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NORBA National Series #6 - E2
Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho, July 29-August 2, 2004
Stage 1 - July 31: Cross country, Mountain cross
Hesjedal and Koerber take cross-country crowns
Carter, Kitner succeed on new Mountain cross course
Five Olympians toe the line for cross-country race at Schweitzer Mountain
By USA Cycling
The sixth stop of the NORBA National Championship Series continued today with the Pro men's and women's cross-country races that saw five Olympians take to the trail.
Posting a win in the men's race was Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), who will be a definite medal contender for Canada in this year's Olympic Games. Willow Koerber (Gunnison, Colo.) repeated her break-out success in Vermont with her second-ever NORBA cross country win.
The men toed the line first for three laps of the 10.6 mile loop. Early in the race, Ryan Trebon (Corvallis, Ore.), Geoff Kabush (CAN), and Ryder Hesjedal made a break on the first climb up the dirt service road leaving the village. By the time the riders rolled through the start/finish, Hesjedal had taken a strong lead over the others. Kabush, Trebon, Todd Wells (Murrieta, Calif.) and Adam Craig (Corinth, Maine) followed, but were spread out from each other.
Riders who rode right behind others really paid the price today, as the dust was out of control on this trail. Faces were covered in dirt by the end of lap one.
Lap two saw U.S. Olympian Todd Wells move into third position behind race leaders Hesjedal and Kabush. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo.) had a strike of bad luck on lap two, as he rolled through the feed zone with a rear flat tire and abandoned the race.
As the racers disappeared from sight going into lap three, it was obvious who the first would be to cross the finish line. Sure enough, Hesjedal finished first well ahead of his nearest threats. Kabush proved to be a tough rider with his second place finish, as he rode almost all of lap three with only a spindle for a pedal. Wells hung onto his third place spot, and rounding out the podium in fourth and fifth were Ryan Trebon and Adam Craig.
In the women's race, Series leader Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.), Willow Koerber, and Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo.) led the pack up the first climb. About half way through the first lap, the crowd received word that Argentine Olympian Jimena Florit, her teammate Willow Koerber, and Kelli Emmett had broken off from the group and formed a substantial gap. Riders such as Shonny Vanlandingham and Dara Marks-Marino tried to bridge that gap. As the women rolled through the start/finish, Koerber was in the lead with Emmett chasing her down. Florit and Vanlandingham rode in together.
Emmett and Koerber swapped the lead position several times during the day. Emmett took the lead for a while on lap two, only to have it taken away again by Koerber. With only about 20 seconds separating all of the lead women from each other, the crowd knew it could be anybody's race. Fans anxiously awaited for the women to ride out of the woods and up the final climb into the village.
It was Willow Koerber that emerged from the trees in first place to put her stamp on the NORBA Series and prove that Vermont wasn't just a fluke.
With two consecutive NORBA cross-country wins, and a third place finish in a World Cup, Willow Koerber now has the confidence she was missing before. "That was the thing missing for me," Koerber commented after the race. "Believing in myself makes all the difference."
Koerber was followed by teammate Jimena Florit. It was a career day for Kelli Emmett, as she finished in third. Vanlandingham and Dara Marks-Marino were fourth and fifth respectively.
Gravity action highlights the afternoon hours at Schweitzer Mountain
By USA Cycling
Gravity action continued at Schweitzer Mountain Resort this afternoon with the mountain cross finals. Securing a win in the women's category was Jill Kitner (Murrieta, Calif.), as Eric Carter (Temecula,Calif.) was victorious in the men's competition.
The first turn in the brand new course proved to be crucial, as it was very often the first person out of that turn that crossed the finish line first. The dangerous curve also claimed a few victims. Brian Lopes (Murietta, Calif.) got tangled up there in the quarterfinals putting him out of contention for the win.
In the men's competition, the final four left standing were Nathan Rennie (AUS), Eric Carter, Ross Milan (Lakewood, Colo.), and Rich Houseman (Pasadena, Calif.). Carter led the group out of the first turn and used that position to his advantage, staying in front for the rest of the way down the course.
Houseman was second, with Rennie and Milan in third and fourth. The consolation run was a tight race for the last spot on the podium, with Jared Graves (AUS) coming out on top to claim fifth place.
Jill Kitner continued her dominance of the NORBA mountain cross series today by turning her top qualifying run into a solid race win. Kathy Pruitt (Lake Almanor, Calif.) and Marla Streb (Los Osos, Calif.) were both eliminated in the semifinals, leaving Kitner lined up in the gate with Leana Gerrard (Sumner, Wash.), Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.), and Michelle Dumaresque (CAN).
Kitner took the lead right at the gun as she often does, and flew through the first turn staking her claim on the course. Buhl followed in second, with Dumaresque and Gerrard in third and fourth respectively.
The consolation round was aggressive as seasoned pros line up at the gate, but it was Tara Llanes (Los Alamitos, Calif.) who took the final podium spot over Pruitt, Streb, and April Lawyer (Murietta, Calif.).
Super D action was also a highlight of the day, as riders started at the top of the mountain, and rode mostly downhill with a few climbs and no technical sections. Two pro women contested the event, with Sobe Cannondale's Amy Hunter-Dillinger in first, followed by Velo Bella's Allie Rau. The men's pro race was won by Amon Pease in only 18:10.9. Billy Holmes followed in second, with Kyle Ebbett in third, and Michael Valach and Nathan Hoch in fourth and fifth respectively. Team Big Bear's own Tom Spiegel decided to come out of retirement this afternoon and give the Super D a try. Spiegel placed second in his age category behind Joe Fabris.
Results
Cross Country
Men 1 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) 2 Geoff Kabush (Can) 3 Todd Wells (USA) 4 Ryan Trebon (USA) 5 Adam Craig (USA) Women 1 Willow Koerber (USA) 2 Jimena Florit (Arg) 3 Kelli Emmett (USA) 4 Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 5 Dara Marks-Marino (USA)
Mountain cross
Men 1 Eric Carter (USA) 2 Rich Houseman (USA) 3 Nathan Rennie (Aus) 4 Ross Milan (USA) 5 Jared Graves (Aus) Women 1 Jill Kitner (USA) 2 Melissa Buhl (USA) 3 Michelle Dumaresque (Can) 4 Leana Gerrard (USA) 5 Tara Llanes (USA)
