Mountain bikers outrace bad weather
by Alexa Marx, Outpost contributor
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The University of Colorado-Boulder cycling team outrode bad weather and delays to take its second consecutive win at the 1998 National Collegiate Mountain Bike Championships Nov. 8 at Hidden Valley Park in southwest Reno.
The University of Nevada, Reno cycling team sponsored the event, held here for the first time. It drew more than 200 men and women from colleges across the country.
In addition to the team trophy, the Colorado Buffaloes scored the national championships for men's and women's cross-country, dual slalom and omnium, the award for most individual points. The Nevada team placed 11th.
The cold front that gripped Northern Nevada over the event weekend forced organizers to cancel events scheduled for Nov. 7 at Sky Tavern and move to backup courses at Hidden Valley on Sunday.
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Chris Setter, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, waits out the blizzard with his steed at Sky Tavern. Photo by Teresa Crawford |
At the start of the cross-country race Sunday, 220 riders faced the hills of south Reno, ready to battle a challenging course and talented competition. Behind them, the city and the surrounding mountains sparkled in the sun. After the gun cracked, the field thinned to a colorful line of riders snaking up the steep trail.
In the women's cross country race, Katherine Zambrana, University of Colorado-Boulder, broke away early and beat Candice Blickem of New Mexico by two minutes over the 18 mile course. Two-time national champion, Willow Koerber, of the University of North Carolina, Asheville, came in fifth.
"I figured I would just come out here and hammer," Zambrana said after her race. "I felt good. I just took care of my body all weekend."
Teammate Jeremy Hogan-Kobelski dominated his field from the start and hit the tape at three minutes and change ahead of David Horbold, Northern Arizona State University. Ben Mathews of UNR placed 46th in the race.
"I felt as though I could carry the race," Hogan-Kobelski said.
Jon Wilson took fourth and Steve Cooper fifth for UNR in the dual slalom.
The downhill competition was canceled because of the lost day. As an exhibition-only event, it did not count toward a national championship but did count for pride in the hearts of some participants.
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Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, shows team spirit. From left: Danny Minx, Anthony Medaglia, Spencer Hurtt. Photo by Teresa Crawford |
The tough course, wintry weather and unaccustomed altitude turned the race into a survival match for some competitors.
"I feel as though I coughed up three lungs," a University of Massachusetts rider said afterward.
For the University of Vermont team, just getting to Reno was a challenge. Lacking the funds for all 10 members to fly, some volunteers drove the team van from Burlington, Vt. That's 48 hours straight on the road. Along the way, they met a nice trucker named Chicken who let some of them drive his rig through the backroads of Nevada.
"We were talking to him on our CB radio and he asked if one of us wanted to come up and drive his rig" Sean said.
Competitors, their coaches and some families waited at Sky Tavern on Saturday to hear if the events would go as snow blew sideways outside.
As the blustery morning wore on, riders bursting with pent-up energy pounded chow, goofed around and fiddled with their bikes. Scott Gordon, 21, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., said he was disappointed.
"This is two years in a row that the national championships got snowed out," he said. "Last year the same thing happened in Durango, Colo. Maybe next year, they should go to a lower altitude, like the courses on Peavine Mountain."
Posted Nov. 17, 1998
Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost
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