Video and Race Report: The 2015 Mountain Creek Spring Classic/Pro GRT
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The 2015 Mountain Creek Spring Classic would mark the 3rd stop for the Eastern States Cup Atlantic Downhill USAC Regional Championship Series, and the 2nd stop USA Cycling's revamped Pro GRT series. The hot and sunny weather in the days leading up to the event would make for extremely dry and loose conditions during Saturday's qualifiers; more closely resembling the tracks you'd expect to find in southern California than those typically associated with the northeastern United States. Ominous skies and unfavorable radars gave athletes and organizers alike a bit of anxiety overnight, but by Sunday morning, an unsteady rain would be the worst of it; with some damp and slick sections found early in the day's practice before the dusty track re-emerged in the early afternoon for the finals.
A massive pro field showed up at Mountain Creek Bike Park in Vernon, New Jersey to compete over the weekend, with 11 pro women and just under 100 men showing up on Saturday, before the men's field was narrowed to 60 for Sunday's finals. With the UCI inscription for the Pro GRT this year, many pros are looking to chase points and qualify for World Cup events and World Championships later this year. The course for this year's Spring Classic was largely unchanged from those of recent years, with a few exceptions including a massive, Red Bull branded drop two thirds of the way down the track, drawing large crowds to several spots up and down the mountain.
On Saturday, the qualifying speeds were blazing and a number of the top pro men shared the same second, with the fractions proving to be of utmost importance in determining their seeding for the finals. On Sunday the discrepancy from 5th place to 30th was separated by less than six seconds. It was incredibly exciting racing and a treat for everyone there to witness it. In the end, it would be two of America's most talented and esteemed riders in Aaron Gwin and Jill Kintner, standing on the top step of their podiums.
Early morning practice sessions began and finished with a soaker.
Early on, it seemed as if some decisions needed to be made on tires. Shortly after the rain stopped, it became clear that the track wasn't going to let a little water keep the dust at bay.
Logan Binggeli appears to be more focused than ever, and his speed is backing that up. His race run was almost five seconds faster than his qualifying time. The dude is on a mission this year.
Jill Kintner has largely stepped away from World Cup racing in 2015, but she's clearly on form and was absolutely dominant all weekend long. The rain early on must've had the Bellingham native feeling right at home on Sunday.
The rain would eventually desist by mid-morning, with clouds and mist hanging out on the mountain before eventually giving way to partially sunny skies and significant humidity.
There were some greasy spots to contend with initially, but eventually all of the roots and rocks would dry, and for the most part the race runs were significantly faster than the qualifiers.
The exit from the first section of rocks and trees caught some riders out during the first few practice laps of the day. Southern California's Charlie Harrison didn't seem to mind a little grease in the morning.
For a moment, many thought that the rain might have provided the course with some much needed tackiness. One lift ride later, it became clear that the moisture simply wouldn't stick.
Max Morgan was fast throughout the weekend, but suffered a wreck during his race run. He has the form to put another Pro GRT win on his resume this season.
Mike Day was among the scores of riders making the trip across the country to race in New Jersey. The BMX legend continues to prove that crossover is not only possible, but natural. The Californian would finish 1 second shy of a podium place.
Speaking of legends: Missy Giove. Missy has some issues with her USAC licensing and would function as the course pre-runner on Saturday and Sunday. She should be good to race for the next Pro GRT round and will very much be in contention for the top spot when the time comes.
Speaking of even more legends, Bryn Atkinson was on hand with a combination of speed and fluidity that no one else can touch. His race run would be six seconds quicker than his qualifier and put him in the hot seat for most of the final third of the elite men's race.
 | This was a really fun weekend. The turnout was good, the pits were full, and it felt like proper racing again in North America. I like the direction this is going as far as attendance and legitimacy. - Bryn Atkinson |
The interesting thing about this kind of weather and these kinds of conditions: when mud dries as quickly as it did on Sunday, it becomes noticeably harder to distinguish the squared edges from the rest of the track. Especially at speed.
Brian Yanuzzi wasn't interested in chatting about said theory when he raced by.
Nor was Hendersonville's finest: Walker Shaw.
[PI=
The Spring Classic isn't just a one-line, speed fest. The Asylum rock garden is a great example and opportunity to analyze the line options of various riders. As it would turn out, Luca Shaw picked a decidedly fast one.
The same applies to the wide open and blistering section that preceded the Asylum rocks. 6th place Junior-X, Adam Robbins.
Bruce Klein would take the Junior-X win by a mere 1/10th of a second over Charlie Harrison. California was made proud by it's contingent at Creek on Sunday.
Amanda Cordell kept it close to the tree en route to a 6th place finish amongst the pro women.
Jason Memmelaar gets ready for one of the track's latest and greatest attractions...
...this diddy from Global Action Sports Solutions. Good news too: It'll be around for everyone to enjoy from here on out!
Brian Scolforo's style is nice. So nice, in fact, that the course marshall was clearly too excited to use a whistle.
Intense Factory rider Luca Cometti was one of the most explosive, and fun riders to watch throughout the weekend. He threw down some of the biggest jumps all weekend long, but was equally impressive in the dark and deep sections of Garden State forest on Sunday as well.
One of the fastest and most talented riders in the country and New Hampshire native, Phil Kmetz destroyed the course on Sunday and would finish 6th overall; less than half a second behind the likes of Bryn Atkinson.
| The conditions were actually a little bit better today than they were yesterday. I was a little bit nervous with the rain early on; even though I'm an east coaster, there's something about Mountain Creek and the rain..these rocks just don't give you the traction you'd expect. But in the end I felt like my run went perfectly. This race is always one of the best of the year. - Phil Kmetz |
Deity's Lauren Daney was calm, cool and collected as always, and her smooth line choices and DH prowess would put her in 2nd place among the pro women by the day's end.
Jill Kintner was absolutely dominant on Sunday, with a margin of victory of over 15 seconds, the Red Bull athlete put on a clinic and will no doubt be a force during the two North American World Cup stops.
| This is definitely a fun track. I wouldn't say that it's uber difficult, but the dust played some tricks on riders and ultimately it's about challenging yourself and seeing how fast you're willing to go on a track like this. - Jill Kintner |
Jill was not only stoked on the track itself, but had a lot of good things to say about the resort, the crowds and the overall feel of the event.
KHS Factory Racing's Logan Binggeli had a screamer of a run, taking Bryn off of the hot seat and finishing 3rd on the day.
Sram Factory Racing rider and one America's most promising young talents, Luca Shaw's race run was over a second faster than Aaron Gwin's qualifying time from the day prior. Luca will undoubtedly grow into a force to be reckoned with on the World Cup, as he's clearly already there when it comes to racing stateside. The Pisgah product would finish 2nd on the day.
In the end, it would be Gwin. Throughout the weekend, whenever Gwin would ride through a section of the track, the overwhelming impression left on everyone was how quiet he was and how easy he made it look. Somehow, the man just keeps getting faster. Fort Bill ought to be fun.
| I really like it here. It's always such a fun course every year. I always tell everybody that this may be my favorite race of the year because of the venue, the staff, and all of my friends who are able to come out. We're heading over to Fort William next and then right over to Leogang before we come back home. Those are two pretty big races coming up and we've had a pretty decent sized gap since the last one, so that's why we came here to get some good prep and get everything ready. - Aaron Gwin |
Junior X Podium:1st: Klein Bruce, 2nd: Charlie Harrison, 3rd: Nikolas Nestoroff , 4th: Steven Walton, 5th: Andras Simon
Elite Women's Podium: 1st: Jill Kintner, 2nd: Lauren Daney, 3rd: Kristen Courtney, 4th: Kim Godfrey, 5th: Samantha Kingshill
Elite Men's Podium: 1st: Aaron Gwin, 2nd: Luca Shaw, 3rd: Logan Binggeli, 4th: Bryn Atkinson, 5th: Kiran Mackinnon
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MENTIONS: @briceshirbach , @Eastern-States-Cup, @norcobicycles, @deityusa
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