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

 

Beech Mountain Race 2 and Lees McRae Dual Slalom

Surprisingly good Downhill course provides all GROM Jr. podium, two GROMs in Pro and GROMs stepping up in Dual Slalom.

North Carolina GROM racers ventured back to Beech Mountain for the second downhill and dual slalom races. GROMs Ben Calhoun, Jay Fesperman and Will O'Brien went to Boone on Thursday evening to particpate in a trail work event at Rocky Knob, Watagua County's new park that will include a new cross-country, and possible downhill, trail. Unfortunately, the work event was canceled due to heavy rain. Friday brought a quick trip over to Beech Mountain to check out the downhill trail.

The crew was still working on the new trail and the GROMs were able to assist slightly with trail clean up. However, they did get a a trail walk in and a chance to prepare themselves for the fun riding that would come their way on Saturday morning.

Satuday did bring fun and great riding. The weather was perfect with early morning overcast skys followed by a sunny afternoon. GROMs Luca and Walker Shaw arrive early and ready to ride. Practice was open until after 1:30 and racing started about 3:00. By that time there was a good crowd of spectators gathered to watch the racers finish the course.

Downhill Results:
Juniors
1st - Luca Shaw
2nd - Walker Shaw
3rd - Jay Fesperman

Open/Elite
1st - Christopher Herndon
5th - Ben Calhoun (podium went 5 deep - Ben's 1st Pro Podium)

Dual Slalom

Sunday took the team to Lees McRae for dual slalom racing. While the field of racers was smaller than at the downhill race (GROMs Luca and Walker had headed out for BMX camp in OH), there were still some really good races. 
Juniors
1st - Jay Fesperman
2nd - Will O'Brien

Open/Elite
1st - Christopher Herndon

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.

Race Report: Northstar Pro Gravity Tour Race

by GROM Racer Sam Pensler

This past weekend I travelled with GROM Racing head coach Christopher Herndon to Lake Tahoe to compete in the Pro Gravity Tour Race at the Northstar-Tahoe Resort.  The race’s place in the Pro Gravity Tour series attracted a number of national and world class athletes and served as a World Championship qualifier for junior racers. 

                Christopher and I travelled for nearly twenty hours on Thursday to get to the race venue.  The fatigue from travelling made acclimation to the altitude, time zone difference, and conditions even more difficult.  The course itself was completely new to me.  The track soil was sandy and dry, coined “moon dust” by local riders and the loose conditions caused braking bumps to swell to axle deep ruts.  Luckily my team bike soaked up the rough sections and blown out turns on the course.

                 I spent Friday practice working to become familiar with the new track and made decent headway before afternoon seeding.  Seeding went well and I placed 17^thout of a field of junior riders about forty deep.  I knew I had a lot of speed left on the track and I would need to carry more speed come race day to reach the podium.  I took several more runs on Saturday with top pro qualifier Brad Benedict and pro rider Amado Stachenfield to boast my comfort level on the course.   Through all the dust and grit my GAMUT chain guide performed flawlessly and I never dropped a chain.

                Race day brought more intense heat and the course became even dustier.  My race run was going well and I flowed through the top pedaling sections.  Unfortunately, I went down in a high speed sandy berm in the middle of the course.  Although I did not achieve the result I was looking for I learned a lot from the new riding conditions and unique experience.  I would like to say thanks to Juan from GAMUT for sharing his pit space with me and Christopher Herndon for accompanying me and helping me throughout the race.

Race Report: Snowshoe Race #1

by GROM Racer Will O'Brien

This past weekend, the 2010 Snowshoe Powerade race series was kicked off. All of the racers enjoyed amazing dry weather throughout the weekend, creating a loose and fast downhill track. The GROM team pits stood-out among the other tents and provided a hang-out spot, as well as a place for repairs for the team and other racers alike. O'Brien hitting the road gap

 

The team started practice early Friday after getting the bikes dialed in for the fast track. Coach Herndon helped the racers pick the fastest lines, as well as gave riding advice and tips. The racing started with the giant slalom race on Saturday, which consisted of tall, high speed berms and was well received by all of the racers. The two-run combined-time format placed Junior GROM racers O'Brien and Fesperman in 2nd and 3rd with others finishing nicely as well.  GROM racer Sam Pensler finished well in the elite class and coach Christopher Herndon had the fastest single run time of the day.

 

Sunday brought more great weather and made for amazing track conditions. The Specialized BigHits were riding flawlessly over the high-speed roots, rocks and corners; the RockShox BoXXers and Cane Creek DoubleBarrels soaking up the rough, dry track, while the Industry 9 wheels kept everything stable. Unfortunately, racer Luca Shaw crashed during practice and joined his brother Walker Shaw and teammate Ben Calhoun on the sidelines. GROM racers took 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Junior category, while Sam Pensler took 7th in the Pro category. Female GROM racer Lauren Daney took the top spot in the Pro Women's class.

 

GROM Lauren Daney takes 1stOver all, a weekend of clear weather and perfect track conditions was enjoyed by everyone. All the GROM team wishes Sam Pensler good luck in California this coming weekend as he competes in the Pro GRT at Northstar Resort.

Snowshoe Race #1 Results Overview:

Giant Slalom

Amatuer 17 & Under - 2nd: Will O'Brien, 3rd: Jay Fesperman

Men's Elite - Christopher Herndon - 3rd

Snowshoe Powerade Series Downhill Race #1
Women's Elite - 1st: Lauren Daney
Amatuer 17 & Under - 2nd: Jay Fesperman, 3rd: Will O'Brien,  4th: Eric Vest
(Ben Calhoun, Luca Shaw, and Walker Shaw on the injured but healing well list)
Men's Elite - 4th: Christopher Herndon, 7th: Sam Pensler

Sycamore Cycles - Specialized Bike Build Weekend

Specialized Bikes OK - GROM Racers Catching BreathOnce again GROM Racing had a fun packed weekend at Chris Herndon’s house.  It was Bike Build Weekend - completing the build on a new Specialized BigHit and video shoot at Wes Dickson's Sycamore Cycles.

Will Obrien, Tim Price, and Danny Cesare arrived on Friday evening. Danny, s a good friend of the team,  agreed to use his camera and video editing skills to help the team make this bike build video possible. Plus, Danny got to join the team on the ride too.

On Saturday, Ben Calhoun, Jay Fesperman, and Eric Vest met the Friday night arrivers plus Johanne Tuttle and Christopher Herndon at Sycamore Cycles to start the day with an epic mountain bike ride in Pisgah National Forest. Unfortunately, others on the team were unable to make it for various reasons.

Eric Vest received his Specialized Stumpjumper, which came in handy for what the rest of the day had to offer. We were able to borow some rental bikes from the shop so everyone would have a bike that would survive the climbs. We rode up a gravel road called Clawhammer, then got on a trail called Black Mountain, which turns into Buckwheat, then finished it off with a trail called Bennetts Gap.

If you haven’t ridden that sequence of trails or don’t know what they are, it’s a lot of climbing intermingled with some great downhill. Other than Tim Price following Chris off about a 5 foot rock drop on a bike with no rear suspension, and a few scrapes and scratches, everyone made it out alive and with huge grins on their faces. Then off we went to the shop for the bike build.

The bike build was a great success. Being pumped about our sponsors really helps to makes a video about a sick bike quite fun.  After shooting several hours of video, we finished off the day with pasta and pumptrack! On Sunday we had yet another pumptrack session before everyone headed home. The coaches can see a whole lot of potential in the young GROMs!!!

Johanne Tuttle

At the Top - Pisgah Views - Awesome

Pensler Makes NC Tour

Jay Fesperman & Sam Pensler at Beech Springs Trails (Poplar Tent)

During my spring break I made a trip down to North Carolina to visit and ride with GROM Racing team members and coaches.  I did a brief college visit at the University of North Carolina and then met up with Ben Calhoun and Will O’Brien to ride their local cross country trails in Chapel Hill.  My Specialized Stumpjumper handled perfectly through the tight and twisty trail network and I had so much fun riding with Ben and Will because they both knew the trail system so well. 

The next day I headed to Davidson to ride with Jay Fesperman and we rode on some nearby trails.  The trails were particularly technical and had many difficult sections and jumps.    Jay and I rode until dark and explored many of the different features and steep roll downs in the park.  The Stumpjumper did well again and Jay rode his Specialized Hardrock.

The next morning I joined  team coach Christopher Herndon and Johanne at Sycamore Cycles in Brevard.  We grabbed some lunch and then completed an epic ride on the rock infested trails in Pisgah National Forest.  The next day Chris and I spent some time working on a new downhill course and then took a few runs riding the new trail.  My new Specialized Demo downhill bike smoothed out the rough spots and powered down the steep sections of the course. 

I was thrilled to be able to meet my fellow teammates and ride with my Coaches on my new Specialized bikes.  I am excited for my first race of the season and have another chance to ride with the team.