April 29, 2012 (Prescott, AZ) – Canada’s Geoff Kabush (SCOTT – 3Rox Racing) capped off the Whiskey Off Road annual 3-day MTB celebration with his second victory of the weekend and 3rd straight win by taking the 50-mile (80km) Whiskey 50 Proof MTB race. The city of Prescott, 90 miles (144km) north of Phoenix, Arizona played host to 1,750 competitors with the full support of the city, drawing rave reviews as a must-do event for any mountain bike enthusiast.
The race proved to be a test of both fitness and tactics as there was some serious horsepower in the field. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru Trek) set the tone early and laid it down on the opening climb putting pressure on the field as he pulled out a 20-second gap. With a long way to race ahead, Kabush kept JHK in sight while escaping from the main group pulling 20 seconds ahead of the main group. Eventually Kabush bridged to JHK and the two begin to work together.
The course was a mixture of long climbs and long descents, and after the major descent down to the turn-around at the base of Skull Valley, the lead duo of Kabush and JHK had been caught by the large, chase pack and now it was a group of 15 men leading at the base of the Skull Mountain climb.
Four-time Xterra World Champion Conrad Stoltz (Specialized) turned up the heat and upped the tempo, which widdled down the group. “It was a real mental battle out there,” Kabush told Pedal as he was keeping a watchful eye on his competition.
Near the top of Skull Mountain, Stoltz could not maintain the pace and all that remained at the front was a lead trio of riders consisting of Kabush, JHK, and Markus Bauer (GER). The finale was set – 30 minutes of singletrack descending with one short climb coined ‘Cramped Hill’ remained to the finish.
Using his descending skills and the dually bike beneath him, Kabush conserved energy on the downhill and gave it full gas up Cramp Hill to get the gap he needed to ride into town to claim victory.
“Lots of guys were on hardtails today with all the climbing, but with my SCOTT Spark 29er, I was able to relax more on the descending, conserving my energy for the climbs,” explained Kabush. “My dually frame is close to if not the lightest in its class so it’s not really a penalty on the climbing, and it’s a full advantage on the descents. Near the end, other guys on hardtails started to make mistakes.”
“This was an amazing event with so many people out – even at the early morning start,” added Kabush. “It was a cool weekend and when people are having fun they tell their friends and they come back.”
Results (brief)
Women
1. Monique Pua Mata (USA) Specialized Sho-Air 3:21:34
2. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Pro Team 3:23:00
3. Kelli Emmett (USA) Giant Bicycles 3:28:38
4. Allison Mann (USA) B4b/Rnr 3:33:25
5. Teal Stetson-lee (USA) Luna Pro Team 3:33:27
6. Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru-Trek 3:34:25
7. Jennifer Smith (USA) Stan’s NOTUBES Elite 3:34:32
8. Judy Freeman (USA) Crank Brothers 3:39:06
9. Sarah Jansen (USA) 3:41:58
10. Rebecca Gross (USA) Tough Girl/Scott Bikes/Sram 3:44:44
17. Wendy Simms (Can) 3:54:48
Pro Men
1. Geoff Kabush (Can) Scott-3Rox 2:54:59
2. Markus Bauer (Ger) 2:56:15
3. Jeremy Horgan-kobelski (USA) Subaru-Trek 2:56:19
4. Alex Grant (USA) Cannondale-Kaenon Polarized 2:57:16
5. Hector Fernando Riveros (USA) 2:57:29
6. Barry Wicks (USA) 2:58:06
7. Carl Decker (USA) Giant Bicycles 2:58:07
8. Mitch Hoke (USA) Clif Bar/Stevens/Kappius Components 2:59:44
9. Spencer Paxson (USA) Kona 3:00:29
10. Conrad Stoltz (USA) Specialized/Avia/Suunto/ClifBar 3:00:33
11. Kris Sneddon (Can) Kona 3:02:16
20. Peter Glassford (Can) Trek Canada/SRAM/Subaru 3:09:02