Race Report: Northwest Cup Round 2 - Dry Hill
Words and photography // OSmithRacing
After a very muddy round one, Dry Hill lived up to its name and offered a total contrast this past weekend. With temperatures in the mid to upper 60s and the sun shining constantly, riders went from fighting the mud to fighting the dust. Quiet, crisp mornings turned to busy warm afternoons. The sound of birds chirping, sticks snapping, and hubs rolling filled the hill. Even without the hustle and bustle of the Pro GRT, the race was packed with racers spectators, photographers, and event coordinators ready to get the weekend rolling.
In 2002, Chris Kovarik won at the World Cup in Fort William, Scotland. When Kovarik put down this incredible run he was on a 2002 Intense M1. Fast forward 17 years to today, that bike frame still exists and yes, people still ride it. At some point in the weekend, Kovarik discovered that a fellow Pro rider, Nick Bell not only owned an M1, but he had it with him. With nothing to lose, Kovarik decided to race Bell's M1 during his seeding run and the new 2019 M29 for his race run. On the M1, his time seeding time was a 02:31.17, putting him in 8th place! Although his race run was significantly quicker, 02:26.80, and got him a spot on the podium, the time on the M1 is very impressive.
After snapping his pedal in the last corner before the Transition Table, Jack Frischkorn was bucked over the handlebars and rolled down the table. He was able to get away without an injury and crossed the finish line with a 02:51.08. (Cat 1 Men 0-18.)
After a crash on White Knuckle, Matt Orlando struggled to put the race run he wanted together and finished with a 02:32.03. (Pro Men)
Natalie Brigandi, Port Angeles native took practice laps with her coach. Unfortunately, Brigandi missed the top spot and finished with a time of 05:38.40. (Cat 3 Women 11-18.)
After breaking his bike on this very drop, Riley Lathrop raced Pro Men on Dylan Brown’s trail bike. Lathrop finished with a 03:19.05. (Cat 2 Men 15-18.)
Pro racing couple, Kerstin Holster and Rye Livingston took practice laps all weekend. Rye finished with a 02:35.41 and Kerstin finished with a 02:57.87. (Pro Women and Pro Men)
After a rough crash during practice, Amy Ertel was unable to race resulting in a DNS in the results. (Cat 1 Women 0-18.)
Finding himself in the number two spot, Jobe Androckitis finished with a 03:39.93, only .05 seconds off first place! (Cat 3 Men 15-1
Helping to introduce Team Scraper, Walter Sorenson was able to put down a clean run and finish with a time of 2:44.83. (Cat 1 Men 19-29)
After a close call in the corner before Chunder Dome, Michael Buckley was able to recover and make it through the corner. In his race run, Buckley finished with a 02:39.67. (Cat 1 0-18.)
Guess the Maxxis tires couldn’t handle the hard dirt this weekend.
Although he didn’t get the result he was looking for, Brett Carels finished with a 03:24.21, still landing in the top half of his category. (Cat 2 Men 40-49)
Finishing in the top 10, Ethan Lieb finished with a 02:31.29. (Cat 1 Men 0-18.)
With the fastest time on the hill both Saturday and Sunday, Demetri Traintfillou finished his run with a 02:21.00. A full second ahead of the next rider. (Pro Men)
Claire Buchar went 2 for 2 this weekend with the fastest Pro Women time in seeding and race. Her race time was 02:40.76, 5 seconds faster than the rider in the two spot. (Pro Women)
Finding time between seeding and his race, Jackson Goldstone finished with a 02:27.44. This time put on the top of his category and would have put him in 6th place in Pro Men. (Cat 1 Men 0-18.)
Some dogs ride scooters, others prefer bike rides.
With a mixup in the schedule, all cats were trying to practice at the same time making the line outrageous.
With her second win at Dry Hill, Bailey Goldstone finished with a 02:51.38, a full seven seconds faster than her competition and on pace with the Junior Ex Men. (Cat 1 Women 0-18.)
The wait for the start list is always brutal.
After photographing round one, Drew Boxold put down a 02:33.09 and found himself on top of the podium. (Cat 1 Men 19-29)
The views on Muffin Top were unbeatable over the weekend.
The Sweetlines girls celebrating their many wins from the weekend.
With a 02:29.90, Russel Dale finished in the top 10 of Pro Men. His time was only .9 behind his competitor. (Pro Men)
Sometimes the EMT's wanna chance to take pictures too!
David Karasek, racing in the biggest category of the race with 49 riders, found himself in the top 10 with a time of 03:07.75. (Cat 2 Men 15-18.)
From Pemberton, BC, Jack Linnell rounded out the top five in Junior Ex with a time of 02:30.61, a mere 1.7 seconds behind his competition. (Cat 1 Men 0-18.)
Shimano is always there to help racers with there bikes.
Excited after her win, Emilie Simeur celebrates her time on the podium.
As the NW Cup continues to grow, the emphasis in family always remains. This past weekend, there was a couple of familiar faces that took it to the next step and went from a younger sibling spectator to a fellow racer. Two riders, in particular, stood out among everyone. Some of the youngest riders to ever ride in the NW Cup made their debut in Cat 3 Women 0-10 and Cat 3 Men 0-10. At both 5 years old, Emilie Simeur and Benson Blumenberg made their debut. Check out these young rippers!
At only 5 years old, making her one of the youngest riders in the NW Cup, Emilie Simeur raced for the first time ever! (Cat 3 Women 0-10)
Benson Blumenberg put down a solid run as the youngest rider in the NW Cup! (Cat 3 Men 0-10)
Taking after his dad, Wyatt Mckenzie put down a quick time of 03:32.26. (Cat 2 Men 0-14)
In one of the biggest categories in the cup, with 31 riders in total, Kaisen Olkonen faced tough competition. He finished with a 05:02.41. (Cat 3 Men 11-14)
After practicing with his dad, Cat 1 rider Brad Delzer, Braden Delzer put down a solid time of 03:10.75 and found himself in the top ten of his category. (Cat 2 Men 0-14)
Unfortunately, Cyclepath team member, Jesse Mattecheck, faced a gnarly crash during his race run cause him to walk down the trail and get a DNF in the results. (Cat 1 Men 30-39)
Spencer Baldwin laying it down on the table on White Knuckle during Saturday practice. In his race run, Baldwin finished with a 2:47.03. (Cat 1 Men 30-39)
Just missing the podium, Will Stevenson, the Port Angeles native finished with a 03:25.83. (Cat 2 Men 50+)
Putting down a clean run, John Pollock found himself 6 seconds ahead of the rider behind time with a time of 04:17.93. (Cat 3 Men 40-59)
Although he practiced throughout the weekend, Ryan Stern was unable to start his race run this weekend. (Cat 1 Men 40+)
West Coast racing is always the loudest on the hill.
Each race, Fox Head donates one of their new helmets to the NW Cup for the rider with the ugliest helmet to win. The rules are simple, have the ugliest helmet and you must have raced in it that day. Sometimes, the helmet doesn't quite fit the winner's head. When this happens, one lucky kid is gifted the new helmet.
The NW Cup would also like to give a big thanks to one of their sponsors, Lib Tech. Per traditions, Casey Northern hosts a raffle before podiums at every race. LiB Tech generously donates two snowboards to the lucky racer wholes ticket gets drawn.
For more photos from the race, click here.
Dry Hill mountain biking trails
Junior Ex Women Podium (left to right): Sydney Haberman, Gracey Hemstreet, Bailey Goldstone, Ella Erickson, Taylor Ostgaard.
Junior Ex Men Podium (left to right): Jakob Jewett, Cohen Skrypnek, Jackson Goldstone, Drew Mozell, Jack Linnell.
Pro Women Podium (left to right): Kerstin Holster, Kialani Hines, Claire Buchar, Autumn Parham, Elle Runyan.
Pro Men Podium (left to right): Chris Kovarik, Samuel Thibault, Demetri Traintfillou, Jason Eiswald, Torsten Brown.
For the full results click here.
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12 Comments
- 20 0
swan3609
(May 12, 2019 at 10:29)
I was so stoked that Kovarik decided to take my M1 for a rip! Was awesome to see him go through it and set it up for himself like he did back in the day. I was bummed that I couldn't lay down a clean run all weekend on the fresh M9. I probably should have just stayed riding the M1 since that's what I am so used to.
- 6 0
WestwardHo
(May 13, 2019 at 7:54)
Only 5 seconds slower on a 17 yr old bike. Wow. Makes you wonder if all these constantly changing standards and geometries are really worth it.
- 4 0
swan3609
(May 13, 2019 at 17:47)
5 seconds is still a huge gap on a 2:30 second course in the pro class.
- 4 0
olympicdirtsociety
(May 12, 2019 at 11:19)
Oops! Sorry folks! One small error. This is for Round 2 of the NW Cup like the name says. Please ignore the headline photo and continue to enjoy the other photos! Even photographers make mistakes!
- 2 0
tylermjohnson
(May 14, 2019 at 11:25)
This was my first MTB race. I loved it! The event organization was smooth and good, and the tracks were amazing. That CAT 2 course was phenomenal. I can't wait to ride out there again!
- 3 0
Yaan
(May 12, 2019 at 16:55)
Another great race with a big turnout, 426 racers.
Well done Guys.
May the sun shine at Skibowl.
- 1 0
scotttherider
FL (May 13, 2019 at 6:03)
Muddy skibowl is better. Upper is hero while the woods are sloppy....
- 3 0
Holstermx26
(May 13, 2019 at 11:30)
Such a great time, I love the NW Cup fam!
- 3 0
frankenpilot
(May 12, 2019 at 18:02)
Thanks for a great race!
- 2 1
mtbikeaddict
(May 13, 2019 at 9:22)
What I would've given to see Kovarik rip that M1... If I had only known... I even live close... *sigh* lol so awesome
- 1 0
geephlow
(May 13, 2019 at 8:12)
That crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon shot of Jack Frischkorn is money!
- 1 0
bstill30
(May 12, 2019 at 10:06)
Round 1?
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