Irmiger and Ropelato Win the Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro at Canyons Resort
2014 Overall Series Champions Crowned
PARK CITY, UTAH (July 19, 2014) - After an incredible day of racing, the third and final stop of the Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro took place at Canyons Resort on Saturday, July 19 as a stop on the North American Enduro Tour. Elite riders from across the world competed on 17.2 miles of trail with 3,200 vertical descending feet of sharp switchbacks, off-camber rooty singletrack, and the bike park flow trail.
This race marks the third year Canyons Resort has hosted the Enduro Cup which truly ignited the Enduro movement in Utah. The Park City area is the world's first and only International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Gold-Level Ride Center. The course at Canyons Resort required riders to have the endurance to sustain energy while pedaling on non-timed transfer stages and impeccable skill to charge down the steep, technical timed descents.
Heather Irmiger explained, "I love the transfer stages here, meandering up through the Aspens, socializing with friends, and I had a blast hanging out with the girls."
In the Open Women's category, Irmiger (21:49.45) and Margaret Gregory (21:53.61) were neck-and-neck with less than five seconds between first and second place. Local Park City rider, Ileana Anderson with 2nd Track Sports, sped into third place with the time 22:38.95.
"I competed in all three of the Enduro Cup races, and Canyons Resort was my favorite," exclaimed Anderson. "It's great exposure for Park City having this caliber of riders from across the world."
In the Open Men's division, the top three athletes finished within 20 seconds of each other. Staking his claim on first place with the fastest time of the day was Mitch Ropelato (18:39.89), closely followed by Damien Oton (18:54.33) and Aaron Bradford (18:58.60).
"It's all about racing fast and taking chances," Bradford claimed.
The Open category podium winners received $2,500 total in prize money divided evenly between men and women. The top three riders in each Amateur and Junior category received gear from sponsors. Both spectators and athletes could also view live timing results throughout the race on ItsYourRace.com and the ItsYourRace App.
"Timing worked great and the app is awesome to use once you come through each timed stage," described Mallory Burda who raced the Open Women's division.
Riders not only competed to win the Canyons Resort race, but also to claim the overall Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro series title. The series featured stops in Moab, UT, Sun Valley, ID, and Canyons Resort, UT. By maintaining consistent finishes at all three stops, Beth Roberts earned the overall championship for women. Aaron Bradford sustained his momentum of success to win the men's overall championship title.
"We had an amazing season and are looking forward to building upon our success for next year," remarked Event Director, Ben Nelson. " The overall vibe of this race was great because Canyons Resort is a very fun family environment and people come here to have a really good time."
At the base area, a festival-style sponsor village, DJ, announcers, Sierra Nevada beer garden, and BBQ provided prime entertainment for friends and fans. Riders and spectators also had the chance to enter a raffle which raised $1760 benefitting the Mountain Trails Foundation of Park City, Utah. Raffle prizes were donated by Scott, GoPro, ENVE, SRAM, GEAX, and Goal Zero.
Canyons Resort Top Results
Open Men
1.) Mitch Ropelato (18:39.89)
2.) Damien Oton (18:54.33)
3.) Aaron Bradford (18:58.60)
Open Women
1.) Heather Irmiger (21:49.45)
2.) Margaret Gregory (21:53.61)
3.) Ileana Anderson (22:38.95)
AM Men 19-29
1.) Matt Terry (21:14.66)
2.) Beau Hennings (21:22:65)
3.) Kyle Wehmanen (21:23.16)
AM Men 30-39
1.) Zak Brown (21:22.75)
2.) Steve LeBlanc (21:36.57)
3.) Drew Billington (21:41.242)
AM Men 40+
1.) Sam Fox (21:27.46)
2.) Mark Kugel (21:48.53)
3.) Geoff Maliska (21:52.47)
AM Women
1.) Heather Thiry (27:39.32)
2.) Kelsey Olson (28:23.89)
3.) Lyndie Saville (29:03.26)
Junior Men
1.) Josh Snow (20:49.83)
2.) Jaren Lockwood (20:59.49)
3.) Evan DeGray (21:20.67)
Overall Series Winners
Open Men, Aaron Bradford
Open Women, Beth Roberts
For more information or to register visit endurocupmtb.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Enduro Cup is an MSI production.
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Scott Sports
Founded in 1958 SCOTT Sports has created a legacy of innovation, technology and design by pushing the boundaries of possibility across multiple disciplines. From the first aluminum ski pole, to the lightest carbon bike and the first moto goggles and running shoes, SCOTT has been at the cutting edge from the very beginning. Check out scott-sports.com to see the full line up of products SCOTT has to offer.
GoPro
GoPro makes the world's best selling and most versatile cameras, enabling people to capture immersive and engaging footage of themselves during their favorite activities. GoPro's HERO line of wearable and gear mountable cameras are used collectively by more consumers, professional athletes, and video production professionals than any other camera in the world. Based in San Mateo, California, GoPro's products are sold in more than 35,000 stores in over 100 countries worldwide and direct via GoPro.com. GOP RO® and HERO® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Woodman Labs, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company, product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their rightful owners. Fore more information visit gopro.com.
Canyons Resort
With thrilling adventures across 4,000 acres and nine mountains of majestic terrain, Canyons Resort is Utah's largest and most dynamic ski and snowboard resort. Located in stunning Park City, Canyons is ranked as a "Top 10 North American Resort" in SKI Magazine's annual reader survey. Canyons' lively resort village bustles with nine hotels including the Grand Summit Hotel and Waldorf Astoria Park City, and two dozen dining restaurants like the award-winning farm-to-table venue, The Farm at Canyons. The Orange Bubble Express, North America's only enclosed and heated chairlift; Ski Beach, a lively après ski gathering area; Iron Mountain, featuring 300 acres of new terrain; Utah's only lift-served jump and flow trail bike park and the fast-paced Zip Tour make Canyons a must-visit year-round resort. With Salt Lake City International Airport just 35 minutes away, Canyons is conveniently accessible from anywhere in the world. For more information, visit canyonsresort.com.
Mountain Sports International
Mountain Sports International (MSI) is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI operates the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, in addition to several other properties and concepts. MSI launched MSI Live in 2009, to provide live HD webcast production, content management, encoding, and satellite uplink & delivery. MSI provides event management services, infrastructure and expertise for high-end brands, including The North Face, Red Bull, Subaru, UFC, Burton and Sierra Nevada. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility, to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture. For more information, visit mtsports.com.
North American Enduro Tour
The 2014 North American Enduro Tour (NAET) is back and going bigger in its fourth year. The NAET is designed to gather athletes at many of the continent's best race venues for the rapidly growing mountain bike discipline of Enduro racing. This year's partnered events include the SRAM Canadian Open Enduro as part of Crankworx Whistler, the Santa Cruz/ Shimano Oregon Enduro Series, the Specialized Enduro as part of the Colorado Freeride Festival in Winter Park, The Enduro Cup, the Big Mountain Enduro Series taking place throughout Colorado and the Triple Crown Enduro on the East Coast. Most of these races emerge in and around world-class bike parks throughout North America, while also utilizing the regions best singletrack trails that are tucked deep in the backcountry. For more information visit: naetmtb.com.
