Schulte-Lunzum claims Boston Rebellion Title

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Markus Schulte-Lunzum (Focus) won the UCI-HC Boston Rebellion, aided by his team captain Florian Vogel (Focus) on a last lap effort. Vogel finished a strong second. Derek Zandstra (Scott 3Rox Racing) finished in third place, followed by Stephen Ettinger (Ridebiker Alliance) in fourth place. Christian Pfaffle (Stevens) rounded out the podium in fifth place.

Racing took place on Adams Farm, about twenty miles outside of Boston. Riders did six laps, mostly in dense forest with tight singletrack turns and several rock gardens. With only 338 feet of climbing per lap, it was a day for the power riders to strut their stuff.

Shulte-Lunzum and Vogel led out sixty-three pro men onto a starting loop. Everyone knew that it was important to get to the singletrack portion of the course near the front of the pack, since passing would be difficult in the woods.

A group of five that contained all the podium finishers quickly formed and consistently put time into their rivals. Former USA Champion Stephen Ettinger was very active at the front, but could not dislodge Vogel, who marked his every move.

Shulte-Lunzum commented on how it ended, "To be honest I didn't think I could get away on that last lap because the pace was so high and I was really suffering and trying to stay on someone's wheel. But, on the last lap Florian told me, Go for it. You can do it."

I told him, "No, I will ride for you. You are the team leader. If I can help you, I will."

But, Florian responded "Go for it. Go for it."

Vogel explained, "Yeah, Markus rode pretty strong the whole race and we could work together a bit. It was quite technical, especially at the end. I really enjoyed racing here and think it was pretty good preparation for the upcoming World Cup."

Both Zandstra and Ettinger had minor last lap problems that probably cost then the chance to compete for the victory. Zandstra has had some impressive World Cup outings this season. Given the competition level, this is one of Ettinger's strongest rides of the year.

The Pro Men will race short track on Sunday. The strong Focus Team is not expected to attend, as they plan to start their trip to Mt. Sainte-Anne. 

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