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National Mountain Bike Series 5 (NMBS-AMBC) - 1
Park City, Utah, USA, June 15-17, 2007
Schedule
- Race 1 - June 15: Dual Slalom
- Race 2 - June 15: Super D
- Race 3 - June 16: Cross Country,
- Race 4 - June 17: Downhill
- Race 5 - June 17: Short Track
Round #5 of the NMBS to Utah
By Sue George
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Round # 5 of the National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) comes to Deer Valley Resort in Utah. "It will present a good test of mid-season fitness, we'll start to see who has started too fast and who has been saving themselves for the longer haul," said NMBS series director Jeff Frost, of Blue Wolf Events.
The 7.1-mile cross country course at Deer Valley Resort is at altitude, a condition that often causes a shake-up among the usual podium contenders. It features 1,400 feet of climbing per lap. Deer Valley is the first time NMBS cross-country racers will be racing together at altitude in 2007. The rounds in Phoenix, Fontana, and Santa Ynez have been much lower. Pros will tackle four laps, while experts do three, and Sports do two laps. The pros race the cross country on Saturday and the Short Track on Sunday.
Going into round four of the non-gravity disciplines, Canadian Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis) will be looking to defend his overall lead. Kabush has 546 points, leading the series ahead of 2005 US National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher), who's got 499 points and 2006 US National Champion Ryan Trebon (Kona), who has 458 points. Kabush has won all three cross country rounds thus far in 2007, but Horgan-Kobelski won in 2006 at this venue.
Reigning women's national champion Georgia Gould (Luna) will look to continue her winning ways this season. Gould also has won all three rounds of the cross country so far and leads the standings with a perfect 546 total points. Teammate Shonny Van Landingham, who's known to be a strong performer at altitude events like Deer Valley and is second overall with 482 points, is a contender for this round of the cross country. Van Landingham finished second at the Santa Ynez Round #2 cross country and won here last year.
Willow Koerber (Subaru / Gary Fisher) is in good form, too, coming off a strong fifth place finish at the World Cup in Champery, Switzlerland last week, and Katerina Nash (Luna) has appeared on all but one of the short track and cross country NMBS podiums this year. She's sitting in third with 419 points. Known absentees are Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain / Haywood), who is competing in the TransGermany, and Sue Haywood (Trek / VW), who is teaching a mountain bike clinic in West Virginia.
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In the short track, Trebon and Gould go into this round atop the standings. Trebon's prowess at short track may be helped by his cyclo-cross background. He's got 496 points and a 15 point lead over Horgan-Kobelski and 34 points over Kabush. Gould (with 536 points), who seems to excel at both speed and endurance events, has a 19 point lead over Nash. Koerber is in third at 451 points.
Gravity racers are heading into Round 3 of competition with a dual slalom on Saturday and the Downhill on Sunday.. Look out for Australians Jared Rando (Giant/Michelin) and Amiel Cavalier (Giant), and 2006 US national champion, David Klassenvanoorschot (ODI/South Ridge) to compete for top spots. On the women's side relative newcomer Lisa Myklak (Leelikesbikes.com) leads after two rounds ahead of Melissa Buhl (KHS) and Joanna Petterson (Brodie).
While non-US riders have dominated the downhill, US riders are leading the charge in the 4X. At 25 years old, Chris Powell (Avent/Bombshell), is a relative youngster, but he is good enough to lead the series ahead of national and world champion Eric Carter (Mongoose/SRAM/KENDA). Britain's Dale Holmes (KHS), formerly one of the world's top BMX riders, is placed third with 310 points.
2002 and 2005 national champion Buhl leads Petterson and Petterson's teammate Jackie Harmony for women's 4X.
Apart from the racing action, former pro Alison Dunlap will hold a mountain biking clinic, and the Shimano Youth Series will provide a fun mountain bike experience for younger children. The Super D will be held Friday.
