The Blue Ridge Mountains were a fitting backdrop to the opening of the 2007 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike Championships, as nearly 200 collegians hit a mud-riddled 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.

A week of steady rain left the technical cross-country course at Lees-McRae College soaked for the start of the Division I men's cross country contest. Eighty-eight riders from 30 schools took to the slippery four-lap, twenty-mile affair, which began at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Fort Lewis’ Benjamin Sonntag, the reigning junior world winter triathlon champ, flexed his muscles early, and opened a gap on lap one. The only rider within striking distance of Sonntag, also the silver medalist from the 2006 NCAA Nordic Skiing national championships, was his Skyhawk teammate Adam Snyder. While Sonntag eventually slowed on the final lap, he finished more than six minutes ahead of Snyder and Middlebury College's Spencer Paxson, who finished second and third, respectively. Northern Arizona University's Tim Allen and the University of Utah's Mitchell Peterson rounded out the top five.

"I am not a good technical rider so it was to my benefit today that I am an experienced runner,” Sonntag said.

The men's division field rolls off the line.

Photo: Went Knipe

Taking the win in the division II men’s race was Colorado College's Colin Cares of Boulder, Colorado. Cares is also a member of the USA Cycling Under-23 national team.

"The course was challenging," said Cares. "I just had to remember that everyone was in the same boat."

Tristan Cowie of Brevard College showed the strength of the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference, coming in second-place, around five minutes behind Cares. Andrew Freye of the University of Southern Maine and Christopher Parrish of Western Washington University finished third and fourth, while Appalachian State’s Robert Jameson rounded out the podium.

Reigning national U23 and collegiate cross-country champion Chloe Forsman of the University of Arizona was the heavy favorite entering the three-lap Division I women's race, which was delayed due to the rain. Forsman, a professional rider on the Luna Women’s mountain-bike team, faced a pair of strong challengers in Colorado State University's Amanda Miller and the University of Tenneseee-Chattanooga's Jamie Dinkins. With Forsman taking the win, 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," Miller said.

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

Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference champion Kylie Krauss of Warren Wilson College took home a commanding victory in the women's Division II race. Kate Chapman of Western State College, Naticia Slusher (Mesa State) Karen Amundson (Cumberland University) and Kay Sherwood (Colorado College) finished the cross country competition in second through fifth respectively in the women's 15-mile, Division II contest.

Racing resumes Saturday at 9:00 a.m. with the downhill competition, nearly 5,000 feet on top of Grandfather Mountain at nearby 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. Stay tuned to www.velonews.com.

USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships
Banner Elk, N.C.
October 26, 2007Division I Men's Cross Country
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)Division II Men's Cross Country
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)Division I Women's Cross Country
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)Division II Women's Cross Country
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)