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KOVARIK UNSTOPPABLE AT FONTANA WINNING IT, RENNIE
ON
HIS HEELS IN 2ND!
Fontana, CA
March 30, 2008
The first round of the National Mountain Bike
Series
presented by Maxxis was held March 27th-30th in
Fontana, California.
The event was well attended with
the parking lot overflowing in the Southridge
Park
under the trees, with pleasant weather greeting
the
racers. The
downhill was internationally represented
with world cup riders from New Zealand,
Australia,
Spain and the UK joining the US racers making it
quite
a competitive event. In the end, the southern
hemisphere riders dominated the top five men's
downhill with two Aussie's and three Kiwi's on
the
podium.
Donny Jackson, Southridge Racing promoter, had a
nice
treat for the downhillers delivering the best
Fontana
race course of the season. Winding down the
neighborhood hill, Jackson added more turns and
challenging rock sections to meet up with the
"Wall",
a long, flat, vomit inducing pedaling section
that,
according to Jackson, "The racers either love it or
hate it, but always have something to say about it."
Rennie says, "It's a good course and it's unique
and
it's hard; it's really a complement to itself. It's
dry and dusty, and the upper sections make you
really
concentrate to do it properly. Then when you hit the
wall you can finally let it go, and
arrrggghhh...for
20 seconds you suffer, then right, left, and it's
getting black, then you're across the line."
Practice was ruled by Kovarik, and Rennie
comments,
"It looks like he's raced here before! Rennie
quickly got his lines dialed and blasted rocky
sections in practice to the whoops and hollers of
spectators.
It looked like it would be a two horse
race, Kovarik in his new, white Chain Reaction
Cycles
kit, and Rennie, the dark horse in his stealthy,
black
Troy Lee Designs kit. In fact, the two Aussie's must
have been thinking alike as they ran their
qualifier
with just 1/100th separating them.
The finals played out just as it looked it would
from
observing practice.
Kovarik cracked into the teens
with a 2:19.6, the only rider to do so. Rennie was on
his tail with a 2:22.2, but the experience Kovarik
has
at Fontana bested his best friend by 2.6 seconds
with
a decisive win on this physically demanding track.
Justin Leov was third with a 2:24.6, followed by
teammate Sam Blenkinsop at 2:25.1, and fellow
Kiwi,
Cameron Cole took fifth with a 2:25.3.
Rennie was satisfied with second place to Kovarik
and
says this about his run, "I'm pretty tired now. That
is a gnarly thing to do, that pedaling, you start
to
pass out, at least I do! The last five pedal strokes
I don't think I was even pushing on the cranks."
Kovarik agrees, "I started to pass out too,
everything
starts getting black at the end. I shouldn't have had
a breakfast burrito an hour and a half before my
race.
When I was
done I vomited, but I've had training
doing the Fontana 'Vomit Series' all winter."
Nigel Page, Chain Reaction Cycles team manager
says,
"I'm pleased that Chris's hard work all winter is
going to pay off not only here, but for the world
cup
season. He's now back on top where he always
belongs,
so we should have some good results this year. I'd
like to thank Chris for all his hard work."
Donny Jackson was pleased with the spectator
turnout,
"There were so many people on the side of that
mountain like I've never seen before!"
In the pro women's class Melissa Buhl crushed the
nearest competitor by 8.3 seconds!! Her strength and
fitness is a stand out amongst her peers and
shows
that her training program is working. Lisa Myklak
took second place with Joanna Petterson in third.
Claire Buchar raced her new Intense to a 4th
place
finish and Fionn Griffiths managed a podium
position
after crashing in her race run.
SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE ALL-RIDE ACADEMY WITH KIRT
VOREIS
VISITS FONTANA
Kirt Voreis launched the new Santa Cruz Syndicate
All-Ride Academy, a junior development program,
here
at Fontana with 10 year-old Troy Sladek taking
instruction from Kirt. Troy won his downhill race and
placed 3rd in his cross country race. Kirt worked
with Troy on the downhill course showing him
lines
that Troy said, "I never would have done that line
if
Kirt hadn't shown me. I was surprised. And in my
race run I did some of my lines, and some of the
lines
Kirt showed me.
I was happy with my race and I
learned new things today."
Kirt got out for some fun himself with the big
boys
and broke in his new Santa Cruz V-10 the hard way. He
asked himself, "What was I thinking following
Rennie?�
as he cart wheeled his new steed into the ground. "I
saw Rennie bunny-hop into the slab rock section and
I
wasn't expecting that, didn't bunny-hop, and got
to
the bottom and wadded it up." Kirt laughed it off to
the crowd's amusement as he picked himself up and
rode
away.
Kirt will have his All-Ride Academy kids at Sea
Otter
in just a few weeks, joining up with the
Syndicate
downhill squad of Steve Peat, Greg Minnaar,
Nathan
Rennie and Josh Bryceland.
MEN'S DOWNHILL FINAL RESULTS:
1) CHRIS KOVARIK (CHAIN REACTION CYCLES/INTENSE)
2:19.6
2) NATHAN RENNIE (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE/SRAM) 2:22.2
3) JUSTIN LEOV (YETI/FOX)� 2:24.6
4) SAM BLENKINSOP (YETI/FOX) 2:25.1
5) CAMERON COLE (MAXXIS) 2:25.3
6) DUNCAN RIFFLE (CANNONDALE)� 2:25.5
7) WAYLON SMITH 2:26.5
8) LUKE STROBEL (MAXXIS) 2:26.6
9) JARED RANDO (GIANT) 2:26.7
10) OSCAR SAIZ (GIANT) 2:27.1
WOMEN�S DOWNHILL FINAL:
1) MELISSA BUHL (KHS) 2:41.9
2) LISA MYKLAK
2:50.2
3) JOANNA PETTERSON
2:51.0
4) CLAIRE BUCHAR (SOMBRIO/INTENSE) 2:51.8
5) FIONN GRIFFITHS
2:52.6
MEN�S DOWNHILL QUALIFIER RESULTS:
1) Cameron Cole (New Zealand): 2:23.22
2) Jared Rando (Australia) 2:26.74
3) Sam Blenkinsop (New Zealand) 2:26.98
4) Duncan Riffle (USA) 2:27.25
5) Chris Kovarik (Australia) 2:27.55
6) Nathan Rennie (Australia) 2:27.56
THANKS TO THE SYNDICATE SPONSORS:
Santa Cruz Bicycles
SRAM
RockShox
Truvativ
Avid
Maxxis
DT Swiss
WTB
Crankbrothers
Lizard
Skins
Clif Bar
Troy Lee Designs
Chris King
Five Ten
Kathy Sessler
Santa Cruz Syndicate
Manager
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