Horgan-Kobelski stays undefeated at Brian Head while Katerina Nash takes her second NMBS Cross Country of the year
writing and photos by: Shannon Boffeli
Today's Cross Country represented the final race in the National Mountain Bike Series. Racers toed the start line at 2PM with threatening skies overhead. Rain had been forecasted with the possibility of snow flurries. The unseasonable weather held off long enough for some excellent racing to take place. With relatively small fields in the Pro class the men and women's fields started together on the opening road climb, and the racing didn't take long to heat up.
In the men's race, it was round five of the heavy weight battle between Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher). These two had gone four rounds last week battling each other in the American Mountain Classic stage race and today they picked up right where they left off. Both displayed incredible fitness and established an early gap which allowed them to battle each other alone. At the top of the Lowder Ponds descent it was JHK taking the lead but he was never able to gap the stubborn Bishop. At the end of the second climb it was Bishop's turn to lead. He put it a strong effort to pass JHK before the treacherous Dark Hollow descent. Both riders bombed down the technical rocky singletrack like water rushing between each forbiding rocks.
After relentless attacks by each racer they passed through the Boy Scout camp just miles from the finish. Bishop was itching to launch another offensive when his front tire nailed a rock and instantly went flat. And just like that the race was decided. JHK put his head down and rode strong to the finish, continuing his undefeated streak in the Brian Head Cross Country. He is now three for three. Ross Schnell capped of his exciting weekend finishing second behind JHK after taking his first Short Track win yesterday.
Behind the leaders an ever changing group of riders fought their way through the thin air of this challenging course. Riders like Ross Schnell, Germany's Ben Sonntag (Craft), Ryan Trebon (Kona), Colin Cares (U23), Andy Schultz (Kenda/Titus/Hayes), and Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain) all took turns clawing their way toward the front. One rider who seemed out of contention early was Geoff Kabush (Maxxis). The current NMBS points leader had flown 18 hours from Australia, where he had finished third in the World Cup just one day before. After the first climb he was out of the top-10 and seemed to be soft pedaling his way toward the NMBS series title. Proving once again that you can't keep Geoff Kabush down as the race went on Kabush slowly began to rise to the top. By the top of Dark Hollow Kabush moved to fifth and by the time he hit the finish line it was third for the overall series champ.
Behind Kabush came an impressive Colin Cares (U23). Cares had ridden strong all day never faltering and crossed the line with a huge smile and sincere congratulations from all the finishers in front of him. Andy Schultz rolled in fifth for his first trip onto the Cross Country podium. McConnell Franklin (Devo) came home sixth making it an outstanding weekend for the young riders in the professional peloton. Jeremiah Bishop limped in 14th with a flat front tire.
The women's race was equally intense. With Georgia Gould (Luna) recovering from a tough travel schedule and Katerina Nash (Luna) having just completed the grueling TransRockies two weeks earlier this weekend was the best chance to unseat the Luna girls from the top step of the Cross Country podium. After winning at Brian Head in '05 and '06 Heather Irmiger no doubt had her eyes on the top prize.
After a short neutral start the racers began the long opening climb to Brian Head Peak. Early on, the pace seemed controlled but by the time they hit the singletrack Katerina Nash had begun to pull away. Once in the trees she increased her lead with every technical descent, and on this course, there are lots of technical descents. Wearing the same shoes from TransRockies, the sole completely worn through from over 35 hours of riding and hiking in 7 days, Nash showed no wear on her fitness as she stayed clear of the field all day. She maintained an impressive pace on the climbs and used her considerable descending abilities to attack the technical downhill sections. Nash crossed the line at 2:06, two and a half minutes up on second.
Left in her wake were the best riders in the NMBS series. Lea Davison, still beaming after her first Short Track win yesterday, did her best to match Nash early on. She stayed within striking distance of the Luna rider through the opening climb and into the Lower Ponds descent. By the time the riders hit climb number two Davison was joined by Subaru/Gary Fisher girls Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber, Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth), and Olympian Georgia Gould (Luna).
As the chase group began the second big climb of the day, back up to Dark Hollow, the pack showed off their climbing legs, slowly grinding up the long singletrack climb. By the top of the gnarly Dark Hollow desecent Gould had moved into second, where she would stay, followed by Lea Davison, a tenacious Pua Sawicki and Irmiger right behind. The race wasn't over yet as Irmiger moved past Sawicki and Davison to finish in the third spot while Davison held on for fourth capping off her best NMBS weekend of the year and Willow Koerber took the final podium spot in 5th.
Race Notes:
Chloe Forsman (Luna) crashed hard on the Lowder Ponds descent injuring her knee. She was taken to a near by hospital for stitches.
Riders who competed at last weekend's American Mountain Classic 4-Day stage race seemed to have an advantage in today's Cross Country seeing most of them finish in the top-10. The list of AMC competitors who did well includes Heather Irmiger, Pua Sawicki, Jennifer Smith, and Lea Davison, for the men it was Jeremiah Bishop, JHK, Colin Cares, Alex Grant, Ben Sonntag, and Ryan Trebon.
Brian Head is quickly becoming one of the best destinations for mountain biking in the U.S. For anyone looking to test their abilities as a rider Brian Head's seemingly endless miles of technical singletrack is the ideal location.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
NMBS Finals Cross Country presented by Trek/VW, Brian Head, Utah
Full Results NMBS Finals Cross Country presented by Trek/VW; Brian Head, Utah
Full XC Results
Pro Men:
1,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
2,Ross Schnell (Trek/VW)
3,Geoff Kabush (Maxxis)
4,Colin Cares (USA U23)
5,Andy Schultz (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
6,McConnell Franklin (Devo)
7,Ben Sonntag (Craft)
8,Ryan Trebon (Kona)
9,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)
10,Sam Schultz (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
11, Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)
12,Tim Allen (VooDoo)
13, Barry Wicks (Kona)
14,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)
15,Brian Smith (Trek/VW)
16,Sam Jurekovic (USA U23)
17,Carl Decker (Giant)
18,Erik Tonkin (Kona)
19,Kris Sneddon (Kona)
20,Adam Snyder (3D Racing)
21,Ben Thompson (SoBe/Cannondale)
22,Dana Weber (Trek/VW)
23,Spencer Paxson (S&M Young Guns)
24,Tad Elliot (USA U23)
25,Robert Marion (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
26, Ken Burt (Jamis)
27,Stephen Ettinger (Black Diamond)
28, Chad Wells (3D Racing)
29,Mitchell Hoke (Tokyo Joe's)
30,Matt Freeman (Cyclery USA)
31,Blake Zumbrunnen (Revolution/Pek Fasteners)
32,ALex Howard
33,Mitchell Peterson (Monavie Cannondale)
34,Ryan Woodall (Industry Nine)
35,Trevor Downing (Devo)
DNF David Williams
Pro Women:
1,Katerina Nash (Luna)
2,Georgia Gould (Luna)
3,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
4,Lea Davison (Trek/VW)
5,Willow Koerber (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
6,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth)
7,Kelli Emmett (Giant)
8,Jennifer Smtih (Trek/VW)
9,Judy Freeman (Tough Girls)
10,Nina Baum (SoBe/Cannondale)
11,Zephanie Blasi (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
12,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
13,Sue Butler (MonavieCannondale)
14,Krista Park (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
15,Patricia Buerkle (Vanderkitten)
16, KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
17,Erica Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
18,Maureen Kunz (Lost Coast Brewery)
19, Mical Dyck (Trek/VW)
20,Joy Duerksen (Cole/Marten Transport)
DNF Sarah Barber (Trek/VW)
DNF Chloe Forsman (Luna)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Short Track NMBS Finals presented by Trek/VW; Brian Head, Utah
Beautiful weather and exciting racing greeted spectators of the NMBS Short Track finals at Brian Head Resort. Nestled at a hypoxic 9,400 feet above sea level Brian Head provides some of the best racing available on the NMBS. And it was clear right from the start the the Trek/VW team came ready to race.
In the Women's Short Track the Trek team was aggressive at the front, pushing the pace in the thin air. With Lea Davison taking the first of 3 primes on the opening lap the Trek team dominated the early race action with Mical Dyck, Jennifer Smith, and Davison all taking their turns at the front. Trek seemed determined to end the Luna girls streak of Short Track wins.
Despite all their work the first selection of the race happened at halfway leabing Trek with just one rider. The group of four included Luna girls Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould,Lea Davison and Kelli Emmett (Giant). With two Lunas in the group it appeared as if they would be a lock for yet another win.
With two laps left Katerina Nash launched one of her patented scorching attacks which usually leave the rest of the field in the dust. This time she would unseat everyone except Davison. With one lap to go Nash attacked again still unable to rid herself of the tenacious Davison. On the back side of the final lap Davison took the lead and held strong until the line. The first time winner was ecstatic after the race saying " I am ridiculously stoked about my first win! I'm from like below sea level in Vermont so I'm pretty excited. I knew if I could stay with that acceleration [from Nash] I had a chance to win. And win she did.
In the Men's race we would also see a first time winner. With a short fast course lacking any significant features or hills the pace was fast and the pack got strung out early.
Ryan Trebon (Kona)took the opening lap prime. Several riders would take their turn pulling the pack throughout the opening half of the race. Short Track National Champion Jeremiah Bishop, Subaru/Gary Fisher front man Jeremy Horgan-Kobleski, and Sam Jurekovic would all take their turns at the front. At about the time JHK was suffered a flat rear tire the first selection of the day took place. Bishop and Ross Schnell (Trek/VW) went clear with youngsters Jurekovic, Colin Cares (U23), and McConnell Franklin (Devo).
They quickly established a gap over the rest of the field. In the early laps of the break, the group worked well together increasing their lead over the others. As the laps ticked off, the cooperation quickly fell apart and the Trek team didn't wait to let the others catch up. Schnell immediately went off the front getting a small gap. Cares took up the chase and Bishop played the consummate teammate sticking to the chasers wheels while never contributing to their pursuit.
Schnell proved too much for the U23 riders. His lead grew with each lap, finally taking his first Short Track win with a healthy margin allowing him to cross the line with hands in the air standing on his bike. Cares stayed strong for second with Bishop crossing the line behind unaware it was the last lap. "They didn't use the bell so I thought we had another lap to go until I saw Ross raise his arms across the finish." The mix up didn't dampen Trek/VW spirits.
"We ate our Wheaties this morning" said Schnell in reference to his team's break out wins. "That was a tough act to follow with Lea winning... I came in really fresh and it's at altitude, I like altitude."
Jurekovic and Franklin held onto their positions for 4th and 5th. Tomorrow's Cross Country should provide even more excitement as the Trek riders will be looking to continue their domination while teams like Luna and Subaru/Gary Fisher look to improve.
Short Track Results; NMBS Finals presented by Trek/VW; Brian Head, Utah
Pro Women
1,Lea Davison (Trek/VW)
2,Katerina Nash (Luna)
3,Kelli Emmett (Giant)
4,Georgia Gould (Luna)
5,Judy Freeman (Tough Girls)
6,Sue Butler (Monavie/Cannondale)
7,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW)
8,Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher)
9,Zephanie Blasi (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
10,Mical Dyck (Trek/Terrascape Racing)
11,Nina Baum (Sobe/Cannondale)
12,Chloe Forsman(Luna)
13,Krista Park (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
14,Maureen Kunz (Lost Coast Brewery)
15,Joy Duerksen (Cole/Marten Transport)
16,Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
17,Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher)
Pro Men
1,Ross Schnell (Trek/VW)
2,Colin Cares (USA U23)
3,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)
4,Sam Jurekovic (USA U23)
5,McConnell Franklin (Devo)
6,Andy Schultz (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
7,Ryan Trebon (Kona)
8,Carl Decker (Giant)
9,Tim Allen (VooDoo)
10,Benjamin Sontag (3D Racing)
11,Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher)
12,Mitchell Hoke (Tokyo Joes)
13,Robert Marion (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
14,Ben Thompson (Sobe-Cannondale)
15,Barry Wicks (Kona)
16, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher)
17,Stephen Ettinger (Black Diamond Sports)
18,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)
19, Mitchell Peterson (Monavie/Cannondale)
20,Adam Snyder (3-D Racing)
21,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain Bicycle)
22,Dana Weber (Trek VW/West Coast)
23,Tad Elliott (U23 National Team)
24,Chad Wells (3D Racing)
25,Blake Zumbrunnen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
26,Kris Sneddon (Kona/Les Gets)
27,Matt Freeman (Cyclery USA/Gary Fisher)
28,Trevor Downing (Devo)
DNF Ryan Woodall (Industry Nine/Power Bar)
DNS Ray Storm (138Racing.com)
DNS Cody Peterson (Scott Bicycles)
DNF Brian Smith Trek/VW)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
KAthy,
How often do you ride your MTB bike and/or your road bike in training? Do you train on the road mostly? Thanks.
Greg
Seattle, WA
The bike I choose to ride on depends on the time of year and what my focus is. It is important to get specific training on the bike you are going to be racing in the coming months because in most cases no matter how hard you try to set up all your bikes exactly the same, they can be just a little off. And, because of that you need to “wake up” those muscles that maybe weren’t recruited as much during the previous season in order to prepare them for the next season. Muscle memory is a very important aspect in our sport.
For mountain bike season I start training on my mountain bike a lot more at the beginning on the year. But prior to that I am either on my road bike or my cyclocross bike – whichever I feel I want to be on and whichever will keep my interest levels high. If I feel the need, I will mix it up just to shake things up a bit. And of course, my cyclocross bike becomes extremely useful in the wintertime here during Utah’s cold and wet winters, and allows me to get outside and not be in my basement training. And that would be an example of keeping the interest levels high!
Now that the cross season is coming up I will be training on the cross bike more, the road bike some and the mountain bike even less. At this point, I use my road bike primarily as a data source since my road bike has a power tap on it. But that sadly leaves my road bike to mostly collect dust.
During the mountain bike season I train mostly on the road with my mountain bike but in order to stay sharp, I will do a few long mountain bike rides too when possible. My workouts have become too specific to try and do them on singletrack anymore. This system works for me but may be someone else’s worst nightmare so you just have to figure out what works for you and go with it!
During the cross season, I train mostly on the road with my cross bike with the occasional venture off onto the singletrack to hone my technical skills in on the cross bike.
Bottom line is that the cycling season is long and doing whatever you need to do to keep your interest levels high is exactly what you should do!
Kathy Sherwin
SoBe/Cannondale MTB Team
Sunday, August 24, 2008
American Mountain Classic presented by Sho-Air Stage 3 Report and Photos; Brian Head, Utah;
Writing and Photos by: Greg Gibson and Shannon Boffeli
Four days of grueling mountain bike racing culminated with today's final stage of the American Mountain Classic. As promised the race promoters saved the hardest stage for last.
Today, the racers tackled two full laps on the renowned Brian Head NMBS race course. Each torturous lap included 2,800 vertical feet of climbing followed by a descent down the dreaded Dark Hollow trail which offered mile after mile of technical, rock-strewn singletrack that tested the abilities of even the best riders. Today's course would prove to be the toughest and produce more casualties than all of the previous stages combined.
We started stage 3 with the first few miles of neutral road climbing followed by an explosion at the front of the group when the big guns charged off. Incredibly, after 3 days of racing Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)were separated by just 6 seconds. The two leaders rode a fast race at the front of the field and finished with another sprint to the line. This time, it would be JHK taking first, followed by Bishop just one second later. It was JHK's first stage win at the American Mountain Classic but not enough to take the top spot in the GC away from an impressive Jeremiah Bishop.
Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) finished this week with a clean sweep of every stage in the inaugural American Mountain Classic. Proving once again she is the top endurance racer in the US. Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)had another strong performance taking second ahead of Lea Davison (Trek/VW) in third.
As for my race it started off well until flatting my tubeless tire the first trip through Dark Hollow. After fixing it with a tube the seemingly endless parade of rocks took their turns pinching the tube. After three more flats, and a trip back to my hotel room for more tubes, I finished my first and hopefully not last American Mountain Classic.
Following the race, race director Tom Spiegel and the race sponsors from Sho-Air all agreed that the race was a resounding success and both parties look forward to making it all happen again next season. As a racer I certainly hope they do. With an excellent host community in Brian Head and fantastic trails the American Mountain Classic was a great experience and I look forward to the challenge again next season.
American Mountain Classic Stage 3 Results and Final GC; Brian Head Utah
Stage 3:
Pro Men
1,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 3:53:18
2,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) +0:00:00:46
3,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)+0:13:01
4,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)+0:17:01
5,Brian Smith (Trek/VW)+0:17:33
6,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)
7,Tim Allen
8,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)
9,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven)
10,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)
11,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)
12,Reed Wycoff (Contender)
13,Miles Venzara (MRV)
14,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
15,Jeff Herrera (Procon)
16,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)
17,Colin Cares (USA U23)
18,Kurt Ireland
19,Chris Brandt (Collins)
20,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)
21,Eric Neat (Schampa)
22,David Baker (Sunnyside)
23,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
24,Evan Plews (Scott)
DNF Ryan Trebon (Kona)
DNF Greg Lewis (Directory)
DNF Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
DNF Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
DNF Mike McCalla (Scott)
DNF Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
Pro Women
1,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) 4:40:11
2,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:13:08
3,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) +0:17:28
4,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:23:35
5,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale) +0:24:27
6,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)
7,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
8,Amber Monforte
9,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)
10,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)
11,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)
12,Angela Sucich (VooDoo Cycles)
DNF Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
GC:
Pro Men
1,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 10:56:37
2,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) +0:00:06
3,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)+0:29:25
4,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)+0:30:08
5,Brian Smith (Trek/VW)+0:41:49
6,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)+0:47:01
7,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)+0:52:55
8,Tim Allen+1:02:47
9,Colin Cares (USA U23) +1:14:37
10,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)+1:34:43
11,Reed Wycoff (Contender)+1:46:13
12,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)+1:50:47
13,Miles Venzara (MRV)+1:53:10
14,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven)+1:59:02
15,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)+2:06:36
16,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)+2:18:20
17,Jeff Herrera (Procon)+2:43:15
18,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)+2:45:11
19,Eric Neat (Schampa)+3:18:36
20,Chris Brandt (Collins)+3:19:41
21,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)+3:52:25
22,Kurt Ireland +4:11:33
23,David Baker (Sunnyside)+6:55:39
24,Evan Plews (Scott)
DNF Ryan Trebon (Kona)
DNF Greg Lewis (Directory)
DNF Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
DNF Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
DNF Mike McCalla (Scott)
DNF Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
Pro Women
1,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) 13:02:02
2,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:46:19
3,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) +1:04:39
4,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale) +1:08:21
5,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+1:15:01
6,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)+1:24:49
7,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)+1:27:51
8,Amber Monforte +1:41:34
9,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)+2:53:06
10,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)+3:09:06
11,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)+3:11:07
12,Angela Sucich (VooDoo Cycles)+3:32:56
DNF Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
American Mountain Classic Stage 2 Report and Photos; Brian Head Utah
Writing and Photos by: Greg Gibson
Today's stage began with an easy neutral start up the highway en route to the Sydney peaks trail that sits at around 10,000 feet. Don't let the easy start fool you however, it is my opinion that today's race would be the most grueling of the entire race. Despite the tranquility of the terrain, the wide open roads and long gradual climbs gave little rest to the racers, as many riders fell off the pace and ended up "going backwards" (including myself).
At the low point of the stage racers where directed on a short out and back where we could see who was closely in front and behind us. As the race returned up to the peaks, directors sent us on a detour to Brianhead peak some 11,000 feet high. The route then dropped down the ski mountain on the NCS super-d course before finishing at the base where we started.
I noticed Ryan Trebon (Kona) taking control and leading out the race on the initial climb, and at the out and back he continued to lead at the front. At some point en route to the peak it was Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) and JHK (Subaru/Gary Fisher) in usual fashion taking control of the race. As usual it was Jeremiah nudging out JHK for the stage win and the cash prize for today. In the GC Jeremiah leads JHK by only six seconds. Ben Sonntag (3D Racing) had another strong day and now sits about a minute back, While Colin Cares (USA U23) sits around 3 minutes behind the leaders. The dark horse Manuel Prado (Sho-Sir) sits around 13 minutes back after today's stage.
In the women's race it was Pua (Ellsworth) again crushing the competition putting more than 15 minutes into second place finisher Heather IrmingeVW) finished close behind Heather; the interesting GC race will be for second and third tomorrow.
Today I was very impressed with the race organizers out on the course going the exrta mile and giving back to the racer's. The neutral support has been so good I have relied soley on the neutral feeds for my nourishment, Race organizer Tom Spiegel personally peeled a banana and feed it to me on the course. This race has been top notch so far. I am looking forward to tomorrow's technical Dark Hollow descent and the carnage it will bring.
American Mountain Classic Stage 2 Reults and GC Standings; Brian Head Utah
Pro Men
1,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)3:23:44
2,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:00:04
3,Colin Cares (USA U23) +0:00:48
4,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)+0:05:58
5,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)+0:06:16
6,Brian Smith (Trek/VW)
7,Mike McCalla (Scott)
8,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)
9,,Ryan Trebon (Kona) +1:38
10,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)
11,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)
12,Tim Allen
13,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven)
14,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)
15,Reed Wycoff (Contender)
16,Miles Venzara (MRV)
17,Evan Plews (Scott)
18,Eric Neat (Schampa)
19,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)
20,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
21,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)
22,Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
23,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
24,Jeff Herrera (Procon)
25,Greg Lewis (Directory)
26,Chris Brandt (Collins)
27,Kurt Ireland
28,Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
29,David Baker (Sunnyside)
DNF Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
Pro Women
1,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) 3:56:13
2,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:15:50
3,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:19:06
4,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes) +0:26:53
5,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) +0:29:14
6,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale)
7,Amber Monforte
8,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)
9,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)
10,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)
11,Angela Sucich (VooDoo Cycles)
12,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)
13,Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
Pro Men GC
1,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)7:06:19
2,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:00:06
3,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)+0:05:59
4,Colin Cares (USA U23) +0:06:35
5,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)+0:16:24
6,Ryan Trebon (Kona) +0:17:57
7,Brian Smith (Trek/VW)
8,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)
9,Mike McCalla (Scott)
10,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)
11,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)
12,Tim Allen
13,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)
14,Reed Wycoff (Contender)
15,Evan Plews (Scott)
16,Miles Venzara (MRV)
17,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
18,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)
19,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)
20,Eric Neat (Schampa)
21,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven
22,Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
23,Greg Lewis (Directory)
24,Jeff Herrera (Procon)
25,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
26,Chris Brandt (Collins)
27,Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
28,Kurt Ireland
29,David Baker (Sunnyside)
DNF Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
Pro Women
1,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) 8:21:51
2,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:22:43
3,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale)+0:43:53
4,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) +0:47:10
5,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes) +0:44:48
6,Amber Monforte
7,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)
8,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
9,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)
10,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)
11,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)
12,Angela Sucich (VooDoo Cycles)
13,Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
Friday, August 22, 2008
American Mountain Classic; Stage 1 Report; Brian Head, Utah
Writing and Photos by: Greg Gibson
Exhausting and exhilarating would be a good description for today’s 55 mile stage, most of which was single track along the Virgin River Rim trail. At points along the trail racers could look down on Zion National Park thousands of feet below, those that where riding slow enough to see it.
After the shelling I received in yesterdays prologue, I decided to start in the last place and work my way up. Today's race started downhill on wide gravel for a mile or so before beginning a climb up to the start of the singletrack. I got stung by a bee on my neck on the first downhill. The throbbing of the sting was quickly replaced by the throbbing of lactic acid in my legs going up the 10 or so sections of steep technical climbs that repeated over and over again along the trail.
To match the techy climbs where fast technical sections of downhill that challenged even the best of descenders. The part that provided for the most suffering was about 3/4 through the race when racers where detoured from the single track to make a huge, flat lap around Navajo Lake before following fast rolly trail to the finish. No expectations as my strategy worked out well for me on the day. I had no technical problems and finished fresh with a respectable time some 28 minutes behind the leaders.
The pro men leaders appeared to have sat in and rode together on the stage with the first three coming in together. It was Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) beating Ben Sonntag (3D Racing) by about 8 inches at 3 hours 42 minutes, JHK came chasing in @ 2 seconds. Tree Farm Trebon came in about 2 minutes later, followed by Colin Cares ( USA U23) and Manuel Prado ( Sho-Air).
As I predicted in the women's race it was Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) coming in for the win Minutes ahead of Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW). Third place was Sue Butler (Cannondale/Mona Vie), followed by Lea Davidson (Trek/VW) and Amanda Riley Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes).
The Elite Master Men's cat was won by the legend Tinker Juarez (Cannondale Mona Vie), putting 20 minutes on prologue winner Art O Conner (Cannondale/ Mona Vie) who suffered from multiple flat tires.
American Mountain Classic; Stage 1 Results; Brian Head, Utah
1,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)3:42:34
2,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)+0:00:00:64
3,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:02:75
4,Ryan Trebon (Kona) +1:38
5,Colin Cares (USA U23) +5:46
6,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)
7,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)
8,Brian Smith (Trek/VW) +1:07
9,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)
10,Mike McCalla (Scott)
11,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)
12,Tim Allen +1:03
13,Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
14,Evan Plews (Scott)
15,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
16,Reed Wycoff (Contender)
17,Miles Venzara (MRV)
18,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)
19,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)
20,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)
21,Greg Lewis (Directory)
22,Eric Neat (Schampa)
23,Chris Brandt (Collins)
24,Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
25,Jeff Herrera (Procon)
26,Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
27,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven)
28,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
29,Kurt Ireland
30,David Baker (Sunnyside)
1,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) 4:25:36
2,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:03:36
3,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale) +0:12:15
4,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) +0:17:52
5,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes) +0:17:52
6,Amber Monforte
7,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)
8,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
9,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)
10,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)
11,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)
12,Angela Sucich (VooDoo Cycles)
13,Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
Olympic Update from Team USA Rider Todd Wells
Team USA Mountain Biker Todd Wells checks in with us with less than 24 hours remaining before taking the start line at the Beijing Olympics.
MTBracenews- How are you feeling?
Todd Wells- Feeling good and getting more and more excited each day.
MTBracenews- Are you happy to finally get to Beijing from your training base on [Jeju] island?
TW- I am happy to be in Beijing but I also had a great time on [Jeju] island. The training camp was really chill and a great way to prepare for such a big event.
MTBracenews- I hear it is raining over there. How will the rain effect the Beijing course?
TW- It rained yesterday and the course was really slick. They have concreted some of the climbs but the descents are steep and covered with icing like mud. It should be fine today though as it's really sunny.
MTBracenews- Do you expect the course to be wet when you race it? Is that good for you?
TW- It think either way it will be good for me but I expect it to be dry and super fast tomorrow for race day.
MTBracenews- Will you still be able to watch the BMX finals?
TW- I was planning on watching the finals but since they changed the day and our training time today I didn't get to go to the event but watching it in the athlete lounge was awesome.
MTBracenews- Halfway through this race how will we know if Todd Wells is having a great ride?
TW- If I'm in the top 10 I feel like I'll be in a good position. The course is pretty fast with lots of short climbs so I think the racing will be fairly close. Like the Offenburg WC.
MTBracenews- What is it like staying in the athlete's village?
TW- The village is pretty amazing. It's hard to describe what it's like to be a part of the worlds best group of athletes. Humbling and exhilarating.
MTBracenews- Who's the biggest Olympic celebrity you have seen?
TW- Last time Yao Ming but this time I haven't seen any celebs yet. After the party on Saturday night I'm sure I will have spotted a few.
MTBracenews would like to wish the best of luck to Todd and all the members of Team USA
Thursday, August 21, 2008
American Mountain Classic Prologue Report
Writing and Photos by: Greg Gibson
Stage one of the 4-day Sho-Air/ Specialized American Mountain Classic began today with a 20 minute mass start Prologue. The purpose of today's race was to establish starting positions and race leaders. Times from today's race did not count toward the racer's overall times and the prologue was not mandatory but the winners of the stage received cash prizes.
The course located 9,000 feet above sea level at the base of Brianhead Resort gave racers a taste of what it will be like racing at altitude for the next three days. The course started on a wide pavement road that went downhill, turning into gravel and decending before diving into technical singletrack to climb back to the start.
A stacked Pro men's field of about 30 lined up for the mass start race. Off the line I felt like I had entered a national short track race not a stage race. I think most of us will be looking forward to tomorrow's 5 hour stage to slow the pace.
In the men, it was a battle between Trek/VW Pro Jeremiah Bishop and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher), both of whom are here instead of racing the Olympics. Jeremiah out sprinted JHK for the Prologue win and $500 cash. Rounding the top 5 where German Ben Sontag (3D Racing), "The Future" Tim Allen , and seasoned endurance racer Brian Smith (Trek/VW). My predictions for tomorow's stage are on JHK, other rider's to watch would be "Tree Farm" Ryan Trebon (Kona), Jeremiah Bishop,and Brian Smith. Keep an eye on the dark horse Manuel Prado (Sho-Air) and the experience of Tinker Juarez (Monaviecannondale) to shine through.
The women's Prologue completed a set of duos with Lea Davidson riding for Trek/VW and Heather
Irmiger-Kobelski for Subaru/Gary Fisher, Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) was third, followed by Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) and Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale). My prediction for tomorrow is for Pua to take control of the race and clean up in the long haul.
The master-elite men also received cash and a leader's jersey from the prologue today. Local Legend Art O'Connor (Monaviecannondale) from Salt Lake City took the jersey and the $250 cash.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's results when the real racing begins.
American Mountain Classic Prologue Results; Brian Head, Utah; August 21-24
Pro Men
1,Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW)20:00
2,Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:00:63
3,Benjamin Sonntag (3D Racing)+0:17
4,Tim Allen +1:03
5,Brian Smith (Trek/VW) +1:07
6,Colin Cares (USA U23)
7,Manuel Prado (Sho-Air)
8,Alex Grant (Rocky Mountain)
9,Kelly Magelky (Trek/VW)
10,Jake Wells (Mafia Racing)
11,Greg Krause (Ellsworth)
12,Ben Preston (Brick Oven)
13,Blake Harlan (Monaviecannondale)
14,Reed Wycoff (Contender)
15,Ethan Passant (Brick Oven)
16,Greg Lewis (Directory)
17,Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
18,Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air)
19,Eric Neat (Schampa)
20,Miles Venzara (MRV)
21,Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
22,Ernesto Marenchin (Asylum Cycles)
23,Chris Brandt (Collins)
24,Shawn Adams (Lake Effect)
25,Kurt Ireland
26,Jeff Herrera (Procon)
27, David Baker (Sunnyside)
DNF Evan Plews
DNF Mike McCalla
DNF Ryan Trebon
1,Lea Davison (Trek/VW) 23:42
2,Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)+0:26
3,Jennifer Smith (Trek/VW) +0:48
4,Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) +1:03
5,Sue Butler (Monaviecannondale) +1:59
6,Amanda Riley-Carey (Kenda/Titus/Hayes)
7,Rebecca Rusch (Specialized)
8,Cassandra Perkins (SoBe/Cannondale)
9,Amber Monforte
10,Elizabeth Carrington (Focus-Ride)
11,Lyn D'Amato-Franklin (Tokyo-Joes)
12,Rachel Cieslewicz (Monaviecannondale)
DNF Angela Sucich
DNF Louise Kobin
DNF Kelly Cullen
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Hi Kathy,
Hi Kathy,
On your Cannondale mountain bike, do you use your front lock-out often during your races or while you are riding the trails?
Patrick
WI
Hi Patrick,
I use my Lefty Fork all the time! I am constantly locking it and unlocking it during my races and in training too. Having the lockout feature on my bike makes a huge difference and is one of my most cherished bike innovations.
But I will say that when I first got a mountain bike with a front fork that locked and unlocked (many moons ago!) I would completely forget it was there. But as I became more comfortable riding and racing while I moved up the ranks, the lockout feature quickly became an obsession and a necessity for me to have.
Having a lockout is helpful when you come to a flatter non-technical dirt section where you can accelerate. It is also helpful on dirt fire roads and pavement. When you lock out your front fork in these scenarios you have more power transfer and wonʼt lose a lot of energy bobbing around. And of course on the opposite end of the spectrum we all know that having an unlocked fork on very technical terrain is crucial so remember to unlock it again too when the right time comes!
While racing, the Lefty fork is great to have especially in the MTB Short Track races. More often than not, a Short Track race has very flat terrain and/or pavement in it and when you need to accelerate, you are able to quickly and easily lock out your fork and go! That is much better than not having a lockout option and spending crazy amounts of energy to get across the line! As for Cross Country MTB races, depending on the course I will unlock and relock my fork at least 4-6 times per lap. Every bit of extra power going into the pedals makes for a faster racer!
When you have a lockout on your front fork, the two big things to keep in mind are, one, know when to use it, and, two, remember to use it. Knowing when to use it ties in with your knowledge of the trail. If you are familiar with the trail, you will have an advantage because you will know when and when not to lock your front fork while on course. Remembering to use it is almost a learned behavior that you need to practice while training because during a race you are so distracted and hurting. But remembering to reach down and change it can and will save you some valuable time!
Kathy Sherwin
SoBe Cannondale MTB Team
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Transrockies blog-photos
Beautiful Nipika Mountain Resort
Struggling to keep our duffel bags organized
Cooling the legs off in a freezing cold creek in Elkford
Elkford's pool/library???
When not in the wilderness, dinner would be served in the local hockey rink
By the end of the race, shoving in the needed calories became a chore!
The finish in Fernie. We did it!
7th place overall-Mixed category
Official time: 32 hours 33 minutes for stages 1&3-7. Over 40 hours including stage 2
Distance: 550 kilometers
Elevation:17,623 meters
Transrockies Blog-Day 7-Crowsnest Pass to Fernie
After almost 40 hours over 7 days, we are officially TransRockies finishers. Rumor is this was the hardest edition of the TransRockies ever and based on our fatigue right now, I am not surprised.
Today's stage was a measly 5 hours for us, and we got the seemingly mandatory hike-a-bike sections done within the first few hours. The race ended with some sweet singletrack into beautiful Fernie. Although this ended up being much more of an adventure race than mountain bike stage race, we are both proud of what we accomplished. We placed solidly 7th overall in a very competitive mixed category.
Here are some of our favorite and least favorite things about Transrockies.
Favorite things:
1. Camaraderie among racers. Although this is a race, we are all supportive of each other. We have made some great friends this week.
2. The food. Transrockies made a point of serving yummy food every night and morning.
3. Elkford, British Columbia. Stage 5 finished in the small town of Elkford. This town welcomed us like no other and it was clear that they were truly excited and honored to have the race come through their town.
4. Crazy Larry, the unofficial TransRockies mascot. His role was to load and unload racer bags each day, and his enthusiasm and cheering was as excellent as the balloon animals he made.
5. The scenery has been truly amazing. TransRockies provided us the opportunity to see the remote and beautiful Canadian Rockies, although we never did see a Grizzly.
Worst things:
1. Hike-a-biking. When we signed up we anticipated some hiking, but not hours everyday.
2. Poorly marked course on day 1 and 2. This led to 45 minutes of "extra" hike-a-biking, a hamstring injury on Day 2, and getting behind the "back" of the race pack going into singletrack. (Note: course markings improved significantly after Day 2.
3. Course descriptions. Elevation and distance were not announced until the week before the race and were not consistent with years past. Although general course descriptions were provided each night, it was difficult to gauge efforts.
4. Six days of using porto-potties.
5. Never being able to find anything in our duffel bags.
TransRockies Stage 6: Elkford - Crowsnest Pass
There was no rest for the wicked today, as TransRockies traversed the Continental Divide in a grueling 103 kilometre stage punctuated by periods of long, steep climbing.
With only two days left of competition, teams saddled up under a blue sky already knowing the day would be technically punishing, but unaware what the toll would be for a picture-perfect morning. Temperatures climbing above 30 C, combined with the length and difficulty of the route, saw several teams drop out of competition throughout the day and those that made it to the finish line were feeling a little worse for wear
Still, the theme of the day was definitely “No Pain, No Gain” and those that pushed through were rewarded with the realization that the most difficult days of TransRockies VII are behind them. Though difficult, the course had something for everyone and offered riders a chance to cruise some epic trails that TransRockies was forced to bypass in 2007 due to wildfires.
With Stage 7 on the horizon it’s quiet in Tent City tonight, as thoughts and dreams turn to tomorrow’s celebratory finish in Fernie – but only after 80 kms of riding up and over 2101 metres of elevation.
OPEN MEN
After losing a large chunk of padding in their overall time during Stage 5, Italian cyclists Johhny Cattaneo and Marzio Deho careened across the finish line in 4:42:09 today, pushing their overall lead going into Stage 7 to nearly half an hour. Barring any major mechanical disasters on Saturday it’s likely the pair will walk away TransRockies champions on their first attempt.
Prior multi-time TransRockies winner Andreas Hestler and his teammate Chris Sheppard appeared to hit their stride today, coming in 2nd place, 12 minutes off the leaders, but still sitting just off the podium in 4th place overall.
“It was a hard, 104 kilometre day,” said Hestler at the finish line. “Though I’m actually feeling better today (than previous days).” According to Hestler, the top teams rode fairly close together until the second checkpoint, at which time the top riders pulled away and began to spread out the field.
“I’m a little older now,” he quipped. “But I tend, when I warm up, to get better and better.”
Sheppard and Hestler have 20 years of racing against each other behind them, but this year’s TransRockies represents the first opportunity the pair have had to team up.
“He’s a hard-headed athlete,” said Sheppard, “and I’m learning a lot from him.”
Both Hestler and Sheppard are impressed by the larger field of competition in the Open Men category this year, attributing it to TransRockies’ steadily growing profile as an international event.
“Overall, in the top 10, this is the most competitive TransRockies yet,” Hestler said.
Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski came in second for Stage 6. Overall, the top three teams are Deho and Cattaneo (ITA), Kris Sneddon and Max Plaxton (CAN) and Widmer and Lazarski.
OPEN MIXED
In a category with teams playing musical podium, today’s stage was critical for teams looking to eke out a spot in the top three come Saturday.
First place today went to defending champions Wendy Simms and Normon Thibault, who have easily swept the top spot all week long and will likely be taking home the trophy once again, though neither believe Stage 7 will be a cakewalk.
“The last day is always so mentally challenging,” said Simms upon crossing the finish line. “And last year (Stage 7) was shorter, so we don’t know what to expect.”
Simms’ and Thibault’s closest competition this week suffered a setback today when Steven Wallace crashed and broke his thumb. After being checked by medics, Wallace and his teammate Katerina Nash were given the green light to go ahead and finish the stage, but had to settle for 3rd place behind Dallas Morris and Mical Dyck.
“They were super strong today,” Simms said of Wallace and Nash before the crash.
Overall, David Harris and Lynda Wallenfels (USA) sit in 3rd place behind Simms and Thibault, and Wallace and Nash.
TransRockies GC Results (After 6 Stages)
Open Mens
1st -- Olympia; Deho & Cattaneo ITA 18:59:46
2nd -- Kris & Max; Sneddon & Plaxton CAN 19:27:09
3rd -- Rocky Mountain - MD; Widmer & Lazarski CAN 19:33:00
4th -- Rocky Mountain - BP; Hestler & Sheppard CAN 19:45:44
5th – Opus; Cooke & Gaffney CAN 20:36:46
Open Mixed
1st -- KONA; Simms & Thibault CAN 22:55:03
2nd -- Team Clif Bar; Wallace & Nash USA/CZE 23:28:35
3rd -- Desert Cyclery; Harris & Wallenfels USA 25:14:16
4th -- The Bike Shop; Zidek & Dean CAN 25:52:22
5th -- Rocky Mountain; Van Der Roest & McKirdy CAN 26:28:08
7th -- mtbracenews.com/ Revolution -- Boffeli & Hanks USA 27:30:01
TransRockies Blog: Stage 6
Stage 6 is done. It was a long 7 hour day – 6 hours riding and 1 hour hiking – and we now only have one stage left. We are starting to notice some real differences between TransRockies and TransAlps.
We came into this race expecting it to be very similar to the TransAlps which we raced in last year. In the TransAlps we were very conscious of where we were in the GC and very aware of where our closest competitors were on the course. We realized sometime after stage 3 that in this TransRockies you are not competing against your opponents as much as you’re competing against the course. We’re now only concerned with surviving. We’ll end up where we end up.
Coming into the race we figured the biggest difference was going to be sleeping in a tent, as opposed to the hotels and RV’s we had the luxury of having in Europe. As it turns out the tent is the least of our worries (although packing and unpacking our bags twice a day really sucks). Here everything is so much different, especially the course. In the TransAlps we were riding on bike trails, hiking trails and service roads so there was never a need to get off your bike. Here we’re riding on a lot of ATV trails that you just can’t get over on a bike.
The hiking has really taken its toll on us. Jen pulled a hamstring after stage 2 (thanks again to Mt. Scree) and my hammy went today sometime during our hour hike. Luckily we’ve met an occupational therapist from SLC who is supporting another team here and she’s been able to tape Jen up before each stage. I hope she’s got enough tape for two tomorrow.
Despite all the complaining we are having a really good time. We’ve met a team of dudes from Belfast, Ireland who we ride with most days. They are hilarious, even though I can only understand every fourth word that comes out of their mouth. I swear these guys are speaking Gaelic half the time.
Another important thing we’ve learned is that Jen is the brains of this operation, especially when it comes to pacing. After I went out too fast and blew myself up one too many times she has taken control and the results have been much better.
Friday, August 15, 2008
TransRockies Blog: Stage 5
Ahh, sweet civilization how I missed thee! OK, many of you probably wouldn't usually think of a town called "Elkford" as civilization but after the past three days it is positively metropolitan to Jen and I. It is amazing what a little cell service can do for your outlook on life.
Despite all of that, our bodies have slowly started to feel somewhat like they did before we set foot on the dreaded scree slope on Stage 2. However, after 5 days in the saddle we're feeling pretty fatigued and we've definitely entered survival mode.
