We saw what might happen if an American could start up at the front of the pack at the World Cup in Scotland. National Champ Jeremy Horgan Kobelski, who was 18th overall when he came in, quickly found himself with the big guns. Not just for the first lap, but all of them. Jeremy was joined by Jose Hermida and Julien Absalon, World Champion. Jeremy rode alongside them until the halfway point, before he was forced to drop back to the chase group. He held his nerve and came within 3 seconds of finishing in third place, but he was beaten by Florian Vogel and Bart Brentjens in the final sprint.
Jeremy has just proven that he can compete with the best in the world! This gives Jeremy a tremendous psychological boost. Jeremy will be starting at Mont-Sainte-Anne’s front row if he moves into the top 10.
GUNN-RITA BARELY MAKES THE PODIUM!
The weather in Scotland was rainy and windy. Fort William circuit is water-resistant, so the track did not become a soupy mess last week in Belgium. World Champion Gunn Rita Dahle was able to holeshot and pull away in perfect conditions. After the first lap, she fell flat. It was then that it became clear that her quick fill didn’t work and she had to ride the bike for over a mile to get to the next tech zone. The World Champ entered the race again in 60th place with a new wheel. To get past the back laggers, it took tremendous horsepower and sharp handling skills to make it to the podium. This is her fourth-lowest World Cup finish in more than four years.
Total 144 riders participated in the men’s race and 77 in the women’s.
FORT WILLIAMS WORLD CUP 4, RESULTS
1. Julien Absalon (Fra)Bianchi Agos 2. Jose Hermida (Spn)Multivan Merida 3. Florian Vogel (Swi)Swisspower 4. Bart Brentjens (Ned?)Giant 5. Jeremy Horgan-KobelskiSubaru-Gary Fisher 6. Moritz Milatz (Ger)Multivan Merida 7. Christoph Sauser (Swi)Specialized 8. Cedric Ravanel (Fra)Lapierre 9. Nino Schurter (Swi)Swisspower 10. Ludovic Dubau (Fra)Pro Race Team 23. Adam CraigGiant 30. Todd WellsGT 46. Geoff Kabush (Can.Maxxis 56). Jeremiah BishopTrek-VW 64. Sam SchultzU23 National 66. Carl DeckerGiant83. Michael BroderickKenda-Seven 86. Cody Peterson 99. Nicholas Ranno-1 lap
117. Sam Jurekovic-3
WOMEN
1. Nina Gohl (Ger)Multivan Merida 2. Marie-Helene Premont (Can)Rky Mnt-Biz Obj 3. Irina Kalentieva (Rus)Luna Chix 4. Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor)Multivan Merida 5. Lene Byberg (Nor)Bikincyprus 6. Sabine Spitz (Ger)Specialized 7. Margarita Fullana (Spn)Spiuk Illes Balears 8. Eva Lechner (Ita) 9. Chengyuan Ren (Chn) 10. Blaza Klemencic (Slo)Pintatim Full-Dynamix 20. Willow KoerberSubaru–Gary Fisher 23. Mary McConnelougKenda-Seven 28. Heather IrmigerSubaru–Gary Fisher 34. Susan HaywoodTrek – VW 47. Katerina Nash (Cze)Luna Chix 49. Kathy Sherwin
OVERALL WORLD Cup XC STANDINGS
1. Julien Absalon950 points
2. Jose Hermida660
3. Bart Brentjens625
4. Christoph Sauser (Swi)580
5. Ralph Naf (Swi)Multivan Merida450
6. Roel Paulissen, Bel)Giant430
7. Florian Vogel383
8. Liam Killeen (GBr), Specialized352
9. Nino Schurter351
10. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski310
27. Adam Craig187
47. Michael Broderick86
54. Geoff Kabush (Can.)75
58. Todd Wells66
74. Jeremiah Bishop36
89. Nick WaiteKelly Benefit21
109. Carl Decker8
WOMEN
1. Gunn-Rita Dahle900
2. Sabine Spitz620
3. Marie-Helene605
4. Margarita Fullana600
5. Irina Kalentieva586
6. Nina Gohl522
7. Lene Byberg520
8. Maja Wloszczowska (Pol)Lotto435
9. Mary McConneloug342
10. Alison Sydor (Can)Rky Mtn-Biz Obj322
13. Katerina Nah261
17. Willow Koerber236
21. Shonny VanlandinghamLuna Chix204
30. Heather Irmiger169
33. Susan Haywood163
38. Kelli EmmettFord Cycling128
50. Jimena Florit (Arg)98
62. Lea DavisonTrek-VW42
66. Kathy Sherwin32
74. Kristina Andrus22
75. Kristi Lewis21
81. Sara BresnickFord Cycling18
