Plaxton bests Kabush in cross country

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Max Plaxton (Specialized) won the Subaru Cup cross country, a stop on USA Cycling's US Pro XCT in Wisconsin.  Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis) finished a close second and was easily the most aggressive rider. US National Champion Todd Wells (Specialized) was third, followed by Adam Craig (Team Giant) in fourth, and young Stephen Ettinger (BMC) in fifth place.

After his victory, Plaxton said, "It's been a good year in the Pro XCT Series. It's my series, so I feel like I own it."

The course at Mt. Morris was in perfect condition despite days of rain prior to the event today. Many of the riders compared the course to a World Cup course, both in length, and with the punchy climbs and vocal crowds.

The large men's field started with Ryan Woodall (Brick City Bicycles/Mtfmx.Com) leading initially. In the first half lap, at least nine riders were in the mix including the eventual podium finishers and favorites Ryan Trebon (LTS Felt), Sid Taberlay (H2O Overdrive), Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru Trek) and Barry Wicks (Kona). But with Kabush setting a blistering pace, only Wells and Plaxton could match the speed.

Throughout the race, Kabush and Plaxton traded body blows while Plaxton struggled to stay with them. "I wasn't riding some of the technical stuff as good as I wanted to and I would get gapped. After lap two or three, my wheel just washed out near the finish and it took a lot out of me to get back up."

"These guys were just attacking each other so I was pretty happy to just sit on and recover for a few laps… we were riding fast!" said Plaxton.

Behind the leaders, the order settled down a bit with the exception of Adam Craig (Rabobank Giant). Again, he seemed to will himself forward, and eventually claimed the fourth spot. After the race, he appeared to be having some back pain and was quickly attended to by his team.

Stephen Ettinger (BMC) rode solidly in fifth place in elite company to claim his first US Pro XCT podium spot ever. "This is so much fun racing at this level. It feels pretty damn good to be racing these guys…I had their posters on my wall growing up."

On the fifth lap of the race, Kabush and Plaxton came through the start/finish with about a 50-foot lead on Wells. Wells later said, "On the fifth lap Plaxton attacked, and he and Kabush got away. I could see them, but at the end they opened it up a little bit. This is a good power course. There's a lot of short, punchy climbs. They attacked on the first start hill on the fifth lap, and I didn't have the power to stay with them.

On the sixth and final lap of the race, Plaxton planned a very strategic attack. "There was a section where Geoff's bars were barely fitting through the trees. He's got these huge handlebars and was nearly coming to a complete stop. I attacked him just before that and got a little gap. I knew if you got to those last climbs by yourself it would be hard to pass."

Plaxton solidified his lead in the US Pro XCT series that will conclude next month in Montana. Wells told Cyclingnews he will be skipping that event as Plaxton has a virtual lock on the series. Instead, he will head to his off-season home in Tucson for a short break.

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