Mulally Signs with Specialized/GROM

Specialized/GROM proudly announces the addition of East Coast talent, Logan Mulally, for the 2011 season. Logan had many options for 2011. Choosing our program not only pushes us forward towards our goal of preparing young American riders for International competition, but takes Logan to the next level as well. We are honored that he chose Specialized/GROM.

Christopher Herndon- Team Director, former National Champion and World Cup competitor say’s of his teams latest addition: “I’ve had a long relationship with the Mulally family and have seen Logan develop since he was 10 years old racing at Snowshoe, WV. Having the opportunity to introduce and prepare him for World Cup competition is very inspiring. He has an incredible natural talent and we want to compliment that talent with a solid program designed to prepare him both mentally and physically. We have some incredible young riders in our program and Logan exemplifies what we’re looking for in those riders. He has a lot of experience for such a young athlete and we know the rest of our riders will benefit from having him on the team.”

Logan recognizes that there is more to winning races than just talent. Specialized/GROM’s training program is focused on preparing riders to compete and win races internationally. Mulally’s goals are high, and so are his skills. We have a solid program that produces solid riders and Logan is the next step in bridging the gap between great domestic competitors and great international competitors. Combining his talent with our tailor made program will take him, and us, to the next level of racing. 

We are excited that Logan will be representing Specialized/GROM in Europe this season. We need to prepare our riders for the next level of competition and this is our first opportunity to prove we can deliver American talent to the International racing scene and show that our riders are physically and mentally prepared to perform at a World Class level.

“Our mission is to develop US talent and offer a well rounded program. I think for Logan it’s about being able to work with our staff and fully develop him into a well trained and well disciplined World Cup competitor” -Christopher Herndon 

Logan says, “I’ve known Chris and Tim for as long as I’ve been racing Mountain bikes. Chris has always been there in the background doing things to help us whenever he could. When it came time for me to make a decision for 2011, I was offered several really generous opportunities to choose from. For me, it all came down to the hands on approach I knew I would get from the Specialized/GROM racing program. Tim raced World Championships both years as a junior and I know he has a lot experience and advice to offer about upper level competition. I’ve ridden with the GROM squad and am very impressed with the professionalism of the program and the riders. I see a solid structure for me to build a world cup career upon. Chris and Tim have the experience to help me get there prepared to win. I am ready for a great season in 2011!”

We are looking forward to seeing what a winter of training alongside big brother Neko will do for Logan, and everyone is excited to see where this next chapter will take us. Look for Specialized/GROM at our first race of the season, the Port Angeles Pro GRT. Check out gromracing.com for more news and a full race schedule. Specialized/GROM is proudly partnered with Specialized Bikes, SRAM, Cane Creek, Industry Nine, Sycamore Cycles and Snowshoe Mountain for 2011.

Tim Price

Specialized/GROM Coach

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

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.

Race Report: Beech Mountain Race 1 - July 10 & 11, 2010

Dual Slalom - Jay 2nd and Will 3rd - Good times had by allby GROM racer, Jay Fesperman

(July 12, 2010)  This past weekend we raced at the first race of the Beech Mountain series. Our team had a low turnout with Walker and Luca already in Colorado and Sam and Lauren unable to attend, so we only had 4 riders. With heavy rain the night before, the Beech Mountain downhill track was muddy and slick. Specialized hooked us up with some Storm mud tires that tracked extremely well on the rutted, muddy trail. With practice and the race on the same day, we had limited time for practicing the track. It was cool riding with our coach Christopher Herndon and learning his fast line choices.

            The trail had dried out a lot by race time, which made it super fast for racing. We all had clean race runs with Ben taking 5^th, Will taking 4^th, and me taking 1^st. After our runs we went up the trail to watch the Pros in a gnarly section. Christopher was scary fast, and we were sure that if the rest of his run was clean he had won. When we got to the bottom after his run we learned he had won by 4 seconds! We were all stoked on the day and we couldn’t wait for slalom the next day.

            Sunday morning started out with the Dual slalom track being tacky from the dew the night before and it got drier and dustier as the day progressed. It was a cool track, with many berms, a  5- pack roller set and some fun jumps. We all were having a great time riding the track and before we knew it qualifying started. Everyone had clean qualifying runs and felt good going into the head to head racing.  The racing started out with Ben racing Nathan Swartz, Will racing teammate Eric Vest and me (Jay) racing Reid Dressler. Will and I placed third and second respectively. Christopher placed first in the pro class on the track that he had built for collegiate nationals a few years back(Lees McRae College). We all had a great time at the Beech Mtn race number one, and were excited to head out to the U.S. Nationals in Colorado the next morning.

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

GROM Racing - Enjoys the DirtyBird

Luca Shaw and Eric Vest Shredding the CourseWhat a great weekend at Hawksnest racing the DirtyBird. Practice on Saturday brought perfect trails and a short shower in the afternoon to make things interesting. Sunday; a perfect day for racing with overcast skys, as breeze and no rain.

The App State guys put on a great race with super sponsors and great support from Hawksnest. The course was in great shape and ready to be enjoyed by over 100 racers.

GROM Racing was set up right at the finish line. Cane Creek, Industry Nine, and Specialized had the racers ready to conquer the mountain. The bikes (frames, shocks and wheels) performed flawlessly. GROM Coach Christopher Herndon walked the trail on Saturday providing instruction to GROM racers and others within earshot. On Sunday, Christopher hawked the finishline to see how his racers performed and to assist other racers with bike repairs.

As typical, the GROM tent was the hang-out with lots of fellowship, laughter and food. GROM Racers Walker Shaw and Ben Calhoun attended the race even though they are both on the injured list (broken arm and collar bone, respectively). Assistant Coach Tim Price was at home recovering from shoulder surgery on Friday (all went well and Tim looks forward to joining the team at Snowshoe for the first race and riding camp).

GROM Racers got into the spectator action following their race runs. Cowbells, handlebars, and airhorns were going strong to encourage other racers on the course. GROMs popped up in a series along the course (wearing their black Specialized jerseys and matching TroyLee Designs pants) to cheer on other riders. You could hear riders after their runs, "who were those kids - that was great!"

Official times aren't available online yet, but GROM Racers finished well:
5th Place: Eric Vest
4th Place: Will O'Brien
3rd Place: Jay Fesperman
2nd Place: Luca Shaw

Photos are on the way soon. Check them out at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49804868@N02/sets/72157624242208496/

Related Sites:

www.dirtybirddh.com

http://www.hawksnest-resort.com/defaultzipline.php 

GROM Racers Podium at Plattekill

GROM racers, Sam Pensler and Lauren Daney, were able to attend the second race of the Pro Gravity Tour in Plattekill, New York, which was a junior world championship qualifier.  A top three finish is required at qualifying events in order to be eligible to make the U.S. National team.  Lauren took a hard spill on Saturday, but managed to race on Sunday and win her class.  She was the fastest amateur racer as well, nearly solidifying her spot on the junior world championship team.  Sam had a strong run and finished third in the CAT 1 junior men’s class.  He is definitely in contention to go to junior worlds and just needs to put together a solid run at the next qualifier in California.

Everyone’s equipment worked well this weekend; the Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shocks kept the bikes riding smooth, resulting in only the occasional sound of tires bouncing off of rocks.  Spectators and riders were amazed and commented on the quietness of the team bikes all weekend.  Both Sam and Lauren’s stellar riding form and technique caught the eye of famed mountain bike photographer, Ian Highland, resulting in two great shots of them getting posted on the popular mountain bike website, Pinkbike.  Excited about racing and the exposure the team has received, the coaches, riders and staff are all looking forward to a big event this coming weekend at the U.S. Open.

posting by Tim Price, GROM Assistant Coach

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