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NORBA series round 4 - E1
Durango, Colorado, August 2-4, 2002
Short-track - August 3: Durango
Dunlap Extracts Short Track Revenge
Hesjedal Beats All in Dirty Dozen Shootout
This is a tale of two courses. While the pro women raced on a rain-soaked ring of mud, the pro men got to race on a course that was rolled, dried and baked fast in the short track at the fourth round of the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Mountain Bike Series.
Women
Keeping her rainbow jersey clean, World Champion Alison Dunlap (Luna) pounced on an opportunity to get loose with just Sue Haywood (Trek/Volkswagen) in tow early in a sloppy, wet race. She then jumped away solo at the 15-minute mark of the 30-minute event. Haywood drifted back to her teammate, Alison Sydor (Trek/Volkswagen) only to find her hanging to the wheels of yesterday's cross-country winner, Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport).
As sun and wind dried the course Dunlap worked hard to keep a gap that was eight- seconds with just two laps to go. While Dunlap hung on to her lead, Florit punched away from Sydor to score second and keep the pressure on Dunlap setting up a showdown at the series final at Mount Snow in two weeks. Sydor held onto third.
The final two podium places produced an electrifying battle. Haywood had dropped back to a group of nearly 12 riders that included Shonny Vanlandingham (SoBe/Cannondale), Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles), and Mary Grigson (Subaru/Gary Fisher).
This course, entirely visible to the spectators, appeared on a map like a giant comma with the start-finish on the running track. Three attack points emerged: a 180-degree turn at the tail of the comma; another 180-degree turn where the tail hit the track; and a tough rise into a headwind coming off the running track.
Unwilling to risk a sprint, Haywood went early, charging into the first 180 – a corner softened with mud and water in the apex. She powered out and hung on all the way to the line to finish fourth. Behind her an elbow-to-elbow sprint unfolded for the final field sprint. Vanlandingham and Grigson went to the line, with a bike throw scoring the spot for Vanlandingham in fifth. Grigson finished sixth.
Men
When the men's race started, the women had left behind a rolled fast course with a berm carved into the 180 turns. Series leader Hesjedal powered off the start line but couldn't shed his followers. Instead a long line of ticket holders clung to his wheel, hoping for a front row seat late in the game.
With repeated assaults from Hesjedal, Seamus McGrath (Haro/Lee Dungarees), Peter Wedge (Kona) and Todd Wells (Mongoose/Hyundai), the lead group was boiled down to a dirty dozen. Green made a few probes on the front, but his one true push left him clipped out in the mud and he dropped out of the lead bunch before the end. With two laps to go, Hesjedal pushed hard out of the hairpin turn, carrying a fragile lead into the headwind on the running track. Hesitation in the field allowed Hesjedal to escape.
Jeremy Horgan Kobelski (RLX Polo Sport) crashed out hard on the penultimate lap, and Hesjedal nursed his lead to a victory by just 1.4 seconds. Behind him, the herd bunched up for a stampede of a sprint, a fitting finale to this race in cowboy country. Leading the charge was Paul Rowney (Yeti/Pearl Izumi), powering to the front on the final lap with McGrath.
Wedge galloped down the track and had Rowney clinging on. Geoff Kabush (Kona) hovered on the front to protect Wedge's move, and although McGrath broke through he could not dislodge Wedge from his best second place to date. Rowney finished third, McGrath made do with fourt. Kabush gave Kona two podium spots with a fifth.
Results
Pro Men
1 Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru-Gar) 25.38.51 200
2 Peter Wedge (Kona Usa) 1.47 186
3 Paul Rowney (Yeti/Pearl) 1.92 174
4 Seamus Mcgrath (Haro Lee D) 2.83 164
5 Geoff Kabush (Kona) 3.21 156
6 Chris Sheppard (Haro Lee D) 3.55 150
7 Jose Adrian Bonilla Bonilla (Cafƒ De Co) 4.67 144
8 Andreas Hestler (Rocky Moun) 5.90 140
9 Todd Wells (Mongoose/H) 7.42 136
10 Carl Swenson (Rlx Polo S) 7.76 132
11 Henry Raabe Mendez (Cafƒ De Co) 8.67 130
12 Marc Gullickson (Mongoose/H) 14.22 128
13 Roland Green (Trek/Volks) 18.43 126
14 Ryan Trebon (Highland C) 20.48 124
15 Frank Mapel (Specilized) 20.81 122
16 Deiber Esquivel Benavide (Cafƒ De Co) 31.47 120
17 Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Rlx Polo S) 32.13 118
18 Skyler Reeves (Specialize) 39.99 116
19 Travis Brown (Trek/Volks) 40.32 114
20 Jeff Hall (Salsa Cycl) 40.65 112
21 Jay Henry (Specialize) 40.98 110
22 Mathieu Toulouse (Gearsracin) 42.47 108
23 Andy Jacques-Maynes (Solano Ave) 50.81 106
24 Michael Broderick (Seven Cycl) 56.49 104
25 Adam Craig (Balance Ba) 56.79 102
26 Jamey Yanik (Giant Bicycles) 57.20 100
27 Brian Matter (Hayes Brak) 58.10 98
28 Burke Swindlehurst (Moots) 59.54 96
29 Nathan Phillips (Team Diabe) 1.01.53 94
30 Cody Peterson (Lost River) 1.04.80 92
31 Ben Moody (Harpoon /) 1.10.29 90
32 Chad Melis (Pcw/Tfg/Sm) 1.11.03 88
33 Mike West (Trek/Vw) 1.11.35 86
34 Brian Smith (Dean Bicyc) 1.11.82 84
35 James Van Toever (Highlands) 1.32.65 82
36 Brian Laiho (Dean Bicyc) 1.34.52 80
37 Russ Tiles (Chalchalch) 1.35.31 78
38 Bryson Perry (Guru's) 1.35.59 76
39 Josh Bezecny (Dragon/Goj) Lapped 74
40 Brad Van Orden (Giant/Dome) 72
41 Walker Ferguson (Subaru - G)
42 Ariel Lindsley (Subaru/Gar)
43 Eric Atwood (Ritchy Roo)
44 Brandon Dwight (Ritchey Ro)
45 Troy Barry (Guru's/Sra)
46 Jason Moeschler (Giant Bicycles)
47 Duncan Meyers (Soulcraft)
48 Neil Shirley (Russ Denny)
49 Nick Waite (Balance Ba)
50 Michael Janelle (Tokyo Joes)
51 Bart Gillespie (Biogen)
52 Shawn Mitchell (Sobe/Canno)
53 Matt Pacocha (Ritchey Ro)
54 Scott Keller (Nau/Loose)
55 Nat Ross (Gary Fishe)
56 Joel Hennings (Trrek Vw)
Jason Sager (Team Diabe) DNF
Pro Women
1 Alison Dunlap (Luna Women) 27.16.31 200
2 Jimena Florit (Rlx Polo S) 4.28 186
3 Alison Sydor (Trek-Volks) 11.44 174
4 Susan Haywood (Trek-Volks) 47.57 164
5 Shonny Vanlandingham (Sobe/Canno) 48.98 156
6 Mary Grigson (Subaru/Gar) 49.28 150
7 Dara Marks (Titus) 49.59 144
8 Jamie Whitmore-Cardenas (K2/Micheli) 50.09 140
9 Mary Mcconneloug (Seven Cycl) 50.89 136
10 Willow Koerber (Cane Creek) 52.19 132
11 Sonia Lopez (Mexico Tea) 57.09 130
12 Kerry Barnholt (Sobe Canno) 57.39 128
13 Julie Emmerman (Ritchey Ro) 1.15.69 126
14 Trish Sinclair (Gearsracin) 1.22.19 124
15 Sarah Tescher (3d & Easto) 1.26.99 122
16 Kelli Emmett (Luna Women) 1.48.79 120
17 Lanie Mason (Cane Creek) 1.49.59 118
18 Karen Matamoros Zungiga (Costa Rica) 1.49.89 116
19 Karen Dewolfe (Rags/Hapoo) 1.50.19 114
20 Lisa Matlock (Ford No Bo) 1.51.09 112
21 Gretchen Reeves (Rocky Moun) 2.04.79 110
22 Gina Hall (Luna Women) 108
23 Alice Pennington (Clif Bar D) 2.07.74 106
24 Katerina Hanusova (Luna Women) Lapped 104
25 Heather Szabo (Toko Joes) 102
26 Lorenza Morfin (Turbo) 100
27 Jennifer Smith (Dean) 98
28 Joan Orgeldinger (Redhook) 96
29 Sara Bresnick (Rage-Harrp) 94
30 Rachel Massey (Ford - No) 92
31 Nina Baum (Two Wheel) 90
32 Jilayne Lovejoy (3d Racing) 88
33 Sally Warner (Biogen) 86
34 Nina Musich-Baker (Highlands) 84
35 Kate Lynch (Gurus) 82
36 Robin Mcgee (Gurus) 80
37 Becca Blay (Aspen Velo) 78
38 Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico Tea) 76
39 Barbara Kreisle (Titus/Mich) 74
40 Heather Irmiger (Nantucket) 72
41 Lea Davison (Team Balnc)
42 Tonya Laffey (Mtbchick.C)
43 Nikki Garza (Soul Craft)
44 Carla Salgado (Mexico Tea)
45 Leslie Gilmore (Soulcraft)
46 Rachael Mirvish (Trek Rocky)
