NW Cup Round Four, Tamarack, ID - Race Report
After a snow-delayed stop at Mt. Hood Skibowl at the start of the month, the NW Cup landed at Tamarack Resort, ID for its second race in June. This would be the first time the series visited the sleepy mountain village in Central Idaho where smooth singletrack, some rugged granite, and non-stop views were the name of the game. The beautiful resort has been battling its way out of financial troubles incurred during its construction and reopened its summer trails to riders last year. If the ribbons of singletrack and the chill mountain vibe are any indicator, the potential is huge!
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 With the start gate positioned mid-mountain riders were free to enjoy a fun casual ride on the way down. Aaron Ostrom (Cat 2 Men 15–18 ). |
The NW Cup last added a new venue in 2015, so a new stomping ground was a welcome addition to the season's lineup. Two intermingling courses greeted racers from a mid-mountain start. Cat 3 would spend most of their time on the narrow singletrack and bermed turns of Super G and Show-Low. Cat 2, Cat 1, and Pro riders followed a rougher course that kicked off with Rock Star's large granite slab and kept going into the tech on ESR before sharing Show-Low. Eager to lineup a rowdy finish line, a high-speed path was mowed through the resort's half-pipe last week. The result was a grassy and off-camber track that was very greasy during a rainstorm on Friday. By Saturday and Sunday it was drying out, but still required deft handling and good line choice as racers railed across the slope.
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| Peter Buckley heads into the top of the course. Buckley had a successful weekend that landed him his first win (Cat 1 Men 19–29). |
Rock Star's granite slab was a constant item for debate on Saturday as riders gathered to scope lines, try things out, and compare results. The quickest lines cut down the inside for a duffy exit into the loose run-out below. Faced with only a few key sections of gnar and lots of berms and turns, many riders traded in their big rigs for trail bikes. After seeding results on Saturday, times were hovering above the four-minute mark. Bryce Kans was a few second ahead of Gideon Bender and Declan Ervin for Juniors. First time NW Cup racer Kate Meyer took the lead for Pro Women ahead of Jaime Rees, and Kerstin Holster. Evan Geankoplis was at home on his trail bike and seeded six seconds up ahead of Kent Billingsley, and Carson Eiswald.
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| The rock roll at the start of Rock Star was deceptively rough and was the sign of some rough lines and a bit of carnage. Jack Hill (Cat 1 Men 19–29). |
Sunday morning started early, but the fair weather only seemed to get nicer with lake views and blooming flowers. Racers charged into the day with fast times and in the case of Cat 2, a surprising amount of style over the table tops on Show-Low. Declan Ervin rose to the top to take his first Juniors win.
On step number two was Gideon Bender taking his first Juniors Podium ahead of Bryce Kans, Tyler Bommarito, and Chris Wharton. Kate Meyer's hopes of a podium finish were dashed when she twisted the bars tumbling from the course's second rock roll. Taking the top was 2016 Pro Women Overall Winner Jaime Rees who we haven't seen much this season while she's busy being a new mom. Kerstin Holster placed second and moved into the lead for overalls. Bridgette Leber came in third for her first Pro podium.
Two racers broke the four-minute mark, but it was Carson Eiswald on his downhill bike that took the day with a time 3:58.37 just a hair ahead of Evan Geankoplis. Kent Billingsley finished third ahead of Kasper Dean and Trevor Lewis.
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| In an effort to reach the course quicker, some shortcuts were quickly worked out. Carson Eiswald (Pro Men) and Declan Ervin (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
Racing can be a funny thing, sometimes the best option is to stick with tried and true, like your trusted big bike. Sometimes you go for a new line or try out a new venue and the results are great! You can get in on the singletrack fun and awesome views at Tamarack Resort next weekend when the park formally opens for the season. For the NW Cup, it's back to Idaho for round five in a few weekends at Silver Mountain Bike Park.
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| Kerstin Holster (Pro Women) and Anthony Marsicano (Cat 1 Men 19–29) celebrate a fun singletrack rip. |
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| Rock Star starts smooth but gets rough quick. Troy Basset (Cat 1 Men 40+). |
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| Evan Geankoplis lifts off the slab on Rock Star. The Marin Enduro rider seeded top on Saturday and took second on Sunday (Pro Men). |
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| Kate Meyer had a promising start to the weekend and seeded first on Saturday (Pro Women). |
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| Alli Gaertner rolls the duffy inside line on the slab (Cat 1 Women 0–29). |
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| Nikolas Clarke takes a fast but more challenging line into the top of the slab (Pro Men). |
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| The better lines didn't always have the most forgiving entrances. |
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| There was a lot of contemplation, trial, and comparing notes all day Saturday. And some celebration when everything came together. |
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| As a new mother, we haven't seen the 2016 Pro Women Overall Winner much. But, Jaime Rees hasn't let a slower riding season knock back her pace though. "My favorite part of the course was the rock slab. I really like anything rocky and technical more than pedally." |
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| Copious amounts of duff on the edge of the slab made for sweet roosts and some drifty close calls. |
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| Once through the slab and loose runout, there was still a moderate drop to contend with. Most riders took to it well, but there were some mishaps and close calls. |
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| Allison McCuskey ended the weekend four second down from the the top step (Cat 2 Women 19–39). |
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| Rad Racings' Gideon Bender dug deep and held down second for seedings and on race day (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
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| Ean Vatcher and Samuel Gunnerson wrap up the afternoon by bombing down Show-Low(Cat 2 Men 15–18 ). |
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| Bryce Kans seeded first for Juniors with a time of 4:19.97 (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
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| Andrew Gore makes the best of a mechanical during his seeding lap (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
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| Kerstin Holster heads into the grassy off-camber section at the bottom of the course (Pro Women). |
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| A fresh track through the resort's half-pipe served up a unique off-camber flavor. Zach Sedivy (Pro Men). |
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| Nate Furbee was coming in fast off a win at round three (Pro Men). |
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| Only a few of the fast turns through the grass provided a solid base for riders. The rest required deft handling and some one footed manoeuvres. Jason Eiswald (Pro Men). |
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| Matt Orlando was in surprisingly good spirits at the end of his seeding run after he took a mega-digger just out of the start gate (Pro Men). |
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| Remnants of Friday's deluge lingered on in the form of a deeply rutted turn that did it's best to suck riders into the grooves. |
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| Kent Billingsley's high-speed trajectory out of the ruts gave a moment of pause to a few gathered spectators who were standing close to the apex (Pro Men). |
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| Sharing some early morning stoke. |
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| Kate Meyer gets her game face on before heading up the lift (Pro Women). |
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| Kevin Littlefield, Matt Orlando, and Evan Geankoplis getting a start to the morning (Pro Men). |
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| Erin Bassett puts in one last run to get everything sorted out on Sunday morning. Bassett landed her third win of the season (Cat 3 Women 40+). |
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| Hopefully this scene underscores just how nice conditions were on the morning of the race. Mica Erickson (Cat 3 Women 0–10). |
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| Former teammates back in 2013, Evan Geankoplis and Matt Orlando were eating up the course during the weekend's mini reunion (Pro Men). |
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| Carson Eiswald (Pro Men) flying through his favorite part of the course. "I've never really raced something like that. On Friday it was really muddy, really greasy, and you could pull some pretty big drifts which I liked a lot." |
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| Duane Robinson can be found slinging his camera at nearly every NW Cup Race. |
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| You're never very far from an awesome view at Tamarack Bike Park. |
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| Tired of ending forth this season, Lorant Domokos put the pedals down to claim third for his first podium (Cat 3 Men 19–39). |
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| Kate Ostrom rode into third during her second NW Cup race (Cat 3 Women 40+). |
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Ben Dillery (Cat 3 Men 15–1 . |
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| Wyatt Parker pulled ahead of the field to take first for his first podium (Cat 3 Men 0–10). |
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| Aletha Ostgaard stayed the course in her second race and finished the day at the top (Cat 3 Women 0–10). |
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| Turning heads, Conner Armstrong finished over eight seconds up (Cat 2 Men 19–29). |
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| Not satisfied to compete on speed alone, racers were throwing in for style too on Show-Low. Top: Ryan Hasey (Cat 2 Men 30–39) and Jason Mcfarland (Cat 2 Men 40–49). Bottom: Tim Healy (Cat 2 Men 30–39). |
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| Mike Lawless struck a good balance between the hard hit of sending this double or slowing down to pump through it (Cat 2 Men 30–39). |
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| Jackson Zechnich feeling the burn about half-way down the course (Cat 2 Men 15–18 ). |
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| Severin Magni looks for an opening around Carson Domen (Cat 2 Men 15–18 ). |
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| Louie Blair makes a fast exit out of a berm on Show-Low for a top finish (Cat 2 Men 0–14). |
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| Michelle Macartney heads for her third win of the season (Cat 2 Women 40+). |
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| Foot out and sliding, there were a few critical speed eating turns along the course. |
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| Chris Canfield delivered his second win of the season, putting him far in the lead for the overalls (Cat 1 Men 40+). |
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| Alli Gaertner kept a strong start to the season going by landing her second win of 2017. (Cat 1 Women 0–29). |
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| Declan Ervin joined the trail bike club to good effect and scored his first Juniors Podium. |
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| Once out of the trees of ESR, the course followed a continually narrowing bench before heading for the second rock roll. Tyler Bommarito (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
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| Bryce Kans charges the direct line on the course's second rock-roll. Kans landed in third (Cat 1 Men 0–18 ). |
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| Bridgette Leber rounds a sandy corner after the rock garden on ESR Leber took third for her first Pro Podium. |
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| Kersin Holster took spot number two for her second podium of the season, moving her into the lead for overall points (Pro Women). |
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| Jaime Rees railed down to finish over ten seconds up. We'll be seeing more of Rees at the remaining NW Cup stops (Pro Women). |
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| Twisted bars from a fall off the second rock roll dashed Kate Meyer's hopes of a podium finish (Pro Women). |
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| Kasper Dean has been keeping the pace and finished up at Tamarack with his second fourth-place finish (Pro Men). |
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| One of the quickest ways to end up with a new heckle-hoop is to nudge a bike hitch into the cement barrier while driving down the highway. |
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| Kent Billingsley snakes through a pinch point at the top of ESR. Billingsley finished third for his best result in 2017 (Pro Men). |
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| The granite work through the trees was tight and unforgiving. Nate Furbee (Pro Men). |
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| As inviting as the end of this bridge appeared, the lack of any exit required racers to cut the inside through some off-camber roughs. Rhys Ewing (Pro Men). |
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| Evan Geankoplis wasn't able to hold onto the lead and finished .53 seconds behind Carson Eiswald and his downhill bike (Pro Men). |
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| Carson Eiswald has been turning in solid results and gunning for the top spot all season. "I decided to take training pretty serious this winter and I've been trying to get as much time in on the downhill bike. I'm pretty stoked to come here and get the win on the DH bike when everyone else opted to go on their trail bikes."(Pro Men) |
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| Juniors Podium: Declan Ervin, Gideon Bender, Bryce Kans, Tyler Bommarito, and Chris Wharton. |
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| Pro Women Podium: Jaime Rees, Kerstin Holster, and Bridgette Leber (Pro Women). |
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| Pro Men Podium: Carson Eiswald, Evan Geankoplis, Kent Billingsley, Kasper Dean, and Trevor Lewis. |
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Results
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And of course I should say it's congrats to all--well done on the race. But yes, holy crap that baby is not old and this woman is taking wins. Motivating to say the least