|
You couldn’t have written a more perfect script for the U.S. Cup’s opening round at Bonelli Park on Sunday,
March 1st. With clear skies, an all new XC course, temps in the 80’s and a record 680+ cross-country athletes
for the Bonelli Park venue; apparently someone missed the memo that cross country-mountain biking was
dead in the United States! And who could blame them. The US Cup fed over 500 hungry racers In N Out
burgers after the event, and the Kenda Swag bag was loaded with event T-Shirts and product that hasn’t been
seen at a cross country event in years.
 The men’s Pro XC race was nothing short of a barn burner as a field of forty Pro men lined up for the
Kenda
Cup West opener. Add to the fact that Speed Television’s Jason Britton of the show “Super Bikes” led out
the neutral start of the men’s Pro field in a stand up wheelie on his custom Kawasaki 600 stunt bike, the energy
from the crowd was electric! Make sure to keep an eye out on Tuesday nights for Speed Televisions show
“Super Bikes” featuring the Kenda
Cup West Opener that will premier in the next few weeks.
After Britton peeled off the front of the neutral start, the race was on for the four lap men’s Pro XC race. Immediately KHS/Cytomax rider Chuck Jenkins put the power down at the front entering the first climb out of the start. Jenkins held the tempo just till the top, until Sammy Jurekovic from Sho-Air/Specialized took over. That lead was short lived as national regular Andy Schultz riding for the
Kenda/Tomac/Hayes team went to the front before the first major down hill and applied the pressure. Schultz’s aggressive riding quickly separated the men from the boys and the field was down to four with Schultz, Jurekovic, Taberlay and
Mexico’s Emmanuel Valencia in tow.
 The group of four remained in tact into the second lap until the first climb, where Taberlay tested the field for the first time. Only team turbo’s Valencia was able to respond, Schultz and Jurekovic slipping off the wheel. Taberlay knowing he had the numbers decided to sit up and wait for Sho-Air/Specialized teammate to Jurekovic to bridge up. However, that didn’t last long as Schultz again turned the screws as soon as he made contact with Taberlay and Valencia and then proceeded off the front again!
Taberlay and Jurekovic responded, however Valencia’s first effort to match Sid’s acceleration put him in difficulty to match the determined Schultz on the courses second climb after the decent. Now out in the back section of the 7.5 mile loop, it was down to three riders. With an obvious mismatch with two Sho-Air/Specialized riders in the group, the 5X Australian National Champion decided he had had enough and made a go off the front.
With Taberlay absconding off the front, Schultz was now the odd man out and had to drag around former U23
National Champ Sam Jurekovic who was playing perfect team tactics for his Sho-Air/Specialized team mate.
Going through the feed zone climb starting lap 3, Taberlay had opened up over a minute and fifteen second lead
over Schultz and Jurekovic. Off the back of that duo came Valencia, dangling 35 seconds back. Several
minutes off Valencia came Sho-Air/Specialized’s Manny Prado and KHS/Cytomax rider Sean Donovan
scrapping over 5th and 6th position. The rest of the men’s Pro field was shattered with groups coming through
intermittently several minutes back.
Once out front, Taberlay cooled the after burners as he came through the feed zone with heavy traffic on the
fourth and final lap. A minute later Jurekovic appeared all alone as he had dislodged Andy Schultz and was all
alone in 2nd. Forty five seconds later, Schultz appeared all alone in 3rd. Off the back of Schultz came Valencia,
with Donovan and Prado another thirty seconds behind him.
 At the finish line it was all Sid Taberlay, with Sho-Air/Specialized team mate Sammy Jurekovic coming in
sixteen seconds back. A minute back came Schultz in third. It was then over a nine minute wait to see who
would come in for 4th and 5th. Just out of the wooded ridge line before the finish, appeared Donovan and Prado
who had somehow managed to catch the slowing Emmanuel Valencia on the last lap.
Coming down the pavement into the tight hairpin finish it was Donovan and Prado side by side, with Donovan
just edging out Prado for fourth, making it three of five for the powerhouse Sho-Air/Specialized factory
domestic team.
After the race the riders had nothing but praise for the Kenda
Cup West opener and new course design:
Sid Taberlay “Ya mate, it was a fast course for sure and the weather was a bit warm for this time of the
year. Schultzy was drilling it at the front and thinned out the group pretty fast on the first lap, expressed
Pro Men’s winner Taberlay. “After I settled in I made an initial attack to test the guys because Valencia
was climbing really well today. Once Andy and Sammy J got back on, Andy punched it again. But once
we brought that back and got rid of Valencia, I thought I should take another go off the front. From
there on out, my manager was giving me time checks so I could manage my effort”, said Taberlay.
Second place finisher Sam Jurekovic was happy with his second place finish. “I’ve really been logging
the base miles in these last few weeks, so I was more than happy to assist Sid or Manny in anyway I
could. We talked with our team manager Ty Kady prior to the race, and it was agreed we would work as
a team and see how the chips fell, reflects Jurekovic. “To come across in second feeling like I did was just
icing on the cake.”
 Schultz was 3rd on the day and was a major protagonist. “This course was definitely fast, so team tactics
really came into play. Unfortunately my other Kenda team mates weren’t here, so I ended up on the
short end of the stick once it was down to the three of us, but hey that’s racing. That said, I feel like my
training is coming along nicely and I should have some more horsepower at the PRO XCT race in
Fontana when my team mates arrive, added Schultz.
|
