June 13, 2004 – When it poured rain on Friday, the day before the race, Canadians Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) and Chris Sheppard (Haro-Adidas) were probably grinning gleefully, knowing their superior technical skills would come in handy on race day.

Kabush banked everything on his ability to ride even the trickiest stuff more efficiently than the rest of the competition, and it paid off. He dangled back from the lead group of Travis Brown (Trek VW) Jeremiah Bishop (Trek VW), Paul Rowney (Yeti), Adam Craig (Giant-Pearl Izumi) and Sheppard for most of the race, finally catching them at the beginning of the last lap.

Kabush told a USA Cycling reporter afterwards that he knew the other riders would get worn out from charging through the technical sections, so he had planned to conserve energy and attack at the end when everyone else was getting tired. His plan worked. He put the hammer down on the last climb, got away and took the win. Sheppard edged out the rest of the group and grabbed second. Craig hung on for third.

The technical, muddy, 7-mile cross-country loop at Snowshoe has an infamous reputation, especially after top U.S. rider, Alison Dunlap (Luna Women’s Team) crashed there last year and was out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.

However, Dunlap put all her bad memories from last year’s crash behind her and took control of the two-lap race, cruising to victory. In fact, the entire Luna team dominated the women’s field with a 1-2-3 sweep. Teammate Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna Women’s Team) finished a solid second, while Katerina Hanusova (Luna Women’s Team) took third.

Elite Men’s XC
1. Geoff Kabush (Maxxis)
2. Chris Sheppard (Haro-Adidas)
3. Adam Craig (Giant-Pearl Izumi)
4. Travis Brown (Trek VW)
5. Ryan Trebon (Kona-Clarks-Les Gets)

Elite Women’s XC
1. Alison Dunlap (Luna Women’s Team)
2. Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna Women’s Team)
3. Katerina Hanusova (Luna Women’s Team)
4. Kelli Emmett (Specialized)
5. Dara Marks-Marino (Ford Racing)