July 14/06 11:16 am - US Cross Country National Championship

Posted by Editoress on 07/14/06
 

Courtesy John Cardinale, VP of Media/Community Relations, Infineon Raceway
Ryan Trebon woke up with a sour stomach on Friday morning, but he's all smiles now after winning the Cross Country National Championship at the 2006 USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships, brought to you by X-Fusion, at Infineon Raceway.

It was Trebon's first-ever national championship as he sprinted out to an early lead over the high-speed 7.7-mile course and was never challenged, taking the win in 2.02:24. The men's race spanned four laps.

"I was out there the last hour and 40 minutes by myself," said Trebon, 25, who rides for Kona/Clarks/Les Gets and resides in Ventura. "There was no way I was going to give this up. This is the biggest win of my (four-year professional) career."

This marks the first year Infineon Raceway has hosted the most prestigious mountain bike race weekend in the country - the championships were originally planned for Mammoth Mountain but had to be relocated after a record amount of snowfall this winter. The championships are part of the Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic.

It was a sweet win for Trebon for another reason. "I woke up this morning and my stomach was killing me," he said. "It might have been from what we ate last night. It still hurts a bit but this (win) helps."

Trebon's teammate, Barry Wicks (Santa Cruz) was second at 2:03.18 with Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Virg.) third at 2:03.53. Bishop rides for Trek/Volkswagen. Defending national champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) was fourth.

"We've been expecting a big breakout race for Ryan so that was not totally unexpected," Horgan-Kobelski said. "He made two or three hard attacks and I just couldn't stay with him."

On the women's side, Georgia Gould (Luna Women) won her first-ever cross country championship, taking the lead from Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher) on the final lap and coasting to the win. Gould, from Ketchum, Idaho, crossed the finish line of the three-lap race at 1:46.25, with Irmiger (Boulder, Colo.) at 1:47.54. Local favorite Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles/Kenda), a native of Fairfax, was third (1:50.0). McConneloug entered as the defending national champion and was a 2004 Olympian.

"I was able to pass Heather on the last lap and I opened up a gap on the long climb," said Gould, whose previous best was fifth place last week at Deer Valley, Utah. "This win is the best ever, and a little overwhelming right now."

Action returns on Saturday at Infineon Raceway with national championships contested for Mountain Cross and Super-D. More than 2,500 competitors are expected for the entire weekend, which will see 12 national mountain biking champions crowned.

There will also be road cycling on the raceway's 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course, as well as many activities in the main paddock for both adults and children. The weekend will also feature the Tour de France Lounge, which will show a loop of all the action from the Tour de France. The lounge opens daily at 6:30 a.m. and features coffee, pastries, spin-bikes for athletes and massages.

Pro Men (30.8 miles, 4 laps)

1. Ryan Trebon (Kona/Clark/Les Gets, Ventura)
2. Barry Wicks (AEG-Tosh, Santa Cruz)
3. Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW, Harrisonburg, VA)
4. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher, Boulder, CO)
5. Adam Craig (Giant, Bend, OR)
6. Todd Wells (GT Bicycle, Durango, CO)
7. Carl Decker (Broadmark Capital, Bend, OR)
8. Michael Broderick (Seven Cycles/Kenda, Chilmark, MA)
9. Nick Waite (Kelly Benefit Strategies, Davis, WV)
10. Jeff Schalk (Trek-VW, Washington, DC)
11. Aren Timmel (Soulcraft, Chico)
12. Jay Henry (NA, Avon, CO)
13. Alan Obye (SRAM, Colorado Springs, CO)
14. Andy Schultz (Bear Naked Cannondale, Missoula, MT)
15. Erik Tonkin (Kona/Team S&M, Portland, OR)

Pro Women (23.1 miles, 3 laps)

1. Georgia Gould (Luna Women, Ketchum, ID)
2. Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher, Boulder, CO)
3. Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles/Kenda, Fairfax)
4. Dara Marks Marino (Titus/Kenda, Flagstaff, AR)
5. Susan Haywood (Trek/VW, Harrisonburg, VA)
6. Jennifer Wilson (Titus Grassroots, El Paso, TX)
7. Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna Women, Durango, CO)
8. Jamie Whitmore (Felt Racing, Mt. Aukum)
9. Melissa Thomas (Tokyo Joe's, Boulder, CO)
10. Kathy Sherwin (Ford Cycling, Heber City, UT)
11. Sarah Barber (Tamarack, Boise, ID)
12. Stacey Scanlan (Tamarack, Boise, ID)
13. Shannon Gibson (Crazy Cat, El Paso, TX)
14. Alice Pennington (Desalvo, Hood River, OR)
15. Kelli Emmett (Ford Cycling, Colorado Springs, CO)