Hobbs and Ellingson take second in downhill race

It was wet, sloppy, muddy and rainy for

the All Gravity Series downhill mountain bike races at Silver

Mountain in Idaho this weekend. Despite being opening day of the

summer season at Silver, the top of the mountain still had

snow.

After riding the gondola to the top,

racers slogged through the snow for a couple hundred yards, before

finding the muddy trails and roads to get them to the top of the

race course.

Saturday’s race was a grueling 15

minute race down a single track trail littered with loose rocks,

slippery roots and mud.

Willie Hobbs finished in fourth place

in the Men’s 19-29 age division of Category 1. Brittan Ellingson

also finished fourth in the 30-39 age division of Category 2. David

Hobbs finished seventh in his age division in Category 2.

If conditions weren’t muddy enough on

Saturday, it poured rain all night before clearing for the Sunday

race, which was a shorter five minute race.

After one practice run, Willie Hobbs

put on his mud tires, which he said made a big improvement in his

control. Hobbs finished on the podium in second place. Ellingson

also finished second in his division and David Hobbs finished in

eighth.

Willie Hobbs and Brittan Ellingson are

sponsored by Great Northern Cycles in Whitefish. Hobbs travels to

Mt. Hood next weekend to compete in the fourth round of the

Northwest Cup. His goal for the summer is to have finishes strong

enough to move up to the Pro category.