The Main Characters of the Cascadia Dirt Cup Round 3: Raging River

In some ways, the launch of this series at the North American Enduro Cup was a trial by fire (and ice). The NAEC covers so much ground, and is somewhat inaccessible to spectators, and this year the weather gods really did us dirty with the snow and canceled stages. So, while conditions weren’t exactly all sunshine and puppies at Round 3 of the Cascadia Dirt Cup at Raging River, things were significantly less challenging.

Our host with the most stoke, Shaun Webby came ready to rage in his signature disco ball helmet and recently cut-off 5-hour Energy jumpsuit. He spent his weekend out on course, cheering racers on, and interviewing hecklers. Check out the video for the full experience.

While Raging River served up fewer folks in disconcerting horse masks, it brought its own flavor of spectator, complete with cowbells, onesies, and one slightly confused dog. If we’ve learned one thing from this series so far, it’s that heckling has to come from the heart. Everyone has their own, original take on cheering, trash talking, and generally engaging with mountain bike racing. That’s one of the best parts about mountain bike culture, there’s plenty of room to figure out your own lane, whether that be a complete “Under the Sea” themed heckle station, or a gentle and inaccurate warning that “your gloves are inside out!”

And at the end of the day, we were happy to crown another pair of spectators as “Main Characters of the Race” complete with the coveted GOLDEN CHAINSAW and some swag from Pit Viper. Thank you so much to all the racers, organizers, parents, and volunteers who made this weekend of racing possible.

Stay tuned, we'll be recognizing and rewarding Main Characters at a few other races this summer!