Triple Crown Race Finishes at QBurke

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Created on Thursday, 02 October 2014 15:30

Written by Dominic Amato

BURKE- Q-Burke Mountain hosted the final race of the Kingdom Enduro this past weekend. The race was the third in the Triple Crown Series.

  Previous races were held on August 24th in Northfield, New Hampshire, and September 14th in Vernon, New York.

Riders had a practice day on Saturday, preparing themselves for what the course had to offer, before the official race, which started at 9 A.M on Sunday. Q-Burke could not have asked for a more beautiful day on Sunday, where temperatures reached well above 70 degrees, paired with plentiful sunshine. 

The Enduro race is divided into three stages. The first stage is a relatively easy, timed course for the more experienced riders. A lift carries riders up to the top of the mountain, before they ride down on one of the mountain's more difficult trails, covered in roots, rocks, sharp corners, and plenty of dust.

Stage two, which is not timed, is the hill climbing stage. Riders must get to the top of the mountain, an event in which they are encouraged to take their time. However, once they reach the top of the mountain, their time starts again. 

The final stage consists of riding on one of Q-Burke's most challenging trails, the Upper J-Bar, riding through dense woods, and even another hill climb.

The total pro course is almost 13 miles of terrain; the longest in the Triple Crown Series.

Free bananas and granola bars were provided for the riders at the bottom of the mountain, so they could fuel up before hitting the mountain once again. 

"With the race you're pretty nerved up, and it's kind of hard to focus, but once you get out there, it's good, it's fun, as far as a mountain bike race goes it's pretty relaxed, and you can take a break [when you need to,]" says Lyndonville rider Eric McHugh.

Patrick Chartland also weighed in on the course. 

"These trail are awesome, it's kind of got everything, from man-made smoother stuff with burms to help you get around corners, then you have full, gnarly, rocky, technical steep stuff on top. It's really got everything, it's good."

There was not only pro riders at the Enduro, but also men's and women's amateur divisions, as well as a 14-and-under youth race, each with a different course map.

"Enduro racing is like the cool new race for everybody," says Series Coordinator Lili Aside. "It's very social because you get to do the climbs with you friends, and then you get to go down whenever you choose to. So it's kind of a fun format."

At the end of the day, Adam Snyder finished third at Q-Burke, but it was enough to win the Pro Men division overall in the Enduro with 1180 overall points.

Kimberly Quinlan took the victory for the Pro Women's division with 1020 overall points.

Riders who participated in all three races of the Triple Crown were recognized for their efforts.