Banner Elk, N.C. (October 26, 2006) – The Blue Ridge Mountains were a fitting backdrop as nearly 200 collegians hit the trails for the opening of the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships on a mud-ridden cross country course on Friday. Traditional cycling powerhouses Fort Lewis College, Colorado College and Warren Wilson College took home first prize in the men’s Division I, men’s Division II and women’s Division II cross country races, while a star from the University of Arizona held on to the title in the women’s Division I contest. 

 

After an extremely dry summer in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina, the area has been riddled with nearly a week of light, but steady rain, leaving the technical Lees-McRae College cross country course soaked for the start of the Division I men’s cross country contest. All 88 DI riders representing more than 30 different institutions from across the country braced themselves for a slippery four-lap, twenty-mile affair which began at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. From the onset, the reigning World Winter Triathlon Champion and Fort Lewis College undergraduate, Benjamin Sonntag (Durango, Colo.) flexed his muscles by opening up a significant lead through lap one, even as most riders had to run up many of the climbs. The only rider within striking distance of the 2006 NCAA Nordic Skiing Silver Medalist was his Skyhawk teammate Adam Snyder (Westminister, Mass.) who was around two minutes back after three laps and 1:30 had expired. Although Sonntag’s times on the tough five-mile loops slowed a bit, his lead did not as he finished more than six minutes ahead of Snyder and Middlebury College’s Spencer Paxson (Trout Lake, Wash.) who took second and third place in the DI race in commanding fashion. Northern Arizona University’s Tim Allen (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and the University of Utah’s Mitchell Peterson (Sandy, Utah) rounded out the top five, finishing in under 2:25 in the most highly contested race of the day.  

 

“It was a beautiful course,” Sonntag said of one of the country’s only on-campus cross country mountain bike courses. “I am not a good technical rider so it was to my benefit today that I am an experienced runner.” 

 

In the Division II men’s race, which began only minutes later, riders faced the same challenges as their Division I counterparts. Even with the technical, muddy conditions, another west-coaster, Colorado College’s Colin Cares (Colorado Springs, Colo.) came out on top, finishing the race in 2:23:57. 

 

“The course was challenging,” said Cares, the experienced USA Cycling National Development Team rider. “I just had to remember that everyone was in the same boat.”

 

Nearby Brevard College’s Tristan Cowie (Dawsonville, Ga.) helped show the strength of the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference, coming in second-place, around five minutes behind Cares. Andrew Freye (Yarmouth, Maine/University of Southern Maine) and Christopher Parrish (Mercer Island, Wash./Western Washington University) finished third and fourth, while another “local” from Appalachian State University Robert Jameson (Plainview, Ark.) came in fifth place out of the more than 50 DII men. 

 

The USA Cycling U23 Cross Country Mountain Bike National Champion, Chole Forsman (Tucson, Ariz./University of Arizona) was the heavy favorite entering the slightly-delayed 11:30 a.m. start of the three-lap Division I women’s cross country race. The Luna Chix professional rider did not disappoint, gaining speed as the race went on and riding to her second USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championship in as many years. Forsman was however faced with a pair of strong challengers in Colorado State University’s Amanda Miller (Fort Collins, Colo.) and the University of Tenneseee-Chattanooga’s Jamie Dinkins (Powell, Tenn.).  Just behind Forsman, Miller and Dinkins gave the crowd the day’s most exciting finish. Dinkins was able to ride past the running Miller on the final descent, but the CSU junior overtook Dinkins on the home stretch to earn the silver. 

 

“She rode the downhill and I walked it because it was really muddy and I did not want to crash and take myself out of the race,” explained Miller who was a last minute entry into the competition. “I am so thankful I was able to make it here. Collegiate cycling is great! It is so nice to have other women teammates to ride with and for.” 

 

Hometown favorite Carla Swart of Lees-McRae College (Buford, Ga.) and Teal Stetson-Lee of Durango, Colorado’s Fort Lewis College finished fourth and fifth out of the 44 Division I women’s entries.

 

In this hotbed of mountain biking, another local school, Warren Wilson College, fared well with Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Champion Kylie Krauss (Ashville, N.C.) taking home the commanding victory in the women’s Division II race. Kate Chapman (Breckenridge, Colo.) of Western State College, Naticia Slusher (Fruita, Colo./Mesa State University), Karen Amundson (Lebanon, Tenn./Cumberland University) and Kay Sherwood (Ipswich, Mass./Colorado College) finished the cross country competition in second through fifth respectively in the women’s 15-mile, Division II contest. 

 

With four national titles already decided, racing will resume tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with the downhill competition, nearly 5,000 feet on top of Grandfather Mountain at Sugar Mountain Resort. Racing will continue on Saturday afternoon with the short-track race at 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Lees-McRae College. The USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships will wrap-up on Sunday morning with the dual slalom competition.

 

 

1. Benjamin Sonntag (Fort Lewis College)

2. Adam Snyder (Fort Lewis College)

3. Spencer Paxson (Middlebury College)

4. Tim Allen (Northern Arizona University)

5. Mitchell Peterson (University of Utah)

 

1. Colin Cares (Colorado College)

2. Tristan Cowie (Brevard College)

3. Andrew Freye (University of Southern Maine)

4. Christopher Parrish (Western Washington University)

5. Robert Jameson (Appalachian State University)

 

1. Chloe Forsman (University of Arizona)

2. Amanda Miller (Colorado State University)

3. Jamie Dinkins (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga)

4. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College)

5. Teal Stetson-Lee (Fort Lewis College)

 

1. Kylie Krauss (Warren Wilson College)

2. Kate Chapman (Western State College)

3. Naticia Slusher (Mesa State University)

4. Karen Amundson (Cumberland University)

5. Kay Sherwood (Colorado College)

 

 For complete results click here.  To view images visit the USA Cycling Photo Gallery here.