Wells solos to victory at Subaru Cup Pro XCT

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Todd Wells (Specialized Racing) rode to victory in the Subaru Cup Pro XCT in Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon. He finished ahead of Stephen Ettinger (BMC) and Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale).

The prologue lead-out started with a bit of confusion as some riders turned rather than following the lead ATV. This allowed local pro Brian Matter (RACC/Trek/Gear Grinder) to take the lead into the first full lap. Matter held his lead for most of the first lap before settling into his pace.

Wells said that even though the confusion at the start of the race set him back a few places, the leaders had not yet gapped the rest of the field, leaving opportunity to pass.

The cross country course is was filled with steep climbs and very technical descents. The leaders cautiously descended throughout the first lap which gave Wells and others a chance to regroup. Plaxton and Ettinger joined Wells as they pushed away from the rest of the field.

Plaxton took his turn leading, but it was not enough to hold off Olympian Wells. Plaxton dropped back to third place while Ettinger moved up into the second spot.

The highest points in the WORS series went to Tristan Schouten (Rolf Prima Wheels) who made serious movement in the final laps, progressing from 16th place to an overall finish in ninth. He finished by passing his worthy WORS opponent and close friend Matter, who ended with a 10th place overall finish.

Series leader Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) had some misfortunes during the race and finished in seventh place.

Based on the model of World Cup races, Subaru Cup challenges participants while offering several popular spectator points for crowd participation. The day started of with Cat.2 men's and women's races followed by Cat. 1 as part of the ever popular Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS). Riders were treated to cool temperatures early in the morning that got increasingly hotter and more humid as the day progressed.

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