O-Cup DH#2 Heights of Horseshoe Race Report
The second stop of the series found itself at the legendary Heights of Horseshoe for the second installment of the O-Cup Dh series – Check inside for the full race report and some photos!
The Heights of Horseshoe is a unique venue that has a storied history of cycling. Home to events as far as 20 years ago, it has been a staple venue for XC, Super-D and DH riders through the years and this year is no exception. Once the only venue in Ontario to hold a Canada Cup DH series event, the all-new course has borrowed the original entry-drop of that historic Cup course, only now it has been built up and streamlined to cater to our brave riders. The layout is simple: a basic Z pattern followed by an exit hook and sprint to the finish line but the content is what counts here. Riders are greeted with a substantial step-down within the first few seconds of starting their run, to an off-camber section that drops into a runway with a step-down into berm to drop and then back into a tight S turn section, back into another drop and then rock garden exit – This course is unlike any other on the circuit and, according to course builder Shane Joachim, was motocross inspired and built on years of experience and trial and error building. The end result was fast, flowy and had plenty of air-time as opposed to a more traditional tech/gnar inspired course.
This forward thinking of course design and execution proved to be a challenge for many of the riders on race-day with many falling victim to this beast. The sheer speed and placement of the step-downs were the ticket to strong finishes. Many were caught up on the set-up and landing and their comfort being airborne was the ticket to placing well or eating dirt. The course was not one to be taken lightly and the amount of dismounts and bails were on the high side which provided unlimited entertainment for the roaring crowd down the “Hollywood Boulevard” that featured the main booter into a left-handed turn/drop.
The length was shorter than previous years but the action-packed rapid fire course made up for any time issues. The strong riders were coming in sub 1:00 with the top-time belonging to Silent Norco Racings’ own Mike Hermanovsky with a blistering 53.059 finish time. The most surprising time comes from Senior Sport 1st place finisher Matt Nielsn with a 54.257 which would have put him in top 10 in Senior Elite – Congrats man!
The turn-out, the weather and the difficult but wildly entertaining course made this event a tough one to top. The atmosphere was positive and the sidelines were packed with supporters and if there was any example of how strong the community is and what kind of DH events there are in our region, take notice of the 2nd instalment of the series at the Heights of Horseshoe.
Here are your top 5 finishers in the main categories.
Female
1-111-Kristen Courtney-AdrenalineRacer / ToWheels-1:05.134
2 -113-Tifenn Vialatte-Impala Bicycles-Ottawa-1:13.179
3-100-Monika Luebke-Cycle Solutions/Angry Johnny`s CC-1:13.413
4-104-Jennifer Valentine-BMC Kamikaze-Wasaga Beach-1:16.786
5-107-Jenn LeBlanc-BMC Kamikaze-Angus-1:18.410
Senior Sport
1-1175-Matt Neilsn-54.257
2-1185-Brendan Baitinga-56.465
3-433-Nick Outram-Eastside Cycle Racing-Kitchener-59.466
4-437-Michael Kubica-Black Tooth Grin Bike Club-Barrie-1:00.807
5-427-Andrew Gibson-Silent Norco Racing-North York-1:01.218
Junior Expert
1-172-Kyle Sangers-Devinci : J & J CycleKingston-54.379
2-174-Graeme Duff-Primary/SRAM/Trek-Toronto-56.801
3-176-Craig Thompson-AdrenalineRacer / ToWheels-Clinton-57.309
4-181-Michael Costerceld-57.4023
5-182-Bryce Kiberd-Impala Bicycles-57.949
Senior Expert
1-82-Adam FinlaysonPrimary/SRAM/Trek-Pickering-56.300
2-85-Hugh MacLachlanCycle Solutions/Angry Johnny`s CC-Wyevale-56.374
3-73-Cameron Loftus-Toronto-56.889
4-71-Dan BruxerAdrenalineRacer / ToWheels-Hensall-57.501
5-99-Rob Carmichael-BikeSports DH Team-Newmarket-57.731
Senior Elite
1-4-Michael Hermanovsky-Silent Norco Racing-Richmond Hill-53.059
2-26-Harold Woolnough-Cove Bikes-Thornhill-53.233
3-10-Sidney Slotegraaf-Lapierre Canada-Hamilton-53.598
4-7-Rob Fraser-Primary/SRAM/Trek-Pickering-53.712
5-14-Brad Zdriluk-AdrenalineRacer / ToWheels-Beamsville-54.104
The course was blisteringly fast, took no prisoners and humbled many riders today. If this is DH racing, count us in. We will be releasing a full 300 photo gallery shot by action sport photographer Richard Roth as a thank-you to the community and for our supporters and new fans, racers and parents. Our gift to you all we ask is you check out the website, get comfortable and “like” us on facebook for daily updates. www.facebook.com/trailburn
For full results head on over to: http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/20110508-204359-32-All-2011.htm#AF
The Trailburn Crew
Rich Roth – Rothphoto.ca
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