Laguna resident Lopes wins in San Luis Obispo

Laguna Beach’s Brian Lopes won the men’s competition at the Jeep 48Straight Mountain Bike Series dual slalom event at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo on Saturday.

The event marked the finale of the 2008 Jeep mountain bike season, where athletes competed for a share of a record $100,000 cash purse and for the season champions, the keys to a new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The overall 2008 season champions were Eric Carter of Temecula for the men and Melissa Buhl of Chandler, Ariz., for the women. The champions were crowned based on points earned at races in New Jersey, Utah and San Luis Obispo.

At The Madonna Inn course, both Lopes and Carter, who designed the course, eliminated their opponents to meet up in the final round Saturday. The two long-time rivals, who date back to their BMX competition days, put on a show for the crowd with Lopes taking the win.

The only other Orange County competitor in the event, Brad Oien of Fountain Valley, finished 15th in the men’s competition.

The race from San Luis Obispo will air on CBS Sports on Saturday.

“” Mike Sciacca