Two Weeks Two Races - Pro GRT Photo Epic Part Two

The two weeks in the middle of July is the self-titled "silly" season which means two big regional races, Pro GRT rounds 4 and 5, back to back. The span of eleven days, eleven hundred miles of asphalt in front of us, across five states, two individual trips with two and a half days "off" between venues. I've been told I perform best when I am busy and I actually find it pretty damn fun running around like a chicken with its head cut off. We start off in Snowshoe West Virginia, drive back to South Carolina (home) for two and a half short days, and then wrap it up in Western North Carolina at Beech Mountain Resort. The second in the series, this photo epic documents the conclusion of "Two Weeks Two Races." Part Two = Beech Mountain Resort.

Note: Things never seem to go as planned and with two solid days of rain, this weekend would not disappoint (or would that actually be "would disappoint?") With two days of constant rain in Western North Carolina we had to do some jockeying around of epic layout. We ended cramming in an hour or so of photography and XC riding in the Emerald Outback at the conclusion of Saturday's Pro-GRT DH Seeding late afternoon before the sun went down. Conditions and along with the available light left in the day forced a compressed schedule and unfortunately we didn't get to run the full gamut of what we would have liked to do. So, wait for it..... wait for it...... the XC features are at the conclusion of "Dial it in Day" below.

Getting There - Just under 150 miles and 3 hours, Round 5 is a bit closer to home. Once you pass the city of Marion, NC it's all country/mountain roads. Highway 221 is a heck of a difference from the car clogged Interstates 40, 26, 81, and 77 leading up to the general vicinity of the high country.

The Scenic Parkway - If you are ever in the area of North Carolina (or Virginia), make some time and take a drive on the closest section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There's 469 miles of it, so you've got lots of options. A suggestion...... you'd better set aside a good chuck of time, as the speed limit is 35 mph and you'll likely end up stopping every 10 miles (or less) to take in a view or for a photo opp. Makes for a long trip, but well worth it.

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Friday - Play Day - Round 2

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Well It Was Supposed to be a Play Day - Leading up to the weekend, I was told that in the past two weeks the mountain had one day of rain and the other 13 days were absolutely beautiful. Sun was out and trail conditions were dry and dusty. But, this wouldn't be a race weekend at Beech unless we had some wet stuff. This weekend would be no different from the others...... we awoke to lots and lots and lots of water droplets.

And This is Just the Parking Lot - If this is any indication of what track conditions will be, it should be and interesting weekend. Note: It's only Friday, day one of three, and it is 10:00 a.m. with the forecast calling for a full weekend of nonstop precipitation. Typical.

A Cold and Wet Walk - First timer Beechers Chad and Jessica Gilbert make the cold and wet walk to the slope for a closer look at track conditions and what they have to look forward to. On Friday July 18th, the official recorded high was 62 F and low was 55 F, without factoring in the wind and rain. Someone please remind me. This is summer? Right?

Mid-Day Munchies - With the park not opening until noon on Friday and using the morning as an opportunity for a course walk, a.m. hours blew by really quick. Before we knew it, it was time for some mid-day fuel. Today's choice was the Brick Oven Pizzeria in the middle of town. A little pricey, but damn good pizza and we'd recommend it.

Did Anyone See Where I Put My Beer? - Along with your choice of pie, you had your choice of beverage. Brick Oven claims to have over 100 different tastes to cater to your specific liking. I'm willing to bet, if it's made, it's in these coolers.

Reflections - The noon hour meant lift service was now open, but the question was do I up my bike and body weight in 5 minutes by adding on 30 pounds of mud with just one run or use some down time to do some bike maintenance in the hopes that the rain tapered off before the days end? Ultimately I don't think it mattered, now, later, tomorrow, you were still going to get nasty.

Where's the Bread and Jelly? - You saw the parking lot picture. Well, this is just the entrance to the lift house..... a better indicator of what we could expect conditions to be out on the course. Sandwiches anyone? We've got the peanut butter, where'd you guys put the bread and jelly?

Self Service - Riders where not out in huge numbers on Friday, but there was a steady flow of those that wanted to ride..... umm, I mean slip and slide down the course. Amanda Batty loads up for the 830 foot ascent solo ride to the top of the resort.

Rae's Mud Goatee - Don't tell Rae Gandolf that woman don't look great with facial hair, I mean a mud goatee. Some of you testosterone ridden male Pinkbike readers out there could only wish for a girlfriend/wife that isn't of afraid of a little mud and gnar.

Bath Time - A little slow today (Friday), but you could expect this will likely be the busiest place at the resort this weekend. Just a guesstimate, but you figure at least 5 to 10 pounds caked on the rider and 10 to 20 pounds (if not more) caked on the bike per run. There was lots to wash off. I'd hate to see the water bill after three days of constant use. Christina Faust (pictured directly above) cleans off her Transition before she turns the water on herself for an outdoor shower in full gear.

What Life Was Like 17 Years Ago - Had to stop for a shot of this. This circa 1997 Cannondale Super V 4000 looked to be in near MINT condition, one part of me thought it probably should be permanently displayed in a museum and the other part said, "let's see what this thing can do". Not sure who it belonged too and if it gets ridden..... it sure was damn cool.

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Saturday - Dial It In Day, Round 2 (plus some XC)

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They're Up There Somewhere - A brief peek out the front window too early Saturday morning and guess what? Imagine that, more of the same.....rain and fog. Under that blanket, there are mountains there somewhere. I know it, I’ve seen them before
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There Is a Miller in There Somewhere - Open practice kicked off at 10:00 and at roughly 5500 ft above sea level, you essentially sit in the clouds on overcast/rainy days. Inside the canopy, it's simply DARK. There is a shady fella named Zach Miller in there somewhere.

Zero Visibility - The canopy = DARK. The open slope = still little to no visibility. Again, this is mid-day. The open slope were the fastest sections of the course and you had better pray there were no riders down in front of you. Moving at speed with zero visibilty was recipe for a demo derby.

4th Fastest Quallied Junior - Andras Simon laid down the fourth fastest time in Juniors.

Practice, but No Qual Run - Giant Factory rider Marcelo Gutierrez practiced in the slop in the morning (pictured), but didn't lay down a seeding run. Too much slop? Or? Not sure which. He seemed quick all morning. Five other Pro riders would do the same, also DNS for seeding.

Top Junior - Shane Leslie, ODI Specialized Satellite Team, was having another good week coming off a win at Snowshoe. He seeded 1st in Juniors with a 2:39.83, which was 0.66 sec over his next closest competitor Luca Shaw, SRAM-Troy Lee Designs Racing.

First Man Down - Neko Mulally, Trek World Racing, was the first Pro down the course. He took the top spot from the beginning and held that seat as the other 25 riders laid down the best they could. Neko seeded with a 2:33.09.

The Lower Slop Section - In the past few years of coming to Beech, I've never seen the lower machined section of the course this bad. It was so peanut buttery, you had to pedal they entire section to keep the ground from sucking the energy right out of the bike. I heard complaints all weekend about how bad it was. Cody Johnson (pictured) on his 10th spot seeding run.

Kyle Grau - 11th Seed - I only recall a handful of the guys opting to double this roller section in the lower machined nastiness, Kyle Grau was one of those.

Michael Daniels - 9th Seed

Brendan Looby - 15th Seed

Qually Results - At the end of seeding, this was the pecking order for Sunday's round of racing.

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Saturday Evening - Play Day Rescheduled

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Our assault this week would be the trails of the Emerald Outback atop Beech Mountain. Same real scenario as Part One of this epic which you saw least week at Snowshoe, Beech too has XC trails, but every time we come to ride, we focus solely on DH the slopes of Beech Mountain resort. Time to check out what this place as to offer for those of us that don't mind some pedaling.

The Plan - First off, the weather wasn't on our side.... second, neither was time. With the low cloud ceiling, the 8:40ish p.m. sunset would come lot sooner than expected. Also, per the sign at the trailhead, a number of the Emerald Outback trails where closed/under construction so we really didn't get a proper ride in.... at least not what I initially had planned for. If you want to venture up what why for a ride, I suggest that you drop by Fred's Mercantile and pick up a map of all the trails in Beech Mountain just to be used as a general guide. I was told, outside the "Emerald Outback" area itself you can lose yourself with all of the break off trails and fire roads that are uninhabited.

Quick Look at the Radar - Jessica Gilbert gets connected and takes a quick look at the radar to see what mother nature has planned for the rest of Saturday. It looks as if all the wet stuff is done, at least until the late/early hours of the night. Did we finally get a break?

Access To - There's two ways you can get to the Emerald Outback, you can drive the back roads with a little sense of direction (and google maps), or I'd suggest should you come on a weekend, just drop by The Beech Tree, pick up a lift pass, take the lift up (or pedal your way up for those diehard XCers), get your XC on, then bomb down either the Green or Blue trails on the resort property (and do them again and again if you know what I mean). It was after hours for us, so a drive it was.

A Casual Stroll To - Just a short stint on the road before you enter The Land of Oz and the Emerald Outback.

Over The Road and Into the Woods..... - This looks like it, our entry point. 8 miles, 450 feet of elevation change, rated moderate to strenuous. Time to get our pedal on.

He Actually Is Capable of Wearing Color - Dude, look how pimping you look after adding some color into your ride. Doesn't this beat gray and/or black? (Sorry, can't resist the opp to give you a hard time Chad and I would totally expect the same in return).

It Sure Lives Up to Its Name - I am sure the fog played a big part into it and I am not sure how the "Emerald Outback" got its name, but these images sure do seem to point out the obvious. The ground foliage isn't filled with dense bush or overgrowth. Its very fern and grassy like..... quite beautiful and VERY Green/Emerald in color.

Nothing Overly Gnarly - No major gnar or super tech on the trail, just lots of slick roots and a small rock here and there. Great way to get away and cap off a full day on the DH course.


..... Out of the Woods and Over the Road - Jessica comes out the same why she went in, just a bit dirtier. Dirty girl!

Crash Test Dummies - Thanks to Chad (left) and Jessica Gilbert (right) for improvising, their patience with taking some images, and one heck of a long day. You guys rock!

A Casual Stroll From - That's pretty much all we have time for, keeping in mind we each are uber HUNGRY after laying down a single loop in the outback compounded with eight hours behind the lens or laying down 5 or 6 practice runs earlier in the day. Time to load and up and get some grub.

A Closer Look - Should you be interested in making the trip, here's the map specific to the Emerald Outback. As mentioned, I'd still pay a visit to a local retailer to pick up a map of the entire area as there is much more than the pictured available for your riding fix. Need more info? Click Here.

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Sunday - Throw it Down Day, Round 2

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FINALLY! I think mother nature was done with making it a wet one. The sun was out and the mercury had climbed a few degrees (I know I personally went from 5 layers down to 2 and no jacket). Everything you thought you had learned the two days before would slowly become very different.... under the canopy the mud would grease up and in the open slope it wouldn't take long for it to dry out. As you read through this, you'll see the effects of the conditions on the differences between the seeding times in the slop and the races times as things dried out. Let's going racing ladies and fellas!

GROM GROM GROM - Jimmy Leslie, the veteran GROM racer over the rock drop at the top of the course in the early minutes of the pre-race open practice session.

Young Mr. Branney - Matt Branney keeps it pinned as he is just about to enter the canopy. Sunday was a welcome change, no fog and the sun was showing its face. Visibility was 1000X better than it had been over the past two days.

Lead and Follow - Charlie Harrison and Dakotah Norton play lead and follow in the morning open practice session on the upper part of the course.

Final Tweaks to His Line Choice - Neko checks out the changing conditions and putting in the last tweaks to his line choice. He looked fast during the morning warm up. "Could he make it Two Weeks, Two Wins?"

Looking for Another Podium - Logan Binggeli, KHS Factory Racing, was looking to sit on the podium again this week. He too was looking fast in the morning session, but it was not to be. Though unverified, I heard a number of the factory riders had race run trouble and believe Logan was one of those. He ended up settling outside the top ten in 11th. Not what has was looking for.

Let's Not Forget the Little Guys - The Up and Comer's need some attention too. David Kahn, Danny's Cycles/Mount Snow, took the top spot in Cat 2/3 - Junior 18 & Under with a 02:49.91..... damn good time for that age group.

Made It Through the Rock Garden - Dwayne Thaynard was actually one of the first riders to make the infamous Rock Garden look easy but ended up going down right in front of me. Got up, took off, finished his run, and still good enough for the top spot in Men - Cat 2 - 19-29.

Full Extension - Chris Bramlage goes WAY WAY back too full extension. The rest of the course is breeze from this point forward.

Brad Just About Took a Digger - It might not be obvious from this photo, but local Brad Newby just about took a digger on this log. It looked like he just deadheaded into the log and his weight shifted forward and to the left. He rode it out and took the 7th spot in Men 40+. Welcome to the Over the Hill Club my friend..... now the phrase "It's All Downhill from Here" takes on a new meaning.

Up Two Spots - Seeding 6th, Andras Simon, laid down a race run in Juniors good enough to move him up two spots finishing in the 4th spot.

Let It Hang Out - Moar Tongue makes you Moar Faster.... at least that's what Roy Benge believes. That must be worth 2 tenths..... well, it's worth a pic anyway.

Wonder Woman - Although you might think she's dressed like either the Flash or Iron Man, we think Amanda Batty might actually be Wonder Woman. Earlier in the weekend she made an attempt to gap the rock (pictured), the rear tire introduced itself to that rock, cased the landing, and took a massive digger..... BUT WAIT, it wasn't over. Someone at speed took the same line and ended up literally landing on top of her. I was told she cracked a couple of ribs, yet she continued to ride all weekend and put down a 4th place Pro Women's race time. Prob not the result she was looking for, but considering all she dealt with....... she's WONDER WOMAN!

DC - Dylan Conte keeping it low retaining that speed in the open slope. He cracked the top ten in 9th with a 2:30.24. Nice run dude!

Brandawg's Back - Brandon Blakely missed the round at Snowshoe, but it was good to see him back in full Brandon style. He admitted he didn't "prep" for the race in normal fashion, but was happy to round out the top 10. Personally, I love to watch him pin it..... he’s got some of the best racing style out there. Never disappoints us photographers.

We are Family - Mom Morgan gives Max a happy Mom hug after his first career Pro-GRT win for Team Billy Goat Bikes/Mountain Khakis. Congrats Max! Been a long time coming and you deserve it. Best of luck at the next three World Cups. Know this….. though you won't be able to hear it, all of your friends and neighbors in the Southeast will be screaming at their TV and computer screens in full support.

Final Results - Max Morgan, Luca Shaw, and Alison Zimmer, all taking the top spots in their respective categories. The rest of the Official Results.

What's Next? The great state of NY at Windham for the pre-WC Eastern States Cup Race. Up to our northern neighbors for MSA's WC No 5. Topping it off with everybody converging at Windham for the WC before ending the North American run at Crankworx Whistler. Can't cram much more MTB Goodness into 5 weeks! It's time for me to go spend some time with my dog.,.... oh yeah, and my wife. See you next time!

Thanks to everyone involved who helped with this effort, whether that be a lot or even just the slightest bit…… Tyler Maine (Pinkbike) for the support, my wife Heither Schultz for putting up with me and yet another one of my many hobbies, Michael Dart for leading the way at Snowshoe, MP Spierer and Robin (didn't catch a last name, sorry ) for being great house guests, Talia Freeman for all access to the entire Beech Mountain area, Chad and Jessica Gilbert for allowing me to shack up with them and also taking orders from me for photo opportunities (I'm still proud of you bud, color can be your friend too!). Most importantly, thanks to all of the racers.... each of you are what makes this sport what it is and keeps me coming back to do what I do. I might record the moment, but you all are the ones that offer me that moment to freeze in time! Thanks All!