Below Alyssum makes the endless hill look easy and with a smile!
(Photo Courtesy of Jason Barnes Photography)
Brian Ecker came back and finished first for the men. He and three others riders basically finished together. How do you sprint for first place in the TUC? The ride really isn't set up for a sprint finish. Usually, the difficult course splits everyone up before Ferndale. We know this is not a race, but everyone wants to end up on the winner's plaque. This resulted in an awkward situation with the riders funneling into the finish line. Brian Ecker, Casey Ehrman, Courtney Wood, and Patrick Means all deserve recognition for a strong ride.
The ride started off fast but a little slower than last year. We had a large peleton regroup in Scotia. This resulted in a nervous group all the way to the bottom of Panther Gap. I believe we were about 5 minutes slower than last year. The climb really broke up the group. Five riders, including Brian, Casey, Courtney, Patrick, and Matt cruised off the front. It appeared like Matt and Courtney were setting the pace most of the way up. Their pace was just a little to fast for a few of us. I want to thank the 7 or so other riders in the second group. We worked really well together and it was by far the easiest tour I have ever completed. With 8 riders we were able to work as an efficient team on the beach.
Top Finishers
1. Brian Ecker, 5:11:41
2. Casey Ehrman, 5:11:42
3. Courntey Wood, 5:41:43
4. Patrick Means, 5:11:56
5. Matt Schiff, 5:20:11
6. Jim Robbins, 5:23:01
7. Rob VanKirk, 5:26:44
8. Rusty Dodge, 5:29:04
9. CJ Johnson, 5:29:56
10.Orion Thompson, 5:30:22
11.Seth Knight, 5:35ish
1. Alyssum Cohen, 5:49:57
2. Laura McNulty, 5:53:00
Jason Barnes Photography has great photos on the endless hill.
Noble Sports has photos from the Wall.
XP2 Aerial: Tour of the Unknown Coast 2012 - Avenue of the Giants
