June 18, 2004 – The fifth stop on the NORBA Circuit got underway today in
Mount Snow, Vt. with the mountain cross competition. Competing with a
World Cup event in Austria this weekend, top gravity riders still made
their way to the long established venue.

Posting a victory in the men’s competition was 21-year-old Michael
Robinson (AUS) who beat Eric Carter (Temecula,Calif.). Jill Kitner
(Murrieta, Calif.) captured the win over Tara Llanes (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
in the women’s race, helping to secure her lead in the overall standings.

Rain caused several practice sessions to be postponed this morning, but
after the scare of bad weather cleared up, the mountain cross course was in
good condition for the qualifying runs. Mike King bested his nearest
competitors by clocking a 36.35 in the qualifier, a time that gave him the
top seed going into the finals. Eric Carter was seeded second, with Wade
Bootes (AUS) third, John Kirkaldie (NZL) fourth, and Robinson fifth.

After elimination, Robinson, Carter, King, and Bootes were the last four
standing. Robinson knew what he was up against as the final four
contenders left the gate. “I just decided to ride my own race,” the Aussie
said after winning. “And, that is mostly what happened.”

The tight race for the finish left Carter in second place, Bootes in
third, and King in fourth. Kamakaze Da-Bomb (AUS) rounded out the men’s
podium in fifth after winning the consolation round.

Tara Llanes posted the time to beat in the women’s qualifying round. With
a time of 40.71, Jill Kitner was her nearest threat in 41.24. Katrina
Miller, Kathy Pruitt, and Lisa Sher were third, fourth, and fifth seeds
respectively.

Eight women raced in the finals. The final four saw Kitner take the lead
with Tara Llanes on the inside trying to get ahead before the first turn.
Kitner stood her ground though and took the victory, with Katrina Miller
(San Luis Obispo) in second, Llanes in third, and Kathy Pruitt (Lake
Amanor, Calif.) in fourth. Winning the consolation round for fifth place
was Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.).

“It was kind of a defensive ride for me,” Kitner commented afterwards,
“just making sure I didn’t get passed.”

Pro action continues Saturday afternoon with the men’s and women’s
cross-country races.