Race Report and Video: Vittoria Eastern States Cup Enduro Series - Killington, VT

After four months of racing at seven stops and nearly a thousand racer starts, the Vittoria Eastern States Cup Enduro Series came to a climatic conclusion at Killington Resort over the Labor Day weekend. With double points on the line and the overall championship in nearly every category still up for grabs, this was crunch time. Killington was the perfect venue for the finals and organizers put together the longest and most varied course in ESC history to finish the season. Here's a quick look at the challenges racers faced: Stage One was a romp down the resort's new jump line, Blue Magic. The Gravity Logic-built trail features berms, tables, rollers, step-ups and downs and numerous hips. It's meant to be ridden without much pedaling or braking so the challenge for racers was to put the hammer down without launching into orbit. John Lamb, pictured, who has worked for the Killington Bike Park for years, used his skills and local knowledge to win the 50+ group in his only ESC start since winning the same event two years ago. Lamb launched down Stage One with gusto then realized he had forgotten to unlock his suspension, but still won the stage by five seconds.

The berms and jumps were fast and frequent on Stage One. Fast Line Racing pro Anthony Coneski kept it smooth for the fourth fastest time on the stage and would earn his third podium of the season.

Not everyone had their park groove on. There were numerous close calls as riders got bucked off steep lips or overshot landings. Pro Saben Rossi somehow managed to escape disaster after performing a one-footed yoga move off this table. Rossi would get his mojo back to finish sixth on the day.

After returning via chairlift to the top of the Snowshed area, riders raced to the top of Stage Two in the Fox DOSS Dropper Seat Post Challenge climb. Stage Two was the lower leg of a much longer stage from the July 4th Killington enduro. The top section was a fast, tight blast down single track. Downhill pro Willem Cooper may have caught the enduro bug as he competed in his second-straight event.

The middle of the stage featured some manmade features, like this drop hit by 50+ third-place finisher Frank Petty. The stage concluded with an all-out pedal across the flats to a finish in front of the main base lodge.

After taking the gondola to the top of the mountain, racers headed for Stage Three. Following a twisty pedaling section, riders hit the Cable Trail which has long been the most popular trail in the Killington Bike Park. Mixing raw single track with some park features, this trail is an absolute blast. Mansfield Cycles junior Aidan Casner took his first lift-serviced runs at Killington years ago and knows this trail like the back of his hand.

The bottom of Stage Three wound through the woods of the resort's all-natural winter terrain park, The Stash. At more than four and a half minutes, Stage Three was one of the longer segments racers have faced this year, but it was just a warm up for the coming attractions.

After a brief climb, racers faced the physically demanding Stage Four. Though not the toughest pitch on the mountain, the stage linked together an endless variety of tight wooded single track with occasional climbs. The top section followed a remote and rarely ridden trail, hit here by Eric Tremblay. The alpine woods featured plenty of pedaling which got racers' heart rates spiking right out of the gate.

The rest of the stage ran down the popular Snake Bite trail which features numerous manmade features, including this new wooden drop hit by pro Tom Davidson. The lower section of the trail is below the resort's gravity line so does not see a lot of action, but offers some really fun natural lines in the woods. At over eight minutes in length, Stage Four was the longest anyone had raced on the ESC tour this season, but it too was just a warm-up for the epic final stage of the year.

After a long gradual climb back to the gondola base station, riders got a much-needed rest on the lift transfer back to the top of 4,241-foot Killington Peak.

Stage Five was the stage riders have been dreaming of or dreading all season. Starting just below the summit, the top-to-bottom stage took in the the entire northern half of the sprawling resort. Times for this stage ranged from around 12 minutes to almost half an hour, a truly world-class final test for riders. Not only was it long, but it featured some of the gnarliest terrain on the mountain, including the double black diamond rock gardens of Scarecrow, hit here by 30-39 overall series champion Duane Goodermote.

The upper mountain is very rugged and offered few chances for racers to relax as they navigated the roots and rocks. Paradise Racing pro Michael Bateman put down another solid showing for his third-consecutive top-ten result.

Though a bit less treacherous due to dry conditions, the rock gardens still took their toll on the field. Scott Search was able to finish his race despite this cringe-worthy tumble in the boulders.

Tough pedal sections interspersed with more rock gardens took riders to the farthest northern reaches of the trail system beyond the Ramshead lift. Junior champion Emmett Avery, who rarely rides lifts, put his trail-riding prowess to good use winning the final two stages and eking out a two-second win. The lower part of the final stage followed the aptly named Outback trail back to the resort. The section has been an entire stage in itself in past enduros, which gives you a sense of the length of this final testpiece.

The weather for the weekend was absolutely perfect and race day was cloudless as riders prepared to do battle with the Beast of the East.

In an unusual start to the event, racers had to pedal or push their bikes from the race meeting at the base of the gondola to the top of Stage One on Snowshed. Many riders actually welcomed the climb as it gave them an opportunity to warm up their legs before the race.

Though the trials were many, and the finish area was littered with oxygen-deprived bodies, the enduro final was one for the ages.

The men's pro field was a dead heat coming into the final race of the season so the overall title was up for grabs at Killington. The long stages played right into the hands of Giant Factory Off Road pro Seamus Powell who is not only a technical wizard but a real beast on the pedals. Powell trailed rival Leland O'Connor after the first three stages by 12 seconds, but the epic last two stages were right in his wheelhouse. Powell pulled back 11 seconds on Stage Four then absolutely crushed Stage Five with a 28-second smack down that left him with a 27-second overall victory. Powell, who has raced numerous events on the Enduro World Series stage was understandably pumped after the race: "The Killington tracks for the finals were the best ever. Maybe even the best mix in Eastern States Cup history! Nearly 30 minutes of racing packed into one day is proper, that's the way every race should be. The race proved that Eastern States Cup enduros are more than downhill stage races and Killington is one of the East Coast's best venues." Powell has raced with some of the world's best but still gets nervous before ESC events. "My mind set coming into an ESC race compared to an EWS race is similar. I like to treat them all the same. Every race is important for me. But that said, from a pressure stand point, I often feel that I put more pressure on myself at an ESC race. I expect myself to win. I'm contending every weekend for a top spot compared to an EWS where I'm still finding my pace and tactics for those events. ESC events are great stepping stones and foundational races that are helping me bridge the gap to more EWS events in the future. The ESC race series is held in the highest regard in my book for being one of the best, if not the best, run Enduro series in the country."

Taking the runner-up spot on the day, and for the overall series was Fast Line Racing's Leland O'Connor. Always on his game, O'Connor won two stages and finished second in the other three. O'Connor is having a magical season. With ten ESC enduro and downhill starts, he has only been out of the top three once. O'Connor is certainly at his best when the tracks are steep and fast. He recently won the pro division at the Chomolungma Challenge, being the fastest to complete 20 laps, or 30,000 vertical feet, on the vaunted steeps of Snowshoe Resort in West Virginia. O'Connor concurs with Powell's assessment that Killington is the East Coast's best enduro venue.

Yeti Cycles pro Matt Sebas produced his best result of the season taking the third step on the podium. Smoking fast times on Stages Three and Four enabled Sebas to just beat out former ESC enduro series champion Jason Scheiding by a mere two-second margin.

The men's pro podium from left: Anthony Coneski-5th, Matt Sebas-3rd, Seamus Powell-1st, Leland O'Connor-2nd, Jason Scheiding-4th.

The women's pro race featured the closest result of the season. Kimberley Quinlan, racing for Bicycle Express, absolutely hammered Stage Four. It was her only stage victory, but her 25-second advantage in that one segment was enough to take the overall victory by the slimmest two-second margin. The Vermont rider has raced the Enduro Triple Crown Series the past couple years but this was her first ESC Enduro start. Quinlan was thrilled with the event. "This was my first ESC enduro and with a weekend of beautiful weather, riding with great folks, and an amazing five stages, it did not disappoint. The mix of flow, tech, and pedaling made it a really fun, and taxing course. These guys know how to do it! Stage 5 was my favorite , with a top-to-bottom run in an exhausted state, it was a true test of endurance, technical skills and focus. I used up everything in the tank on this one!" Hopefully we'll see more of Quinlan at future ESC events.

Sporting the new Eastern States Cup overall champion's jersey for the race was Lauren Petersen. Having already sewed up the overall title, Petersen still did not let off the gas in the finals. Despite being a bridesmaid in a wedding on Saturday and riding the course blind, Petersen won four of the five stages. "Killington is definitely my favorite venue for enduro racing. Having longer stages with pedaling thrown in really challenges a racer and I love having such a mix of different types of terrain to ride. I wish every ESC enduro race had at least 30 minutes of timed racing with some good climbing thrown in. I had a blast and it was definitely the best race of the season!" Petersen will be on the new 2016 Intense Tracer 275C within the next couple of weeks, a big step up from her current Carbine, so her race future is looking bright.

Taking the third spot was Mountain Moxie pro Clarissa Finks. It was the third top-three performance this season for the always enthusiastic and upbeat Finks.

The women's pro podium from left: Alison Crocker-5th, Clarissa Finks-3rd, Kimberley Quinlan-1st, Lauren Petersen-2nd, Kelly Ault-4th.

The Fox DOSS Seatpost Climbers Challenge winners, for having the fastest amateur time on the climbing transfer between Stages One and Two.

The victors in the Dynaplug Fastest Finisher Challenge. Winners in this challenge all received a DynaPlug Micro Pro-Tubeless Bicycle Tire Repair Kit for being the fastest racer’s in their class to complete the entire enduro course.

The womens podium for the overall season-long KMC King of the Mountain challenge which rewards the fastest finishers on one, downhill-orinted stage, every race, Overall winners took home enough KMC chains to keep them pedaling happily for years to come. From left: Clair Sick-3rd, Lauren Petersen-1st, Karlin Klucznik-2nd

The mens overall KMC King of the Mountain podium from left: Nate Robson-3rd, Duane Goodermote-1st, Jonathan Salinger-2nd

Being the finals, there were plenty of podium appearances as the overall winners in each category were crowned. Amateur winners took home piles of prizes, including a sweet new Vittoria wheel set. Taking home the big money for the women pros from left: Alison Crocker-3rd, Lauren Petersen-1st, Clarissa Finks-2nd, Kelly Ault-4th.

The bubbly was flowing as Petersen celebrated her achievement.

The overall mens pro podium from left: Matthew Sebas-5th, Anthony Coneski-3rd, Seamus Powell-1st, Leland O'Connor-2nd, Jason Scheiding-4th.

Powell lets it pour.

Vittoria ESC head honcho George Ulmer, the final racer on course at every event, times out it his chip at the end of Stage Five to close out the final event of the ESC enduro season. It has been an incredible season of racing and good times with friends. We're sorry to see it come to an end. The fun continues on the Vittoria ESC downhill tours for those not ready to call it a season just yet.

Get some rest, the 2016 enduro season is already in the planning stages and it promises to be bigger and better than ever. See you on the trail!

Words and pics by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.


Full results from the weekend can be found here
http://www.easternstatescup.com
https://www.facebook.com/easternstatescup

2015 VITTORIA ESC SCHEDULE:

Atlantic Downhill
May 3 Duryea Urban Downhill – Reading, PA
May 24 Plattekill Gravity Open – Roxbury, NY
May 31 Mountain Creek UCI ProGRT – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship
June 21 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
July 19 Windham Mountain World Cup Track Test Race – Windham, NY
Aug 9 Windham Race the World– Windham, NY – World Cup Weekend
Sept 13 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY – New England and Atlantic DH Finals

New England Downhill
June 14 Pats Peak MTB Bike Festival – Henniker, NH
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown 1 – Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
July 12 Jiminy Peak – Hancock, MA
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown 2 – Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown 3 – Warren, VT
Aug 30 Attitash Mountain – Bartlett, NH – USAC State Championship
Sept 27 Thunder Mountain – Charlemont, MA – USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill – Roxbury, NY – New England and Atlantic DH Finals

East Coast Super DH Championships
Oct 18 Mountain Creek – Vernon NJ

Enduro
May 10 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
June 7 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA – USAC State Championship
June 28 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH – USAC State Championship
July 4 Killington East Coast Showdown 1 – Killington, VT – USAC State Championship
Aug 2 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown 2 – Dover VT
Aug 22 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown 3 – Warren, VT
Sept 6 Killington Enduro Finals – Killington, VT

Super D
May 30 Mountain Creek Super D – Vernon, NJ – USAC State Championship

Triathlon
May 2 Killington Triathlon – Killington, VT

BOX Components East Coast Showdown Series
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown 1 – Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown 2 – Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown 3 – Warren, VT

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MENTIONS: @foxracingshox / @eastern-states-cup

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