Race Report and Video: Eastern States Cup Enduro Finals at Thunder Mountain, MA

Maxxis ESC Enduro Finals - Thunder Mountain, MA

MAXXIS Eastern States Cup Enduro finals Thunder Mtn

As winter draws closer in the Northeast, Maxxis ESC Enduro racers pack up and head to Charlemont, Massachusetts for the tenth and final round of the season. We have raced here more than any other venue in 2018 and for good reason, the versatility is unmatched with the Warfield Trails located within pedaling distance of Thunder Mountain Bike Park, providing a full enduro race experience. This weekend's race course features six grueling stages, four of which leave bike park boundaries, intertwined by a mix of pedal and lift transfers. Fall is in full swing here in New England, but it feels more like early winter with temperatures dropping into the 30's at night and barely reaching into the 40's during the day. After a total of 49 stages raced over seven months, it all comes down to one last race for double points and all the marbles.

7:22am on race day, 36 degrees Fahrenheit in the Pioneer Valley.

Layers and foliage at the final riders meeting of the season.

Dual slalom track warmup laps before a frigid lift ride to the first stage of the day.

Stage 1 ran Back of the Shack to Thunder Cliffs to Billy Badger, a combination we've ran many times before but racers still seem to love. NBX rider David Flynn was the only rider to send this gap on his way to a top ten Pro Men's finish.

Flat Tire Defender Super Stage winners rewarded for their performance on Stage 1, including fastest amateurs Adrian Hayden and Marie Vaine.

After a lift transfer back to the summit riders would start Stage 2 on Harold's Blend before briefly leaving TMBP boundaries on the two mile long Wilderness Brook Trail. Kyle Field had plenty of gas to go flat out toward the end of this lengthy stage, he would finish fourth for the 21-29 Men's class.

For the third and fourth stages of the race, riders would pedal across Route 2 and up Riddell Road to the Warfield Trails network. Nick Girioni attacks Stage 3 on Cotton Candy, he would finish the race and overall series second in the 15-20 Men's class.

After climbing for nearly a mile, riders dropped in to TV Tower for Stage 4. Evan Portnoy lets it roll on one of the final corners before pedaling back to Thunder Mountain, he would earn a top ten result Sunday and third in the U15 Boys series overall.

Stephane Simard kicks off another journey outside the bike park boundary from the summit on Billy's World for the fifth stage of the day, he finished fifth in the 40-49 Men's class.

First time ESC racer Finnegan Harrington shows some Stage 5 style on his way to a third place 15-20 Men's finish.

Valley Bikes and Ski Werks rider Noah Couture took second place in the Clif Kids class Sunday with enough points to capture the series title, impressive results in his first ESC season!

Nathan Sterckx puts down the pedal power on the final sprint of Stage 5, he would win all six stages in his fifth win of the season on his way to take the 15-20 year old champions jersey.

One final lift transfer to the final and most technically challenging stage of the day on Wine Tree. Mainer Justin Lagassey captured two stage wins to take top honors and the series overall for the 21-29 year old men.

Ethan Zysman was able to squeeze just inside the 15-20 Men's top ten with a ninth place result at Thunder.

Liam Nichols airs out one of the final features on Stage 6, he would win this and two others stages on his way to securing the race win and the overall points battle.

Our fastest amateur racers on Stage 6, Forrest Conrad and Marie Vaine, along with the rest of the Alex Rims Super Stage winners.

Bike Check

For our final bike check of the season we take a closer look at Chris Gilbert's beautiful, big wheeled Transition Sentinel.

Fork: Fox 36 170mm
Shock: Fox DPX2
Seatpost: Fox Transfer
Wheels: Alex Rims Ved Three
Seat: Anvl Stealth Ti
Stem: Box Cusp
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF
Bars: Box One
Brakes: Formula Cura
Cassette: Box Two
Grips: Box
Shifter: Box One
Derailleur Box One
Cranks; Race Face Atlas
pedals: Anvl Tilt
Guide: One Up
Chain: Box One

It's the last hurrah so the Maxxis ESC team cleaned out the garage, tossing a ton of sponsor product to the crowd before the awards ceremony.

The FOX Climbers Challenge is normally decided by the fastest single transfer, this weekend it was fastest from the start of Stage 1 to the finish of Stage 6. Finnegan Harrington proved to be the fastest amateur start to finish, including transfers, and won himself a FOX Transfer dropper post.

Liv Co-Factory Team rider Clarissa Finks finished third place on the day and second in the Pro Women's overall points battle.

Clair Sick kept it consistent through all six stages on race day, finishing runner-up with a final race time of 38:53.

It was Rachel Pageau in the Pro Women's top spot come Sunday afternoon, taking the win by over two minutes and not giving up a single stage to her competitors. The Devinci Cycles rider took the Enduro series title by 58 points, claiming back to back double Maxxis ESC championships. "This weekend was quite hard for me, with college and planning next season I've been extremely busy and tired and a long race in the cold weather almost got the best of me! I was riding well but made a few mistakes, including a nasty crash (and concussion) on Saturday. Happy I could still take home the W, it's been a great season but I'm ready to be done racing now!"

Pro Women from left: 3rd - Clarissa Finks, 1st - Rachel Pageau, 2nd - Clair Sick, 4th - Alison Crocker

Adam Robbins rounded out the Pro Men's top three with a stage win and enough gas to take the 2018 series win by 57 points.

Drummer Racing's Steve Estabrook raced mostly Downhill in past seasons but has become quite the Enduro racer in 2018, he would finish just 14 seconds off the win after six stages of racing this weekend. Enough to land himself a podium spot for the overall and become the only male to finish top five in the Maxxis ESC Enduro and DH series this year.

Seamus Powell ended the season on a high note, checking off three stage wins on his way to the top spot with a final race time of 26:03. "Really excited to take the Eastern States Cup finals win. It's been a couple weeks since the last race and I haven't been on my bike much since then. So coming into this weekend I was excited and pretty fresh but also didn't know how the body would handle six stages in one day. Typically race days can be pretty short at a bike park event but with only two stages in the bike park proper meant plenty of pedaling. I think this was the best season ender ever for me, taking the win on my birthday weekend in front of my family was awesome!"

Pro Men from left: 5th - Max Beaupre, 3rd - Adam Robbins, 1st - Seamus Powell, 2nd - Steve Estabrook, 4th - Chris Miller

Riley Mack attended all ten ESC Enduro events in 2018 and took home the Ironman Award. It shouldn't be hard to spot him in the pits next season, just look for the fresh Maxxis Easy Up.

And the winners are...

Your 2018 Maxxis Eastern States Cup Enduro champions.

Pro Women's series overall from left: 3rd - Clair Sick, 1st - Rachel Pageau, 2nd - Clarissa Finks, 4th - Alison Crocker

Pro Men's series overall from left: 5th - Steve Estabrook, 3rd - Jason Scheiding, 1st - Adam Robbins, 2nd - Chris Miller, 4th - Willem Cooper

Thank you all for coming out for the past seven months and making this the best race community in the US. This isn't goodbye, it's we'll see you next year. Stay tuned, the Maxxis ESC crew is already working hard to keep improving the series, just please don't ask when the schedule comes out.

Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Jason Scheiding

Full Race Results
Full Series Results
Easternstatescup.com

2018 MAXXIS ESC SCHEDULE

ENDURO
April 22 Glen Park, PA
May 6 Plattekill, NY
May 20 Binghamton, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 12 Victory Hill, VT
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA
Sept 30 Wilmington, NY
Oct 21 Thunder Mountain, MA Finals

DOWNHILL
May 6 Plattekill, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 19 Windham, NY
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 14 Mount Snow, VT Finals

BOX SHOWDOWNS - DH and Enduro on the same day
May 6 Plattekill, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA

CLIF ENDURO EAST presented by Maxxis ESC
July 1 Mountain Creek, NJ - EWS Qualifier
July 29 Thunder Mountain, MA - EWS Qualifier
Sept 16 Victory Hill / Burke Mountain - EWS North American Continental Championships FINALS

CLIF ENDURO LITE presented by Maxxis ESC
July 8 Burke Mountain - Beginner Enduro Racers - Families - Kids - Fun!

Posted In:
Racing and Events Race Reports Maxxis

Author Info:

Eastern-States-Cup
Member since Mar 14, 2012
239 articles

8 Comments

Jonathan2003 (Oct 23, 2018 at 17:35)

I think this really is one of the best racing communities and series in the U.S as Andrew said. So many great races with amazing trails that bring together so many people. This was my first year racing the ESC's and I loved every second. I made so many new friends and progressed so much as a rider and racer. Already looking forward to next season!

moutnbiker FL (Oct 23, 2018 at 11:56)

What a great season ender. Big thank you to to ESC crew for putting on such a great series. See y'all next year!!

NorcoSight (Oct 23, 2018 at 13:57)

Great season ESC! We all had a blast. Looking forward to next season already.

JonathanPBoro (Oct 23, 2018 at 14:56)

It was an epic closer to a rowdy season. New England Enduro is no joke. But what a party! Looking forward to that 2019 Schedule ????

ittbechristina (Oct 23, 2018 at 16:54)

Super stoked to be a part of the ESC this season! Great times and awesome memories! Looking forward for 2019!!

liv2ryder (Oct 23, 2018 at 15:34)

Prime conditions on the best course of the season. ESC Rules. How many months till the opener?

mrshappy0 (Oct 24, 2018 at 8:26)

What a great race! So glad I could take part in this. Had such a blast! Lets go 2019!

AJG137 (Oct 24, 2018 at 9:23)

ESC does a great job putting together a first class enduro racing circuit for the East Coast. Keep it up!