NORBA National Championship Series, Round 4 - MTBCrystal Mountain, USA, August 4-6, 2000Schedule
Day 1 - August 4: Pro Men and Women cross countryLarsen and Grigson continue run of formThe second last round of the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championships Series held at Crystal Mountain, Washington again saw wins in the opening cross country events by Australia's Mary Grigson (Gary Fisher-SAAB) and USA's Steve Larsen (LL Bean Mongoose). These two riders are now the clear series seaders with just one round to go (Mammoth Mountain, CA September 8-10) In the men's race, Larsen took advantage of mechanicals by Canadians Seamus McGrath and Geoff Kabush to hit the lead on the second last lap. From there, he was never headed, eventually finishing nearly a minute in front of McGrath. "Sometimes you need a little luck. I rarely get it, so when the opportunity presented itself I capitalized on it," said Larsen afterwards. After a slow start to the race, Larsen attacked from a group of five on the one-mile ascent climbing away from the start line, moving into range of the leading trio of Kabush, McGrath and Russia's Pavel Tcherkassov (Gary Fisher-Saab). Kabush counter attacked, and at the end of the lap held a lead of 21 seconds over McGrath, with Tcherkassov at 25 seconds, and Larsen at 49. Tcherkassov, who started strongly in the two opening laps, faded by the third lap. "I wanted to get a clear run into the singletrack on the first laps, but the other riders were very strong and I decided to slow down a bit. I lost those couple of minutes and this defined my race. I was ready for fourth place today," said Tcherkassov, who relinquished the overall series lead to Larsen. Larsen's recent performances bodes well for him in his quest for a second national cross-country championship, to be decided at the finals at Mammoth Mountain, Sept. 8-10. "If I can win on a bad day, I'd have to have a pretty good chance in the series overall. But once again, it all comes down the final," the '99 short-track cross-country champion said. Grigson's win in the women's event marks her third victory of the four series races held thus far. The 2000 Australian Olympic team member made her move from sixth place mid-way through the 16-mile race. Familiar faces from round three in Deer Valley, Utah, were back in front in Washington. Grigson's teammate Chrissy Redden (Campbellville, Ontario, Canada), who finished fourth in Deer Valley, held on behind Grgison for second Friday. Argentinian Jemima Florit (RLX-Polo Sport) managed another consistent top placing in third. After a mediocre start, Grigson first passed Russia's Alla Epifanova (Volvo-Cannondale), before moving up into range of early leaders, including Redden and Matthes. Redden attacked Matthes on the climb and made a gap. Half a lap later, Grigson passed Matthes before the top of the long main climb. "I was a little off today, but I don't want to have my best form now, because I then I wouldn't have it for the Olympics," said Matthes, a three-time consecutive national cross-country champion (1996-98). With one event remaining in the five-race series, Grigson now has a firm grip on the 2000 Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship title. Only an American can claim the U.S. national cross-country title, and Matthes is currently in position to take that as the top-ranked American. Grigson complimented teammate Redden for helping keep her in the race Friday. "It is great to have a teammate who cares about my series position," Grigson said. "I felt terrible at the start of the race, but then seemed to come right." ResultsPro Women - 16 mi/26 km 1. Mary Grigson (Aus) Gary Fisher-Saab 1.38.34 2. Chrissy Redden (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 0.00.83 3. Jimena Florit (Arg) RLX-Polo Sport 1.14 4. Alla Epifanova (Rus) Volvo-Cannondale 1.30 5. Ruthie Matthes (USA) Trek Volkswagen 1.33 6. Ann Grande (USA) Gymamerica.com 1.54 7. Susan Haywood (USA) W.V. Tourism 2.34 8. Ann Trombley (USA) Koulius Zaard/Residence Club 4.17 9. Audrey Augustin (USA) Koulius Zaard 4.41 10. Rene Marshman (USA) Moots Pro Men - 24 mi/38.5 km 1. Steve Larsen (USA) LL Bean/Mongoose 2.05.07 2. Seamus McGrath (Can) Haro/Lee Dungarees 0.54 3. Geoff Kabush (Can) Kona Factory Team 2.33 4. Pavel Tcherkassov (Rus) Gary Fisher-Saab 3.03 5. Andreas Hestler (Can) Ford Devinci 3.21 6. Carl Swenson (USA) RLX Polo Sport 3.53 7. Tinker Juarez (USA) Volvo-Cannondale 4.59 8. Travis Brown (USA) Trek-Volkswagen 5.28 9. Chris Sheppard (Can) Haro/Lee Dungarees 6.13 10 Marc Gullickson (USA) Mongoose Pro 6.41 Day 2 - August 5: Pro Men and Women short track and dual slalomCanadians on top again in Short-track; Lopes wins second SoBe Dual SlalomFamiliar faces were at the front of Saturday's short-track cross-country at round four of the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series. Round three winner Chrissy Redden (Can, Gary Fisher-Saab) took her place again at the top of the podium in Crustal Mountain, Wash., while fellow Canadian and teammate Ryder Hesjedal won the men's race. Canadian Geoff Kabush (Kona) rode an aggressive race, attacking early with a group of 12 in tow. His next attack reduced the front group to five, with Kabush eventually losing the lead to Hesjedal. "It was more tactical tonight than in the past. You had to be heads up all the time there were so many attacks. The amount of stuff that went down in 25 minutes of racing was more than you get in a two-hour cross country," Hesjedal said. Entering the closing three laps Hesjedal, Kabush, Russian Pavel Tcherkassov (Gary Fisher-Saab) and Canadians Seamus McGrath (Haro/Lee Dungarees) and Chris Sheppard (Haro/Lee Dungarees) positioned themselves for the sprint finish. Hesjedal attacked on the last climb, but it was McGrath who took the lead with less than half a lap to go. It a short-term leader, however, with Hesjedal taking the gold medal spot in the finishing feet. "On the last downhill I went into first place, then on the last climb Ryder blew right by me, that was the race," said second-place McGrath. "If you could get to the final corner in front, you had it," Hesjedal said. "I knew I had a good kick on the pavement, so I went off the gas around the top corner. Seamus (McGrath) took over the lead, and I knew I could probably get past him on the pavement." Tcherkassov's third place was enough to put him the series lead. In the women's race, Redden extended her series lead with an easy win over Russia's Alla Epifanova (Volvo-Cannondale). Redden and Epifanova rode by themselves for most of the 25-minute race after an early attack by the Russian. "I went to the front and I thought 'this race is too slow' so I attacked," Epifanova said. Redden thought the attack was premature, but still went with Epifanova. With Epifanova doing much of the work, the two pulled away steadily from the field. Redden won the race by almost a minute, with her and Epifanova having lapped all but four of the 34 starters. Argentine Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport) and Kiwi Suzy Pryde (Saturn), a 2000 New Zealand road and mountain bike Olympian, rode together for a few laps in pursuit, but Pryde lost ground after attacking Florit. Florit rode alone for the remainder of the race to finish third. "You must have seen a huge mushroom cloud when I blew," said Pryde, who was competing in her first Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals event. "It was so intense. There were so many spectators, and it was so much fun." Redden leads the series but is unlikely to win the overall series title, as the Canadian will miss the crucial final round because of her Olympic Games preparation. Australia's Mary Grigson (Gary Fisher-Saab), who stands in second, pulled out early in Saturday's race but will be at the finals Sept. 8-10 in Mammoth Mountain, Calif. In the evening's SoBe Dual Slalom, reigning world champion Wade Bootes (Aus, Trek-Volkswagen) and current World Cup dual leader Brian Lopes (Volvo-Cannondale) met in the men's finals. "This course was so flat. It was one of the most demanding races I've done," said Lopes, who beat Bootes for his second SoBe Dual Slalom win this year. "All the riders were so tired after each round, we couldn't even say anything to each other." Eric Carter's (Team GT) fifth-place finish was enough to overtake the series lead from Aussie Chris Kovarik (Intense). The women's dual slalom finals found Aussie Katrina Miller (Jamis) and past national dual slalom champion Cheri Elliott (Maxxis/ODI) going head-to-head. Miller won Saturday's race, taking over the series lead from Elliott.
ResultsShort Track Cross CountryPro Men: 1. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 2. Seamus McGrath (Can) Haro-Lee Dungarees 3. Pavel Tcherkassov (Rus) Gary Fisher-Saab 4. Chris Sheppard (Can) Haro-Lee Dungarees 5. Geoff Kabush (Can) Kona 6. Carl Swenson (USA) RLX Polo Sport 7. Andres Brenes (CRc) Café De Costa Rica 8. Marc Gullickson (USA) Mongoose Pro 9. Jose Bonilla (CRc) Café de Costa Rica 10. Andreas Hestler (Can) Ford-Devinci Pro Women: 1. Chrissy Redden (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 2. Alla Epifanova (Rus) Volvo-Cannondale 3. Jimena Florit (Arg) RLX Polo Sport 4. Susy Pryde (NZl) Saturn 5. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) SoBe-Headshok 6. Audrey Augustin (USA) Koulius Zaard 7. Rachel Lloyd (USA) VooDoo Cycles 8. Janie Dalton (USA) Missing Link-Trek 9. Amber Neben (USA) SoBe-Headshok 10. Ann Grande (USA) Gymamerica.com Dual SlalomPro Men: 1. Brian Lopes (USA) Volvo-Cannondale 2. Wade Bootes (Aus) Trek-Volkswagen 3. Mike King (USA) Haro-Lee Dungaree 4. Rich Houseman (USA) Tomac Pro Women: 1. Katrina Miller (Aus) Jamis 2. Cheri Elliott (USA) Maxxis-ODI 3. Leigh Donovan (USA) Schwinn-Toyota 4. Elke Brutsaert (USA) Schwinn-Toyota Day 3 - June 30: Pro Men and Women DownhillResultsPro Men: 1. Nathan Rennie (Aus) Yeti 5.33.8 2. Chris Kovarik (Aus) Intense 0.00.5 3. Nathan Rankin (NZ) Foes-Azonic 0.02.2 4. Colin Bailey (USA) Intense-Troy Lee 0.07.5 5. Eric Carter (USA) GT 0.11.6 6. John Kirckaldie (NZ) Rocky Mountain 0.14.8 7. Michael Ronning (Aus) Intense 0.18.6 8. Chris O’Driscoll (USA) Ten-Ten-Solid 0.18.7 9. Andrew Shandro (Can) Ford-Devinci 0.19.1 10. Jared Rando (Aus) Pro JrX 0.20.3 Pro Women: 1. Elke Brutsaert (USA) Schwinn-Toyota 6.51.7 2. Missy Giove (USA) Foes-Azonic 0.06.4 3. Leigh Donovan (USA) Schwinn-toyota 0.12.5 4. Danielle Connolly (USA) RockShox-Devo 0.15.9 5. Melissa Buhl (USA) RockShox-Devo 0.17.9 6. Lisa Sher (USA) White Bros.-Azonic 0.22.7 7. Tara Llanes (USA) Subaru-Specialized 0.24.5 8. Sheryl Macleod (NZl) unattached 0.31.0 9. Vanessa Quinn (NZl) Giant 0.32.3 10. Cheri Elliott (USA) Maxxis-ODI 0.40.0 Overall StandingsMen's cross country: 1. Steve Larsen (USA) LL Bean/Mongoose 574 points 2. Pavel Tcherkassov (Rus) Gary Fisher-Saab 524 3. Geoff Kabush (Can) Kona Factory Team 474 4. Seamus McGrath (Can) Haro/Lee Dungarees 466 5. Roland Green (Can) Team GT 454 Women's cross country: 1. Mary Grigson (Aus) Gary Fisher-Saab 600 pts 2. Chrissy Redden (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 550 3. Ruthie Matthes (USA) Trek Volkswagen 546 4. Jimena Florit (Arg) RLX-Polo Sport 494 5. Alla Epifanova (Rus) Volvo-Cannondale 464 Men's short track cross country: 1. Pavel Tcherkassov (Rus) Gary Fisher-Saab 546 pts 2. Seamus McGrath (Can) Haro-Lee Dungarees 536 3. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 530 4. Chris Sheppard (Can) Haro-Lee Dungarees 514 5. Geoff Kabush (Can) Kona 452 6. Carl Swenson (USA) RLX Polo Sport 450 7. Roland Green (Can) GT 444 8. Andreas Hestler (Can) Ford-Devinci 416 Women's short track cross country 1. Chrissy Redden (Can) Gary Fisher-Saab 574 pts 2. Mary Grigson (Aus) Gary Fisher-Saab 530 3. Jimena Florit (Arg) RLX Polo Sport 524 4. Ann Trombley (USA) Koulius-Zaard 492 5. Susan Haywood (USA) Trek-WV Tourism 442 6. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) SoBe-Headshok 432 7. Audrey Augustin (USA) Koulius Zaard 424 8. Rachel Lloyd (USA) VooDoo Cycles 420 9. Rene Marshman (USA) Moots 398 10. Carmen Richardson (USA) SoBe-Headshok 394 Men's Dual Slalom: 1. Eric Carter (USA) GT 460 pts 2. Brian Lopes (USA) Volvo-Cannondale 440 3. Mike King (USA) Haro-Lee Dungaree 400 4. Chris Kovarik (Aus) Intense 400 5. Rich Houseman (USA) Tomac 320 Women's Dual Slalom: 1. Katrina Miller (Aus) Jamis 580 pts 2. Cheri Elliott (USA) Maxxis-ODI 560 3. Leigh Donovan (USA) Schwinn-Toyota 460 4. Elke Brutsaert (USA) Schwinn-Toyota 360 5. Tai-Lee Muxlow (Aus) Intense 340 Men's downhill 1. John Kirckaldie (NZ) Rocky Mountain 510 pts 2. Eric Carter (USA) GT 486 3. Michael Ronning (Aus) 484 4. Nathan Rennie (Aus) Yeti 460 5. Colin Bailey (USA) Intense-Troy Lee 440 6. Nathan Rankin (NZ) Foes-Azonic 434 7. Jared Rando (Aus) Pro JrX 408 8. Johnny Waddell (Aus) Pro JrX 408 9. Myles Rockwell (USA) Giant 400 10. Rich Houseman (USA) Tomac 394 Women's downhill: 1. Elke Brutsaert (USA) Schwinn-Toyota 600 pts 2. Missy Giove (USA) Foes-Azonic 528 3. Leigh Donovan (USA) Schwinn-toyota 504 4. Tara Llanes (USA) Subaru-Specialized 504 5. Lisa Sher (USA) White Bros.-Azonic 464 6. Cheri Elliott (USA) Maxxis-ODI 462 7. Vanessa Quinn (NZl) Giant 444 8. Danielle Connolly (USA) RockShox-Devo 428 9. Melissa Buhl (USA) RockShox-Devo 422 10. Tai-Lee Muxlow (Aus) Intense 406 |