Dirty Duathlon

Rocky Hill Ranch, Smithville, TX , USA, December 8, 2002

Lance Armstrong wins dirty duathlon with a new course record

By Jon Hill

Lance Armstrong came off the bike over 30 seconds behind Jason Sager and had a great second run to claim his first ever win at the Dirty Duathlon. On the ladies side, a speedy Shae Rainer took the victory with Cathy Duryea and former champion Leslie Reuters not far behind.

The weather for the race was almost perfect for a true "dirty" duathlon. There must have been an umbrella covering the 1200 acre ranch because it was storming in Austin and raining hard in Bastrop, just 13 miles away as the ranch saw little more than drizzle during the race.

The run course was challenging as always with the rocks on the steep hills of 'Fat Chucks Demise' claiming several victims including former female champion Caitlin Gabor. The run course turnaround cone was strategically placed in a large mud puddle to make sure the athletes enjoyed as much dirty terrain as possible. The bike course was fairly slippery as well and all the creek crossings were FULL of nice cold water. The crowds of people around the transition area witnessed a true battle between Lance and Jason Sager as Jason held a 30 second lead over Lance off the bike after besting Lance by 2:24 on the 12.3 mile bike leg.

It should be noted that Jason Sager has not lost a mountain bike race in the state of Texas for over 4 years. Jason hung on as long as he could but it was evident when Lance flew out the transition area starting his 2nd run that he was on a mission.

The ladies race was not as close as the men's but Shae Rainer's speed on both the bike and the run was very impressive. She crossed the finish line with a women's course record and a smile on her face. She almost even split her two runs which on this course is almost unheard of. Congratulations to all who finished this extremely challenging event! Race #2 in the dirty series is January 12th in Bandera, TX.

Photos

Images by Rick Kent/Kreutz Photography

The almost unbeatable Jason Sager
Lance Armstrong swapped the slicks for knobbies
Lance had the race won from the start
Jason Sager placed second
A sight you don't often see
Lance in full stride

Results

Men
 
1 Lance Armstrong (US Postal)                1.36.05
2 Jason Sager                                   2.28
3 Rip Esselstyn                                 6.04
4 Will Ross                                     7.16
5 Kyle Rodemacher                              12.33
6 Scott Trainer                                13.11
7 Brandon Marsh                                13.20
8 Jerry Taylor                                 14.38
9 Victor Pena (US Postal)                      15.00
10 Kevin Stankiewicz                           15.15
 
Women
 
1 Shae Rainer                                1.55.34
2 Cathy Duryea                                  4.35
 
Men's relay
 
1 Adam Daley/Floyd Landis (US Postal)        1.25.50
2 Steve Sisson/George Hincappie (US Postal)     4.33
3 Adam Reiser/Max van Heeswijk (US Postal)      7.45
4 Jon Hill/Michael Barry (US Postal)           18.15
 
Mixed relay
 
1 Andrea Fisher/Hill Able                    1.51.51
 
Female relay
 
1 Missy Ruthven/Mel Steele                   2.00.37