Round Two of the Eastern Triple Crown Enduro series came to Burke Mountain in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom this past weekend. More than 150 racers, including dozens of our speedy friends from north of the border, battled it out in the mist and mud at what was likely the toughest enduro race of the year on the East coast.
Quiet and rural East Burke, home to Burke Mountain ski resort, was once a virtual ghost town in summer. With the development of the Kingdom Trails mountain bike network, considered one of the finest in the country, the area has become a biking mecca and hosts tens of thousands of riders every summer.
Though much of the Kingdom Trails network lies on on the gentle inclines of nearby Darling Hill, the enduro was contested on the rugged flanks of Burke Mountain. The Burke Bike Park offers chairlift access to the lower mountain but much of the course lay on the upper mountain, requiring some epic transfers and making this a huge physical test for racers.
Stage One was a warmup romp through the bike park. Riders started on Jester, one of the most entertaining flow trails anywhere. Samuel Vallee from Devinci Factory Racing and Rudy Girard from Lama Cycles and NS Bikes, got in a rip during practice. Both would finish in the top ten for pros.
The sinuous Jester line demanded precise cornering skills and ample air awareness when launching tables at warp speed on a trail bike. Jeff Faulds, racing for Norco and Shimano scorched the berms on his way to a 6th-place pro finish.
After switching gears to the more natural single track of Enchanted Forest, racers finished Stage One with a blast through the mountain's dual slalom course. The course offered many opportunities for "creative" line choices, most of which would have resulted in disqualifications if this were an actual dual slalom.
Following Stage One, riders rode the lift then climbed a steep ski trail transfer. This was just the appetizer for the long slog up the auto road to the top of of the mountain. All told, an almost three-mile transfer.
Stage Two followed the rugged and demanding double-diamond DH Trail which offered relentless slabs, steep rolls, slick roots and mud. Canadian speedster Adam Robbins, a World Cup junior with the Eastern States Cup North American Downhill Team, crushed the stage and posted the fastest amateur time of the day.
DH Trail continuously alternates between primeval forest and open ski slopes. David Van Wart descended into the mist through a field of ferns.
The silent killers that prey on members of Over-Brakers Anonymous were out in force.
The spicy challenges kept coming on Stage Two where there was never a moment to catches one's breath. Local shredder and bike wrench Orion Campbell Wolk has ridden DH Trail countless times and his experience resulted in a solid 17th-place pro finish.
A tight squeeze was just one of numerous unique tests thrown at racers on Stage Two. Hopefully pro Gabriel Clavet wasn't running 800mm bars.
DH Trail ends about halfway down the mountain, at which point riders pedaled a short transfer to the top of Stage Three. The fun began right out of the gate with an optional drop on Dead Moose Abuse, hit here by junior Nathan Sterckx.
A slick slab, guarded by a tangle of roots, was next up on the Stage Three agenda. Jenn Leblanc, the current leader in the ESC Atlantic downhill standings, kept it rubber-side-down through the slip-n-slide.
They grow big roots at Burke, and there were plenty of them on Stage Three. Despite his best efforts to reverse the curse, perennial contender Jason Memmelaar fell to the number 13 hex and succumbed to a mangled derailleur that ended his hopes on the stage.
After surviving Dead Moose Abuse, the track mellowed out on the endless switchbacks of Dead Moose Alley and Blacksmith. Felix Laroche cornered his way to a sixth-place finish in the 15-18 class.
Another tiring climb up the lower Toll Road brought riders to the top of Stage Four, the final leg for the amateur classes. A low-angle rip down Camptown took riders past some Kingdom Trails Association handiwork.
Technicolor foliage framed the track on the lower mountain.
The bottom of Stage Four played out on the raucously fun rolls and berms of Roly Grail. Martin Lamoureux sped down the roller coaster ride to a fifth-place finish in the 30-39 class.
Though earning the Green Circle easiest rating for the bike park, Roly Grail is no walk in the park when taken at speed and was a grin-producing climax to the amateur event.
Only the pros got to duke it out on Stage Five. The final segment was a mixed blessing as the stage was perhaps the most epic ever contested in the northeast, but it also required another monster climb to the top of the mountain.
From the top of the auto road, Upper J-Bar rambles steeply through jungle-like stands of moss-covered birch and spruce.
The upper mountain seems to be in a perpetual state of dampness, making tricky work of rock jumbles that lurk around every corner. Tom Sampson, riding for Yeti Cycles, found some traction and a 10th-place pro finish.
Upper J-Bar offered numerous line choices through most of the tough spots, but the sheer quantity of tough spots made remembering your lines a real chore. Pro Kelly Dolan, riding for Claremont Cycle Depot, opted for the center line on one of the rowdier sections.
Speaking of rowdy, this labyrinth had lots of options, just no good ones. Saben Rossi, riding for The Collective, Comp Edge and POC, took the high road after a long inspection. Unfortunately, a nasty encounter between Rossi's knee and a tree stump, lower on the stage, sent the podium threat home early.
After Upper J-Bar, racers detoured onto a fresh-cut loam fest that provided a new link to the bike park below. Californian Kyle Warner sped through the hero dirt to a fifth-place result.
Reigning Eastern States Cup downhill champion Mauricio Estrada has been getting his enduro vibe on of late and enjoyed a little air time while bombing down the new line as he soared to a seventh-place finish.
The bottom of Stage Five was contested on Black Forest, a wildly fun mix of natural and manmade lines on the outskirts of the bike park. Lungs and legs were burning as the pros wrapped up the monumental ten-minute closing segment. Dan Albert, riding for Carver and Bikerman, was on his way to a top-ten result when the figurative wheels came off on the final stage.
After a long stretch of mostly dry weather, race weekend was on the moist side. The dirt was tacky, especially in the woods, but exposed sections were wet and slick.
Autumnal foliage was in full blaze for racers that took a moment to enjoy the panorama.
The stoke level was high on race day, as organizer Hugh Reynolds can attest.
The women’s pro race saw a Triple Crown repeat winner as Dawn Bourque backed up her Mountain Creek victory with a dominant performance at Burke. The New Hampshire veteran racer won three stages but really put the hurt on the field on Stage Two, with a more than 30-second margin, and Stage Five where she topped her closest rival by nearly a minute. "The tracks at Burke were amazing, a great mix of terrain, everything from smooth bike park to super technical downhill. It was a very physically demanding course but so much fun. The two transfers to the top of the mountain were long and steep but not as bad as I was expecting, I just pedaled easy and walked some to save energy for the racing. My favorite stages were Two (DH trail) and Five (Upper J-Bar). They were very technical and some of the longest downhill trails I have ridden. The rain on Saturday afternoon made things really slick, this probably gave me an advantage over the other women since I have spent many years racing DH on wet New England courses. I could not have pulled off this win without support from Susie Arnold. She spent her day shuttling me and friends up the mountain for practice laps on Saturday."
Young Canadian sensation Rachel Pageau, racing for Devinci Factory Racing, took the runner-up spot. Pageau had a consistently fast day, finishing second in four of the five stages. The World Cup XC rider, who has a U23 win at Nové Mesto in the Czech Republic under her belt, began to dabble in enduro last season. She took home her first enduro win at the ESC event at Killington earlier this season. Pageau appears poised to lead the next generation of enduro stars.
Third place featured a successful return to East Coast racing for Anne Galyean, riding for SR Suntour and Marin. Galyean, who earned an impressive top-ten finish at the Aspen Enduro World Series stop this summer, won two stages and finished just one second behind Pageau.
The women’s pro podium from left: Kimberley Quinlan-5th, Anne Galyean-3rd, Dawn Bourque-1st, Rachel Pageau-2nd, Lauren Petersen-4th.
At each stop of the Triple Crown, series sponsor SR Suntour is giving away a new fork in a random plate draw. Emily Leich was the big winner at Burke. Photo courtesy of Adam Lukowski.
The men’s pro race was a tight one with Giant Factory Off Road Team member Seamus Powell gutting out a two-second victory. Powell won Stages One, Three and Four en route to his impressive win over a huge field of 40 pros. "I think the event was great! I like that the pedaling transfers were hard and it was a big day on the bike. Closest day to a Big Mountain Enduro-style event in the East and would love to see more like it. My favorite segment was Stage Five. I felt so good on it in practice but unfortunately didn't race it that well. I misjudged how slippery things were and pushed a little too hard on the upper third. Nearly went down hard a bunch of times. I reined it back for the last bit so I didn't lose all my time due to riding unsustainably. I knew I was having an okay day at that point, so just needed to get down in one piece."
In second place was Antoine Caron, winner of the first Triple Crown event at Mountain Creek. Caron, riding for Pivot Cycles, won Stages Two and Five, the two big downhill segments, but couldn’t quite match Powell’s pace on the more pedally stages. Caron is another World Cup XC racer and goes into the Triple Crown finals at Highland Mountain with a slim five-point lead over Powell for the overall crown.
In the third spot was Vermont ripper Isaac Allaire, riding for Transition, Troy Lee Designs and Chuck’s Bikes. Allaire took fourth at the Mountain Creek Triple Crown and remarkably has hit the podium in 14 of his last 16 downhill and enduro starts this season.
The men’s pro podium from left: Kyle Warner-5th, Isaac Allaire-3rd, Seamus Powell-1st, Antoine Caron-2nd, Rudy Girard-4th
There's a chill and the air and it won't be long before flakes fly. Get your final enduro kicks in when the Triple Crown wraps up at Highland Mountain on October 23rd. We'll be looking for you.
Pics and words by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
MENTIONS:
@jebcas /
@Eastern-States-Cup
Member since Sep 8, 2009
Raced the 2nd stage 1/2 blind. (large mistake, took last) Thought I was a decent rider before I raced this, turns out im not.
If you are considering racing an enduro like I was, you definitely should. Everyone from riders to burke staff were super friendly. But you better have the skills to pay the bills!