The 2016 Vittoria Eastern States Cup race season came to a climactic conclusion over the Columbus Day weekend with the crowning of the Atlantic and New England downhill series champions. The Plattekill Bike Park, which has hosted more ESC races than any other venue in history, was the fitting host for the final race.
The steep flanks of Plattekill Mountain were draped in peak autumnal foliage as the parking lots filled to overflow capacity for the race weekend.
More than 150 racers gathered to sort out the season-long points races. With double points on the line, there was plenty of uncertainty for the ultimate standings until the last racer had crossed the line.
The track was a challenging and varied test piece located on the double chair side of the mountain. Like most courses at Plattekill, it knit together pieces of old and new tracks to offer a fresh experience for riders. Numerous small and medium-sized drops dotted the course, including one just yards from the starting gate. Taylor Primack from Team Jersey Homegrown raced to a fourth-place finish in the 14 and under cat.
A dreamily-perfect berm sent riders rocketing across the flats near the top of the mountain. Titus Nicholson, also riding for Team Jersey Homegrown, took third in the Junior-X race and won the Atlantic series crown for the category.
A second larger drop soon followed as the track's pitch started to increase. John Riggins, with Adrenalineracer, sent the drop big and crushed the Cat 1 30-39 field by a nearly 12-second margin.
A narrow and slippery line through trees brought riders into the open for a brief high-speed run down a work road.
Even the work road had a small drop worked into it. Flatline Racing's Sebastian Halpern-Reiss took the high line onto the grassy border of the road.
Racers had to shut it down in a hurry as the track turned sharply off the road and back into the woods with inside and outside line options.
The terrain then steepened and racers faced a series of newly-built features and drops connected by loose chutes. Tyler Olish pre-jumped the first of three hits.
Typically loose and rocky terrain set riders up for a double drop set. James Bissey kept his eyes on the coming attractions.
The first of the two drops was a fast step down. Canadian Adam Robbins, riding for the ESC North American Downhill Team, made the most of his final Junior-X start as he took the win by more than 12 seconds and would have placed third in pro field. Look for Robbins to light up the pro ranks next season.
The second drop was much lippier and was immediately followed by a hard left so racers had to check their speed off the feature. Mark Schnepel, who raced every New England event in the series this season, took home second in the final overall standings.
Racers got a brief breather before the next drop which was the most awkward of the bunch. Steve Estabrook, riding for Tetra Pak, took 8th in the pro field.
The next section was the most technical and featured a widely-taped plunge that offered numerous line choices through a minefield of slabs, trees and rubble. Opinions were split, but most agreed that the middle line through the labyrinth was marginally faster, but much riskier. ESC North American Downhill Team member Aidan Casner, just back from a shoulder injury, took the risky line and the New England series Junior-X overall crown.
There were two exits from the steep jumble. Jeff L'Heureux, from NBX Bikes, took the favored line to a second-place result in the Cat1 30-39 field.
A dramatic and dicey exit was chosen by a minority of racers. Adrian Hayden, from Human Power Planet Cycles, won the Under 14 class by an impressive nine-second margin and took the New England overall win.
After surviving the steeps, racers took a tight traverse across the mountain. A fresh-cut line was a faster option than the existing wooden bridge but the newly exposed roots proved troublesome for many who gave the high line a go.
Another plunge had racers hitting warp speed down a loose chute. Jonathan Westland, from Northeast Alliance Racing, missed all of last season but has been coming back strong of late and posted a solid fifth-place result in the Cat 2 30-39 field.
The lower portion of the track featured several high-speed traverses linked by awkward and loose corners. A final left-hander was particularly troublesome as racers fought to maintain speed and traction. Chad Kelly from Morpheus Bikes was just nipped for the win in the highly-competitive Cat 1 40-49 field.
A lofty booter sent racers rocketing across the finish line just feet from the base of the chairlift. Defiant Racing's Ryhan Lopatic got sideways and took sixth in the Junior-X race.
With the parking lots jammed with racers, post-practice on Saturday night was a festive affair.
We finished our enduro season bike check series with Mr. Eastern States Cup himself, George Ulmer. Let's wrap up the downhill season by taking a look at Ulmer's big suspension rig:
Frame: Transition TR500
Fork: Fox Factory 40
Shock: Fox Factory X2
Tires: Vittoria 2.5 Morsa TNT Sidewals 4c Graphine Compound - Front and Rear
Wheels: 27.5 Easton Havoc
Bars: BOX One Carbon DH bar
Stem: BOX Cusp Direct Mount Stem
Grips: BOX Components / ODI
Seat Clamp: BOX Helix Seat Clamp
Saddle: Custom 2016 ESC Selle Italia Nepal
Post: ProMax
Brakes: Formula RO
Chain: KMC 10 Speed X10 SL
Derailleur/shifter: Shimano Zee (waiting on Box Components like everyone else)
Cassette: 10 Speed Shimano (waiting on Box Components like everyone else)
Cranks: Gravity Lite
Chainring: Gamut
Chain Guide: Gamut
Pedals: Gravity
Headset: Cane Creek 110
Adam Robbins with the POV of the course.
After a beautiful day of practice on Saturday, rain fell overnight and race day was decidedly cooler with a frosty north wind blowing all day. The top of the mountain was shrouded in fog as practice got underway on Sunday morning.
Impromptu calisthenics were in order to get the blood flowing after a chilly lift ride.
The Plattekill event decided the overall standings, but it was also just another race in the series and many were gunning for that elusive podium spot.
The women’s pro race was won by veteran Mary Elges, racing for Bikeman. Elges has been mixing more enduro starts into her race schedule this season but showed she hasn’t let her downhill chops get rusty as she topped the field by more than three seconds. "Platty has done a great job this year putting up the best downhill and enduro tracks! Everyone was loving the course. I felt I had great practices and I was having so much fun skidding on the loose terrain with lots of challenging off-camber sections and good-size drops to well-built transitions."
In second place was Amy Leishear, riding for Spoke Apparel. Leishear made the long drive from Maryland and landed her best Vittoria ESC result of the season.
First-year pro Kristin Lenart, racing for Fly and Cutters Bike Shop, was just a couple seconds off Leishear's time in third place.
The women’s pro podium from left: Rosy Metcalfe-4th, Amy Leishear-2nd, Mary Elges-1st, Kristin Lenart-3rd, Jessica Gilbert (missing)-5th
The winners of the Fly Speed Zone awards for having the fastest speeds through the radar trap.
The men’s pro race was a battle of the heavy weights of East coast racing. Maurico Estrada, racing for IJ Racing and Intense, took home the win and a huge payday by charging to a nearly three-second victory. Estrada earned the maximum possible payout of $2,250 by winning the race, the Atlantic series and the $1,000 super champion bonus for beating the New England series champion. "The track was fast and really fun to ride, not too technical. There were a couple sections where I tried to be on my limit to gain some time. I'm stoked to get the win and the overall title. This has been my best season so far. Next year I will be focusing on the Pro GRT's. I'm working to get the support to race the complete series and of course the ESC events as well."
In the runner up spot was Brazilian sensation Frederico Da Costa Vieira. Racing for Defiant Racing / Intense Cycles, Vieira had six top-three finishes this year at Vittoria ESC events and has become one of the titans on the East coast race scene.
In the third spot was Isaac Allaire, probably the most consistent pro on the tour this season. Racing for Transition Bikes, Troy lee Designs and Chuck's Bikes, Allaire had fifteen podium finishes this season at Vittoria ESC events and claimed the New England overall champion's crown.
The men’s pro podium from left: Benjamin Despres-Morin-4th, Frederico Vieira-2nd, Mauricio Estrada-1st, Isaac Allaire-3rd, Jordan Daigle-5th
The awards ceremony just kept rolling as the Vittoria ESC overall champions were then crowned for both the Atlantic and New England race series. Laszlo Vajtay, co-owner of Plattekill, kept things moving as champagne was popped and the podium steps were crowded with winners from both series.
Pros Lauren Daney and Sarah LeBlanc won their respective regional championships with LeBlanc taking the super champion crown as she topped Daney, who took a courtesy run with a broken arm, to win the $1,000 bonus.
Mauricio Estrada cleaned up and maxed out his earnings by winning the race, the Atlantic Series crown and the $1,000 super champion bonus by topping New England series champion Isaac Allaire.
That’s all folks. After nearly six months of racing at 25 events spread across seven states, the 2016 Vittoria Eastern States Cup season has come to a close. Be well and we’ll see you in the spring for another season of the country’s best gravity racing. Have a great off season!
Pics and words by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Results:
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...Soy de Chile.