Press Releases
Day 3 Recap - Sea Otter Classic
By JOSH KADIS
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| Melissa Buhl Photo: Brightroom.com |
MONTEREY, Calif. In a close final that saw both riders overshoot the same turn, Melissa Buhl (KHS) edged top qualifier Jill Kintner (Red Bull) to take her first-ever win at the Sea Otter Classic's SRAM Dual Slalom.
In the first of two rides in the final round, Kintner braked hard through the final corner on the blue course and ceded valuable time to Buhl, who rode first on the generally faster red course.
When the riders switched courses for the second ride, it was Buhl who misgauged the blue course's last turn, but Kintner was unable to make up enough time to overcome her deficit from the first ride.
Despite a career that includes the 2008 UCI World 4-X Championship, this was Buhl's first Sea Otter victory. "I've always been close, but it's been many, many Sea Otters without a win," she said. "It was a day to ride smart and be patient."
Kintner, the BMX bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics and a two-time 4-X winner at Sea Otter, said, "It was close, but just not meant to be."
2006 Sea Otter dual slalom winner, Kathy Pruitt (Jamis) beat out Japan's Mio Suemasa for third.
Hill takes win in an unpredictable dual slalom
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| Sam Hill Photo: Brightroom.com |
In an edition of Sea Otter's SRAM Dual Slalom that saw its fair share of upsets, crashes, and even a tie, Sam Hill (Monster Energy-Specialized) took the win after Cody Warren (Team America-Specialized) hit the deck in the second ride of the final round.
Hill, the UCI World Downhill Champion in 2006 and 2007, made it past NorCal local, Mike Haderer, in the quarterfinals and reigning DH world champion Gee Atherton (Commençal) in the semi's, while Warren went through his teammate Kyle Strait and Giant's Jared Rando.
According to Hill, the warm weather dried out the course and played to his strengths. "I felt strong in the corners, the slippery conditions were good for me. I felt more comfortable and stronger [on the pedaling sections]. The downhill tomorrow should be fun."
Rando, who ousted top qualifier Mick Hannah in the quarterfinals, took third place ahead of a Atherton in a rare tiebreaker that went to the winner of the second ride in their consolation round.
But the day's biggest cheers went to 39-year-old Eric Carter (GT), the gated racing legend who qualified third and finished sixth. "I didn't have any expectations," he said, "the goal was just to have a good time with the spectators."
On his future, he added, "I love racing bikes, and I'll be here as long as I have a sponsor like GT."
By JOSH KADIS
After consecutive second place finishes in the first two days of road racing at the Sea Otter Classic, Team TIBCO's Joanne Kiesanowski broke through with a narrow victory over Colavita/Sutter Home's Catherine Cheatley in today's 50-mile SRAM Circuit Race.
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| Joanne Kiesanowski Photo: Brightroom.com / Larry Rosa |
The two New Zealand riders went clear of the pack on the second-to-last of 20 laps on the famed Laguna Seca racetrack when Cheatley followed Kiesanowski's attack over the top of the course's 300-foot climb.
With Colavita's sprinter Tina Pic lurking in the field, the burden was on Kiesanowski to drive the breakaway all the way to the finish where she outsprinted her compatriot.
"Jo and I are old friends," Cheatley said after the race. "I knew she has a good sprint and I attacked the last time up the climb to take the sting out of her legs, but I made it close at the end."
Describing Team TIBCO's strategy, Kiesanowski said, "We had a race plan and we stuck to it. We stayed calm and didn't worry about attacking or not [over the first half of the race]. Then we started launching attacks at five to go to put Colavita under pressure."
The strategy paid off for Kiesanowski and Team TIBCO, who prevented a Colavita/Sutter Home sweep of the Sea Otter Classic road races after the victories of Kelly Benjamin in Thursday's criterium and Tiffany Cromwell in Friday's road race.
Andy Jacques-Maynes Team Bissell regains control from Leipheimer
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| Andy Jacques-Maynes Photo: Brightroom.com / Larry Rosa |
Dominating the SRAM Circuit Race at the Sea Otter Classic, Team Bissell used superior numbers and a balanced attack to take first, third, and fourth places and negate Tour de France star Levi Leipheimer (Astana), the winner of yesterday's road race.
Riding to a solo win was Bay Area native, Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell), in a dramatic turnaround after struggling on the Laguna Seca circuit for the last two years, followed by Colavita/Sutter Home's Cuban Luis Amaran and Bissell's Jeremy Vennell, from New Zealand.
"We went head down and committed; we had nothing to lose. I was surprised the gap went out so quickly," Jacques-Maynes said of the trio's attack.
Despite cramping, his acceleration over the final climb secured the victory, while Amaran dropped Vennell on the back side of the racetrack in the final mile.
Fourth place went to another Bissell rider, Kirk O'Bee, while Leipheimer led home the field for fifth.
"It was tough today; it's a punchy course that was hard for me to control," the three-time Tour of California winner described, adding of his Sea Otter experience, "it was good training and good to see that the event has grown so much."
Amaran was certainly the day's most aggressive rider, making the winning break after spending the first 20 laps of the 30-lap race in a six-rider breakaway that hovered between one and two minutes off the front.
Team Specialized Dominates Men's Short Track
By MARK HAGEN
TrailWatch.net Men's Pro XCT Short Track Series presented by EscapeAdventures.com
The first Short Track race of the season provided team Specialized with an inspiring one-two result that impressed both spectators and sponsors. The course holds many of the same features as the tomorrow's cross-country course with bumpy, rutted conditions and fine dust that proved slippery for more than a few pros. However, the fast Short Track format could not be more different from cross-country with racers paying the price if they did not get up-front and dominate from start.
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| Todd Wells Photo: Brightroom.com |
Team Specialized led from the start with Todd Wells getting the holeshot at the start going into the first climb. Favoring the Short Track format, he remarked prior to the race, "I tend to do pretty good on short track but also do well on the second day so maybe I'll have good luck for both."
From there, the fellow teammates Swiss rider, Christoph Sauser, and South African, Burry Stander, were constant players in the first pack with Sauser taking the cash preem on lap three. Sauser was fresh off the previous week's World Cup race in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa where he took a respectable second place finish on the reportedly hot and hilly course.
Other players in the mix during the first half were Olympian Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher) and Sam Schultz (Subaru/Gary Fisher) who made their presence known early on but did not reappear until the end.
Things changed for the top three on lap seven when Sauser rear-flatted from a rolled tire as he landed hard following a jump on the rutty course. This placed Bend, Oregon local, Ryan Trebon (Kona), in third place with Shultz, Carl Decker (Giant) and more than 80 other top pros hot on their tail.
By the final four laps (of 14) the fight for places four and five proved to be great as Shultz, Horgan-Kobelski and crowd favorite, Seamus McGrath (Fuji), battled for the remaining podium spots. All the while Wells and Stander held strong for 1-2 while Trebon slowly started losing ground to the chase pack saying, "I was going back as fast as those guys were coming forward."
In the end, Trebon lost his third-place podium spot to Decker, with Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie/Cannondale) and Shultz arriving in fourth and fifth.
During final laps it was all about the Wells-Stander duo with the two trading places until Wells pulled out front to lead the final lap to a first place finish. Stander, still happy with his second place stated, "The plan was for someone from the team to win so I went really hard at the start but it was tough because I woke up this morning with a bit if a head cold." Commenting on the no-drama ease at which he took the podium, Wells finished by saying, "Sometimes Trebon goes fast off the start and when I saw he wasn't going that good, I just punched it across with those guys and we were gone!"
A full list of today's results can be found HERE.
By MARK HAGEN
TrailWatch.net Women's Pro XCT Short Track Series presented by EscapeAdventures.com Saturday, April 18, 2009
Known for producing lung-busting efforts, Short Track combines cross-country distance specialists with short distance crit racers for one fast and furious race. Being the first short track - and for many women the first race - of the season, the course proved to be fast and challenging. Bumpy, hot, dry and dusty describe the course conditions with temps in the 70's and a stiff wind out of the west making visibility less than ideal.
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| Emily Batty Photo: Brightroom.com |
After a frenzied start, a small crash happened just meters past the start-finish with five riders going down. The skirmish quickly split the main pack up with Boulder Colo.'s Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher) dominating the first half and winning the cash preem on lap three. When asked if she went to fast at the beginning she remarked, "No, I felt totally in my comfort zone at the start then in the final two laps, I just didn't have it."
Georgia Gould (LUNA) was also a standout player in the first half of the 20-minute-plus-three-laps, action-packed race. Clinging to Irmiger's rear tire for the first few laps, she eventually scored a respectable fifth position. Coming off a fall cyclocross season and solid win at the Fontana City National in March, she was favored to take the short track and is one to watch for tomorrow's XC event.
Also in the mix was Catherine Pendrel (LUNA) who, along with Gould, took the lead in the final four laps.
"It was really close but you're never safe when there's a group behind you, and there were a couple a girls who made the move and unfortunately I couldn't hold them off," said Pendrel.
Coming off a strong second-place finish at Fontana Pendrel was a favorite of the crowd and sure to be a contender in tomorrow's XC event.
By the end, the final three laps came down to a group of five with Emily Batty (Trek), Pendrel, Irmiger, Gould and Lene Byberg (Specialized) holding back the rest of an impressive pack containing both former World Champs and Olympians. Irmiger's impressive fast start eventually caught up with her and she was consumed by the duo of Pendrel and Byberg.
At the final lap it was Batty taking the final climb with Byberg in chase.
"I Just sat on third for the last four laps, then jumped in front of first on the last corner before the climb and I knew that the win was the first to the top of the climb," said Batty.
She took the top podium spot in a near-sprint finish over Lene Byberg in second and Catherine Pendrel in third.
"It's pretty cool...It's my first Sea Otter Win, I'm excited," a clearly happy Batty said.
A full list of today's results can be found HERE.
By MARK HAGEN
TrailWatch.net Junior Men's Pro XCT Short Track Series presented by EscapeAdventures.com
The Junior Men's category at the Short Track had an impressive field of international competitors and fast kids.
The top three podium spots were almost completely dominated by a crew of South Africans from the DCM Team. A strong group of US riders gave them a run for their money including Salinas rider, Jesse Roger, and others.
At the end, South African Rouke Crouser - finishing first - and fellow DCM rider, Adrian Louw, rode to a second-place finish. When asked about the conditions and event, Rouke commented, "The heat does not bother me...this is rather pleasant compared to the South African race last week." Further commenting, "It was literally Africa Hot!"
On the podium was also Colorado rider, Russell Finsterwald, chasing in for a solid third place finish, almost reeling in second.
A full list of today's results can be found HERE.
January 15, 1960 – April 19, 2008
By WENDY BOOHER
Last year, Mark Reynolds tragically lost his life during a downhill race at Sea Otter Classic on April 19, 2008. In memory of Mark and his zeal for life and for mountain biking in particular, friends, fans, and family gathered today for a moment of silence prior to the men's pro circuit race. With Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Little Wing" playing in the background, Mark's close friend, Mario Cristiani, read the following tribute:
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| Mario Cristiani Photo: Chris Worden |
"Mark had a passion for biking that consumed him. Whether screaming down 3rd Divide, smiling down A-Line, covered in pumice on Bullet, pedaling out of Demo in a cold rain, railing LiveWire, jumping at Z's, racing at the Sea Otter, rolling through the slickrock of Moab, or pushing the Mine Trail, Mark had the enthusiasm and endless energy of a young boy.
He was not only a rider, he was also: a son, father and husband; a pilot; a cook; a mechanic, an inventor, and a friend.
If Mark were here today he would want everyone to remember to live each day to the fullest. To ride every ride like it was the "Best Ride Ever."
There is a plaque that Margo, his wife, keeps on her counter that reads "Life's journey is not to go to the grave in a well-preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways screaming 'Woo-hoo!' What a ride!" We miss you Mark!"
By WENDY BOOHER
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| The GT Golden Bike comes with its own cheering squad Photo: GT Bicycles |
If no one beats him tomorrow, 27-year-old amateur racer Geoffrey Montague will be on an expense-paid trip to Coldspring, Texas next month to defend the GT Golden Bike he could possess for clocking the fastest lap time on the Sea Otter Classic cross country course. Montague circled the 19-mile course in 1:19:08 and if no one can best that in tomorrow's cross country finals, then Montague and a friend will fly to Texas, be put up in a hotel, get a $250 Sugoi gift certificate and a GT Golden Race jersey to distinguish himself as the guy to beat – all courtesy go GT Bikes.
To win the GT Golden Bike is simple: just be the first non-pro rider to cross the finish line at an officially sanctioned race in the Golden Race Series. The bike itself is a pimped out Marathon Team or Zaskar Team with XTR components and carbon fiber everything. It's surely the fastest thing on two wheels and GT guarantees any color the winner desires, as long as it's gold. Go get dazzled by the GT Golden Bike in the Sea Otter Village at GT's booth #717 or visit: www.gtisgolden.com
A full list of today's results can be found HERE.
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About Sea Otter Classic, Inc.
The 19th Annual Sea Otter Classic will be held April 16-19, 2009 at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, Calif. The four-day "Celebration of Sport" is considered the world's largest cycling festival, hosting nearly 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and 50,000 fans. More information can be found at www.seaotterclassic.com or by calling 800-218-8411.
CONTACT:
Wendy Booher
617-308-2500
wendy@boohermedia.com
Donna Brown (local media)
831-905-1764
donna@seaotterclassic.com
Chris Worden (Web-related)
208-305-1702
chris@seaotterclassic.com
