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Dirt Sweat & Gears - NE
Fayetteville, Tennessee, USA, April 28, 2007
Ross roasts his rivals
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An incredible turnout for a first year event attracted top names from the ultra-endurance world of mountainbiking to the Dirt Sweat & Gears event in Tennessee. The weather was perfect for racing (60-75 degrees Fahrenheit), with good cloud coverage and no rain combined with a relatively new course to make it not so new as the day progressed. The singletrack got faster and the lines became abundantly clear as the laps piled up for nearly 190 racers. The almost 1,000 spectators were treated to some great racing as the pro field battled it out. Early on in the men's race Nat Ross and Josh Tostado took to the lead as main rival Tinker Juarez double flatted in lap one. Tinker battled back to earn third place with a blistering 54 minute 12th lap, that saw him gain back all but three minutes of the ten minute lead advantage held by second placed Josh Tostado.
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In the woman's field Monique Sawicki controlled the race from start to finish, with Rebecca Rusch suffering a flat that cost her a considerable amount of time. In third, Carey Lowery showed herself well healed after her second-place at the Cohutta 100 the previous Saturday.
The singlespeeders were led by John "Fuzzy" Mylne, who nearly match the geared riders with 11 laps to hold off traveling partner Dejay Birtch who finished second. Third place was earned through a strong rider from Greg Martin.
All told the innaugeral Dirt, Sweat and Gears was a resounding success with over $10,000 in cash awarded to the pro field and upwards of $15,000 in prizes given to participants. One of the highlights of the event had to be the seven bikes and frames that were given to lucky racers as well as the nearly 20 minute schwag toss that rounded out the awards ceremony. Most importantly, a good amount of money was earned for the event's charity, Al's Pals.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Will Thomas
- Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher) held off Giant's Josh Tostado to win the first Dirt Sweat & Gears.
- Rebecca Rusch (Red Bull/Specialized) and Tinker Juarez (Cannondale) push hard through the race.
- Pua Sawicki (Ergon/Ellsworth) took a solid win from start to finish.
- 'Fuzzy' John Mylne (Sho-Air) rides solo through the course.
- Dejay Birtch (Niner/Crank Brothers) finished second in the SS Pro race.
- Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
- Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher) chases down Josh Tostado (Giant).
Images by Clay Higgins
- The podium: 1 Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher), 2 Josh Tostado (Giant), and 3 Tinker Juarez (Cannondale)
Results
Pro Men 1 Nat Ross (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 11.32.54 2 Josh Tostado (Giant) 14.43 3 Tinker Juarez (Cannondale) 17.49 4 Rob Lichtenwaler 5 Sloane Anderson Pro Women 1 Pua Sawicki (Ergon/Ellsworth) 10.53.44 2 Rebecca Rusch (Red Bull/Specialized) 13.55 3 Carey Lowery 4 Erika Tieszen 34.06 SS Pro 1 Fuzzy John Mylne (Sho-Air) 11.46.03 2 Dejay Birtch (Niner/Crank Brothers) 3 Greg Martin 4 Jake Kirkpatrick 5 Lee Unwin
