East Coast Showdown at Killington

The fireworks weren't in the sky, they were on the mountain during the Independence Day weekend at Killington Resort in Vermont as the first of three Box Components East Coast Showdowns lit up the trails at the Beast of the East. The showdown brought together a huge field of enduro and downhill riders. While the two events were separate races, Box Components awarded prizes to the racers who had the best combined results in both events. The mountain, and its camping/parking lots, were literally crawling with bikers over the long three-day weekend.


After a day of practice on Friday, the Enduro kicked things off on Saturday with the USAC Vermont State Championship, the fourth stop on the ESC Enduro series. Killington is a big mountain, featuring long trails, lots of vertical and a wide variety of challenges. It's probably the finest Enduro venue in the region. Four of the five stages had finishing times above four minutes, much longer tracks than the previous three enduro races. Stage one started with a slippery and tiring climb up Snowdon Mountain. Fast Line Racing pro Leland O'Connor, pictured here, is better known for his descending but kept the pressure on all day and finished in second place, his fourth consecutive top-three finish this season.


After some fast sections in and out of the woods on Stage One, racers hit their first big technical challenge on the double-diamond Scarecrow, which proved trouble for plenty of riders. After a short climb up Ram's Head Mountain, Stage Two followed much of the aptly-named Outback trail which journeys to the farthest Northern edge of the trail system. This stage was a muddy test of fitness with lots of pedaling. Though not the roughest stage on the mountain, it may have taken the biggest toll on equipment with many flats and other mechanicals reported on this leg. Riders then boarded the K-1 gondola back to the summit and Stage Three, the shortest of the day. The stage followed Solitude, a trail on the far Southern edge of the mountain. The timed Fox DOSS Seatpost Challenge climb followed Stage Three and brought racers back nearly to the top of the mountain.


Stage Four was the longest of the day and an absolute Enduro masterpiece. After an epic high-speed traverse to Skye Peak, the track dove down the shoulder of the mountain on open slabs that felt more like big mountain riding in the Rockies than the standard East Coast fare. Under-18 winner Nate Robson is seen here bombing the open rocks.

The track then snaked through waist-high wild flowers before dropping precipitously down the fall-line. Nelson Maldonado, pictured here, didn't get to stop and smell the flowers.

After surviving the wide-open speeds of the upper mountain, racers headed for the steep, dark woods on the lower mountain.

The pace instantly dropped to a crawl when racers hit the woods as roots, rocks and muck dominated.

With record June rainfalls in many parts of Vermont, to say there were some muddy spots doesn't quite do it justice. This quagmire was so big it needed its own Zip Code.

Challenges just kept coming on Stage Four as racers followed the double-diamond Beast trail back to civilization.

Burning legs and lungs were really tested on this stage, which took many racers nearly ten minutes to complete.

The toughest rock garden of the day was the parting shot of the steep middle section of Stage Four. This technical section got many riders out of the saddle, some by choice, others not. POC Skida pro Adam Morse had little trouble with this section, or any other, as he was runner-up on three stages and third overall for the day.


After clocking out, riders got to relax and recuperate on another ride to the summit in the gondola. After the trials and tribulations of Stage Four, the final stage was an absolute blast. This section of the mountain drains better and the traction was generally much drier on the final leg. The top section was a fast traverse on Steel Panther followed by Hold On, which is one of the funnest trails at Killington with non-stop berms and jumps.

After a couple hours of racing, the final stage really brought out the smiles and was a great way to finish the day.


For the pro men, it was the day everyone knew was coming sooner or later as Giant Factory Off Road rider Seamus Powell finally got his first Enduro win of the season. Powell, who has been runner-up twice this year, left little to chance with the three dozen pros assembled at Killington. He hammered the course right out of the gate, winning the first three stages, and putting 33 seconds on runner up Leland O'Connor in the process. O'Connor thumped the field and gained ground on Stage Four but the pair tied on the final stage giving Powell a comfortable eighteen-second margin of victory on the day.


On the women's side, Paradise Racing's Lauren Petersen continued to chew up the competition with her third Enduro win of the year. Petersen won all five stages in convincing fashion, showing her strength as a climber and and descender.


The always charging Susan Clifford, riding for Mountain Moxie and Mansfield Cycles, was just off Petersen's pace all day and posted second-place times in four of the five stages to take the runner-up spot. Clifford's Mountain Moxie teammate Clarissa Finks rounded out the top steps of the podium.

The mens pro podium from left: Antoine Caron-5th, Adam Morse-3rd, Seamus Powell-1st, Leland O'Connor-2nd, Franck Kirscher-4th

The women's pro podium from left: Mary Elges-5th, Clarissa Finks-2nd, Lauren Petersen-1st, Susan Clifford-2nd, Kelly Dolan-4th

The KMC King of the Mountain winners, for having the fastest time on Stage Five, all took home a new KMC chain.

The DynaPlug Fastest Finisher Challenge winners all received a DynaPlug Micro Pro-Tubeless Bicycle Tire Repair Kit for being the fastest racer’s to complete the entire enduro course in their class.

Clair Sick took home a new seatpost for having the fastest amateur time on the climbing transfer between Stages Three and Four in the Fox DOSS Seatpost Climbers Challenge.

The wildflowers were in full bloom on the flanks of Killington Peak as the Enduro riders stowed their bikes after a grueling day in the saddle and the downhillers prepared to do battle the next day.


Its not easy for a mountain, even one the size of Killington, to host two races in one weekend. To keep the courses from overlapping, a classic Killington downhill track was resurrected by the trail crew. The course began just below the start of the Enduro course, from a beautiful wooden start ramp that sent racers speeding into the woods.

The first section followed the woody, low-angled upper portion of Steel Panther. Roots and rocks made line choices tricky to hold and a bobble in this section resulted in a devastating loss of momentum.

Exiting the woods, racers dove down the first of four wide-open sections of mowed ski trails.

After bombing down a connecting work road, racers fought for traction on this off camber corner. Not a problem for Speed Legion pro Chris Mari.

The second woods section featured just enough line choices to keep riders on their toes.


Breaking out into the open again, the track plummeted down the steepest portion of the course which featured a sketchy loose corner at the bottom. This section really got showed up over the weekend and was a total filling-rattler on race day.

Returning to the woods for the final time, the course bared its teeth for the only really technical portion of the track. But it was a doozy. The difficulties started with a greasy set-up corner, taken here by Billy Goat Bikes pro Jimmy Leslie.

Riders then faced the notorious rock drop and several line options. The middle line, taken here by Junior-X winner Ben Bodycoat, was the safest option as it snaked between two rock faces.

The riders right option went right over the rock, a fast option, but a rock bulge at the base made the exit challenging and dangerous. David Robbins carried a ton of speed through this line.


The final option, one only hit by a handful of riders, was to send it right off the root-capped rock to a suspension-testing flat landing. This was certainly the most direct line but carried high consequences for errors. Local pro Jordan Newth, riding for Killington and True Wheels, took the big boy line to his first podium of the season.


The rock drop was not far from the base of the mountain and was a huge hit with fans. The area was lined with spectators all day, many wielding noise makers, cheering for the hard-charging lines, the near misses and the occasional crash.


Though not as spectacular as the rock, this final feature, the last real obstacle on the track, tripped up way more racers than its more showy cousin up the hill. A steep chute led to a rock drop into a devilishly deep mud hole. Racers took every imaginable approach to solving this riddle. The best approaching seemed to be an awkward bunny hop over the mud, but that was met with limited success except by the fastest pros.


Those who managed to extricate themselves from the mud had to dance over these off camber roots before being excused from class. Delaware-based Mike Alvarez, racing his first Northeast events, nailed the course.


These roots brought down more racers than the rest of the course's obstacles combined. Exiting the woods for the final time, racers kicked into high gear for a sprint to the finish line. Speeds on the final stretch topped 40 mph for many riders.


After taking third in the Enduro on Saturday, POC Skida pro Adam Morse topped off a stellar weekend with a half-second victory in the downhill. It was his fifth career win as a pro, his second at Killington.

Second-year pro Isaac Allaire, racing for MadKats and Transition Bikes, known for his light and playful style, put down a sizzling run to take the runner-up spot.

On the pro women's side, Mary Elges, last year's overall series champ, returned to form for her first win of the season, besting the field by an astounding 23-second margin.

Caitlyn Anderson, taking turns watching her new baby with husband and fellow racer Billy Anderson, took the runner-up spot on the podium.

The men's pro podium form left: Franck Kirscher-4th, Dan O'Conner-3rd, Adam Morse-1st, Isaac Allair-2nd, Jordan Newth-5th

The women's pro podium from left: Hailey Sarausky-3rd, Mary Elges-1st, Caitlyn Anderson-2nd, Vicky Morrill-4th


This was the first of three BOX Components East Coast Showdown weekends which feature both Enduro and Downhill races at the largest resorts on the schedule. Results from both races are combined to crown the overall champions, who receive some quality prizes from BOX Components. Not surprisingly, Adam Morse took home the top spot for the men.

For the women, Felicia Reale, from Catskills Cycles, claimed the overall crown.


A huge crowd of racers turned out for the long weekend of racing at Killington over the 4th, which is becoming a real summertime tradition. The next ESC event will be the New England Cup downhill at Jiminy Peak this coming weekend and the next BOX Components Showdown will be at Mount Snow on August 1st and 2nd. Mount Snow is a new Enduro venue so mark your calendars for that one!

2015 VITTORIA ESC Schedule

Atlantic Downhill
May 3 Duryea Urban Downhill – Reading, PA
May 24 Plattekill Gravity Open – Roxbury, NY
May 31 Mountain Creek UCI ProGRT – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship
June 21 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
July 19 Windham Mountain World Cup Track Test Race – Windham, NY
Aug 9 Windham Race the World– Windham, NY – World Cup Weekend
Sept 13 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals

New England Downhill
June 14 Pats Peak MTB Bike Festival – Henniker, NH
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
July 12 Jiminy Peak – Hancock, MA
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT
Aug 30 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH- USAC State Championship
Sept 27 Thunder Mountain– Charlemont, MA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals

East Coast Super DH Championships
Oct 18 Mountain Creek – Vernon NJ

Enduro
May 10 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
June 7 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA - USAC State Championship
June 28 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH - USAC State Championship
July 4 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT - USAC State Championship
Aug 2 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 22 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT
Sept 6 Killington Enduro Finals – Killington, VT

Super D
May 30 Mountain Creek Super D – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship

Triathlon
May 2 Killington Triathlon – Killington, VT

BOX Components East Coast Showdown Series
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT

Words and pics by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur

Enduro results: HERE
Downhill results: HERE
www.easternstatescup.com
www.facebook.com/easternstatescup

---

MENTIONS: @Eastern-States-Cup / @foxracingshox

---

Posted In:
Racing and Events Box Components