Tad's First German World Cup

DEVO alumni Tad Elliott just completed his most massive World Cup to date in finishing 138th of 180 in Offenburg, Germany for round 2 of the World Cup XC series. Here are the results and story.

Q: Did you know anybody around you at the start line? What was that like?
A: I did know one person, I was near Barry Wicks. He was easy to spot since he was about a foot taller than anyone else around us. I also met Kris Sneedon on the start line and we started right next to each other. It was nice to see some friendly faces amidst a sea of Euros with their game faces on.
 
Q: How did the first 5 minutes of the race go for you? Describe the feeling of being in that massive pack of hammers on the start.
A: The start really is crazy. The first five minutes for me were tough. I managed to stay upright which was goal number one. The feeling of being in massive pack of hammers was GRIPPED. There is a lot of dust you can’t see that well and you are trying to pass guys. It was intense, but now I know to stay relaxed and go with the flow.

Q: How did you finish?
A: I finished well started to move up the last couple of laps and came in 138th. I was more pumped that I did not crash or flat or walk any decents.

Q: Was there anything techy on the course that messed with you?
A: Yes. There is this 90 degree left turn off a log drop into super steep roots and ruts and then another flat 90 degree loose gravel turn to a rock drop off with hay bails on both sides for protection. The first day a girl crashed crazy hard infront of me and I could not get that image out of me head. On race day there were probably 1000 spectators there with huge speakers blasting music and a guy was anouncing over the loud speaker who you were and what country you were from before you dropped in. There was a little NASCAR vibe with people wanting to see some CARNAGE.
 
Q: Who is your favorite German World Cuper? Besides Sontagg.
A: Sabine Spitz she won gold at the Olympics last year. Getting to see her race and hearing the cheers of the crowd when she would came by was pretty cool. The loudest I have ever heard fans at a bike race.