The 2018 Sea Otter Classic did not disappoint! Where else can you gather your tribe for a few days of Enduro, Downhill, Dual Slalom, XC and Foot Down?

We rolled into Laguna Seca on Wednesday, set up shop, and then ran up north to Santa Cruz for a quick pedal. Never a dull moment with this tribe! 

Thursday started off with Enduro racing and a ton of visitors stopping by the booth to check out the latest addition to the TASCO line-up: the newly launched Indivisible Double Digits and the bright orange camo trucker hats we created just for Sea Otter!

Later that day, Tribe member Blaise Janssen came away with a 2nd place finish in Enduro and then 4th in the Downhill on Sunday- Congrats Blaise!

We also had several other tribe members competing in the Downhill, including Alex Crisostomo, who staffed our booth all weekend, Blaise Janssen and Jeremy McGhee.

Watching Jeremy tackle the DH course was incredible! As an adaptive rider (Jeremy lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident) Jeremy raced on his off-road power assist handcycle.

If you want to relive his adventure, check out Jeremy's Sea Otter Video: Weekly Ride with Jeremy McGhee. We're also stoked that Jeremy lives in Cardiff, just a few miles from TASCO Headquarters, so we get to see him out and about on our local trails!

Friday Night Foot Down was one of the highlights this year with a big crowd of riders eager to take on Giant pro rider and TASCO Tribe member Jeff Lenosky.

With Jason Ranoa as our emcee, the man who helped build the SoCal MTB community, we kicked off the event, drawing riders over from our expo neighbors at PinkBike and Commencal.

After a few rounds, Jeff Lenosky still seemed poised to be crowned King of Foot Down. The circle got smaller, and it came down to two riders, Jeff and 13-year old Trek rider Jackson Goldstone. 


 
The winner? Jackson Goldstone! He took down Jeff with a big smile, and scored some free TASCO swag. We're excited to see what lies ahead for Jackson, and at just 13 years of age, he is absolutely crushing the competition!

We're also stoked to support the KS Kenda Women's team and loved seeing all of them out on the course and under our tent this weekend.



Congrats again to Tribe member and KS Kenda rider Jen Malik, who snagged 3rd in the Cyclocross race on Saturday!

After Downhill practice, we were off to watch Dual Slalom, and capped off the night with tasty burgers by the campfire, courtesy of Ron Janssen, while we watched Tribe member Carlen Gardner at the Monster Energy Supercross.

Sunday was the last day at Sea Otter, but a big day for all of our XC racers.

There was Pete Tholl and Johnny O'Mara placing 4th and 6th in the Men's Cat 1 55-59 race. Then Simon Planken crushed it in the Men's Cat 2 45-47 race, taking the W! 

We had so much fun watching the Trek ladies and Tribe members Cynthia Miranda and Laura May tackle the XC course, and then Danny MacAskill got up close and personal with Tribe member Tess Hume aka Dusty Betty during his Drop n' Roll Show.

We also saw Tribe member Blake Wray take 3rd in the Cat 1 XC Race in the 15-16 category on Sunday. Way to go Blake! 

Besides the racing, we had so much fun in the booth! Thank you to Steve Hume, Ron Janssen, Alex Crisostomo, Skylar and Turner Conway, Gwendalyn Gibson, Hannah Wray, Andy McCollum, and everyone else who helped us hold down the fort!

Also a BIG thanks to our fearless leader Nate Miller, to Jeff Lenosky for making Foot Down a huge success and to our RAD (Rider Artist Designed) friend Jill Kintner. Jill not only designed our Bike Bits Collection, she also took the win in the Women's Pro Dual Slalom race! Yew!

This Sea Otter Classic was definitely one for the record books, and we couldn't have done it without you. 

Next up for us? The Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott, AZ this weekend! Stop by and say hello, and thanks again for sharing the TASCO stoke!

Post written by Meredith McConvill, TASCO Tribe Athlete Manager. Photos by Tribe members Jesse Polay, Meredith McConvill, Jeremy McGhee, Simon Planken, Jen Malik and Laura May.