After days of practice laps, the nation's top cross-country riders finally got down to business on Sunday at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. The pro men and women vying for national titles battled it out on a four mile mountain-top track with long stretches of technical climbing and descending. Defending national champions Howard Grotts and Erin Huck were both on hand to defend their titles against a hungry hoard of fresh youngsters and wily veterans. An hour and forty minutes of punishing effort was all that stood between racers and the history books. A tall order indeed.
Overnight rains again hit Snowshoe, ensuring sloppy conditions for racers. A heavy fog hung over the start/finish line before racing action got underway in the morning.
Elizabeth Saenz found a quiet spot to warm up before the main event.
At the start of the Pro Women's XC race Team Specialized Racing's Kate Courtney grabbed the hole shot and never looked back.
Traction was scarce in the woods, riders just had to keep churning to get through the muck.
The track skirted some drainage areas overflowing with runoff from recent rains.
In the woods at the northern end of the venue the track scribed a muddy line through the moss, ridden here by Bicycle Express Racing's Kimberley Quinlan.
A man-made rock garden located just below the village was a popular spot for spectators. Erin Huck had her line choice dialed in.
Laura Slavin fell victim to the rocky jumble but, after collecting herself, bravely continued with her race.
Kate Courtney, the current UCI World Cup U23 leader, decided to race pro at Nationals for the added competition. With her climbing prowess that competition quickly fell be the wayside.
The battle for silver was a good one for several laps with Canondale's Erin Huck hanging off CLIF Pro Team's Lea Davison's wheel.
After staying close for a few laps, Davison made her move and Huck had no answer as the two-time Olympian pulled away to secure the second step of the podium.
Rose Grant did her best to stay with the leaders but by the bell lap the strain was showing and she would settle for the fourth spot.
A few high-speed sections kept racers on their toes and left little time for recovery.
It ain't over 'til its over, a lesson Courtney knows all too well after a flat tire late in the national short track race a couple days ago cost her a runaway victory.
No mechanical would sabotage her run for the gold on this day as she cruised to victory by a more than four-minute margin.
 | Short track Friday was a heartbreaker for me so today I was just trying to go out there without fear and commit and ride my own race so it was really exciting to pull it off and get a little bit of redemption.—Kate Courtney |
The women's pro podium: Kate Courtney (Gold), Lea Davison (Silver), Erin Huck (Bronze)
Before getting to the men's pro race, let's take a look at a few steeds ridden at Snowshoe.
Kate Courtney, Kentfield, CA. Team: Team Specialized Racing. Bike: Specialized S-Works Epic. Sponsors: Specialized, Redbull, Crankbrothers, Magura, Ceramicspeed, Rotor, Roval Wheels, CarbonTi, Oakley, Clif Bar.
Lea Davison, Jericho, VT. Team: CLIF Pro Team. Bike: Orbea Oiz Carbon 29er. Sponsors: CLIF Bar, Orbea, Garneau, Giro, Fox, Maxxis, DT Swiss, RaceFace, Garmin, Rotor, Camelback, Sock Guy, Astute
Erin Huck, Boulder, CO.Team: Cannondale 3Rox Racing. Bike: Cannondale Scalpel SI. Sponsors: Stan's No Tubes, Fabric, SRAM, RaceFace, Camelbak, Kask, Sugoi, Swagman, Pedal To The People, WD-40, Park Tool, Crank Brothers, Maxxis, Speed Shop, Redline Brew House, GU, Torkin Manes, Stages Cycling, Daniels.
Howard Grotts, Durango, CO. Team: Team Specialized Racing. Bike: Specialized S-Works Epic. Sponsors: Specialized, Xpedo Pedals, Magura, Ceramicspeed, Rotor, Roval Wheels, CarbonTi, Oakley.
Troy Wells, Durango, CO. Team: CLIF Bar Cycling. Bike: Niner RKT9 RDO. Sponsors: CLIF Bar, Niner, SRAM, Maaxis, Capo
Kyle Trudeau, Tucson, AZ. Team: CZ Racing. Bike: Scott Spark World Cup Carbon. Sponsors: Gotenac, Bike Flights
Carl Decker, Bend, OR. Team: Giant Factory Off-Road Team. Bike: Giant Anthem Advanced Carbon 29er. Sponsors: Giant, SRAM, Rockshox, Truvativ, ODI, Schwalbe
Noah Tautfest, Northfield, VT. Team: Team Bicycle Express. Bike: Kona Hei Hei Carbon DL with Shimano XTR Di2. Sponsors: Shimano, Kona, Next, Vittoria Tires.
The men's pro race, the final event of the week-long U.S. Nationals, rolled off the start line with nearly four dozen of the nation's top riders going for the glory.
Two-time defending champion Howard Grotts led the field through the center of Snowshoe's village and their last moments of clean bikes and clothing.
Unlike much of the field, Stephen Ettinger and Stephen Hyde stayed on their bikes as they cleaned a troublesome rock garden on lap one.
Once again the main rock garden drew a huge crowd of spectators. Todd Wells and Keegan Swenson got through unscathed.
A rowdy double on the inside of the rock garden was rarely ridden but provided a quick but risky route though the obstacle.
Howard Grotts pulled away from the field early but a flat tire allowed Stephen Ettinger to overtake hime for a time.
Corey Stelljes led a clump of racers through the remote Fingers section of the track.
Brian Matter kept it low and fast on his way to a 14th-place finish.
Racers snaked through the throngs just above the tech support zone.
Stephen Ettinger had the lead at times during the race but spent most of his time chasing Grotts. Ettinger took home the silver for his efforts.
Todd Wells spent most of the race in third but relinquished his spot on the final lap to fall off the podium.
One of the finest performances of the day belonged to Payson McElveen who charged through the field from outside the top ten to secure the bronze on the final lap.
McElveen's big move to the podium left him drained but elated.
The day belonged to Specialized Racing's Howard Grotts. After recovering from a flat earlier in the race, Grotts got another flat on the final lap but still maintained his advantage for the win.
Riding with a front flat, Grotts crossed the line in 01:44:33, more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Ettinger.
Howard Grotts: "This course has been pretty ruthless on people's equipment with the rain and all the rocks out there. This win was much harder than the last two years at Mammoth. This one was open for anyone to win today. I'm stoked to pull it off for another year."
The men's pro podium: Howard Grotts-Gold, Stephen Ettinger-Silver, Payson McElveen-Bronze
National Champions Kate Courtney and Howard Grotts
That's a wrap from Snowshoe. Its been a dramatic week of mountain bike action. Congratulations to the new champions!
RESULTS:
https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2017&id=10
I know they were showing some sponsored racers in Sworks branded versions of the new tires, and I know the Specialized riders had...uh...several flats in Cape Epic this year on the new rubber, so perhaps that's what happened to Katie in STXC?
The new Renegades are ~655g in 29x2.3 and ~615g in 29x2.1 based on the ones I've purchased and ran this year, so if you could get that down ~50g without having serious durability issues I think you'd have a great option for XC racers.