The inaugural race of the Kenda Cup East will take place at the Ocoee White Water Center, site of last weekend’s Cohutta 100. The racecourse will favor the climbers with a mixture of open Jeep road climbing and challenging singletrack descents. Each lap is approximately 10.5 miles long and offers up 1,752 vertical feet of climbing. The trail surface is advertised as “hard pack even in wet conditions” which could come into play as the forecast calls for thunderstorms all weekend.
Unlike the riders on the west coast, the Eastern crowd isn’t afraid of a little rain and mud. They have been raised on a diet of slippery roots, wheel grabbing rock gardens, and tenacious gear grinding mud. Forget names like Taberlay and Carey, it’s time for riders like Sam Koerber (Gary Fisher 29er Crew), Thomas Turner (Outspokin/Specialized), Charlie Pendry (Inland Construction), Robert Marion (Kenda/KMC/Hayes) and Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) to take their shot at the title of Kenda Cup East Champion.
Koerber has been the strongest in the Southeast Regional Championship Series (SERC) this spring. Taking wins in Bryson City, NC and Columbia, TN. The Gary Fisher rider is just one week out from a 100-mile effort at Cohutta and may be dealing with some flat legs. Thomas Turner is showing good form after taking first at SERC #4 in Winder, Georgia one week ago. Kenda rider Robert Marion finished 2nd in Ducktown last year and is coming off his first ever National top-10 finish in the Sea Otter Short Track. The wildcard will be Monavie man Bishop. The Marathon and Short Track National Champion is hard to beat in any Cross Country event and should be even more formidable racing in his own backyard.
In the women’s field, look for regional favorites Jamie Dinkins (Motor Mile Racing), Anna Jean Dallaire (Cannondale), Anina Aaron (Kenda/KMC/Hayes), and Shelly Allen (Ride-n-Roll) to be battling for the top spots. Dinkins had a phenomenal 2008 that saw her going all the way to the World Championships in the U-23 division as well as a win in Ducktown. She looks strong to repeat this year having taken the win last weekend in Winder, GA. Fighting to unseat the returning champion will be Dallaire who was runner up in ’08. Shelly Allen has two wins on the SERC series this spring and will be looking to continue her winning ways.
This weekend should be an exciting start to an exciting Kenda Cup East series. The series includes six races in six different states including Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Vermont, and New York. Both the Kenda Cup East and West will conclude with the unification race in Las Vegas this September.
MTBracenews.com will be bringing you full coverage from Kenda Cup East #1 in Ducktown, Tennessee this weekend with full results, photos, and race reports.
