Lagerstrom‘s Instagram seems to indicate he dnf’d.

at xterra, or at st.george?

i haven't got instagram, but dammit, maybe i should?

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

He has a photo of his back tire with a caption saying something like he was sitting in 2nd, slammed into a rock and the sealant wouldn’t seal the flat. Sucky.

that poor guy could really use a break!

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Or an old fashioned tyre and spare inner tube then he could have continued. 🤷‍♂️

Eric wrote in IG "Was sitting in 2nd feeling so good.....slammed a rock....co2 and plug wouldn't seal it. So So Frustrating"

also looks like starky finished dead last . . . 15 minutes after the last pro woman.

so, something happened out there!

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

i don't think he is a particularly experienced mountain biker and that is def a mountain biker's course. it's like when sagan did XC mtb and flatted more than once.

tubeless is essentially universal in mountain biking now, no one is using tubes. maybe for a longer race someone would consider carrying a tube as double backup, but not a short xc race. sealant should fix most small holes in the tire, and bigger ones can be plugged. otherwise you can flat from a direct impact (burping out all the air) or tearing a sidewall on a sharp rock. the former can be fixed with co2, the latter unlikely to be fixed in a race so game over. you could bring a boot and tube in that situation, but you couldn't race anymore, just roll home. so it sounds like Eric was properly prepared with co2 and plugs, but either tore his tire or bead just didn't seal like it should and he couldn't get it filled. As far as starky, he was on the side of the trail right after blood rock asking for a multitool. blood rock is no big deal, the section after it is trouble because the speed is much higher and the rocks are sharper and spaced just perfectly to make it tricky at speed.

Starky flatted as well. He said he rode it 7 miles flat before running the bike to T2 for a few miles. Good for him to finish, but sucky for both Eric and Starky