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| Snowmass NMBS #6 2007 Series Finals Snowmass, CO |
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| Snowmass was a bit difficult to get to. Due to flight cancellations I went to Boston's Logan Airport on three consecutive days before I could get out! The airlines seem to have totally reached the breaking point. My luggage got to Denver on Wednesday but I did not arrive until Friday. It is quite amazing that my bike did not get lost. The four hour drive from Denver to Snowmass is incredibly scenic and made up for some of the hassles. The twisty drive through Glenwood Canyon reminds one of just how difficult it was to build roads through this part of the country. It is surprising to see all the construction at Vail, Copper Mountain, and Snowmass. Apparently skiing is more popular than ever. While on the plane, I studied the NMBS series standings to figure out the mathematical possibilities for the weekend. Only Geoff Kabush had a lock on a title for the Cross Country Series. While Georgia Gould had a commanding lead in the Women's XC, it seemed that she at least had to finish the race. Katerina Nash did not have to win the Women's Short Track but she needed some good points. The Men's Short Track looked to be where the drama would be. The winner of the series would go to any one of the three racers if they won.....Kabush, Wells, or JHK. My thinking was that Todd was due for a Short Track win at altitude. They did not disappoint to provide some excitement. |
| The Women's Cross Country Race was basically a Geogia Gould time trial. While Katerina Nash gave a good chase there was really no doubt in the outcome after Georgia broke away within ten seconds of the start .The new course basically ran from the very bottom of the mountain to the top, with the feed zone about 500 vertical feet below the top of the climb. It would seem the course should have favored pure climbers. Shonny Vanlandingham came through the feed zone third, Heather Irmiger fouth, and Willow Koerber fifth. If you were not a member of Luna or Gary Fisher/Suburu you were not going get onto this podium the entire weekend.. The order remained the same throughout the race. Georgia (left) looked elated to have won the race and the series....and a bit relieved as well. This was the first time since 1993 when Julie Furtado went undefeated that anyone had accomplished that feat. Even during the reigns of Alison Dunlap and Shonny Vanlandingham they lost at least one race. Since Georgia is so young (27 I believe), she could be the Queen of NMBS Series for a long time. Katerina Nash improved her Cross Country resume by finishing a stong second in the series. She was consistent all year. |
| The Men's Cross Country Race promised to be very exciting. Jeremiah Bishop seemed to be peaking at the right time. The course seemed to favor Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski with the extended climbing. But, nobody was counting out Geoff Kabush. As the race began, Bishop immediately took the lead riding his full-suspension Trek. What he didn't know was that Kabush was running ultra-light 310 gram Maxxis tires on his hardtail.That means that he was spotting Kabush up to 5 pounds on a 2000 ft. vertical climb!. Kabush accelerated repeatedly on the uphill, but Bishop stayed close. At the first feed zone they were neck and neck. JHK came through third, trailing by about 30 seconds. Adam Craig was close behind him. While Kabush would open a small lead by the summit of Snowmass, Bishop was able to close down the gap riding his full suspension downhill. Kabush had to "baby" his tires a bit while descending as he knew that they were fragile. But, with the race series in the bag, he had nothing to lose with this gamble. We were all shocked to see Kabush leading Bishop by only a few feet as they came into the finish. Kabush took the sprint and the series. Be sure to see the video below of Bishop describing his race. |
| The Women's Short Track Race was fantastic to watch. The course was longer than usual and had a diffiuclt climb and a long descent. I was not surprised to see Shonny leading up the first climb. While spectators might assume that Shonny was softening up the field for Georgia and Katerina, there was no doubt in my mind she was riding for the win herself. She is an amazing competitor and completely blew the race apart. Somewhere on the backside of the race, Georgia took the lead for good with Katerina in tow. Again, you might consider that they were working together but they each wanted the win badly. The longer that Katerina was allowed to draft behind the Georgia, the more it would favor her race tactics. Typically she does not ride from the front, but simply attacks with a lap to go and nobody can match her acceleration. Once again this played out perfectly for Katerina as she attacked Georgia on the false flat near the top of the course. Georgia said later that she was not able to respond. But she already had won her championship so perhaps the desire was not as strong. While the two of them came into the start/finish together, Katerina got around the last 180 degree turn first which assured her victory. Why does she win? It is because she can dig deeper and endure more pain than anyone else. Heather Irmiger may have had her best Short Track race ever.She finished third and actually closed on Gould/Nash during the last couple laps. Nobody else was even in contention. |
| Geofff Kabush putting the hammer down in Short Track. Click to enlarge all photos |
| Georgia Gould goes undefeated in the NMBS Cross Country Series! |
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| Katerina Nash won the Short Track Series again |
| Cody Peterson & Sam Jurekovic had their best XC races ever. Both improved dramatically this year |
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| Photo Galleries Women's Cross Country Men's Cross Country Women's Short Track Men's Short Track Misc. Event Photos |
| Video Clips Jamie Whitmore, Kelli Emmett, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Jeremiah Bishop |
| The Men's Short Track was everything I had hoped it would be. With Ryan Trebon having a bad outing on Saturday, he was sure to light a fire under the racers. He went off the front as usual on the first lap and held it for a couple laps until he started feeling the altitude. Still, he made the podium. Half of the time Ryan goes off the front he wins. Kabush took the lead and only the vastly improved Adam Craig could match him. It was a bit shocking to me to see JHK dropped but of course he too would make the podium. Bishop had a poor outing because of the massive effort he had made on Saturday. Wells was never a factor. On the last lap, Kabush attacked on the uphill and Adam could not stay with him. Kabush went on to win the race and of the series. I believe he set a record by making it his 15th career Short Track Victory. |
| Tom Blake Trail |
| The future of the NMBS Series seems a bit uncertain. Attendance numbers are still below what they used to be. Some of the big teams are reluctant to commit to more than a six race series due the the expense. Personally, I think the organizers got several things right this year but a few improvements could be made. First, I hope that we have Fountain Hills, AZ as the annual season opener. It is almost guaranteed to be warm, the infastructure is excellent, the course is at a low altitude, and it is not very hilly. All this makes it a perfect place to test early season legs. Secondly, I hope that we continue the trend of having only two high altitude races. Any more than this severely handicaps flatlanders, which by the way, includes virtually everyone from the east coast. Thirdly, I think the Firestone model will work well for the future. If you find a venue within driving distance of a major metro area that already has a successful race, you have half the battle won. You can piggyback onto an existing race organization and take advantage of the participation levels they have built up. Fourthly, I would hope that any race requiring a "Lewis and Clark Expedition" to get there be scratched off the list. Sugar Mountain comes to mind. It is truly in the middle of nowhere. Why not replace it with a race in the mid-Atlantic region where there are huge numbers of racers? How about Altlanta, home of the first Mountain Bike Olympics? It is very easy to get to. Finally, any series that is put together for just Pro Racing may bring on the death of the sport. There are precious few spectators already at races. In fact, all the spectators seem to be amateur racers and their families! Regardless of what part of the country we are in, my impression is that very few residents come to see the races even when they are held within a mile of their homes. Juniors and amateur racers benefit by being exposed to professional racing.....and believe me the pros like having spectators yelling and screaming during races. Let's hope the series continues. This year was an improvement. I can hardly wait for the start of cyclocross season. See you there! Dave |