NORBA series finals - NE

Mt Snow, Vermont, USA, August 27-28, 2005

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Race 5 - August 28: Short Track cross-country

First win for Craig; Vanlandingham takes tough women's race

Adam Craig (Giant)
Photo ©: Clay Lundgren

The 2005 Shimano NORBA National Mountain Bike Series concluded today in New England as Adam Craig (Bend, Ore.) captured his first-ever NORBA short track win and Canadian Geoff Kabush took second place on the day to earn his second overall NORBA National Mountain Bike Series title in as many days.

Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) also rode to a short track win on Sunday while teammate Katerina Hanusova (CZE) clinched the overall series title with a second place effort.

Consistently improving and becoming a regular on the NORBA podium in 2005, Craig set the frenetic pace early on in the men's 20-minute timed event on a rain-soaked course. Initially, Kabush and Carl Decker (Bend, Ore.) were the only ones to match Craig's pace before it quickly became a two-man competition between Craig and the defending overall series champion.

In search of his first NORBA short track win and up against a formidable opponent, Craig made his move on the final half lap and attacked Kabush on a slippery descent and opened up a slight lead which he managed to hold for the remainder of the race.

In the women's short track, Kerry Barnholt (Boulder, Colo.) was the aggressor for most of the race as a five-woman selection also included fellow Subaru-Gary Fisher rider Willow Koerber (Ashville, N.C.) and Luna riders Alison Dunlap (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Hanusova and Vanlandingham.

Koerber and Dunlap fell off the pace and left a familiar two-on-one situation in favor of the Luna squad. After staying aggressive and on the front of the lead group for the final laps, Barnholt was attacked first by Hanusova who opened up a slight gap in the closing half lap before Vanlandingham also slipped past on the course's penultimate incline.

The 1-2 finish by Vanlandingham and Hanusova capped off a phenomenal weekend for the endurance riders on the Luna team that also saw Dunlap capture the cross country race on Saturday.

Mount Snow marks the end of the 2005 Shimano NORBA National Mountain Bike Series but the off-road season continues with a handful of major events. On Wednesday, the U.S. National Team will begin the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Livingo, Italy before Mammoth Mountain, Calif. hosts the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships September 15-18.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Clay Lundgren

A Luna eclipse in the women's racing carried on in the short track
Geoff Kabush leads Todd wells and a follow-the-leader train early in the race
Adam Craig (Giant) in hot pursuit of Kabush
Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) leads todd Wells, Carl Decker and Adam Craig.
Todd Wells DNFs - with a broken chain there's no time for repairs in a short-track race.
Adam Craig (Giant) beats Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) to the line

Results

Women
 
1 Shonny Vanlandingham (USA)
2 Katerina Hanusova (Cze)
3 Kerry Barnholt (USA)
4 Alison Dunlap (USA)
5 Willow Koerber (USA)
 
Men
 
1 Adam Craig (USA)
2 Geoff Kabush (Can)
3 Carl Decker (USA)
4 Trent Lowe (Aus)
5 Peter Wedge (Can)

Final series standings

Women
 
1 Katerina Hanusova (Cze)
 
Men
 
1 Geoff Kabush (Can)