Greenbrier Challenge
Hagerstown and Frederick, MD
| April 29, 2007 |
Todd Wells, Katie Compton were victorious in the UCI Elite divisions as nearly 550 pro and amateur mountain bikers came from across North America to race at Maryland’s beautiful Greenbrier State Park on Sunday. In the build-up to the 2007 Greenbrier Challenge, “local” Trek-VW riders Jeremiah Bishop and Susan Haywood were the Marquee names, for the race promotion -- with Bishop even running a free rider’s clinic for amateur riders the day before the race on the Catoctin Mountain course. But at the end of the day, it was GT’s Todd Wells and Spike Shooter’s Katie Compton who took convincing wins, but not without a little drama.
The race, sponsored by the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, was billed by the promoting Potomac Velo Club as the biggest mountain bike race ever held in the Mid-Atlantic region that includes Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York as its principal cities. And it did not disappoint. And since the race was the only UCI-listed international race in North America on the weekend, riders came from as far away as Canada to improve their international ranking, “We’re here because there are two World Cups in Quebec this year and you need 20 UCI points to be able to start in them,” said Leni Gelinas-Trudel of Canada’s Equipe’ du Quebec squad. “This is our first race of the year because the season is just starting in Quebec.”
At the start of the four-lap Women’s race, World Cyclocross Silver Medalist Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) put her velodrome and cyclocross background to good use as she took the early as the riders went into the woods and out of sight. The field quickly spread out on the tough, and rocky, Greenbrier course. By the end of the first lap, Compton had a nearly one-minute advantage over Trek-VW’s Susan Haywood, the only rider within striking distance. At end of the second lap, Compton’s lead was approximately two minutes. Based on her differing performances at the Sea Otter Classic, where she won the short-track but did not impress in the cross country, many thought that Compton’s lead would fade as the race entered its second half. But it was not to be. Compton maintained her two minute lead to ride home victorious with a 2:04 advantage.
The UCI elite men’s race was scheduled for five laps, and from the gun Todd Wells and Jeremiah Bishop pulled away off the front of the race. Like the Women’s race, the tough course and hot weather spread out the field with many of them racing one-on-one in individual battles. Chris Eatough (Trek-VW) and Jeff Schalk (Trek-VW East) raced for third place, while Thomas Turner (Bear Naked Granola - Cannondale) and Georges-Edouard Duquette (Equipe’ du Québec - Kona Factory) battled for fifth place, the final podium position. On the second lap, Wells started to pull away. By the end of the third lap, Wells had a 1:24 lead over Bishop. Then Bishop began to retaliate.
As they started the bell lap, Bishop had closed the gap to only 46 seconds. Doing the math made it obvious that if Bishop was able to keep closing at that rate, he would catch the GT-sponsored rider just prior to the finish line. As the crowd waited for the riders to come into sight across the lake, news came that Wells had flatted just one kilometer from the finish line. About a minute later, the spectators gasped when the race announcer said that Bishop had also flatted. Unknown to those at the finish line was that Bishop had flatted first and that both riders had flatted their rear tires and were continuing on just the carcass of their tires Wells manhandled his bike across the line, giving spectators and race officials their first look at his shredded tire.
Bishop, though, was much further away from the line when he flatted, and was caught and passed by teammates Eatough and Schalk just before they came into sight. Schalk won the sprint for second place, out-gunning Eatough, who is better known for his performance in ultra-long distance mountain bike racing than his sprint. Half a minute later, a disappointed Bishop struggled to the line and dropped his bike, his legs nearly giving way as he tried to walk away. “That’s the way it goes sometimes,” he said later. But you could tell from his eyes that this was a deeply disappointing result. Still, it did not stop him from giving Todd Wells a big handshake as they got on the podium. After all, Todd Wells has been the hottest U.S. male mountain biker since the start of the season.
UCI Elite Men XCO 45K (27 starters) Last Name First Name Team WELLS Todd GT SCHALK Jeff Trek-VW East EATOUGH Chris Trek/VW BISHOP Jeremiah Trek/Volkswagen DUQUETTE Georges-Edouard Equipe Québec Kona Factory TURNER Thomas Bear Naked Cannondale PRICE Harlan Inependent Fabrication JOHNSTON Andy KHS/Kenda HELMICK Todd Trek VW East BAILEY Matthew USA BOULANGER Jonathan Equipe DU Québec/OGC Opus FINN Justin Iron Horse New England WOOD David Bear Naked/Cannondale Mountain Bike Team GELINAS TRUDEL Leni Equipe DU Quebec/Opus HAMMAKER KYLE Cadence DUVALL David Trek VW East FAVATA Christian USA SIMONSON Michael Bells Brewery/Quiring Cycles PHILLIPS Christopher Cannondale F29’er Blackwater Bikes WYATT Nathanael Sram/Carolina Fatz CORUM Daniel Inland Construction/Back TO Dirt KIER Grant Red Barn Bicycles TREMBLAY Sebastien Equipe DU Quebec/Specialized PENDRY Charles Inland Construction BTD FILLION Julien Vélo2max WALKER Jeremy Cane Creek RYAN Alex Land Rover Cannondale UCI Elite Women XCO 36K (17 starters) Last Name First Name Team COMPTON Katie Spike Shooter Cycling Team HAYWOOD Susan Trek/VW MONROE Megan BMC-Sports Garage POPOVIC Carolyn Trek VW East SHOGREN Betsy WV Big Wheel/Cannondale RICHARDSON Theresa Bear Naked/Cannondale MTN Bike Team PERKINS Cassandra Bear Naked Cannondale KRAUS Johanna Charlottesville Racing Club NESTVOGEL Tanya Titus/Prestige Subaru BAUM Nina Bear Naked/Cannondale CANDRIAN Lorena DCMTB/City Bikes MALENKOVICH KYIA Headmethod.com SORNSON Cheryl Trek VW East PEARSON Jane Maverick TORRESAN Elsie Equipe DU Quebec/Specialized FLAHERTY Meggan North Atlantic Velo WIKAR Mary Lynn Team Michelin
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