2012 GROM Racing Update

As the 2012 race season approaches, GROM racers are beginning their preparation to make it a great season. Here's what's going on:

Team Work

• Parents are working with sponsors to finalize plans for 2012. Current 2012 sponsors include Specialized, GAMUT, Smith Optics and new for 2012, The Cycle Path. Several potential sponsors still remain. Looking forward to some positive responses to help support this group of young riders that promote southeast mountain biking so positively around the US.
  
  Many thanks to Christopher Herndon for his support with continuing sponsorship relationships.
• Marketing: parents are working on updating on-line media and preparing jerseys/race kits for the 2012 season.

Racers

• Most are finishing up the off season with cross-country rides and days on the slopes. Jimmy Leslie continues to compete on freesystle skiing and skis for the Lib-Tech NAS team, Oakley, Giro, Full Tilt, and Marker.
• GROM racers Jay Fesperman and Eric Vest have spent the early part of the winter reconstructing pump tracks at their homes. Weekends often found them sessioning the pump track. Many weekend evenings found them riding under the lights.

Schedule

• Recent 2012 Downhill and Slalom race schedule was posted on www.gromracing.com.

Gravity USA - Specialized USA

Specialized GROM Racing is happy about the Gravity USA announcement of Curis Keene and Brad Benedict as  pro downhillers riding for Specialized in 2011. Riding similar Specialized bikes with SRAM and GAMUT components will make it even more fun at races.

In the 2010 season GROM Racers got to meet and attend National Championships with Curtis Keene. In addition, several GROM members joined Curtis for the recent Sea Otter Classic. Congratulations to Curis on his 8th place finish in the downhill competition. Plus, teammate Brad Benedict finished with an impressive 19th place finish too.

GROM looks forward joining Gravity USA at more races in the 2011 season. Read the full press release at: http://iamspecialized.com/gravity/team/specialized-racing--gravity-usa 

Specialized/GROM at ETSU

Race report by Specialized/GROM Racer - Ben Calhoun & Jay Fesperman

This weekend (April 9 & 10) the majority of the Specialized/GROM Racing team went to the ETSU national championship qualifiers. The rest of the team was busy racing the Port Angeles Pro GRT. ETSU was a relaxed, fun race with the most important goal to qualify for national championships later this year. 

We all had a great time in between races relaxing and having fun. Midway through the day, the downhill was over and we all grabbed our Specialized SX's and sessioned the slalom and 4x track. The tracks were great! Sadly the races were cancelled due to a heavy rain storm. Jay qualified first and picked up the win.

We were the last team in the pits packing up and the tornado sirens in the town started to blare, "Life threatening situation, A tornado has been sighted in the area, Stay away from windows and doors." As the brave Specialized/GROM Racers chilled in the pits determined what to do next. Sam Pensler (top GROM racer) hid under a table to humor everyone. The whole team went to the ETSU library to stay safe and eventually the sirens ended and it was all clear. However, the rains returned just-in-time for the awards presentations, forcing the ETSU race organizers to distribute the ceremonial "Shovels" from the back of the race trailer.  

The next day the team decided to race XC. A few of us raced it on our sweet slalom bikes. The track was fun and everyone had a good time and overall the weekend was a great success for the team, with everyone quaifying for nationals and having a bit of pre-big race season fun. Click Here for more photos (courtesy of Tim O'Brien).

DOWNHILL

2nd JR Ex- Jay Fesperman

3rd JR Ex- Ben Calhoun

3rd PRO- Sam Pensler

2nd PRO WMN- Lauren Daney

SLALOM

1st JR Ex- Jay Fesperman

2nd JR EX- Ben Calhoun

3rd JR Ex- Sam Pensler

CROSS COUNTRY

1st- Ben Calhoun

2nd- Jay Fesperman

3rd- Eric Vest

Hawk-O-Ween at the Dirty Bird

Eric "Hot Dog" Vest on the Hawk-O-Ween Podiumrace report by Jay Fesperman and Eric Vest

This weekend was the last time we will ever ride at the Dirty Bird at Hawksnest Resort in Seven Devils, NC and  it was the last time we will ever ride our 2010 Specialized Big Hits. We loved riding at the Dirty Bird this season. The Dirty Bird trails had sweet berms, technical rock gardens, and fun jumps. Since this race was the last race of the season and it was on Halloween weekend, everyone was encouraged to wear costumes. This made the race extremely fun and relaxed. Christopher and Ben got mullets to go with their Hick costumes (they looked really funny!). Eric was rocking a hot dog costume, which was pretty hilarious too.  Walker had a sleek Industry Nine skin suit, which made him smooth out on the course.

Saturday started out with slalom, on the new DS course at the Bird. The track was tight, short and really fast, with flowy rollers and berms. It was a track to test your pumping and cornering ability.  They took 16 qualifiers; with the GROM team all riding in one class. There was a lot of intense racing and Christopher came out on top, with Walker in second and Tim in third. As soon as slalom was over everyone got ready to practice downhill before the race later in the afternoon.

With our costumes on, we started practice for the downhill race. The weather was great and the course was perfect. By 3:00 people started heading up the mountain for their race runs. At the top where everyone waited for their number to be called, we sat and looked at all of the costumes - some of them were really out there - crazy stuff. GROM dad Mike Calhoun won best costume in his, very appropriate, Evil Kenevil suit.

Riding down the course through the fast technical trail there were pumpkins in the ground especially at the (pumpkin jump) where most people watched. After the last racer came down the mountain and across the finish line people went to get cleaned up for the awards. After the awards the team loaded up in the cars and went back to the mountain house to eat a delicious meal courtesy of Fesperman and Calhoun families.

Sunday Luca and Walker woke up early to get ready for their cycle cross race that morning. We all had a great time watching them duke it out in the off camber/dual slalom section where Luca jumped one of the rollers with Walker gooning right next to him. It sure is amazing to watch all of the cycle cross racers ride the off camber section on the thin tires they ride on. 

When their cycle cross race was over, we all went to the trailer to get ready to ride the Dirty Bird for the last time. It was so cool riding the mixture of all the race courses from the past races. On the last run of the day, every one took a huge train down the race course. I think their where 50 people riding down the trail all at once. The toughest part of the day was when we had to give back our Specialized Big Hits. Some of us hugged our bikes after we put them in the GROM trailer ready to go home.

Plattekill - New York State Championships

GROM Racer Lauren Daney Represents the Team in Plattekill
Race Report by Lauren Daney, 9/27/10

Last Weekend I traveled to Plattekill for the New York State Championship with friend Brian Yannuzzi. Practice day, we had beautiful weather and did numerous runs on the race course. The track was mostly smooth single track with a couple steep sections, and wide open grass. It was one of my favorite race courses ever ridden. Later that day we hung out by the campfire with some good friends. Race day the rider turn out wasn't so great but had a great run. I was the only pro woman with a time of 3:10 and Brian Yanuzzi took 2nd with a 2:38 missing first to Chris Higgerson by 2 seconds. Pro mens class had only 5 riders. After the race we took many runs with the Plattekill locals and George Ulmer. Had a great weekend :]

Beech Race #3 and Dual Slalom at Lees McRae College

Ben Calhoun & Luca Shaw - exiting one of the mud boggs

Race Report by Luca Shaw

 

This weekend the team traveled to Beech Mountain for the third race in the Beech Mountain triple crown series. Everyone on the team was able to attend except for Eric and Lauren. When we arrived we were greeted with a brand new course and some heavy rain. The new course was wide and steep and very, very muddy. It rained non-stop for most of the day leading up to the race. By race time the course was covered in thick mud. People were having trouble putting together a clean run but fortunately everyone got down safely.

 

Junior Expert

1st- Jay Fesperman

2nd- Will O'brien

4th- Luca Shaw

6th- Walker Shaw

 

Pro

2nd- Chris Herndon

4th- Sam Pensler

6th- Ben Calhoun

7th- Tim Price

 

Sunday was the day of the Lees McRae dual slalom. The course was a little damp in the morning but perfect by race time. Since there were only four racers in the Junior Expert class we all decided to move up to Pro creating a very deep Pro class. Everyone had fast clean qualifying runs and the brackets were made. Jay, Walker, Luca, Chris and Timmy all made it out of the first round. Only Walker and Chris made it out of the second round. Going into the semi final, Chris won his bracket advancing him to the finals and Walker took second advancing him to the small final. Walker rode an amazing race in the small final and sealed third place in his first ever Pro race. Chris also rode outstanding and took the win in the final.

 

Pro Slalom

1st- Chris Herndon

3rd- Walker Shaw

 

Dirty Bird #2 - Dirty and Fun

GROM Podium - Jr. Expert - Dirty Bird #2 GROM Podium - Lauren Daney take 1st - Pro Women

Tires made the difference - Specialized Storms - were perfect for the course after Saturday afternoon's rain. The course started out slick and loamy but by the afternoon it was near perfect. Then the moutain rain came and course got according to the young GROMS - fast and a blast.

Sunday morning the course started out slick but was in great shape as race time approached. What a great course with doubles to jump, an agressive rock garden, stepdowns wth good air, and berms glalore.

GROMs raced the Pro-Elite course for some really fast times: Luca Shaw 1st, Jay Fesperman 2nd, Will O'Brien 3rd. Pro Elite: Christopher Herndon 2nd. The Pro Women were led by GROM Lauren Daney with a great time of 2.09.

A good time was had by all. Thanks to all the spectators ringing those cowbells and to DB Productions for a great race weekend.

Windham World Cup 2010 from Lauren Daney

Race report from 8/28/10

This past weekend I traveled with my mom to Windham Mountain NY, for the World Cup Finals. We arrived on Wednesday to some rainy weather where I did a course walk. The beginning of the track started off very steep with tight corners than opened up towards the middle and end, with some drops.

Thursday practice started off rough. Some other riders and I were taken to the bottom of the mountain by a rhino, due to a sketchy section up top.  This left me with only one practice run before Friday's qualifying. On Friday the weather was beautiful and the course dried up a lot. I squeezed in one run before I went off and crashed in my qually once but managed to just make the cut off of 20 women. Later that day we watched 4x quali's with close friend Joe Mulally and his family. Then we headed home for some lasagna!

Unfortuately on Saturday, Logan Mulally crashed in practice and was knocked out for a good 3 minutes. He was taken to the hospital where a friend Jenna and I met him, arriving on a Vespa after taking over an hour to get there. Thankfully Logan was okay and we went on with spectating the 4x finals that night, followed by an interesting town fair.

Sunday was day of the Downhill finals. I had never been so nervous in my life, but I was fortunate enough to ride and talk with pro rider Brad Benedict who made it a little less stressful. My final run I crashed twice, but i had a great weekend hanging out with friends and family, getting to ride with the fastest people in the world, and expierencing my first World Cup race, hopefully just one of many more.

US Nationals Update

4X 

1st Place - Luca Shaw, 14 & under
2nd Place - Walker Shaw, 15 to 18
9th Place - Eric Vest, 14 & under

Downhill

1st Place - Jay Fesperman, 13 & 14 year olds
6th Place - Luca Shaw, 13 & 14 year olds
6th Place - Walker Shaw, Cat 1 - 15 & 16 year olds
8th Place - Will O'Brien, Cat 1 - 15 & 16 year olds
9th Place - Eric Vest, 13 & 14 year olds
18th Place - Sam Pensler, Cat 1 - 17 & 18 year olds (raced on Pro DH course)
19th Place - Ben Calhoun, Cat 1 - 17 & 18 year olds (race on Pro DH course)

Thanks to Specialized bikes, SRAM, Cane Creek, Industry Nine, Troy Lee Designs, and to Sycamore Cycles (Wes and crew) for making this big trip and experience possible for these young riders. East Coast 4X and Downhill is back on the radar thanks to you.