Race Report: POC Eastern
States Cup Enduro #2 at Attitash Mountain, Bartlett, NH.
By Frank Cookson
For those of you not familiar with the format of Enduro Racing… The link below explains it
I had gone into this
race without having any intention of a high seated finish, but rather to
complete the 5 stage, heat-induced torture test to see where I could make
improvements for the next race of the season and to have a fun time. Here's
what I found out!
Attitash is not a smooth
mountain, rather it's typical of the East Coast, rocky, really rocky, and
plenty of steep chutes. The wide open portions of trail were covered in loose
rock, much of it sharp. Of course the starting gate to Stage #1 was on the
steepest, loosest, driest part of the mountain, many riders watching the
bravest dive in first to scheme and form their own plan of attack. A few of the
Pro's flatted at the bottom causing a stir. Once you survived the drop-in and
following right turn at the bottom, there was a grassy climb, followed by a
quick shot down into another climb, then a small portion of technical grippy
single track. The sun had beat down on the track for sometime previous to the
weekend, causing perfect trail conditions in the woods, and loose, dusty trails
in the open. End Stage 1.
At this point the 91+
degree heat was becoming a painful reality for handfuls of riders yet this is
where the first serious climb took place. To get to the timed Stage #2 riders
had to climb up fire/access roads to the neighboring mountain, where event
organizers had built 2 new trails for the race. Certain sections of the climb
were too steep for even the best of riders considering the overbearing sun and
lack of shade across the dirt road. Many people found themselves hiking rather
than biking. (By the end of the race I wasn't sure what felt worse). Upon
arrival to the beginning of Stage 2, I found that many riders were hanging out,
catching a breather, the atmosphere was very relaxed considering that we all
had to drop into another section of downhill mayhem, followed by the same
suffocating climb again.
I had the misfortune of
not pre-riding #2 on Saturday as I'd run out of time. Big mistake! The lack of
knowledge of the trail severely hurt my time, but that's not to say that it
wasn't fun. The fresh trail was loamy and forgiving in corners, which made up
for the unforgiving, freshly uncovered roots and rocks. With occasional fallen
logs turned into drops and the occasional butt-to-the-back-tire steeps, it was
an absolute thrill ride. Sadly, it was a short stage. Once the time had stopped
for my run at the bottom, I knew it was time to climb again. On to Stage #3.
I (as well as plenty of
other riders) was trying not to keel over in the glaring sun by the time we'd
finished the last stage. Somehow the climb the second time around wasn't as
bad. My legs must've warmed up all the way. The atmosphere at the top (Stage #3
was right next to #2) was very much the same, laid back, and everybody waiting their
turn to drop into the trail. I was waiting around, everyone else content to
take a breather, and had decided that there was no better time than now, dilly
dallying at the top was no place to be and I craved the adrenaline that this
stage was going to provide. I had had the pleasure of riding it the day before,
so I was expecting the ridiculously steep, loose soiled, off camber entry, as
well as all of the tight corners that followed that you could slide into. What
a rush, I had forgotten however, that once out of the fresh trail, you had to
cruise through wide open ski runs that contained the nastiest water bars that
I'd ever seen. Speed scrubbing before these was a must to avoid getting sent
into a collar bone crunching fail. Thankfully there was opportunity to make up
some time with a sprint to the finish at the bottom.
Having finished Stage 3
it was time to once again climb and find my way to #4. This climb was cut in
half, splitting at a midway point from the climb that took riders to the
previous two stages. 4 was the shortest out of all of the race's segments.
Timing started on a bridge that served as a great sprinting platform. Once off
of the bridge, racers had to rush down a mild grade ski trail, with a few
tricky water bars and lots of loose rock. No real corners here, just sprinting
and maintaining speed. The real bonus on this stage was that there was a fun
jump at the end right before the timing checkpoint. The let down was landing
the jump and hearing the casing of my tire stretch (the rim also gave a little,
as I'd previously broken a spoke). The end was now in sight, the final stage
was coming up.
Thankfully, like the
beginning of the race, participants were allowed a lift ride to the top to
start the downhill run. I shortly found out why 4 had been such a short stage
though, #5 was the longest, gnarliest, craziest stage out of them all. It began
right after the lift. Riders flew in and out of small doubles and both natural
and man made berms. The track also crossed a small bridge with a mini wall
ride, many riders gapping the bridge. I fell a little short as my compromised
wheel had flexed and scrubbed to much speed on the corner before the bridge.
After this section it was a sprint down an open, rocky double track followed by
a sharp right into the woods. From there on in, it was rock strewn switchbacks,
small drops, and jumps all the way to the bottom, occasionally crossing open
grassy segments. This part of the race was most definitely suited for those
riding 7" travel "big mountain" bikes. Was it fun, absolutely!
The shared consensus seemed to be that this race was a highlight of the race
series so far. Good turnout, good vibes, and lots of fun!
Highlights of the
race/trip:
Event was well organized so the riders could just ride and have fun!
Free camping in the
parking lot
A timing system that
worked flawlessly!
A true mix of up and
downhill terrain and a fun yet competitive attitude. Exactly what Enduro is
about!
One of the most fun
things I've ever done on a mountain bike
Lot's to do around the
area when not pedaling. North Conway is nearby with great food, as well as
being surrounded by the beauty of the White Mountains (White Mountain National
Park encompassed a very sweet swimming spot, very close to the mountain, that
features waterfalls and natural slides)
With all of the
mechanical issues that I had I still didn't come in last!
Downsides:
2 dropped chains in the
first stage
1 broken spoke,
puncturing the Stan's tape and tubeless seal
2 stretched-casing
tubeless tires
1 tick bite by the
largest Dog Tick ever seen on the Eastern Seaboard
1 massive sun burn
and Hammer Perpetuem
Chews, probably the grossest thing ever.
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