Photo Epic: ProGRT Round 4 - Snowshoe Wild Hare by gojammedia

How many races can we cram into three months? How many miles can we drive/fly in three months? Between Lenzerheide, U.S. National Championships, and Worlds, let's not forget that there's the fourth round of the USA Cycling Pro Gravity Series buried in that schedule in the form of the Wild Hare Pro GRT at Snowshoe Bike Park. What's new and exciting for this event in 2015? Well, earlier in the month the Trail Crew threw us all a bone with a snippet of bringing back some old classics. First, the old road gap which had since been dormant since about 2009 or 2010 would make its return. Second, LOTS and LOTS of open slope which translates into LOTS and LOTS of speed down the Western Territory of the mountain. It was just about a year ago to the day that Neko Mulally fell short of cracking the sub 4:00 minute mark by just under half a second. With higher speeds, we'd no doubt see times within the 3:00 minute mark, but the question would be, how low would we go? Could we possibly see the twos? That would be fast and a sight to see. And finally, the Wild Zone was back, also of which has been dormant for five or so years. This will likely be one of the best events in recent Snowshoe history, from both the perspective of the rider and the fan.

Pre the GRT

OK, before we get the good stuff, making a trip out of a racing weekend means getting out in the "local scene" and seeing what else there is to do in the area. Just a few snaps about what we found buried in the hills of the West Virginia Mountains. Get out, explore, experience all that there is to offer. Small towns, in which sometimes time forgets, usually have gems waiting to be discovered.

Last Sign of Civilization - About 20 or so miles away from the Snowshoe Mountain Resort, the small town of Marlington, WV (pop. 1000+) is really the last sign of civilization. All the small towns in the general vicinity seemed to have grown around an established presence of railroad. Marlington would be no different.

Union/Rebel? West Coast/East Coast? North/South? How about Just 'American' - In light of all the babble and constant arguing seen on the news (if you can even call it news), this mural on the side of what looked to me like an abandoned building caught our eye. We spent a few minutes reading the messages of what history made this country great today and also seems, at times, to be splitting it apart. (Sorry to get a wee bit political for a moment).

Preservation of Americana - Who doesn t appreciate architecture and construction that in some cases is 100 years old Nothing chaps my arse like tearing down the old and building the new. I for one am so glad that these old small American towns retain their history and irreplaceable character. The CJ Richardson building looked to be touched for the most part since being established in 1901.

Preservation of Americana - Who doesn't appreciate architecture and construction that in some cases is 100 years old? Nothing annoys me more than tearing down the old and building the new. I for one am so glad that these old small American towns retain their history and irreplaceable character. The CJ Richardson building looked to be touched for the most part since being established in 1901.

If You Can Burn It, You Can Turn It Into Income - Believe or not, 100 years later a version of the Elk River Coal and Lumber Co, now in the form of the Elk River Railroad still exists today. It's been called "The Railroad that Won't Die."

Before There Was Snowshoe, There Was Cass - Only 9 miles down from the top of Cheat Mountain ridge is the very small town of Cass. The town today has its tourist trap, the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. As Cheat Mtn (now Snowshoe) was logged in the early 1900s, all the lumber was brought down the mountain to Cass for the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company via Locomotive. Portions of the plant still remain, though it's slowly falling in on itself, though the steam engines remain fully functional.

We Are All Kids at Heart - What kid doesn't dream of taking a ride on the real deal? Shay 5, C-80 Shay Steam Locomotive has some history in these parts as it's been on Cheat Mountain since it was built and has been in service in Cass since 1905.

Worth the 35 Bucks - Thirty five dollars gets you a two hour trip four miles up the mountain to Whitaker Station, which once was a camp for those that shed the blood, sweat, and tears while building the railroad.

THIS WAY!!!!! - OK, bored yet? Now let's do what we are here to do! A weekend of rippin', shreddin', and racin'? The sign points this direction!

The Pro GRT

Up and Out Early - Shawn Neer wasn't wasting any time getting out early and laying down some speed on his "Big Boy" Version of the 6C. I for one would love to see Yeti back with a full effort chasing the World Cup

Taking It to the Max - Max Morgan of billygoatbikes1 sorta calls these parts home and is no newbie to the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain. In fact my first personal involvement with a team was with Max and Team RM East 5 years ago. The forecast called for un-usually dry conditions for the weekend and in talking to Max early in the weekend he was hoping for some peanut butter noting he was growing tired of dry race conditions week and week out this season. Not sure that would be the case this weekend Yeah I was surprised as well

Taking It to the Max - Max Morgan sorta calls these parts "home" and is no newbie to the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain. In fact, my first personal involvement with a team was with Max and Team RM East 5 years ago. The forecast called for un-usually "dry" conditions for the weekend and in talking to Max early in the weekend, he was hoping for some peanut butter, noting he was growing tired of dry race conditions week and week out this season. Not sure that would be the case this weekend (Yeah, I was surprised as well)

Long Trip for the KHS Crew - Stoked to see the KHS Crew consistently make it out to the East Coast for the GRT over the past few years. Not sure if it's case of the USAC and the promoters actually talking and planning dates or if just where the dice just happened to fall, but in any case I'm sure that MSA and Windham in the weeks following have everything to do with it. Logan Binggeli pictured during the Friday morning practice session.

Going Retro No 1 - There was lots of chatter on social media in the weeks leading up to the weekend that was centered on old features that the trail crew was bringing back. First up was the smaller road gaps at Cupp Cake (pictured) and Westridge Road. Differences from years past? The takeoff was further up the slope than they used to be. Riders had to make sure they had either enough speed or enough huck so that they didn't fall short. Early Friday morning one of Palmer's young guns destroyed a wheel as he cased the lander.

The Columbian Invasion - Several of our South American neighbors were out enjoying Snowshoe's Western Territory for the 4th round of the Pro Gravity Tour. Sebastian Posada leaves the first section of the open slope and flies into the woods on Judi Chop.

Dylan's Back - Dylan Conte is another former Team RM East rider that seems to have come full circle, aka back to the same Carolina's based team, Team Billy Goat Bikes. He makes the new/old Cupp Cake Road "mini" gap look easy during the Friday morning practice session.

Going Retro No 2 - The second installment of the Trail Crew going Retro? The old road gap, now new, improved and much bigger, which has to have been closed for the better part of almost 5 years now. I personally can't recall ever seeing it open on a race or non-race weekend in the 5 years I've been making trips to the Shoe myself. Good to see it get some TLC and no longer an old dilapidated falling in on itself feature.

More Slope Please! - After hitting the new/old road gap and full gasser, it was a hard right onto the open slopes of Shay's Revenge. It was head down, elbows out, full tuck and all the speed you could muster. Rumor was that riders were being clocked between 35-40 miles per hour before hard on the brakes into the woods to pick back up Upper Hare Ball. Above Pic: Wintertime's Shay Revenge Slope. Below Pic: Early morning practice cast with the shadows of the trees in Upper Hare Ball. This image frame is horizontal with no exaggeration of angle or decline.

Horseshoe vs Mutten Chops - Take a back seat Mayweather versus Pacquiao, the real battle is who's got the best facial hair between Horseshoe Must-Ask-You (Phil) Kmetz, left, versus Mutton Little Lamb Chops (Chad) Gilbert, right. Quite honestly this fight might be better than the battle that will take place on the course. Thanks for being good sports guys, even if it took four attempts with the first three each ending with laughter.

Day One is a Wrap - Time to refuel ourselves BS with our best buds and enjoy our favorite beverage at The Old Spruce Tavern or Fox Fire Grille. Looking forward to quallies.

Day One is a Wrap - Time to refuel ourselves, chat with our best buds, and enjoy our favorite beverage at The Old Spruce Tavern or Fox Fire Grille. Looking forward to quallies.

The Quallies

The Calm Before the Storm - Graeme Pitts sporting quite the color over the new/old road gap during Seeding Warm ups. Graeme would go on to seed 18th out of field of 34 Pros

Warren Kniss - Of Palmer Project/Intense rounded off the top 10 in seeding 14 secs off the top pace. Warren's pictured finishing off the slopes of Shay's Revenge and picking up Upper Hair Bail. It was very hard on the brakes once about 30 feet into woods as you were greeted with a hard left all the while be slung left and right by bouncing off rock after rock.

Mad Max - Max Morgan laid it all out for seeding for a respectable 6th spot in a stacked field of other rivals. For Team Billy Goat Bikes, he'd have the fastest time over his teammates Dylan Conte and Jimmy Leslie with a 3:29.150.

Mauricio Estrada - One of the three South American riders running Pro seeded 7th with a 03 29.580.

Mauricio Estrada - (pictured directly above) One of the three South American riders running Pro seeded 7th with a 03:29.580.

The Competition - Could Columbia s Camila Nogueira be Jill s the fav closest contender She showed a promising seeding run with the second spot yet still 11 secs off but 20 secs ahead of her nearest competition.

The Competition? - Could Columbia's Camila Nogueira be Jill's (the favorite) closest contender? She showed a promising seeding run with the second spot, yet still 11 secs off but 20 secs ahead of her nearest competition.

One of Maybe Two or Three - Phil Kmetz, Danny's Cycles, was maybe two or three riders that potentially could pull the upset over the expected "Fast Man" Neko Mulally. He was pushing the limits of the lines throughout each of the practice sessions and by his qually run putting him in 23rd. He must have had a bobble or two, either that or one heck of a sand bagging session. No doubt, there will be some changes for Phil on the leader board at the end of the day come Sunday.

Harrison's Hare Ball - Harrison Reynolds of the Right Direction and a "local" gave it he could muster. He seeded in the back of the field in the 28th spot.

No Justice - The pic DOES NOT do it justice, but the best, or worst of the Wild Zone depending on how you look at it, is right under the lift. Guessing at the top, maybe a 100ft of descent within a 100ft (give or take a few feet). It's one feature after another, then you are welcomed with rock garden heaven/hell on Lower Hare Ball. Nikolas Nesteroff in Juniors would seed 4th on this run with a 03:35.130.

Always Pinned - Dakotah Norton was pinned every session all weekend. Gotta love guys like him. Thanks Bud, you make it easy and enjoyable on the other side both for the photogs and the spectators.

Photog Racer or Both - Didn t know that Luca Cometti had the photo bug. When he wasn t on course he was snapping a few frames...... sick photos too. Nicely done Luca. He seeded 10 of 34 for Palmer Project Intense Racing.

Photog, Racer or Photo - Didn't know that Luca Cometti had the photo bug. When he wasn't on course, he was snapping a few frames. Sick photos too. Nicely done Luca. He seeded 10 of 34 for Palmer Project/Intense Racing.

MacKinnon Made It Matter - Kiran cracked the top five with a run of 03:25.390 behind Atkinson, Binggeli, Neer, and Mulally. I'd be willing to bet we'll see him improve a spot or two on race day.

Fastest Time O'Da'Day - That would belong to Neko Mulally. 03:19.260, followed by Shawn Neer with a 03:20.400 and Logan Binggel with a 03:21.640.Going into race day Neko was looking to carry that same slogan into Sunday when it would really count. He was the man to beat.

Old School - The Missile and Palmer. LEGENDS!!!!!! -- The End --

Mr. Clean - Bike Clean Post Seeding - Check. "Me" Clean/Shower - Check. What Next? I'll give the Silverado a bath. Ya think Max Morgan takes care of his stuff? I'd take that bet.

It's Time!

They Need Some Love Too - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Damned if you, Damned if you don't (Kidding). Agreed, the Cat 2 and 3 guys need some love too. First up, Tim Rebold Cat 2 30-39 putting down his race run good enough for 7th in his Cat.

Oooouch! - After exhausting his pedaling legs on the flat section of the hip on Shay's Revenge, Sean Duffy dips into the woods for the last part of the Lower Pro DH. Just past this point he went down hard in the berm, knocked the wind out of him, and bit his lip. He did get his breathe back and finish his run in Cat 2 19-29. Note: It was the photog to rescue as no one was around for what seemed to be miles.

Hip Baby Hip - No lack of style from Mason Calderhead on the hip jump. All the same, no lack of performance from Mason as well, as he finished in the top spot taking the gold in Men's Cat 3 15-18.

The Photog's Pic - Aiden of the Clan Loorham gets the photog's pic for the best photo from the weekend. On a separate but similar note, the Clan Loorham of Rome, GA defines what the sport should really be about. Let's see, where do we start? Mom/Dad/two boys all ride as family with any given free moment, Mom/Dad support the boy's Gravity fix 110%, Mom helps organize the Beech Mountain Gravity Team (with the other parent as well we should add) and finally, Mom represents Defeet International. This is what really makes the sport what it is. No one would be where they are without the support of the family and the Loorham's set the bar. Oh and BTW, need socks? Mandy of Clan Loorham is your Mom!

Titus Nicholson - Titus took the top spot in Men's Cat 2 15-18. That's worth two pics, only because you gave me something on the hip (bottom pic) when I was waiting for something. Nicely done young man!

Score One for the Old Guys - Riding Forward's Shawn Metcalf would stand on the podium at the end of the day with silver just off the pace in Men's Cat 2 40-49 by 1.79 secs behind David LaMond. (Note: yes, I have the right to say "old guys", because I'm one too).

And Score One for Almost Old Guy - Will Murray is knocking on the door of the big 4-0, but that's not slowing him down one bit. He took the top spot in Men's Cat 1 30-39. We've said it before, yes the young guns are fantastic to which, but all you young folk out there might not realize, these might be some of your Dad's out there, but this is the Old School class. Some of guys are still rippin' it, though they might be in more pain and take 3X as long to heal. 30-39 and 40-49 still are stacked Cats to watch.

Anthony Stockwell - Throwing some style on his race run to an 11th place finish in Men's Cat 1 19-29.

Some Hucked - The lower section of the course was the flow section of the course. Some opted to scrub speed over the rollers and some opted to huck and triple a few of the rollers. Bruce Klein shows us what's entailed in the hucking option. He ended the day in 4th in Juniors.

And Some Scrubbed - Klein's teammate, Andras Simon opts for the scrub in the same section pictured above. Andras ended the day in the 15th spot in Juniors.

The Light From Above - The natural light from above was definitely shining on Nikolas Nesteroff. Nikolas was 1.3 secs off the fastest Juniors time of the day with a 3 24.0.

The Light From Above - The (natural) light from above was definitely shining on Nikolas Nesteroff (pictured directly above). Nikolas was 1.3 secs off the fastest Juniors time of the day with a 3:24.0.

No Mudd This Weekend? - Well not exactly. Sure the rain stayed away and the course was mud free, but Fred Mudd was on fire. Fred took the bronze in Men's Cat 1 Masters 40+ with a 4:06.1. I'm telling you, these 'old' guys can ride.

Lost Three Spots - Shawn Neer was up 2 secs from his seeding time, but it seemed so were the others. In the end he lost 3 spots, 2nd in seeding to 5th in race runs. In any case, he was cookin' all weekend.

To the Podium! - Kristen Courtney would have a visit to the podium and check with her name on it. She laid down a 4:18.6, good enough for the third spot on the day.

KHS Kevin - Kevin Aiello put down a race run 8 seconds faster than his seeding run, but it was only good enough for the 9th spot in Pro Men.

A Top Ten - Dakotah Norton took the 10th spot with some style. Always the showman, even on race runs and we don't mind it one bit.

Mr. Tuner - Ian Turner is a tall drink of water and when he tuck, he tucks. Rewind to a year ago almost to the day, exactly the same style, though a different course location. Ian took 19th with a 3:37.1.

Bryn's Show Us a Boost - Bryn Atkinson showing us boosting the rollers for a triple is done. Bryn seeded well in 4th, but slide back to the 8th spot on race day.

Someone Tell Phil to Slow Down - It's just a matter of time before Phil Kmetz gets picked up by a World Cup team, that is if something behind the scenes already isn't in motion. He didn't qualify well, but was just 3/10 back from the fastest time on the day. A silver and nice paycheck for Phil. Best of luck in coming weeks Mr. Horseshoe Must-Ask-You Kmetz

2 and 2 - Camila Nogueira shaved 4 secs off her qualifying time, but at the same time Kintner also shaved 3 secs off her. Either way you cut it, Camila had a heck of a showing in North America. Assuming she's off to MSA and Windham, it should be interesting to see if she can continue that progression up the leader board.

Someone Forget to Tell Charlie - Tell him what? That American DH is dead and there is no future. Gwin and Shaw might be making waves at the moment, but it will not be very long with Harrison will complete the trio of American names WC competition. Heck, he's half way there in Juniors. First two-fer of the day, TQ and Gold.

The Lady of This Great Land, Part II - No real change, other than this is part two of Jill being on top in the same weekend. She was able to put it together pulling the second two-fer, TQ and Gold with a 03:55.2. Congrats Jill!

Putting into Perspective - Neko Mulally's times over the past three years; 2013 Pro GRT at Snowshoe: 4:08.97, 2014 Pro GRT at Snowshoe: 4:00.47, 2015 Pro GRT at Snowshoe 3:17.9. The bar has been raised. It will take the right course, but who's it gonna be that cracks into the twos? No doubt we'll see that in the near future and I hope I am there. The third two-fer of the day.

Junior's Podium - Gold - Charlie Harrison 03:22.7, Silver - Nikolas Nesteroff 03:24.0, Bronze - Steven Walton 03:26.3.

Women's Pro Podium - Gold - Jill Kintner 03:55.2, Silver - Camila Nogueira 04:04.0, Bronze - Kristen Courtney 04:18.6.

Men's Pro Podium - Gold - Neko Mulally 03:17.9, Silver - Phil Kmetz 03:18.2, Bronze - Kiran MacKinnion 03:18.3. 1 second split the top five!!!!! That's racing!!

Pro Winners - Jill Kintner and Neko Mulally. Time to enjoy a hard weekend of work, well, really all play and no work.

That's A Wrap - Thanks to USA Cycling, Snowshoe Bike Park (Josh Olson, Alisa Moore, Andy Nall and the rest of crew that will remain un-named to protect the guilty). Just to re-iterate the buzz heard all weekend from the riders, "This is the course of the year!" Job well done folks and it was fun to watch!

You can watch a full internet cast replay of the event Mountain Bike Mania TV, to be available within the next two weeks.

Pro Men/Women/Juniors Results:

Cat 2/3 Results:

MENTIONS @snowshoebikepark-official / @mtbmaniatv

Author Info:

gojammedia

Member since Dec 10, 2012
124 articles

6 Comments

aoneal (Jul 30, 2015 at 7:53)

Wow, Missy and Palmer!... They've been an inspiration from day one... Second frame I made was a copy of Missy's Yeti ARC AS LT... So glad they are still rockin' the scene... ...those pits though!

ogdhnut (Jul 30, 2015 at 8:12)

...and take 3x as many Advil after a race. Still worth it tho.

DJDrysdale406 (Jul 30, 2015 at 8:57)

I think this is the first PinkBike write up that I've seen with more FLY Racing than TLD, Awesome!!!

BikeCop63 (Jul 30, 2015 at 9:02)

Spectacular pics and write up, as always Jay!

nug12182 (Jul 30, 2015 at 14:08)

this is cool and all but........im ready to race the CHOMOLUNGMA CHALLENGE baby!!!!!

tylerj556 (Jul 30, 2015 at 18:05)

How bout Missy's arm pit hair