8-20-07 // Online Exclusive: Jeep KOM SLO Final Results

Cody Warren chases Brian Lopes down the SLO KOM course. Steve Chinn

Just a few days prior the second round of the Jeep King of the Mountain series in San Luis Obispo, California, veteran gate racer Brian Lopes was still unsure whether he would attend the event. A scheduling conflict would force him to choose between racing in San Luis and flying to Whistler for a movie shoot.

In the end, he chose to race. And it’s a good thing he did. Lopes brought his A game to the contest and easily walked away with the men’s victory. He qualified first and never lost a heat throughout the race, besting Rich Houseman in the finals.

Like all events in the three-race series, the San Luis Obispo track, built in the rolling hills behind the Madonna Inn, featured Jeep’s Y-Course. It starts like a traditional dual-slalom contest, then funnels riders into a four-cross style course where they battle elbow to elbow. This year’s course was designed by Eric Carter and featured a slew of rhythm sections, wide berms, doubles, step-ups and a massive jump over two semi containers.

Several hundred spectators lined the course to watch the action. Although the racing was tight, a good start was key, and nobody is faster out of the gate than Lopes.

“The course was definitely better than last year. I think it was pretty good, but it raced faster than I thought it would and there weren’t as many chances to pass,” said Carter, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Cody Warren.

Racing on the women’s side was fueled by the absence of Jill Kintner, who has dominated the series. Kintner, along with fellow KOM regulars Michal Prokop and Jared Graves, was in China attending a UCI BMX race. With Kintner out of the picture, the remaining women’s field was hungry for the opportunity to stand on the podium.

UCI World Cup contender Anneke Beerten from The Netherlands topped qualifying and appeared the fastest racer on the course. But Melissa Buhl and Tara Llanes also delivered solid qualifying runs. When racing began, the contest was wide open.

All three made it easily to the semis, where Beerten took down Fionn Griffiths, leaving Buhl and Llanes to battle in one of the closest races of the day. In each round, racers must take two head-to-head runs. Llanes took the first race by .42 seconds, a significant margin on the fast course. But in the second run, Buhl got a quick jump on Llanes and extended her lead to .64 seconds by the finish.

Despite the come-from-behind victory over Llanes, Buhl could not overtake Beerten in the finals. Beerten took the first round by a whopping .89-second margin and even though Buhl won the second round, it wasn’t enough to overcome the time deficit.

With the win, Beerten also took over the series leader jersey from Buhl. Men and women series winners take home their share of a $100,000 prize purse and a new Jeep Compass. Each race of the series is broadcast by CBS to millions of viewers across the country. The contest in San Luis Obispo will air on September 23, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST. The next KOM will take place Labor Day weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Final Results:

Men
1. Brian Lopes—Laguna Beach, California
2. Rich Houseman—Temecula, California
3. Wade Bootes—Australia

Women
1. Anneke Beerten—The Netherlands
2. Melissa Buhl—Chandler, Arizona
3. Fionn Griffiths—United Kingdom

The men's and women's podium Steve Chinn