The temperatures were warm, the racecourses were gnarly, the racers were extra-competitive, and the winds came in like a lion just before the GT Enduro awards ceremony in a full-on desert-monsoon with a peak wind gust of 73 mph. The 2nd round of the DVO Winter Gravity Series Enduro presented by GT Bicycles did not disappoint.
Friday was business as usual for a DVO Bootleg Canyon gravity event. Racers checked in, the campers set up and all took advantage of warm temperatures, light winds, and open practice for both Enduro and Downhill. Saturday’s looming weather forecast would have gotten more attention from the racers if they were not having so much fun dialing in their race lines.
Andrei Manalo practicing the Toilet Bowl section on Armageddon near the DH start/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
Due to statewide COVID restrictions, there were two waves of 50 Enduro racers on Saturday. The 1st wave consisted of Pro and Category 1 racers, while the 2nd wave was made up of the combined Category 2 & 3 and Junior Enduro racers. The Enduro race went off without a hitch, but the 2:00 pm monsoon put quite the damper on the GT Enduro awards ceremony with hurricane-force winds, rain, and even hail. After the storm passed, there was still time for a podium picture of the Men’s Pro winner, Cody Kelley. A huge thanks to GT Bicycles for sponsoring the Enduro race. Full Enduro results can be found
HERE Cody Kelley flashes his bonus pay for the day
Bootleg Canyon is rugged, hard-core, and has some of the best natural features to ride and race on. Each event has a 3-stage Enduro race and always uses different trails for each event.
Lars Utt on his way to a 1st place finish (Men's Cat 1/40+) in the GT-Sponsored Enduro race/Photo by #SoStokedAerial
Brian Lopes (Yamaha/DVO Suspension) won Saturday's E-Bike Enduro.
"Oh, and just in case you’re one of those who think Ebikes make pedaling easy, my lungs are raw today and I was draped over my bars at the end of each stage just as I would have been on an analog bike. Like I say all the time to people, any hill or distance is hard if you give’er everything you have. P/C @dvosuspension_brysonjr"
Lopes on his way to the big "W"/Photo by Bryson Martin Jr.
.
Sunday is always the Downhill day and it was off to an early start with open practice from 7:00 am until 8:30 am allowing the race to start sharply at 9:00 am. Sunday also had two waves of 50 racers, and this allowed to have some decent competition despite the strict field limits put in place. A huge thanks to DVO Suspension for sponsoring the series and the DH race. Full DH results can be found
HERE.
Cole Suetos takes the win in the Men's Pro DH/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
Aaron Gwin on his way to a 2nd place DH finish/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
KHS Factory Racing's Steven the Swaltonator Walton on his way to a 3rd place DH finish/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
What was most obvious about this event was the sheer need for racers and families to get outside and do what they have been dreaming of for the past 11-months. We are taking COVID precautions seriously, but an outdoor event with a time-trial format is the perfect medication for the pandemic.
Cash Shayleen showing off his DH 1st place prize (Boys 13-14). Thanks, CushCore!/Photo by mom
The finals, the DVO Reaper Madness is on March 12-14, 2021, and will produce the series winners, pay the pros another $2,000, allow two waves of 100 for both Enduro and Downhill, award prizes for all series winners, have more daylight and see the return of the Friday afternoon Dual Slalom race.
Register
HERE before the event sells out.
GT and DVO's Joey Foresta will be racing in Enduro and DH at the DVO Reaper/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
We hope to see you next month and please enjoy these bonus pictures.
Photo by Antonio Marroquin
The racer is Teagan Heap/Photo by Antonio Marroquin
Cole Suetos 1st, Aaron Gwin 2nd, and Steven Walton 3rd in the Pro Men's DH
Bos Bryant 1st, Connor Clifford 2nd, and Travis Maliska 3rd in the Boys 11-12 DH
A huge thanks go out to the late Brent Thomson for having the vision, passion, strength, and friends for making these mountain bike trails. Also, not possible without the Boulder City Parks Department, DVO Suspension, GT Bicycles, ODI Grips, Intense Cycles, CushCore, All Mountain Cyclery, MJT Designs, Box Components, KHS Bicycles, Trucker Co, Mynesweepers, PYGA USA, Kore North, Alta Racks and Fezzari Bikes.
35 Comments
Congrats to Cole for the win on this Brutal Course!
Lastly, the Race Organizer for the Winter Gravity Series, Downhill Mike always runs a great show!!!!
Keiley Skelton was hard at work practicing the course all Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun am w her KHS posse or solo. She made the gnarly top look like a flow trail, and although she opted for the big bike, was carrying speed enough that she won by a hefty 15s. At 5:15, that would have put her non-manness towards the end of the manness field. McKenna Merten from AZ clocked at 5:30, and Kaia Jensen from ID rounded the podium and was the last adult woman on the day to post a sub-6min time, on an enduro bike please and riding the trail for the first time.
The rest of semi grown up women in cats 1, 2 and 3 were all over the place in terms of skills and times. Including yours truly who just decided that DH bikes are not designed to go uphill, and walked said uphill bits. Oh, and the course is super long compared to our NWCup races. That's my excuses at least.
The future is bright w the youngsters. Lil prodigy Brooke Anderson from Portland has been 11 for so long, she's now 15 i think. She was practicing hard w all her buddies from the Wy'East academy, a "school" for young rippers (jk, i'm sure they study math and history too). But she crashed a couple of times in her run, so we won't know how her time on a clean run would have compared w the other scorching fast young gal Teagan Heap, local demon who is still under 14 and clocked an impressive 5:39. Still in girls U14, Lillee Jenkins from Sedona was 2nd w a 6:30, and hot on her heels at 6:33 was one of our PNW fast gals Sierra Semsak, a product of Kat Sweet's Sweetlines program and now racing w Wy'East. Pretty awesome considering she's new to those trails, unlike the top 2 gals.
You're welcome! Keep on shredding ladies and youngals.
Also Texans: "OH MY GAWD. We lost power for 24 hours and it's forty degrees! Please send us federal aid, even though we're trying to secede from the union for the 14th time."