Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) and Jill Kintner (Yeti Cycles) rode to commanding victories in Saturday night’s mountain-cross finals at the Durango Mountain Resort.

Carter, nursing a swollen ankle sustained in downhill practice, admitted before the race that he “didn’t feel that great and wasn’t sure if my ankle would hold up through the night.” Still, with a thorough tape job that he said “really limited my ankle movement, but allowed me to compete,” Carter managed to qualify for the finals with his trademark inside-line passing technique.

Clearly, the bum ankle stunted Carter’s starts, but the Southern Californian was still able to fend off the lightning-fast starts of rival Brian Lopes (Hyundai-GT) with a dramatic first-turn pass.

“I almost didn’t make it,” admitted Carter. “I had to brake so late going into the first berm, I thought I was gonna go over the top, but it’s the only way I knew I could beat Lopes. I knew he would be gunning for me after what happened in Snowmass [where the two men tangled], so I needed to beat him in the first turn and get as far away from him as possible. It was a risky plan, but I guess it worked out for me tonight.”

Indeed, it did – Carter not only won the event, but also claimed the overall points championship for the year.

In addition to Lopes, who finished a disappointing fourth in the final, Carter had to outgun Haro-adidas rider and team manager Mike King. King looked to win the final round, but Carter was able to pass the mountain-bike veteran through yet another risky line choice.

“He [Carter] picked the outside line [at the start], which made all the difference,” said King. “I didn’t think it would work for him, but it’s clear now it was the right choice. You gotta hand it to Carter for taking the risk – he deserved to win tonight.”

Before the event, King spoke to VeloNews about the course, a healthy blend of flat and bermed turns: “It’s clear that when [Greg Herbold] built this course, he intended to put on a good show. It’s a mountain biker’s course, not a BMXer’s, which is fine for me.”

Kintner clips Llanes

Kinter shows her heels to the field

Photo: Andrew Juskaitis

The course suited former BMX racer Jill Kintner just fine – she beat out Tara Llanes (Giant-Pearl Izumi), Tracey Hannah (Edge Cycles) and Leana Gerrard (Cannondale) in the final women’s run of the evening.

Kintner’s ability over the course’s rhythm section was clear, as she pulled away from the competition, roaring off with the overall points championship for the year.

Race note: You might recognize the last name of Tracey Hannah, the 16-year-old sister of Mick Hannah’s (Haro-adidas). She decided to “give it [the mountain cross] a try.”

Downhill racing kicks off Sunday at 10:30 A.M.

Men
1. Eric Carter
2. Mike King
3. Rich Houseman
4. Brian Lopes

Women
1. Jill Kintner
2. Tara Llanes
3. Tracey Hannah
4. Leana Gerrard