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Race Report: National Champs and Mont Sainte Anne World Cup
Diamondback DF5 racer Charlie Sponsel recently competed in the USA Gravity National Championship in Angel Fire, New Mexico, and to the fifth round of the 2013 World Cup in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec. Here's his story:
"It was an awesome trip, from Portland to Utah, then to New Mexico, Colorado, and Quebec. After crashing out at both races, I can't say I got the results I was looking for, but the events, courses, and the level of competition were all excellent. I learned a lot, and feel a lot faster and smarter than when I left.
I met up with our traveling Diamondback ambassador and all around good guy, Ryan Vergeront aka Verg, in Salt Lake City, and the road trip went from there. We held a mountain bike demo at Deer Valley Mountain Resort and helped get folks on the new 2014 Mason FS and the redesigned 2014 Sortie Black, and I got to ride my downhill bike on Deer Valley's infamous Fireswamp downhill trail. On the way down to Angel Fire we stopped at Moab to ride, and our ride on Captain Ahab lasted about 7.5 seconds before Verg went over the bars and broke his hand. Verg limped back to the car on, and I rode Ahab solo on the new Mason FS 29er. I'd never ridden a 29er before, and it blew my expectations out of the water. The straight-line speed it carried over square-edged bumps was impressive. After Moab we kept driving south through the gorgeous country around Durango, and we rolled into Angel Fire two days early for National Champs. The course at Angel Fire was new for this event, and it was obvious that the resort had put a lot of work into the new race track. It was super high speed and rough, and more than twice the length of the National Champs track last year. It was good fun and I was getting along well with the track in practice, but unfortunately in my race run I suffered a front flat within sight of the finish line. I tried to ride it out, but my flat tire washed out and I got a free sample of Northern New Mexico's finest red clay. Race run over.
My flight to Quebec was out of Denver, so before I flew out Verg and I rode Valmont bike park in Boulder, Colorado. The amount of work that's gone into Valmont on the part of local volunteers and the city of Boulder is incredible, and for my last night in the states we had a blast on our 4" travel Mission 4X bikes ripping around the jump lines, pumptracks, and even a few of the XC trails at Valmont. If you're in the neighborhood, definitely check out Valmont.
Mont Sainte Anne was amazing. I've been watching race videos from Mont Sainte Anne since I was 15, so to finally go there and race the infamous World Cup track was a dream come true. The track was tamer than I expected when we hiked it on Wednesday, but it rained buckets overnight and on Thursday morning it was filled with mud, ruts, and bombholes everywhere, making it significantly more interesting for the rest of the weekend. The track was terrifying and I liked it. It's one of the gnarliest, highest speed courses I've ridden. Unfortunately I had another frustrating race run, owing to a brief stop mid-run to bear-hug a tree on the side of the course. It turns out that blowing off course and into a tree isn't the fastest way down the hill, and the crash cost me about 15 seconds. 97th on the day was not the result I was looking for, but based on split times I could tell I was on the pace, and I'm excited for the next World Cup race where I know I can do a lot better. Racing is hard, and things don't always go your way, but
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Demo day at Deer Valley, getting people out on the trails on our new 2014 Mason, Sortie, and the new Axis 650b hardtail.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Angel Fire Bike Park, standing 1900 feet tall and 2.5 miles from top to bottom. In a word: long.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Valmont bike park in Boulder, Colorado: Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Track walk at MSA. The top was really straight and completely out in the open, which meant that riding this section in the rain was like driving with the windshield wipers off. Scary.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Building up the bike, post track walk at MSA. Whenever I fly I completely tear the bike apart so I can pack it down small and avoid baggage fees. The whole reassembly process takes a good 3-4 hours.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Qualifying run at MSA, moments before detonation in the rock garden near the bottom of the course. The photographer is hiding behind the tree I crashed into.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Loser's day in Quebec. Those of us who finished outside the top 80 and didn't qualify for finals went into the Old City in Quebec and had a real, bona fide cultural experience, including crepes, castles, and Cirque de Soleil. Quebec is as close to Europe as you can get without an $800 airline ticket, and I know this will not be my last time visiting.
![Two races two crashes still a good time.]()
Mount Hood in the window means I'm almost home: Portland, Oregon.
"It was an awesome trip, from Portland to Utah, then to New Mexico, Colorado, and Quebec. After crashing out at both races, I can't say I got the results I was looking for, but the events, courses, and the level of competition were all excellent. I learned a lot, and feel a lot faster and smarter than when I left.
I met up with our traveling Diamondback ambassador and all around good guy, Ryan Vergeront aka Verg, in Salt Lake City, and the road trip went from there. We held a mountain bike demo at Deer Valley Mountain Resort and helped get folks on the new 2014 Mason FS and the redesigned 2014 Sortie Black, and I got to ride my downhill bike on Deer Valley's infamous Fireswamp downhill trail. On the way down to Angel Fire we stopped at Moab to ride, and our ride on Captain Ahab lasted about 7.5 seconds before Verg went over the bars and broke his hand. Verg limped back to the car on, and I rode Ahab solo on the new Mason FS 29er. I'd never ridden a 29er before, and it blew my expectations out of the water. The straight-line speed it carried over square-edged bumps was impressive. After Moab we kept driving south through the gorgeous country around Durango, and we rolled into Angel Fire two days early for National Champs. The course at Angel Fire was new for this event, and it was obvious that the resort had put a lot of work into the new race track. It was super high speed and rough, and more than twice the length of the National Champs track last year. It was good fun and I was getting along well with the track in practice, but unfortunately in my race run I suffered a front flat within sight of the finish line. I tried to ride it out, but my flat tire washed out and I got a free sample of Northern New Mexico's finest red clay. Race run over.
My flight to Quebec was out of Denver, so before I flew out Verg and I rode Valmont bike park in Boulder, Colorado. The amount of work that's gone into Valmont on the part of local volunteers and the city of Boulder is incredible, and for my last night in the states we had a blast on our 4" travel Mission 4X bikes ripping around the jump lines, pumptracks, and even a few of the XC trails at Valmont. If you're in the neighborhood, definitely check out Valmont.
Mont Sainte Anne was amazing. I've been watching race videos from Mont Sainte Anne since I was 15, so to finally go there and race the infamous World Cup track was a dream come true. The track was tamer than I expected when we hiked it on Wednesday, but it rained buckets overnight and on Thursday morning it was filled with mud, ruts, and bombholes everywhere, making it significantly more interesting for the rest of the weekend. The track was terrifying and I liked it. It's one of the gnarliest, highest speed courses I've ridden. Unfortunately I had another frustrating race run, owing to a brief stop mid-run to bear-hug a tree on the side of the course. It turns out that blowing off course and into a tree isn't the fastest way down the hill, and the crash cost me about 15 seconds. 97th on the day was not the result I was looking for, but based on split times I could tell I was on the pace, and I'm excited for the next World Cup race where I know I can do a lot better. Racing is hard, and things don't always go your way, but
Demo day at Deer Valley, getting people out on the trails on our new 2014 Mason, Sortie, and the new Axis 650b hardtail.
Angel Fire Bike Park, standing 1900 feet tall and 2.5 miles from top to bottom. In a word: long.
Valmont bike park in Boulder, Colorado: Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.
Track walk at MSA. The top was really straight and completely out in the open, which meant that riding this section in the rain was like driving with the windshield wipers off. Scary.
Building up the bike, post track walk at MSA. Whenever I fly I completely tear the bike apart so I can pack it down small and avoid baggage fees. The whole reassembly process takes a good 3-4 hours.
Qualifying run at MSA, moments before detonation in the rock garden near the bottom of the course. The photographer is hiding behind the tree I crashed into.
Loser's day in Quebec. Those of us who finished outside the top 80 and didn't qualify for finals went into the Old City in Quebec and had a real, bona fide cultural experience, including crepes, castles, and Cirque de Soleil. Quebec is as close to Europe as you can get without an $800 airline ticket, and I know this will not be my last time visiting.
Mount Hood in the window means I'm almost home: Portland, Oregon.
Author Info:
Member since Nov 25, 2012
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