What pros are hitting the US Open this month?

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
I know in the past Sam has come while Peaty, Minnaar and most other top pros don't, but does anyone have any knowledge of this year's lineup? I'm definitely going just to watch this year and am curious if I should bother going on qualifying day or just race day. I know there's no world cup race that weekend but maybe there's some conflicting euro race that everyone's attending like year's past.

Oh, if anyone wants to carpool from Bergen County area let me know. As of now I'm going by myself.

Maribor this weekend!
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
So far it's Sam Hill, Brendan Fairclough, Kathy Pruitt, Kyle Strait, Matti Lehikoinen are the big names. Suprised they didn't say Bryn Atkinson and Andrew Neethling(Needles) since they were there last year and in 06 I think.

Pumped on meeting Brendan since he very rarely comes overseas and hopefully this year I can pull top 10 in AM, oh so close last year. So come out and watch anyways, I know the spectators love all the carnage, us racers know why the Toyota Rock Garden is the most popular place to watch.:D
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
Oh I'm definitely going. That's enough cool pros to make it worthwhile, and there's no charge to spectate.

Where online can you watch Maribor? I tried freecaster but it won't play with my version of Quicktime. Anywhere else?
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
Oh I'm definitely going. That's enough cool pros to make it worthwhile, and there's no charge to spectate.

Where online can you watch Maribor? I tried freecaster but it won't play with my version of Quicktime. Anywhere else?

Theres talk about a couple websites & proxy servers... check Ridemonkey.com then click on Forums, Downhill section, then the first thread which is Maribor Slovenia. WIll have all the info in those pages.

This event is May 23-26 at Mountain Creek(DiabloFreeridePark), Vernon, NJ.
 

FFT

Gay & Stuffy
I usually throw a bunch back and creep around the parking lot with a few, but I am unsure of mountainside drinking. That might be a no-no.
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
I'm leaving around noon to be there around 1pm. If anyone wants a ride I can pick them up on the way if you're relatively on the way. Or meet up and watch together. I'm just spectatin' and snappin photos.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
if anyone's gonna pass through the stanhope(allamuchy) area on the way up and could give me a lift there and back, i'll pitch in for the gas and beer. lemme know.

sean 973-229-7438
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
if anyone's gonna pass through the stanhope(allamuchy) area on the way up and could give me a lift there and back, i'll pitch in for the gas and beer. lemme know.

sean 973-229-7438

i would but I'm coming from completely the other direction.

leaving now -- go sam!
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
It was a great time. Weather was gorgeous, course was dry and fast, and everyone was scorching it. Steve Smith (Canadian rider and the one less-than-famous rider in the new Collective movie Seasons) qualified third and beat everyone's time by a good second or two. But Sam was last down the hill and came through flying -- but around a half second behind Smith. Unbelievable! So fast, Smith takes it.

I actually don't know who won for the ladies but Kathy Pruitt qualified first and I got to talk with her just before she was supposed to start. But they didn't let her ride because another rider crashed hard on the rock garden -- at least 2 riders were carried out on stretchers. That rock garden is sick and watching the pros tear through it was to behold power.

Lots of pics form my crappy point-and-shoot:
 

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NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
More pics. It was an impressive gallery at the rock garden. Music blaring, PBRs getting slammed down, damn good time.
 

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NJ Jess

Active Member
9th out of 12

I did better than last year. 9th out of 12 with and under than 5 minute run even with a stress fracture of my left hand. (yes, typing is hard) The course was fun,but difficult at the same time.

One girl rider behind me in the line up crashed in the rock garden head first. Then after getting up and riding,...she tried the pro line jump and fell short. She landed hard. They air lifted her to Morristown med hospital. we later learned she broke her neck. I know she was moving her hands and feet when she was in the stretcher, so I hope she's going to be okay.
 

jbogner

NYCMTB: President
JORBA.ORG
I did better than last year. 9th out of 12 with and under than 5 minute run even with a stress fracture of my left hand. (yes, typing is hard) The course was fun,but difficult at the same time.

Good work, Jess. That course is REALLY, REALLY tough for the AM women, and it's a feat to just ride it, much less race it. The trail BMW still scares me every time I ride it. Can't imagine racing on it. Hope your hand heals up.

One girl rider behind me in the line up crashed in the rock garden head first. Then after getting up and riding,...she tried the pro line jump and fell short. She landed hard. They air lifted her to Morristown med hospital. we later learned she broke her neck. I know she was moving her hands and feet when she was in the stretcher, so I hope she's going to be okay.

Apparently she broke her neck on that first crash, then got up not realizing it was broken (since she wasn't paralyzed), and rode off the pro jump, where she started blacking out mid-air. According to my friend Luke, who's friends with her brother, the MRI's show no spinal cord damage, so she should recover just fine, but will be in the hospital for a couple weeks. Best wishes for a quick recovery.

Beyond that, the race was mind-blowing. The times were incredible, the new additions all over the mountain were fun (I can't wait to see them finish that half-built step-up after the wall-ride- looks like they just didn't get it built in time for the race). And the kicker above the stairsteps on crap chute is pretty cool, too. Watching Steve Smith blaze in faster than Sam's qualifying time, then seeing Same come out of the woods a second later than we expected- everyone was on the edge of their seats for the 12 seconds it took for Sam to ride from the woods over the pro jump into the finish. As he was pedaling in, I couldn't help but yell at the guys I was with "he's not going to do it!" Unbelievable win for Smith. Makes that Seasons section all the more meaningful...
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
Man whata weekend. Jess congratulations on your run even with a busted up hand. Was that the Vitamin Water girl who got seriously hurt, because I saw her slam off the redbull jump but didn't know she ate it in the rocks as well. Steve Smith was blazing fast, him & Matti L. came around that final grass corner PINNNNNNNNNED. As for me, perfectly clean run(meaning I didn't try hard enough) except coming unclipped in the final grass turn and finishing 24th in the finals. Always love the USOPEN.

Jbogner, thanks for the pic of 239(neko who won AM) i'll send it over to him. Any of #341 by any chance, but no worries if you don't feel like looking.
 
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