Super D & short track cross-country close Cross-Country MTB Nats
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Print Macungie, Pa. (July 21, 2013) – The 2013 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships concluded Sunday at Bear Creek Resort in Macungie, Pa.
In all, over one thousand unique riders made nearly 1,500 total starts and over 60 national champions were crowned through the four-day event.
Short track cross-country
After placing second in Saturday’s cross-country race, Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing) gained a measure of revenge in the elite men’s short track cross-country race. Wells emerged at the front of the field in the early stages of the race, pushed the pace and, in the end, coasted to the fourth short track cross-country national championship of his career.
Wells, who represented the United States in the cross-country race at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, was joined by the winner of Saturday’s cross-country national championship race Stephen Ettinger (Bozeman, Mont./BMC Mountain Bike Racing Team), Spencer Paxson (Seattle, Wash./Kona Factory Team), Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing) and Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va./Team Sho-Air Cannondale) at the front of the early stages of the race. As the race continued, the riders were unable to keep up with Wells’ pace, leaving Ettinger to try to keep up. Ettinger, a veteran of the USA Cycling National Development Program (NDP), led Wells after the sixth lap, but on the backside climb, Wells attacked and Ettinger was unable to hold Wells’ wheel, allowing Wells to ride solo through the finish line for the win.
The action behind Ettinger was animated as Bishop and Finsterwald were dueling for position until Bishop attacked with two laps remaining in the race. Finsterwald could not answer and Bishop began to close the gap on Ettinger, but did not have enough time to reach Ettinger. The 24-year-old Ettinger rode away with the silver medal while Bishop earned the bronze. Finsterwald placed fourth while Paxson was fifth.
“Ettinger caught me after two laps in,” Wells said. “I sat on his wheel through the start/finish then I just went to the front and keep it open. I didn't want to look back. If the guys see you looking back when they're chasing, they know you're hurting. I couldn't tell where I was gaining time. It just about pushing myself and redeeming myself from yesterday."
The elite women’s short track cross-country race was decided about midway through the last lap of the contest. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing), who won the cross-country national championship on Saturday, collected her second national title of the weekend with a well-timed attack about midway through the last lap of the race.
A group of six women animated the early part of the race. Davison, Chloe Woodruff (Tucson, Ariz./Crankbrothers Race Club), Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team), Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Stan’s NoTubes), Teal Stetson-Lee (Durango, Colo./Team Luna Chix) and Pua Mata (Yucaipa, Calif./ShoAir Cannondale) quickly emerged as the riders to beat in the race.
With two laps remaining in the race, Gould attacked the lead group. Davison and Woodruff were able to hold Gould’s wheel. With about a half-lap remaining in the race, Davison attacked on the backside climb and gained the lead. Woodruff tried to answer, but could not reach Davison. Davison cruised through the finish line in first place while Woodruff earned the silver medal. Gould placed third, ahead of McConneloug and Stetson-Lee.
“My strategy was to save as much energy as I could until the right moment,” Davison said. “My legs, like everybody's legs, were a little bit tired today after that hot effort yesterday. I just tried to sit in. I was dangling a little bit, even off of Chloe and Georgia. They were making some really strong efforts. At some points, I didn't know if it was going to work out, but I kept clawing my way back on. I tried to get second wheel when it really came to crunch time. My best bet was to punch it up the climb and see if it worked out.”
The juniors men’s 15-18 short track cross-country race also came down to the last lap. After leading most of the race, Neilson Powless’ (Roseville, Calif./Folsom Bike-VW-Raley’s) rear tire flatted allowing Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) to ride alone to his third national championship of the week.
Powless attacked a group of three leaders and gradually built a lead, which he held for three laps. With four laps remaining in the race, Blevins, who started in the back row, was on Powless’ wheel. That duo rode together until Blevins attacked with about a quarter-lap remaining in the race. When Powless tried to answer, his rear tire went flat and Blevins was able to coast through the finish line. Blevins’ teammate, Stephan Davoust (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) finished second ahead of Peter Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.). Jerry DuFour (Birmingham, Ala./Team Momentum) and Jorge Munoz Jr. (Laredo, Texas/MC Supercenter), who also started toward the back of the field, placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
The category 1 women’s short track cross-country featured women of different ages vying for a national title. Eighteen-year-old Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) won the race convincingly while 15-year-old Haley Batten (Park City, Utah/Whole Athlete-Specialized) finished second.
Courtney, who won the juniors women’s 17-18 cross-country national title on Saturday, opened an early lead and did not relinquish it on her way to collecting her second national championship of the weekend. A chase group of Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo), Arley Kemmerer (Saylorsburg, Pa./Charm City Cycling LLC-C3 Twenty20Cycling.com) and Batten formed about 15 seconds behind Courtney. Batten bridged, one of Blevins’ tires went flat and Kemmerer faded, allowing Batten and Courtney to duel for the top step of the podium. Courtney was up to the task as she cruised to the finish line 15 seconds ahead of Batten, who placed second. April Morgan (Minneapolis, Minn./All-City X Fulton Racing) outdueled Kemmerer for third place while Jessica Rawlins (Denton, Texas/Bicycle Plus Racing) landed on her third podium of the weekend, placing fifth,
Super D
The day started with the professional men descending nearly 500 feet on a course which spanned just over three miles. Seamus Powell (Round Top, N.Y.) topped the pro men's field by just under three seconds after posting a time of 7:34.664. Neko Mulally (Reading. Pa.), who is a regular on the USA Cycling Professional Gravity Tour (Pro GRT), finished second with a time of 7:37.645, 10 seconds faster than the bronze medalist Casey Williams (Big Bear City, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized). Carl Decker (Bend, Ore.) was two-tenths of a second faster than Tristan Uhl (Austin, Texas/ATC Racing) to earn fourth place.
"I came here to ride really hard," Powell, who also won the singlespeed national title on Saturday, said. "I raced and won quite a few times on this same course. I ride this terrain all the time. When the national championships are in the east coast, especially in the mid-Atlantic region, just go as hard as you can. It might be my only shot to get a national title. I'm pretty happy."
Teal Stetson-Lee (Durango, Colo./Team Luna Chix) earned her first individual national championship after traversing the Super D course in 8:45.015 to top the professional women's field. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing) secured her second podium spot of the weekend after finishing her descent is 8:56.543. Rose Grant (Kalispell, Mont./Sportsman & Ski Haus) rode away with the bronze medal after posting a time of 9:09.927, 13.5 seconds faster than the fourth-place rider, Lauren Catlin (Fairfax, Calif./Durango Devo). Carolyn Popovic (Philadelphia, Pa.) rounded out the pro women's podium with a time of 9:33.467.
"Awesome. Amazing,” Stetson-Lee said when asked how winning a national championship feels. “I'm definitely a cross-country racer at heart, but descending has always been one of my passions. Getting to combine the two in the Super D is ideal. I've never won a national title before."
Carson Beckett (Benton, Ky./Wood-n-Wave) scorched the course after completing his Super D in 7:44.954, which would have placed third among the professional men and was the third-fastest time of the day, to win the juniors men 16-18 national title. Beckett, who won the category 2 men's cross-country race on Thursday, topped the Super D field by 16 seconds. Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Cycle Youth) earned the silver medal after finishing in 8:00.731. Peter Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.) edged out Jorge Munoz Jr. (Laredo, Texas/MC Supercenter) for the bronze medal by less than a second. Jonathan Anderson (Topsfield, Mass./Essex County Velo) rounded out the podium, finishing fifth.
"I just thought I'd ride it smooth and power any climbs that were on it," Beckett, who missed the 2012 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships with a poorly-timed broken collarbone, said. "That's what I did. Everything just came together. So many things just could have gone wrong. It's just a matter of inches. I just tried to ride it as smooth as possible not on the rocks or anything. It was great.
Gunnar Bergey (Banner Elk, N.C.) topped the senior men's 19-29 field by just under three seconds after finishing his descent in 8:19.635. Trevor DeRuise (Reno, Nev./Blue World Inspired-Getreal Nutrition) placed second, six seconds faster than Dominic Nudy (Fleetwood, Pa.). Noah Mabry (Lebanon, Pa.) and Ian Herchenroder (Portsmouth, N.H.) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) collected the juniors women's 16-18 Super D national championship after finishing the course in 9:00.324, topping silver medalist Kate Courtney's (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) time by 11 seconds. Angelina Palermo (Butler, Pa.) earned the bronze medal after completing her ride in 9:37.274, five seconds faster than India Waller (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo). Avery Morin (Roseville, Calif./Bear Development Team) finished fifth with a time of 9:44.300.
Blevins' brother, Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) earned the second of his three national championships after besting the juniors men's 10-15 field by 13 seconds. Blevins finished his ride in 8:25.823, while the silver medalist Michael Mace (Ocala, Fla.) completed his descent in 8:38.757. Clayton Puckett (Mill Valley, Calif./Bear Development Team) placed third, after stopping the clock in 8:40.886. Adam Cohen (North Miami Beach, Fla./Cycle Youth) and Jared Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Veda Gerasimek (Transfer, Pa./Red Zone Cycling) got the best of the juniors women's 10-15 Super D field, including the Fortin sisters. Gerasimek finished her ride in 10:13.879 to win her second national title of the week. Hailey Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M./Get Out! New Mexico) placed second with a time of 10:35.367 while her sister, Morgan Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M./Goathead Jr. Devo), finished third with a time of 12:10.743. Mason Hopkins (Richmond, Va./Tradewinds Racing p/b Bikebeat) finished 40 seconds behind Morgan Fortin with a time of 12:10.274 while Kiley Krasley (Coplay, Pa.) rounded out the podium with a time of 13:31.914.
Sarah Ginsbach (Spring, Texas) completed her descent 40 seconds faster than any of the other women in the senior women's 19-29 field. Ginsbach stopped the clock at 10:19.247 while Nicole Miranda (Valley City, Ohio/Mirco Racing) placed second with a time of 10:59.808. Callan Horwath (Nazareth, Pa.) was just over a half-second slower than Miranda and 16 seconds faster than Sarah Lukas (Eagle River, Wis.), who finished fourth.
Only 20 seconds separated the top five finishers of the masters men's 30-39 Super D. Nathan Winklemann topped the field, finishing in 8:06.078. Robert Stine Jr. (West Warwick, R.I./Ness Team New England) finished second, eight seconds behind Winklemann and eight seconds faster than the bronze medalist, Brian Shernce (Flanders, N.J./Team Bulldog). Only four seconds separated the third, fourth and fifth-place finishers. Shernce stopped the clock at 8:22.346. Andy Gould (Concord, N.H./Blue Steel Cyclery), who finished fourth, recorded a time of 8:24.023 while Christopher Valenti (Valley Forge, Pa./Bikesport-PA) placed fifth with a time of 8:26.914.
Jessica Rawlins (Denton, Texas/Bicycle Plus Racing), who won the masters women's 30-34 cross-country national championship on Saturday, topped the masters women's 30-39 field by nearly 50 seconds to win the national championship. Rawlins registered a time of 9:29.307. Her closest competitor, Karen Krasley (Coplay, Pa.), stopped the clock at 10:18.595 to win the silver medal. Jocelyn Linscott (Hewitt, N.J.) placed third, 13 seconds behind Krasley and 30 seconds faster than Tiffany Ballew (Atlanta, Ga./Peachtree Bikes), who placed fourth. Amy Alton (Baltimore, Md.) completed the podium, finishing fifth with a time of 11:40.779.
Michael Yozell (Emmaus, Pa./Kapelmuur Independent) topped the very competitive masters men's 40-49 group with a time of 8:21.838 to win the national championship. Dwayne Allgire (Palm Harbor, Fla./Gearlink Racing Inc.) finished only seven seconds behind him with a time of 8:28.362 while local rider Joshua West (Allentown, Pa.) placed third with a time of 8:29.854. Gregg Galletta (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) was just one second slower than West, but 11 seconds faster than the fifth-place rider David MacPherson (Riverview, Fla.).
Shannon Gibson (Durango, Colo./Stan's NoTubes Elite Women's Team) topped the masters women's 40-and-over field with a time of 10:01.579. Kelly Ault (Middlesex, Vt./Mountain Moxie) finished second with a 10:18.651 mark. Ellen White (Ho Ho Kus, N.J.) descended the course in 10:29.843 to place third while Jane Hodess (Ocala, Fla.) was fourth with a time of 10:40.047. Aida Elder (Greenland, N.H.) completed the podium after finishing the course in 10:45.071.
Robert Eichlin (Easton, Pa.) was the fastest of the masters men 50-and-over field, posting a time of 8:21.811. Cary Smith (Littleton, Colo.) nearly matched Eichlin's time, finishing in 8:22.920 to earn the silver medal. Troy Zimmerman (Lake Worth, Fla.) also finished in under 8:40, stopping the clock at 8:37.946 to win the bronze medal. David Van Wart (West Milford, N.J./Team Town Cycle) and Charlie Haimes (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
For complete details on this event, including a complete schedule, results, course maps and a photo gallery, please visit the event web site.
2013 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships
Bear Creek Mountain Resort
Macungie, Pa.
July 18-21, 2013
Short Track Cross-Country
Elite men
1. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing)
2. Stephen Ettinger (Bozeman, Mont./BMC Mountain Bike Racing Team)
3. Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va./Team Sho-Air-Cannondale)
4. Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing)
5. Spencer Paxson (Seattle, Wash./Kona Factory Team)
Elite Women
1. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing)
2. Chloe Woodruff (Tucson, Ariz./Crankbrothers Race Club)
3. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team)
4. Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Stan’s NoTubes)
5. Teal Stetson-Lee (Durango, Colo./Team Luna Chix)
Juniors men 15-18
1. Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo)
2. Stephan Davoust (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo)
3. Peter Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.)
4. Jerry DuFour (Birmingham, Ala./Team Momentum)
5. Jorge Munoz Jr. (Laredo, Texas/MC Supercenter)
Category 1 women
1. Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
2. Haley Batten (Whole Athlete-Specialized)
3. April Morgan (Minneapolis, Minn./All-City X Fulton Racing)
4. Arley Kemmerer (Saylorsburg, Pa./Charm City Cycling LLC-C3 Twenty20Cycling.com)
5. Jessica Rawlins (Denton, Texas/Bicycle Plus Racing)
Super D
Pro men
1. Seamus Powell (Round Top, N.Y.) 7:34.664
2. Neko Mulally (Reading Pa.) 7:37.645
3. Casey Williams (Big Bear City, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) 7:47.372
4. Carl Decker (Bend, Ore.) 7:54.172
5. Tristan Uhl (Austin, Texas/ATC Racing) 7:54.337
Pro women
1. Teal Stetson-Lee (Durango, Colo./Team Luna Chix) 8:45.015
2. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing) 8:56.543
3. Rose Grant (Kalispell, Mont./Sportsman & Ski Haus) 9:09.927
4. Lauren Catlin (Fairfax, Calif./Durango Devo) 9:23.497
5. Carolyn Popovic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 9:33.467
Senior men 19-29
1. Gunnar Bergey (Banner Elk, N.C.) 8:19.635
2. Trevor DeRuise (Reno, Nev./Blu World Inspired-Getreal Nutrition) 8:22.130
3. Dominic Nudy (Fleetwood, Pa.) 8:28.210
4. Noah Mabry (Lebanon, Pa.) 8:41.971
5. Ian Herchenroder (Portsmouth, N.H.) 8:44.526
Juniors men 16-18
1. Carson Beckett (Benton, Ky./Wood-n-Wave) 7:44.954
2. Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Cycle Youth) 8:00.731
3. Peter Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.) 8:11.076
4. Jorge Munoz Jr. (Laredo, Texas/MC Supercenter) 8:11.175
5. Jonathan Anderson (Topsfield, Mass./Essex County Velo) 8:12.429
Juniors women 16-18
1. Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) 9:00.324
2. Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) 9:11.060
3. Angelina Palermo (Butler, Pa.) 9:37.274
4. India Waller (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) 9:42.495
5. Avery Morin (Roseville, Calif./Bear Development Team) 9:44.300
Juniors men 10-15
1. Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) 8:25.823
2. Michael Mace (Ocala, Fla.) 8:38.757
3. Clayton Puckett (Mill Valley, Calif./Bear Development Team) 8:40.886
4. Adam Cohen (North Miami Beach, Fla./Cycle Youth) 9:00.845
5. Jared Karinen (Painesdale, Mich.) 9:02.990
Juniors women 10-15
1. Veda Gerasimek (Transfer, Pa./Red Zone Cycling) 10:13.879
2. Hailey Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M./Get Out! New Mexico) 10:35.367
3. Morgan Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M./Goathead Jr. Devo) 12:10.743
4. Mason Hopkins (Richmond, Va./Tradewinds Racing p/b Bikebeat) 12:50.274
5. Kiley Krasley (Coplay, Pa.) 13:41.914
Seniors women 19-29
1. Sarah Ginsbach (Spring, Texas) 10:19.247
2. Nicole Miranda (Valley City, Ohio/Mirco Racing) 10:59.808
3. Callan Horwath (Nazareth, Pa.) 11:00.596
4. Sarah Lukas (Eagle River, Wis.) 11:16.649
Masters men 30-39
1. Nathan Winklemann (Huntsville, Texas/Shama Cycles) 8:06.078
2. Robert Stine Jr. (West Warwick, R.I./Ness Team New England) 8:14.214
3. Brian Shernce (Flanders, N.J./Team Bulldog) 8:22.346
4. Andy Gould (Concord, N.H./Blue Steel Cyclery) 8:24.023
5. Christopher Valenti (Valley Forge, Pa./Bikesport-PA) 8:26.914
Masters women 30-39
1. Jessica Rawlins (Denton, Texas/Bicycle Plus Racing) 9:29.307
2. Karen Krasley (Coplay, Pa.) 10:18.595
3. Jocelyn Linscott (Hewitt, N.J.) 10:31.631
4. Tiffany Ballew (Atlanta, Ga./Peachtree Bikes) 11:01.911
5. Amy Alton (Baltimore, Md.) 11:40.779
Masters men 40-49
1. Michael Yozell (Emmaus, Pa./Kapelmuur Independent) 8:21.838
2. Dwayne Allgire (Palm Harbor, Fla./Gearlink Racing Inc.) 8:28.362
3. Joshua West (Allentown, Pa.) 8:29.854
4. Gregg Galletta (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.)8:30.945
5. David MacPherson (Riverview, Fla.) 8:41.500
Masters women 40+
1. Shannon Gibson (Durango, Colo./Stan's NoTubes Elite Women's Team) 10:01.579
2. Kelly Ault (Middlesex, Vt./Mountain Moxie) 10:18.651
3. Ellen White (Ho Ho Kus, N.J.) 10:29.843
4. Jane Hodess (Ocala, Fla.) 10:40.047
5. Aida Elder (Greenland, N.H.) 10:45.071
Masters men 50+
1. Robert Eichlin (Easton, Pa.) 8:21.811
2. Cary Smith (Littleton, Colo.) 8:22.920
3. Troy Zimmerman (Lake Worth, Fla.) 8:37.946
4. David Van Wart (West Milford, N.J./Team Town Cycle) 9:02.443
5. Charlie Haimes (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 9:04.713
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- Three jerseys awarded on first day of Cross-Country MTB Nats - Jul 18, 2013
This Article Updated July 22, 2013 @ 03:12 AM For more information contact:
