May 23, 2004 (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Best described as 20 minutes of
pain, the short track event wrapped up the cross country events at the
third round of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Big Bear Lake,
Calif.

In the women’s race, Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) left no doubt in
the minds of anyone that she was the strongest rider in attendance. After
winning Saturday’s cross country event, Vanlandingham entered the day
leading the overall classification by 2:15 over Jimena Florit (ARG) and had
a dual focus of taking both the stage win and the overall by day’s end.

As is customary in short track racing, the race was intense from the gun as
the favorites pushed the pace hoping to thin out the field early on.
Vanlandingham and her Luna Women’s teammate, Katerina Hanusova (CZE) staked
their claim at the front of the race along with other notables, Florit,
Kerry Barnholt (Boulder, Colo.), and Dara Marks-Marino (Flagstaff, Ariz.).
The Luna teammates kept the pace high and eventually the two had formed
what would prove to be an insurmountable gap to the chasers behind.

For a moment it looked as though Marks-Marino would regain contact with the
duo, but faded in the last few laps. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo.), who
won the stage one time trial, took over the chase and passed Marks-Marino
in the closing laps, but up ahead the Luna women were simply too strong.
Vanlandingham opened up a slight gap on Hanusova in the final couple of
laps and claimed both the stage win and the overall victory.

“Katerina and I didn’t really talk about it much before the race,”
Vanlandingham said afterwards. “We just planned on both getting to the
front together and keeping the pace high until it split up a little. Once
we were off the front, we worked well together.”

In men’s competition, it was Australian Paul Rowney who finally made a
breakthrough winning his first-ever NORBA National Mountain Bike Series
race despite being on the podium nine times in his career. In a contest
that started just as furiously as the women’s race, it first appeared as if
Ryan Trebon (Ventura, Calif.) would avenge his near miss yesterday steadily
forcing the pace at the front of the race early on. The only two riders
that were able to match the pace at the front were Rowney and Chris
Sheppard (CAN). Throughout the first third of the 20 minute affair, the
three rode off the front together but eventually Trebon fell off the pace.

Rowney and Sheppard maintained their lead together until Sheppard suffered
a slow leak in his rear tire. Riding the remaining three laps with a rear
flat, Sheppard lost contact with Rowney who easily cruised in for the short
track win despite desperate chase efforts from Sheppard, Trent Lowe (AUS)
and yesterday’s winner, Travis Brown (Durango, Colo.).

NORBA National Mountain Bike Series

Big Bear Lake, Calif.

Stage 3 Short Track

Women

1. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA)

2. Katerina Hanusova (CZE)

3. Heather Irmiger (USA)

4. Dara Marks-Marino (USA)

5. Kerry Barnholt (USA)

Men

1. Paul Rowney (AUS)

2. Chris Sheppard (CAN)

3. Trent Lowe (AUS)

4. Travis Brown (USA)

5. Ryan Trebon (USA)

Final General Classification

Women: 1. Shonny Vanlandingham

Men: 1. Travis Brown