Horgan-Kobelski wins short track title with last lap move

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Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Trek) charged to victory in the elite men's short track national championship in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon. He battled Todd Wells (Specialized) and Ryan Trebon (LTS Felt) until the very last lap and timed his surge perfectly on the tight, twisty course. A day after winning the cross country, Wells rode to second place ahead of Trebon in third.

"It feels good. I did not expect that today and it's a nice surprise," said Horgan-Kobelski, who has been battling an untimely cold.

"I was sick this week and it took me down a big notch for yesterday's cross country on a course that really suited me. I was coughing up green and brown gunk all morning and wondering how I was going to do a short track, but that's why racing is fun. You never know what you're going to get. This is a fantastic way to finish off the weekend."

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In the early laps, Wells, Horgan-Kobelski, Trebon, Sam Schultz (Subaru-Trek), Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale) and Stephen Ettinger (BMC) formed the lead group. The pace was fast and furious on a course with lots of twists and turns.

The speed began to take its toll as Wells motored along at his blistering pace at the front. Only Horgan-Kobelski and Trebon could hang with him.

"I was leading for most of the race and it was a fast course, but there wasn't much drafting because you're always turning," said Wells. "It was a course where it was easy to go down due to the loose, gravelly corners, so the less people in front of you, the less chance of crashing."

Horgan-Kobelski and Trebon mostly sat on.

"I was in the perfect position the whole race because Todd was pretty close to trailing us off a few times," said Horgan-Kobelski. "He was riding so powerfully. Ryan and I had to close a lot of gaps, but I never saw the front of the race."

"I tried to go to the front a few times to separate it but Todd was just riding fast," said Trebon. "I could have come around him, but I couldn't have gone any faster than him."

"It was hard and fast and a good course and a good race," said Trebon. "Everyone said it was wide open, but there were so many turns, it was hard to pass."

That's just what Wells was banking on, but it didn't work out for him.

"I felt like I was riding that drop section fast, and if I led I could go faster on the technical sections and easier on the pedalling sections," said Wells. "I thought that once I got to the drop section in the lead that I'd be able to hold it until the finish, but JHK came around me right before the pavement, and it's hard to pass after that. I tried to come inside on the start/finish straight, but kind of slid out and he was able to take the victory."

JHK passed Trebon on the off camber climb and then got Wells in the final moments of the race. "Todd was flying but I knew he was hurting. He had to be hurting," said JHK. "Once I got in front, there were a few flat, gravel corners on which it was all I could do to control the two wheeled drift."

Horgan-Kobelski's timing was good and he kept it upright to take the victory. He last won the short track national championship in 2008, but he's previously won it in 2003 and 2004.

Wells claimed second and Trebon rolled in for third. Trebon had DNF'ed in the cross country, but was riding well today. "Yesterday, on the second lap on the long climb, it was so steep and I was going hard and overheated. The third time up it, I was so bad, it took me almost a half hour to get down off the mountain. I got hot fast and was dizzy and naseaous," said Trebon.

Schultz led in the chasers for a fourth place and Bishop claimed the final podium spot in fifth, five seconds ahead of Ettinger.

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