May 23, 2004 (Big Bear, CA) – So often in the sport of mountain biking,
luck plays a major role in the outcome of the race which is exactly what
happened today in the cross country race at round three of the NORBA
National Mountain Bike Series in Big Bear Lake, Calif. Ryan Trebon
(Ventura, Calif.) fell victim to lady luck this afternoon after clearly
defining himself as the strongest rider in today’s race. After amounting a
1:45 lead on his nearest competitor midway though the 29.3 mile race, a
flat tire on the final descent obliterated his chances for his first ever
NORBA cross country win. The benefactor of Trebon’s bad luck, with an
impressive ride of his own, was Travis Brown (Durango, Colo.) who claimed
his first NORBA National win since 1999.

In a race that included 5,400 feet of climbing, Trebon separated himself
from the rest of the field early in the race and by the time be had
completed the first lap and a half of the 11-mile circuit, he had a
commanding lead and looked as though he could easily cruise to a victory.
As the race disappeared from sight, the spectators fully expected to see
Trebon solo in to the finish but to their surprise the first rider to round
the final corner was Brown with Australian Trent Lowe on his wheel. In the
final acceleration to the line, Brown took the win from Lowe by a few bike
lengths leaving the crowd to assume either a crash or mechanical failure
dashed the hopes of Trebon. Chris Sheppard (CAN) then crossed the line in
third place before Trebon emerged, minus a rear tire, to finish fourth.

On the final descent, Trebon clipped a rock and punctured. After a futile
attempt to repair the flat he realized his only chance to maintain a podium
finish was to ride in with the flat. In the end, it was his aggressive
style that cost him the race. “Even with a lead of 1:45 with one lap to go,
I didn’t feel comfortable with (Paul) Rowney chasing me. I just tried too
hard and went too fast down the final descent and clipped a rock. I had
some foam sealant, but the puncture was just too big to repair.”

An elated Brown was happy with the win, but none to pleased with the way it
came about. “I’m totally stoked,” he said afterwards in quintessential
mountain bike fashion. “It wasn’t until the last ten minutes that I thought
I had a chance to win. Once everybody was split up and by themselves I knew
we were all at high risk for a flat. One you’re that tired it’s hard to
stay focused and I was even more distracted with Trent breathing down my
neck. Once I saw Ryan I felt really bad for him.”

In the women’s race, a bit of bad luck earlier in the week contributed to
the chance win by Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.). After a terrifying
return flight home after last weekend’s NORBA race in Sonoma, Calif. that
included an emergency landing after her place lost an engine and
hydraulics, Vanlandingham figured she’d drive to California from her home
in Durango and contest the NORBA instead of flying across the Atlantic to
compete in Sunday’s world cup race in Madrid. Her decision paid off as she
rode to her second career NORBA National cross country win.

After a conservative first lap, Vanlandingham punched it up the initial
climb that began each lap and slowly distanced herself from the remainder
of the field. Not far behind, Gretchen Reeves (Boulder, Colo.) Jimena
Florit (ARG), and Dara Marks-Marino (Flagstaff, Ariz.) held Vanlandingham’s
lead to a respectable gap, but just couldn’t regain contact throughout the
remainder of the 22 mile race.

Vanlandingham gave her Luna Chix team its third consecutive NORBA National
cross country win this season after her teammate, Alison Dunlap, swept the
first two.

Entering tomorrow’s final stage, the short track event, today’s winners,
Brown and Vanlandingham lead the overall classification.

Dual Slalom
In dual slalom racing, Eric Carter (Temecula, Calif.) captured the win from
Aussie Sam Hill in the final run after posting the fastest qualifying time.
Carter made his way into the finals by besting Kurt Voreis in the semis and
Hill advanced to the final after beating Mick Hannah (AUS)

Sabrina Jonnier (FRA) took the win ahead of Tara Llanes (Los Alamitos,
Calif.) in the final after besting Aussie, Katrina Miller in the
semifinals. Llanes beat relative newcomer, Lisa Myklak (Boulder, Colo.) in
the preceding round to advance to the finals.

Women XC

1. Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.)

2. Jimena Florit (ARG)

3. Gretchen Reeves (Boulder, Colo.)

4. Dara Marks-Marino (Flagstaff, Ariz.)

5. Jamie Whitmore-Cardenas (Elk Grove, Calif.)

Men XC

1. Travis Brown (Durango, Colo.)

2. Trent Lowe (AUS)

3. Chris Sheppard (CAN)

4. Ryan Trebon (Ventura, Calif.)

5. Jay Henry (Avon, Colo.)

Overall standings After Stage 2

Men

1. Travis Brown 2:46:16

2. Trent Lowe +0:17

3. Chris Sheppard +1:54

4. Ryan Trebon +2:13

5. Jay Henry +2:53

Women

1.Shonny Vanlandingham 2:27:46

2. Jimena Florit +2:15

3. Gretchen Reeves +2:15

4. Dara Marks-Marino +3:12

5. Heather Irmiger +5:14