Race Report and Video: Eastern States Cup at Thunder Mountain, Massachusetts
The MAXXIS ESC series is back in Charlemont, Massachusetts with both Enduro and Downhill races on tap for the sixth and final Box Components Showdown Weekend of the season. Same venue doesn't mean same trails though, Enduro racers would tackle all new stages opening with three at Warfield Trails before pedaling to Thunder Mountain Bike Park for a lift transfer to a lengthy fourth. Downhill racers found a different track when they arrived to Thunder as well, starting on Juggernaut before meeting back up with The Schist and finishing in the base area. While weather cooperated all weekend, the Berkshires received several inches of rain the week leading up to the races, which made already slick rocks and roots even slicker while creating sections of sticky mud in the lower elevations. With just two races left in the season, the overall points battle is on with plenty of riders in the hunt for the coveted MAXXIS ESC series titles.
We're officially into a new season and sure signs of fall are emerging all over New England, there's no better place to ride bikes this time of year.
Enduro
Rise and shine! While the morning fog was still lurking in the Pioneer Valley, Enduro racers started their day with an 8:30am riders meeting at the Charlemont Fairgrounds. The two plus mile transfer to Stage 1 served as a nice warm up as temperatures lingered in the 40's at the race's start.
After one heck of an opening transfer, riders dropped into the first stage of the day on Red Zone. Ethan Zysman rounded out the U20 boys podium with a fifth place finish and a total race time of 22:36.
Flat Tire Defender Super Stage winners from their respective classes, including our fastest amateurs from Stage 1, Greg Jackson and Lauren Breza.
The locals came out in herds to watch the fastest racers in the Northeast take on the Warfield and Thunder Mountain Bike Park trails this weekend. Thank you everyone for closing the gates so we can continue to work with landowners and enjoy scenic transfers like this.
There were plenty of opportunities for splash photos thanks to all the rain in the week leading up to the race. Competitive Edge's Brian Rutter finds a good one on Stage 2, he competed in and won both races this weekend for the 45+ Men.
Splish splash...Wesley Becker landed in 10th place with 20 even minutes of racing, his second top ten result since moving up to the Pro Men's class in the middle of this season.
Hazel Brewster fords the river on the transfer from Stage 2 to 3, she would take fourth spot for the Pro Women.
Stage 3 featured the trail TV Tower, Adrian Hayden earned a stage win on his way to a second place in Enduro and third place in Downhill for the U15 boys.
Following Stage 3, riders made the pedal transfer from the Warfield Trails over to Thunder Mountain Bike Park where they would hop on the lift and head to the top for the final stage which ran Wine Tree to Billy's World, descending 1.5 miles and 800 vertical feet before finishing in the base area. Berkshire Bike & Board's Chris Wilke finds the fast line near the top of Wine Tree on his way to a seventh place finish in the Pro Men's class.
Alex Rims Super Stage winners including our fastest amateurs from Stage 4, Luke Mello and Carlyle Grundon
Instead of the usual timed climb, this weekend's Fox Seatpost Climbers Challenge was based on who completed all four stages plus transfers in the shortest amount of time. Greg Jackson was our fastest overall amateur and took home a Fox Transfer Dropper Post for his efforts.
JRA Cycles racer Alison Crocker was able to maintain consistency throughout all four stages to take third place for the Pro Women. She currently sits second in the overall heading into the finals, 102 points behind series leader Rachel Pageau.
Clarissa Finks, riding for the Liv Co-Factory Team, finished runner-up in the Pro Women's class to earn her fifth MAXXIS ESC podium result of 2018.
Rachel Pageau was the only female to compete in both races this weekend, winning the Enduro by a commanding lead of 1:18 with a final race time of 23:15. Not bad for riding the stages blind. "I decided to focus on the DH track which was really slippery and tricky, then later on decided to save energy and skip Enduro practice over at Warfield. When Sunday morning came, I was actually pretty out of it and wished I was waking up in my bed to a chill Sunday morning...pushed through and ended up having a really good time on the trails (and on the new bike! 29er Devinci Troy) Very happy with the results I managed in the end!"
Pro Women from left: 3rd - Alison Crocker, 1st - Rachel Pageau, 2nd - Clarissa Finks, 4th - Hazel Brewster
It's great to see Vermont speed demon Alex McAndrew back racing, he's on a new Transition Sentinel and was able to carry over his momentum from the final CLIF Enduro East stop to earn another third place in the Berkshires. Maybe he's onto something with this Enduro thing...
Devinci Cycles racer Adam Robbins was able to lock down second place with two stage wins for his sixth podium result of the 2018 MAXXIS ESC season. He currently sits fourth in the overall, just 91 points off series leader Chris Miller with one more double points race left.
KHS Factory Racing's Seamus Powell was able to put 23 seconds between himself and the rest of the Pro Men's field, winning two stages to take his second MAXXIS ESC Enduro win of the season with a final race time of 17:30. "Nearing the end of an exhausting season I'm really excited to grab an unexpected win. I knew times would be tight and it was going to come down to staying smooth on these really slippery tracks. Quite honestly I wasn't into racing this weekend but maybe that took the edge off just enough to stay relaxed and smooth."
Pro Men from left: 5th - Chris Miller, 3rd - Alex McAndrew, 1st - Seamus Powell, 2nd - Adam Robbins, 4th - Jason Scheiding
Bike Check
Before we jump into DH racing action let's take a closer look at Chris Gilbert's freshly built Transition TR11 with all sorts of custom bits.
• Fork: Fox 40
• Shock: Fox DHX2
• Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5
• Inserts: Flat Tire Defender DH
• Wheels: Alexrims Antic 27.5
• Shifter: Box One
• Derailleur: Box One
• Guide: E13
• Brakes: Formula Cura
• Seat: Anvl Stealth
• Seatpost: Box One
• Bars: Box One DH
• Grips: Box One ODI
• Cranks: Raceface Atlas
• Chainring: Raceface 34t
• Chain: Box One
• Cassette: Box One 7 speed
• Pedals: Anvl Tilt
Downhill
The Downhill track started off on a rowdy section of Juggernaut with a myriad of steep, slick roots mixed with tricky off-camber sections. Xavier Massicotte, riding for Giant Montreal, tames this high speed corner on his way to take the W over the Amateur 16-29 men.
This steep rock slab gave everyone trouble in practice. Fernando Mota shows them how it's done, winning the Amateur 30-44 Men's class by 14 seconds, that's three in a row for the FPM Wood Floor rider.
The tight woods toward the bottom of The Schist leave no margin for error, Miquel Almride threads the needle and lands himself in second place in the super competitive Expert 30-39 Men's class.
Kona Bikes racer Tristan Lemire has won every race he's entered this year, he kept the streak alive at Thunder this weekend, besting the Junior Expert field by just over 3 seconds.
Dan O'Connor keeps it low on the final jump heading into the finish area, he would end up sixth in a stacked Pro Men's class.
Our fastest racers through the Fly Racing Speed Zone just before the finish line, included our fastest amateurs Lindsay Harris and Sean McKnight.
Canadian ripper Maxine Bergeron rounded out the Pro Women's top three to earn her sixth MAXXIS ESC podium finish of the season.
Rachel Pageau was able to grab a pair of podium results this weekend with a second place in Downhill, she leads both series in points as we head into the final rounds. Can she hold on to become the first MAXXIS ESC double champion? No pressure, Rachel.
It would be Mazie Hayden on top of the box Sunday by a commanding margin of over 5 seconds to take her first MAXXIS ESC win of 2018. "It feels great to be back on top of the podium, I haven't had great luck with that this year. I definitely wasn't feeling incredibly confident after practice but I think everyone was in the same boat. The course was very slippery in a way you don't usually see on many tracks (off-camber, roots, etc.) Although I do miss the full Schist it was nice to have a challenging change that put me out of my comfort zone."
Pro Womens from left: 5th - Ivanna Estrada, 3rd - Maxine Bergeron, 1st - Mazie Hayden, 2nd - Rachel Pageau, 4th - Riley Weidman
Thunder Mountain is Jordan Daigle's home mountain, he knows how to go fast here and proved it by landing in third place, just .1 off second place for his third Pro Men's podium result of 2018.
Danny's Cycles racer Mauricio Estrada had a couple mistakes in his race run but was able to secure second place, just 3.55 seconds off the win. He sits third in the DH overall heading into the finals, just 50 points off the leader so you know he'll be looking for redemption at Mount Snow.
After multiple podium results this season, Drummer Racing's Steve Estabrook finally took his first Pro Men's win this weekend with a scorcher of a race run clocking in at 2:39. He purchased a MAXXIS ESC Season Pass and has definitely gotten his money's worth, entering 13 races so far this season. Yeah, Dad! "The track at Thunder was tough! It was so hard to get comfortable on so I was surprise to pull it off. I've been getting a lot of help from my trainer at Iron Heart Finess, that's the biggest change in my program as of late. Looking for more Sundays like that one!"
Pro Men from left: 5th - Hugo Langevin, 3rd - Jordan Daigle, 1st - Steve Estabrook, 2nd - Mauricio Estrada, 4th - Isaac Allaire
Box Components Showdown podium for those who raced both events: 3rd - Adrian Hayden, 1st - Rachel Pageau, 2nd - Greg Jackson
As we transition from summer to fall one thing remains the same, people are still smiling on two wheels in the Northeast. Grab a beer and relax the next couple weekends, we'll see you at Mount Snow for DH Finals October 14th and we're back at Thunder Mountain for Enduro Finals on October 21st. Remember, these events count for double points so bring your A-game if you want a shot at those champions jerseys.
Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Jason Scheiding
Full Enduro Results
Full DH Results
Easternstatescup.com
2018 MAXXIS ESC SCHEDULE
ENDURO
April 22 Glen Park, PA
May 6 Plattekill, NY
May 20 Binghamton, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 12 Victory Hill, VT
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 21 Thunder Mountain, MA Finals
DOWNHILL
May 6 Plattekill, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 19 Windham, NY
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 14 Mount Snow, VT Finals
BOX SHOWDOWNS - DH and Enduro on the same day
May 6 Plattekill, NY
June 3 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 17 Blue Mountain, PA
July 15 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 26 Mountain Creek, NJ
Sept 23 Thunder Mountain, MA
CLIF ENDURO EAST presented by Maxxis ESC
July 1 Mountain Creek, NJ - EWS Qualifier
July 29 Thunder Mountain, MA - EWS Qualifier
Sept 16 Victory Hill / Burke Mountain - EWS North American Continental Championships FINALS
CLIF ENDURO LITE presented by Maxxis ESC
July 8 Burke Mountain - Beginner Enduro Racers - Families - Kids - Fun!
MENTIONS: @Eastern-States-Cup
Author Info:
Member since Mar 14, 2012
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