By Daily Press staff
The ground shook in Malibu on Nov. 5 as many of the nation’s best road cyclists and mountain bikers plunged down the legendary Tuna Canyon to determine once and for all the fastest descender at the inaugural Red Bull Road Rage, co-sponsored by Giant Bicycle and Avid Brakes.
Mountain biker Myles Rockwell won, taking home first place in both the time trial and pack races. At 58 mph, the fastest speed of the day was awarded to David McCook as part of the Avid Brakes speed trap.
“It’s nice to shut everybody up. Everyone thought it was going to be McCook or Lopes, but it’s nice to be the underdog,” Rockwell said. “I didn’t really prepare in any special way. I did a couple of spin classes.”
Rockwell completed his winning time trial run in just four minutes and 24 seconds, earning the coveted crown as the fastest downhill descender.
Riders took on the 2.5 mile course boasting a 2,000-foot elevation drop with 49 curves including cliff-hanging berms and 120-degree turns around rock faces at speeds up to nearly 60 mph through Tuna Canyon.
Time trials pitted individuals against the clock as they raced for the title of fastest descender. For the pack races, the top 16 finishers from the time trials raced boardercross-style in four-man heats. 2005 Tour De France host Bob Roll emceed the event and was impressed.
Time Trial: 1st place: $ 3,000 — Mountain biker Myles Rockwell of Durango, Colo. (Time: 4:24.7) 2nd place: $ 2,000 — Road cyclist David McCook of Mountain View, Calif. (Time: 4:25.9) 3rd place: $ 1,000 — Mountain biker Brian Lopes of Mission Viejo, Calif. (Time: 4:28.6) Pack Race: 1st place: $ 3,000 — Mountain biker Myles Rockwell of Durango, Colo. (Time: 4:24.68)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 10, 2005. Read the original PDF.