Freetown 50

Karen Potter and Noah Tautfest Cap Off the EFTA Series with Wins at Freetown

Written by: Karen Potter

The Freetown 50 miler is a not for the faint of heart, it exists for those who eat technical trails for breakfast.  The course is two 25-mile laps loaded with rocks, more rocks, roots, more roots, oh and even more rocks.  It will test the best full-suspension cross-country bike to the limit.  Dirt road sections are a welcome sight to racers to rest their hands, stretch their backs, get a drink of water and stuff some food in their mouths. It’s such an unrelenting course that even with a hydration pack it is difficult to drink.  But if you ask most of the riders would tell you the Freetown 50 is an absolute blast.

Each year the course has seen significant changes showcasing the vast trail network in Freetown State forest.  The beginning and end of the course have mainly stayed the same over the years, and also are arguably the most technical sections.  Several lengthy rock gardens mess with even the best riders.

Freetown 25 and 50

Freetown 25 and 50

In this year’s course, the middle section was described as being ‘smoother’ flowing trails.  While some of it was, the vast majority was very tight singletrack requiring constant focus.  It was still plenty bumpy with lots of roots and some rocky sections, but not as chunky as the early sections. This middle section included a roughly four-mile nonstop singletrack trail called the “Gem” that snaked around, up and down a small hill.  It had short, steep, punchy climbs which made up most of the climbing in the otherwise fairly flat course. It felt endless.  Finish times for the entire race were the longest this year despite super dry conditions.

The 50 miler counted as the final race in the EFTA race series. Racers not up for 50 miles could opt for one 25-mile lap or a shortened 11-mile lap. The 11-mile lap was no joke itself, containing only the most technical sections of the entire course.

Race promoters at Freetown offer great payout for elite classes and prizes along with a generous raffle including a fat bike.  Racers can earn a free entry by winning the Pukwudgie Time Trial held at the beginning of the race season.

Karen Potter (Pivot/DNA Cycling) on one of the few smooth sections of the Freetown 50.

Karen Potter (Pivot/DNA Cycling) on one of the few smooth sections of the Freetown 50.

In the Elite Men’s category, it was a fierce dual between Noah Tautfest (Bicycle Express) and Neal Burton (Team ERRACE).  It came down to the last corner where they picked different lines around a tree but ended up bumping when coming back together.

Unfortunately, Burton went down which let Tautfest avoid what was sure to be an all-out sprint for the win. Robert Nash (Team Spark) battled it out with Tautfest and Burton into the 2nd lap but fell off the pace in the tight, twisty singletrack, finishing in 3rd.

Karen Potter (Pivot/DNA Cycling) took the women’s elite race with a healthy margin riding a steady race and showing her technical stamina.  Jennifer Hart (Cycleloft) finished strong in 2nd with Alecia Faustini (Laurel Bike Club) following up in 3rd.

Freetown 50

Noah Tautfest and Karen Potter Conquer the Freetown 50

 

Perfect late summer weather for the Eastern Fat Tire Mountain bike series finale at Freetown State forest.  Early morning threatening a light shower but the sun came out at the day wore on and course conditions were near perfect.

Mountain Bike legend Tinker Juarez toed the line among top New Englander racers.  The Freetown 50, in its third year running, boasted some course changes to help eliminate some paved road and dirt road sections.  This simply meant more boney, technical, rocky singletrack and slower race times then previous years.  Although race promoters made it quite clear that the course could be even harder if they chose to make it so.

Racers had to face the toughest 8 miles of the 25 mile lap right from the start.  Rock gardens were plentiful.  Choosing good lines and maintaining momentum were key to staying on the bike and riding a fast lap. The middle of the course was where racers could gain some time and relax a bit more on the bike handling skills with some smoother trails and dirt road sections.  Around mile 15, the rough singletrack started up again for several miles ending on some bone rattling rock gardens before finishing out the lap on dirt road.

Riders enjoy the singletrack at Freetown 50. Photo by Deb Levesque

Riders enjoy the singletrack at Freetown 50. Photo by Deb Levesque

In the Elite/Open men’s field, Noah Tautfest (Bicycle Express), Billy Melone (ATA Cycles) Tinker Juarez (RideBiker Alliance/ShowAir), Neal Burton (ERRACE) and Matt Boobar all took off fast and hot.  Boobar faded off the pace first and Burton backed off about half-way through the first lap realizing the need to pace himself to finish the full two laps.  Melone, Tautfest and Juarez stayed together until early in the second lap Melone sliced his tire and had to abandon the race.  After that Tautfest rode clean and slowly opened up a gap on Juarez that held for the win in 4:12;  Juarez finished in 2nd 3 minutes back.  Burton rounded out the podium for 3rd in 4:33.

Tinker Juarez chose a super technical and rock garden laden course for his first race back after an injury sidelined him earlier this season.  He admitted it was more technical than he thought it would be thinking his “local” friends were exaggerating as to the toughness of the course.  He quickly found out differently but enjoyed the course nonetheless.

Karen Potter on her way to a Freetown 50 win. Photo by Deb Levesque

Karen Potter on her way to a Freetown 50 win. Photo by Deb Levesque

In the Elite/Open women’s field, Karen Potter (Pivot/Epic Brewing) took the early lead showing her strong rock riding technical skills and maintained it for the win coming in 4:59.  Alicia Faustini (Laurel Bike Club) followed up in 2nd in 5:29.  Pamela Fielding rounded out the podium in third.

For full results of the 50 miler, 25 mile and beginner race see here:  http://www.barttiming.com/lt/livetiming.htm

Kenda Cup East Finale – Walpole, MA

Noah Tautfest and Crystal Anthony Take Kenda Cup East Series Finale

Written by: Karen Potter

The Kenda Cup East Series finale took place Sunday at the Barn Burner in Walpole, Massachusetts. Following up on Saturday’s Boston Rebellion ProXCT UCI 2 race, the Barn Burner used the same course with an additional mile of more rooty, twisty, New England-style singletrack to create a 5.5-mile lap.

While several of the local pros opted to race just Saturday’s Pro XCT event, many partook in a double race weekend to seal up their Kenda Cup East standings and some just for the fun of suffering.

Crystal Anthony navigates a rock garden in Walpole

Crystal Anthony navigates a rock garden in Walpole

It was another hot and humid day in New England so staying hydrated properly was important. With minimal elevation gain in the racecourse, riding steady and staying smooth through all the corners was the key to success.

In the elite/open women’s field, Saturday’s ProXCT winner Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) won handily over her competition and took the 2015 Kenda Cup East series title as well. Fifth place finisher in Saturday’s ProXCT race, Karen Potter (Pivot/MTBRacenews.com) followed up in 2nd maintaining her 2nd overall in the series. Kimberly Quinlan (Bicycle Express Racing), who also raced Saturday, was within sight of Potter through the first 3 laps of the race but could not close the gap as Potter pulled away from her on the last lap. Quinlan finished 3rd.

The elite/open men’s race saw a battle between Noah Tautfest (Bicycle Express Racing) and Tom Sampson (Vittoria/Yeti) duking it out for the win and for 3rd place overall in the Kenda Cup East Series. Billy Melone (ATA Cycles) and Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) had 1st and 2nd places locked up and opted to race just Saturday’s ProXCT race and then Sunday’s Pro Short Track.

In the end, Taufest bested Sampson for the win at the Barn Burner by less then 30 seconds and gave him the final podium spot for the series overall.

Full results here: http://results.bikereg.com/race/6478

Kenda Cup East Series Results:http://results.bikereg.com/kendacupeast