Ryan Trebon and Todd Wells chatting it up with Mr. Ned Overend
The first event of every race season is filled with questions waiting to be answered. Who will be the fastest? Who will burst on the race scene this year? This Sunday will not just be the first race of the season it will be the birth of an entirely new United States professional racing series. The Pro Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) and with that come a whole new set of unanswered questions. It seems clear the Pro XCT wants to make a break from the past and that can be seen in this year’s race course.
The route the pro riders will be competing on is a significant departure from the Fontana race course of old. Sunday’s course is shorter, only 5.2 miles long. The course also features more singletrack and more technical riding. And for the first time in many years the pro riders will be using their granny gear in a National series race.
Each lap begins with a steep, technical singletrack climb followed by some tricky rocky descending. Initially the Pro women were told they would be skipping the more technical aspects of the descent. When asked about it they overwhelmingly voted to include the challenging rock drops and gullies in their race. After finishing the descent the riders attack the pavement climb, which has been a feature in previous Fontana races. Once over the climb the riders continue through a shortened version of the old Fontana course.
Rock features on the new Pro course singletrack, the pavement climb is in the distance
In the women’s race riders to watch for include anyone wearing a Luna Women’s Mountain Bike Team jersey. That includes top favorites Catherine Pendrel and Georgia Gould. They finished 1-2 at the recent Continental Championships and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it again on Sunday.
Kelli Emmett (Giant) should be mixing it up at the front. The Giant rider had a breakout 2008 season and seems to be picking up where she left off after winning the Super D. Subaru/Gary Fisher teammates Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber are always race favorites.
I would look for Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) to muscle her way onto the podium. The ultra-endurance superstar finished 10th here last year and has been putting more focus on the shorter cross country events. Canadian Emily Batty (Trek) should also be riding high after a win in the under-23 Continental Championships last weekend.
Picking a victor in the men’s event has to start with Geoff Kabush (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain). Kabush in undefeated in all three events held here and coming off undoubtedly his best season, which saw him take 5th at the World Cup finals in Australia. After K-Bomb comes U.S. National XC Champion Adam Craig who should be buoyed by the more technical trail, which suits his renowned bike handling skills.
Specialized ace Todd Wells is on hand, no doubt looking to continue the fantastic form what carried him to the Beijing last season. Wells has a ton of experience racing on the World Cup scene in Europe and should do well on the World Cup style course in Fontana.
The same goes for Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com). Bishop has a big engine and finely tuned handling skills, which should come in handy on the new Fontana course. We will have to see how making the switch to a new team and being a new dad have affected him.
Watch for the Sho-Air trio of Sam Jurekovic, Max Plaxton, and Sid Taberlay to put on a show for the home crowd. Plaxton and Jurekovic both finished in the top-5 at Fontana last year and Taberlay won the opening round of the US Cup West at Bonelli Park.
Kelli Emmett (Giant) should be mixing it up at the front. The Giant rider had a breakout 2008 season and seems to be picking up where she left off after winning the Super D. Subaru/Gary Fisher teammates Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber are always race favorites.
I would look for Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth) to muscle her way onto the podium. The ultra-endurance superstar finished 10th here last year and has been putting more focus on the shorter cross country events. Canadian Emily Batty (Trek) should also be riding high after a win in the under-23 Continental Championships last weekend.
Picking a victor in the men’s event has to start with Geoff Kabush (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain). Kabush in undefeated in all three events held here and coming off undoubtedly his best season, which saw him take 5th at the World Cup finals in Australia. After K-Bomb comes U.S. National XC Champion Adam Craig who should be buoyed by the more technical trail, which suits his renowned bike handling skills.
Specialized ace Todd Wells is on hand, no doubt looking to continue the fantastic form what carried him to the Beijing last season. Wells has a ton of experience racing on the World Cup scene in Europe and should do well on the World Cup style course in Fontana.
The same goes for Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com). Bishop has a big engine and finely tuned handling skills, which should come in handy on the new Fontana course. We will have to see how making the switch to a new team and being a new dad have affected him.
Watch for the Sho-Air trio of Sam Jurekovic, Max Plaxton, and Sid Taberlay to put on a show for the home crowd. Plaxton and Jurekovic both finished in the top-5 at Fontana last year and Taberlay won the opening round of the US Cup West at Bonelli Park.
Sam Schultz scales the slick rock on the challenging opening climb
The men’s field is bursting with talent this season. Many racers have a chance to burst on the scene and take a surprise podium spot like Kona rider Barry Wicks. He was the only rider to match Kabush’s furious pace here in 2008. Sam Schultz (Subaru/Gary Fisher) could also sneak onto the podium after his spectacular finish in Chile last weekend. And you can never count out his teammate, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski.
With roughly 115 riders in the Pro men’s field and lap times of roughly 22 minutes many riders should be wary of being pulled. In accordance with UCI rules course marshals will be pulling riders based on the 80% rule.
With all the changes that have occured in U.S. mountain bike racing in the past 6 months it is clear one thing remains the same. U.S. cross country racing is the best in North America and these racers are here to win.
With roughly 115 riders in the Pro men’s field and lap times of roughly 22 minutes many riders should be wary of being pulled. In accordance with UCI rules course marshals will be pulling riders based on the 80% rule.
With all the changes that have occured in U.S. mountain bike racing in the past 6 months it is clear one thing remains the same. U.S. cross country racing is the best in North America and these racers are here to win.
Ryan Trebon sporting only one chainring, a trick he is carrying over from Cyclocross
