Husqvarna Factory Racing's
Ryder LeBlond briefly took the
lead, but Hart quickly reclaimed
it and began to pull away from
the pack. Gradually making their
way through the challenging
rocky terrain, the front-runners
established their positions and
found themselves riding at a
steady pace, nearly 15 minutes
apart from one another.
Unusually cool weather ar
-
rived on race day, allowing riders
to push themselves harder
without falling apart. For Webb,
this was a welcome change
from last year's race, where the
intense heat combined with
strenuous sections resulted in
heat exhaustion after he was the
only rider to cross the finish line.
The second lap revealed
some new sections, incorporat
-
ing Hart Attack and Hart Break,
alongside the trio of aptly named
Nightmare segments. Although
the course was slightly tamer
compared to last year, the Read-
ing Off-Road Riders (RORR) club
had a surprise up their sleeve.
As a reward for reaching the
section named Brain Damage
quickly enough, a new section
called Sad But True was intro
-
duced within the last mile of the
course. Not only was this sec-
tion recently created, but it also
wasn't fully marked for riders
to notice during their pre-race
course walk. Webb was the only
rider who anticipated this occur-
rence, as the club had intended
to do something similar the pre-
vious year. Sad But True featured
rocky terrain similar to 409, but
it led riders through a series of
ascents and descents, with the
finish line tantalizingly close just
after exiting the section.
Hart maintained a 13-minute
lead over Webb to cross the
finish line first, securing his third
Tough Like RORR victory. Webb
took second place, while Riordan
finished 15 minutes behind to
complete the podium.
In the amateur classes, it was
Makana Barger from Kailua, Ha
-
waii, not only taking the overall
amateur win on the day, finishing
WIND
IN THE
P62
Cody Webb finished second overall.
