Blog Post

2016 California Enduro Series Round 6 / Golden Tour Round 2: Northstar Enduro

calienduro
8/31/2016 7:50pm

CES 2016 Round 6: Northstar Enduro from VP Components on Vimeo.

Words by Called To Creation and Liam Ruff; Photos by Called To Creation

The sixth race of the California Enduro Series and second stop of the CES Golden Tour took place at Northstar California Resort and challenged all competitors with loose moon dust and burly rocks over two action packed days of racing. For the past two seasons the Northstar CES race has been one of the most anticipated and technically challenging events of the series and this year was no different. Riders enjoyed two days of racing on some of California’s most demanding trails with a mix of pedaled and lift assisted transfer stages. The Northstar Enduro was a staple event of the CES this year and surely left every competitor hungry for more challenging racing at the season finale on Mammoth Mountain next month.

Marco Osborne is all smiles at the top of Stage 1.

The crowd of racers at the rider meeting on day 1.

Amy Morrison, 2nd place in Pro Women, shreds the brown powder in a berm on stage 1.

Evan Geankoplis on the "V Rock" feature, stage 3.

FOX was providing tech support and suspension set up advice for everyone in attendance.

Kamikaze Bike Games was up to promote the final round of the Golden Tour, which is just a couple weeks away.

Ariana Altier of the Kona NorCal Cooperative Team, takes a moment to pose in front of this beautiful background on the climb to stage 5, day 2.

Derek Teel, finished in 4th place in the Pro Men category. Here he is taking a fast line through the waterfall on Sticks and Stones, stage 5.

Evan Turpen's birthday was the final day of the event. He got a happy birthday song from the crowd and a 5th place finish on the podium.

The Lone Heckler in the TRP Brake Zone was a highlight. He remained there for the duration of day 2 as the pros came through.

Megan Gemelos is on the gun with trap speeds for the TRP Braze Zone on stage 6. The fastest speed was over 40 mph.

Curtis Keene on stage 1, day 1 looking very relaxed splitting through the trees.

Essence Barton finished 3rd place in the Pro Women Category.

Kathy Pruitt dashes through the dusty conditions on stage 1 on her way to a 1st place finish.

Jr. Expert Winner, Paul Serra with great form on the wood features of stage 4.

VP Components came out to show their support. VP makes quality components at a price point that doesn't break the bank.

Spotted some prototype grips on one of the VP Component rider's bikes. Not a lot of info on them, except that they are made by VP. Will VP be breaking into the grip business, too? We will have to wait and see.


Clif Bar provided nutritious snacks for racers the whole weekend.


SRAM provided neutral race support to riders that had both SRAM and non-SRAM components on their bike. It was great to see they stayed busy the whole weekend and we were stoked to have them there.

Michael David Winery was a proud sponsor, providing a bottle of wine to the top podium winners.

TRP Brake Zone Winners: Kathy Pruitt - Pro Women (37.8mph), Evan Geankoplis - Pro Men (40.5mph). Essence Barton was just 0.1mph behind Kathy at 37.7mph.

KOM and QOM winners take home $100 for each male and female rider in each category. Pro KOM: Curtis Keene, Pro QOM: Amy Morrison, Expert KOM: Matt Guntert, Expert QOM: Lili Heim, Sport KOM: Mike Tomlinson, Sport QOM: Merel Witteveen, Beginner KOM: Tyler Roberts, Beginner QOM: Rachel Seymour

Winner of the SRAM Guide Brake Give Away.

FOX Fork Winner.

The Junior Expert Category has been close all season. 1st: Paul Serra - 43:12, 2nd: Nick Gallizioli - 43:49, 3rd: Max Sedlak - 44:40, 4th: Nicolas Bean - 44:52, 5th: Jake Yackle - 45:27

The fast ladies of the Women's Pro Podium. 1st: Kathy Pruitt - 46:47, 2nd: Amy Morrison - 47:22, 3rd: Essence Barton - 47:51, 4th: Ariana Altier - 50:10, 5th: Rachel Throop - 50:58

The Men's Pro Podium was well decorated, with riders from the EWS level, down to Local Pro Riders. 1st: Curtis Keene - 40:09, 2nd: Marco Osborne - 40:20, 3rd: Evan Geankoplis - 40:44, 4th: Derek Teel - 41:25, 5th: Evan Turpen - 41:49

The final stop of the 2016 California Enduro Series and the 2016 Golden Tour takes us to Mammoth Mountain for theKamikaze Bike Games in less than three weeks. The Kamikaze Bike Games is four days of fun: Enduro, Pro GRT Downhill, Slope Style, Cross Country, the legendary Kamikaze Downhill, and more. It's the best four days on two wheels! Register for the Enduro and other events atKamikaze Bike Games.

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