Race Report: POC ESC Super D and Enduro Cup Finale at Killington

All good things must come to an end. That is a generally accepted universal truth that applies to virtually everything. Enduro, believe it or not, is one of those. But if you're going to have an enduro season sendoff, you might as well make it count. The 2014 POC Eastern States Cup Enduro Cup finale took place at Killington Resort in the heart of the Green Mountains of Vermont and you better believe we made it count. The POC ESC Series paid out over $8000 cash on the weekend and well over $20,000 cash over the enduro and super d season! The mountain affectionately known as "The Beast" holds a number of challenging, gnarly and fun trails within its vast forests and would have many riders calling it the best course of the season by the end of the weekend. We were reminded of our place in the mountains during Saturday's Super-D finale when the skies opened up seconds before the first racer would take to the course and added an exponential challenge to the already rowdy course. The following day would greet riders with a warm and sunny disposition and provided everyone there with a fitting farewell to the 2014 enduro season. Fortunately, riders had ample opportunity to become acquainted with the trails on Saturday morning prior to the deluge that met up with the riders just in time for the Super-D that afternoon.


On Friday night, people began to show up and camp out under beautiful and clear skies that would belie the impending weather coming the next day.


Killington is a monster of a mountain, with thousands of acres of boundary-to-boundary terrain and over 2000 feet of vertical mountainside to explore on your bike. This place is the ultimate enduro and gravity destination on the east coast and will see a number of major developments in the not too distant future.


Ah, but September on the second highest peak in Vermont is an unpredictable month and while the nasty stuff would hold off for most of the day on Saturday, our luck would run out by race time.


The ancient forest and mountains of this part of the country make for some glorious loam and deep and dark trails.


Amy Alton was the first pro woman down the course and was making quick work of the first major rock slab on the day. Despite suffering a flat as she transitioned from the slab to flat, just making it down in one piece was reason enough to smile.


Lauren Peterson was full tilt all weekend despite having to contend with the surprise monsoon.


Matt Cork is as fast as they come but more importantly knows how to keep it loose and fun when he's riding his bike. Here he's keeping it together on one of the sketchiest sections of the course while the full-faced is failing to hide his smile.


Matt Sebas took 2014 by the proverbial horns and rode it faster than just about everyone else. The Vermont native would stand on the podium on most of the Super-D's and Enduros throughout the series and would do so once again this season. We can't wait to see what next season has in store for him!


Philly fast guy Harlan Price wasn't about to let flash flooding keep him grounded during the Super-D.


Adam Snyder proved to be more functional than the cameras on course that were trying to keep up with him in the pouring rain!


Anthony Coneski welcomed everyone to Beacon in July and on September 6th he would help himself to a win in the Super-D for the pro men. If you don't know about Mr. Coneski, you'd better ask somebody.


This would be the final image of the day from Saturday's epic and drenched Super-D. Things got gnarlier once the riders got into the woods and unfortunately it was just too much for most of our electronics that day.


It was clear from the start on Sunday that things would be different for the final day of enduro for the POC ESC this year and it couldn't have come at a better time after Saturday's soaker.


Killington and its surrounding peaks stood tall in the promising early morning light of Sunday. Spirits were high and it wasn't just because of a certain legendary chainless run at World Champs by the east coast's finest son in Norway; but that certainly didn't hurt either. Needless to say people were stoked and everyone was ready to ride.


Seamus Powell has been the man to beat all season long and he was feeling loose and ready Sunday morning. By the day's end, he would be feeling even better as he would take home the win by a very convincing margin. The kid from Round Top, NY is more than ready for the World Stage.


Fly Racing pro rider Ryan Lee has been a consistent top 10 rider all season long and would continue that steady trend this weekend with top times throughout all 5 stunning stages.


Kendra Wheeler will try to convince you she's not that fast and then you'll see her on the trail and you will realize she's played you for a fool. The lady Bomber is beast on two wheels!


Gavin Vaughan is on the comeback trail as he continues to recover from some injuries. He's looking fast and will no doubt be hungry for some wins next season!


Nick Van Egmond made the trek from Ottawa to get rowdy on some of the best trails we've raced on all season long before catching a flight bright and early to Vegas for Interbike. This dude loves bikes. And berms.


Saben Rossi would take 2nd overall for the 20-29 crowd on Sunday, capping off what would end up as a fairly dominant season in the amateur ranks.


Anne Marie Wheeler enjoying the fruits of some serious labor on the Cable Trail here at Killington.


Mems the word! Jason Memmelaar ain't afraid to mix speed and style. He's one of the fastest in a group of extremely fast east coast riders.


Matt Sebas knows the importance of a proper fun run or three after a race and he led the way for what must have been one of the largest rider trains anywhere all season. That's one of the best things about the POC ESC Enduro Cup; the camaraderie and friendships that are developed on some of the most fun trails and best riders you'll find anywhere in the country.


Dylan Conte has raced some World Cup downhills this season and is well known for his amazing antics on the big rigs, but he would end up calling the Enduro Cup finale at Killington the best bike race he's been to all season long. That's saying something and so is this table.





Whip-Offs aren't just for Whistler!


Your FOX DOS Seat Post Challenge winner from the race of the year has every reason to be stoked! Congrats to Taylor Curtis!


Here's your $1000 FOX Racing Shocks Enduro Challenge winners. Top 4 racers in total amateur points. FOX is solid supporter of the entire POC ESC! Duane Call - Nate Robson - George Ulmer - Sabe Rossi split the cash.


The Pro Men's Super-D podium: 1st - Anthony Coneski, 2nd - Seamus Powell, 3rd - Jason Scheiding, 4th - Adam Snyder and 5th - Dylan Conte


The Pro Women's Super-D podium: 1st - Lauren Petersen and 2nd - Amy Alton


The Pro Men's Enduro podium: 1st - Seamus Powell, 2nd - Frank Kirscher, 3rd - Jason Memmelaar, 4th - Leland O'Connor and 5th - Matt Sebas


The Pro Women's Enduro podium: 1st - Lauren Petersen, 2nd - Kathy Golebiowsk, 3rd - Susan Clifford, 4th - Amy Alton and 5th - Elisa Otter


In addition to the results and awards on the day, this weekend marked the end of the Super-D and Enduro seasons for the POC Eastern States Cup series, so there were overall awards to hand out as well. The Pro Men's Super-D overall winner would be Anthony Coneski followed by Seamus Powell and Jason Scheiding!


Amy Alton stood atop the overall Super-D podium for the season followed by Lauren Petersen for the pro women.


The overall season winner, Jason Scheiding would end up taking home $1000 of the $2000 Pro Men's Enduro Purse! For the Pro Men Enduro Cup overall it would be: 1st- Jason Scheiding, 2nd - Matt Sebas, 3rd - Seamus Powell and 4th - Anthony Coneski. Jason worked hard all season and his consistently blazing speed would pay off in the end, Jason also finds the time to film and produce all the POC ESC video edits. Congrats to Jason and everyone else for such a great season!


The Pro Women overall Enduro Cup standings would see: 1st - Kathy Golebiowski, 2nd - Lauren Petersen and 3rd - Susan Clifford. Kathy took home $500 for a season of fast and loose riding! With a strong and growing women's field throughout the season, we can't wait to see what the future holds and hope to see even more next season!


Oh and seeing as how this was a bit of a season ending party, we went ahead and sent it properly.


There was this...


Some of that...


What good is champagne if you can't take a sip?


Or what good is champagne if you can't soak everyone within a 10 foot radius with some bubbly?


Even the youngsters got in on the act with some sparkling cider. These kids are quick and might as well get used to popping bottles on podiums.


Ironically enough, even after a day of perfect weather the cameras would still get soaked by the end of it. But between the fun runs, the bottle popping, the best course of the season and friendships formed over the course of the series, it would be well worth the time spent cleaning and drying champagne filled lenses and camera bodies. The 2014 POC Eastern States Cup Enduro and Super-D Cup finales could not have been held at a more appropriate place in Killington, Vermont. The trails and mountain here are about as good as it gets on the east coast and there are already some major developments that will ensure an even better 2015 here. But for now, what we have is quite possibly the best enduro series with some of the best enduro riders you'll find in the country and if you're looking for an excuse to try the sport out or ride on this side of the Mississippi next season, look no further. In the meantime, we'd like to thank everyone who made it out to the POC ESC Enduro and Super-D cups this year and for allowing us to deliver the best possible all-mountain experience you'll find anywhere. This season was a blast and we're looking forward to an even bigger and better 2015!


For a full list of pro and amateur Super-D results, click here.

For a full list of pro and amateur Enduro results, click here.

For more information on the Killington Bike Park, click here.

www.easternstatescup.com

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