In one of the best endurance battles on US soil this year, veteran World Cup racer Geoff Kabush won the 50-mile Carson City Off-Road by 1:09 over Ben Sonntag (Clfff Bar), who finished second in a sprint with Todd Wells (SRAM-TLD-Scott) and Russell Finsterwald (SRAM-TLD-Scott).
Wells finished third, while his younger team-mate, Finsterwald, finished fourth. Jeremy Martin (Focus Bikes) finished fifth in what was perhaps his best mountain biking performance to date.
The course, which included an initial climb of up to 20 miles and total climbing of 7,225 feet, was brutally difficult. However, racers were treated to spectacular trails such as the Tahoe Rim Trail and The Flume. The oxygen was a bit thin at times as the course reached 9,000 feet elevation. Kabush raced to the top of the mountains in a select group that included Wells, Sonntag, Martin and Finsterwald.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kabush recounted the racing: "I knew I had a chance if I got over the top of that climb, but man I was doubting myself...it was an hour and forty-five (minutes) to the top. I was feeling my legs twinge. I had ridden the Secret Trail and I knew it was super loose and super dusty, so my plan was to lead into there."
However, Finsterwald obviously had the same plan and attacked the group there. Only Kabush was able to go with him, and then pass Finsterwald on the final four-mile climb.
Kabush added: "I knew the last climb was not as steep of a gradient...but man it went on forever. I had to dig deep and keep focusing on pushing those pedals."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/28JREtF
No comments:
Post a Comment