Video & Race Report: A Pocono Playground Plays Host to the Eastern States Cup Enduro Round 2
We're back in the Poconos for the second round of Maxxis ESC Specialized Enduro racing, this time at Stroudsburg's Glen Park. Due to its cental location, this venue draws racers from both north and south, which sets the stage for epic battles on race day. Although we have raced here for a few years, the Pocono Bike Club have done a great job switching up sections of trail, keeping even those who have ridden here many times on their toes. In the past the stages have been flat out with some technical bits mixed in but this year racers were forced the become acquainted with sharper corners and several more sudden changes in speed. Although the trails of Glen Park lie on only 500' vertical, with five pedal transfers and temperatures in the 90's, this race was anything but a cake walk. The only thing thicker than the air this weekend was the mountain laurel filled Pennsylvania forest.
Stroudsburg isn't just a destination for mountain biking thrill seekers. Brodhead Creek, which runs along the parking lot of Glen Park, is a very popular fly fishing spot.
Race day morning, time to dip some chips.
Racers were registering right up until the race start, 213 of them to be exact.
The roughly 500' vertical transfer was changed slightly this year, making the beginning more gradual, which most racers appreciated considering the heat.
A pair of crashes on the first two stages was not the start to the day Lauren Breza had hoped for, but she was still able to recover and secure fourth place in the Pro women's class.
Elizabeth Mulgrew took home the Amateur women's class win along with a fresh set of rim inserts for her performance on the Flat Tire Defender Super Stage 1. Photo: Evan Gilbert
Stage 2 brought racers all the way to the top of Glen Park for an extended descent past the power transfer station. Stage 1 Cycling Team rider Hudson Nablo topped the Clif Kids class by over a minute, winning three of their four stages.
Defiant Racing's Mazie Hayden was on pace early on, finishing third for the Pro women on the first stage, but a crash on Stage 2 would end her day.
Many chose to air it out on the bottom of Stage 2 but Adrian Hayden knows keeping tires on the ground is often the fastest line. He would win this as well as two other stages on his way to winning the U20 men's class with a time that would have landed him third in Pro Men.
Ethan Zysman demonstrates that sometimes you've just got to throw some style mid-run, he would finish seventh in the U20 men's class.
Danny's Cycles rider Michael Maldonado squeezes between a rock and a hard tree on Stage 2, he ended the day in third place for the U20 men.
The Clif Kids class refueling at the aid station sponsored by Stroudsburg's Arlington Diner.
Although a lot of new sections of trail were used this year, one thing riders couldn't escape was the rock garden on Stage 3. Ryan Bigham makes quick work of the longest stage of the day on his way to a second Maxxis ESC Specialized Enduro win this season in the 30-39 mens class.
Odin Adolphson through the most technical part of Stage 3 on his way to a fourth place for the 40-49 men.
Stage 4 was full of awkward twists, turns, punchy pedals and a couple fun doubles if you could get back up to speed. Titus Nicholson was able to do just that on his way to a seventh place finish in the Pro men's class, his second top ten of the season.
Fifth place 30-39 men's finisher and OGE Enduro Team member Andrew Nelson foot out flat out toward the bottom of Stage 4.
Many of the course changes included steep endings to the tracks and Stage 5 was perhaps one of the toughest, considing there was a sharp turn at the bottom of the final hill before chipping out. Jeremy Fahey gives it one last bit of gas as he heads into the final corner, he would win every stage and best the 40-49 men by 14 seconds.
Simon Miller could smell the free pizza the whole way down Stage 5, he finished fourth in the U15 class.
213 racers made 65 pizzas disappear just as fast as they arrived, thank you Pocono Bike Club!
Jimmy Klose psyched with the new Fox Transfer dropper post he earned for being the fastest amateur racer from the top of Stage 1 to the chip out at the bottom of Stage 5. Photo: Evan Gilbert
With plenty of big Enduro and XC races under her belt, Jena Greaser is always one to watch on course. She was able to tame the rhododendron jungle of Glen Park to earn third place in a very competitive group of Pro women.
Just last year 13 year old Kale Cushman was racing in the Amateur women's class, she stepped it up to the Pro field this year and took second in her first race with a pair of stage wins. The Northeast has some very fast young women coming through the ranks, giving the veterans a run for their money and making the races even more exciting. The future is bright!
Pivot Cycles rider Rachel Pageau was able to win three stages, taking the Pro women's class win by over 23 seconds with a final race time of 13:51. "This weekend was a last minute trip for me, I decided on Friday I was gonna drive up from Knoxville. I left at 5am on Saturday, did evening practice, raced Sunday morning and drove right back! But I'm very glad I made the trip, it was truly one of the most fun Enduros I've done! Tracks were mint!!!"
Pro Women: 3rd - Jena Greaser, 1st - Rachel Pageau, 2nd - Kale Cushman Photo: Evan Gilbert
New Jersey ripper Chris Miller has been racing Maxxis ESC since 2013 and has only gotten faster over the years. He was able to improve three spots over last weekend's race at Blue Mountain to take third place for the Pro Men.
Former World Cup XC racer Daniel Johnson certainly knows how to pedal, he took second place in the Pro men's field, his best Enduro race result to date.
It seems Max Beaupre's time with the Lees-McRae College cycling team has made him even faster. He made it a clean sweep of all five stages to take his second Maxxis ESC Pro win by a margin of 18 seconds with a final race time of 11:45.
Pro Men: 5th - Sammy Hedlund, 3rd - Chris Miller, 1st - Max Beaupre, 2nd - Daniel Johnson, 4th - Saben Rossi Photo: Evan Gilbert
Signing out from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania! Thank you to the Pocono Bike Club for yet again being such gracious hosts. The Maxxis ESC team are working with venues to add more events to the 2020 calendar and keep us racing. Stay tuned to their social media and website for the latest developments.
Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Jason Scheiding
Full Results
Easternstatescup.com
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16 Comments
The current Massachusetts restrictions that were put in place on JULY 1 require a 14 day quarantine for anyone coming into the state from outside of NE, NY or NJ. The new restrictions coming in August simply expand on that. Judging by the bike in the podium photo (most bikes are about 6' long), those podium stands are much closer than the length of that bike. Sorry to be a jerk about this, but with a new school year approaching and the success of the NE states is controlling the virus it seems a bit reckless to push forward with racing in this geographic area.
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