Gravity East Series Recap

The final race of the Gravity East Series is happening right now. Here are the results from the last three events. For more information, visit GravityEastSeries.com.

October 3-4
Mount Snow, VT
Downhill
Pro Women
1. Dawn Bourque
2. Karen Eagan
3. Lauren Petersen

Cat. 1 Women
1. Susan DelPino
2. Becky Gardner
3. Charlene Smith
4. Kate Parhiala

Cat. 2/3 Women
1. Rebecca Bagley
2. Laura Drenen
3. Miranda Cox
4. Jennifer Tammam
5. Jennel Ortiz

Dual Slalom
Pro/Cat. 1 Women
1. Karen Eagan
2. Kate Parhiala

Cat. 2/3 Women
1. Amy Hermann
2. Jennel Ortiz

September 26-27
Blue Mountain Resort, PA
Downhill
Pro Women
1. Karen Eagan
2. Dawn Bourque
3. Hillary Elgert
4. Stephanie Gubernat

Cat. 1 Women 19-29
1. Kristine Koch
2. Kate Parhiala
3. Hannah Trimble

Cat. 1 Women 30-39
1. Susan DelPino

Cat. 2 Women 19-29
1. Leslie Litton

Cat. 2 Women 30-39
1. Karen Clymer

Cat. 3 Women 19-29
1. Becky Bagley
2. Rachael Baxter
3. Christy Allebach

Cat. 3. Women 30-39
1. Jennel Ortiz

Cat. 3 Women 40+
1. Christine Deihl

Dual Slalom
Pro/Cat. 1 Women
1. Dawn Bourque
2. Kate Parhiala
3. Karen Eagan
4. Hannah Trimble

Cat. 2/3 Women
1. Karen Clymer
2. Rachael Baxter
3. Christy Allebach

August 29-30
Whiteface 5K Dowhill, NY
Downhill
Pro Women
1. Dawn Bourque
2. Karen Eagan
3. Alexandra Lacroix
4. Jennifer Wolf
5. Stephanie Gubernat

Cat. 1 Women
1. Becky Gardner
2. Susan DelPino
3. Stacy Benenke
4. Kristine Koch

Cat. 2/3 Women
1. Candace Ellicott
2. Rebecca Bagley
3. Mel Frazier
4. Anne Minor
5. Jennel Ortiz

Dual Slalom
Pro/Cat. 1 Women
1. Karen Eagan

Cat. 2/3 Women
1. Nicky Frechette

Mount Snow Mountain Bike Festival

There are some fun goings on at Mount Snow, VT this weekend. There's a Kenda Cup Pro XC race, but what's really exciting is that there are also downhill and dual slalom races too! Jeff Lenosky's doing a Super Stunt Show. Also, there are mountaincross and mountain bike skills clinics, so if you've always wanted to try racing a different discipline, now's your chance to learn to do it right! Oh, and don't forget the Super D racing, short track, concert, and fireworks! For more information, visit http://mountsnow.com/bikefestival.html.

The East Coast Rides Again

The snow has melted, the daffodils are blooming, and it’s almost time for the guys to get out there and mow the lawn while we ladies hit the resorts that have already opened for mountain biking season. Quite frankly, the East Coast has it going on, and to prove it, I'm going to take you on a little road trip.

The adventure starts with a warm-up in the Big Apple. New York City’s Highbridge Park features dirt jumps and a pump track right in the middle of urbania. Although there are no lifts here, it’ll do you some good to pedal around after a day of eating at any of the fabulous places in the city.

Heading away from the skyscrapers and concrete of New York City, travel northwest into the rolling hills of rural New Jersey and into the parking lot of Mountain Creek’s Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon. This is pretty much the East’s first and premier freeride park. After a day of world-class freeriding, take a day--if you can spare it--and play in the water park.

From New Jersey travel back into the Catskills of Upstate NY to ride another one of New York’s gems, Plattekill. What Diablo is with it’s groomed and buffed out jumps, landings and berms, Plattekill is its au naturale opposite. Its fast trails and legendary steepness lends itself to well-honed riding skills. It’s a little local place with gritty charm and now offers riding camps, racing, a dual slalom course, and $199 season passes before 5/15/09! Camp in the parking lots and make sure to say hi to Laslow.

Just a few minutes up the road is Hunter Mountain where flowy, mellow trails are not as knuckle whitening as at Plattekill, but still offer fun and challenge for riders of all levels. Hunter Mountain would be a perfect place for the fledgling gravity rider to hone their skills and gain confidence. Rental and guided ride packages as well as hourly mountain bike lessons are available.

The fourth destination, Catamount, is just getting into the gravity and freeride scene. Catamount offers a skills park, lift-served downhill riding, and dirt jumps. Freeride Foundation's field team (AKA Mrs. Allegra Burch) has not yet had the opportunity to scope out this area in detail, but we’ve heard positive things from riders of all abilities.

Now we'll travel north and cross over into Massachusetts to ride Jiminy Peak. The riding starts to get back into a mix of natural techi-ness and flow. Again, the Freeride Foundation field team cannot provide the gritty details, but Jiminy Peak has been advised as a place that must be ridden.

A short and scenic three-hour drive puts us back in New York and in the wilds of the Adirondack Park. We travel towards Lake Placid, the home of the 1981 Olympics and breathtaking eastern mountain views of Whiteface Mountain. Whiteface is a gem, although not for the faint of heart. Nicknamed “Iceface” for bare spans of windblown Canadian shield, it boasts miles and miles of trails that swoop through loamy wooded sections and plunge down shelves of rectangular rock. This is where the legendary 5k Downhill Race takes place, and don’t be fooled, it’s legit.

Whiteface also has a pump track at mid-mountain that’s a replica of the municipal pump track of Stowe, VT. If you go, find Downhill Mike in the shop and tell him Freeride Foundation sent ya. Make sure to check out The Flume swimming hole while you’re there!

No trip would be complete without ice cream, so off to Vermont we go. After spending time guzzling maple syrup and recovering from Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia induced brain freeze, we roll over to Killington, VT to work off some of those calories. Again, sadly the Freeride Foundation field team is lacking in details, but reports say Killington is fun, fun, fun and very welcoming to women. From what we understand, there is something here for everyone. Hucks, leisurely descents and high-speed sections. We’re hoping to see good things on the riding front coming from Killington!

“Live Free or Die!” Ok, we accept. Helloooo Highland Bike Park of New Hampshire! This former hole-in-the-wall ski resort was snapped up for a song by some local riders and turned into a mountain bike Zion. Dirt Jumps, well built stunts, flowy trails and a lift--Highland Bike Park has it going on. It plays host to numerous major slope style events and has an overall great scene. Good food and frosty beverages are available on-site.

Note: Freeride Foundation’s East Coast field tester had a little trouble wrapping her head around Highland at first, but once she started trusting all of the features, all was well!

Just in case we hadn’t gotten our fill of maple and creamy frozen treats, we head back to Vermont and visit the legendary Mt. Snow. Mt. Snow has hosted national and local races nearly since the inception of the sport of mountain biking. Mt. Snow’s trails are FAST and may the lord have mercy on your soul if it rains. There is freeriding here, which is worth checking out along with the amazing scenery.

Don’t forget your bug spray and to stop in the deli in the village and get yourself a “Vermonter” sandwich. Apple, bacon and ham drizzled in maple syrup and snuggled between two thick slices of French toast!

This concludes our lift-served East Coast road trip. However that’s not what the East Coast is all about. Simply epic trail riding abounds in every one of these states, and even more lift served gravity action is available as you travel south into Maryland (Wisp) and West Virginia (Snowshoe).

Hopefully everyone will have an opportunity to come out here and ride. You’ll get more bang for your buck than nearly any state in the West and be no more than five hours from one of the world’s premier cities.

Melissa Buhl Wins US Downhill National Championship

Melissa Buhl snagged her third US National Championship jersey of the year today. She won the women's pro downhill by 3 seconds over Marla Streb. Yes, Marla Streb. Kathy Pruitt, the 2007 Downhill National Champ, flatted in her race run.

Pro Women
1. Melissa Buhl
2. Marla Streb
3. Dawn Bourque
4. Darian Harvey
5. Allegra Burch
6. Lauren Petersen
7. Karen Eagan
8. Alexis Wruble
9. Kathy Pruitt
10. Kathi Krause
11. Stephanie Hatalsky
12. Alicia Hamilton
13. Jessica Vogt
14. Connie Misket
15. Kimber Gabryszak

Melissa Buhl Wins US Dual Slalom National Championship

Melissa Buhl took her second-consecutive US National Championship jersey in pro women's dual slalom today. She's racking up the jerseys this year. Melissa already has the World Champ and US National Champ jerseys in mountaincross. She bested Kathy Pruitt for the dual slalom win. The two will face off again on Sunday for the US National downhill title, which Kathy currently holds.

Pro Women's Dual Slalom
1. Melissa Buhl

2. Kathy Pruitt

3. Darian Harvey

4. Jessica Vogt

Gravity East #2 Results

The second race of the Gravity East Series took place at Mt. Snow, VT this weekend. It seems like springtime weather has been plaguing everyone lately. A rainy Saturday made for slippery conditions for racing on Sunday. Dawn Bourque didn't let a little mud bother her, though, as she took the win for the pro women.

Pro Women
1. Dawn Bourque
2. Lauren Petersen

Expert Women
1. Vicki Koch
2. Charlene Smith
3. Kathleen Herde

Sport Women
1. Kristine Koch
2. Lauren Daney
3. Kasey Sibrinsz

Beginner Women
1. Amanda Doughty
2. Marielle Lueker