Schultz claims victory over Plaxton in men's US Pro XCT cross country

Riding a Superfly Elite for the first time Sam Schultz (Subaru-Trek) beat some of the biggest names in North American racing to take his first-ever national series victory. Four riders battled off the front, but nothing was decided until moments before the finish.

Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Specialized) edged out Todd Wells (Specialized) for second. Wells was followed across the line by Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Trek) and Derek Zandstra (3 Rox Racing).

Plaxton got the hole shot, but it was Wells who made it into the singletrack first. The twisty course with short punchy climbs meant that attacks had to be executed in a short amount of time to be successful. Both Wells and Schultz seemed to spend a lot of time at the front.

"It was nice to have Jeremy up there," said Schultz. "Wells was making some decent moves out there. He was kind of the instigator but one of us would cover each attack."

Schultz, a former USA U23 National Champion, has been getting experience in major races including the World Cup circuit for several years now. Last season he showed some flashes of brilliance, but consistency was lacking as it often is with young riders. His Pan Am Continental Games victory showed he could rise to the occasion in difficult racing conditions.

What is remarkable about Schultz’s victory is who he beat. Both JHK and Wells are former US Olympians while Plaxton won the last round of the USA Cycling Pro XCT in Austin, Texas. Geoff Kabush was the only top North American rider missing today, as he's racing the BC Bike Race with fellow Canadian Catherine Pendrel.

Derek Zandstra was not quite able to hold on to the leaders and found himself in "no-man's land" for the entire race. It is quite impressive that he was able keep the gap to the leaders relatively close, given that they were constantly attacking on the front.

The WORS Subaru Cup is the largest race held in Wisconsin, and is the Midwest series finals.  The Wisconsin Off Road Series will continue throughout 2010. This is the first time that the national professionals have attended the event which has been UCI-sanctioned for the first time.

The crowds on the course today were large, and as enthusiastic as those you find at World Cup races. Adam Craig said, "This is the biggest crowd we’ve seen in a long time at a national series race. WORS…they love it."

Full Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elite men cross country
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Sam Schultz (Subaru-Trek)1:48:36
2Max Plaxton (Sho Air/Specialized)0:00:16
3Todd Wells (Specialized)0:00:19
4Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Trek)0:00:22
5Derek Zandstra (3 Rox Racing)0:01:07
6Carl Decker (Giant)0:02:27
7Adam Craig (Rabobank Giant)0:03:08
8Ryan Woodall (Beick City Bicycles)0:03:31
9Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA)0:04:14
10Sid Taberlay (Sho Air/Specialized)0:06:17
11Tristan Schouten (Mafia)0:06:45
12Jonathan Page (Planet Bike)0:07:14
13Stephen Ettinger (Mafia/Felt/PBR)0:08:18
14Spencer Paxson (Team S&M Young Guns)0:08:38
15Russell Finsterwald (Subaru-Trek)0:08:57
16Darrin Braun (Adventure 212/Specialized)0:09:01
17Colin Cares (Kenda/Felt)0:09:27
18T J Woodruff (Trek Bicycle Boulder)0:09:28
19Simon Lalancette (devinci)0:09:40
20Jack Hinkens (Trek co-op)0:09:57
21Justin Lindine (BikeReg.com / Cannondale)0:10:06
22Nathan Guerra (Mr Tree / Powerbar)0:10:35
23Sebastien Cadieux-Duval (Team Canada)0:11:03
24Travis Livermon (Champion System / Cannondale)0:11:07
25Francis Morin (Team Canada)0:11:46
26Kerry Werner (Shirks Racing)0:11:56
27Brian Matter (Gear Grinder / Trek)0:11:57
28Brendan Moore (Trek Mountain Coop)0:12:15
29Aaron Snyder (Scott RC MTB Team)0:12:56
30Mitchell Hoke (Tokyo Joes)0:16:09
31Andy Schultz (Kenda-Felt)0:24:48
32Gregory Carpenter (3D Racing)0:24:50
33Tad Elliott (Sho Air)0:24:52
34Robert Marion (American Classic/Kenda/Tomac)0:24:54
35Seamus Powell0:24:55
36Michael Mooradian (K.Bedford/Verge/Spin)0:24:57
37Andrew Alesio (PureBulk/Notubes)0:25:01
38Troy Wells (Team Clif Bar)0:25:02
39Joe Schneider (3D Racing / SpineOne Ortho)0:25:03
40Aaron Elwell (HighGear/Trek)0:25:05
41Dylan Alesio (PureBulk/Notubes)0:25:06
42Chris Peariso (Adventure 212 /Specialized)0:25:07
43Zach McDonald0:25:09
44Ronald Stawicki (Team Polska)0:25:10
45Dave Olson (Quarq/Rushmore Mountain Sports)0:25:12
46Alex Ryan (Champion Sytem / Cannondale)0:25:13
47Richard Schoenfelder (GAS / Intrisic)0:25:15
48John Burns (Bikeman.com)0:25:16
49Eric Thompson (Maplelag/Paramount Sports)0:25:17
50Mitchell Peterson (Giant)0:25:18
51Ethan Gilmour (Giant)0:25:19
52Craig Wohlschlaeger (The Hub)0:25:21
53Matthew Miller (Giant Mid-Atlantic)0:25:23
54Chad Sova (On the Rivet / Gear Grinder)0:25:25
55Dallas Fowler0:25:26
56Scott Cole (Adventure 212/Specialized)0:25:28
57Kyle Spisak (Team Lake Effect / Train Ready)0:25:30
DNFBlake Zumbrunnen (Revolution / Peak / Café Rio)Row 57 - Cell 2
DNFAdam Morka (Trek Canada)Row 58 - Cell 2
DNFJustin Raynes (seavs/bikes unlimited)Row 59 - Cell 2
DNFTrevor Downing (Mafia Racing)Row 60 - Cell 2
DNFMark Lalonde (Gary Fisher 29/T6)Row 61 - Cell 2
DNFEric Batty (Trek Canada)Row 62 - Cell 2
DNFTyson Wagler (3 Rox Racing)Row 63 - Cell 2
DNFDaniel Kindregan (Yeti Cycles/Sun Flower)Row 64 - Cell 2

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Latest on Cyclingnews