Gould, Craig win pro short track titles as MTB Nationals conclude

The day opened with the Super D competitions. Bradford completed the course over six seconds faster than Mike West (Maverick), while Ross Schnell (Grand Junction, Colo./Trek/Oakley), John Wilson (Carson City, Nev./Northstar/Giant), and former downhill world champ Eric Carter (Temecula, Calif./GT Bicycles) were third, fourth, and fifth in the pro men’s contest. The women’s contest was a little closer with Brutsaert taking the win ahead of Jacqueline Harmony (Tuscon, Ariz./Vicen Racing/Loeka) by less than a minute. Kelli Emmett (Colorado Springs, Colo./Giant Bicycles), Krista Park (Madison, S.D.) and Kyia Anderson (Saint Cloud, Minn./Hidden Bay Sports) stood on the final three steps of the pro women’s podium.  

The pro short track contests were the next events to take center stage, with the women toeing the line first. After a mechanical caused her to lose time in the first lap of Saturday’s cross country race, Georgia Gould came back on Sunday to claim a stars-and-stripes jersey.

“I knew it was going to be pretty selective and I thought it was going to be hard,” the national champ said after her win. “That tends to be good for me though because it means it’s a little more fitness based and less tactical.”

Willow Koerber (Asheville, N.C./Subaru/Gary Fisher) held the early lead, cresting the first lap's climb in the front position, but she eventually lost her steam on the difficult course. Saturday’s cross country champ Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru/Gary Fisher) worked her way up in the field on lap two as Gould made her way to the front by the third lap. With little opportunity for passing on the steep course, the women were spread out by about five or ten seconds for most of the contest, and Gould was able to hold Irmiger off until the end. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Maxxis/Rocky Mountain) crossed the line in third, while Koerber held on for fourth and two-time Olympian Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda/Seven/No Tubes) rounded out the podium in fifth.

In the men’s event, Jeremy Horgan Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru Gary Fisher) and Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Team) rode together off the front until, with about three laps remaining, Adam Craig unleashed an attack that launched him from third-place into first.

“Midway up the climb, he (Craig) hit it pretty hard,” Wells said after the race. “He came from behind and was going pretty good and carried his speed right past us.”

Craig then formed a sizable gap on the former leaders, leaving them to battle each other for second on the steep climb and descent that made up the challenging course. After Craig had secured his national title, Wells overtook Horgan Kobelski on the final climb and held him off until the finish. Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./Kona) and Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru Gary Fisher) were the next to arrive into the finish area, claiming the podium’s fourth and fifth spots respectively.

The pro downhill competitions closed out the day’s activities at SolVista. After posting the fastest time in the morning qualification round, Aaron Gwin clocked a time of 2:11.72 in the final to best runner-up Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./DRR/Giantnerd) by nearly two seconds. John Swanguen (San Diego, Calif./Intense/Troy Lee Des) was the third fastest while Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif./Specialzied) posted the fourth fastest time. The final spot on the podium came to a tie between Geritt Beytagh (Morewood Bikes USA) and Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo./Yeti Fox National), who both clocked a time of 2:16.94 to share fifth place.

In the women’s race against the clock, Melissa Buhl successfully defended her status as national champion by completing the course with a time of 2:41.13, seven-tenths of a second faster than nearest rival Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, Calif./Jamis). Lisa Myklak (Fox Racing Shox) posted the third fastest time while Jacqueline Harmony (Tuscon, Ariz./Vixen Racing) and Katie Holden (Kirkland, Wash./Specialized) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth.

For full results, click here and to view photos from the event, click here.

Check out video from the event on our You Tube page, here.     

Short Track Cross Country: Cat 1 Men 15-18
1. Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pro Cycling/SRM)

Short Track Cross Country: Cat 1 Men 19-29
1. Jafer Beizer (Conyers, Ga./Terrapin Racing)