When Milton, Vermont resident Joe Eaton is not running his electrical business,
he’s hauling down a mountainside at 40 mph, in between trees, over the monstrous roots
the East is infamous for, and enjoying, purely, his gravity addiction.
The co-founder of the Flatline Racing mountain bike team knows the number-one
rule of downhill: never look down; look at where you want to go. That’s why he reached
out to Julbo, because downhillers need their vision!
Tell me about your mountain bike background – what is your discipline, and in what
category do you race?I started a mountain bike team called Flatline Racing, specializing in gravity mountain
biking – downhill – and I have six riders with me. I am Category 2, 30-plus, which is
Masters. This year is my second year of being registered with USA Cycling; next year I
should be moved up to expert class. We also ride cross-country in weekly races around
here, the Catamount Series, in Milton, Vermont. We use those races to train.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="432" caption="From left to right, members of the Flatline Racing team: Jason Dufrane, Joe Eaton, and Cody Nichols."]
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Why did you reach out to Julbo?I’ve had all the big brands, and I’ve never been as satisfied as I have been with Julbo,
for sure, that’s why I reached out to them. Another reason is because I like small local
companies, and their office is about 20 minutes from my house – they’re out of Williston,
Vermont.
Which Julbo sunglasses do you wear while racing?All of our riders are wearing the Julbo Contest, which are pretty much perfect. I wear the
Dirt as casual glasses or for cross-country riding, but the Contest work great for downhill.
The way they protect your eyes – wind or dust does not get in your eyes.
Why do you like downhill?I’ve always been a speed and adrenaline type of guy. Going through the woods at 40 or
50 miles per hour down the side of a mountain really calls my name.
How long have you been downhilling?Three years. I am still kind of new. As of last week I was ranked number-one in the
nation for my category and age class. I’m going to nationals in September in North
Carolina.
How do you train for downhill?I do a lot of weightlifting and cardio – runs and jogs – and I do interval training, which
helps with stamina.
What else can you tell us about the team?The team is up-and-coming; we have a couple beginners on the team, including a 15-
year-old girl who is going pro. She will be the youngest pro woman rider in the nation.
We have two riders in New York and the rest are here in Vermont. Hopefully we’ll be
growing it; I always have my eyes out for talent.
Another reason for having a team is the support you get from everybody. Mountain
biking as a sport is a pretty big family, but when you get into downhill mountain biking,
it’s unbelievable how – even with your big-name pro riders – you can just hang out in
a parking lot with them. Or if you meet them on the mountain, they’ll talk to you like
you’ve known them forever. They’ll try to show you tricks or different lines to try, so it’s
not like it’s so competitive that nobody wants to talk to each other. It’s a lot of fun.
We’re hoping to have a web site up by the end of the season with race results, photos,
video, stuff like that. You can find a few of our results on
www.rootsandrain.com.
