The Upstate's 2015 Cranksgiving Weekend - Race Recap
What am I thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day? Pretty simple, the opportunity/ability to get out and ride; having the income to own and maintain my personal two-wheeled steed; my best buds, fellow riders, and the MTB community; my local trails; and last but not least, the best grassroots event in the Carolinas, Upstate Cranksgiving 2015. Each year this event continues to get better and better thanks to the efforts of Greenville, South Carolina locals Jarret Peek and Brad (BradO) Allen. So what are you thankful, or maybe it should be, Crankful for?
Delivering the Marching Orders - Jarret Peek, the man in charge, explains how things will be on before the festivities kicked off. "This is how it's gonna be."
Long Shadows - Just moments before the mad dash and the start of the Turkey Shoot XC Race.
And They're Off - Like Greyhounds chasing the rabbit, only without the gambling. Who would you put your money on?
Leave No Trace - Well, maybe only foot steps and tire lines in the dew covered morning grass.
Remnants of Yesteryear - JFA trail was created in the memory of a local Greenville SC Rider, Jorge Francisco Arango (hence the acronym) and was also the course for the Turkey Shoot XC Race. Seamus Quigley pictured rides past remnants of what once was. He took the silver in the Co-Ed 14 and under class.
Super D Practice - As soon as the Turkey Shoot XC was signed, sealed and delivered, the organizers opened up about 3 hours of practice for the SC Super D State Championships. Garrett Myers gets in an early practice lap. He would cap the Men's Sport class in the final position, 10 min off the pace. One can only assume there was either a crash or a mechanical in his race run.
The Last of the Color - It's late November and the cool temps combined with lots of precip have stripped the leaves of their lavish color. This is about all that is left. Catherine Owensby (pictured) finished 5th in Pro/Expert Women
Too Much Fun - Missy Petty was having too much fun during Super D practice. Always a smile on her face.
Photog's Fav - My personal pic for the weekend's photo fav is courtesy of Ride Smooth Brother LLC own's Tim Barret Jr. Thanks buddy for the opportunity.
This Is How It's Done - The "Party Zone" obviously was the most popular section of the Super D at Cranksgiving, for both spectators and photographers. So how do you stand out in the hundreds of images shot? Just ask SEI Racing's Matt Griffin. He's got the right answer = Always Pinned!
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Push It! - Seth Hanson was flying down into the "Party Section" and drifted a wee bit far right as he scrubbed the entrance. Not sure what exactly happened during his race run as he finished last (21st) in the Expert/Pro Men, but his entry into this segment was quite impressive. 
The People Zoo - There was no shortage of heckling going on in the one downhill worthy section of the Super D course. There were plenty of riders that learned keeping your speed was your friend during their race runs. Bernadirt (Bernadette Merriman) is no stranger to speed and made it look like butter.
Some video of the carnage and craziness of the "Party Section" from Saturday's Super D, courtesy of Ed Baxter.
The Women's Super D Expert/Pro Podium. Gold - Terri Watts 00:07:04.952, Silver - Bernadette (Bernadirt) Merriman 00:07:11.228, Bronze - Caroline Washam 00:07:17.490.
Da Winner - Derek Bissett was laying down some fast practice laps and it would pay off when he needed it to. He took home the Championship in the South Carolina Super D.
The Men's Super D Expert/Pro Podium. Gold - Derek Bissett 00:06:03.471, Silver - Ben Hobbs 00:06:14.193, Bronze - Stephen Grasser 00:06:24.807.
The Local Legend - Christopher Herndon, local legend, was out (has been every year that I can remember). He didn't waste any time getting just a bit of separation between his tires and the rocks on Stage 1 of the Wild Turkey Enduro. He later told me he had a crash in Stage 2 which likely cost him the top spot. He finished 11 sec off the top spot.
Stage 1 Brissy Ridge - The event organizers for the second year in the row chose to kick off the Wild Turkey Enduro on Brissy Ridge. This is the techy trail of the four stages, LOTS and LOTS of rocks. Keep your speed, get as many pedal strokes in as you can, and point then shoot.
Ellison Smith - Ellison Smith was able to position himself early in Stage 1 mixed in with the Pro/Experts. At the end of the day he would end up 3rd in Men's Sport.
Stage 2 Little Kanuga - For those that know Little Kanuga is like one long pump track. Tons of fun. Matthew McCarter pictured weaving his way between the trees that line Kanuga.
Stage 3 Big Kanuga - You want long fast fun? Stage 3, aka Big Kanuga, is your trail. Top of the mountain down to the lake. So much fun! If you visit the upstate make sure you don't miss out on this trail. Jamie Babock pictured.
Stage 4 Sulphur Springs - Tripp Bagnal finishing up his 5th place in Men's Sport on Sulphur Springs, Stage 4 of the Enduro. Sulphur Springs has lots of downhill machined flow for your fix.
Density - About a third of the way down Stage 4, Sulphur Springs, there's a small section of dense pines. Pictured here is the 180-degree switchback with a nicely shaped berm to keep your speed.
The Rich Kidd - Rich Kidd (yep, that's his name), better known as "Shaggy" is moving and pinned at the top of Stage 4 (Sulfur Springs Trail) closing out the Wild Turkey Enduro.
The Other Side - One more Artsy Shot just because I like it and this time the opposite of the above image with the sun to the frames back for a bit of a different and blown out effect.
The Women's Expert/Pro Podium for the Wild Turkey Enduro. Gold - Abby Hobbs 0:22:48, Silver - Caroline Washam 0:22:50, Bronze - Terri Watts 0:23:00.
The Men's Expert/Pro Podium for the Wild Turkey Enduro. Gold - Derek Bissett 0:18:23 and pulled the Two-fer for the weekend, Silver - Christoper Herndon 0:18:34, Bronze - Luca Shaw 0:19:01.
2015 Event Results by Race:
2015 Turkey Shoot XC Results
2015 Super D Results
2015 Wild Turkey Results
2015 Event Sponsors:
MENTIONS: @gojammedia
Author Info:
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9 Comments
- 12 0
herndon
(Nov 26, 2015 at 7:31)
No way I would of beaten Derek!! I was only down a few seconds and he put 15 into me on that stage. Fun weekend and great to race my bike again. Thanks to everyone involved who help to make this fun weekend a success!
- 3 0
dimetera413
(Nov 26, 2015 at 18:00)
That one area where people kept falling, was it that steep? Im having a hard time understanding that. Some guys with no knee pads, haha.
- 1 0
countrygravy
(Nov 27, 2015 at 20:42)
Camera doesn't do it justice. Gnarly off-camber root section. Pretty much no exit and then a punchy little climb over roots. Pretty much the devil in 20 seconds.
- 2 0
mjsotelo91
(Nov 26, 2015 at 19:43)
Missing my hometown of Greenville for sure now. Learned to mountain bike on those trails above! And DuPont State Forest and Pisgah also close by!
- 1 0
ridesmoothbro
FL (Nov 26, 2015 at 7:17)
Great weekend! Great seeing all the old pals. Thanks to all the volunteers and to all the photogs. Great write up Jay. www.gojammedia.com
- 2 0
bagnalt
(Nov 26, 2015 at 8:32)
Love your write ups on the southeast! Thank you for the hard work and great pictures!
- 1 0
countrygravy
(Nov 27, 2015 at 20:43)
Super-pumped I got my pic on PB 
too bad I got a shoutout for last place haha! For what it's worth: broke my rear axle before the "party section." Not a good time.
too bad I got a shoutout for last place haha! For what it's worth: broke my rear axle before the "party section." Not a good time.- 1 0
pmthoma
(Nov 26, 2015 at 17:55)
Such a great weekend, and amazing pictures and coverage. Can't wait till next year!
- 2 0
bamspdy
(Nov 26, 2015 at 15:34)
Today is shredsgiving
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