Photo Story: NW Cup Round 1 with B-Line Racing

WE ACTUALLY GOT TO RACE!


I have never been so excited to write a race report! What a time we are all going through of quarantining and learning more about those around us and how our actions impact and affect each other. Update on WA state racing situation, the Race Cascadia Enduro races have all been canceled including the new Jr only series in which our team was looking at being very involved in. The NW Cups announced a new 5 race series that was then cut to 4 with Stevens Pass closing for the summer. However, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” and we are very blessed to be able to race in the PNW!

We were and still are very excited about the 2020 race season as the team has continued to mature and our partnerships strengthen. Last weekend was the USDH NW Cup National in Tamarack, ID. Once the COVID virus hit we put the brakes on pumping out a jersey as all the races were being canceled, and then when NW Cup announced the revised schedule we found ourselves in scramble mode. However, with 100% and Tigatu stepping in we have probably our best jersey in teams short history, so thank you 100% and Tigatu!


The motto for this year is growth, as we have transition 3 of our Cat1 Jr. riders have graduated and were all planning on doing a year of Enduro racing...and well that's not happening in the Enduro world. We are challenging the riders to grasp progress, not perfection, life is a journey and so is racing. We want them to focus on one goal at race weekends, for example, carrying momentum out of your corners, breaking before not in corners, and so on. If you accomplish your goal that's a victory. This will be a year of lots of learning and growing.


So on to the race weekend or Phase 1, new to the team and racing this year, we have Cole Hilde and staff rider Chris Oberndorfer. Both had great weekends with lots of growing and learning and finished safely with Cole placing 12th and Chris 10th. Returning rider Alex Roberts came out swinging In a stacked Cat2 category with great out of state competition. At the end of the day, Alex would end up in 6th just missing the podium, going to be fun to continue watching him this year! And last but not least our newly upgraded Cat1 Jr Alden Pate and what a field for your first race in a new category with the fastest competition in the US, our Canadian friends were dearly missed! Lots of new for Alden from the bike, brakes, drivetrain, seeding runs, new course, nerves, o ya, and then the field of riders. Alden was able to successfully weather the storm like a champ and after a crash in seeding, he finished the weekend in 33rd. This kid is going to be fast and really excited to watch the growth over the coming years! Check out his YouTube and @coastal_compound


Numbers were down this race as many riders are dealing with schedule conflicts due to shifting schedules. The next race is Phase 2 July 17-19 in Kellogg, Idaho at SMB park and we should have almost all our riders. This venue is always a fun weekend for riders and families with the water park and other various activities. After Phase 2 we have a decent break until Phase 4 September 18-20 & Phase 5 October 9-11 at the beloved Dry Hill in Port Angeles, WA!

Lastly, a big thank you to all our partners for 2020 Kona Bikes, RaceFace, CrankBrothers, 100%, Doma Coffee, Fox, TRP, Unior Bike tools, CushCore, Schwalbe Tires, WPL, GU Energy, Adidas/Five-Ten, KMC chains, Cherry Valley Logging, Duvall Grill, and Sun Dog bags.