Video: Despite Gnarly Conditions, the Tennessee National Enduro Went on at Windrock

Mar 16, 2022
by Blake Cherubini  

Snow, downhill bikes, and people running with their bikes, on a drastically shortened race course… Those aren’t the typical words you hear to describe an enduro mountain bike race. Downhill bikes normally stick to a downhill course and a race that involves running with your bike normally only applies to cyclocross, but this race was far from normal. This was the reality though for the 2022 Tennessee National EWS Qualifier at Windrock Bike Park.

bigquotesThe weather was already calling for snow and what not and we were just like there’s no way it’s gonna happen. Then we woke up and it was a disaster.Damon Sedivy

The amount of snow in the forecast was changing by the hour on Friday, many were optimistic that any snow would fall at all, but nobody was expecting what came next… Windrock experienced extremely high isolated winds overnight, turning what once was a thriving pit area into an absolute disaster. Couple that with about 4 inches of snow at the base and reports of around 9 inches at the downhill start gate, Sean Leader (Owner of Windrock Bike Park) had a nightmare to deal with.

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Due to the unfortunate conditions, Sean made the call to cancel the Downhill race that was supposed to take place early that morning. One thing was for certain though, the enduro was going to happen the following day.

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It was all hands on deck for the trail crew, which also happens to be a crew full of racers that were planning on competing that weekend, certainly not planning on improving their snow removal skills. The trail crew and many volunteers worked around the clock on Saturday clearing the trails with leaf blowers and rakes. They even called in some help from a couple of American Hard Enduro racers to ride the trails on their dirt bikes in order to help get them back down to dirt instead of snow. The hard work was worth it.

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4 stages turned into 3 shortened stages, but the race was on. Race may be a pretty far fetched word to describe this day. Survival, frustration, and misery may be a more fitting description.

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bigquotesThat was the gnarliest mud I've ever ridden for sure. 100% glad I’m alive.Max Beaupre

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bigquotesIt’s some of the techiest stuff I've ever had to ride in some of the worst conditions. I don’t know, I guess it’s fun trying to challenge yourself.Ethan Flanigan

With the downhill race being canceled the day before, a handful of riders decided to race the enduro on their downhill bikes. Yes, you read that right… Nik Nestoroff, Seth Stevens, and Rachel Pageau raced their downhill bikes at an EWS qualifier. Crazy? Well, you might be right, but it paid off.

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Rachel Pageau 1st place on a DH bike. Nik Nestoroff 4th place on a DH bike behind Kasper Woolley (3rd) Max Beaupre (2nd) and Richie Rude (1st) (Pictured above)

The 2022 Tennessee National surely wasn’t what everyone expected or hoped for, but this was the epitome of bike racing at Windrock Bike Park, a dedicated team of trail builders and riders making the best out of the worst conditions one could imagine.


Video & Photos by: Blake Cherubini & Chase Cherubini
Written by: Blake Cherubini
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blake_cherubini/

Author Info:
CherubiniB avatar

Member since Jun 13, 2018
5 articles

53 Comments
  • 142 3
 The "don't ride muddy trails" crew be big mad right now.
  • 25 0
 Good thing the Windrock Trail Crew loves a good mudder lol
  • 65 0
 @CherubiniB: LOL, I did like their strategy of sending the motos down first to bring up the dirt.... Pretty sure 50% of the people in my town would have an aneurysm when presented with that idea.
  • 5 0
 8th photo down, #puremisery
  • 3 0
 @landscapeben: But, was he running a fender? The comment section taught me you need that in muddy conditions.
  • 19 14
 Im one of those types - but not a bike park. I save those gripes (and yelling at riders) for National Forest / public trails where 99% of those riders dont maintain or help do shit. Thats when Ill make yr eardrums bleed. Bike parks are maintained so have at it
  • 3 1
 @Mtn-Goat-13: not sure why the downvotes? Obviously people who never have lifted a shovel.
  • 5 2
 @jaydawg69: Dunno (and thanks for the props) - I guess because the downvote blackshirts on PB don't really give a shit about wild trails, and just wanna ride without hearing this? Also - because most people are in fact the snitch, Chinese, word-and-life Nazi's they claim to despise so there's that... but every time I see a comment that's been hidden, I just wanna see what it is. I'm happy to read any comment here, agreed or not but today's legions of whining c****'s don't agree apparently.

And a fact bike princesses - no one gives a shit if you f*ck up bike park trails, but f*cking up public land makes you a dick.
  • 1 1
 @jaydawg69: probably because he sounds like a jackass going on about yelling and bleeding eardrums? But what do I know?
  • 1 1
 @1stevenml: apparently not so much
  • 42 0
 Attention: if you, or a loved one, raced TN National Enduro 2022, your entire bike may be entitled to weeks of service at the LBS.
  • 7 0
 Yeah, no freaking kidding. My son "raced" in U21. We are currently still taking hs bike apart and cleaning it. His comment after stage 1 was "Holy shit Dad that was scary!" and then went on to finish the race.
  • 37 0
 "wife rode it around the block a few times, we're moving and can't take it with us, Strava says it has 50 miles on it. $7000 no low balls I know what I got"
  • 2 0
 I was looking for a bike recently, and I saw so much of that. Great comment
  • 33 1
 There goes that one shipment of parts we'll probably get this year.
  • 15 0
 Looks like every race in Scotland, October till June
  • 16 0
 How many UK riders looked at this and said "prime conditions" ?
  • 10 0
 Totally core. Mud & dirt where I live (western NC / Pisgah) is easy to clean off, being moslty metamorphic bedrock & thus larger grain dirt. The sedimentary sludge at Windrock is the worst - its an ultra-fine grain that gets into every crack & crevice & takes hours to clean off, and even then - still persists. Love some Windrock but only when its dry… just takes too much time otherwise
  • 18 5
 I dunno about everyone else, but looks like a good time to me.
  • 2 0
 Bestest conditions to race bikes!
  • 10 0
 Props to Windrock for the determination and effort to pull that off. Wise is perhaps debatable Wink , but passionate and hard working certainly aren't.
  • 10 1
 Placing 2nd and 3rd is not worth a mention on Pinkbike? Their hard work does not count? But placing fourth in men's is worth a mention?
  • 5 5
 PB is not really the Race News site, so.......
  • 10 1
 Those poor bikes.... there were surely a whole lot of miserable mechanics after this mess haha
  • 7 1
 Gwin is raising money to help privateers who got their pits exploded. Would be nice to mention in the article.

aarongwinmerch.com
  • 5 0
 I'm no longer able to edit my article or else I would for sure add that in there.
  • 5 1
 We raced xc near Chattanooga on Sunday at Look Out Mountain but we were done by 12noon and the trails stayed mostly frozen. It was so cold (19 degrees F) at the start but traction was awesome and the course was fun.
  • 2 0
 I feel for the guys having to clean those Yetis... I can tell you, that's noooo fun. One of the several reasons why I sold the SB 150. Not made for everything but dusty and dry conditions and even then still a pain in the butt to clean
  • 6 0
 So new bearings, shock, fork and dropper service after that?
  • 6 0
 British People: "I don't see the issue here, mate."

Also Seattle people.
  • 2 0
 How did they pedal the dh bikes to reach the start? Or it was a completely uplift assisted enduro race ?
  • 10 0
 For multiple reasons, the stages had to be shortened… which meant that the majority of the pedaling to the stages was no longer a factor. There was still a little bit, but it essentially turned into a 3 stage DH/survival race lol
  • 3 0
 What cost more? Those ez-up tents or those drivetrains and brakes…
  • 4 3
 Ahhh do the other women on the podium not have names? Just when it feels like women are making progress in the sport haha
  • 2 0
 How come the SENDERBUDS didnt participate in the enduro??
  • 8 0
 Haha been a long off season off of the bike. Winter weather was crappy this year and we were gone for a month working. Don’t wanna jump back into the TN Nat cold turkey… and Chase has a weird nerve problem in his hand currently so getting rowdy on the bikes flares it up real quick. We’ll be back for it next year!
  • 1 0
 Can I borrow the pic of the guy pushing his bike to give the locals a heart attack?
  • 2 0
 Go for it lol
  • 1 0
 @CherubiniB: Gracias! Smile
  • 2 0
 Can't compete against Richie Rude at Nationals. World class fast.
  • 1 0
 Normally conditions at a Maydena enduro
m.pinkbike.com/photo/22230968
  • 1 0
 Please keep doing stuff like this. I think you've found your calling cause you're killing it on and off the bike.
  • 1 0
 I wonder what tires everyone was running.... seems like one of the few times the Maxxis Wetscream would be a viable option.
  • 2 0
 I like the evolution from send'r buds to this
  • 1 0
 Shred it up Auburn locals!
  • 2 0
 HIs mudder was a mudder
  • 2 0
 Finally. This.
  • 2 0
 Kramer!! lol
  • 1 0
 Bravo for racing despite of the conditions tough people!
  • 1 0
 Now that's DH Racing!!!!
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