April 25, 2015 (Prescott, AZ) – Day one is in the books at the 2015 Whiskey Off-Road endurance mountain bike event held in Prescott, AZ.  The excited spirit of the 12th annual “gathering of the tribe” circulated as the Courthouse Square became home to the Bike & Gear Expo, welcoming over 55 expo participants. A mix of industry leaders like Maxxis Tires, Pivot Cycles, CamelBak, Stan’s NoTubes, Shimano, KMC Chain, Endura, and Yakima provided attendees with much to see and do throughout the event’s hub.

With nearly 2,000 riders registered, it was busy times in town as the day progressed toward the 15 Proof Fun Ride. At the strike of three, hundreds embarked towards The Prescott National Forest’s welcoming trails on tacky soil. Riders enjoyed a scenic pedal beginning with smirks and ending with grins cheek spanning cheek upon crossing the finish line on Whiskey Row.

The evening concluded with the Pro men’s and women’s Fat Tire Criteriums, which saw over 100 riders toe the line for some action packed racing. City-lined streets, a massive Sierra Nevada beer garden, live music from The Crosseyed Possum, plus a strong representation of factory teams made for a spectacle as the pros maneuvered their mountain bikes more like road bikes around the humbling one mile-loop time after time, after time, after time.

Notably, today’s top finishers included Specialized rider Sam Gaze for the males and returning champ Chloe Woodruff of Stan’s NoTubes, Niner, Clif Bar for the females. Joining Gaze on the Men’s podium was Derek Zandstra (2nd), 2014 champion Christoph Sauser (3rd), Menso De Jong (4th), and 2013 winner Geoff Kabush (5th). On the ladies side following Woodruff was Georgia Gould (2nd), Maghalie Rochette (3rd), Katerina Nash (4th), and Larissa Connors (5th).

For Crit Results here.

Men

1. Sam Gaze (Nzl) Specialized
2. Derek Zandstra (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing
3. Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized
4. Menso De Jong (USA) Clif Bar, Niner Bikes, SRAM MTB
5. Geoff Kabush (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing

13. Marc-Antoine Nadon (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing
19. Antoine Caron (Can) Pivot Cycles, ENVE, OTE
23. Kris Sneddon (Can) Kona, Logging, Mom and Dad
25. Marc-André Daigle (Can) Louis Garneau Sports / Quebecor
49. Patrick Chartrand (Can) Powerwatts Nord, Zibo Restaurants, Cycles Lambert
50. Cameron Jette (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing
70. Thomas Gauthier (Can) Pivot Cycles, ENVE, OTE
DNF Jonathon Firth (Can) Honey Stinger, Smithoptics, Planet Foods
DNF Adam Morka (Can) Trek Canada

Women

1. Chloe Woodruff (USA) Stan’s NoTubes, Niner Bikes, Clif Bar
2. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Pro
3. Maghalie Rochette (Can) Luna Pro
4. Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Pro
5. Larissa Connors (USA) Sho Air Cyclery, Cannondale, Enve Composites

11. Mical Dyck (Can) Stan’s NoTubes, Cannondale, Kenda