- Trebon and Wicks Nail Down Second in Vermont, While Simms Grabs Last Spot on Podium In Canada -

KONAWORLD (July 21, 2008) – Touted as two of the best mountain bike racers in North America (and maybe the world), Kona Factory Team riders Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks wear bulls-eye’s on their jerseys at every race they enter. Last weekend was no different.

Entering the 2008 USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships at Mount Snow, Vermont last weekend, Trebon was the heavy favorite to snatch the short-track title and contend for the cross-country crown, while Wicks was reported to follow close behind. Although neither racer stood on the top step of the podium, both gave competitors and spectators the action they were looking for.

In the cross-country race, both Trebon and Wicks battled with US Olympic mountain bike team member Adam Craig for most of the race. With Craig widening the gap during the final laps, Trebon crossed the finish 1 minute, 38 seconds behind for second place with a time of 1 hour, 45 minutes, 17 seconds. Wicks cracked the top 10, finishing ninth in the 55-racer field.  Click here for the VeloNews story.

In Sunday’s short track race, which Trebon entered as reigning short track champion and was slated as the favorite, things started out smoothly for the veteran Kona rider until disaster struck. Holding a lead for the first few laps, Trebon took a painful digger that left him finishing in sixth place. Wicks rode tough and finished the race in second out of the 10 racers. Click here for the VeloNews story.

“I had the power to go but not the pop to sustain anything, not right now,” Trebon said. “Jeremiah (winner) has been riding pretty good, and if someone has a good day and everyone else is tired, that’s the difference.” 

North of the border at the Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships, fellow Factory Team member Wendy Simms  fulfilled a long-time national’s goal of standing on the podium at the event. Racing with a precise plan, Simms finished third in the 23-racer cross-country race with a time of 1 hour, 46 minutes – four minutes behind the winner.

“I had to race smart and not blow it,” Simms said. “You know how much I hate fourth. This was a long time coming.”

In the men’s cross-country race Kris Sneddon took 14th with a time of 2 hours, 20 seconds in the 54-racer field.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 5:27 pm and is filed under Client News, Kona. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.