McConneloug surprises them at Mt. Snow; Green as fast as ever

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By Chris Milliman, Special to VeloNews.com

Riding for a local New England bike manufacturer and cheered on by a crowd that could sense an upset, Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles) won Saturday’s Mount Snow NORBA cross-country.

McConneloug, who spends half her year training on Martha’s Vineyard, dropped three-time world champion Alison Sydor (Trek-Volkswagen) on the last climb of the last lap and held her advantage on Mt. Snow’s infamous, rooty, rocky, singletrack descent.

“I’d always thought I could do this,” said McConneloug of her win, “but actually doing it never seemed to happen.”

The win was McConneloug’s first ever podium in a NORBA NCS event.

Behind her, Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren) chased down a fading Sydor to claim second. Florit led the race for the first of the race’s three laps, but admitted to overestimating the speed she could carry. After Sydor and McConneloug joined forces on the second lap, Florit and teammate Willow Koerber rode together in an effort to keep the leading duo within striking distance. In the end it worked for the Ralph Lauren pair, but neither was able to reel in the now super-charged McConneloug.

Back on top
After taking a few weeks off of the race circuit to recover from the concussion he sustained at the Tour de Georgia, two-time defending world champion Roland Green (Trek-Volkswagen) picked up right where he belonged.

Green and countrymen Seamus McGrath (Haro-Lee Dungarees) and Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru-Gary Fisher) stormed off the front on the first lap but by the second lap Hesjedal fell off the pace. Trek-Volkswagen regional rider Jeremiah Bishop raced past a fading Hesjedal to grab third.

Meanwhile, Green and McGrath rode in tandem for the final three laps of the four-lap race, swapping turns on the front and keeping the pace high. Green waited until a false flat just past the feedzone on the final lap to launch his race winning attack.

Green opened a 10-second gap by the top of the climb and opened the margin on the descent. Bishop held onto third for the biggest result of his career.

“I couldn’t go hard for three weeks because of my concussion,” said Green, “so I really needed to go back home, take it easy and get some training under my belt. It worked.”

Yup, it sure did.

Cross CountryPro men
1. Roland Green (CAN), Trek-Volkswagen, 2:10.51
2. Seamus McGrath (CAN), Haro-Lee Dungarees, 2:11:05
3. Jeremiah Bishop (USA), Trek-Volkswagen, 2:14:20
4. Ryder Hesjedal, (CAN), Subaru-Gary Fisher), 2:15:13
5. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA), RLX Ralph Lauren, 2:15:34
6. Geoff Kabush, (CAN), Haro-Lee Dungarees, 2:16:43
7. Liam Killeen, (GBR), Subaru-Gary Fisher, 2:17:21
8. Adam Craig, (USA), Giant-Pearl Izumi, 2:19:31
9. Carl Decker, (USA), Giant-Pearl Izumi, 2:21:05
10. Jimi Mortenson, (USA), Specialized, 2:21:18Pro Women
1. Mary McConneloug, (USA), Seven Cycles, 1:59:56
2. Jimena Florit, (ARG), RLX Ralph Lauren, 2:00:48
3. Alison Sydor, (CAN), Trek-Volkswagen, 2:01:09
4. Willow Koerber, (USA), RLX Ralph Lauren, 2:01:22
5. Chrissy Redden, (CAN), Subaru-Gary Fisher, 2:02:14
6. Trish Sinclair, (CAN), Gearsracing.com, 2:04:28
7. Katerina Hanusova, (CZE), Luna, 2:04:55
8. Kiara Bisaro, (CAN), Gearsracing.com, 2:05:23
9. Susan Haywood, (USA), Trek-Volkswagen, 2:06:13
10. Karen DeWolf, (CAN), Dried Plums-Orbitz, 2:08:28
 

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