SCOTT Enduro Cup ramps it up in the Land of Enchantment
Local rider Chris Boice and veteran competitor Kelli Emmett win Angel Fire race
Angel Fire, NM (June 12, 2016)-The SCOTT Enduro Cup presented by Vittoria launched its second race of the season in new location, Angel Fire, NM. The two-day enduro stage race drew more than 180 athletes to the high desert for mountain bike racing, music, good eats, awards and raffle. Results are in as Chris Boice of Albuquerque, NM, and Kelli Emmett of Colorado Springs, CO, claimed the fastest times overall for the men and women’s pro/open category.
Racers of varying ability level were organized into five categories for both men and women, including pro/open, expert, vet expert (35+), amateurs and juniors (18-13) giving first time racers the opportunity to share the course with veteran competitors.
On race day one, event organizers worked closely with the Camino Real Ranger District to host three timed backcountry stages in Carson National Forest. Brutal transfer climbs led riders to 2,650 feet of descending raw and unfiltered Angel Fire classic trail. At the conclusion of day one, Scott Countryman, 24 of Flagstaff, AZ (09:24.714), and Kelli Emmett, 39 (10:56.323) finished the stages in the least amount of time.
Race day two was fast and rugged as pro/open riders took down four timed stages while expert, junior and amateur riders descended three stages at Angel Fire Bike Park.
World Cup downhill racer and Angel Fire local, Chris Boice, 31 took first at 37:02.304 followed closely by former Pro GRT Champion Shawn Neer, 24 of Arvada, CO, at 37:03.947. Former pro motorcross racer turned mountain bike racer Jubal Davis, 25 landed in third with an overall time of 37:10.478.
“Going into day 2, the standings from first [place] to seventh were within a handful of seconds so it was really anyone’s game coming into today,” said Boice. “But I was able to make good time on the first four stages of today, and then almost lost every single second I had gained in stage five.”
“Enduro is new to me,” Boice continued, “I am still learning the ropes. It feels really good to stand on the podium with people I respect. It’s a great thing to see things come full circle. I just consider myself fortunate. I’m also glad not to have thrown the win away today.”
World Cup XC racer, turned enduro rider Kelli Emmett held onto her lead in the women’s pro/open category, taking home first place at 42:19.762. Porsha Murdock, 24 of Bend, OR took second at 42:45.812. Lia Westermann, 17 of Salt Lake City, UT, finished in third at 44:30.440. Up and coming enduro racer, Alexandra Pavon, 22 of Flagstaff, AZ, finished with a total time of 43:24.744.
“I was most excited about the amount of talented women that are here racing, in the U.S.-just to see there’s this really big interest for women in enduro and now competition is getting pretty serious, so it’s cool,” said Emmett.
“I’m worked,” she continued. “The stages were so demanding. Really the rocks and everything were tough. My arms on the last stage were burning so bad so yeah it was a really tough weekend and it was great.”
Pro/Open Men:
Chris Boice 37:02.304
Shawn Neer 37:03.947
Jubal Davis 37:10.478
Macky Franklin 37:18.825
David Camp 37:36.814
Pro/Open Women:
Kelli Emmett 42:19.762
Porsha Murdock 42:45.812
Alexandra Pavon 43:24.744
Krista Rust 44:11.027
Lia Westermann 44:30.440
New this year, the Vittoria Bolt awarded the fastest downhill time on stage six. Chris Boice (06:16.896) and Kelli Emmett (07:15.993) were each awarded a $100 cash prize. This award will be featured at each 2016 race.
Podium finishers in the pro/open category shared prize money equally divided between men and women. The podium athletes in the expert, amateur and junior categories received gear from SCOTT Sports and Vittoria. All riders were entered into a raffle, with proceeds going to Del Norte Bike Alliance. Raffle prizes were provided by SCOTT Sports, Vittoria and ROTOR.
The SCOTT Enduro Cup presented by Vittoria will hit the trails again at the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival June 23-26, 2016. The Sun Valley race is a part of the North American Enduro Tour (NAET), making it an Enduro World Series qualifier race.
A full list of results from the Angel Fire race can be found here.
For registration information, visit endurocupmtb.com. Registration is open to men and women, professional and amateur adults and juniors ages 13-18. Riders can choose to participate in a single race or purchase a season pass. In addition to race entry, all registration fees include an event T-shirt, lunch and lift tickets (where applicable). In order to collect points to qualify for the Enduro World Series, racers will need to obtain an EMBA license through EWS here.
Follow the series on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and #EnduroCupMTB.
