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Live from Oahu, Hawaii
September 5-9, 1996
See the Photos || Audio || Race Results
Click on the small photos to see a larger image.

The guys back at the office were bound to track us down eventually. Those corporate credit cards will give you away every time. The muddy tracks are still wet on the World Cup finals courses in Hawaii, but our work here is through. We're taking our new surf boards (gold-cards, no less!) and going home.

It's for the best, really. We'd never survive here. The other day we tried to order some coffee at the Waikiki Internet Café, and in response to "double Americano and a double short non-fat latte," the guy behind the counter said, "what?" Then he said, "seriously, what do you want?" So, in a relaxed, beach-town kind of way, I repeated the order. He looked at me and said, "ok, where are you from?" I told him Seattle, at which he groaned, "oh shit. Alright, tell me what you want again and say it slowly." You can finish the story for yourself about the bar where we tried to order a Heffeweizen. We'd be dead in a week.

So thanks for joining us in Hawaii and let us know how you liked the coverage, the kicky anecdotes, and Missy's hair. See ya in Australia for the World Mountain Biking Championships.




-- Anya Zolotusky & Greg Prosl, Mountain Zone Staff

Biking the Tropics
Given that competitive mountain biking, for some reason, attracts a crowd dedicated to the unrestrained pursuit of hedonism, it was only a matter of time before tropical beaches entered the picture. Oahu, Hawaii is a peach of a spot for indulging the senses: ocean waves, warm sand, drinks with fruit stuck on plastic toys, and steep, wooded terrain littered with spoke-snapping natural obstacles on every turn - if you're into that sort of thing. The Mountain Biking World Cups are in Hawaii for the first time, and the natives have designed the welcoming party to be memorable.

The following course details are based on information from Grundig:

Downhill
Saturday Sept. 7, 3 pm PST
St. Louis Heights, Honolulu
The start is in St. Louis Heights, a state recreation area with an elevation of 1.080' and 10 minutes from Waikiki in central Honolulua. The finish is adjacent to the University of Hawaii at 120'. The course is 1.35 miles long. Estimated time for the downhill is 4.5 minutes. The top is very fast and dirt with about 100' of pavement. It changes into a fast, root section with few turns for the first 0.6 mile.

The course changes dramatically into singletrack with rocks and roots for the next 0.4 mile. At that point, the singletrack descends for 100' at 45° to short section of faster singletrack for another 0.1. The course changes back to quick dirt road to the finish.

Climbing: 0%
Descending: 100%
Wide track: 53%
Narrow track: 47%
Fast downhill: 53%
Slow technical downhill: 47%
Hike-a-bike: 0%

The Cross Country
Sunday Sept. 8, 3 pm PST
Kualoa Ranch
The course at Kualoa Ranch (4.000 acres on the windward (Northeast) side of the island) is a perfect circuit. It has climbs and descents, dirt roads and single track, but does not favor any one skill more than another. Distance per lap is 7.6 miles with total climbing per lap of 1.200. The deepest climbs have a slope of 13%.

The steepest downhill drops 210' over 1.300 distance. The views are spectacular with many vistas looking out over the Pacific ocean. There is ample parking for thousands of spectators and generous areas for team vans and officials. Facilities are excellent for technical support, medical and press.

Climbing: 46%
Descending: 46% (fast downhill: 8%, slow technical downhill: 9%)
Wide track: 35%
Singletrack: 36%
Hike-a-bike: 0.5%

Just the Facts

Lodging
Please contact Linda Hashimoto at the Waikiki Oahu Visitors Association:
(808) 524-0722

or call:
From US: (800) 622-0723

From Europe: (49) 6181-494771

Best Coffee
Internet Café, Java Java

Best Beer
Aloha Tower Marketplace

Nightclubs
The Wave, The Jungle (don't show up before 11pm)

Microbrews
Gordon Biercsch

Dress Code
Nudity

Best Bagels
Not into bagels on the Islands... Spam is hot though

Breakfast
Loco Moco, Wailana Coffee House

Best Lunch
Kaawa Kitchen, L&L Plate Lunch, I Love Country Kitchen

Seafood
Nick's Fish Market, Scott's Seafood

Best Dinner/View
Sorrento's at the top of Ilikai Hotel

Surf Gear
Waikiki Beach Boys (Elvis rented his board here.)

Off-The-Bike
Waikiki Theater, 1920's movie house with two-story screen and balcony seating.

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