The first-ever lift-assist Mountain Bike Park in the East will host the final race of the 2009 Gravity East Series on October 9-11.
Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury New York is known for some of the most extreme gravity riding in the East, though with 60 miles of trails, there is literally something for everyone (even cross country). Plattekill first opened in 1995, when Missy Giove was still World Champion and Neko Mulally was wearing diapers. (The first World Championships weren’t held until 1990). Since then, Plattekill has been host to tens of thousands of visitors and countless races.

It’s this race-organizing experience that has brought the Gravity East Series to Plattekill for the Gravity East Finals, a double-points event for both Downhill and the e.thirteen Dual Slalom that will close out the 11 race season that stretched from the Old South nearly to the Canadian border. And it literally will literally be a “must attend” event, as series rules state that riders must have annual USAC licenses and attend the Gravity East Finals in order to take a Championship Title in any class.

According to Plattekill’s Marketing Advisor George Ulmer, who knows the trails at Plattekill as well as anyone on the planet, racers face a challenging course. “Loose and steep,” said Ulmer when asked to what the racers can expect. “A lot of shale and drops with good flow on natural terrain.”

Plattekill will also be having an Oktoberfest BBQ and bonfire with a surprise chef for the weekend preparing BBQ pulled pork, homemade coleslaw, baked potato's and more. Plattekill has a large pile of trees, the size of a two-car garage, that have been drying for months and should make for a classic bonfire.

On top of the Purse that the Plattekill Race Series offers, Gravity East will be paying out season awards:

• GES Finals PRO Points purse is $5000.00 for Downhill
• GES e13 PRO Dual Slalom Points Purse is $1000.00, 400.00 in e13 swag, 25.00 for 3 Fastest Qualifers from BTX Air

For more information on the 2009 Gravity East Finals, see www.GravityEastSeries.com or www.plattekill.com/summer/.

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VERTICAL EARTH AT BLUE MOUNTAIN OPENS THIS WEEKEND

 Nation’s Newest Bike Park Opens in PA

 Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

SpectaSport LLC; KenG@SpectaSport.com  

Ken Getchell, Account Manager, 610-397-1950

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 DATE; 9/09/09 Conshohocken, PA, USA:   

This Saturday is the official grand opening of the east’s newest mountain bike park.  Vertical Earth at Blue Mountain in Palmerton Pennsylvania opens September 12 with a $500 Jump Jam before bringing in the “Big Show” of the Gravity East downhill racers on September 25-27.  Vertical Earth opens as full-fledged Mountain Bike Park, with its high-speed quad lift servicing 8 new trails, two jump parks, pump track and a Neko Mulallay-designed dual-slalom course that will feature heavily during the Gravity East Weekend. 

 

“We’ve been trail building seven days a week since April,” says Vertical Earth Mountain Bike Park President Dan Whitehead.  “For the remainder of this season, we’ll be open as part of Blue Mountain’s Adventure Saturday’s  from 10 to 5.  Next year, we’ll expand with more trails, cross country facilities, rental bikes and a full schedule.  We’re even planning to bring cross country races to the trails we’ve already started building to compliment the gravity riding we already have.  Blue Mountain is courting mountain bikers as a catalyst for expanded year-round activities.”

 

Blue Mountain, which boasts the highest vertical of any bike park or ski area in Pennsylvania at over 1,100 feet, is located half an hour north of Allentown Pennsylvania and just two hours from both New York and Philadelphia.  Information/Pics and Video can be found here www.verticalearthpa.com.

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WHITEFACE & RIGHT COASTERS IMPRESS

 Neko Wins, Heath Takes ProGRT Title

 Fun, Fun, Fun Until Daddy Took the Chainring Away (Oh wait, That Was Fun Too)

 Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

SpectaSport LLC; KenG@SpectaSport.com 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    September 1, 2009; Conshohocken, PA, USA:  New York’s Whiteface Mountain lived up to its billing as a wild ride this past weekend.  The Whiteface 5K featured a lot of rocks and even more roll as 202 competitors in 19 classes riders attempted to become one of the few to crack the 8 minute barrier down this massive mountain.  With the downhill portion of the Gravity East weekend also counted as the final event of USA Cycling’s new Pro Gravity Tour national series, an east vs. the nation was expected but never materialized as the home field advantage saw Gravity East regulars on top of the podium. 

The weekend began with the Gravity East e.thirteen Dual Slalom and the Lars Tribus “How (not) to Snap the Start” clinic.  The dual slalom track at Whiteface is out of character for the venue as it’s about the only part of the mountain that can be described as smaller than average, making the start even more critical.  In his second heat, Tribus (Chumba/Rockshox) anticipated the start – but guessed wrong.  Snapping into the still-closed start gate, he went over his handlebars right at the gate.  Tribus was able to come back and, having already demonstrated how to take out the front end of one’s bike on the start, showed how to take out the back end in the final for third and fourth against Kyle Sangers (J & J).  As the gate dropped, Tribus snapped so hard that he snapped his cog into pieces, costing him the race but putting him in serious contention for the unofficial “Hulk-Out” of the year.  In the pro final, Pennsylvania’s Neko Mulally (Specialized Team America) bested Pro GRT competitor Logan James (Pedal the Peak-e.thirteen) from Utah.

On Sunday, things got more serious as both the speed and the consequences for failure increased significantly.  Whiteface served as the eighth round of the 11-race Gravity East Series.  It’s also the longest downhill course in the East, and one of the longest and fastest in North America.  With the inaugural Pro Gravity Tour title also on the line, it was ‘game on’ from the start of the day.  The Pro seeding runs saw NY veteran World Legend Jurgen Beneke (unattached) run an 8:18 to take the first seed ahead of Dave Trumpore (Evil Bikes) and Neko Mulally (Specialized Team America).

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day with sunshine and cool, autumn-like, temperatures.  Throughout open practice, it was clear that the track was getting consistently better, and faster.  Giant Bicycles had planned to give a bonus to fastest rider through Whiteface’s infamous speed trap.  Unfortunately, the speed gun broke down, causing officials to change plans and award the $200 to the best amateur time -- and make just about everybody ask the question, “Why don’t speed guns ever break down when they’re pointed at my car?”  Compounding the ignominy was that the bonus was won by a rider who isn’t even close to being old enough to get a speeding ticket.  14 year old Gravity East regular Richard Rude Jr. (Santa Cruz Allride) had people shaking their heads in disbelief when he came down the mountain with a time of 8.17.80, two-tenths quicker than Jurgen Beneke’s pole-winning pro seeding run.  When the dust had settled at the end of the day, it was realized that Rude’s time would have placed Richard in 10th in the men's pro field and was quick enough to win his class by over forty-eight seconds.

It was obvious now that the build up to the Pro runs were going to be insane.  First in the Hot seat was none other than the consummate Pro Gavin Vaughan (Sinister Snowfire) with a time of 8:19.  Vaughn sat in the hot seat awhile before some astounding times sent him back to the pits.  First to break the 8 minute mark was Jason Memmelaar (Hayes/Manitou/SunRig) with a 7:58.  Memmelaar’s time was quickly smashed by Jurgen Beneke's 7:52.  Then Gerrit Beytagh (Morewood Bikes) clocked an amazing time of 7:50.  Finally, as all eyes watched the mountain, Neko Mulally came in with a record time of 7:48.15 to win the $2,000 dollar first-place portion of the Men's Pro Purse.  Fastest of the visiting ProGRT riders was series leader Chris Heath(Manitou/Hayes) from Colorado who grabbed 6th to clinch the Overall for the Men's ProGRT champion’s Jersey from USA Cycling and the Helmet Trophy from Dylan Dean.

In the Pro Women’s race, the first to sit in the hot-seat was Massachusetts native and well-known northeast pro Karen Eagan (Sam Adams Brewery).  Eagan held on to the hot-seat as rider after rider was unable to eclipse her time of 10:05.50.  Eagan stayed in the hot seat until top seed Dawn Bourque (Rhino BikeWorks) of New Hampshire blew away the competition with a 9:41.29 to capture the Win and the $500 Women's first prize.  Jennifer Wolf (Vixen Racing) was the only Pro GRT series regular to show for the women’s race.  Unofficially, Wolf scored enough points to take over the runner-up position in the final ProGRT standings as Darian Harvey had already clinched the season title following her win at Windham Mountain.  Final points are still being calculated for the Pro GRT women's series.

Following the official race, 39 riders got “pumped” and went back to the top for the chainless race.  Some took the race more seriously than others; Richie Rude showed up at the start with two none-drive side crankarms, eliminating his chainring and bashguard.  For the second year in a row, the win was grabbed by none other than Moorewood Bikes own Gerrit Beytagh.  Beytagh grabbed the win with a time of 8:03.73, smashing 2nd place finisher Jurgen Beneke’s time of 8:24.72.  Rounding out the top three was Heikki Hall with an 8:30.03

The next Gravity East weekend takes place at Blue Mountain Resort in Danielsville, Pennsylvania on September 26 and 27.  The double-header weekend will feature not only the Gravity East Downhill, but also a round of the Gravity East e.thirteen Dual Slalom series on the Neko Mulally-designed slalom course at Blue Mountain.  For more information, see

www.GravityEastSeries.com.

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GRAVITY EAST TO DEBUT PRO FORMAT AT WHITEFACE 5K

More information about the Gravity East Series, including contact information and links to Whiteface Mountain 5K registration and lodging, can be found at www.GravityEastSeries.com.

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MUD SLINGING AT SUGARBUSH GRAVITY EAST

 Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

SpectaSport LLC; KenG@SpectaSport.com 

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 August 4, 2009; Warren, Vermont, USA:  Chris Heath and Dawn Bourque were the big winners of the Gravity East Sugarbush Downhill last weekend under what has become normal conditions for racing in 2009 -- mud. Sugarbush Resort, located in mid-state Vermont, was the location for the seventh stop of the Gravity East Series. Despite it's relatively remote location, Sugarbush is a very large resort area that is couple with other resorts using a network of lifts that resembles ski areas in the Rockies.  And, while Sugarbush might be unfamiliar many young riders, the mountain has a long history of racing rooted in the heyday of Mountain biking in the late 90's. In just the last two years mountain biking and racing has returned to Sugarbush, spurred on by the increasing popularity of series like Gravity East.

All the major elements of a classic downhill course were represented at this year’s Sugarbush course: fast brake-burning open ski slope, high-speed rock roads, grassy turns and bermed turns that slammed racers into tight technical woods.  As brakes were cooling off from the top portion of the course, racers made their way through a tight, wooded course section that started out with some slow tight maneuvering around trees.  A slick off-camber stretch led to the rock face.   The rock face at Sugarbush resembled a World Cup course and was taped-off very wide.  Racers commented that I had so many lines it could give you a headache as tried to decide which line to use.  The finishing segment of the course could have been a small Dual Slalom course.  Racers were treated to berms, table-tops and step-down jumps before hitting one last,  really long sweeping berm that shot them across the finish line.

The 2009 Gravity East Series has been a textbook example of East Coast racing. And Sugarbush was the poster child for what it means to race on the east coast.  Rain leading up to the event on Friday night made for a half-dry and partially muddy conditions.  Warm sunny day during practices turned several sections into peanut butter by the end of the day and a nice “ripe” smell through the wood section. Race day arrives with cloudy skies, but the course dried out to the point that gave a good amount of traction, while still retaining enough slippery feel to make it fun. Race order for the day started with Cat 3, followed by Cat 2, Cat 1 and finished with Pro. Cat 3 made it down the hill and Cat 2 began their runs. It was time for Cat 1 and Pro to head up the lift to await their runs. As the big dogs approached the lift, everyone noted that a dense cloud cover had swept over the mountain.  The cloud cover obscured the top of the lift and the dark clouds gathered around the peaks. Many went and grabbed their rain jackets, umbrellas or trash bags. Rain started to fall half-way through the Cat 2 runs and never slowed down after that. By the time the Pros were scheduled to start the ground had already formed puddles everywhere at the top of the mountain and nothing was left dry. That super-fast open slope section of was now a saturated wet and muddy. What were fast grass turns were now slick skid-steer paths around corners. The woods were covered in wet slime. Crashes were abundant for the remainder of the race. Riders reported having to remove their goggles half-way down the mountain because they couldn’t see through the mud-covered and steamed lenses. The riders that were able to keep both wheels on the ground and blaze the mud turned in some respectable times for the day.

Dawn Bourque of Rhino Bike Works continued her stranglehold on the Gravity East Women’s season, winning her fourth consecutive race by “only” 8.3 seconds over Karen Eagan of team Sam Adams.  But, while Bourque may have a winning streak going, Chris Heath has the best winning percentage in Gravity East.  Heath, a member of the USA’s Pan American Games team, made the trip from Colorado to win the first Gravity East he’s entered this year.  Ben Moody (Rhino Bike Works), winner of the last Gravity East at Attitash, was a close second only 0.27 seconds behind Heath.

Despite the weather, the weekend was a good weekend for racing. The staff of Sugarbush executed a flawless event. Registration was a breeze and everything stayed on time. Sugarbush’s bike shop provided necessary support and parts to the racers of the weekend and was well-stocked with the brake pads that everyone needed due to the muddy conditions.  Fox Racing Shox were also on hand again to support racers with any suspension issues they may have had.

 

The next race on the 2009 Gravity East Calendar is the double-double big-dollar event at New York’s Whiteface Mountain on August 29-30.  The Whiteface 5K is a 3 mile, 8-plus minute downhill that doubles as both a Pro Gravity Tour and Gravity East event with the pro men’s race paying two THOUSAND dollars to win.  The weekend will also feature a round of Gravity East’s inaugural e.thirteen Dual Slalom Series.  For more information on Gravity East, see www.GravityEastSeries.com.

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SUGAR, SUGAR

 Sugarbush Downhill Returns

 Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

SpectaSport LLC; KenG@SpectaSport.com 

Ken Getchell, Account Manager, 610-397-1950

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 July 28, 2009; Conshohocken, PA, USA:  Sugarbush is back on bikes and hosting round 7 of the Gravity East Downhill Series on August 1 and 2.  The huge, two-mountain ski resort in Warren Vermont regularly hosted major events during the first heyday of mountain biking, then gradually faded from the mountain bike scene.  When Summit Ventures purchased the resort, mountain biking again became a priority and the resort has spent six years restoring and constructing trails and park features.  Today, Sugarbush has a freeride park and over 18 miles of lift-assisted cross country and downhill trails.  Last year, the culmination of that hard saw Sugarbush host its first mountain bike race in nearly a decade as the Gravity East Series roared down the resort’s Lincoln Peak.

 

In 2009, Sagebrush’s lift assisted riding season runs through October 11, and includes three bike-specific events.  An Xterra off-road duathlon was held on July 11-12, and the Women’s Wrench and Ride clinic was held on July 25-26.  But it is the return of the Sugarbush Gravity East Downhill on August 1-2 that is the undeniable highlight of this year’s summer mountain bike season at the resort.  With Gravity East now the biggest series of its kind in North America, the significance of the race has increased significantly, and the history of the venue has only increased its prestige.

 

The racetrack used at Sugarbush, and first unveiled last year, fittingly represents the history of downhill racing at “the ‘Bush”.  The course starts with an old-school fire road section reminiscent of the type of downhill racing that was in vogue in Sagebrush’s mountain bike halcyon days.  The riders “fast forward” through the opening section and find themselves in a thoroughly modern downhill course with bermed corners, steep drops and difficult technical sections embodying the obstacles that had to be overcome to bring mountain biking and downhill racing back to this great mountain.

 

For information on the Gravity East Sugarbush Downhill, see www.active.com for racer discount lodging for race weekend at Sugarbush, call 800.53.SUGAR and mention the Gravity East.

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RHINO TIME AT ATTITASH

 Rhino Bike Works Controls Gravity East in New Hampshire

 Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

SpectaSport LLC; KenG@SpectaSport.com 

Ken Getchell, Account Manager, 610-397-1950

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 July 21, 2009; Bartlett, New Hampshire, USA:  Despite serious competition from the U.S. National Championships and the renowned Claymore Challenge freeride comp at nearby Highland MTB Park, the Gravity East Downhill at Attitash was another great success.  149 racers and cooperative weather, along with Corey Madden and his Attitash crew combined for another awesome Gravity East Series event.  But in the end, it took a Rhino to tame the course.

 Saturday’s sunny and somewhat humid weather made practice runs on Attitash’s amazing mix of technical sections and flowing bermed a bit dry and dusty.  All that changed on Saturday night as the weather turned and laid down some of the wet stuff.  Race day turned out to be misty with light rain, however the track stayed solid.  “Misty with light rain” may not be everybody’s idea of “perfect” weather, but it was just enough to settle the dust and add that tacky feel to the course that downhillers love.  And it was a fitting welcome for riders arriving from Highland’s Claymore and the Nationals in Colorado who were taking advantage of the extended 7 am practice session on race morning.

 One of those was Ben Moody of Rhino Bike Works/Highland MTBpark/POC Armor, who outgunned Neko Mulally (Specialized Team America) by exactly one-half second to claim his second Gravity East Downhill in as many weeks.  The two were the class of the field as third place Alejandro Ortiz (Morpheous Cycles/ Hayes/ Nema) was nearly 5 seconds further back.

 Not to be outdone by her Rhino Bike Works teammate, Dawn Bourque scored her third consecutive Gravity East Downhill victory.  Bourque completely dominated the women’s class, winning by an astounding 15 seconds.

 The Gravity East Series takes a rest week before returning to Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort on August 1-2.  For more information on the Gravity East Series and it’s upcoming races, see www.GravityEastSeries.com.

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GES #5 Highland Results and Report

NORTHFIELD, New Hampshire  - What a weekend for gravity racing. One of the best to date races this year took place this weekend at Highland MTB Park in Northfield, New Hampshire. It was the fifth stop of the Gravity East Series signaling the halfway point for the whole series and what a weekend it was. Due to many factors, this was one of the best stops of the Gravity East Series this year. The wonderful sunny, blue sky weather was a major factor in making such a great weekend. In spite of not one but two competing events this weekend - one being only about an hour drive away - Highland turned out 139 participants for the weekend in DH.

Beyond great courses, lots of riding, and great weather. Shaums March, owner of MMR Mountain Bike Coaching and Camps, was on site in person providing personal training and clinics on Friday and Saturday. Fox Racing van was on staff to support the racers for the weekend. The wonderful crew of Highland made sure everyone had plenty to eat at the cafe while the bike shop was quick to provide emergency repairs and help where needed. Hats off to the entire Highland crew!

The courses that were prepared for this weekends event by the Highland Trail crew was a major highlight of the weekend. The dual slalom - we are talking old school true dual slalom - was designed and constructed by Kyle Ebbett with assistance of a trail crew of 10 people that worked almost non-stop for two whole weeks to prepare for this weekend. The work showed through on probably one of the best DS courses I have seen in my entire career of racing. All the participants walked away from the race with a grin from ear to ear. Course designer Kyle Ebbett secured the top podium spot for the pro men and Dawn Bourque took the pro women. The course was a great for spectators and people lined the course from the top and bottom cheering the racers on to the finish.

Download the full set of results in PDF.

The DH race took place Sunday on the trail named Eastern Hemlock that is apart of Highland's extensive trail network. While rain did fall Saturday night, conditions during the race were great. Just enough wetness to make for a fun track. High speed rocky descents, quick bermed turns, and tacky soil made up the race course that tested your will to let the brakes off and your sprinting strength to rocket out of the turns. Racing was very competitive with such a fast course. Ben Moody set the bar high blazing the finishing line with a 2:40.16 ahead of second place Chris Higgerson by over four seconds. Shaums March came across the line in third place - what better advertising for you teach methods than showing how they can perform. Dawn Bourque pulled off a double header by also winning the Pro Women DH with a 3:16.93.

Download the full set of results in PDF.

Press Contact Information:  Gravity East Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 19, 2009; Windham, New York, USA:  Rick “Hodgie” Hodge, Special Events Director for New York’s Windham Mountain, announced this afternoon that the UCI has officially designated New York’s Windham Mountain as the host of 2010 UCI Downhill, 4cross and Cross Country World Cup Finals on August 28-29.  Gravity racers won’t have to wait long to get a preview, as the newly completed World Cup downhill and 4cross courses will officially debut for competition next weekend June 27-28 during the Gravity East at Windham Mountain.

Gravity East is the largest gravity racing series in North America.  With the addition of Windham Mountain to next year’s World Cup, three of Gravity East’s first four 2009 events have been, or will be, host to UCI World Cup Downhills.  The Gravity East at Windham Mountain will utilize both new UCI courses next weekend.  The new Downhill course is roughly 3:20 long and based on the very popular course first used at last year’s hugely successful “East Coast Nationals”.  There have been additions to both the beginning and end of the course, notably the “Black Bear Slide”, a feature so technical that it will be used only for the Expert and Professional divisions.  The weekend will also see the debut of Windham’s brand new 4cross World Cup course when it is used for the second race of Gravity East’s e.thirteen Dual Slalom series.  The monstrous course is expected to be nearly one minute long.

Lodging for the Gravity East Races on June 27 and 28 is available at Windham Resort’s own Winwood Inn located in town and surrounded by 17 restaurants.  Tent camping available for just $10 per site (per night) and RV parking with hookups is available just 5 miles from the race.  More information on lodging and dining options is available at www.WindhamMountain.com.

Press Contact Information:  Gravity East

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2009; Champion, PA, USA:  The Gravity East Downhill at Seven Springs was a huge success as 186 competitors converged on Seven Springs Resort in southwestern Pennsylvania for round three of the 2009 Gravity East Downhill Series.  It was Seven Springs’ first downhill race in years and a great debut for a new race course as the racers all had good responses to the event, the staff and the venue itself.  Even the weather cooperated, providing two perfect days in contrast to the storms that engulfed much of the East