2012 Northstar Pro GRT

The Pro GRT entered Tahoe this week on the slopes of Northstar. Trails there are somewhat rocky and have that fine dust in most corners that when pushed hard enough will give way to the harder ground below. This dust also hides sharp rocks and a number of riders crossed the line with flat tires.

Boondocks was the trail being raced on. It has it share of turns, rocks and smaller jumps as it winds down the moutainside. Fast times for the day were in the low 4 minute range and being at decent elevation around 7000 feet,  conditioning could make a difference.

Riders started out facing straight down the mountain and faded left over scattered rocks, drops and smaller jumps into the trees. The trail is slightly off-camber and wound it's way back and forth a few times before riders came to the first big feature. It is a rock about 5 feet tall that sends riders onto pavers that feed into a washed out right hander. People are given the option of a go around or just send the drop. SOme of the faster riders were going out about 15 feet off of it.

After the drop the trail continues left through over rocks and some turns. Once through the turn riders go between two boulders. The next feature of note is a large boulder that sends riders down a wooden ramp. There were two routes here and although the boulder was funner to ride it makes you enter the trail again at a harsh 90 degree angle. The faster way to go was the alternate route that turned right before the boulder and fed riders into an s-turn and allow a bunsh more exit speed.

 

Again riders are fed left along Boondocks over soft soil and rock. It fades right and opens up a bit sending you over a small rock section. Once through that the trail goes through some turns and across one that is built out of wood. The trail is wide here and offers many line choices. Here the trail heads right and opens to full fireroad width. I happened to grab an image of Mikey Haderer here as it turns out they would not allow him to race for points because he had only one practice run in.

Once riders left this section the return to the tress and hit a few jumps they are smaller and most riders stayed low over these. Here Boondocks crooses another trail and riders are sent between two trees with a paver take-off. Once you drop between the trees it is almost entirely turns and high speed pedalling to the finish. At the finish there were two wooden ramps the one on the left was about ten feet high and launched riders into the sky while the other kept you low and was about half as tall. You heard amny a bike rub the rear tire when hitting the large sender on the way up the ramp.

Overall the Northstar Pro GRT offered riders a very fun course. It was not the most technical but had a few sections to give riders pause while still allowing amateurs and pro riders alike the exact same course to race. Turnout was lower than expected but two other events were happening the same weekend. We will post results once they become available and with also proved a link to images shot at the event later this week.

2012 Val d'Isere UCI World Cup Round 6

Round six of the Downhill at the Rockyroads.net UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano in Val d'Isere, France, turned out to be a much more difficult course than anyone anticipated, with many top riders crashing and performing below expectations.  Rachel Atherton (GT Factory) took her fourth win of the season to extend her lead in the women's standings, while Brook MacDonald (MS Mondraker) took his first ever World Cup win in the men's race.  Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing), despite finishing fifth, locked up the men's overall title with one round remaining.

The rocky, open, alpine run was very different from most that the racers face on the World Cup circuit, and more than a few riders crashed in both training and qualifying.

In the women's race, Petra Bernhard (Alpine Commencal Austria) was the first to record a sub-2:50 run, but Myriam Nicole (Commencal / Riding Addiction) immediately took nearly seven seconds off the leading time, good enough to eventually finish fourth.  Floriane Pugin (Scott 11) then knocked a further second off, but the final two riders were in a class of their own.

World champion Emmeline Ragot (MS Mondraker) was 1.6 seconds faster than Pugin, but Atherton, the fastest qualifier, once again showed that her return this season, after struggling with injury, is complete - finishing a second and a half ahead of Ragot and recording the only sub-2:40 time of the day.

"I am so happy," stated Atherton.  "I think this is the most nervous I have been all year. This track is very, very difficult.  One day it's dry and then it's really, really wet, so tire and suspension changes are so important, and you don't know how it's gonna be on your race run.   Everyone was just playing it like a guessing game.

"I almost crashed today [in training]; I landed on my seat.  My stomach was hurting really bad, but I thought, this is like Fort William:  I need to just switch off and then switch back on for the race.   I have learned that from racing and crashing."

Atherton now holds an 80 point lead over Ragot, with Nicole a distant third at 892 points.

The men's competition for the last two seasons has been completely dominated by World Cup leader Aaron Gwin and his usual rival, Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate).  Between the two of them, they have won every single World Cup in last season and this, until Val d'Isere.  Every rider struggled on the fast, rough and rocky terrain, which was completely unforgiving of mistakes.  Gwin crashed in qualifying, injuring his hand and finishing well back.

In the Final, Thibaut Ruffin (Commencal / Riding Addiction) set the early best time, which stood for 16 riders until Matt Simmonds (Chain Reaction Cycles.Com / Nukeproof) bumped him by an infinitesimal six-thousandths of a second.  Simmonds in turn was displaced by Andrew Neethling (Giant Factory), who barely finished before Mick Hannah (Hutchinson United Ride) took the lead.  Gwin took the lead next by half a second, but Minnaar surpassed his rival by that same amount.  Gee Atherton (GT Factory) then recorded the first sub-2:20 time, but it wasn't quite enough, as MacDonald knocked a final half second off the lead to record his first victory.

"I can't even explain how I feel," exclaimed MacDonald.  "I had a solid run, no mistakes , it was one of those runs I was just pumped for.  I am over the moon about this one.  My early season has been a big struggle.  I was at a point where I was hating riding. So I changed a few things on my bike, and it has all paid off."

"This track was hard.  With the altitude, and being only two and a half minutes, you are just pushing the whole way.  If you make a mistake you lose time and you can't really lose time on this kind of track.  I put together a good run and I'm happy."

Despite having his consecutive World Cup win streak stopped at four, Gwin wasn't too upset.  "I have no excuses, I had a pretty good run.  For how I felt I am happy.  To win the overall again, it is so amazing, especially after this weekend.  I came in feeling good, and kinda had a bonehead moment in Qualifying.  Hurt myself a little bit.  It [his hand] was better than I thought it was going to be in the Finals; it didn't hurt too bad. I just got a little tired at the bottom. So I had to back it down at the bottom  to make sure I stayed on and I kinda backed it down too much, but it worked out.  Everyone loses some and wins some.  I have lost many more in my career.  I am just stoked to be up here."

Gwin now has 1260 points with one race remaining, an insurmountable 260 point lead over Minnaar.  The fight for second overall is far from over, with Atherton only 19 points out of second.

Nukeproof Pulse Frame Announced

After much anticipation and online speculation we’re pleased to finally release details of the Nukeproof Pulse, our next generation downhill race frame.

The evolution of our highly regarded Nukeproof Scalp, the Pulse is the product of two seasons of tweaking, tuning, testing and valuable rider input from Team CRC/Nukeproof. The outcome? A premium performance frame which combines updated geometry and enhanced design features for a hugely improved ride dynamic, ready to take on the best in the world.

The Pulse is a pure-bred race animal with superb durability and an instinct for winning firmly planted in its DNA. Built using T6 6061 aluminium with custom triple butted hydroformed tubing for a perfectly balanced strength to weight combination, the Pulse also boasts an adjustable chainstay option courtesy of our ‘Style Fit’ system. Whatever the hill throws at you, we have the weapon to match it – allowing you to alter the wheelbase by 10mm depending on the type of track you’re riding, your height or riding style (long setting = 445mm, short setting = 435mm). This bike will perform above and beyond your expectations on any terrain.

It’s all about the detail

Our engineers designed the Pulse with a view to improving every individual part, from tubing and bearings to cable guides and pinch bolts refining each one as they went. Working alongside our Team Mechanics, we’ve made the Pulse not only functional and dependable from a rider’s perspective, but we’ve designed it specifically to be easily serviceable, with improved bolt and shock access too. 

The detail’s in the ride

At the beating heart of the Pulse is an instinctive platform that’s been fine-tuned to take on the world’s highest, fastest, steepest and most gnarly trails – pushing you to ride on the edge of what’s possible. We’ve refined the linkage to increase stiffness, resulting in a more stable bike and a smoother suspension feel throughout the stroke of the shock. We’ve also slimmed down the swingarm significantly, minimising the unsprung weight and improving square edge bump compliance without compromising strength. Our Split Forge System allows us to utilise the material properties of the frame to provide a stronger yet lighter yoke while reducing the number of welds, allowing a larger area to disperse any loads and forces applied.

Specs:

- T6 6061 Aluminium Frame construction

- Custom Triple Butted Hydro-formed tubing

- Adjustable Chain Stay Length

- Enclosed 1-Piece linkage

- 1.5” Headtube

- 215mm-210mm travel

- 150mmX12mm rear axle

- 83mm BB Shell

- ISCG 05

- Shock Length 240X76mm

- Chain Stay – 435mm/445mm

- BB Height +17mm

- Head Angle – 63 degrees

-Weight – TBC

2012 POC Eastern States Cup 6 On The Windham World Cup Course Race

The POC Eastern States Cup continues to deliver the best racing in the country on the best tracks anywhere. July 14-15, two weeks after Aaron Gwin won his fourth UCI World Cup of the season on the Windham Downhill Race Track, the POC ESC will hold the sixth race of the POC ESC season on the same great course. Racers will be contesting their own battles on the “big boy’s track”. The fast racers will be able to hit all the same features as the World Cup stars did, there will be a few go-arounds offered for those not ready for the big features.

The top chute drop, the road gap and Peaty’s Plunge will all be open to ride and race. The container drop will be reconfigured to a step down but the rest of the big jumps will be open for all classes.  The Citizen’s course will also be open to have some fun chill runs on. You guys asked for this and the POC ESC delivered, now we need everyone to continue to show Windham the great support that was delivered at UCI World Cup.

Windham Mountain offers their Adventure Park for summer thrills. Race your friends down dual zip lines that are 40 ft above the ground.. New York's first Big Air Bag will keep everyone entertained while jumping down 30 feet. The Adventure Park is open Saturdays & Sundays 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. from June 23, 2012 thru October 8, 2012.

The POC Team Challenge is heating up with 14 teams battling it out for the $1000 cash purse. It’s not too late to form a POC ESC team and register one for the POC Team Challenge cash. The ESC pro racers are competing for a maximum $1600 cash purse at this and every race. The ESC continues it’s tradition of bringing the Northeast Downhill racers an affordable, competitive and fun events.

Twenty-three women racers are in the running for the Loeka Women’s Challenge. The top 4 women will split $1000 at the finals in October. There are still a lot of races left to score points. Please check out al the details and standings at www.easternstatescup.com.

Race Entry

Pro Men & Women $ 75.00

Categories 1,2 & 3  $ 65.00

Includes Lift Tickets for Both Saturday and Sunday.

Location: From Exit 21 on I-87/New York State Thruway is just 23 miles on a state highway Route23 making it easy to get to.

Schedule July 14 and 15

Registration: Saturday 8am-2pm and Sunday 8am-10am Practice Saturday: 9am-3pm open.   3pm-4pm Pro and Cat 1 Only Practice Sunday 9am-11pm open.    11am-12pm Pro and Cat 1 OnlyRace Sunday 12:30 pm

2012 EASTERN STATES CUP SCHEDULE May 20 Mountain Creek, NJ.

• May 27 Plattekill, NY            
• June 3 Attitash, NH
• June 10 Pat’s Peak, NH
• June 24 Mount Snow, VT
• July 15 Windham, NY
• July 29, Killington, VT
• August 5 Mount Snow, VT
• August 12, Plattekill, NY
• August 19 Killington, VT 
• Sept 2 Plattekill, NY        
• Sept 16 Attitash, NH       
• Sept 23 Jiminy Peak MA
• Oct 7 Plattekill, NY 

2013 Transition Carbon Covert Announced

Transition Bikes unveils the new carbon Covert. See the bike in action as well as some of the new features and design inspiration that went into creating Transition Bikes first carbon bike.

The 2013 Carbon Covert is Transition Bike’s first carbon frame offering. The 160mm travel Covert was the perfect candidate to bring to carbon as it allowed the bike to shed weight, improve strength, add new features, and update the look at the same time. 

“In my mind, this bike really represents the ultimate no holds barred quiver killer. It's really everything I would want in a single do-everything type of bike and we've tried pretty hard to ensure all the right features are there without including things that don't really matter. A big goal of ours with this project was to develop something with very unique lines that you don't often see in bicycle frame design...and we feel we've really accomplished that. This was a long development effort so we're pretty pumped to finally unveil our first carbon frame.” Says Kyle Young, Transition Bikes owner.

Transition Bikes took the essence of the previous Covert but started from the ground up to produce something all new and extremely exciting. For design inspiration they looked outside the bike world towards Italian super cars. The carbon material allowed a no compromise design approach that allowed them to achieve exactly what they envisioned; powerful lines and a unique bold look. The frame uses some exciting new materials and an evolved suspension platform for the best possible performance on the trail.

The 2013 Carbon Covert is the first bike on the market to offer both C.O.C.K. and B.A.L.L.S. technology. The Completely Optimized Carbon Kinetics utilized in production of the carbon structure are an industry first; only available on Transition Bikes. The careful use of C.O.C.K. makes the Carbon Covert one of the strongest frames on the market today. The Basically Aligned Linear Leverage System suspension works with the shock making the suspension incredibly easy to tune; once again, only available on Transition Bikes. Our B.A.L.L.S. are only there to make sure you have fun on the trail. Unlike other suspension systems, our B.A.L.L.S. aren’t overly complicated, it’s just the right suspension technology to keep the ride smooth and predictable.

“When we first met in the lab to develop these new technologies, I didn’t realize just how big they would become. I am proud to see this bike released so everyone can experience the ultimate package.” Says Sam Burkhardt, Transition Bikes product manager. 

Working in conjunction with the B.A.L.L.S. suspension system, the 2013 Carbon Covert features a longer 8.5” x 2.5” custom tuned Fox CTD Adjust rear shock. The longer shock helps contribute to improved suspension performance and easier shock setup for riders of any size. The rear travel has been increased from 150mm to 160mm further expanding the performance in gnarly terrain. For riders looking for ultimate downhill performance, an optional Fox RC4 coil shock is available as well. The B.A.L.L.S. suspension system uses a higher main pivot placement for improved pedaling performance with modern 2x10 and 1x10 drivetrain setups. An all new hardware system, with single allen key tightening, has been developed to keep the pivots tight. While the front triangle features full internal cable routing, including the Reverb Stealth routing for clean looks and integrated performance.

FEATURES

• Carbon Front Triangle with Carbon Seatstay and Alloy Chainstay and Rocker
• 160mm Rear Travel
• 8.5” x 2.5” Fox CTD Adjust Custom Tuned Rear Shock
• Optional Fox RC4 Coil Shock Available
• All Front Triangle Cable Routing is Internal
• Reverb Stealth Seat Post Routing
• New Pivot Hardware System
• 12 x 142mm Dropouts (10 x 135mm Dropouts Sold Separately)
• Press Fit 30 Bottom Bracket Shell
• Frame Weight 6.75 lbs (Including Rear Shock and Rear Axle)
• PRICE: To Be Announced
• C.O.C.K & B.A.L.L.S Technology (Only Available From Transition Bikes)

GEOMETRY 
Head Tube Angle: 66.5 Degree (Fox 36 160mm) / 67 Degree (Fox 34 160mm) 
Chainstay Length: 430mm 
Seatube Length: Sm 563, Md 593, Lg 623mm 
Reach: Sm 378mm, Md 406mm, Lg 431mm 
Wheelbase Length: Sm 1106mm, Md 1137mm, Lg 1169mm 
Bottom Bracket Height: 349 mm

"This is definitely the most exciting bike we have ever done. It took much longer than we anticipated but when doing full suspension carbon you can't rush anything. Seeing carbon bikes being produced in person really makes you appreciate the massive amount of work that goes into each frame. I think there is a misconception that these bikes just pop out of molds and are good to go and that couldn't be further from the truth. Each frame is like a sculpted work of art.” Says Kevin Menard, owner of Transition Bikes. 

The 2013 Carbon Covert will be available in three colors (Lemon Lime Metallic, Stealth Black & Matte White) with multiple build kit options to meet different rider preferences and price points.

• TRANSITION BIKES
• 2641 Delta Ring Rd.
• Ferndale, WA 98248 USA
• (360) 366-4960