Pro Men and Women's Results from Pro XC Tour #3 in Birmingham, Alabama

Luna Team Continues It's Domination Taking The Top Three Spots, Sid Taberlay Comes Out On Top Dwon South

No one would have guessed that after the dust had settled on round #3 of the PRO XCT series that Team Sho- Air/Specialized would have two riders on the podium and walk away with the PRO XCT series leader’s jersey, but that’s exactly what the team did. This weekends men’s pro field was stacked deep with talent as 70+ men lined up to do battle in Birmingham, Alabama.  

All the heavy hitters were there, along with some fresh faces and local regional talent. 

The race set off to a blistering start as the men rocketed up the pavement climb as newly crowned Costa Rican National Champion Manny Prado lead the initial charge for position into the first wooded single track section.  Just before entering the single track Sho-Air/Specialized rider Sid Taberlay led Kabush, Trebon, JHK, Wells, Plaxton,Jurekovic and others.  As the riders came out of the woods, it was Kabush on the front with Taberlay and a 15 man freight train leading up the steep road section climb before entering into another technicalsinewy single track decent. As lap after lap went by multiple attacks whittled the field down to five players, which included Sho-Air/Specialized riders Sid Taberlay and Max Plaxton. 

On the rider’s last lap up the paved climb in the back section, Sho-Air’s Taberlay made a violent attack as the riders headed for a single track section.  Only JHK was able to follow, with Sho-Air’s Plaxton and Specialized’s Todd Wells dropping off the back. From there Taberlay stayed glued to Horgan-Kobelski’s wheel as the two powered there way towards the finish.  As they hit speeds in excess of 40 MPH on the down hill decent into the finish, Taberlay came out the slip stream to jump into the first of two 90 degree left hand corners leading to the start finish line straight. Once out of the last corner, Taberlay stomped on his S-Works Stump jumper hard tail and put several bike lengths into second place Jeremy Horgan Kobelski.  Only a few seconds back came Sho-Air/Specialized rider Max Plaxton aboard his S-Works Epic in a mono e mono sprint with Specialized Factory rider Todd Wells aboard his 29’er. 

In the end it was Plaxton getting the nod for 3rd and retaining the PRO XCT leader’s jersey, while Taberlay’s win moved him into a tie for second place and only 5 points out of the leader’s jersey 

heading into round # 4 of the PRO XCT in Colorado Springs.

The Women's lead group early on

The women's event came down to a close finish between Luna teammates Pendrel and Gould

Georgia Gould, Pua Sawicki, and Kathy Sherwin, left to right, on the start line. 

Photos by: Sean & Andria Sindt

Pro Women Results

1, Catharine Pendrel (Luna) 1.29.38
2, Georgia Gould (Luna) 1.29.39
3, Katerina Nash (Luna) 1.31
4, Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth)
5, Kelli Emmett (Giant)
6, Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
7, Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis)
8, Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
9, Kathy Sherwin (Tomac/Kenda/Hayes)
10, Kimberly Flynn
11, Anina Aaron (Kenda/KMC)
12, Jamie Dinkins
13, Erin Dasterhef
14, Chloe Forsman (Luna)
15, Maureen Kunz

Pro Men

1. Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized)
2. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
3. Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Specialized)
4. Todd Wells (Specialized)
5. Seamus McGrath (Jamis)
6. Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis)
7. Adam Craig (Giant)
8. Troy Wells (Clif Bar)
9. Rotem Ishay
10. Andy Schultz (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes)
11. Colin Cares (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes)
12. Sam Jurekovic (Sho-Air/Specialized)
13. Carl Decker (Giant)
14. Ryan Woodall
15. Thomas Turner
16. Sam Schultz (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
17. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
18. Kris Sneddon (Kona)
19. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
20. Manuel Prado (Sho-Air/Specialized)

Jeremiah Bishop takes Mohican 100 in record time as Shogren wins it for the women

Trek Racing Co-Op Rider Jeff Schalk (photo by: steven hoover)

Round two of the National Ultra-Endurance Series (NUE) kicked off today with the Mohican 100 in Loudonville, Ohio. Anticipation was high as fans awaited another showdown between former teammates Jeff Schalk (Trek Racing Co-Op) and Jeremiah Bishop (Monave-Cannondale.com), who finished 1-2 at the NUE opener in Tennessee.

Ohio has been uncharacteristically dry for this time of year which helped to limit the number of muddy sections on course. Riders had a relatively dry surface for racing which left only the ripping-fast singletrack, bridges, creek crossings, and brutally steep short climbs to contend with. After 100 miles and roughly 11,000 feet of climbing every rider in the field would be praying to see the finish line.

 The Monavie-Cannondale compound prior to the race (Photo by Alex Grant)

The men’s event featured virtually all the top ultra-endurance riders in the country including, Jeremiah Bishop and Tinker Juarez (Monave-Cannondale.com), Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk (Trek Racing Co-Op) and Josh Tostado (Bach Builders).

The action started right from the gun as Bishop, Schalk, and Juarez got away with Chris Tanguy (Team Fraser), Brandon Draugelis (Cannondale), and Michael Simonson (Gary Fisher 29er Crew).

The group of 6 established a small lead over a strong chase group including Tostado, Eatough, Monavie teammates Alex Grant and Bart Gillespie, ultra-endurance veteran Harlan Price (IF) and Chris Beck. The chasers were pushing hard to bridge the gap until a wrong turn killed their hopes of joining the leaders. The wrong turn was especially costly for powerhouse team Monavie-Cannondale.com who would have had overwhelming numbers in the lead group. The mishap ended up costing about 10 minutes before the riders found their way back to the trail.

Unaware of the happenings behind them, the leaders kept the pace high working together throughout the race. The unseasonably dry conditions helped riders maintain a furious pace throughout the 100 miles.

The lead group worked together well, so well in fact, they stayed together until the 95-mile mark. At that point all out warfare was declared in the once cohesive group. as Bishop and Schalk clashed, elbow-to-elbow, each one trying to take the lead into the final singletrack section. Bishop prevailed as the skirmish began to take it’s toll on Schalk who started to cramp. Bishop kept the pace high over the final miles to take the win over second place Chris Tanguy who moved ahead of Schalk after the Trek rider cramped. Schalk held on for third. Simonson took 4th with Draugelis finishing off the podium in 5th. Mountain bike legend Tinker Juarez came home in the 6 spot.

Monavie-Cannondale.com Frontman Jeremiah Bishop (photo by: shannon boffeli)

After the race Bishop said, “I was in the gutter. At the end, I put all my chips in and it worked out. This is one of the hardest 100 milers I have done.”

Once regaining the course the chase group put in a strong effort but were left wondering what-if as Gillespie stayed strong leading the group in 7th place followed by Rob Lichtenwalner (VisitPA.com), Price, Grant, Eatough, Greg Kuhn (Team Fraser), and Josh Tostado.

In the women’s group it was east coast racing legend Betsy Shogren (Cannondale) taking first place over Karen Potter.

Race notes
-Monavie-Cannondale rider Alex Grant bonked toward the end of the race. He stopped at the final feed where he refueled with Little Debbie Swiss Rolls and a pocket full of animal crackers. “Before I stopped I was delirious but after the Little Debbies I felt great!” commented the Monavie rider after the race. Grant credits the Swiss Rolls with helping him hold on to his top-10 placing.

1, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie Cannondale.com) 6.50.26
2, Chris Tanguy (Team Fraser)
3, Jeff Schalk (Trek Racing Co-Op)
4, Michael Simonson (Gary Fisher 29er Crew)
5, Brandon Draugelis (Cannondale)
6, Tinker Juarez (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
7, Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
8, Rob Lichtenwalner (VisitPA.com)
9, Harlan Price (Independent Fabrications)
10, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
11, Chris Eatough (Trek Racing Co-Op)
12, Greg Kuhn (Team Fraser)
13, Josh Tostado (Bach Builders)
14, Scott Henry (Team Hammerhead)
15, Sloane Anderson (Pureenergy-Proair)
16 Aaron Oakes (USA) Team Bulldog/Cycle Craft
17 Bryan Alders (USA) Monavie-Cannondale
18 Tim Finkel (USA) Gary Fisher 29er Crew
19 Andy Gorski (USA) SPK / Speedgoat / Salsa
20 Jesse Stevens (USA) Velocity Bicycles
21 Ernesto Marenchin (USA) Speedgoat.com
22 Jed Prentice (USA) Bike Doctor
23 Matt Ohran (USA) Monavie-Cannondale
24 Justin Farmer (USA)
25 Andy Applegate (USA) CCN / Cannondale
26 Thane Wright (USA) Voodoo Cycles
27 Robert Spreng (USA)
28 Fredrick Dreier (USA) Velo News
29 Scott Cole (USA) Adventure 212/Specialized/Ergon
30 Tj Platt (USA) Gary Fisher 29'er
31 Bradley Cobb (USA) Motor Mile Racing/SCV
32 Travis Mullen (USA) 29er Crew
33 Dan Kotwicki (USA) 34 Ryan Heerschap (USA)
35 Karl Burk (USA)
36 Jason Murrell (USA) Motormile racing/waste services
37 Jake Grantham (USA) Pro Bikes, Bruce Construction, Endura
38 Mike Schultz (USA) Dirty Harrys/Highland Training
39 Bradley Schmalzer (USA) Team Bikeman.com/Kenda/Twin
40 Jeff Socia (USA) TSO
41 Justin Mace (USA) Motor Mile
42 Daniel Atkins (USA)
43 Brian Fischer (USA)
44 Ronnie Dean (USA) 2 Wheel Coach and Wobble-Naught
45 Kris Weber (USA) Team Bulldog CycleCraft
46 Jason Hilimire (USA) Gary Fisher 29er Crew
47 Nicholas Shaffer (USA) Human Zoom/Pabst Blue Ribbon
48 Aaron Shelmire (USA) ProBikes
49 Blaine Heppner (USA)
50 Theo Procopos (USA) Engin Cycles
51 Anthony Hergert (USA) Reality Bikes
52 Gary Chambers (USA)
53 Shawn M. Tevendale (USA) Trek Racing Cooperative/Bike Factory Racing
54 Donald Powers (USA) Pro Bikes
55 Bradley Youse (USA)
56 Mark Rucker (USA)
57 Kristofer Karwisch (USA) Biowheels
58 Patrick Warren (USA)
59 Nathan Mirus (USA) BioWheels
60 Brent Lester (USA) 29ER Crew
61 Brett Sherwood (USA)
62 Jason Mahokey (USA) Pro Bikes/Salsa Cycles/Twin-Six
63 Albert Ciesielka (USA) Aroundnj.com/marty's reliable
64 Tom Mcardle (USA)
65 Andrew Brautigam (USA)
66 Adam Naish (USA) RBS Cycling Team
67 Mac Johansen (USA) Unattached
68 Richard Bilson (USA) C3-Sollay.com
69 Robert Thomas (USA) Henry's Bikes, Wilmington, DE
70 Lee Simril (USA)
71 Clayton Bell (USA) Bell & Co MTN Biking
72 Martin Kozera (USA)
73 Christian Baks (USA) Pawling Cycle and Sport
74 Gary Hall (USA) Thiele Automotive
75 Dan Kabicek (USA)
76 Timothy Wilkie (USA) Riverbrook Bike & Ski
77 Rusty Brown (USA) CAMBA
78 Bradley Ungurait (USA)
79 Vincent Schultz (USA)
80 Cameron Kohn (USA) Healthy & Fit Magazine
81 Doug Milliken (USA)
82 Jeff Plassman (USA)
83 Michael Powers (USA)
84 Timothy Koch (USA) Gripped Racing
85 Lawrence Lanphere (USA)
86 Jeff Zimmerman (USA) Cycle Fit Multisport
87 Anthony Ippolito (USA) Southern Brazil Adventures
88 Ryan Wayne (USA) idutri.com
89 John Griffiths (USA) NYCMTB-Peak Bikes
90 David Spivey (USA) Gray Goat
91 Joshua Cohen (USA) J.Cohen & Associates/ Dirty Harrys
92 Mark Shellhamer (USA) Trek Ohio Valley
93 Chip Waite (USA)
94 Ben Bonney (USA)
95 Ralph Oppermann (USA) AFD
96 Coy Boroff (USA)
97 Katsuhiro Tanda (USA) Team Athens / KT Prototype
98 Adam Schmidt (USA) BioWheels
99 Mike Purcell (USA) Elkay Sales, Inc.
100 Rodney Martin (USA)
101 Peter Rajcani (USA)
102 Mason Brown (USA) onagerband.com
103 Russell Petts (USA)
104 Gary Cadelina (USA) Lucban
DNF Chip Meek (USA) Dieringer/IDUTRI
DNF Mike Weisgerber (USA)
DNF Matt Billingsley (USA)
DNF Claude Laberge (USA)
DNF Thomas Waniewski (USA)
DNF Lee Unwin (USA) GT
DNF George Stefek (USA)
DNF Travis Sapsford (USA) Guy's Racing Club
DNF Christopher Purcell (USA) Elkay Sales, Inc
DNF Robert Payne (USA)
DNF Robb Maher (USA)
DNF Alex Kopko (USA) IF Racing
DNF Andy Klumb (USA) BiciLibre
DNF Todd Henne (USA)
DNF Marcin Gembicki (USA)
DNF Austin Francescone (USA) Trek Store Columbus
DNF Mark Cole (USA) Specialized/Cole Brothers
DNF Dustin Cheney (USA) Rochester Bike Shop/Lewerenze Medical
DNF Christopher Beck (USA) Subaru Gary Fisher


Pro Women
1, Betsy Shogren (Cannondale)
2, Karen Potter
3 Cheryl Sornson
4 Denelle Grant (29er Crew/Bike Factory Racing)
5 Brenda Simril
6 Danielle Musto (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes)
7 Laureen Coffelt (RB's Cyclery)
8 Emily Brock (Faster Mustache)
9 Amy Stauffer (West Pro)
10 Lindsey Lighthizer (Trek Ohio)
11 Sara Dallman
12 Sherry Downing (7 Hills Racing)
13 Noreen Greene
14 Ruth Cunningham (WVMBA/Pro Bikes)
15 Sarah Miller (Carve/TWWSIX)
16 Tracy Martin
DNF Rebecca Tomaszewski (Niner/Ergon)

Intermountain Cup #6, Sundance, Utah: Race Results and Report

The Pro Men's start. Welsh, with his head down, had one thing on his mind.

Dave Welsh Derails the Monavie Green Machine as Amanda Carey Makes it Three for Three

This weekend the Intermountain Cup officially made it’s yearly transition from the lower valley elevations to the big mountain high-altitude racing Utah is known for. Located at beautiful Sundance ski resort the race featured big climbs and flowing singletrack descents.

In the men’s race Monavie-Cannondale.com was looking to continue it’s domination of the Utah series. Monavie heavy-hitters Bart Gillespie and Alex Grant would be out of the mix as both riders traveled to Ohio to compete in the Mohican 100 on Saturday. In an effort to make up for their absence Monavie selected professional road racer Burke Swindlehurst to preserve their unbeaten record at this year’s I-Cup races. In the past that would have been enough to assure Monavie of yet another win but not this year.

As the field of 20 professionals took the start line a group of talented racers were looking to take the win. Not least of which was Kuhl/Scott rider Dave Welsh. Welsh has been riding at the front all season and he had winning on his mind as the race started.

Welsh burst from the line taking a 10 second lead up the opening climb. He kept the pace high and by the time riders entered the singletrack Welsh was 20 seconds ahead. Struggling to close the gap was Subaru/Gary Fisher teammates Chris Holley and Josh Wolfe followed by Kevin Day (Kuhl/Scott), Shannon Boffeli and Ty Hansen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners), Swindlehurst, Chad Harris (Racer’s Cycle Service) and Charlie Gibson (Felt).

Swindlehurst climbs past a mass of pros on the second lap

Holley, a master of the Sundance course, briefly closed the gap on Welsh but the Kuhl rider was too much for him as he climbed away in the top spot. Felt rider Charlie Gibson put in a huge surge at the end of lap one which took him from outside the top-5 to second place. Gibson used his excellent handling skills and climbing power to hold onto the runner-up slot. For the second week in a row, Holley crossed the line in third, happy with his efforts on the day.

Swindlehurst had to settle for fourth just in front of Josh Wolfe.

After the race, a proud Dave Welsh said, “I had a really good day. I like to start really fast somedays I can keep it going and somedays I can’t. Today was a good day.”

Riders head up the opening road climb against the beautiful backdrop of Sundance Resort

The Pro women were led out by Kenda/Tomac rider Amanda Carey. The powerful Idaho rider has competed at three Intermountain Cup races this season and has won each one of them. Carey opened up a gap on the fist climb and held it throughout the rest of the race.

Carey was able to hold off strong challenges from KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher), also adept at the Sundance course, was never able to close the gap on the Kenda racer.

Written by: Shannon Boffeli

Photos by: Kim Abbott

Pro Women

1,Amanda Carey (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes) 2.03.24
2, KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 2.05.13
3, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 2.08.18
4, Roxanne Tolley (Jans) 2.16.03
5, India Wysong 2.16.04

Pro Men

1,Dave Welsh (Kuhl/Scott) 1.41.31
2, Chuck Gibson (Felt) 1.42.02
3, Chris Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.42.29
4, Burke Swindlehurst (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.43.39
5, Josh Wolfe (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.44.46
6, Kevin Day (Kuhl/Scott)
7, Reed Wycoff (Contenders)
8, Ty Hansen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
9, Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
10, Jonny Hintze (Biker's Edge)
11, Quinn Bingham (Biker's Edge)
12, Rich Abbott (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
13, Shannon Boffeli (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
14, Brandon Cross (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
15, Brandon Firth (Rocky Mountain)
16, Taylor Foss (Kuhl/Scott)
17, Marc Wimmer (Wimmer's)
18, Greg Gibson (MTBracenews.com)
DNF Robbie Squire (U-23 National Team)

Preview: Pro XC Tour #3: Birmingham, Alabama

Geoff Kabush leads the field in Fontana

Pro XC Tour Heads South

This Sunday the elite of North American mountain biking will be heading to the Southland to do battle in the heat and humidity of Birmingham, Alabama. While the Bump ‘n Grind is in it’s 14th year, 2009 will be it’s debut on the U.S. National circuit. Organizers of the Bump ‘n Grind will be unveiling a new racecourse for the showcase Pro event. The circuit will be 5.4 miles with a mix of singletrack, road, and bridges. With only 500 feet of climbing per lap and few opportunities to create space between racers some tight racing and close finishes should be expected.

For the first time since the opening round in Fontana, the Pro men’s race will feature all the top racers. Sunday’s main event will have top guns Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis), Adam Craig (Giant), and Todd Wells (Specialized). All three have been doing battle on the World Cup circuit and now return to treat the U.S. fans to an all out showdown.

Kabush has to be the odds on favorite as the Canadian has rarely been defeated on U.S. soil. Wells can be expected to challenge for the top spot if he can escape the mechanical problems that have plagued him this season.

U.S. National Champion Adam Craig

Along with Craig, Subaru/Gary Fisher riders Jeremy Horgan-Kobleski and Sam Schultz should be spending plenty of time at the front of the race. Look out for Barry Wicks and his Kona teammate Ryan Trebon to use their big engines to try and power away on the relatively flat racetrack. Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Specialized) has the skill to compete at the World Cup level but has stayed stateside focusing on the Pro XC Tour. He should be rested up and ready to take on Kabush and company.

Look for Southern boys Sam Koerber (Gary Fisher 29er Crew) and Robert Marion (Kenda/KMC/Hayes) to try and do something special in front of a home crowd. Both riders have the experience and strength to produce a top-10 finish.

The women’s race features a small but talented field including perennial favorites Georgia Gould and Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team). The most interesting addition to this Sunday’s race will be Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain/Maxxis). Davison, who had her best season in 2008, has been absent from the opening rounds of the Pro XC Tour. Keep a close eye on her for a top finish in Alabama.

Pua Sawicki and Kelli Emmett will be shoulder to shoulder again in Alabama

Other big hitters in the field will be Willow Koerber and Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher) along with Kelli Emmett (Giant), Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) and Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth).

The inaugural Pro XC Tour race is Alabama should be an exciting one. Check back with MTBracenews.com on Sunday for the most up-to-date race results from Pro XC Tour #3.

Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli

Rider Chat with Mark Lalonde

Lalonde leading the way in the Wisconsin Off-Road Series 

(photo by John Wrycza)

Mountain bikers outside the Midwest may not be familiar with the name Mark LaLonde. The Wisconsin Pro doesn't get many opportunities to race outside his home state. But when you're winning races in the largest cross country mountain bike series in the country-the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS)- why would you leave?

I know what you're thinking, "I'm faster than any beer-swilling, cheese curd- eating, dairy farmer from Wisconsin. Why should I care about him?" Think about this, when is the last time you won a cross country race with over 50 Pro riders? For Mark Lalonde, it was May 17th. The location: Iola, Wisconsin. He's finished in the top-20 on the National circuit and in 2008, Lalonde just missed a spot on the U.S. National Cyclocross team which went to another Midwest marauder Brian Matter.

His look is a bit unorthodox, with his many tatoos and penchant for heavy metal music, but that is nothing in comparison to his race bike. The self-described "GT Freak Bike" Lalonde has put together weighs in at an astonishing 17.2lbs and as he proved in Iola, it's fast! Read our interview to learn more about this up-and-comer from the land of milk and Miller Light.

MTBracenews.com- Is it Mark or Marko?

Mark Lalonde- Mark, but most people know me as Marko.

MTBracenews.com- You and your brother Jesse have been very successful in the ultra-competitive WORS series but have done fairly little mountain bike racing on the National circuit. Why?

Mark Lalonde- Last year was the first year we had any travel support. We went east to do the Windham Mt and Mt Snow races with mixed results. The courses were definitely tougher to ride fully rigid than the WI races. It’s tough to mix racing a nat’l schedule and working 40 or more hours a week. Then you throw in a fairly national-oriented cyclocross season, it’s really just a juggling act. Wisconsin has a pretty solid mtb scene, so I can make racing a one day affair, keep my job, and I get to spend some quality time with my fiancée Meghan. Now if I was getting paid a salary to race, that would be a whole different story. That’s not to say that it can’t be done working a full time job. I know there are guys out there doing it.

MTBracenews.com- Why is it so many talented Wisconsin racers seem to limit their racing to the Wisconsin Off-Road Series?

Mark Lalonde- I think most are in a similar situation. WI has a pretty deep group of racers that are pro, but work full-time jobs. There’s maybe 5 or 6 guys that have done some national races finishing anywhere from top 10 to the 30s. There’s some serious bragging rights if you can win the WORS overall. It’s really cool that we can have this rivalry and competition at these local races. Most people don’t really think of the Midwest as an mtb hotbed, but I’d say we can hold our own. Also, the proximity of any national races poses an issue for us cheese heads. I think the closest ProXC event is CO for nationals.

MTBracenews.com- What makes the Wisconsin Off-Road Series so popular?

Mark Lalonde- A lot of it has to do with the way the events are run. Don Edberg has got the system dialed in. Everything runs super smoothly. Races take off on time; results are up within an hour of the finish. It’s really a fun and inviting atmosphere. Word of mouth goes a long way and year after year there’s a new crop of riders itchin to get into the WORS traveling dirt circus.

MTBracenews.com- Tell us about your race bike for 2009.

The GT Freak Bike or "96er"

Mark Lalonde- I switched sponsors this year. I recently started working for Planet Bike (a bike accessory manufacturer) and it only made sense to ride for them as well. I really couldn’t ask for much more support from them. GT Bicycles signed on as our bike sponsor for the mtb team and I matched that up with a line of other personal sponsors: Twin Six clothing, Oakley, Crank Brothers, and Surly (cogs). I’ve also got some additional support from Edge Composites. GT set me up with two of there carbon Zaskar Pro bikes. I’ve ridden a 29er since 2002 and really loved it, but I was willing to try something new. Being a serious tinkerer, I decided I’d swap out the wheelset for some 650b’s. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough clearance on the rear. The next test was to convert it to a 96er with a rigid fork. I swapped out the 100mm fork for a 445mm rigid fork w/ the 29 inch front wheel. The geometry is almost identical. I managed to get my hands on Trickstuff’s Excentriker, an eccentric bottom bracket for use in a standard bb shell to convert it to a single speed. Edge built me up some super light wheels, DT 240 hubs on the carbon Edge rims. I got a little weight-weenie on this build w/ Alligator rotors, Avid Juicy Ultimate SL brakes, XTR crankset, Crank Brothers quad ti egg beaters, FSA OS99 stem and Carbon Pro bars, Thomson Masterpiece post, Fizik Tundra saddle, ESI grips, Surly cog, KCNC skewers, Ritchey WCS bar ends. Tires vary on the course. Since I have no tire sponsor, I pick and choose what I like. Some of my favorites are the Kenda Small Block 8, Stan’s Crow, WTB Vulpine, Bontrager XDX, and the Schwalbe Racing Ralph.

My other bike is set up with Shimano XTR shifters and derailleurs and an FSA K-Force Light double crank, everything else is identical. Training wheels are Bontrager Race Xlite.

MTBracenews.com- You have a history of racing some nontraditional mountain bike set-ups. How has that evolved and how does it impact your racing.

Mark Lalonde- I’ve always raced a single speed. Last year and year prior I was involved in some product testing for Gary Fisher. They built some one off bikes for us. I just like to try out different things and eventually I’m going to find the perfect set up.

Lalonde uses the Exzentriker bottom bracket to turn this traditional bike into a singlespeed

MTBracenews.com- What is your proudest accomplishment on the mountain bike?

Mark Lalonde- Finishing 4th at the Fat Tire 40 on a single speed, with my brother Jesse taking the win. That race is the unofficial “Midwest World Championships”.

MTBracenews.com- What are you mountain bike goals for 2009? I’d like to do well in WORS and contend for the overall win.

Mark Lalonde- I’m getting married in July so there will likely be little, if any, national races on my schedule this summer. I’d also like to be in the mix in the Triple Crown races (Ore to Shore, Chequamegon, and Iceman). If I could take home a win in one of those I’d be ecstatic. Then I will likely race a pretty decent cx season with some traveling.

MTBracenews.com- Your blog is called “Kill the Darkness” what is that all about?

Mark Lalonde- Somewhere along the line I picked up another nickname, the Darkness. I think it had something to do with Charlie Murphy. It’s really just joke, just egging people on to put the hammer down on me. I’m always one for some good friendly competition.

MTBracenews.com- Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know about you.

Mark Lalonde- My favorite genre of music is metal. Love it. But I’ve got a sweetspot for bluegrass as well. I’m quite fond of the banjo, so much so that I went out and bought one to try to teach myself. I haven’t gotten very far but I swear I’m gonna get serious about it any day now.

MTBracenews.com- What is it like racing against your dicing it out at the front with your brother every weekend? Is 2009 your year to dominate?

Mark Lalonde- It’s always fun to be out there racing with the family. Our younger brother James is on the way up too, so hopefully we can have a serious bro-down in the near future. It seems that we have very similar racing styles and this makes it really tough for either of us to get a gap. It’s always nice to be able to bust out the tactics when we need to.
I think it’s far too early for me to be making any claims of domination for this year. I’m pleased with the way things have been going so far, but it’s a long season. As long as I can keep going the way I have been, I think I should be in contention.

Check back with MTBracenews.com for all the action from Wisconsin Off-Road race #2 this Sunday in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

U.S. Cup presents all new PRO XCT course for Bump N Grind event

The U.S. Cup in conjunction with USA Cycling has designed a new PRO XCT race course for stop # 3, the Bump N Grind event in Birmingham, Alabama on May 31st.

“Historically Bump N Grind offers a 17 mile XC loop, explains U.S. Cup Chairman R. Scott Tedro. This new PRO XCT series is all about offering riders change, and for the Pro’s we are doing our best to offer shorter courses like they find on the World Cup Circuit. Ty asked that I fly down here personally to assist Bump N Grind promoter Chris Straynar in helping with the course layout, and I think the out come is going to be a fast and furious course.” continues Tedro

“The guys at the U.S. Cup have been unbelievable, explains Bump N Grind promoter Chris Straynar. Scott flew down personally with team Pro rider Manuel Prado a few weeks back to assist us in developing a course in line with the U.C.I . XCO format. While this is Bump N Grinds 14th year of racing, we are new to the PRO XCT series, and the requirements of the U.C.I. There input is definitely going to take our event to the next level!” beams Straynar. “The U.S. Cup has even donated $2,000 to help fund our around the lake bridge project, which will allow us to build even a better PRO XCT course for 2010”

“This is a perfect example of what the U.S. Cup series is all about relates Ty Kady, U.S. Cup marketing director. It’s about improving the synergy between the series and the promoters who are running these events. The Bump N Grind has a great reputation and following over the last 14 years, however their now stepping into a new arena by hosting a PRO XCT event…. So we are glad to lend a helping hand where needed.”


The Bump N Grind PRO XCT course will be a 5.4 mile loop with about 500+ feet of climbing per lap. The first lap will be a controlled start led out by the lead moto, into an additional start loop resulting in an opening lap of 6.3 miles long. The course is a mix of 85% single track, a pavement section and multiple bridge crossing’s to keep riders on their toes.

Stan Crane Memorial, Draper, Utah: Intermountain Cup #6

The Pro men attack the opening singletrack

Sherwin takes first as Monavie-Cannondale continues Intermountain Cup domination

Written By: Shannon Boffeli
Photos By: Lyna Saffel

With rain again disrupting the usually predictable sunny Utah racing scene race promoters were forced to make some last second modifications to the racecourse. This time the muddy singletrack was replaced by an unrelenting and fast, hard-packed sand road while preserving some of the best features of the original course.

Bart Gillespie descends back toward the finish

In the men’s race with Alex Grant and Bart Gillespie on the line Monavie-Cannondale looked set to continue it’s domination of Utah XC racing. Before celebrating, the Green Machine would have to deal with Jamis rider and former Monavie man Jason Sager.

Sager took the holeshot with Gillespie and Grant close behind. The leaders could be heard chatting about the upcoming Pro XC Tour race in Alabama as the rest of the field struggled to limit their gap. As the course widened, Chris Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) surged ahead to join the lead group. As the front pack approached the bottom of the long road climb on the course all chatting ceased. The Green Machine was putting down an unbelievable pace that first dispatched Holley and finally the Jamis rider Sager. The finish would come down to one of these two. Gillespie led into the final singletrack section and that was all it would take for him to take the win by 4 seconds over Grant. A mechanical eventually forced Sager from the race which allowed Holley to finish third after spending most of the day in no-man’s-land just behind the lead group.

Alex Grant stays relaxed in the singletrack

After the race a very gracious Alex Grant said, “Bart was just flying today! He was big-ringing the climb every lap.”

As the fireworks exploded up front, a chase group, featuring a powerhouse of veteran Utah racers, took turns trying to break their rivals. The group included teammates Ty Hansen and Shannon Boffeli (Revolution/Peak Fasteners), Chad Harris (Racer’s Cycle Service), Kevin Day (Kuhl/Scott), Reed Wycoff (Contender), and Josh Wolf (Subaru/Gary Fisher). The chasers rode wheel to wheel throughout the opening of three laps until Hansen split the group with a vicious attack at the top of the second road climb. The attack dropped all but Day and Harris who both attempted, to no avail, to break up the group throughout the final lap.

Harris used his raw power on the road sections to deaden the legs of his counterparts. His ability to take the lead on the open sections and preserve a high tempo prevented Day or Hansen from coming around the Racer’s Cycle Service big man. Day would have to settle for 5th with Hansen crossed the line just seconds behind. The three riders were separated by just 11 seconds at the finish.

Kathy Sherwin on her way to another win

In the women’s race, all looked to Kathy Sherwin (Tomac/Kenda/Hayes) to take the top spot on the podium. Despite a tough week of training for the high-level Pro she had enough left in the tank to stay on top. She opened a gap early and kept her pace high throughout the event.

After the race Sherwin said, “Alison doesn’t care how I do at these races so she just loaded me up this week with intervals and VO2 efforts. I was really tired going into today. I just went as fast as I could” referring to her coach, former World Champion Alison Dunlap.

A close race developed for second place with tough competitors Jen Hanks (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) both battling for the runner-up spot. Holley has the upper hand in their frequent match-ups having defeated Hanks on several occasions this spring and again Holley led after the road climb on the second lap. Hanks stayed close on the fast, technical downhill section and attacked when the course went to doubletrack. Hanks held onto her tenuous 10 second lead until the final lap when she was able to open it up by maintaining a strong tempo. Hanks finally crossed the line exactly one minute ahead of Holley. Erika Powers took the fourth spot.

Race Notes:

-The last minute changes to the racecourse left riders to contest a more open course, which made for some close, tactical racing. Most riders were disappointed to lose multiple long sections of singletrack but were pleased, in the end, by the head-to-head racing the new course encouraged.

Pro Men

1, Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannodale.com) 1.28.00
2, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.28.04
3, Chris Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.31.46
4, Chad Harris (Racer’s Cycle Service) 1.32.01
5, Kevin Day (Kuhl/Scott) 1.32.05
6, Ty Hansen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.32.12
7, Reed Wycoff (Contender) 1.33.33
8, Shannon Boffeli (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.34.22
9, Josh Wolf (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.34.43
10, Blake Zumbrunnen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.36.05
11, Geoffrey Montague
12, Brandon Cross (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.36.20
13, Brandon Firth (Rocky Mountain) 1.36.58
DNF Jason Sager (Jamis)

Pro Women

1, Kathy Sherwin (Tomac/Kenda/Hayes) 1.42.41
2, Jen Hanks (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.45.23
3, KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.46.23
4, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.50.46

Rider Chat with National Ultra Endurance Champion Jeff Schalk

Trek Co-Op rider Jeff Schalk (Photo by Steven Hoover)

This week Ultra-Endurance phenom Jeff Schalk takes some time to speak with MTBracenews.com. Read his interview as the defending National Ultra Endurance series champion shares his thoughts about racing, his near death accident with a trolley, and the secrets behind being one of the country's top endurance mountain bike racers. On the trail Schalk routinely hands it to bigger name riders like Bishop, Landis, and Eatough today he's taking a second to hand it to the MTBracenews.com readers.

MTBracenews.com- You worked your way through the ranks as an Olympic distance XC racer. Now that you are a Pro you seem to have shifted your focus to Ultra-Endurance events. Why?

Jeff Schalk- I first pursued the races that were the most obvious for trying to “make it” as a Pro, namely the National XC races. But, I began to gravitate towards the Ultra Endurance world as I saw that I was better suited towards longer races. My first year as a Pro, my manager (Steven Hoover) had me compete in the Shenandoah 100 because it is a local favorite that serves as good exposure. I first thought that 100 miles sounded terribly painful, but went along with it and did really well, getting 3rd place. That seemed to catch the attention of my teammate Chris Eatough because he asked me to be his partner at the BC Bike Race the next year. His taking me on and acting as a mentor more or less made my career. I learned a ton from training/racing with him and saw that the exposure we got from winning BC that year was much more helpful for Trek and my career than anything else I could do. Later that year, I focused on the Shenandoah 100 again, knowing that I might be able to win. Floyd Landis had signed up, and there was a bunch of hype about his participation (he entered a few MTB races during his legal battles against alleged doping). I really went for it that day and won by a big margin, setting a new course record. I received so much attention for that win that I realized again, for both Trek’s exposure and my own career, I should focus on the NUE. The following year, I won four of the NUE races, locked up the series, and had found my niche. Trek has been behind me all along, but has dramatically stepped up the support as I have gained bigger and better exposure with my Ultra-Endurance successes.

MTBracenews.com- How does your training differ now as compared to your days as a Olympic distance XC racer?

Jeff Schalk- More hours and more time spent doing Tempo is important, and the need to do really short intervals is no longer very necessary. But, I honestly don’t train too much differently. Maybe this is an indication of always training my strengths and why I never quite broke out as an XC racer? I’ve always loved doing exhaustive all-day training sessions with tons of climbing.

MTBracenews.com- When you are competing at a 100 miler what are your nutritional goals during the race? How much and how often are you eating?

Jeff Schalk- Fluid and calorie intake is a crucial part of Ultra Endurance racing. You can’t really wait to listen to your body since it might be too late once you are thirsty or hungry, so you have to systematically ingest as much as you can absorb. I take one Powerbar Powergel every 30-40 minutes. I love those things – they taste like candy and I never get sick of them; I end up going through 10-15 for any given 100 mile race. But, I seem to have a more tolerant stomach than most since other racers seem to need to balance a between solid food, bars, and gels.

MTBracenews.com- What qualities do you look for in a race before committing to competing?

Jeff Schalk- I’ve always loved the sport aspect of racing, meaning that the competition is more thrilling to me than the course itself. You could set up a series of cones in a dirt parking lot and I’d be satisfied. I won’t deny that I love good trails and pretty scenery, but that is more important to keep motivated for training as compared to racing. As for wanting a race that plays to my favor, I’d prefer a race with a lot of climbing.

Jeff parting the waters at Kenda Cup East #1

MTBracenews.com- Name one race you have not done but would like to someday.

Jeff Schalk- I really can’t think of any because I feel so incredibly privileged to have received all the support I’ve already gotten and to have been able to do so many different great races. I’ll gladly take on any race in the future that might help gain exposure.

MTBracenews.com- Explain what happened to the Trek/VW team after last season. I think most people are still wondering how a team could fold following such an incredible year of racing.

Jeff Schalk- I feel a little bit under-qualified to answer since I wasn’t part of the negotiation process. However, my understanding is that the team was caught off guard by the timing of the economy’s downfall and the pullout of VW. A large amount of the team’s budget came from VW, and after yet another very successful year for the team, all were very confident that the Trek relationship with VW would continue. When that didn’t happen, it was very late in the game for the team to try and replace such a huge sponsor, especially since the economy had everyone playing conservative with their budgets. The formation of Trek World Racing took a lot of blame from some who thought that Trek was abandoning domestic racing. However, TWR had been in the works long before the end of last year and it was a coincidence that the two entities’ destiny appeared to correlate.

Jeff's Trek Top Fuel race bike (photo by Steven Hoover)

MTBracenews.com- Explain the Trek Racing Co-Op?

Jeff Schalk- Trek maintained its commitment to domestic racing by putting together a collaboration of riders from the previous team. Because the Trek/VW infrastructure (team cars, team trailer, etc) has disappeared, and this is somewhat of a rebuilding year, the team is more of a co-operative association since each athlete is in charge of their own schedule and agenda, yet draws from the same pool of resources. This is all coordinated by our leader at Trek, Michael Browne.

MTBracenews.com- How did you start riding mountain bikes and when did you decide to focus on succeeding as a professional racer?

Jeff Schalk- I had always wanted to be a professional athlete, but had written that dream off after college because I got married and went down the path of having a house and an office job (as a structural engineer). But, we divorced after only a few years and I decided to get into racing as an amateur, mostly as a way to “rediscover” myself while going through the break-up. I had success and was moving up the ranks, but it was still mostly for fun until I had a near death experience that pushed me over the edge towards wanting to try and compete full time. I was hit by a trolley car in San Francisco while on my bike and was incredibly lucky to not be run over and killed by the thing; on the way to the hospital I decided that life was too short to sit around and wonder if I could turn Pro. So, I had a year of transition where I raced more and worked less, then quit my job a year later. A position on the Trek/VW East team opened up at the same time that I turned Pro; manager Steven Hoover took me on and gave me the necessary backing that I needed so that I could focus on developing as a full time racer.

MTBracenews.com- Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

Jeff Schalk- My love for sport and my dream of being an athlete came from watching football. I was too scrawny (and scared) to ever play the game, but grew up watching the NFL and the 49ers. I was largely influenced by players like Roger Craig and Jerry Rice because the media constantly talked about how hard they worked, staying after practice and putting in more hours than anyone. The NFL today is filled with overpaid, disloyal idiots, but I still like the game itself and try to model my athletic career after my childhood heroes, the ones who achieved big things based upon an enormous amount of desire and work ethic.

MTBracenews.com- How do you train to maintain such a high intensity over 100 miles of racing?

Jeff Schalk- The 100 mile MTB format isn’t like a long road race where you can sit in and soft pedal, waiting for the decisive move to happen late in the day, so conventional training that involves going hard for shorter intervals isn’t adequate. You have to be willing to ride Tempo all day long; preparation for that is to do long training rides where you never let off.

MTBracenews.com- What are your goals for this season and in the future?

Jeff Schalk- My focus for this year is the NUE series and the BC Bike Race. As for the future, I like to take one season at a time.

MTBracenews.com- What racing accomplishment are you most proud of?

Jeff Schalk- I’m most proud of winning the Shenandoah 100 in 2007. Floyd Landis wasn’t in peak form, so beating him was a nice perk but not the highlight. The biggest accomplishment that day was that I finally came into my own as a racer. I believed that I could win and confidently set about doing so regardless of external factors.

Texas Mountain Bike Racing Series Wrap-Up

Written by: Sean Sindt
Photos by: Chris Vandivere
After 8 stops and 3 ½ months of racing, Scott Henry (Team Hammerhead) is the 2009 Pro Texas State Champion. The series points are an accumulation of each rider’s top 5 of 8 races, allowing everyone to have 3 dropped races. Henry was unstoppable this year, taking 3 victories and 2 second place finishes and easily winning the series by 46 points over runner up David Hanes (Ride Away Bicycles). Congratulations Scott Henry!

This didn’t come as a surprise to any pro racers this year in Texas. Henry took 6th at the opener in Terlingua way back in February, and after that he has been either winning or taking 2nd place finishes the entire way. Scott had the series well in control by the middle of the series and then made his championship a mathematical certainty after 7 of 8 races.

Hanes finished the spring with 3 bad races in a row, but luckily his first 5 races were very consistent so that he didn’t have to worry about the last 3. Hanes finished in the top 5 in all 5 of his scoring races. His strongest finishes this year was a 2nd at Reimers and a 3rd at Waco, along with two 4th place finishes and a 5th. Taking 3rd overall was Sean Sindt (Bicycle Sport Shop). Sindt had 2 top five finishes, taking 3rd at Terlingua and 4th at Comfort, then also adding a 6th and two 7th’s. Rounding out the top 5 was Rick Wetherald (Solar Eclipse) in 4th and Alex Morgan (Cycle Progression) in 5th.

Final 2009 Series Standings-Top 10

1 Scott Henry Team Hammerhead 350
2 David Hanes Ride Away Bicycles 304
3 Sean Sindt Bicycle Sport Shop 272
4 Rick Wetherald Solar Eclipse 255
5 Alex Morgan Cycle Progression 243
6 Payson McElveen Bicycle Sport Shop 243
7 Craig Kunz Bicycle Sport Shop 224
8 Bryan Fawley Park Place Lexus 222
9 Noel Reuter Bicycle Sport Shop 192
10 Jorge Munoz Gold’s Gym Laredo 188

With the intense summer heat coming back to Texas, racing will stop until the fall series starts in September. The fall series is a short 5-race series starting with the Camp Eagle Classic on September 6th and wraps up with the Rocky Hill Rampage on November 8th.

2009 Texas Fall Series Schedule:

9/6 Camp Eagle Classic Rocksprings, TX
9/13 Huntsville Classic Huntsville, TX
10/4 BTU Power Pedal Bryan, TX
10/26 Piney Hills Classic Ruston, LA
11/8 Rock Hill Rampage Smithville, TX

Mark Lalonde and Kim Eppen take the lead at WORS season opener

An average size field at any WORS event puts most other races to shame

(Photo by Amy Dykema)

The Wisconsin Off Road Series began the 2009 season this weekend at the Iola Bump & Jump, hosted in the wooded singletrack of the Iola Winter Sports Club outside Iola, WI. Competitors rode multiple laps of a 5-mile loop, which was heavy on climbing in the first half and featured sandy wooded singletrack throughout. Massive ski jump towers loomed over the sides of a deep jump bowl, through which the course crossed several times, allowing spectators to catch a great view of the fast-paced race and changing splits between racers.

Brothers Mark and Jesse LaLonde tear through the Iola course

(Photo by: Keith Wolf)

An early crash in the sandy singletrack split the leaders from a chase group in the men’s 5-lap Belgioioso Cat 1 / Pro Men’s race. In the end, Mark Lalonde (Planet Bike/GT/T6) outsprinted last year’s undefeated WORS series champion, and brother, Jesse Lalonde (Gary Fisher 29r/t6/BKB) at the line for the win, with a time of 1:38:44. Travis Woodruff of Tucson, AZ (Adventure 212/ Specialized) crossed the line just 49 seconds later, holding off Brian Eppen of Iowa City, IA (Mercy / Specialized) by a single second to take third place.

Iowa City rider Kim Eppen powers to the top spot in the Pro race

(Photo by: John Wrycza)

Kim Eppen of Iowa City, IA (Mercy Specialized), dominated the 4-lap women’s Ca1 / Pro race from the start, crossing the line almost 5 minutes ahead of the rest of the field (1:29:38). Second place went to 2008 WORS Overall Champion Abigail Strigel of Madison, WI (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt; 1:34:22), followed by Rebecca Cleveland of Green Bay (Bike Hub; 1:35:15).

The Cat 2 Comp men were led by Cody Goettl (1:26:44), while the Junior X races were won by Ryan Voss (1:29:58) and Murphykate Montee (1:46:40) in 4 laps. For complete results, see http://wors.org. The next race of the 2009 Wisconsin Off Road Series will be held on May 31 in Rhinelander, WI where the competition is expected to heat up along the shores of Crystal Lake.

Report by: Claire Cannon

Click Here For Full Results

In our tireless effort to bring you all the XC and Endurance races in the United States we are constantly adding new races to our nationwide race calendar as well as updating it with new information.

This week we have added the Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS). With 9 races in their series you can race in Wisonsin almost every weekend throughout the summer. Check out these new races and over 450 others on the MTBracenews Nationwide Mountain Bike Calendar. You're guaranteed to find a race you're interested in.

Just click the "Race Calendar" link at the top of this page and with a few clicks of the mouse find the race you have been looking for.

If you would like to add an event to the calendar please send your information to info@mtbracenews.com and we will include it.

The Robbie Report is a weekly feature on MTBracenews.com. Robbie Squire is the 2008 Junior National Champion and the newest member of the US National Team. Just two years ago Squire was racing as a Sport. In '08, his first year and only year as a Junior Expert, Robbie won the Junior National Championship. In '09 his first year in the senior ranks, the Utah resident will be racing with the U.S. National Under-23 Team. Each week Robbie will share his experiences with us. Join in as the 19 year-old Junior National Champion and first year Pro travels across the United States and Europe racing his bike and living out a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This past week’s race marked my first venture into road racing. It was quite the leap going from local hill climbs and crits to a 3-day stage race in Belgium called Triptyque Ardennais. The first day was a rude awakening- it rained the entire time.The course was 130 km and was mostly flat with a lot of short punchy climbs. All of which was not fun in the rain. What was especially fun was riding on roads through cow pastures where “stuff” got flung up onto your face from your wheels. Fortunately everyone was riding very cautiously and despite the rain and the cow pies I was able to finish 4 minutes down in 94th out of 175.


The next day was a bit different. It started out a lot better with blue skies and a newly acquired confidence of sitting in the peloton. At about 60k I got crashed and hit the deck for the first time on a road bike. This guy went down in front of me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground in entangled in a mess of bikes and cyclists. I had never fallen on a road bike before and I’ve never hit the ground so hard I didn’t remember the crash. I got up in a daze and jumped back on my bike but in the time that I spent on the ground the peloton was about a minute in front of me and despite giving my best effort to get back I wasn’t able to. I ended up riding by myself for about 30 minutes before the race director stopped me and I had to log my first DNF(did not finish) of the season. That really stunk but that is the nature of the bike racing and there’s not much you can do about it.


Now that I’m racing road bikes I moved to a new home base in Kautenbach, Luxembourg. I didn’t know that towns could get much smaller than Kirchzarten, Germany but Kautenbach takes the cake. This town consists of a river, church, hotel, and about 10 houses it’s puny the nearest town is 10 k away and not very different. The town sits in a hole and is surrounded on all sides by hills and you have to ride uphill for 8 km to get out. The road house is chaotic with different groups of guys heading in-and-out to a number of different races every week.


I’m going to give road racing another shot this week in France. The race is a 4-stage race in the Pyrennes called Ronde I’Isard. From what I’m told this race should be better than Triptyque because the stages include some cool mountain passes where Triptyque topped out with short rollers. I’m excited to get to ride in the mountains after not seeing any really peaks since I left Utah almost 2 months ago. In addition to nice stages, it will be my first time to France, which is bound to be interesting.

Robbie

Intermountain Cup #5, Soldier Hollow; Midway, Utah: Race Results/Report to Follow

Monavie-Cannondale Contiues Domination While Visitors Crash the Party in the Women's Event

Pro Men's Winner Alex Grant

Olympic rings, short leg-burning climbs, wide-open high-speed descents, and grass; welcome to Soldier Hollow. As site of the 2002 Olympic Cross Country ski events, Soldier Hollow is an ideal race venue for XC racing in the snow and the dirt.

This weekend it played host to race number 5 on the Utah Intermountain Cup schedule. Despite it’s lack of technical features, Soldier Hollow is a challenging race. The undulating course has short steep climbs intermixed with open flats and equally short but steep descents. The broken nature of the race’s 9 mile lap quickly deadens the legs with nonstop pedaling. The Pro men would complete 3 ¼ laps while the women set off for 3.

Riders broke from the start line at 10 AM well before the heat of the day had a chance to set in. But that didn’t stop the Green Machine of Monavie-Cannondale from heating things up.

Utah’s top team sent four of it’s best riders to the front Bart Gillespie, Alex Grant, Mitchell Petersen, and roadie Burke Swindlehurst, who races part-time for Monavie when not racing the road with the Continental Pro Team Bissell. Dave Welsh (Kuhl/Scott) was a very lonely man as the only rider in the lead group not sporting Monavie green.

Welsh’s best efforts could not hold back the green sea. Early on, Alex Grant, Gillespie, and Swindlehurst established themselves at the front. In keeping with his usual path to fitness Grant has been steadily riding himself into great form. He took his first win of the season at last weekend’s race in Sherwood Hills utilizing his skill as a climber and solid bike handler. Grant would prove to be the strongest this weekend in completely different terrain.

The Monavie trio stayed together until the final lap when Grant accelerated on a long climbing section, which dislodged Gillespie. Swindlehurst quickly closed the gap but could not overtake the stronger Grant.

Grant took his second win in as many weeks with Swindlehurst coming in just 30 seconds later. Gillespie held on for third, as Welsh broke up the Green Machine crossing the line in 4th ahead of Petersen who finished 5th.

Kenda/Tomac Rider Amanda Carey

In the women’s event, a contingent of out-of-towners broke up the elite Utah field. First of the party crashers was Amanda Carey (Kenda/Tomac), a resident of Victor, Wyoming, the gifted rider found herself at Soldier Hollow for some challenging racing. Carey’s teammate, Heather Holmes was the only rider to match her in the early going. The Kenda/Tomac riders stayed together after the climb on the first lap but the descent proved too much for Holmes who is still recovering from a wrist surgery early this year.

That was the last anyone would see of Carey as she charged away for the win. Holmes would continue to ride strong in second place while Californian Sarah Kaufmann (Titus/Roaring Mouse) battled her way into the third spot. Utahn KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) rode a strong race to finish fourth just 1 week out from a win in the Coed Duo race at the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. The final podium spot went to accomplished California Pro, Carolyn Popovic (Bear Valley Bikes).


Written by: Shannon Boffeli with contributions from Blake Zumbrunnen and Ty Hansen

Pro Men

1, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannodale.com) 2.01.20
2, Burke Swindlehurst (Monavie-Cannodale.com) 2.01.53
3, Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannodale.com) 2.04.07
4, David Welsh (Kuhl/Scott) 2.06.05
5, Mitchell Petersen (Monavie-Cannodale.com) 2.06.13
6, Chris Holley (Gary Fisher/Subaru)
7, Rich Abbott (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
8, Chad Harris (Racer's Cycle Service)
9, Johnny Hintze (Biker's Edge)
10, Ty Hansen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
11, Quinn Bingham (Biker's Edge)
12, Brandon Firth (Rocky Mountain)
13, Kevin Day (Kuhl/Scott)
14, Mark Wimmer
15, Brandon Cross (Monavie-Cannnondale.com)
DNF Blake Zumbrunnen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)


Pro Women

1, Amanda Carey (Kenda/Tomac) 2.18.22
2, Heather Holmes (Kenda/Tomac) 2.24.15
3, Sarah Kaufmann (Titus/Roaring Mouse) 2.25.06
4, KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher)
5, Carolyn Popovich
6, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)