MSC# 8 Winter Park Pursuit

Another season of mountain biking has come to a close for the Mountain States Cup Series. While most were tuned in to World Champs in Mont St. Anne, there were a few who were battling for the win in Dual Slalom and Downhill. Also, the overall win for the MSC series in Winter Park, Colorado was up for grabs.

Result and pics inside,Saturday, September 4th

Dual Slalom kicked off Saturday morning with practice. As I worked my way up the Dual Slalom track, I noticed that there was a small competitive field. Even with a small competitive field, riders didn’t take it for granted.


After seeding, Cat 1/Pro finals began later that afternoon after Cat 2/3 finals. Tension really started to build with riders hoping for the win. The first Cat 1 riders loaded the gate, the count down began, and off they went. In the dusky light as the sun fell behind the mountain, racing was at its finest with racers pushing their skills to the limit on the track.




While nearly pitch black outside, and riders riding off of adrenaline, Cat 1/Pro Dual Slalom was finally over. C Michelle Riveria took the Pro Women class, and Chris Boice took the Pro Men category.



Pro Woman
C Michelle Riveria, Steven K Sports and Design

Pro Men
Chris Boice, Yeti Cycles National Team
Shawn Neer, Orbit Racing
Jonathon Watt, Sram
Michael Buell, Team Geronimo/ Banshee Bikes
Eric Landis, Grassroots Cycles/ MRP/ Transition/ Marzocchi/ MTB Strength Training

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Monday, September 6th

After a well-rested Sunday with no events, riders were ready for the final show on the Trestle Downhill course. It was the last day in Winter Park Colorado, and Downhill practice was underway. A cold front had moved in early in the morning and everyone was tucked away in his or her jackets and sweaters hoping not to be blown away by the freezing wind.



Since it was the last race of the year, the Pro Men decided to make it interesting by doing the 6 to 7 minute pedally Trestle Downhill Course chain-less. When the news had spread around about the Pro Men, some of the Cat 1 (Junior X) riders decided to follow the trend and make it interesting within their class as well.


As it got closer to 1 p.m. (MST), the Pro Men and Pro Women loaded the lifts for their final run. With many of the Pro Women out in MSA, there were only two Pro Women. They battled it out, and Colorado native Julie Olson came out on top with a time of 8:14.35.



Pro Woman
Julie Olsen, Standard Process, 8:14.35
Kyra Alexander, 8:28.67

Shortly after Pro Women were finished, Pro Men were on course and chainless. There was no room for error, and they had to pump their arms and legs out. As the 18 pro men worked their way down, there was finally only one man left, of course. Shawn Neer was sitting in second place and Chris Boice third. Everyone anxiously waited, and soon enough, the last rider had crossed the finish line. With a crushing time of 6:31.24, Brian “Boom Boom” Buell came out ten seconds faster than the next rider.





Pro Men
Brian Buell, Team Geronimo/ Banshee Bikes, 6:31.24
Shawn Neer, Obit Racing 6:41.89
Chris Boice, Yeti National Team, 6:42.75
Michael Buell, Team Geronimo/ Banshee Bikes, 6:45.40
Andy Proctor, RPM/ Yeti, 6:50.14

With the season wrapped up for the Mountain States Cup Series, the overall series standings were in. Jacqueline Harmony took the Pro Women’s overall with 1358 points, and Chris Boice took the Pro Men’s overall with 1668 points. Congratulations to Jacqueline for representing the USA at MSA, and to Chris Boice’s 3-peat overall win in the Mountain States Cup Series.


Hope everyone has a good safe winter and see everyone next year.


Cheers,
-Long Nguyen

Special Thanks:

Division 26
F-Stop
Pinkbike