Cares and Mata take over Pro XCT lead following Ute Valley

  
  


The USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) continued on Saturday with the Ute Valley Pro XCT powered by Rotor Bike USA in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./Cannondale) and Katerina Nash (Truckee, Calif./Team LUNA Chix) pulled off wins in the third of five 2012 Pro XCT events, but it was Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Kenda-Felt) and Monique 'Pua' Mata (Westminister, Calif./Sho-air-Specialized) who used their sixth and second place finishes respectively to reign in the Pro XCT overall leads.

Ryan Trebon wins the Ute Valley Pro XCT powered by Rotor Bike USA on June 16.
Ryan Trebon wins the Ute Valley Pro XCT powered by Rotor Bike USA on June 16.
Riding in his first mountain bike race of the season, cyclo-cross strongman Trebon took the win over fellow Oregonian Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) and soon-to-be three-time Olympian Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized); despite a muddy course and a new venue at Ute Valley Park. After setting a blistering pace, Trebon was albe to pull away on the race's third lap. Craig was unable to track him down, but came in a comfortable second before Wells outsprinted fellow Olympian Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek) in a photo finish.

Cares' consistent performances in all three Pro XCT events thus far moved him into the calendar's overall lead after his sixth-place finish at Ute Valley. After finishing in second and third in Colorado Springs Wells and Craig took over second and thrid in the overall series, while Schultz and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) moved into fourth and fifth overall.

Nash used her speed, experience and pit crew to take home the win in the mudfest of a women's race at Ute Valley. Thunderstroms rolled in during the second of the five-lap race which rendered some rider's bikes inoperable due to the build-up of clay. Also experienced in these conditions, USA Cycling's Pro Ultra-Endurance Tour (Pro UET) leader Pua Mata (Anaheim, Calif./Team Sho-Air Specialized) pulled in two minutes later for second place and Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) took third.

Mata's finish at Ute Valley helped move her into a tie for the Pro XCT overall with Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Toyko Joe's) who has used consistent performance and a fourth-place finish in Colorado Springs to earn 360 total Pro XCT points. Zephanie Blasi (Vail, Ariz./WXC World Racing) currently sits in third overall, just 20 points behind.

With a solid team performance at Ute Valley, Subaru-Trek just into the team overall lead, 29 points ahead of Kenda/Felt Pro MTB Team and Team LUNA Chix.

Full results from the Ute Valley Pro XCT powered by Rotor Bike USA

 

USA Cycling Pro XCT Standings:

Men
1. Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Specialized Racing Kenda-Felt) - 380
2. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) - 350
3. Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) - 320
3. Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek) - 320
3. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) - 280

Women
1. Monique 'Pua' Mata (Westminister, Calif./Sho-air-Specialized) - 360
1. Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Toyko Joe's) - 360
3. Zephanie Blasi (Vail, Ariz./WXC World Racing) - 340
4. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) - 310
5. Judy Freeman (Littleton, Colo./Crankbrothers Race Club) - 190

Team
1. Subaru-Trek - 100
2. Kenda/Felt Pro MTB Team - 71
2. Team LUNA Chix - 71
4. Specialized Racing - 68
5. BMC Mountain Bike Development Team - 46
 

For complete standings, visit the Pro XCT's official webpage at usacycling.org/proxct.

Coming Up
The Pro XCT will continue with its penultimate contest, the Hammer Nutrition Missoula XC, in Missoula, Mont. on July 14.

Photo by Dave McElwaine/Trailwatch.net: Ryan Trebon wins the Ute Valley Pro XCT powered by Rotor Bike USA on Saturday.

 



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