Save $$ Preregister NOW! for Gravity East #2

blackohio · Jun 7, 2010

usacylcing website is a cluster****, how about posting the link to the authorized to ride form.

anyone tell me what I need to do to race (aside from the race fees/reg itself?) I've never raced before and am a little unclear what I need to do. I'll probably run cat3 since i have no idea what the cats are like.

ChrisKring · Jun 7, 2010

blackohio:

Race Cat 3 for your first race. That is what they used to call the beginner class. No shame in racing it for at least the first year.

Authorization to ride is a printed copy of a racing license. You will not need it. Just get a daily license at the race or sign up for an annual license if you want to accumulate points. If you want the license ahead of time, click the join link on USACycling and print it off after you join. Youn need to be a member and signed in to see it.

good luck

blackohio · Jun 7, 2010

yeah not sure how many GES races ill be able to make it to and dont really care about points or year end standings.

Do they race cat 3 and 1 on the same course's usually. I've ridden 7springs before and even their "pro" rock garden is pretty easy. I'd hate to get stuck on a course below my skill level but at the same time want to have fun. I dont think im a beginner by any means but never having actually raced before Im not sure how hard I actually push myself.

plus im old fat guy.

NY_Star · Jun 7, 2010

Anyone have a video of the course or anything like that?

Eastern States Cup · Jun 7, 2010

2009's "pro" course

ldw222 · Jun 7, 2010

blackohio said:
yeah not sure how many GES races ill be able to make it to and dont really care about points or year end standings.

Do they race cat 3 and 1 on the same course's usually. I've ridden 7springs before and even their "pro" rock garden is pretty easy. I'd hate to get stuck on a course below my skill level but at the same time want to have fun. I dont think im a beginner by any means but never having actually raced before Im not sure how hard I actually push myself.

plus im old fat guy.

that rock garden might seem easy when you're just riding through...but you've got to see how fast these guys go through

like that in a race. I always thought I was pretty good at downhill until I started racing last year...you should try it and see how you do! it's so good for you...

blackohio · Jun 7, 2010

oh i know how fast those guys go, im not trying to be pro but i've gone through that fast (by normal standards) a few times and its fun. who knows though, i ride with some really fast guys and do alright. Im totally fine racing cat3 for this summer and see where to go from there.

NY_Star · Jun 7, 2010

Looks like a kind of fun course but i don't know if its worth the 5+ hr drive. Wide open for sure.
You never know with All Sports Events doing the timing what you are going to get. They have mucked up SO many events and in the end the venue looks bad, not the fools running the timing.

blackohio · Jun 7, 2010

7springs is a fun place to ride regardless. fast lift, fun trails. good combo of groomed jump park and rock gardens

Mr Lahey · Jun 8, 2010

Is this race the same as Massanutten where race entry includes a lift ticket for both Saturday and Sunday?

Sorry if this is a silly question...

ldw222 · Jun 8, 2010

Mr Lahey said:
Is this race the same as Massanutten where race entry includes a lift ticket for both Saturday and Sunday?

Sorry if this is a silly question...

not a silly question at all...the entry does include a lift ticket for both days. these races are actually pretty good deals (if you don't include gas, hotel, and all the other stuff). make sure you get a one day usac license if you don't have an annual one. this was the first race i was in and it was a good one to start at...now i'm hooked!

downhill mike · Jun 8, 2010

blackohio said:
yeah not sure how many GES races ill be able to make it to and dont really care about points or year end standings.

Do they race cat 3 and 1 on the same course's usually. I've ridden 7springs before and even their "pro" rock garden is pretty easy. I'd hate to get stuck on a course below my skill level but at the same time want to have fun. I dont think im a beginner by any means but never having actually raced before Im not sure how hard I actually push myself.

plus im old fat guy.

Category 3 (beginner) does not mean you are a beginner mountain biker. Just beginner racer.

blackohio · Jun 8, 2010

downhill mike said:
Category 3 (beginner) does not mean you are a beginner mountain biker. Just beginner racer.

Yeah I guess I was looking at it wrong.

PArider29 · Jun 10, 2010

I just saw this on the GES Press Release - an additional “bonus” lift ticket for some post-race freeriding available for just $15 following race’s conclusion.

Are they serious we have to pay to ride after our race runs.....tell me this is a misquote please!

Pslide · Jun 10, 2010

Looks pedally. Wish I was in better shape.

Pslide · Jun 10, 2010

Not raced a GES before and can't find much info...

Do you get 2 race runs, best counts?

Are the other trails open to racers & non-racers Saturday and Sunday?

Eastern States Cup · Jun 10, 2010

PArider29 said:
I just saw this on the GES Press Release - an additional “bonus” lift ticket for some post-race freeriding available for just $15 following race’s conclusion.

Are they serious we have to pay to ride after our race runs.....tell me this is a misquote please!

Yes, looks like a $104.95 weekend for entry fee's. $140 for Gas. $200 for hotel.
8 hours driving each way. Good luck to all in attendance.

June 9, 2010; Conshohocken, PA, USA: A downhill race on a cruise ship? Well, maybe not literally. But the Gravity East Series presented by Voncooper Productions may have found the next best thing. “People call our resort the ‘Cruise Ship’,” laughs Joel Rerko, Action Sports Director at Pennsylvania’s Seven Springs Mountain Resort, the venue for this weekend’s Gravity East event. “You park your car when you first get here, and you never go back to it until it’s time to go home. We have four restaurants, three bars and the hotel with pools and hot tubs all within a five minute walk from the finish line of the downhill, and we’re building another temporary bar with its own DJ right at the finish line for this weekend’s race. It’s definitely not a race where you leave your family at home, we have more than most people know that you can do here. We even have a promotion for unlimited activities that includes swimming, rock climbing, bounce house and a ton of other activities for kids.”

The amenities may be similar to a cruise ship, but from a mountain bike racer’s standpoint, there are certain advantages to being 150 miles from the nearest port. Among them are trails designed by three-time World Champion Eric Carter, two of which are included in this weekend’s Gravity East track. It’s a layout with striking similarities to last weekend’s World Cup at Fort William: mostly man-made trails, fast, flowy, lots of berms and the big “showtime” jumps at the bottom. Last year, the trails were new, but a year’s worth of riding has finished packing-down the trails, and maintenance this spring removed the dust and pebbles from the berms resulting in a grippier surface. And it’s the banked turns and traction that define the character of the Seven Springs track, “If you can carry speed in the berms, you’re gonna win,” says Rerko matter-of-factly. One major change from last year’s inaugural sees all classes competing on the same course. “Last year, the trails were new and we had the Cat. 2’s and 3’s bypass the most technical and dangerous sections,” explains Rerko. “But after listening to rider feedback, we felt comfortable letting everybody run the pro course.”

Seven Springs also prides itself on running a “tight ship”. The entire mountain will be closed to all mountain bikers except registered competitors during the Gravity East race, and lift lines during last year’s Gravity East weekend rarely exceeded five or six persons. Based on the amount of space devoted to the race on the Seven Springs website, the Gravity East Series presented by Voncooper Productions is an important event for the 4-seasons resort, which is located about 90 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh. In addition to the regular unlimited activities package and other promotions, Seven Springs is offering $99 flat-rate hotel rooms (same price regardless of number of guests). Lift service will also be open from 10:00 until 5:00 on Friday before the race for just $29.95, and an additional “bonus” lift ticket for some post-race freeriding available for just $15 following race’s conclusion. As always, Gravity East pays the online registration service fee, so riders that enter the event through BikeReg.com by midnight on Thursday will save an additional $5.

For more information on the Gravity East #2 at Seven Spring and other races on the Gravity East Series presented by Voncooper Productions, see www.GravityEastSeries.com.

Pslide · Jun 10, 2010

VooDooHoo said:
Its a layout with striking similarities to last weekends World Cup at Fort William

ROFL

Thanks for info though Voodoo.

NY_Star · Jun 10, 2010

Pslide said:
ROFL

Thanks for info though Voodoo.

Some one HAD to call them out on that BS!!!!

Mr Lahey · Jun 10, 2010

Too bad the cruise ship doesn't allow on site camping. A hundred dollar room rate isn't a substitute for camping. I would also imagine they will have fees for taking bikes into the rooms.

That and the fee to ride sound pretty "squeeky" for a resort that is usuaslly pretty laid back and cool with such things.

Save $$ Preregister NOW! for Gravity East #2

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