Like it or not, the riding season is starting to slowly wind down – the leaves are turning, and the days are getting shorter. This also means the close of one of the biggest enduro series on the East Coast. The Vittoria Eastern States Cup headed back up to Vermont for the last round of racing during the first week of September. The largest of the ESC venues, Killington Resort, welcomed over 130 riders for the second time this season, and racers were eager to find out what was in store for them.

Glorious view from the Killington peak.
Glorious view from the Killington peak.
The Beast!
The Beast!

The weather was as perfect as it could have been, and conditions were drier than I’ve ever seen at Killington. Plumes of dust and rocks were getting kicked up by tires, and riding behind someone became a difficult task.

Dusty conditions meant speed I've never experienced at Killingon before.
Dusty conditions meant speed I’ve never experienced at Killingon before.
Tom Davidson never lacks style.
Tom Davidson never lacks style.

The weekend’s course was a stark contrast to typical ESC enduros. The course was very physical, and every stage required massive amounts of pedaling. Practice put a strain on everybody, and many racers chose to only do one practice run on each stage in order to preserve as much energy as possible. In my typical fashion, I chose to do two runs on each stage to assure I remembered all the corners and all my lines. Feeling like I may have gone a little too hard in the pedaling sections, I walked away confident with at least my course memorization.

BMC's Derek Bissett scoping out the perfect line.
BMC’s Derek Bissett scoping out the perfect line.
These berms were not as easy as Conor Rowan makes it look.
These berms were not as easy as Conor Rowan makes it look.

Saturday night was devoted to catching up on food at one of Killington’s many winter-oriented restaurants and making sure the bikes were ready to go for the 9:30 AM start the following morning. Pizza and beer were the preferred sustenance for the night, and the lobby of our little motel made the perfect shop space to get our bikes dialed in.

Pizza and beer. A post ride meal doesn't get much better than that.
Pizza and beer. A post ride meal doesn’t get much better than that.
Fixing bikes in the lobby of a hotel. Hey, it's better than doing it ouside with a head lamp.
Fixing bikes in the lobby of a hotel. Hey, it’s better than doing it ouside with a head lamp.

Sunday morning it was off to the Fat Italian Deli for some delicious Philly cheesesteaks before heading up to the resort for the riders’ meeting.

Camp life is a huge part of the Eastern States Cup.
Camp life is a huge part of the Eastern States Cup.

Stage #1 was held on a brand-new trail called Blue Magic. This was one of the most fun jump trails I have ever ridden. The tall berms allowed you to stay off the brakes and carry as much speed as you felt comfortable with, limited only by your ability to stay low over the jumps. The times were tight, but everyone finished up with a huge grin on their faces. It was a great warm-up for the much harder, more physical remainder of the day.

Dillon Van Wart getting into the rhythm of Stage #1.
Dillon Van Wart getting into the rhythm of Stage #1.

Stage #2 was the shortest one, and frankly a bit disappointing since higher up, the same trail is full of technical features that have become a staple of Killington enduro races. A short, twisty wooded section followed by a long, flat sprint was not enough to get riders into the groove. Before you knew it, the stage was over.

A split second break from pedaling through a perfect set of berms.
A split second break from pedaling through a perfect set of berms.
More technical nastiness. Full face helmets were the choice for the last stage.
More technical nastiness. Full face helmets were the choice for the last stage.

In my mind, Stages #3 and #4 rolled into one. There was a lot of variety, from flowy berms and wooden bridges, to technical descents and twisty corners, but the overwhelming feature of both stages was pedaling. No matter what part of the stage you were on, you better have been cranking on those pedals. By the last access road, I had all but exhausted myself and couldn’t do much more than sit and spin, never mind sprinting. With average finishing times around four and a half and eight and a half minutes respectively, there was little left in the tank for the last stage of the day. Even though Stage 4 wasn’t the longest, everyone agreed that it took the most effort.

One of the many false flats on Stage #3.
One of the many false flats on Stage #3.
Fast, flowy end to a tiring Stage #3.
Fast, flowy end to a tiring Stage #3.

Stage #5 was no walk in the park. It was the longest and most technical of all. This top-to-bottom run would clock in at over twelve minutes for everyone but first place Pro Seamus Powell. The top featured rocky and root-filled chutes that were the last place you wanted to crash – and yet where many people did. The sections in between the steeps were chunky affairs that seemed to want nothing more than to stop you from going forward if you were being passive on the bike. The farther down the mountain it went, the more physical the stage became, terminating after a series of ski slope intersections. During Saturday’s practice, I was happy to realize that I remembered most of the terrain from my previous races here and on Sunday, this stage was as smooth as I could hope for. I hit all my lines and I pedaled as hard as I could. It was a high note to finish a race on.

This section claimed a lot of riders over the weekend.
This section claimed a lot of riders over the weekend.
Concentration was key on the last stage.
Concentration was key on the last stage.

After the dust settled, I ended up in 9th overall. I was just hanging onto the top 10, but that was my goal for the race – and with such an impressive field of pedallers, I was happy. Seamus Powell pulled out all the stops and gained a commanding 28-second lead on the rest of the field in the last stage of the day, assuring his win of the race as well as the series. Leland O’Connor came in second on the day and second in the series, with a deficit of only 10 points to Seamus over the course of the season. Third place went to Matt Sebas, his best enduro finish to date and a very impressive performance throughout the day. On the women’s side of things, it was Kimberley Quinlan squeezing in just two seconds ahead of the series winner, Lauren Petersen. Clarissa Finks came in third.

Tunnel vision - fast descents and tight evergreens were abundant on Stage #5.
Tunnel vision – fast descents and tight evergreens were abundant on Stage #5.
Mario Centuori cruises through the jungle.
Mario Centuori cruises through the jungle.

The 2015 Eastern States Cup Enduro Series went out with a bang, and I’m already looking forward to next year. The Northeast racing season is far from done, however, with the second big-hitting series, The Triple Crown, just starting up in a few weeks. There will be the same faces, but different venues and a fresh chance to keep learning and improving!

George Ulmer, the man behind Eastern States Cup, doing his magic with the results.
George Ulmer, the man behind Eastern States Cup, doing his magic with the results.
Champagne for everyone!
Champagne for everyone!

For more information check: Vittoria Eastern States Cup Enduro Series

Words: Paul Dotsenko Photos: Jamie Lee


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