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NORBA national series #2 (NE)

Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, June 14-16, 2002

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Day 2 - June 15: Mountain cross

Results

Lopes, Llanes fly to Mountain cross Wins

Brian Lopes (GT/Fox) roared to victory on a course he didn't seem to favor, in a jersey he doesn't seem to like, and in an event he doesn't love. But everything seemed to warm up on him.

Lopes, the world champion in dual racing, had not worn his rainbow jersey in the dual slalom at Snow Summit. He showed up in the gate of the first mountain cross of the Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals in the rainbow jersey. And then he showed why he had the shirt. He won big.

"It wasn't really my type of course," said Lopes, famous for high-speed starts. "You really couldn't pedal all that much."

But in mountain cross there is passing, drafting, full contact and jumps; a buffet of opportunities for somebody such as Lopes. In dual slalom, each rider has a parallel course. In mountain cross four riders bust down a single course in search of the best line with the top two advancing until reaching the final four.

In the women's division, Tara Llanes (Yeti/Pearl Izumi) won too, despite her early concerns for the course. "This is a great venue and I really liked the course once they fixed it," she said. "It's just a shame somebody had to get hurt." She referred to a training accident that left Nigel Paige with a season-ending bone fracture. Once the adjustments were made, the racers flew down the ravine cut into the kettle moraine used for the gravity events in the otherwise rolling prairie of Wisconsin.

Llanes scored her win over Sabrina Jonnier (Intense) in the final heat, which also included two surprise foreigners, Japan's Mio Suemasa (Trek/VW) and Ecuador's Dianna Marggraff (Royal Orange).

Those riders had dispensed with Marla Streb (Luna Chix), Katrina Miller (Jamis) and Vanessa Quinn (Intense) on the way to the finals.

Likewise, the men's race saw a casualty list that included Eric Carter (Mongoose/Hyundai), Kirt Voreis (Haro/Lee Dungarees), John Kirkcaldie (Maxxis) and Cedric Gracia (Volvo/Cannondale). Whereas dual slalom had become predictable, mountain cross proved to be a wild card of gravity racing.

"The strategy of mountain cross is definitely still developing," said Lopes, noting that cross country and even road tactics come into play on the course. "I think that dual slalom was still developing."

Lopes boiled his way into the finals against Wade Bootes (Trek/VW), Nathan Rennie (Yeti/Pearl Izumi) and French BMX star Thomas Allier (Giant), who had kicked his way into the finals at the expense of several big name stars.

In the final run, however, Lopes burst from the gates, connected on the first few jumps and cruised to victory with a late threat coming from Bootes.

Results

Men
 
1 Brian Lopes (USA) GT/Fox 
2 Wade Bootes (Aus) Trek/VW)
3 Nathan Rennie (Aus) Yeti/Pearl Izumi)
4 Thomas Allier (Fra) Giant
5 Cedric Gracia (Fra) Volvo/Cannondale
6 Eric Carter (USA) Mongoose/Hyundai
7 John Kirkcaldie (NZl) Maxxis
8 Kirt Voreis (USA) Haro/Lee Dungarees
 
Women
 
1 Tara Llanes (USA) Yeti/Pearl Izumi
2 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Intense
3 Moi Suemasa (Jpn) Trek/VW
4 Diana Marggraff (Ucu) Royal Orange
5 Gale Dahlager (USA) Elite
6 Melissa Buhl (USA) KHS/ODI
7 Lisa Sher (USA) Chumba Wumba
8 Katrina Miller (Aus) Jamis 

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