Like a pair of comfy old slippers, the ones you just can’t stop wearing no matter how threadbare they look to others, the Mount Snow cross-country course never ceases to evoke praise as one of the best race tracks on the world mountain bike circuit. Despite remaining largely unchanged over a decade of racing, the single-track rich perennial NORBA and former World Cup venue always seems to crown a deserving winner, one with the perfect combo of climbing form and technical descending skill. Race number three on the 2006 NORBA National Series Cross-country, June 17 in West Dover, Vermont, proved no exception.

Repeating her breakout win from 2003, Mary McConneloug (Kenda-Seven Cycles) clocked the 60-rider women’s field, dashing off the front on the opening climb and never looking back. McConneloug set the pace on all the climbs and played it conservatively on the descents, not anxious to crash or flat on the rutty, rooty, rocky downhills. NORBA Seris leader Shonny Vanlandingham got off to a rough start, crashing on the first section of single-track and falling out of the leading group. Vanlandingham spent the next two laps chasing back towards McConneloug, but never caught the 2000 Olympian.

“I never even saw Mary after the opening climb,” said Vanlandingham, who maintained her NORBA Series lead. “She just went off the front and was able to hold it, all credit to her for that.”

“I’ve always loved racing here,” said McConneloug, who has missed the past several editions of Mt Snow due to her World Cup schedule. “And going into next weekend’s Mt-St-Anne World Cup I needed a good result and I needed to know I had good legs. I got that today.”

Were it not for a crash in the single-track, the pro men’s race would have looked more like a team training mission than a competition. Fresh off a frustrating trio of World Cups teammates Christophe Sauser and Laim Killeen (Specialized) finished one-two on the day and thoroughly dominated the race, but Sauser added some excitement, inadvertently. While leading the race on the second of four laps Sauser crashed at the top of the legendary single-track descent and lost several spots.

Sauser takes the top step

Photo: Chris Milliman

Killeen took over while Sauser worked his way back through the pack following a stop into one the tech zones. Sauser caught Killeen going into the last lap and managed to eke out a margin in the final kilometer of the race. NORBA Series leader Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) filled out the top three, nearly three minutes behind the Specialized duo.

“This course has a good bit of climbing and it’s also very technical, which is great for me,” said Sauser, the defending World Cup champion. “The descent was rough, having the full-suspension bike made a big difference in saving the legs for the climbs.”

“It didn’t matter to me so much whether I won or Christophe won,” said Killeen, who won Mt Snow back in 2004. “For me, it’s nice to feel like I had good form, I haven’t felt really good since April.”

In the Super D, run bright and early on Saturday morning, XC stand-out Barry Wicks (Kona) won his first Super D ahead of event vet Ariel Lindsley (Maverick). On the women’s side, Sue Haywood (Trek-VW) outlasted teammate Lea Davison with Marla Streb (Luna) filling out the top-three a mere five weeks after giving birth to her daughter.

2006 NORBA Series, Race #3
Mt Snow, West Dover, VTPro Men
1. Christophe Sauser (Specialized), 2:09:29
2. Liam Killeen (Specialized), 2:09:32
3. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher), 2:12:10
4. Adam Craig (Giant), 2:13:17
5. Max Plaxton (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects), 2:13:54
6. Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), 2:14:23
7. Ricky Federeau (TeamRace.com), 2:14:40
8. Todd Wells (GT), 2:15:24
9. Jeremiah Bishop (Trek-VW), 2:18:37
10. Nick Waite (Kelly Benefits), 2:18:50Pro Women
1. Mary McConneloug (Kenda-Seven Cycles), 1:58:52
2. Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna), 2:00:47
3. Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects), 2:01:05
4. Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher), 2:01:09
5. Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher), 2:03:33
6. Dara Marks-Marino (Titus), 2:04:27
7. Kiara Bisaro (TeamRace.com), 2:06:04
8. Jimena Florit (Luna), 2:06:42
9. Catherine Pendrel (Norco), 2:06:59
10. Georgia Gould (Luna), 2:07:32