Vittoria ESC: Box Showdown at Attitash, NH - Race Recap
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One of the most scenic and challenging venues on the Northeast race circuit welcomed enduro and downhill racers this past weekend for the Vittoria ESC Box East Coast Showdown at Attitash. The season is starting to wind down and the battle for points is heating up as overall titles in both disciplines are up for grabs. Located in the heart of the White Mountains, just east of the spectacular Crawford Notch, Attitash has been a regular stop on the Vittoria ESC tour for years and has evolved significantly over time offering new tracks into the mix and tweaking old lines. Attitash is one of the most remote venues on the Vittoria ESC calendar but more than 220 racers made the long trek to the big event.
The base of operations for racing has moved from the main mountain to the newer Bear Peak in the past few years and racers are free to spread their wings in the new digs.
The mountain recently installed bike hooks on its Bear Peak chair which eliminated the need for lap loading and allowed racers to share the ride up for the first time.
The enduro portion of the Box Showdown weekend offered five diverse and challenging tracks. Stage One was completely new this year. Starting from a junction a few hundred yards down the downhill track, Stage One offered a wealth of slick, rooty, off-camber traverses and some of the steepest plunges on the mountain. Daniel Sabat rode the loamy corners to a 15th-place finish in the U18 class.
Stage One was perhaps the most challenging on the day. A confusing rock garden near the top caused plenty of trouble for racers. Evan Kinzey got through cleanly and took 11th in Pro.
Brad Tasik took a wild ride through the jumble of rocks but rallied for an 18th place finish in the Pro field.
Lower on the mountain, the opening stage followed a scenic ridge line through the trees. Jarred Bairam took the final podium spot with a fifth in the Clif Kids U14 class.
After a long pedal transfer, racers faced Stage Two which has been used every year since Bear Peak opened as it offers the only connection between the two mountains. The top half offers plenty of tight turns and bomb holes. Garison Clapp maneuvered his way to a 15th in the 30-39 class.
A pesky stream crossing with a steep exit climb took many racers off the saddle on Stage Two.
The bottom of the second stage was a high-speed rocket ride down ski trails and fire roads. Emery Jenkins ripped down the open slope for a fifth in the 19-29 class.
The second and final lift transfer of the day brought riders to the top of the venerable, Attitash Bike Park on the main mountain. While Bear Peak is all about loam lines and roots, the Attitash side is rough and rocky. Stage Three, the longest of the day, used pieces of track that have previously been used for downhill races and was a full-on gravity feast. Jackson Jenkins boosted an early feature on the track and took home the win in the U18 class.
A long rough rock garden got plenty of inspection time from racers on Stage Three. Dickon Hersey solved the puzzle and took 14th in the 19-29 class.
After breaking in and out of the woods and making a brief punishing climb, the track dropped down a moss covered slab that looked like it had been transported from the Pacific Northwest. Ryan Dunfee was all smiles as he took home 12th in the 30-39 class.
The Fox Seat Post Climbers Challenge returned racers to Bear Peak and the top of Stage Four. This was the shortest stage of the day and a new track for the Vittoria ESC enduro. The loamy line took a no-nonsense route down the steep hillside.
The bottom of the stage offered a big huck off a mossy rock or a high-speed go around. The odds of avoiding the huck appeared to increase with the age of the rider.
One last pedal transfer brought racers to perhaps the most enjoyable track of the day. Stage Five offered high speeds, loamy traverses, and steeps through open woods. Kyle Wolmer threw some style between the trees as he sped to a third place finish in the 19-29 class.
Open forest and scenic vistas make the final stage a real treasure.
This track has been raced numerous times but instead of the usual ski trail for the finish, crew members, Damian Dryjas and Tyler Wilson cut a fresh line through the woods at the bottom making the segment longer and even more enjoyable.
Lofty zip lines crisscross the skies above Attitash and the heavy breathing of racers was often accompanied by a high-pitched whine as thrill seekers whizzed overhead.
Warm summery temperatures had many riders heading to the cooling waters of the Saco River, located in walking distance from the pits, after practice.
There's a reason its called Bear Peak. This mama black bear and her three cubs were seen dumpster diving in the base area but riders also encountered another bear and cubs on the mountain during the race.
Friday rains made for some slick riding on practice day but the tracks continued to dry over the weekend and conditions were prime by the time race director, Chris Gilbert gave instructions at the rider meeting on Sunday morning.
The winners of the Alex Rims Super Stage competition for the fastest times on Stage Five. Vicki Koch and Jackson Jenkins took home the set of Alex Rims for having the fastest amateur times on the day.
The winners of the Fox Seatpost Climbers Challenge for having the fastest climb time in each class on the transfer between Stages Three and Four. Kurt Keller had the fastest amateur climb time to win the dropper post.
The women's pro race was a real battle between perennial Vittoria ESC favorites, Lauren Petersen and Rachel Pageau. Petersen put down one of the finest performances of her career edging Pageau by a few seconds on each stage to take the overall by a scant 16 seconds.
 | Rachel and I are at the point where every stage we're neck and neck and the overall is kind of a toss up. The other girls are right there too. My favorite track today was stage three with all the tech and steep stuff. |
Rachel Pageau, who has been pulling double duty at most of the Box Showdown events, tied Petersen for the win on Stage Four but otherwise was just off the winning pace.
Alisha Darin, the Queen of Consistency, took the third step on the podium. Darin was third on four of the five stages and earned her fifth consecutive podium since turning pro this season.
The women's pro podium from left: Alison Crocker-5th, Alisha Darin-3rd, Lauren Petersen-1st, Rachel Pageau-2nd, Clarissa Finks-4th
The men's pro race was not nearly as tight an affair as Vermont speedster, Isaac Allaire threw down a dominant performance winning four of five stages and taking the overall by a huge 36-second margin. This was Allaire's second Vittoria ESC enduro win of the season to go with two downhill victories.
| The enduro was really good for me. Stage One was probably the hardest stage with all the fresh cut stuff and slippery rocks. Stage Three was probably my best stage, it was like a downhill track, and I hit a sweet rock gap that no one was hitting so I felt like that set a good flow for my run. |
In the runner-up spot was fellow Vermonter, Tim White who grew up in nearby North Conway and had a large support crew on hand cheering him on. White has a new baby and is racing a more modest schedule this season but fatherhood hasn't slowed him down a bit as he took second or third on every stage.
Putting on his best performance in over a year former Vittoria ESC overall enduro champion, Jason Scheiding took the third step on the podium, less than a minute off the winning time.
The men's pro podium from left: Steve Estabrook-5th, Jason Scheiding-3rd, Isaac Allaire-1st, Tim White-2nd, Adam Morse-4th
For our bike check this weekend, we're going to take a peek at Clarissa Fink's race steed. Finks has been a regular presence on the Vittoria ESC enduro circuit since its inception and is an absolute vortex of positive energy.
Frame: Liv Hail Advanced 0, carbon front triangle, alloy rear, 27.5 size small
Fork: RockShox Lyric 160mm
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe 160mm
Rims: Stan's Flow MK3
Tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary front, Hans Dampf rear, Super Gravity casing (pinch test pressure check)
Drivetrain: Sram Eagle 1x12
Cranks: Sram XO Carbon
Brakes: Sram Guide Ultimate
Bars: Giant Contact SLR Carbon 780mm
Stem: Truvativ 50mm
Grips: Ergon
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb 120mm
Saddle: Giant LIV Contact
Pedals: Time
The afternoon belonged to the downhill crowd. The Bear Peak track isn't as rowdy as some of the old tracks on the main mountain but it's much longer and offers a good mix of challenges. The top of the course is arguably the most scenic in the Northeast with a panorama of White Mountain high peaks as a backdrop for racers. Taylor Primack continued his dominance in the U14 class taking his third straight Vittoria ESC win.
The top of the track features high speeds on steep open slopes. First-year racer, Ivanna Estrada took home another win in the amateur women's class with a time that would have placed her third in the pro class. Keep an eye on this youngster, she's the got the potential for some big results down the road.
Entering the woods, racers faced the rooty nemesis that would plague them for the remainder of the track.
The loam is deep in the softwood forest on Bear Peak and beneath it lurks many obstacles to trip up unwary riders. Legendary trail builder, Knight Ide crossed the border from Vermont and took the Cat. 2 40-49 class.
A rough sidehill traverse is the crux of the upper woods section. Colby Larocque kept it rubber side down on his race run.
A rock drop with a tricky entrance was the first opportunity for air time. Logan Brunton charged off the boulder for an eighth place finish in the Cat. 2 19-29 class.
Fresh off his win at the Windham ProGRT, Camilo Sanchez Salazar continued his winning ways, taking the Junior Expert crown at Attitash by nearly three seconds.
A second boulder jump drew a crowd of spectators. Veteran ripper, Fred Bassett put down a scorcher to win the Cat 1. 40-49 class by almost 18 seconds.
Pro rider, Jordan Newth nearly hit the eject button but somehow managed to reel it back in and take home a top-ten finish.
The roots were relentless on the bottom portion of the track. Jack Lancelin used some body English to sneak past a tree en route to a third place finish in the Cat 1. 19-29 class.
Benjamin Morin, one of several speedy Canadians that crossed the border for the event, ripped through one of the final rooty tangles before being released for the final open-slope sprint to the finish. Morin took home a fifth in the pro field for his efforts.
The Box Components Showdown events award the top racers who compete in both enduro and downhill events with some of Box Components' finest bike hardware. For the men, Isaac Allaire topped Travis Kelley and Tim White for the top honor. Rachel Pageau once again claimed the crown for the women.
The class winners of the Fly Racing speed zone challenge.
In the women's pro race, Ella Skalwold took home her first Vittoria ESC win of the season with a monster 24-second margin of victory.
| I thought the track was surprisingly difficult. There were a lot of little tricky parts that made it tough to get in a clean run. I slipped out a lot in practice on Saturday but today it was way tackier. My race run was my first full clean run of the weekend. |
Rachel Pageau, one of the busiest racers anywhere with a whopping 18 starts under her belt already in 2017, took home the runner-up spot to match her result in the enduro earlier in the day.
Riley Weidman has also been busy this summer. Weidman has raced all six Vittoria ESC downhills and hit the podium at each.
The women's pro podium from left: Catherine Harnden-5th, Riley Weidman-3rd, Ella Skalwold-1st, Rachel Pageau-2nd, Eden-Willow Netelkos-4th (missing)
The men's pro race featured a deep field of some of the region's finest speedsters. Defiant Racing's Mauricio Estrada continued his season-long dominance with his fourth win in five Vittoria ESC starts, his only "blemish" being a second at Plattekill last month.
| I'm really happy that I didn't crash because I was pushing really hard. Everyone was riding really well and the course was getting better and better so I had to go hard. This was my first time here and I wasn't expecting such a cool course. |
Canadian, Hugo Langevin, who won this event in 2015, made his first Vittoria ESC start of the season and took the runner-up spot by just over two seconds.
Enduro winner, Isaac Allaire rounded out the top three. Allaire has been racing a single crown fork for much of the season as he waited for a new Fox 40, which finally arrived and was quickly put to good use.
The men's pro podium from left: Benjamin Morin-5th, Isaac Allaire-3rd, Mauricio Estrada-1st, Hugo Langevin-2nd, Dan O'Connor-4th
We're hitting the home stretch of the Vittoria ESC race season. The next event will be the final Box Showdown weekend of the year at Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania on Labor Day weekend. Don't miss it, Blue Mountain quickly becomes a favorite of all who race there.
Photos and words: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Video: Jason Scheiding
Enduro results: here.
Downhill results: here.
http://www.easternstatescup.com
https://www.facebook.com/easternstatescup/
Vittoria ESC Enduro Schedule
Eight events, six best count.
April 23, Vittoria ESC Enduro – Glen Park, Stroudsburg PA
May 21, Vittoria ESC – Victory Hill, Victory VT
June 3, Vittoria ESC – Thunder Mountain, Charlemont MA – Box Showdown (State Championship)
June 25, Vittoria ESC – Blue Mountain, Palmerton PA – Box Showdown (State Championship)
July 16, Vittoria ESC –Sugarbush, Warren VT – Box Showdown (State Championship)
Aug. 20, Vittoria ESC – Attitash, Bartlett NH – Box Showdown (State Championship)
Sept. 3, Vittoria ESC – Blue Mountain, Palmerton PA – Box Showdown
Sept. 24, Vittoria ESC – Killington, Killington VT – Series Finals
Vittoria ESC DH Schedule
Nine events, six best count.
June 4, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Thunder, Charlemont MA – Box Showdown (State Championship)
June 11, Vittoria ESC Downhill– Pats Peak, Henniker NH – State Championship
June 25, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Blue, Palmerton PA – Box Showdown (State Championship)
July 9, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Plattekill Mountain, Roxbury NY – State Championship
July 16, Vittoria ESC Downhill –Sugarbush, Warren VT Box Showdown (State Championship)
Aug. 20, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Attitash, Bartlett NH – Box Showdown
Sept. 3, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Blue Mountain, Palmerton PA – Box Showdown
Sept. 17, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Windham Mountain, Windham NY
Oct. 15, Vittoria ESC Downhill – Mount Snow, West Dover VT – Finals
Clif Enduro East
July 1–2 Killington
Aug. 5–6 Burke Victory
Sept. 9–10 Thunder
MENTIONS: @Eastern-States-Cup
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17 Comments
- 10 1
karlink13
(Aug 22, 2017 at 9:49)
Kudos to the ESC crew for putting together another awesome race. The enduro tracks were a blast. Thanks to all who made the weekend possible.
- 7 0
mmfreak
FL (Aug 23, 2017 at 1:01)
the Attitash crew has done an amazing job on their new trails! Both the Enduro and DH courses were amazingly fun to ride.
- 3 0
tmcp1127
(Aug 23, 2017 at 7:12)
Does Attitash normally run the bear peak lift for MTB or do they just turn it on for the race? And is there a decent way to get down from the top of Bear Peak to the trails now? Coming down that fire road was probably the scariest thing I did all weekend when I did the Attitash enduro 2 years ago.
- 3 0
BroBomb
(Aug 23, 2017 at 7:40)
I think they're going to start running the bear peak lift for biking Friday-Sunday. You can ride the DH race trail to the first bit of the enduro stage 1, then cross the ski trail over a very faint trail to a more burned-in trail through the woods, eventually taking you to the top of the Kachina triple where the two steep and really, really fun loamy stages were.
- 3 0
jebcas
(Aug 23, 2017 at 11:23)
I also heard they were going to start running the Bear Mountain lift for regular riding at some point soon. I rode the fire road again this year and its been cleaned up a bit and slightly less terrifying but still not something I would want to hit very often. Hopefully the mountain will get a good connector from the top to Stages 4/5 because they are a hoot.
- 2 0
tmcp1127
(Aug 23, 2017 at 14:19)
@jebcas, @BroBomb thanks for the info
- 5 0
RonnieBravo
(Aug 23, 2017 at 4:17)
Such a great weekend of racing. Had a blast and can't wait for the next round.
- 5 0
ryanbpoquette
(Aug 23, 2017 at 5:31)
One of the most underrated ski/bike mountains in USA, I grew up skiing here, they have been building it looks like...
- 5 0
sharpiemtb
(Aug 23, 2017 at 6:54)
Who helped Riley with her number plate this race? It doesn't suck for once!!!!
- 5 0
lowellbarrett
(Aug 23, 2017 at 6:10)
Great pics, great recap. Hope to be up there next year!
- 4 0
Brooksinct
(Aug 23, 2017 at 4:38)
The loom at attitash was super nice on race day! Great job to the ESC team. Love this series!
- 4 0
Lankycrank
(Aug 23, 2017 at 9:59)
Sounds like I missed another good one. Blue Mountain and Killington, here I come!!!
- 4 0
mfwoods
(Aug 23, 2017 at 5:38)
East coast loam! Can't beat it!
- 4 0
JKSR
(Aug 23, 2017 at 9:13)
Great event and venue as always!
- 4 1
pbfan08
FL (Aug 22, 2017 at 14:10)
There is a real person with the name Dickon? Holy game of thrones.
- 1 0
Bigernmcracken
(Aug 25, 2017 at 11:12)
I had to check facebook to be sure, it is not a mispelling
- 3 0
DARKSTAR63
(Aug 23, 2017 at 7:56)
So good! One of my favorites !
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