October's Featured Rider: Karen Eagan

The East Coast gravity scene has been going off this year. There are races nearly every weekend from Vermont to New Jersey, West Virginia to New Hampshire, and the freeride parks are some of the best in North America. Karen Eagan has experienced the evolution of riding and racing in the Northeast, and she spends plenty of time on the podium. She's also involved with riding at the community level, giving presentations for local Boyscout troops and leading women's clinics for the Northeast Mountain Bike Association. Karen is currently attending college to become a dietitian technician, with goals to work in the health and wellness industry. We think this Massachusetts ripper deserves a bit more recognition.--FF

Name: Karen Eagan
Home: Lowell, MA
Age: Chronologically or in spirit? 38 and 25 respectively.
Favorite type of riding: Naturally aggressive terrain is my first love, but I've recently fallen for the sweetness of groomed technical trails and courses.
Why you ride: It is invigorating, liberating, euphoric, and it makes me feel alive!
Sponsors: Vitamin Water, Back Bay Bicycles, Fox Racing Shox, E13, Reef, Nixon, and Highland Mountain Bike Park, NH

How does a preschool teacher who's in her late twenties and from a city like Lowell, MA get involved in competitive gravity cycling? She watches a segment on OLN depicting a happy couple on holiday meandering down a hillside with stunning mountain views, and she thinks, "That looks like fun!" After ordering her first bike through the Jeep accessories catalog (yeah, for real--one size fits all), she hits the trails. Literally.



Since then, I have been extremely fortunate to have had opportunities to learn from many diverse riders in the cycling community. I truly owe my competence as a rider to the various groups of cycling enthusiasts who have welcomed me into their cirlces throughout the years--including the individuals who continue to offer their instruction and guidance, as I still have much to learn! The community has been instrumental in providing the support, inspiration, and encouragement I needed to develop skills and confidence, and to discover my potential as a rider and as a competitor. Without these folks, I'd still be doing lawn darts on my super-sized Renegade!

Four years ago, I worked on Ride Like a Girl, a short video featuring Greater Boston female riders. It was filmed for a NEMBA video awards fundraiser. The film took home a first-place award and has served to inspire a number of female riders in the community. The film can be viewed in Volume 1 of the Northeast Mountain Bike Report. I've also worked on segment development and as a correspondent for the Northeast Mountain Bike Report.

I think one of the most important lessons I've learned is to not lose sight of why I do what I do. Riding is fun! Racing is exhilerating! It's all about the rush of the perfect run, the high of pushing my limits, and the unparalleled camaraderie of fellow racers and riders. In the end, it's more about personal satisfaction than a results standing. It's about leaving the trail or course with no regrets, having given it my all. My advice is to set realistic personal goals, keep at them, and take pride in your accomplishments, no matter how small. Most importantly, in the words of a very dear friend, don't forget to "have fun and make friends" along the way!

Red Bull Burner Results

The Red Bull Burner was a 12-hour downhill race held at Angel Fire, NM on the 20th. I kept checking the AngelFireBurner.com site for results, but they haven't been posted yet. Turns out, they're on Cyclingnews.com. Who knew? Racers were allowed to ride any of three courses in any order or pick a favorite and lap that one all day. Lisa Reinhard killed it in the Pro Women Solo class, putting down 25 laps in just under 12 hours. The Duo and Team categories don't have first names attached, so I can't tell if I'm missing any ladies in those classes.

Pro Women Solo
1. Lisa Reinhard
2. Darian Harvey
3. Jennifer Whalen

Expert Women Solo
1. Kim Gilchrist
2. Traci Koesis

bandana-rama! Photo Contest

Have you checked out the bandana-rama! link lately? If you haven't heard, we're hosting a bandana-rama! Photo Contest. The voting starts October 1, so get your photos wearing a Freeride Foundation bandana in now. The voting goes through October 15, and the winner of the contest will be announced October 17. The photo contest winner receives a $100 gift certificate to Freeride Foundation! Email your photos to bandana-rama@freeridefoundation.com.

What Happened in Vegas

For just this once, what happened in Vegas should definitely not stay there. I saw some awesome goodies at Interbike that I'm really excited to bring onto Freeride Foundation in 2009. It seems like the industry is finally catching on to the fact that gravity girls are craving fun, fashionable riding clothes. And don't worry, nothing's been shrinked and pinked--we're talking purples, citrons, prints, and plaids.

It's also exciting to see that many companies are starting to cater specificially to freeride girls. Kona and Norco each have a women's-specific freeride bike in their 2009 line-up, proving that women freeriders are really starting to make an impact on the industry. 5.10 has a sick women's shoe coming out that'll definitely fit even the smallest freeride feet. It's all been a long time coming, but I'm definitely happy to be able to bring you the latest and greatest in clothing and gear next season. Stay tuned--some of it will arrive sooner than later!

Watch the Jeep King of the Mountain, New Jersey on Sunday!

Don't forget, the first 48Straight Jeep King of the Mountain races will air Sunday, September 28 (tomorrow)! Watch it on CBS!

Cal State Downhill Finals

Woodward West, CA hosted the final race in the California Golden State Championship series September 13-14. Michelle Rivera took the downhill win for the Pro Women. Michelle edged out Christine Hirst for the overall series title. To see the rest of the series standings, visit SouthridgeUSA.com.

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Michelle Rivera
2. Christine Hirst

Expert Women 35+
1. Jill Hamilton
2. Nancy Harris

Beginner Women 35+
1. Erica Phillips
2. Kim Finch
3. Wendy Engleberg
4. Leah Jensen
5. Lisa Guzman

Off to Interbike

Oh, joy. Here we go. I'm off to Interbike on Wednesday. If I have a few minutes, I'll try to post a few updates between now and Friday. Don't forget to send your special requests in. I can make them happen!

Women's "Downhill" Ride at Big Bear

I use the term "downhill" loosely here, because there are major restrictions on what kind of bike you can put on a lift at Big Bear, CA. However, Amy Cone is organizing a more-gravity-than-xc women's ride at the resort on October 4, 2008. Here's the schpeel:

Womens Light DH Group Ride

October 4th, 2008
Snow Summit in Big Bear, CA
Will be meeting at 9am in the open area between the chair lift and front building.
Lift tickets are $20 for an all day pass. $10 for just one run.

Chair lift has restrictions on bike components. They are as follows:

1. Bikes must be less than 35 pounds.
2. Designated tire size must be less than 2.5.
3. Front shock must have less than 6 inches of travel.
4. Bikes must have three chain rings unless they are single speed.

Lunch will be up to you. We will eat as a group at the top and you can either eat at the restaurant or pack your own.

Wear whatever gear you feel comfortable wearing. Don't hesitate to fully gear up or go naked (figure of speech).

There is a possibility that the lift will close by then. It is only open weekends after labor day and at the first sight of freezing/snow they close it down to prepare for winter. If you express your interest in this ride I WILL keep you fully updated.
Please contact Amy Cone for more information or to RSVP: lil__missy@hotmail.com

48Straight Jeep King of the Mountain Wrap-Up

What a weekend! The King of the Mountain dual slalom course at The Canyons was intense. Eric Carter built the course and it was no joke. Big jumps, flat corners, a steep slope, and gravelly dirt made for challenging conditions for everyone.

At qualifying on Friday, putting down a clean run was the ticket to success. Anneke Beerten put down the fastest first run, gaining nearly two seconds over Melissa Buhl. On her second run, though, Anneke slid out in a corner and aggravated an ankle injury that she's been dealing with most of the season. Lisa Myklak threw down two solid runs, but a missed gate on her first run left her disqualified. Local ripper Gale Dahlager crashed in her first run, as did Stephanie Nychka, who had been ruling the course all morning. Neither was able to recover the lost time on their second runs.

The whole event is made for TV, so the rules are a bit different than a USAC or UCI race. Anneke was unable to race in the final on Saturday (even with her crash, she had qualified 6th). In order to create full brackets, the remaining riders each moved up a place, allowing the 9th-qualified rider into the final. Gale was that rider, but injuries from her crash sidelined her as well. Lisa moved into the 8th-place spot with a chance to take out Melissa in the first round of racing. We'll let you watch the action when the race airs on CBS in October!

The final race of the series will be held October 25 in San Luis Obispo, CA. Heading into that race, Melissa Buhl has the series lead, but Kathy Pruitt is within striking distance of the title too.

The Canyons Final Results
1. Melissa Buhl
2. Fionn Griffiths
3. Kathy Pruitt
4. Tammy Donahugh
5. Leslie Slagle
6. Allie Burch
7. Jackie Baker
8. Lisa Myklak

Tomorrow, The Canyons, Be There!

Don't forget to swing by The Canyons, UT for the 48 Straight Jeep King of the Mountain contest tomorrow! Swing by the Freeride Foundation booth between 1:00pm and 7:00pm to enter the Bandana-rama! Photo Contest. You could win a $100 gift certificate. Racing starts at 3:00pm. See you there!

Fluidride Cup #5 Results

The fifth downhill race in the Fluidride Cup series was held at Mt. Hood, OR last weekend. Joy Mutoli represented for the Pro Women, and once again, the Sport Women came out in force. Joy, Dawn Lambert, and Cherry Thomas are each leading their respective classes in the points race. The final race of the series will be held September 27-28 at Mt. Hood, OR.

Pro Women
1. Joy Mutoli

Expert Women
1. Dawn Lambert
2. Jaime Rees
3. Chelsey Stevens

Sport Women
1. Cherry Thomas
2. Ashley Smeltzer
3. Jennifer Tell
4. Hailey Olson
5. Summer Northern
6. Corrine Grene
7. Amanda Bauer
8. Leslie Simpson

Beginner Women
1. Yvonne Gillett

Junior Beginner Women
1. Cheyenne Smith
2. Andrianna Moroz

For more information about this series and to see the current points standings, visit Fluidride.com.

World Cup All-Mountain Championships

I'm making up a new World Cup category for recognition: All-Mountain Championships. The winners of the World Cup Mountaincross and World Cup Downhill titles are specialists. Rachel and Anneke rarely cross over to race each other's disciplines. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but there are a handful of women who race both disciplines throughout the series.

Fionn Griffiths, Mio Suemasa, and Anita Molcik are no strangers to the World Cup podium. However, it seems like they're rarely recognized for their abilities to practice and race all weekend and consistently put together impressive performances in both disciplines. Mountaincross is usually held on Saturday night, the evening before the downhill race. While Rachel and Sabrina are kicking back and watching the action or possibly even turning in early, Fionn, Mio, and Antia are duking it out in the dark on the 4x track. There are more girls who cross over, but these three have managed top-ten overall finishes in both disciplines. I think they deserve a bit more credit.

Unfortunately I'm no statistician, so I don't know how to award the real World Cup All-Mountain Champion title. Antia is the highest-ranked of the three in Mountaincross, but Fionn has the highest ranking in downhill--where there are a lot more racers. So, I'll just list their rankings and let you figure it out. Nice work, girls!

__________2008 WC 4X Overall ___ 2008 WC Downhill Overall
Anita Molcik _____2________________ 9
Mio Suemasa _____3________________ 7
Fionn Griffiths___ 4________________6