Haywood Survives Crash, Wins National Mountain Bike Title
Contact: John Cardinale 707-334-9805 Haywood Survives Late-Race Crash, Wins SuperD National Title in Sonoma SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Susan Haywood survived a late-race crash to capture her first-ever SuperD National Championship on Saturday at the 2006 USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships, brought to you by X-Fusion, at Infineon Raceway. It was the third national championship overall for Haywood, but her first in SuperD - the other two coming in Short Track. She hopes to win her second national championship of the weekend on Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Short Track. "I went down late in the race but was pretty determined to get back on the bike," said Haywood, who placed fourth in last year's SuperD National Championship. "I caught up and sprinted early (for the finish) and just went for it at the end. I wasn't too tactical on my sprint. I just used my momentum." Haywood (Trek/Volkswagen), a native of Davis, West Virg., crossed the finish line of the 2.39-mile course in six minutes, 47.5 seconds. She was followed close behind by Kelli Emmett (Ford Cycling) at 6:47.8 and Marla Streb (Luna Women) at 6:48.2. "It wasn't a very technical course, compared to what we're used to but it was a great race. It was wide-open and there was a lot of drafting. It was pretty exciting," Haywood said. On the men's side, Adam Craig (Giant Bicycles) continued his dominance in SuperD, taking his third consecutive national championship, covering the 2.39-mile course in 6:13.4 seconds. Ross Schnell (Trek/Volkswagen) was second in 6:14.4, with teammate Chris Eatough (Trek/Volkswagen) third at 6:19.1. Schnell and Eatough actually held the late lead, but Craig used a late burst to win in a sprint to the finish line. "I'm a mountain biker, so this was really the first time I had to sprint to win a race," said Craig, from Corinth, Maine. "It's not my kind of race but it worked out." In Mountain Cross, Temecula's Eric Carter (Mongoose Bicycles) claimed the men's national championship, while Seattle's Jill Kintner (GT Bicycles) won the women's crown. This marks the first year Infineon Raceway has hosted the most prestigious mountain bike race weekend in the country - the championships were originally planned for Mammoth Mountain but had to be relocated after a record amount of snowfall this winter. The championships are part of the Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic. Action concludes on Sunday at Infineon Raceway with national championships contested in Short Track and Downhill. More than 2,500 competitors are expected for the entire weekend, which will see 12 national mountain biking champions crowned. There will be a six-hour Enduro Sunday for road cyclists on the raceway's 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course, as well as many activities in the main paddock for both adults and children. Tickets for the race weekend are $10 per day per vehicle. Call 800-870-RACE or visit www.cmclassic.com. USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships SONOMA, Calif. - Final results Sunday from Infineon Raceway for the professional men's and women's categories at the 2006 USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships, brought to you by X-Fusion. Team and hometown in parenthesis: SuperD National Championship Final Results - Top-15 Pro Men (2.39 miles) 1. Adam Craig (Giant, Corinth, ME) 2. Ross Schnell (Trek/VW, Glenwood Spring, CO) 3. Chris Eatough (Trek/VW, Ellicott City, MD) 4. Mark Weir (WTB, Novato) 5. Curtis Beavers (WTB, San Jose) 6. Dana Weber (JAX Bicycles, Laguna Beach) 7. Barry Wicks (AEG-Tosh, Santa Cruz) 8. Michael Broderick (Seven Cycles, Chilmark, MA) 9. Brent Winebarger (Health FX, Aztec, NM) 10. Eric Ransom (Tamarack, Durango, CO) 11. Manuel Prado (Sho-Air, Lake Forest) 12. Ariel Lindsley (Maverick, Boulder, CO) 13. Jiro Nakamura (Las Vegas) 14. Anthony Medaglia (Truvativ, Novato) 15. Kirk Desmond (WTB, Novato) SuperD National Championship Final Results - Top-14 Pro Women (2.39 miles) 1. Susan Haywood (Trek/VW, Davis, WV) 2. Kelli Emmett (Ford Cycling, Colorado Spring, CO) 3. Marla Streb (Luna Women, Los Osos) 4. Jamie Whitmore (Felt Racing, Mt. Aukum) 5. Kristy Lanier-Mantz (Dirtbean, Marlinton, WV) 6. Kim Passafiume (Velo Bella/Kona, Auburn) 7. Abigail Hippely (Maverick, Boulder, CO) 8. Cassandra Perkins (Land Rover, Greenville, SC) 9. Dara Mark Marino (Titus/Kenda, Flagstaff, AZ) 10. Melanie Meyers (Ford Cycling, Tucson, AZ) 11. Heather Svahn (Content Works, Truckee) 12. Rebecca Gross (Armed Forces, Choctaw, OK) 13. Shannon Holden (Velo Bella, Spokane, WA) 14. Carrie Cleeton (Foes Racing, Corvallis, OR) --------------------------- John Cardinale VP of Media/Community Relations Infineon Raceway Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476 wk: 707-933-3907 cell: 707-334-9805