| . |
| nnn |
| nnn |
| . |
| nnn |
| Mount Snow is real mountain biking. Ask any of the racers and they will tell you that. The races there are epics with monster climbs, technical descents, roots, rocks, and mud all placed in picture perfect Vermont. I hope that Sonoma is off the list of venues forever. Over the years I have gotten to know many of the racers. They are all winners, on the bike, and in life. I am very proud that they race clean, share in each other's joys, and conduct themselves on the World Stage in a manner that is exemplary. These are a hardy bunch. They can endure the agony of racing in all kinds of weather conditions, suffer multiple crashes, and still give 100% out of personal pride. If you asked the pundits and spectators who was going to win the Women's Cross Country Race, they rarely mentioned Mary's name. However, if you asked any of the racers, it was suggested that she along with Willow Koerber and Georgia Gould had the best chances. Mary McConneloug was fresh off a 2nd place finish in the Pan Am Games and was due for some good luck after a couple World Cup race problems. Georgia was undefeated on American soil, and Willow was having the best Word Cup season of all American Women. In addition, she loves the nasty conditions at Mt. Snow that remind her of home. Willow won at Mt. Snow in 2004, while Mary won in 2006. While I was not shocked that Mary beat Georgia and Willow up the first climb, I was very surprised to see Georgia breathing so hard as she came out of the first wooded section. Mary just motored away, scampered up the running sections, and stayed off the brakes on the technical descents. She is all about riding smoothly, with finess, and letting the bike flow over obstacles. At the end of the race there were no other competitors in sight. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 2007 US National Mountain Bike Championships Mt. Snow, Vermont |
| There was a lot of buzz before the Men's Cross Country Race that Adam Craig was the man to beat. He had just won the Pan Am Championship the week before and was having amazing World Cup results. Typically Adam gets a poor start, then claws his way back into contention. Sometimes he has faded a bit at the end due to the effort made to move up. I must admit that I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw Barry Wicks and Adam emerge from the first dowhill together. Barry and Ryan frequently have strong starts so no surprise there. But, Adam beat JHK up the first hill.....now that is remarkable. Perhaps Adam has finally learned how to start. He never looked back and continuously opened his lead on Jeremiah Bishop who also was having a great day on the bike. Perhaps the coolest thing of the whole weekend was seeing Mike Broderick place third, ahead of guys like Wells and JHK. Mike works hard and has honed his skills with World Cups and International racing. Mount Snow is practically his home course so he knows every rock in the trail.. Ryan Trebon flatted on the first descent, then again later, to kill his chances of repeating as National Champion. When Ryan is upset in situations like this, he usually goes on to win the next day. In this case, he won himself the Short Track National Championship (inheiriting it from teammate Barry Wicks). |
| Mount Snow Some of the best riding at Mount Snow is not at the mountain, but down the road towards Haystack. There is a trail sytem called Sherwood Forest. I rode there twice and really had a blast. The trails are fairly technical, particularly when muddy. The loops were named after the King Arthur tales......Maid Marion, Friar Tuck, and so forth. By getting creative about how to link the trails together, you could easily do two hours there. Favorite spots to eat were Gringo's (Mexican with a few twists), and Dot's in Wilmington. They make their own bread and pies there. Generally speaking, eating at the ski area is a bit grim and way overpriced. Be sure to support the local economy by taking home some maple syrup, cheddar cheese, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream! Contact Dave Drop me a note if you have comments or want a higher resolution photo. |
 |
| Adam Craig and teammate Kelli Emmett after the Super D. Adam won his 2nd National Championship of the weekend. (Click to enlarge.) |
| Mary McConneloug celebrates her Cross Country National Championship She also went on to win the Women's Short Track the next day. (Click to enlarge) |
 |
| Photo Galleries Women's Cross Country Men's Cross Country Super D & Misc. U-23 |
| Video McConneloug, Craig, Broderick, Super D, and more!. |
| Short Track Without Katerina Nash in the Women's field, it was going to be a wide open race. Conditions seemed to favor Georgia Gould but Mary stuck to her wheel like glue. On the last lap, Willow attacked on the uphill , but Mary scooted by on the off-camber grassy section and went on to her second championship in as many days. In the men's race, Ryan just had more horsepower than everyone else. It is amazing that after racing Super D in the morning, Adam Craig was still second. Super D Tom Speigel dreamt up the wildest Super D start of all time. You have to see the videos (below). In the Women's race, Marla Streb had said she wanted to dedicate the win to her new daughter Nicoya. She was bested, however, by her training partner and former pro Rachael Lloyd. Rachael smartly followed Marla down the steepest sections, then powered by her on the fireroad climb. |
| Adam Craig was "at home" in Mount Snow's mud and rocks |
| Kathy Pruitt finally got her Downhill National Championship. She looked more fit than last year. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Mike was flying on this fire road. He rode to a 3rd place finish (Click to enlarge). |
| Winners All (from Top) Melissa Buhl- Women's Slalom Rachael Lloyd-Women's Super D Chloe Forsman- U-23 Women's XC Sam Jurekovic- U-23 Men's XC Ryan Trebon- Men's Short Track |
| (enlargements of these photos can be found in the Photo Gallery) |
 |