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Capital Cup at Whitetail

As many of you are aware, the coming weekend of June 23rd will hold the frist summer bicycle event Whitetail has hosted since closing to bikes some years ago. The diligent pestering and reputation for excelent races by Racers Edge has finally payed off, so lets all come out , have a great time, and show Whitetail we can fill a mountain!

The weekend will consist of a two course downhill race, one on saturday and one on sunday, as well as slalom on saturday evening. Both courses are similar, best described as fast flowy singletrack, designed to be fun for all ridding levels. I’ve had the chance to ride them both, and they are a blast! The Saturday course starts at a mild pitch with some fun berms and a few rocks to negotiate. It then winds around a corner, down a short rock slab and steep chute onto the fire road. This is, in my opinion, the hardest section of both courses. The course then rolls back into the woods for some fast and flowing single track with some off camber. It had me grining the whole way down. The Sunday course is similar in terain, with a few rock rollers, and a 3 foot drop with an optional go-around. Not that I would recomend the go-around, the drop has a wide smooth landing and is really fun!

The Slalom course in still in the works, but I’m sure it will live up to expectations. It is being built by Mike Hartlove of Racers Edge, who has built such talked about courses as the 2005 Snowshoe NORBA National mountain cross course as well as all of the Mid Altantic Cup DS and MX courses over the years. These races are always fun to compete on, and make for some of the best spectating.

The final topic which can’t be overlooked is prizes! This race boasts one of the biggest purses of the year, with much of the prize list being donated by City Bikes. The Pro purse will total $5,000. Amature prizes worth around $10,000 will include 2 DJ frames from Yeti, a Cannondale Chase, a Rocky Mountain Flow, and a Jamis Komodo, and maybe more. Gear will include everything from 661 and Bern helmets, pressure suits, and pads, to E-13 chain guides, tires, SDG saddles, and much more.

We are expecting a good pro turnout, with some top riders and teams. There will be demos available form Jamis, Kona, Specialized and Rocky Mountain, as well as a good showing of tents from other industry vendors. Camping is available, as well as lift passes for spectators.

More info is available at www.racersedgeonline.com. Hope to see you for a great weekend of racing, riding, and spectating!

—Hillary Elgert

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