FBTC wins sprint finish at LA Urban Challenge
Olds and Garcia (obscured by tree) outsprint Jeff and Jake (visible at left) to win the 2004 Verizon Urban Challenge race in LAFrom urbanchallenge.com:
It was a sprint — a nastly long uphill sprint — to the finish between über-challengers Jeff & Jake and Team Fluffy Bunny. That's John (Jake) Kelley Courtney & Jeff Atkinson and Damian Garcia & David Olds to the uninitiated. Tied after 11 checkpoints, the two teams rode the 20-minute Metro ride together, chatting along the way. As the train pulled into the station, it was a polite "see you at the top" goodby between these honorable competitors, and then the race was really on.
David Olds thought he'd gain the advantage by taking the escalator steps two at a time and was rewarded with bloody fingers when he fell and jammed his hand in the machinery. Jeff & Jake pulled ahead and were in the lead when they crossed the finish line on the way to their last checkpoint, Yamashiro restaurant, a quarter mile up a dang steep hill. With Fluffy Bunny on their tails, the two teams disappeared while the finish line waited impatiently. A few minutes later, Team Fluffy Bunny, wearing the yellow jersey had a mere few seconds lead as they sprinted downhilll to the finish. All was almost lost as a child ran in front of the team, but Damian pulled a Baryshnikov and somehow floated around the lad. They crossed the line at 2:08, followed immediately by Jeff and Jake. Wow.