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Short Track XC
Telluride 360 Adventure Festival, USA , July 12, 2002
Breakaways rule the day
by Rob Karman
Both the mens and womens Short Track races were won in similar fashion today with individual riders going away early to win by large margins. Ryder Hesjedal took the hole shot and was content to stay with a small pack for all of two laps before he bid farewell to all his challengers and soloed to the line. Behind him things were changing constantly in the heated battle for the remaining podium spots.
A strong chase group containing teammates Christoph Sauser and Kashi Leuchs (Volvo Cannondale), Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Carl Swenson (RLX Polo Sport) and Hesjedals teammate Ariel Lindsey eventually broke apart as Horgan-Kobelski and the Volvo Cannondale duo set a pace the others could not match. From the last row came local rider and former Jr XC World Champ Walker Ferguson (Subaru Gary Fisher) into 5th place with Frank Mapel (Specialized) hot on his heels.
With the numbers in their favor the Volvo pair of Sauser and Leuchs attacked Horgan-Kobelski repeatedly but could not shake the young Coloradan who eventually pulled away from Sauser with Leuchs in tow. A cash prime came up for the chasers and JH-K couldn't hold back from cashing in. The monetary gain put him in immediate oxygen debt though and Leuchs pulled away to take the second spot on the podium and the overall title for the weekend for combined finishing points in the Cross Country long and short courses.
Reigning World Champion Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) had a little more competition but the final result was the same. Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru Gary Fisher) and semi-local Shonny Vanlandingham went to the front to set the pace early on, but soon they were overpowered by perpetual front runners Dunlap and Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport).
A few attacks shook things up, but it wasn't until the 5th lap that the race was decided. Dunlap went hard as the climb began and only Florit could hold her wheel, but it was short lived as the Argentinean blew up towards the top of the climb and had to watch the rainbow stripes pull away never to be seen again until the finish.
The battle raged behind them for 3rd place with Vanlandingham, Katerina Hanusova (Luna Chix) and Susan Haywood (Trek VW) trading blows. Vanlandingham and Hanusova pulled away and for a time it looked like Vanlandingham had it in the bag, but with 3 laps to go she faded and the Luna Chix rider seized the opportunity and the podium spot.
Results
Women 1 Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) 1.45.21 2 Shonny Vanlandingham (SoBe Cannondale) 0.48 3 Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport) 3.01 4 Mary Grigson (Subaru Gary Fisher) 4.50 5 Katerina Hanusova (Luna Chix) 6.11 6 Susan Haywood (Trek-VW) 8.02 7 Melissa Thomas (Ritchey) 9.22 8 Jamie Whitmore-Cardenas 9.31 9 Heather Iminger 10.36 10 Katherine Zambrana (Ionic) 13.47 11 Gina Hall (Luna Chix) 14.44 12 Julie Emmerman (Ritchey Roots) 15.11 13 Sarah Tescher (3D Easton) 18.52 14 Lyn Damato-Franklin (Tokyo Joes) 19.10 15 Kelli Emmett (Luna Chix) 20.22 16 Nina Baum 21.44 17 Becca Blay (Aspen Velo) 22.45 18 Heather Szabo (Tokyo Joes) 27.34 19 Lorien Lightfield (Richards) 41.30 Men 1 Christoph Sauser (Volvo Cannondale) 1.54.04 2 Kashi Leuchs (Volvo Cannondale) 3.25 3 Travis Brown (Trek VW) 6.04 4 Jay Henry (Specialized) 6.48 5 Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru Gary Fisher) 9.54 6 Frank Mapel (Specialized) 11.19 7 Marc Gullickson (Mongoose Hyundai) 13.51 8 Carl Swenson (RLX Polo Sport) 13.59 9 Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX Polo Sport) 14.35 10 Skyler Reeves (Specialized) 14.53 11 Cody Peterson (Cost River) 16.07 12 Josh Bezecny (Fox-Dragon) 16.33 13 Dave Weins (RLX Polo Sport) 18.44 14 Jason Moeschler (Giant) 19.30 15 Matt Pacocha (Ritchey Roots) 20.59 16 Brandon Dwight (Ritchey Roots) 22.12 17 Jon Brown (Clif Bar) 25.10 18 Nat Ross (Subaru Gary Fisher) 40.45 Adam Craig DNF Paul Rowney Ariel Lindsey Walker Ferguson Jamey Yanik Daniel Gillespie Eric Jones
