Crash, Crash, Win, Win, Win.



Seamus focused on the Win at Bear Creek

 So went the Bear Creek Triple Crown weekend for the Giant Mid-Atlantic crew.  From down in the dirt to the top step of the podium, we saw it all at Pennsylvania's premier mountain bike venue.  Let's break it down race-by-race:

Martin dominating the rocks at Bear Creek

Short Track -  Starting the weekend off right, the short track was a perfect mix of technical singletrack and open fireroad.  With a strong contingent of elite racers at the line, good racing was sure to be had.  At the start, the course took a sharp 90-degree turn uphill almost immediately, causing some good-ole-fashioned ruckus amongst the field.  Martin Kell hung in the front while Jordan, Seamus, and Matt waited for things to sort out before showing their cards.  Quickly, things spread out and Seamus picked his way up to the front with perrenial Mid-Atlantic power house Aaron Snyder (Scott RC).  Jordan was close in tow, and Matt was holding strong.  This pretty much was the race, with Seamus and Aaron battling at the front and Jordan trailing just behind.  In the end, Seamus took the win and Jordan snagged 5th, with Matt and Martin finishing in the field.

Matt Pinnin' it during the short track

Super-D -   After Short Track, everyone knew things were bound to get interesting!  Luckily, the promoter gave us time to get a few practice runs in on the course, so we loaded up in the truck and went to the top.  The first portion of the track was super tech, with no line through the rocks.  Gnar!  The team decided to stick to the top portion and did a few mini loops to stay warmed up.  For Jordan, this meant crashing on one of the more benign section of trails right in front of Matt.  Kudos to Matt for not laughing!  Taking time to straighten his bars back out, Jordan pedaled back to the top to wait for the start.  Jordan left first putting in a conservative effort so as not to take any chances after his crash.  Following closely behind was Seamus, who put in a blazing time WHILE CRASHING!!!  Matt and Martin followed with the rest of the elite field, but nobody could touch Seamus' time.  RAD!

Jordan keeps the corners smooth

Cross Country -  With all the success from the previous day fueling the team, we lined up for a wet and rainy XC on Sunday.  For this, there were a few more pros that made the trip for the race, and a few unknowns were on hand that were sure to make the race interesting.  At the start, Everyone stayed calm and waited for the singletrack.  Martin and Seamus made some smooth moves to stick to the front, with Jordan and Matt close behind.  Into the singletrack, everything was rideable, but super slick!  Seamus worked his way to the front quicky with Jordan doing the same further behind.  Unfortunately the mud gremlins got ahold of Jordan's rear derrailure and ended his race early.  Bummer!  At the end of lap 1, Seamus was ahead of the pack and Martin and Matt were riding strong in the field.  Martin was having an extra exciting time on the descents, with all power being lost to his rear brake!  In the end, Marting pulled the HAT TRICK and took the third win of the weekend, sweeping the triple crown!  Matt and Martin also scored top-10 XC finishes, and finished 4th and 5th in the Triple Crown. 

Great job by everyone!