Recap: Blue Ridge Battle Pump Track Challenge Rounds 1 - 3
2014 was the first year for Ryan Taylor's Blue Ridge Battle Pump Track Challenge and even with his "Wham Bam Thank You Maam, Let's Throw Something Together Last Minute for the Off Season" (try saying that five times fast), it was a clear, resounding success. Fast forward eight months or so with plenty time to plan every little detail down to the fraction of a gnat's arse, Ryan and his series returned bigger and better in 2015. What was new? How about double the venues for your pump track pleasure, Industry Nine jumping in as the title sponsor for the complete series, and branching out beyond the immediate Asheville (NC) area with three new venues. The crew is out to the High Country of Boone, NC with Rocky Knob Bike Park, just north of Charlotte, NC in Statesville with the Signal Hill Pump Track, and finally back a bit closer to Fletcher, NC with it's final round at the personal play ground of the industry giant, Cane Creek.
As we look forward to the last three venues, enjoy the recap of Rounds 1, 2, and 3 at I9, Weaverville BMX, and Kolo Bike Park. Judging by the experiences documented below, we'd suggest you don't miss the last three rounds in the series. Everything you need to know for Rounds 4, 5, and 6 is listed after the recap. We'll see you there!
Round One - Industry Nine, June 20, 2015:
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 Never Leave Your Wing-Man - Andrew Wing, I believe, was the only one of the Cane Creek crew to make it out for round one. No doubt as we wrap up the series at Cane Creek for Round 6 we'll see the entire legion of Cane Creek rippers on their home turf. Little known factoid about Andrew, you likely didn't know..... he's got a serious personal interest in classic architecture and design, and fully supports the preservation of such. |
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| The G-Vegas Crew - You can't have a race without some of the old school Greenville South Carolina crew. Sure GVL is 1.5 hours south of Asheville, but that doesn't keep the usual crowd (myself included) from a great event and a fun series. Cecil Linder is one of those crew, Pictured just after the kick off of the hour and ten minute morning practice session. |
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| Matthew Owen didn't have the best result in a stacked field of Junior Men, but he was pinned throughout the day rounding out the field in 8th place, but heck, he gets something better at the end of the day, a nice featured shot in the recap! |
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| An "E" Instead of an "A" - I am going to have ask Mom and team manager (BeEch Mountain Gravity), Mandy Loorham which of the boys are who, in other words which of the boys have the best resemblance to the original BeAch (with an "a") Boys, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine. My vote Aiden (pictured above) gets the Carl Wilson vote. I just want to know where all the California Girls are? Aiden finished 6th in that same staked field of Junior Men. |
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| Caroline Westray, a regular at events in the WNC area, tried to muster up everything she could and it just wasn't quite enough to stand top the podium at the end of the final heat. She had to settle for the second spot behind Josie Ritchie in Pro Women. |
The Kids Before the Storm - Rain clouds loom as the youngsters get ready for qualifying. The qually times would end up waiting one hour for a rain and drying track delay. Nothing nasty, just steady shower for about 45 minutes.
Who Khares Anyway - The elder Khare, Henry didn't have enough in the gasser to post a quicker time than his bro Bergen, but he gets the pic this time around. One of the best from the weekend to boot, at least in my opinion.
Those Eyes Though - Cecil Linder's evil eyes are burning into my head. Actually it's just the Fly Racing orange gloves reflecting in the Smith Optics glasses.
Jack Ritchie was one of the younger Pros, but was mixing it up with the best of them of which were probably 2X or maybe even 3X his age. Give the kid a couple of years to hone his skills and he'll no doubt improve upon his 7th place finish out of a field of 15. The Kid Is Quick!!
Mr Giggles - Jeremy Raney had only a short time to practice before his race runs. He spent most of his time that day being a proud papa and shadowing his young daughter Rowan has she got some track time. At the end of the day, it was Dad (pictured) in 6th in Pro Men and young Rowan in 5th in Junior Rippers.
Oozing Style - We've said it before and have no problem saying again, Matt Griffin (another of the old school GVL crew), has some of the best style out there. Whether it be Downhill, Enduro, or Pump Track, he's always one to watch and fun to capture on the other side of the lens. He finished 9 of 15 in Pro Men.
Becky Bashton - If there was an award for facial expressions, there was NO competition. Becky Bashton would take it hands down. Every lap it was something different and fun to watch. Riders should take note and follow suite. They say if you aren't having fun, why bother. No doubt she was having a blast.
Dawson Mustache You a Question - The best Mustache award goes to Suspension Experts own Alex Dawson. That Stache must be good for something like a tenth of a second, he ended the day taking the silver.
BeEch Boys Part Deux - BeEch Mountain Gravity had the largest team presence at the Blue Ridge Battle Pump Track Challenge with 5 riders. Owen Witcher took the top spot on the podium for Junior Men with fellow teammate Bergen Khare just behind him nipping at his heals.
The Airborne Recruit - Josh Patton of Airborne Cycles made the four hour trip from Kentucky for Round One. Good thing he did, as it was his day to be crowned King for the Day in Pro Men. Let's hope this entices me to come out for the remaining round of the series.
Round One Pro Women's Podium: 1. Josie Ritchie, 2. Caroline Westray, 3. Ali Aldelson.
Round One Pro Men's Podium: 1. Josh Patton, 2. Alex Dawson, 3. Trey Cassell.
Round Two - Weaverville BMX, July 11, 2015:
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| Where Do I Sign? - Becky Bashton, doing double duty with both registration and racing, telling Cecil Linder how it is on a humid Weaverville, NC morning. Cecil brought the kids with him this weekend, so he had 3X the paperwork and 3X the $ to dish out. |
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| Can I Ride Yet? Can I? Can I? Now? - Patiently waiting on the morning practice session to open up. I wonder if the secret sauce was wearing a Tshirt that matches his front fork? That's got to be good for a least two tenths. |
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| Advertisement of the Year - We can't count how many times we heard, "Put a sock on that thing Shrimper!" One thing was for certain, he was parked in right place, under the DeFeet tent, though I don't recall someone successful in covering that thing up. Chris "Shrimper" Khare is still healing up from a multi-fracture broken leg. Heal up quick Shrimper. |
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| The Next Gen - Cecil Linder brought his kids for their first event. I think they were both bitten by the bug. The car ride home, at least for the first 10 minutes, was nothing but two little high pitch voices over talking one another with how much fun it was and "When can we do it again?"..... followed by both of them OUT, dead arse asleep. |
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| Can I Come Out and Play? - Chris Skolnick looked like a little kid who's mom wouldn't let him come out and play during the morning registration. Once things got kicked off, he'd be forced to wait yet again for play time as he was signed up to work timing and scoring. |
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| The objective Ryan Taylor's (race promoter) has in mind for the 2015 Challenge is largely focused on the next gen of the two wheeled freaks. "Encouragement", "Confidence", and of course we can't forget the "Rewards." I'd say it's working as the turn out of the 10-12 and 9-Under kids classes has grown with each venue. Not to mention there seems to be an outbreak of smiles from both the kids and the parents. |
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| He Really Does Have Wings - Someone must have forgotten to tell Andrew Wing that you're not supposed to be able to catch air on a small pumptrack. |
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| As with Round One, the Beech Mountain Gravity crew was out in full force. Pictured from top to bottom: Clancy Loorham, Aiden Loorham, Owen Witcher, Bergen Khare. They all ran the same class and at the end of the day took four of the top five spots split only by Chris Grice in third. 1. Owen Witcher, 2. Bergen Khare, 4. Aiden Loorham, 5. Clancy Loorham. |
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| Photog's Fav of the Day - Cecil Linder gets the nomination of the photographer's favorite photo of the day. Thanks for the opportunity Bud, and thanks for the ride up from Greenville. |
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| Home Turf - Jack Ritchie calls the Weaverville BMX venue his home turf. Would it give him the edge to come out on top? Kinda, he was still on the podium, but had to settle for the bronze in Pro Men. |
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| We saw Dalton Wyatt switching bikes/wheel sizes between 20 and 26 inches. Looks like for his race run he decided to roll bigger. He finished 6th in Pro Men. |
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| Symmetry - Some symmetry with Andrew Wing during race runs. The race organizers rolled the Amateur and Pro Men into one moto to save some time. He finished 2nd in Amateur Men, but ran at the same time as the Pro Men. |
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| Out of the Shadows - Jeremy Raney (a.k.a. Mr Giggles) out of the gate and the shadows on his race run. This earned him 7th in Pro Men. |
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| The Intern - Not sure how or why the event promoters have assigned Blake Stephenson "The Intern" nickname, but it's sticking. After two events we've lost count how many times we've heard it. Blake on his way to a podium finish with the silver on the day. |
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| On a Roll - Josie Ritchie pulled the two-fer on home turf at Round 2/Weaverville taking the Pro Women's top spot. Let's see if she can continue that momentum and make it a 3-Peat at Kolo in a few weeks. |
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| Round Two Pro Women's Podium: 1. Jose Ritchie, 2. Becky Bashton, 3. Crystal Dillinger. |
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| King for the Day - The Round Two title would belong to Brandon Hopkins earning the top spot in Pro Men. It seemed, the little wheels would be the rule the day in both Pro Men and Women (not fair, kidding of course). Nicely done young man! |
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| Round Two Pro Men's Podium: 1. Brandon Hopkins, 2. Blake Stephenson, 3. Jack Ritchie. |
Round Three - Kolo Bike Park, August 2, 2015:
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| Kevin Burkhead was doing a bit of showing off during the practice session, not that he was egged on or anything by any of the photographers. Or at least not that we are willing to admit. |
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| More Giggles - Jeremy Raney, Mr. Giggles, would make the trip solo this Sunday without young daughter Rowan whom competed in the first round at Industry Nine. In all honesty, I think that the solo drive is intentional as Jeremy is actually concerned he'll wake up sooner than later with his young daughter posting a lap time quicker than his. |
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| When Becky Bashton isn't volunteering her time to help the events run smooth as butter, she's putting in some lap times and race runs herself. Event after event he's getting more and more pinned, obvious by the pic, head down and elbows out. |
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| The Great FCL (aka Cecil Linder) is three for three, at least in attendance. He also was solo this round having to leave the kids home, the next gen of Linder's will have to wait until Round 4 to get there second taste of competition. |
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| Wait, What? Typically we see Will Washam behind the mic and not behind the bars. Will was able to get in a couple of laps during play time and also served as the "crash test dummy" for promoter Ryan Taylor to explain the race setup to the little rippers before they put their laps down. I am still trying to figure out which Will does better, ride or MC? |
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| The Sighting - Too bad we don't catch a glimpse of Sasquatch as much as we catch Mr. Giggles living up to his nickname. If only I had a nickel for every time. Jeremy (right) shares a laugh with Trey "Fireball" Cooke (left). |
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| Mr. Perfect Push Up - It almost looks like Chris Skolnick is trying to carryover that "Perfect Push Up" over to his riding style. Sorry, inside joke. Just like Will Washam, Chris usually is busy with other event responsibilities, like timing and scoring. Good to see Chris get some lap times in, perfect push up style or not. |
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| Chris Grice might be young, but the kid is a power house in the making. Sitting there watching practice with the old school crowd ,I heard comments how quick this kid is, stating "We need to step up our times." He's knocking on the door, give it a few more years of growth, practice, and experience and he'll be unbeatable. |
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| The Coach - Caroline Westray, Women's coach from Spoked LLC, nipping at the heels of the top spot on the podium, but forced to take the silver on the day. |
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| Three Peat - As mentioned in round two, could Josie Ritchie make it a three peat? Yep, you betcha! She made it happen, she took the top spot in Pro Women for the third straight time. Next time milestone to look forward to it, 6-0. |
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| Round Three Pro Women's Podium: 1. Josie Ritchie, 2. Caroline Westray, 3. Ali Aldelson. |
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| Middle Carolina - Nathan St. Clair made the trip out with his father from Statesville area (north of Charlotte). He was quite able to lay the speed to sit atop the podium, settling for third. Not bad in any case, but we are willing to bet that might change with Round 5 which just so happens to be his "backyard." |
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| His Hands Would be Full - Jack Ritchie had his hands full with some local legend competition in Pro Men and he'd have to settle for the silver on the day. |
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| Out of Retirement, Again? - Local legend Geritt Beytagh would come out of retirement, for what is it now, the 23rd time (Ha-ha!). He'd (again) prove that he's still good speed hanging in the closet, that is when he decides to blow the dust off it. He just can't stay away. |
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| Round Three Pro Men's Podium: 1. Geritt Beytagh, 2. Jack Ritchie, 3. Nathan St. Clair. |
Results (Thus Far):
Results from Rounds 1, 2, and 3 CAN BE FOUND HERE
Rounds Four Through Six and Everything You Need to Know
When:
Round Four: Sunday, August 29 @ Rocky Knob Bike Park
Round Five: Sunday, October 4 @ Signal Hill Pump Track (Saturday, October 3, Spoked Women's Clinic… see details below)
Round Six: Sunday, October 17 @ Cane Creek
Where:
Rocky Knob Park - Coordinates: 36.223287,-81.62654, Boone, NC
Signal Hill Pump Track - 310 Signal Hill Dr, Statesville, NC 28625
Cane Creek - 355 Cane Creek Rd, Fletcher, NC 28732
Schedule:
Note: Schedule and posted times apply to all events/venues.
10:00 - 11:10 a.m. Registration, Practice
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. Rider’s Meeting, Kid’s Practice
11:30 - 12:00 p.m. Kid’s Race, Amateur/Pro Qualifying
12:00 - 12:10 p.m. Kid’s Session
12:10 - 12:30 p.m. Amateur Race
12:30 - 12:45 p.m. Pro Race
1:00 p.m. Best Trick
2:15 p.m. Awards
Categories:
Kids 9 and Under
Kids 10 - 12
Junior Men 13 - 17
Junior Women 13 - 17
Amateur Men 18+
Amateur Women 18+
Pro Men
Pro Women
Registration:
Onsite (raceday) registration ONLY.
Entry Cost:
• Kids - $10.00
• Amateurs - $20.00
• Pros - $25.00
Awards/Prizes:
• Individual Rounds: Medals
• Overall Series: Prizes for Amateurs and Kids, cash pay out for Pros (amounts TBD and dependent on turnout/participation).
Event Links:
Blue Ridge Battle Pumptrack Challenge on Facebook
Other Info and Requirements:
• For 2015, these are NOT USAC sanctioned event/races.
• Food and Beverage will be available for purchase on site dependent on the venue.
• East Coast's Premier Cycling DJ, Will "Trill Will" Washam will be onsite offering some tunes and calling the play by play.
Spoked Women's Clinic Information:
• Offered/Lead by Caroline Westray / Spoked LLC
• Saturday October 3 - Signal Hill Pump Track
• 9:00 - 12:00 Morning Session; 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch, 1:00 - 4:00 Afternoon Session
• $40.00 Clinic ONLY, $55.00 Saturday Clinic and Sunday Blue Ridge Battle Pumptrack Challenge Combo
• Limited to 12 riders
• For more information contact: Spoked via email
Need More About the Blue Ridge Battle Pumptrack Challenge:
For more information: Email the Pumptrack Challenge
Sponsored By:
Motion Makers
Canna Energy
Cane Creek
Industry Nine
Rocky Knob
Kolo Bike Park
Bell
BMX Weaverville
Smith
Spoked
Suspension Experts
Sycamore Cycles
MOB
Endless Bike Co
DeFeet
Pedal Driven Cycles
GoJaMMedia
MENTIONS: @CaneCreekCyclingComponents / @gojammedia / @IndustryNineOfficial / @BellBikeHelmets / @SmithOptics / @SpokedLLC / @BellBikeHelmets
Author Info:
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Fantastic pics as always, sad I missed the competition but I'll be doing some SE Enduro'ing this fall