Carter, Kintner Capture National Titles
Durango, Colo. (Aug. 16, 2003) – In the final event of the 2003 NORBA National Championship Mountain Bike Series, Eric Carter (Temecula, CA; Mongoose-Hyundai) and Jill Kintner (San Jose, CA; Fox) were crowned U.S. National Mountain Cross Champions as the top Americans in the overall point standings following the fifth and final event held at Durango Mountain Resort in Durango, Colo.
Cedric Gracia (FRA; Siemens-Cannondale) and Sabrina Jonnier (FRA; Intense-Fox) each took home individual victories tonight. Gracia, arguably the best all-around gravity rider, took the win ahead of Chris Kovarik (AUS; Intense-Fox) in a close race from start to finish, while Jonnier sealed her third consecutive NORBA NCMBS victory after leading her entire run from start to finish.
The men’s mountain cross final, always a crowd pleaser, featured the who’s who of the sport as Carter, Gracia, Kovarik and Mike King (San Diego, CA; Haro-Lee Dungarees) faced each other in the last run. In a clean race from start to finish, King got the jump out of the gate, but was quickly overtaken by Kovarik who looked to have the race wrapped up until Gracia took the inside line on the last corner. The sly maneuver proved to be just enough to post the victory as Gracia edged out Kovarik by a slim margin.
Gracia explained his move that brought him victory after the race. “He was so far ahead of me that I had to take the inside line or I never would have passed him. We know each other well and if he was behind me, he would have done the same thing.”
The women’s final featured Jonnier, Fionn Griffiths (GBR; Foes-Azonic), Aneke Beerten (NED), and Tai-Lee Muxlow (AUS; Tioga-Orange). In what has become a familiar sight over the last few events, Jonnier led from the drop of the gate and never looked back. An early run crash by Beerten dashed any hopes she had of an upset as the remaining three contested the remainder of the run as Jonnier took yet another NORBA NCMBS win.
With the culmination of the 2003 NORBA NCMBS, Carter and Jonnier claimed the overall titles. Jonnier, who missed the season opener at Big Bear, came on strong to take the title ahead of runner-up Kintner. Carter’s consistent performance throughout the five-race series enabled him to keep the crown off King’s head.
The 2003 NORBA NCMBS concludes tomorrow with the short track and downhill events.
Be sure to check out photos of all the action at www.usacycling.org/gallery.
The NORBA National Championships Mountain Bike Series is North America’s premier off-road cycling series. The series crowns USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Champions. USA Cycling is the national governing body for cycle sport. GaleForce Sports Marketing is the series management and promotions company, and is recognized as the USA’s leading cycling and events management group.
About NORBA
NORBA is the mountain bike member association of USA Cycling. Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 80,000 members and 2,000 annual events. For more information, visit www.usacycling.org, or contact Communications Manager Andy Lee at 719 866 4867
Cedric Gracia (FRA; Siemens-Cannondale) and Sabrina Jonnier (FRA; Intense-Fox) each took home individual victories tonight. Gracia, arguably the best all-around gravity rider, took the win ahead of Chris Kovarik (AUS; Intense-Fox) in a close race from start to finish, while Jonnier sealed her third consecutive NORBA NCMBS victory after leading her entire run from start to finish.
The men’s mountain cross final, always a crowd pleaser, featured the who’s who of the sport as Carter, Gracia, Kovarik and Mike King (San Diego, CA; Haro-Lee Dungarees) faced each other in the last run. In a clean race from start to finish, King got the jump out of the gate, but was quickly overtaken by Kovarik who looked to have the race wrapped up until Gracia took the inside line on the last corner. The sly maneuver proved to be just enough to post the victory as Gracia edged out Kovarik by a slim margin.
Gracia explained his move that brought him victory after the race. “He was so far ahead of me that I had to take the inside line or I never would have passed him. We know each other well and if he was behind me, he would have done the same thing.”
The women’s final featured Jonnier, Fionn Griffiths (GBR; Foes-Azonic), Aneke Beerten (NED), and Tai-Lee Muxlow (AUS; Tioga-Orange). In what has become a familiar sight over the last few events, Jonnier led from the drop of the gate and never looked back. An early run crash by Beerten dashed any hopes she had of an upset as the remaining three contested the remainder of the run as Jonnier took yet another NORBA NCMBS win.
With the culmination of the 2003 NORBA NCMBS, Carter and Jonnier claimed the overall titles. Jonnier, who missed the season opener at Big Bear, came on strong to take the title ahead of runner-up Kintner. Carter’s consistent performance throughout the five-race series enabled him to keep the crown off King’s head.
The 2003 NORBA NCMBS concludes tomorrow with the short track and downhill events.
Be sure to check out photos of all the action at www.usacycling.org/gallery.
The NORBA National Championships Mountain Bike Series is North America’s premier off-road cycling series. The series crowns USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Champions. USA Cycling is the national governing body for cycle sport. GaleForce Sports Marketing is the series management and promotions company, and is recognized as the USA’s leading cycling and events management group.
About NORBA
NORBA is the mountain bike member association of USA Cycling. Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 80,000 members and 2,000 annual events. For more information, visit www.usacycling.org, or contact Communications Manager Andy Lee at 719 866 4867
This Article Published August 16, 2003 For more information contact:
