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Photo ©: Bettini

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Jeep King of the Mountain Final - NE

Blakeslee, PA, USA, August 14, 2005

Results

Michael Prokop and Jill Kintner win Jeep KOM

Michael Prokop
Photo ©: Steve Medcroft
Click for larger image

Michael Prokop of the Czech Republic and Jill Kintner of Seattle, Wash. won the final Jeep King of the Mountains race at Jack Frost Resort in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains on Sunday. Entering the race as points leaders in the series, both Kintner and Prokop sealed their overall victories by winning the day's race and took home a rich prize package which included a $5,000 cash bonus from Paul Mitchell Systems and a matching 2006 Jeep Commander Sports Utility Vehicles.

Despite intensely humid weather and temperatures over ninety degrees Fahrenheit, the sixteen race invitees, all credentialed downhill, mountain-cross and BMX pros, faced off in pairs for double-run elimination competitions.

Prokop held off a hard-charging Brian Lopes to advance past the first bracket. "I focused mostly on my gates," he said after the finish. The KOM 'Y' course starts with a fifty-meter slalom run after releasing riders from a downhill skiing-style gate. "On the first straight it's very important to be first to the first corner. I focused on that, on pedaling as much as possible."

Katrina Miller
Photo ©: Steve Medcroft
Click for larger image

Even with that focus, Prokop didn't succeed without challenge. Australian BMX and former Dual Slalom World Champion Wade Bootes, last year's overall KOM winner, beat Prokop to the line in the first of two finals races. Bootes, who seemed to have a much-stronger finishing sprint, was relegated after missing a slalom gate at the top of the course in the heat. Prokop was able to take the second race to win the day.

Kintner also had her hands full with Mesa, Arizona's Melissa Buhl. But as with the men's final, a missed gate put the challenger behind on time and Kintner was able to outmaneuver the Arizonan to win the final run, the day's racing and the overall.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Steve Medcroft

Results

Men
 
1 Michael Prokop (Cze)
2 Wade Bootes (Aus)
3 Mike King (USA)
4 Bas DeBever (Ned)
5 Brian Schmith (USA)
6 Chris Powell (USA)
7 Jarred Rando (Aus)
8 Brian Lopes (USA)
 
Women
 
1 Jill Kintner (USA)
2 Melissa Buhl (USA)
3 Tara Llanes (USA)
4 Katrina Miller (Aus)
5 Anneke Beerton ( Ned)
6 Fionn Griffiths (GBr)
7 Joanna Petterson (USA)
8 Leana Gerrard (USA)