There's nothing like visiting a new riding destination for the first time. The anticipation of new terrain, the surprises around the corner, the unexpected challenges. The Vittoria Eastern States Cup crew got all that and more as they brought their traveling gravity show to the Thunder Mountain Bike Park at Berkshire East ski area in Charlemont, Massachusetts for the first time this past weekend. This was the first major event for the new bike park, and they hit a home run.
Praise for the mountain's offerings has been spreading like wildfire since it opened in early July. Berkshire East ski area has been owned by the Schaefer family for almost four decades. Lucky for us, Jon Schaefer, the mountain's general manager and one of four accomplished ski racing brothers, is also an avid mountain biker. Schaefer helped build an expansive 35-mile single-track network in the area with the area’s NEMBA chapter. Adding lift-serviced gravity riding to the mix started to become a reality last fall. Going all in, the mountain hired builders Gravity Logic to develop their new trail system. After putting the Whistler Bike Park on the world stage, Gravity Logic has earned an almost mythical reputation among riders. And its well-deserved. The completed trails at Thunder Mountain (many more are in the works) are an absolute blast.
Despite its rookie status on the race scene, Thunder Mountain sure knows how to take care of racers. For starters, they opened their summit quad an hour early both days to facilitate course walks. This gave the event a nice World Cup feel, with bands of riders sprinkled through the woods discussing line options.
The mountain also built a beautiful start ramp with a hand-hewn balance bar, a far cry from some of the more improvised starts we've seen out there. They even cut a temporary entrance to the popular Sleeping Jake's trail so that other park users could access the run without crossing over the race trail. Never seen that before. Junior racer Michael Maldonado gave the new start ramp the thumb's up.
The race was held on the double-diamond Schist trail, which started with a steep bang right out of the gate.
The steep and rocky first pitch was a riddle for riders all weekend as the slabby pile of rocks was continuously shifting and settling. Pro rider Leif Lorenzen hammered it right down the gut.
The track then plunged briefly down an open slope with panoramic views and a bit of air time. Local Junior-X rider Collin McBride sent it deep off the knoll.
A sharp roll over into a rock garden was the next puzzle to solve for racers. Most riders, including Cat 1 19-29 runner up Sean Surprenant, tried to keep their tires on the ground and gobble up the obstacles.
Some pro riders, including Adam Delonais found a way to double through the jumble and at least one (any guesses?) went for the big huck over the whole section.
A tasty exit berm launched racers into the darkness of the Schist woods. Pro rider Dan O'Connor, one of the best bike handlers on the tour, sped to a fifth-place finish on the day.
The Schist woods are not for the faint of heart. The terrain is too steep for sustained fall line riding so there is a wealth of rooty off-camber traverses connected by technical switchbacks. Did I mention it was rooty? And off camber?
Race organizers did not skimp on the tape as the track snaked down the mountainside. There was a nice mix of tight taping and wide open sections to allow some creativity for racers. Drummer Racing Cat 1 rider Jack Williams sped into the maze and took third in his category.
Being a new track, there was still loam to be found, and plenty of bomb holes in the corners. A number of riders got pitched over the bars in this section. Cat 2 40+ rider Mark Schnepel kept it smooth for a second-place finish in his category.
The switchbacks were rough and fast as racers accelerated through tight trees. Thunder Mountain saw the return to action of MadKats pro Tim White who was sidelined by a horrific crash at Sugarbush just over a month ago. The accident doesn't appear to have affected his hard-charging style, and it was great to see him back on the bike.
Did I mention it was rooty?
There's no real signature obstacle on the Schist. Rather, it is a consistently challenging track with no big drops or other scary features. This rocky mound offered one of the few chances for riders to leave the ground during the entire woods section. Mansfield Cycles Junior-X rider Aidan Casner took to the air for his first win since moving up to the expert class last season.
As the pitch lessened lower on the track, the trail began to straighten, allowing racers to get off the brakes and let 'em run.
Some well-built and well-placed berms kept the speeds high through transitions lower on the mountain. MadKats pro Isaac Allaire, who's been demolishing tracks all season, demolished his equipment instead on his race run, snapping a carbon crank in half and ending his day on a sour note.
One final rough section, requiring pinpoint accuracy, spit riders out of the woods for good and into the fast final open section of the track. Fast Line Racing pro Jason Scheiding, who's been focusing a bit more on enduro racing this season, showed he still has his downhill chops with a sixth-place finish.
A final high-speed step-down offered the biggest airtime on the track. MadKats Junior-X rider Ben Bodycoat, runner-up in his category on the day, showed some solid style off the 28-foot sender.
A dreamily-smooth power berm sent riders, like Speed Legion pro Chris Mari, rocketing through the POC speed trap and across the finish line at warp speed.
After crossing the finish line, riders, like Cat 2 15-18 runner-up Zach Baron, flew off a final jump into an impressive World Cup-sized finish corral directly in front of the base lodge.
Live music and an outdoor beer garden and grill kept the mood summery and festive on practice day.
The early fall temperatures quickly dropped after the sun went down. Campfires were the social hubs in the pits after hours. Pros Jordan Newth and Isaac Allaire consumed several pounds of pasta between them.
Race day started out cold and foggy but the late-September sun burned off the fog in the beautiful Deerfield River valley by the time the lift began to spin.
The mountain has a northwestern-facing aspect so the first lift ride of the day was a cool one until you got high enough to hit the sun. And sun, despite its name (a nod to the original moniker of the Berkshire East ski area from the 1950s) is apparently abundant at Thunder Mountain, which is the first ski area in the world to completely power itself with onsite renewable energy. There is a large solar array and a windmill atop the peak that provide the juice.
The track was incredibly well-staffed with volunteers and bike patrollers. There was a large contingent of UMass ski team members acting as volunteer course marshals with red flags and alert whistles for passing riders, just like at World Cup events.
The women's pro field was topped by Speed Legion pro Mary Elges. This was the third win for Elges this season. Formerly a pro cross country racer in the 1990's, Elges took up downhill in 2012. Next season she will be 49 and is the oldest female pro racing in the country. Asked about her motivation, Elges said: "I like to live by Eleanor Roosevelt's quote: 'Do one thing that scares you everyday.' I am grateful and totally stoked to still be racing and riding a bike so competitively." Amen to that Mary, you rock.
Taking second was Transition Bikes pro Ella Skalwold. Since turning pro in August, Skalwold has become a podium mainstay.
Vicky Morrill, who hasn't missed a New England Cup downhill this season, finished in the third spot for the third consecutive time.
MadKats pro Mauricio Estrada, who generally sticks to the Atlantic Cup series, brought his A-game to the New England tour and put down an absolutely scorching run to take the pro men's win by over five seconds. The 32-year old veteran feels and rides like a 19-year-old. Estrada qualified for his first World Cup event more than a decade ago at Vigo, Spain and his love for the sport hasn't dimmed since. Estrada works full time for a bike company but finds time to train after work. "It is not easy to be a father and husband, and to work, train and race at the same time but when you love something you have to find the way to make everything work." Like most racers Estrada, was impressed with Thunder Mountain. "I loved the track. It was really technical with multiple line choices and fast sections. I like when you have to check for good lines and take your time to find the right bike set-up because of the difficulty of the track. I think the mountain is doing an impressive job. I did some free riding and they have a good combination of technical and mellow trails. This bike park is a must-go place."
Yeti Cycles pro Jason Memmelaar, who has had great success of late in the enduro world, took home the second spot for his best downhill result since a win at Mount Snow over a year ago. Memmelaar edged out a tight bunch of racers, with the second through fourth spots separated by less than half a second.
Despite missing practice on Saturday and only getting in four practice runs, MadKats pro Alex McAndrew edged out Giant Factory Racing pro Brian Scolforo to take the third spot, his fourth consecutive DH podium.
As a testament to the quality of Thunder Mountain's riding experience, the pits were nearly empty after the race as most riders spent the afternoon riding the mountain. Long trains of riders were seen ripping up the trails, especially the super fun jump line, The Gronk.
Though he didn't quite make this attempt, Flatline Racing's Josh Tidman won an impressive and crowd-pleasing bunny hop contest after the racing was over.
The fast bunch. The winners of the POC speed trap contest.
The women's pro podium from left: Vicky Morrill-3rd, Mary Elges-1st, Ella Skalwold-3nd, Cait Dooley-4th
The men's pro podium from left: Dan O'Connor-5th, Alex McAndrew-4rd, Mauricio Estrada-1st, Jason Memmelaar-2nd, Brian Scolforo-4th
Putting on a race is a tough assignment for any mountain. Thunder Mountain passed the test at the top of the class. After opening less than three months ago, the quality of experience they offered was just remarkable. We'll be back. Don't forget, both Vittoria ESC downhill series come to a dramatic conclusion over the Columbus Day weekend at Plattekill Bike Park in less than two weeks. Double points are on the line and the overall championships in every category are up for grabs. See you there!
Words and pics by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
RESULTS HERE:
.rootsandrain.com/race3313/2015-sep-27-vittoria-esc-new-england-cup-dh-7-thunder-mountain-ma/easternstatescup.comfacebook.com/easternstatescup2015 VITTORIA ESC Schedule:
Atlantic Downhill
May 3 Duryea Urban Downhill – Reading, PA
May 24 Plattekill Gravity Open – Roxbury, NY
May 31 Mountain Creek UCI ProGRT – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship
June 21 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
July 19 Windham Mountain World Cup Track Test Race – Windham, NY
Aug 9 Windham Race the World– Windham, NY – World Cup Weekend
Sept 13 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals
New England Downhill
June 14 Pats Peak MTB Bike Festival – Henniker, NH
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
July 12 Jiminy Peak – Hancock, MA
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown
#2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown
#3 – Warren, VT
Aug 30 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH- USAC State Championship
Sept 27 Thunder Mountain– Charlemont, MA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals
East Coast Super DH Championships
Oct 18 Mountain Creek – Vernon NJ
Enduro
May 10 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
June 7 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA - USAC State Championship
June 28 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH - USAC State Championship
July 4 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT - USAC State Championship
Aug 2 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown
#2 - Dover VT
Aug 22 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown
#3 – Warren, VT
Sept 6 Killington Enduro Finals – Killington, VT
Super D
May 30 Mountain Creek Super D – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship
BOX Components East Coast Showdown Series
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown
#2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown
#3 – Warren, VT
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