Plaxton, Pendrel win Sand Creek XC

by VeloNews.com

June 13, 2009
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By Fred Dreier

2009 Sand Creek International: Max Plaxton (Sho Air-Specialized) took “The Canadian Line” to victory.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

Max Plaxton pulled off mountain biking’s version of a Hail Mary pass to win Saturday’s Sand Creek International cross-country race, the fourth round of USA Cycling’s Pro Cross-country Tour (ProXCT).

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) appeared to have the Sho Air-Specialized rider boxed out on the final band of twisting singletrack, which descended a steep fall line before spitting riders onto a stretch of pavement to the finish. Whoever left that trail in the lead had the upper hand in the sprint to the line.

Instead of following Horgan-Kobelski through a switchback, the Canadian darted up onto the grass, over a rock and back onto the trail, dodging the cacti and grabbing a few meters on the American. It was all Plaxton needed to take his first national-level cross-country victory.

“I was thinking the whole way down, ‘Where do I pass, where do I pass?’” Plaxton said. “I was hoping (Horgan-Kobelski) would blow a corner but he was riding smooth. Coming into that corner I just said, ‘If he’s not taking it I’m going to take it,’ and he went straight.”

2009 Sand Creek International: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) surged to an early lead.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

Horgan-Kobelski, who came into the race trailing Plaxton by just five points in the series overall, was scratching his head at the finish line. The Coloradan admitted he thought he had the race won.

“I’m kind of frustrated that I let it slip through my fingers at the end. All of a sudden (Plaxton) just went flying by me in the grass,” Horgan-Kobelski said. “The term ‘Canadian Line’ sums it up. He took (a line) I didn’t even see.”

The tight finish came after nearly two hours of fast racing at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. It was the first national-level cross-country race for the venue, which hosted its first mountain bike race last October on the same course, and the sixth round of the Kenda Cup West, the West Coast wing of the Sho Air-Specialized U.S. Cup.

“The park already told me they’d like to see the event come back,” said organizer Andy Bohlmann, who also puts on the regional Sand Creek cross-country series. The event drew more than 400 pro and amateur cross-country racers.

The five-mile circuit included 1000 feet of climbing on scree-covered hardpack, and numerous rocky, technical sections before a fast, loose descent to the start/finish area. The loose sand and large rocks kept speeds low through the course’s upper reaches.

2009 Sand Creek International: Todd Wells (Specialized) on the descent.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

“Man, people were telling me this course was really fast, perfect for the hardtail,” joked Todd Wells (Specialized), who finished third. “I thought it was pretty technical.”

Horgan-Kobelski was the first man to play his cards, surging to an early lead on the climb and holding a 10-second gap on Wells, Plaxton, Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain-Maxxis) and Sid Taberlay (Sho Air-Specialized) after the first of four laps.

Plaxton closed the gap to Horgan-Kobelski on the ensuing descent with Wells in tow. The Specialized rider eventually dropped back on the penultimate lap, setting up the showdown at the finish.

For Plaxton, the victory comes after years of near misses on the U.S. national series, and the stars seemed aligned for his success. Along with his Sho Air-Specialized teammates Sam Jurekovic, Taberlay and Manny Prado, Plaxton spent two weeks riding the Cheyenne Mountain trail system. He also took a pass on Friday’s short-track cross-country.

“This whole week I told myself I need to win one of these things,” Plaxton said. “I was going downhill really good today. It all came together.”

Pendrel pips Compton

2009 Sand Creek International: Pendrel at the finish.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

The tight men’s finish came hours after a similarly exciting finale in the women’s race, which saw Canadian Catherine Pendrel (Luna) out-sprint hometown favorite Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) by inches.

The thin Pendrel, who sits No. 1 in the UCI rankings, said she did not expect to win a finish against Compton, a five-time U.S. cyclocross champion.

“I wasn’t feeling the upper hand in a sprint with (Compton), but everyone is beatable,” Pendrel said. “I just said, “Oh my God, I hope she doesn’t pass me. Just go!’”

Compton, who finished second in a sprint to Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher) at Friday’s short track, gave Pendrel credit for being first onto the final section of singletrack before the pavement.

2009 Sand Creek International: Compton racing through the trees.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

“She beat me to the singletrack. It’s so hard to pass on that last section,” Compton said. “She played it well and attacked at the right spot. It was a good race.”

Pendrel nearly saw victory slip away on the final lap. She misjudged a technical section of rocks and fell off her bike, then missed her bike on the remount, dropping her chain.

2009 Sand Creek International: After a strong start, Irmiger was slowed by mechanicals.

Photo: Brad Kaminsky

Pendrel’s victory came after she and Compton separated themselves from the women’s field with Irmiger. But the Subaru-Gary Fisher rider lost contact with the two after cracking her rear carbon wheel near the end of the first lap. Irmiger received a wheel change in the tech pit but flatted on the second lap, then waited for minutes while team mechanics struggled with repairs. She eventually finished eighth.

For Compton, finishing second to Pendrel was confirmation that her transition from elite cyclocross racing to mountain biking is coming along swimmingly. The Spike-Shooter rider plans to finish out the ProXCT and compete in the Canadian rounds of the UCI World Cup in July and August.

“I think I’m going to have a good go at mountain biking,” Compton said. “I’m excited to try my hand at this and try to get some good results.”