Vittoria Eastern States Cup Downhill - Finals Preview

The final gravity battle of the year is just around the corner as the Vittoria Eastern States Cup downhill series wrap up over the Columbus Day weekend. Autumnal foliage should be showing as racers from the Atlantic and New England series gather in one place for the first time this season to race for all the marbles. With double points on the line and pro payouts at a whopping $8,600, this is will be a race for the ages.


Plattekill Mountain Bike Park, the spiritual home of East coast downhill racing, will play host to this epic season-ending bike blowout. The Plattekill trail crew has been busy dialing in a new race line on the double chair side of the mountain and racers can expect a typically fun and challenging track on which to sort out the final standings.


The way the Vittoria Eastern States Cup overall standings are determined creates plenty of drama and pressure on the final event of the year. Only a racer's six highest point total races are used to determine their overall total and the finals are a double-point event. The winner in each class will get 400 points, not the usual 200, so big swings in the standings are possible. For both men and women pros, there is a lot of money on the line. First there are the typical single race payouts: $500 for 1st, $200 for 2nd, $100 for 3rd. Then there are the payouts for overall winner in each series (Atlantic and New England): $750 for 1st, $300 for 2nd, $200 for 3rd. Finally there is the Super Champion bonus which rewards the top Male and Female Pro Plattekill finisher from the two overall series winners. Whichever series champion beats the other series champion will take home the additional $1,000 Super Champion bonus. Amateur Super Champions will be awarded the coveted Vittoria ESC Super Championship Cup. Amateur series champions will be awarded the 2016 Vittoria Championship Jersey and the top three series finishers receive a custom glass Vittoria ESC Championship Plaque along with sponsor prizing.


Let's take a look at how the pro races are shaping up. For the New England series, Isaac Allaire has been chalking up top results all season. Riding for Chuck's Bikes, Troy Lee Designs and Transition Bikes, Allaire has six top-three finishes to account for his 1155 point total going into the finals.


In second place in the overall standings is first-year pro, Jordan Daigle, riding for Flatline Racing, Intense, and Fly. Like Allaire, Daigle has competed in every stop of the tour this year and lurks just 73 points behind.


In the third spot is Jordan Newth, who is closing in on his 100th career start. Newth has six top-ten finishes counting towards his total and is 90 points behind Allaire and just 17 behind Daigle. Also in the conversation are Daigle's Flatline Racing teammate, Josh Tidman and MadKats Racing's, Tim White. Last year's overall winner, Alex McAndrew would have been a contender but a late-season hand injury ended his run prematurely. The double points earned at Plattekill will be a huge factor in sorting out the final standings.


The pro women's champion for the New England series is the only title that is not in doubt going into Plattekill. Lauren Daney has dominated a depleted pro women's field this season and enters the finals with six wins under her belt. Though Daney may be out of commission with a broken hand suffered at Mammoth a few weeks ago, she is almost a lock for the overall. Simona Croccolo is the only woman with a mathematical chance to catch Daney but she recently enrolled in nursing school at Lees-McRae College. It will be interesting to see if Croccolo shows up and if Daney is forced to take a race run.


Daney is also currently in 2nd on the Atlantic tour and were she healthy could have raced to a sizable pay day. Instead, Canadian pro, Jenn LeBlanc is in the driver's seat. Racing for Cane Creek, LeBlanc enters the finals with 727 points, 132 ahead of Daney.


Third in the Atlantic Series is Amy Leishear, racing for Spoke Apparel and Mobtown Velo. Leishear only has three starts this season but is still well within reach of LeBlanc, 190 points back. Jessica Gilbert also has a great shot at moving up in the standings as she is just three points behind Leishear.


Leading the Atlantic men's series as we head to Plattekill is veteran rider, Mauricio Estrada, recently returned from World Championships in Italy. Estrada, racing for IJ Racing, Intense, and Troy Lee Designs, is the defending Atlantic Series overall champion and enters the finals with 1123 points, thanks to three wins and a second.


Nipping at Estrada's heels is last season's Junior-X overall champion and now first-year pro, Dylan Yoder from Defiant Racing. Like Estrada, Yoder, who is 160 points back, already has six results under his belt so will likely be dropping one result in favor of his Plattekill double-point earnings.


In third is the man who probably has the most to gain at Plattekill, George Ryan with Evil Bikes and Shimano. Ryan has a bit of an advantage because he only has five results coming into the finals so all his double points will all be added to his total rather than bumping out some points from another race. Ryan also likes the tracks at Plattekill, having won the finals there two years ago. Jon Hanson, Jordan Daigle, and Steve Estabrook could also move up into the money spots with solid results.


Overall champions will be crowned in every amateur class as well, and there are dramatically tight races across the board. No lead is too great with double points on the line and substantial shifts are possible in every category.


Looking ahead to next season, the Eastern States Cup North American Downhill Team will be back for another season of World Cup racing. We'd like for you to attend an informational meeting regarding the 2017 ESC team at Plattekill on Saturday. We'll be discussing plans and interviewing prospective team members for 2017. The team gives North American juniors a direct path to racing Junior World Cups. The ESC Trade team will have no less than two members but we expect to have the full limit of ten riders as allowed by UCI rules. To race in a Junior World Cup event, you must be race age 17-18 and hold a 2017 International Cat 1 license. Priority will be given to Eastern States Cup Junior Experts with additional consideration given to all North American Junior Experts as team spots allow.


Plattekill is it for the 2016 downhill race season. Come ride and race with your buddies one last time before winter arrives in the Northeast. Good times guaranteed!

Words and pics by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur

www.easternstatescup.com
www.facebook.com/easternstatescup


Atlantic Downhill

Oct 9 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY – New England and Atlantic DH Finals

New England Downhill

Oct 9 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY – New England and Atlantic DH Finals

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Racing and Events Vittoria Eastern States Cup