Race Report & Video: Eastern States Cup Showdown - Plattekill Mountain, NY by Eastern-States-Cup

Maxxis ESC Box Components Showdown - Plattekill Mountain, NY

Roxbury, New York's Plattekill Mountain is as classic a race venue as any, after all it is where Maxxis ESC series racing was born ten years ago. Although the bike park is not open full time anymore, there are a few select weekends throughout the summer where you can get rad and surf the famed Platty shale chutes. This weekend the Maxxis ESC crew have put together a diverse set of four stages to challenge Enduro racers and brought Da Bomb, an old favorite among Downhill racers, back to life. 232 racers were on hand to enjoy a sunny weekend of putting their bikes and bodies to the test. Missed this one? Not to worry, we'll be back here for another Box Components Showdown as well as Downhill Finals later this year.

Maxxis ESC Box Components Showdown - Plattekill Mountain, NY

by Eastern-States-Cup

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For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of riding Platty, the mountain is made of brittle shale which breaks off and changes trails after just a couple hours of practice laps. If you're riding one of the steep chutes here and there's dirt showing at the top you can be sure there will be a pile of shale nuggets to blast through at the bottom.

Not only is Plattekill home to some of the gnarliest tracks in the Northeast, the level of parking lot shenanigans are unmatched by your typical resort race venue. Chain Gang Racing organized a unofficial long jump contest in the pits after practice Saturday afternoon, a lot of meat was hucked but Dustin Mason represented for Wülfpak Racing with a 35 foot leap to take the win.

Enduro

It wouldn't be a Maxxis ESC Specialized Enduro without a little pedaling, riders started their morning with an 1,100' vertical transfer to the top of Plattekill.

Right out of the gate riders were thrown into the rowdy, steep terrain on Stage 1. Bicycles Unlimited mechanic and racer Matthew Sullivan held his lines, winning two stages and earning his first 40-49 men's class win.

The Enduro equivalent of spilt milk.

Flat Tire Defender Super Stage winners from each class, including fastest amateurs Ryan Bigham and Ella Bartosh.

After completing Stage 1 riders took the lift to their second stage of the day, which featured plenty of opportunities to catch air. Valley Bike and Ski Werks racer Noah Couture was the only CLIF Kids Enduro racer brave enough to take on the beast that is Plattekill and finished all four stages with a final race time of 20:03.

Embrace the shale, be one with it.

Jason Memmelaar hung it out to take third place overall on Stage 3 and found his way onto the Pro men's podium in his first race of 2019.

Alex Rims Super Stage winners from each class went home with some swag for their performance on Stage 3, including fastest amateurs Carissa Dirade and Anthony Bowman.

Fox Transfer Seat Post Challenge rewarded racers for their efforts on the pedal transfer between stages 3 and 4. Here are our fastest pedalers of the day, including fastest amateur Ryan Bigham who took home a fresh Fox Transfer Dropper Post.

Racers hopped on the lift one more time before dropping into Stage 4 which crossed the ski trail several times and featured a lengthy sustained steep chute toward the bottom. Bruno Sanchez won three of four stages and earned his best finish to date, landing in the runner-up position in the 21-29 men's class.

Lauren Breza, racing for DG Cycles, earned a stage win and third place overall as she made it on the box for the first time since joining the Pro ladies this season.

Outdoor Gear Exchange racer Kim Quinlan was able to notch two stage wins this weekend and take second place in the Pro women's class, just 1.8 seconds off the win as she maintains her overall series points lead.

Marine Lewis has raced at the World Cup level of cross country and after a couple years off she decided make the trip from Quebec, throw a race plate back on the bike and give this Enduro thing a try. She was right back up to speed on the steep trails, winning a stage and posting the fastest women's time of the day with a 17:44. "I had an amazing weekend! I loved the trails, the vibes and the ambiance of Enduro racing so much. I currently have some neurological issues, as I've been diagnosed epileptic last year so it was the perfect timing and vibe to start racing again. In brief, I am just really happy to be able to complete one full race. The trails at Plattekill are really insane, different from Quebec and I loved it. Will try again for sure!"

Pro Women: 4th - Clair Sick, 2nd - Kim Quinlan, 1st - Marine Lewis, 3rd - Lauren Breza, 5th - Lisa Chamberland

Chris Miller kept his podium streak alive at Plattekill, clocking a stage win and third place in the Pro men's class.

2018 GNCC XC2 250 Champion Ben Kelley certainly knows how to handle a bike in loose situations and he proved that by securing the Pro men's runner-up spot in his first Maxxis ESC Specialized Enduro race at one of the toughest venues in the series.

Adam Morse is no stranger to Plattekill, this is his ninth race here between Enduro and Downhill, but he was finally able to put it all together on race day and take his first win here by a commanding margin of 21 seconds. "I've been coming to race Plattekill for 15 years now and it is a truly unique venue. The lawless land lived up to its reputation delivering fast, steep and loose tracks. This is shaping up to be an exceptional year of racing for me and as a reflect on what is different from last year, there are only two things. First and foremost, the improvements to Vittoria’s new G2.0 4C Enduro Tires are continuing to impress me week after week on the diversity of tracks in the Northeast. Second, the modified geometry to the Yeti SB150 really comes alive on the aggressive tracks here at Plattekill. This combo is proving to be a reliable weapon against the clock allowing me to focus on having an absolute blast at these great races."

Pro Men: 4th - Saben Rossi, 2nd - Ben Kelley, 1st - Adam Morse, 3rd - Chris Miller, 5th - Jason Memmelaar

Downhill

New York native Steve Day has ridden Platty for years and has become accustomed to sliding around on shale. He's been on fire at the start of the season, earning his second Expert 30-39 win in a row this weekend by a margin of 2.27 seconds.

Pedal Montclair racer Carl Dauenheimer let's it fly onto the ski trail toward the bottom of the course, he would take fifth place in the 19-29 Expert class.

Drops into steeps into fast, loose corners, that's Plattekill in a nutshell. Fernando Mota lets the bike eat on his way to a third place finish for the 30-39 experts.

Fly Racing Speed Trap winners from each class including fastest amateurs Sheryl Hunter and Michael Streed.

Adrian Hayden enters nearly every Maxxis ESC race and has the most consistent results of any Box Components Showdown competitor, this weekend he won three Enduro stages to take the win and then backed it up with a third place in the Junior Expert Downhill class.

Chain Gang Racing hype man Jared Wood was able to put down a heater Sunday afternoon, taking his first Expert 19-29 class win with a 2:22, which would have been a respectable time even in the Pro men's class.

Flatline Racing's Vicki Koch knows a thing or two about shale surfing, with eight Plattekill races under her belt and a third place for the Pro Women this weekend.

Cutters Bike Shop rider Kristin Lenart was right on pace, finishing just 1/10 of a second off the win with her third podium result in a row.

Maxine Bergeron, racing for Laferté Bicycles and Trou du Diable, was the fastest lady on the hill Sunday afternoon, posting a final race time of 2:37 in her first Maxxis ESC race of the season. "The track was fun, I love raw, steep tracks! I knew I could do well but I had to be careful not to overcook it and make big mistakes."

Pro Women: 4th - Carissa Dirade, 2nd - Kristin Lenart, 1st - Maxine Bergeron, 3rd - Vicki Koch

All race times were super tight this weekend but the top three Pro Men all finished within a quarter second of eachother, Danny's Cycles' Mauricio Estrada got on the box, earning his second Maxxis ESC Intense Downhill Series podium of 2019.

Isaac Allaire was no doubt on pace all weekend, he was just .22 off the win after losing half his tire pressure toward the top of the course. He's still chasing the first win of the season as we head to his home race at Sugarbush next weekend where he won both the 2018 Downhill and Enduro races.

Steve Estabrook hit the trails early for the Enduro race where he finished eighth and then headed over to the Downhill course where he lead the Defiant Racing 1, 2 finish. He posted a final race time of 2:01.37, making it two in a row and he now leads the overall series battle by 59 points. "I am really glad to take the win at Plattekill this weekend! There's always a sliver of doubt in my mind going into the DH race after a hard morning of racing Enduro. I'm up against guys that are fresh and ready to sprint. I was pumped to snag another one!"

Pro Men: 5th - Benjamin Despres-Morin, 2nd - Isaac Allaire, 1st - Steve Estabrook, 3rd - Mauricio Estrada, 5th - Dylan Conte

Box Components Showdown: 2nd - Steve Estabrook, 1st - Adrian Hayden, 3rd - Jack Dihiara, 1st - Carissa Dirade

The stoke meter is pinned this time of year with events nearly every week, Downhill and Enduro racers will be back in action next weekend at Vermont's Sugarbush Resort, home of delicious beer, serene swimming holes and more killer bike trails. See you there!

Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Jason Scheiding

Full Enduro Results
Full Downhill Results
Easternstatescup.com

2019 MAXXIS ESC SCHEDULE

MAXXIS ESC SPECIALIZED ENDURO SERIES
May 5 Diamond Hill, RI
May 19 Glen Park, PA – EWS Qualifier
June 2 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 23 Blue Mountain, PA
July 7 Burke Mountain, VT PA – EWS Qualifier
July 14 Plattekill, NY
July 21 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 4 Killington, VT
Aug 18 Plattekill, NY
Sept 8 Glen Park, PA
Sept 29 Mountain Creek, NJ
Oct 6 Thunder, MA Finals PA – EWS Qualifier

MAXXIS ESC INTENSE DOWNHILL SERIES
June 2 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 23 Blue Mountain, PA
July 14 Plattekill, NY
July 21 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 4 Killington, VT
Aug 18 Plattekill, NY
Sept 29 Mountain Creek, NJ
Oct 20 Plattekill, NY Finals

MAXXIS ESC BOX SHOWDOWNS - DH and Enduro on the same day
June 2 Thunder Mountain, MA
June 23 Blue Mountain, PA
July 14 Plattekill, NY
July 21 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 4 Killington, VT
Aug 18 Plattekill, NY
Sept 29 Mountain Creek, NJ

MAXXIS ESC EWS QUALIFIERS
May 19 Glen Park, PA
July 7 Burke Mountain, VT
Oct 6 Thunder Mountain, MA Enduro Finals

CLIF ENDURO LITE presented by Maxxis ESC
Aug 25 Burke Mountain - Beginner Enduro Racers - Families - Kids - Fun!

Author Info:

Eastern-States-Cup

Member since Mar 14, 2012
238 articles

8 Comments

fattyheadshok (Jul 17, 2019 at 18:43)

I’ve never ridden at Splatterkill but that’s gonna change. I’m thinking we’ll do this one next year. It looks challenging for sure.

morse-ah (Jul 17, 2019 at 19:08)

There is another race in August there!

Mattysville (Jul 19, 2019 at 11:46)

@thebigheezy: and DH finals in October as well

RaunchLaunch (Jul 17, 2019 at 11:37)

Well written article Andrew! Splatty-kill is so rad, such a tight steep track! The long jump competition was so fun to watch!

jorgeposada (Jul 17, 2019 at 21:20)

Once again the winner is Splattekill.

Mattysville (Jul 16, 2019 at 17:31)

Still feels like the ground is moving underneath me!!

ryetoast (Jul 17, 2019 at 18:37)

So cool to see Ben Kelley out there killin' int. Fast is fast, motor or no motor!

scotmtbbeta FL (Jul 17, 2019 at 19:18)

Such a great place and the Long Jump was sooo super cool.