Gifu Cup 2002

Gifu Nagaragawa Cup,
Gifu, Japan, November 4, 2002
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TWINCAM/Salomon speed star Eddy Matzger asserted his international gravitas at the Gifu Nagaragawa Cup in Gifu, Japan, November 4, 2002. His hard-fought solo victory in the face of increasingly fierce Japanese opposition marked the 7th time that Matzger has topped the field at the Japanese speed event.

Matzger made frequent forays up the road at the 4-lap, 10K event, but was consumed each time by a voracious pack, eager to make history and beat the Matzger machine for the first time. Eddy managed to give a few high-fives on his way through the turnaround area, but otherwise was all business, foregoing his usual videotaping in the race's later stages.

A slight upgrade 500 yards from the finish allowed Matzger to throw everything he had out of the bag to stave off the rapidly advancing peleton. The brazen folly of Matzger's kamikaze antics was recieved ecstatically by the Japanese public. The American icon of inline had nary a chance to catch his breath before being besieged by multiple photo requests from all the onlookers.

The Japanese may take their racing seriously, but they also know how to play on a grand scale too. Reknowned not only for its speed racing, the Gifu Nagaragawa Cup also features a family fun roll and a costume skate competition. There were rolling turtles, chefs, movie stars, chicks, sandal skaters, and even Bamboo Man!

With so much fun and family participation, the Gifu Cup is destined to become a fixture on the inline calendar for many years to come.

Speech	Slalom	KZ Crew
Kid's race	Determined	Sandal skates
Young medalists	Family fun	Costume
No.One!	Lock step	Master bladers
Off the line	Public support	Castle skater
Crash pads	Turnaround	Pumping

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