Katerina Nash and Geoff Kabush used last-lap surges to claim the men’s and women’s short-track races at the 2007 National Mountain Bike Series finals on Sunday in Snowmass, Colorado. In doing so, both athletes narrowly wrapped up the short-track series overall.

Nash, a former Olympic Nordic skier and current Czech national cross-country champion, came into the NMBS finals nursing a slight lead on Luna teammate Georgia Gould. The two traded short-track wins throughout the 2007 season, with Gould taking the first and third rounds and Nash grabbing the second, fourth and fifth. With riders receiving one drop race for the series, Gould and Nash stood in a near tie — the winner between the two would take the series.

The battle came a day after Gould asserted her dominance in the cross-country, wrapping up the series with a flawless 6-0 season. Nash crossed the line in second to lock up the runner-up spot on the overall podium.

Gould looked primed for a repeat during the women’s race. The 27-year-old rode at the front of the women’s field with Nash, Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna), Kelli Emmett (Giant) and Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher) in tow. With three laps remaining, however, Gould’s pace had worn the entourage down to just Nash, and the Czech appeared to be tiring. On the penultimate lap the American opened up a 30-foot gap on Nash, which appeared to be the winning move.

But up the final lap, which spun a long, 2km loop featuring one climb and one descent, Nash laid on the line to catch her teammate.

“I thought I had it and then Katerina came zooming by me out of the saddle,” Gould said. “I tried to react but I was blown.”

The effort was visibly taxing on the young Czech, who gasped for air at the finish line. “I knew that was my only chance to catch Georgia, so I tried to go on the steeper part of the climb,” Nash said. “It’s short track, and even though she’s my teammate we both want to beat each other.”

Irmiger crossed the line in third with Vanlandingham and Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher) rounding out the top five.

Like the women’s race, the men’s short track boiled down to a winner-take-all event. Having taken the fifth short-track round in Banner Elk, North Carolina, American Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) came into the even with a slight advantage on Kabush.

American Todd Wells (GT) was winless for 2007, however the Durango, Colorado, resident posted enough podium finishes to also be within grabbing distance of the series. Whichever athlete — Kabush, Horgan-Kobelski or Wells — came up with the win would take the overall.

Kabush went head-to-head with JHK,

Photo: Dave McElwaine - www.trailwatch.net

It looked to be the day for American short-track and cyclo-cross champion Ryan Trebon (Kona-Les Gets), however. Riding a pair of skinny cyclo-cross tires on his mountain bike, Trebon opened up a huge 20-second advantage on just the first lap. Had the race been at sea level, the Oregonian might have owned a chance at succeeding with his trademark first-lap explosion. But at 9500 feet elevation, Trebon eventually withered in the thin air and was caught by Kabush and Wells, with Horgan-Kobelski and Giant rider Adam Craig chasing in arrears.

As the 2007 cross-country series winner, Kabush owned the psychological advantage of having won the previous day’s cross-country race. But Wells looked poised to give Kabush a run for his money, until the Canadian dealt a crushing attack on the penultimate lap.

“Both JHK and I agreed that we were climbing better than Kabush on this course,” Wells admitted. “But he attacked on the false flat near the top and I couldn’t go.”

Craig put in a surge to pass the tiring Wells who faded to third. Kabush easily cruised in for his 15th career short track win, more than any man in the history of the event. The win brought him his fourth-career short-track series title.

“It feels good, it shows me that I’m right on track for world’s this year,” Kabush said after the race. “I’ve been lucky this year and haven’t gotten sick like in 2006. It’s made a difference. I feel like I’m right back to where I was supposed to be after 2005.”

2007 National Mountain Bike Series Finals
Snowmass, Colorado
August 12, 2007

Short Track
Men
1. Geoff Kabush (Can), Maxxis, 22:46

2. Adam Craig, Giant, at 0:09
3. Todd Wells, GT, at 0:17
4. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Subaru-Gary Fisher, at 0:37
5. Ryan Trebon, Kona-Les Gets, at 1:08
6. Sam Schultz, Subaru-Gary Fisher, at 1:09
7. Jeremiah Bishop, Trek-Volkswagen, at 1:18
8. Cody Peterson, Scott Bicycles, at 1:20
9. Mathieu Toulouse (Can), Maxxis, at 1:37
10. Alan Obye, Jamis, at 1:48Women
1. Katerina Nash (Cz), Luna, 24:02
2. Georgia Gould, Luna, at 0:01
3. Heather Irmiger, Subaru-Gary Fisher, at 0:19
4. Shonny Vanlandingham, Luna, at 0:34
5. Willow Koerber, Subaru-Gary Fisher, at 1:11
6. Zephanie Blasi, Kenda-X Fusion, at 1:57
7. Lea Davison, Trek-Volkswagen, at 2:05
8. Kelli Emmett, Giant, at 2:24
9. Chloe Forsman, Luna, at 2:42
10. Jennifer Smith (NZ), Trek-Volkswagen, at 2:51Final NMBS Short Track Standings
Men
1. Kabush, 849 points
2. Horgan-Kobelski, 8263. Wells, 825
4. Trebon, 776
5. Schultz, 699
6. Bishop, 681
7. Sam Jurekovic, U23 National, 671
8. Barry Wicks, Kona-Les Gets, 670
9. Carl Decker, Giant, 620
10. Peterson, 607

Women
1. Nash, 900 points
2. Gould, 880
3. Vanlandingham, 765
4. Koerber, 747
5. Irmiger, 724
6. Wendy Simms (Can), Kona-les Gets, 650
7. Kathy Sherwin, Titus, 645
8. Blasi, 641
9. Forsman, 625
10. Davison, 568