfolio.com/p387865920/h2fcb6516#h2fcb6516
http://leonardjohnson.zenfolio.com/p387865920/h22b807cd#h22b807cd
Get that guy a BikePortland kit!
While I love the pictures of this event, and normally I would keep my mouth closed, I can’t help but notice that all these endo’s took place at about the same spot. As great as it might be for photographic purposes, when a danger spot like this becomes so obvious at an event, it should be corrected. Doing endo’s is not recommended racing (or otherwise) procedure. Its a grand way for someone to get seriously injured or worse, killed. Look at these photo’s and imagine all the potential head injuries that might have happened. Event insurance, as well as personal coverages are difficult enough to get and fund. Practices like this will only make things far, far worse. And really, do we need to go out of our way to get someone injured?
I hurt myself more often and more seriously at home, doing chores, than I do racing cross… The risk is inherent, we accept it. Every inch of a cyclocross course has potential for serious injury. That’s why we preride and find the good lines, it makes it safer for us and for others. If you don’t preride and know your lines, then you open yourself up to additional risk. But you can’t dumb down a course just because someone “could” get hurt.
I especially like the ‘dual endo’ at 1:37. . . Ouch! . . If you need to see a Physio, let me know. . .
Some solid endos lurking in there!