Race Report: Eastern Grind Pro XCT

A few months after the continental divide, the 2018 Pro Mountain Bike Tour made its only East Coast stop this past weekend at the Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont. The Julbo Eastern Grind has become a regular stop on the pro tour and the UCI-sanctioned event allowed elite riders the opportunity to earn valuable UCI world ranking points. With a stretch of near-perfect weather leading up to the race, the challenging track would push racers to their endurance limits and only the fittest would reach the podium.

Just a few miles south of Burlington, Vermont's largest city, the Catamount Outdoor Center is a hub of year-round activities. The 500-acre property is based around a historic home, built in 1796 by Vermont's first governor, and offers miles of trails through woodlands and open meadows.

The pro women's race kicked off under the heat of the early-afternoon sun. Clif Pro Team member Lea Davison snagged the lead right off the line and never looked back.

Davison boosted the track's first A-line feature in style as she opened a nearly-45-second gap on the rest of the field on the first lap. The two-time Olympian and World Championship silver medalist hails from Jericho, Vt., just a few miles from the race venue and is no stranger to the Catamount trails.

Whole Athlete pro Kelsey Urban, from Kentfield, CA, kept her cool through course's second A-line feature and held the second spot for the first half of the race.

State 9 Racing's Kelly Catale stayed in touch with the leaders in the early part of the race but fell off the pace a bit to wind up 4th on the day.

Allspeed's Tira Denny rounded out the podium with her 5th-place efforts.

After trailing her Whole Athlete teammate for the first half of the race, Savilia Blunk from Inverness, CA, put the hammer down on lap three to pull away and take the runner-up spot.

A hard crash on the technical rock entrance to the second A-line on lap one took Davison down hard and bloodied her arm but she collected herself and rode progressively faster splits on the final three laps to earn the win by one minute and 23 seconds. "This is one of my favorite events every year. I get so much support when I'm here and its great to be able to sleep in my own bed before a race," said Davison after her win.

Between races spectators got a chance to roam the pits and check out some tasty new bike treats, like the prototype Shimano XTR group with its Micro Spline mounted Scylence hub.

A stacked field of speesdsters left the line for the men's race which would be contested over a five-lap, 20-mile distance.

The field was tight on lap one as a train of riders dropped into the steep A-line slab.

The Watermelon rock garden is a maze of twisting lines atop an old rock wall. Ari Hirabayashi clung to the lead pack for most of the first lap but faded to a 14th-place finish by the end of the day.

Local favorite Matt Green, from Bicycle Express Racing, aired out a feature on his way to an 18th-place result.

Tate Meintjes, from the Bear Pro Team, bookended his race with his fastest laps on one and five and finished just outside the top ten.

Ben Powers, from Riverside Racing, had his day cut short when a crash on the first lap took him out of the event.

Indian Lookout is the highest point on the track and offers sweeping views of Camel's Hump and the Winooski River valley far below. After starting deep in the pack, Bicycle Express pro Noah Tautfest, left, began picking off riders, like Eli Kranefuss, and moved up to a 13th-place result.

Pivot Cycles' Raphael Auclair was part of a six-man group that broke away from the rest of the field for the majority of the race.

Clif Bar Development Team rider Garrett Gerchar kept it rubber side down on a mossy slab as he raced to a 17th-place finish.

After sticking with the lead group for the first three laps, Silverback OMX pro team rider Raphael Gagne laid down a scorching lap four to put some distance between himself and the field.

Carson Beckett, from the Bear Development Team, had the second-fastest lap time of the day on his third circuit and wound up in 4th.

Cannondale pro Stephen Hyde, 2017 Cyclocross National Champion, gutted out an impressive performance to take the final spot on the podium with a 5th-place finish.

After falling behind on the first lap, Giant Factory Off-Road team member Cole Paton came roaring back to claim the second step of the podium.

Team Clif Bar pro Russell Finsterwald was looking like a threat for the win until a dropped chain took him out of contention but he was able to claw his way back and claim the bronze medal spot.

Raphael Gagne was not to be denied as he absolutely smoked the field on the closing two laps and took home the win by a 27-second margin. "This was a really challenging race and had some great group racing and was really tight. I have good memories from racing in Williston and there's always a good vibe here," said Gagne.

Congratulations to Gagne from runner-up Cole Paton.

Tate Meintjes checked into the pain cave on his final lap.

The women's pro podium from left: Tira Denny-5th, Kelsey Urban-3rd, Lea Davison-1st, Savilia Blunk-2nd, Kelly Catale-4th

The men's pro podium from left: Stephen Hyde-5th, Russell Finsterwald-3rd, Raphael Gagne-1st, Cole Paton-2nd, Carson Beckett-4th

That's a wrap from Vermont. The Pro XCT series now heads back west for the final stop of the year at the Purgatory Grand Prix in Durango, CO from August 31- September 2.

Posted In:
Racing and Events Race Reports

Author Info:

jebcas
Member since Sep 8, 2009
15 articles

11 Comments

cruthas (Jul 30, 2018 at 9:08)

What a great weekend, with some solid talent out there! It was so cool to watch these guy fight all race and Gange's interview really told it how it was. Class act that guy is, can't wait to watch him in the World Cups.

bikeexpress (Jul 30, 2018 at 12:04)

great to see some XC action here.

Dustfarter (Jul 30, 2018 at 12:26)

Those XC trails would be called "enduro" in some places. Props for making XC look appealing!!

jfloren (Aug 5, 2018 at 17:01)

Great pics and write-up. Why was there no similar coverage of US National Championship race at Snowshoe WV? Not even results posted. Sad!

adamleedy (Jul 30, 2018 at 13:08)

Awesome to see some solid XC coverage of what looks like a killer event!

yhtomitn64 (Jul 30, 2018 at 10:35)

Where can we watch the interview?

jebcas (Jul 30, 2018 at 18:20)

www.facebook.com/easterngrind/videos/10156525966519561

mgs781HD (Jul 31, 2018 at 8:01)

Great write up and pictures Jeb!

EzraTbikes (Aug 1, 2018 at 8:22)

Great photos and great read !

Diesel2007 (Aug 1, 2018 at 17:11)

Is it me or is most of the field wearing three different model shoes?

JTepic (Jul 31, 2018 at 7:39)

Dude in the first pic lmeans business....